What Do You Jump Into?

18 Oct 1968: Bob Beamon #254 of the USA breaking the Long Jump World Record during the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City, Mexico. Beamon long jumped 8.9 m (29 ft 2 1/2 in), winning the gold medal and setting a new world record. It is the first jump over 28 ft. The most famous long jump ever achieved: Bob Beamon of the United States takes off for a place in sporting history as he leaps 8.90 metres at the Mexico City Games of 1968. While the middle distance runners from the low level countries floundered in the thin air of Mexico City, those in the explosive events reached new peaks, none higher than Beamon, who added 58 centimetres to the world record with a jump aided by a wind of 2 metres per second the very limit of wind assistance. In Imperial measure terms it looked even more impressive since he missed out 28 feet, taking the record to 29 ft 2 ins. Yet Beamon never again managed a jump of 27 feet. It was twelve years before anyone else reached 28 feet (8.53 metres) and the record stood until 1991 when Mike Powell of the US leapt 8.95 metres in Tokyo to win the world title. His jump was at sea level and wind assistance of 0.3mps. Mandatory Credit: Tony Duffy /Allsport

He was focused. He stared down the runway thinking through the details necessary to create an exceptional performance. This was his time to shine.

He wasn’t the favourite though. He didn’t hold the world record. If he jumped a personal best perhaps he could win Olympic gold. But what he was about to achieve was not simply his best. It would be the best performance in all human history. And not just by a smidgen, by the largest margin ever witnessed in the annuls of global competition…

Bob Beamon was about to eradicate the world record in the long jump during the 1968 Olympic games in Mexico City with a jump of 29 feet 2 ½ inches. He shattered the current world record by close to 2 feet.

To understand the magnitude of this record: since 1901 the world record had been broken 15 times by a margin of between ¼ and 6 inches. The greatest margin the record had ever been previously broken by was only 6 inches. Beamon broke the record by 21 ¾ inches. It was considered a superhuman accomplishment.

Beamon’s world record stood untouchable for 23 years until 1991 when Mike Powell bested Beamon’s jump by 1 ¾ inches. Powell’s record still stands today.

Beamon’s jump was arguably the greatest long jump the world has ever seen.

I trained for long jump when I was at university. Sadly, due to injury, my long jump aspirations were cut short. I had the basic raw materials of speed and spring, but couldn’t end up putting them together to create an exceptional jump.

I have since learned that, for the most part, we all have a natural ability in the long jump. We can all jump that’s for sure. We often jump into emotional propensities that we shouldn’t. We can all have a certain default when it comes to our emotional or mental state. We all have certain emotional or mental defaults that can become our overriding mindset if we do not catch ourselves before we jump.

What do I mean?

Well, for example, if I do not focus on the Truth I have a propensity to jump into criticism and judgment. Before I realize it I can find myself being critical and judgmental of someone. The Holy Spirit has to help me see how I am being critical and judgmental. It may be something that is left unsaid, but it still resides in my heart.

We have a friend who has a propensity to jump into fear and worry. Before she realizes it she can be deep into fear and worry that she needs the Lord’s help to get out of. Again, she needs the Holy Spirit to help her see what she has jumped into so she can choose to jump into the Truth instead.

We all have a tendency to jump into mindsets that are not rooted in the Truth – they are tied to our sin nature, to “the flesh” as scripture points out. We can jump into guilt and shame. We can jump into anger and rage. We can jump into envy and jealousy. We can jump into self-hatred and rejection. We can jump into alienation and isolation. We can jump into negativism and pessimism. We can jump into self-pity and self-centeredness. There is no shortage to the negative mindsets and emotions we can jump into.

What we have a tendency to jump into is rooted in lies we have believed for decades.

Even though we can jump into all manner of negative mindsets, I believe there is a particular mindset we each have a tendency to jump into. Sure, we all have the capacity to jump into all manner of sinful thinking and habits, but I think we are all uniquely wired to a particular default pattern. I believe our key to getting free from this negative repetitive process is to ask the Lord to show us what we tend to jump into.

So what mindset do you tend to jump into? Ask the Lord to help you see it, and then to help you jump into the Truth instead.

You don’t want to be adept at this kind of jumping.

Romans 8:5, 6

“Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace.”

Ephesians 4: 22-24

“You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.”

Aug 24, 2015 | Categories: Uncategorized | Comments Off on What Do You Jump Into?

The Importance of Pace

I was motoring up the street on the uphill portion of my prayer walk; that’s when I saw them. It was also in that moment the Lord whispered something simple, yet quite profound…

Most days of the week I go for a 3.5 km prayer walk from our house down the mountain to the lake and then back up again. I love it. I have finally found a way to get regular exercise and regular prayer time.  I love the time with the Lord, I love the scenery, and I love the fact that I’m getting sustained exercise – which has been a key factor in losing 20 pounds this past year.

I set a fast pace in order to get my heart rate up. I average 5-6 km/hr according to my handy iPhone speedometer app. It’s the fast pace that makes all the difference. If I don’t get my heart rate up I will not see the physical benefits that exercise can create.

So, back to what I saw on the uphill portion of my walk. I glanced up and saw two large people going for a walk as well, but going very slowly. I found myself beginning to day dream about them…

How long have they been doing this? Were they just starting a regular walking regimen? Is this perhaps something they have done together for a very long time? Have they been doing this to try to lose some weight and are wondering why they haven’t lost any yet?

In a nanosecond my mind then skipped to other people I have heard mention how they have been exercising, but just not getting the results. It was then I heard the Lord’s whisper,

“It’s about the pace.”

What do you mean by “pace”?

A download of thoughts began to fill my mind. Pace determines the outcome of the race. Runners, joggers, walkers, and exercisers all have the same choice:

Will you cruise and coast, or press on and pursue?

If we choose to cruise and coast we will see no benefit from the time we put into exercising. However, if we up the pace and choose to press on and pursue a goal we will reap the rewards. Coasting and cruising does not create personal growth. Pressing on and pursuing a goal creates much growth.

If you choose to create a fast pace to get your heart rate up, you will see positive physical results. Keep upping your pace and the physical rewards continue to grow. If I set a fast pace and do my best to continue to press on with that pace I will reap the rewards of my exercise. If I choose to coast and cruise on my walk I will not only not make further gains, but I will lose the gains I have already realized.

Now, let’s look at this concept as it pertains to our relationship with Jesus. Are you coasting and cruising in your faith, or are you pressing on and pursuing Him wholeheartedly? It’s all about the pace. It has been said that half-hearted Christians are the most miserable people of all. They know enough about God to feel guilty, but haven’t gone far enough with Christ to be happy.

In other words they haven’t pressed on, they haven’t pursued God wholeheartedly – their pace is slow, timid and undemanding. They are cruising and coasting, and miserable because of it.

Jesus has invited us to pursue Him wholeheartedly. He has called us to press on toward His purposes in us and through us. That takes effort. That demands energy, time and attention from us. It’s about the pace. A half-hearted pace will not reap the results we desire. A half-hearted effort does not reap wholehearted results.

Let’s choose to set a pace in our pursuit of Jesus that will reap the results He desires for us. Let’s press on to take hold of that for which Christ took hold of us. Let’s pursue Christ wholeheartedly to win the prize for which He has called us.

May we understand the importance of pace and press on in our pursuit of Christ and His Kingdom in and through us.

How’s your pace?

Philippians 3:13b, 14

“Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”

1 Corinthians 9:24-27 (The Message)

“You’ve all been to the stadium and seen the athletes race. Everyone runs; one wins. Run to win. All good athletes train hard. They do it for a gold medal that tarnishes and fades. You’re after one that’s gold eternally. I don’t know about you, but I’m running hard for the finish line. I’m giving it everything I’ve got. No sloppy living for me! I’m staying alert and in top condition. I’m not going to get caught napping, telling everyone else all about it and then missing out myself.”

Isaiah 43:22

“Yet you have not called on me, Jacob, you have not wearied yourselves for me, Israel.”

Aug 10, 2015 | Categories: Uncategorized | Comments Off on The Importance of Pace

It Was My Joy

Cancer had overtaken her mother’s body. Like a slow moving lava flow it had destroyed everything in its path.

The end was near.

She didn’t know what to do. She and her mother had journeyed through every stage of this insidious disease and now they were facing the final stage – the last chapter. She was once again sitting with her mother in her hospital room, simply being together. This time though she had prepared something.

Knowing that her mother’s death was inevitable she had madly thought through what she could do to make the most of this time – this moment in history. All that came to her was gratitude. She looked back at all her mother had given to her. The large significant gifts, like life, and the myriad smaller gifts of time and attention that were now no less significant in her eyes.

So that’s what she did. She carefully began to thank her mother for everything. She left no stone unturned, no gratitude unexpressed. Her mother sat quietly drinking in every ounce of love her daughter offered. When she finished tearfully expressing her overwhelming gratitude she sat quietly, letting her mother drink it all in.

Her mother silently stared out the window for an inordinate amount of time. She then turned and looked at her daughter and graciously said,

“It was my joy.”

That was their last conversation.

After her mother’s death she bought a simple silver locket and had it inscribed with the final words of her mother – “It was my joy.” This is her way of reminding herself of the legacy of love given to her by her mother, and an exhortation to make the most of everyday by giving herself for the joy of others.

As I choked back the tears listening to this woman’s story on CBC I thought of the words of Hebrews 12:2,

“Jesus, for the joy set before Him endured the cross and suffered its shame.”

As I sat in silent gratitude for all the Lord has done in my life I sensed Him simply say,

“It was my joy.”

It was the Lord’s joy to lay down His life that we might live. It was His joy to lay aside the privileges of the Godhead, to become a man that we might know the heart of God. It was His joy to be beaten, bruised, betrayed, slandered, sacrificed and slain so that we can live in the freedom and life of the government of God – so that we might become children of God. It was His joy to make a way for us to be set free from sin, to be delivered out of the domain of darkness, and to break the chains of demonic oppression that had bound mankind.

It was His joy to first love us so that we might love Him.

It was joy that led Jesus to the cross. It was the joy of knowing He was the historic fulcrum that would forever shift the balance of spiritual power so that mankind could live in the Father’s righteousness, peace and joy for which we had been created, crafted and called into.

In short, you are Jesus’ joy.

What motivated Him to make unimaginable sacrifices by becoming a man to die on a cross was the joy of seeing you live as a beloved child of God, reconciled to your Father who loves and delights in you. No longer do you need to be oppressed by sin, death and enemy. You can live in your Father’s joy as a beloved son in the family of God, having authority over our spiritual enemy whose only objective is to steal, kill and destroy all that is in the Father’s heart for you and through you.

His sacrificial love was for the purpose of setting us free and catapulting us into the Truth of the love of God. He has made a way for us to live the life that we were designed to live. He has made a way for the family of God to be united in love. All His sacrifices were for love – for you, for us.

Hear Him saying to you, “It was my Joy.

You are the joy of the Lord.

Hebrews 12:1-3

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”

1 John 3:1a

“See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!”

John 1:12

“Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.”

Aug 02, 2015 | Categories: Uncategorized | Comments Off on It Was My Joy

Have You Become Sloppy?

As we stood side by side I began to look more closely at him. He looked sharp. He was well groomed with a good looking suit and shirt, and his shoes were well polished.

I reflected on my appearance.

I was wearing an older pair of pants with a sport coat that was a little tired and worn. My shirt was good – pressed, professional and stylish. However, my shoes were not well polished and were looking tired and worn as well. I needed a haircut.

It began to dawn on me as I stood beside this sharp-dressed man that I looked sloppy.

I had gotten a little lazy and was letting things slip. Compared to this business professional I was not on my “A Game” – at least as it pertained to appearance. This got me thinking…

“Where else have I allowed myself to become sloppy?”

Here is what I mean by sloppy: it’s not holding yourself to a high standard. It’s not insisting on excellence wherever and whenever possible. It’s being careless and lazy.

We can become sloppy in every area of life: in attitude, in speech, and in action.

Excellence is the opposite of being sloppy. I believe excellence is an attitude, it’s a habit, and it takes place in the details. Being sloppy is a refusal to hold ourselves, or allow others to hold us, to high standards. We sink to a low common denominator instead of intentionally stepping up and stepping into excellence.

Our excellence can be an act of worship. The Lord is worthy of our best, not our second best. He is worthy of excellence. We are encouraged in scripture, no matter what we are doing, to work at it wholeheartedly like we are working for the Lord. I see that as ensuring we work to a high standard, a standard of excellence – as an act of worship.

I find it’s easy to let myself slide into an “it’s good enough” mentality. What helps me to stay away from this slippery slope is surrounding myself with people who have high standards. Observing other men and women walk in excellence in various areas of their lives shines a light on the sloppy areas of my life. Their excellence encourages me to up my game.

Excellence applies everywhere. How we walk with the Lord; our prayer life, our study of scripture; how we serve; how we take care of our health; how and what we eat; our sleeping habits; what we allow ourselves to watch on TV, the internet, movies and videos; how we take care of our house and yard; how we maintain our vehicle; our work habits; our table manners; our personal grooming; how we talk to our wife and kids; how we monitor our thought life – we can allow ourselves to become sloppy anywhere in our life.

So, get honest with yourself right now, where have you allowed yourself to get sloppy?

Ask the Lord to help you to see 1 significant area in which you have gotten sloppy. There may be lots of them. You may be feeling overwhelmed by the gravity of your sloppiness, but don’t go there. Just pick 1 significant area and focus on that.

How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.

How do you create a life of excellence? One step at a time. Pick one area and determine what excellence would look like for you. Ask for the input of others if you like. Or, observe others to learn from them. Then, take action. Do something differently. Make change.

We shift from sloppy into excellence one step at a time.

Ask the Lord to help you, and then offer your excellence as worship to the Lord. See your excellence as an offering to God, as your attempt to say, “Thank you Lord for your goodness and grace.” We are not trying to earn His love or approval, we are simply saying thank you with our best.

Have you become sloppy? Determine to offer your best to the Lord. He is worthy of your best in every area of your life.

Psalm 96:6-9

“Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and glory are in his sanctuary. Ascribe to the Lord, all you families of nations, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; bring an offering and come into his courts. Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness; tremble before him, all the earth.”

Revelation 4:19

“You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.”

Proverbs 22:9

“Do you see someone skilled in their work? They will serve before kings; they will not serve before officials of low rank.”

Colossians 3:23-25 (The Message)

“Do your best. Work from the heart for your real Master, for God, confident that you’ll get paid in full when you come into your inheritance. Keep in mind always that the ultimate Master you’re serving is Christ. The sullen servant who does shoddy work will be held responsible. Being a follower of Jesus doesn’t cover up bad work.”

Jul 27, 2015 | Categories: Uncategorized | Comments Off on Have You Become Sloppy?

Are You Incommunicado?

I didn’t even notice what was happening. It happened so slowly, so innocently that I was oblivious to its insidious nature. Something so simple, yet the ramifications were enormous…

We were in Ottawa visiting our son David. We had enjoyed a fabulous day together sharing in his new found love for this beautiful city. We were now enjoying a great dinner out at a hip burger joint – an Ottawa favourite.

We had ordered some cold beverages that sat right in front of us on the table. Condensation began to form on the outside of the glasses. It then began to ever-so-slowly creep down the sides of the glasses onto the table. As if on command, the water droplets found each other, formed up into a deadly army and pooled at what I assume was a slightly lower point on the table.

That slightly lower point on the table just happened to be where I had placed my phone face down. The water surrounded my phone and soaked into the screen.

The water killed my phone.

Yes, I put it in a bowl of rice to dehydrate it. Yes I left it off. No, it did not recover.

Simultaneously another calamity was stocking me on our trip…

May laptop – now my trusty communicational backup for email and internet access – was about to suffer a similar fate.

My power cord was not connecting properly with my mother board to charge my battery. The power cord was working fine, it was a problem inside the computer. Sometimes it would charge, other times it would not. Then, on the next leg of our holiday, it quit charging all together. Finally, the battery died and I had no computer access at all.

No phone, no computer. I was completely incommunicado.

Picture that: what would life look like for you if you had no cell phone or computer? Maybe you would be fine, but I was utterly dependent on them and was now hooped.

I don’t know any phone numbers – they are all programmed in my phone. Email is a primary form of communication for me – I now had no access. Texting – nada. I felt like I was trapped in a foreign country with no knowledge whatsoever of the language. The only person in the whole world I could communicate with was my wife who was with me. (Which was not such a bad thing.)

We decided we could live that way for the duration of our trip, but I would certainly have to immediately solve this issue once we returned home.

I began to realize that I was more acutely aware of the pain of being technologically incommunicado, than spiritually incommunicado.

How often am I spiritually incommunicado and don’t even realize it? I keep moving on in life not recognizing that I am out of touch with the Lord. I am not connecting with Him in prayer, I am not connecting with Him through His Word. I am doing life in my own strength, not in His.

It’s a pretty sorry situation when I am more concerned about losing all my technology that I am with losing daily communication with the Lord. Sadly it’s fairly easy to become incommunicado with the Lord. We think we are too busy to make time to spend with Him. We get distracted with the things of life and don’t connect with the source of our life. We chase after the things of this world, and don’t purse the one who made this world.

The Lord wants us to be in ongoing communication with Him. He wants us to remain in Him, to find our life in Him. He wants us to be deeply rooted in His Word and in His presence. He wants us to be men of Truth, filled with faith and the Holy Spirit.

Like Keith Green said, “He is divine and we are debranch.” We have to stay connected with Him.

We have to be in communication, not incommunicado, with Him.

Let’s be men who realize we have no life apart from the Lord. Let’s be men who choose to remain in Him, in communication not incommunicado.

Are you incommunicado? Remain in Him.

John 15:4-8

“Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.”

Jul 20, 2015 | Categories: Uncategorized | Comments Off on Are You Incommunicado?

Why Pray?

Have you spent any time around boats? I have no doubt at some point in time you have seen a boat tied up to a dock. A row boat, a ski boat, a yacht or a cruise ship all use lines to tie up to a dock. Bigger boats just have bigger lines.

There is actually a system by which you tie a larger boat to a dock, which I recently learned on my yacht piloting course. When bringing a mid-sized boat into dock, the key line to get around the dock cleat is the stern line. Once the stern line is around the cleat the pilot of the boat can easily bring the bow of the boat alongside the dock.

The point of any dock line on a boat is to pull the boat toward the dock and hold it secure to the dock. When you put a line around a cleat on the dock you never expect to pull the dock closer to the boat, you pull the boat closer to the dock. The dock is fixed and unwavering, and if the boat is not tied to it then the boat will drift with the current and ultimately end up in harm’s way.

This is a picture of prayer: prayer pulls us closer to the Lord. Prayer does not pull Him closer to us, it pulls us closer to Him.

Let’s define prayer. Prayer is talking with God; communing with God, communicating with God. Prayer is really all about relationship with God.

Sadly though, we often through prayer treat God like a vending machine and try to pull Him closer to us. “Lord, please give me more peace.” “Please provide that job.” “Lord, please give me hope…faith…strength…freedom…”, etc. Like with a vending machine we hope that if we press the right buttons we will get what we want.

We need to see prayer as a means to draw near to God, to talk with Him and commune with Him. The true gift of prayer is God Himself: to hear Him, to see Him, to feel Him, to know Him…to love Him.

Sure, the Lord knows we have needs – He knows what they are before we even pray. What He wants is our hearts. He wants us to desire Him above all things; not to simply want Him for what He can do for us, but for who He is. He wants us to seek His face, not just His hand.

How would your wife feel about you if every time you talked with her you were asking for something…

“Hi honey. I love you. Can you please go to the store and get some groceries, and then get the laundry done for tomorrow. I’d like some clean sheets on the bed too please. And if you could clean up the house that would be great. Thank you. I love you. Amen.”

I know for a fact I would not enjoy a good relationship with my wife if that was how I communicated with her.

True friendship is not one-sided. It is two people giving to each other and enjoying each other’s company.

Prayer is not about getting what we want from God, it’s about getting God. And, the miracle of prayer is that the Lord enables us to participate with Him in His purposes as well. He encourages us to ask for His kingdom to come and His will to be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Prayer is not meant to be a one-sided conversation. The Lord speaks to us. The Lord’s voice is like a radio frequency, we have to attune our hearts to hear Him clearly. The Lord speaks to us in myriad ways if we will listen: in silence, in creation, in scripture, through people, and through music, movies, pictures, art, words, trials and countless other ways if we will listen for Him.

Prayer draws us closer to the Lord. Prayer is talking with God, communing with Him, enjoying relationship with Him, discovering His heart and aligning our heart with His.

Why pray? Prayer connects us with God Himself. He is the true benefit of prayer.

Psalm 25:14

“The Lord confides in those who fear him; he makes his covenant known to them.”

Psalm 73:28

“But as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge; I will tell of all your deeds.”

Ephesians 6:18

“And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.”

Matthew 6:6-8

“But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.”

Jul 06, 2015 | Categories: Uncategorized | Comments Off on Why Pray?

To No One’s Regret

I read something the other week that lept off the page at me. It was one of those innocuous phrases that normally I wouldn’t notice – perhaps you wouldn’t notice either. It was in the midst of a narrative on one of the kings of Judah.

You know those passages in the Old Testament that go through the life of a king? He was a good king, or he was a bad king. He walked with the Lord, or he didn’t. The life of a man is often summed up in a few verses.

How will my life be summed up? How will your life be summed up? Will it be said of you that you walked with the Lord, or you didn’t?

I was reading about Jehoram. He was not a good king of Judah. He did not walk with the Lord. He didn’t honor God. It was the phrase that wrapped up the section of scripture recounting his life that caught my attention:

“He passed away, to no one’s regret, and was buried in the City of David, but not in the tomb of the kings.”

“He passed away to no one’s regret” – ouch.

In other words, it didn’t really matter that he died. No one really cared. Perhaps it was to many people’s relief that he passed away. “Whew, thank God he is gone. He was a terrible leader, and a horrible man.” Whatever the case, it appears he left a negative legacy. No one was sad he died.

For the next number of days that phrase kept rolling over and over in my mind – “He passed away to no one’s regret.”…

Lord, what are you trying to say to me through this? “…to no one’s regret…”

Clearly none of us wants to end our days with this kind of epitaph. However, the outcome of our lives in contingent on how we are living today. The choices we make today create the outcomes of tomorrow. Sure, the people I love and are close to me I trust will regret my passing. But am I spending myself for the benefit of others every day? Do I have a positive impact on the people I encounter on a daily basis?

How about the airline ticket agent who was struggling with my boarding passes because of a glitch in their system? Did my demeanor brighten her day, or add to her grief? How about the gas station attendant who had to deal with my impatience when the $1 tire inflation machine ran out of time before I finished inflating my tires?

How about the customer service agent with my web hosting company who spoke with me, after I had been on hold for 23 minutes, to deal with the lack of spam service I’m receiving that allows 150 junk emails into my inbox? Would he regret my passing?

And what I mean by that is not that any of these people would regret my death, but would they be glad that they don’t have to deal with me anymore? Or, even though I have a valid complaint in regard to the services I am paying for, am I communicating my displeasure with respect, dignity, kindness and patience? Do I treat everyday people I encounter with love, grace, patience, kindness and dignity? Or do they not really matter to me so I tend to be impatient and act with a sense of entitlement?

Sadly, I think I often act as a self-consumed consumer and do not treat everyday service people in a Christ-like fashion. I can be a little impatient and curt sometimes when I don’t feel like I am being served well. Here’s a thought: would I treat everyday people I encounter, especially those who serve me at a retail level, any differently if I had a tattoo on my forehead that said, “I am a Jesus follower.”?

Sadly, I think I would.

May we treat everyone in life with the same degree of love, patience, kindness, dignity and grace. Perhaps even those we encounter occasionally would then regret the days we do not interact, because when we do we demonstrate the heart of God to them.

May we never pass to no one’s regret.

2 Chronicles 21:20

“Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years. He passed away, to no one’s regret, and was buried in the City of David, but not in the tombs of the kings.”

Colossians 4:5, 6 (The Message)

“Use your heads as you live and work among outsiders. Don’t miss a trick. Make the most of every opportunity. Be gracious in your speech. The goal is to bring out the best in others in a conversation, not put them down, not cut them out.”

Jun 29, 2015 | Categories: Uncategorized | Comments Off on To No One’s Regret

Pruning Precedes Productivity

I got in a fight this weekend.

I came out on top, but man was it a battle. I am significantly beat up and hurt like crazy, but I won. My body bears the lacerations of a man who fought a pack of angry alley cats, but it was something far more sinister with which I was contending.

I fought a very tough lilac hedge.

And let me tell you, this hedge was mean and nasty. It punched way above its weight, and it was huge to begin with: 70 feet long, 20 feet high and 10 feet deep. And some of the stocks were two inches thick. I had to use my chain saw, hedge trimmer and loppers to cut it back.

We took 15 feet off the hedge. I cut and my wife dragged the branches out to create a refuse pile 80 feet long, by 15 feet across, by 4 feet deep. You may think I am joking when I say it was a fight – I’m not. It was a battle in many ways.

Here was the problem: the hedge had fallen over so many of the outer edge branches were pointing horizontally. When I cut those off they now comprised thousands of spears aimed at me as I tried to press through them to get at the stocks on the inside of the hedge. As I was reaching as far as I could with my chainsaw into the center of the hedge to get those internal stocks, the stocks and branches at the edges would scrape and pierce every exposed piece of skin.

It was like trimming a 20 foot tall porcupine. My arms and legs are ripped to shreds.

Now, I have no doubt a number of you are reading this and asking, “Do you want a little cheese with that whine?”

Fair enough. However, this hedge beat me like a rented mule. I got so angry at times…I said words I don’t usually say. And, I said them often and loudly enough to be heard above the roar of the chainsaw. I even invented new words – none of which I can repeat here. I can only imagine what my neighbours must think…

Here is the point of all of this: we should have pruned this hedge a little bit each year, but didn’t. We let it grow unchecked for years thinking it would form a massive wall of lilacs, which it did. It did, that is, until it got so top heavy it fell over onto itself – never to be the same again.

We can be like that. We need regular pruning. We need regular corrections, adjustments and discipline that will enable us to grow straight and true. This “pruning” will also enable us to be fruitful and productive.

You see, pruning precedes productivity.

But, we often resist or avoid those ongoing regular corrections. We don’t choose to engage in the situations we can get that kind of input: conferences, workshops, seminars, retreats, meetings, coaching, mentoring, pastoring, counseling, house groups, close friendships and the like.

We oftentimes do not humble ourselves to receive the input of others, the ‘correction’ of others, so we can grow straight and true. We can choose to live independently and grow unchecked, like our lilac hedge, until one day we begin to collapse and wonder how things got this way.

In order to grow strong and fruitful we must choose to submit to others – we must choose to learn from others. Count yourself particularly blessed if you have people in your life who love you enough to say difficult things to you. Don’t get offended – get grateful and listen to them. The Lord often uses people in our lives as part of His disciplining (pruning) of us.

The Lord loves you and will prune you for growth and fruitfulness. Commit yourself to a life of ongoing divine pruning. If you resist what the Lord wants to do in you, you can end up like our hedge: nasty, weak and broken down. Pruning at that stage is no fun at all.

I wish we had pruned regularly along the way and not waited until it got to this.

And you will too.

Pruning always precedes productivity.

Proverbs 12:1

“Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but whoever hates correction is stupid.”

1 Timothy 4:7b, 8

“…train yourself to be godly. For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.”

Hebrews 12:5

“Or have you forgotten how good parents treat children, and that God regards you as his children? ‘My dear child, don’t shrug off God’s discipline, but don’t be crushed by it either. It’s the child he loves that he disciplines; the child he embraces, he also corrects.’”

Jun 22, 2015 | Categories: Uncategorized | Comments Off on Pruning Precedes Productivity

Take Your Faith to Work

“Congratulations on your election. I would like to ask you to please not take your faith to work with you – keep your personal life separate from your professional life.”

And with that comment the room went quiet. All eyes turned to the one who was celebrating his election. How would the politician respond to this exhortation?

The scenario was recently relayed to me about a Christian politician who had been elected. It was widely known in his community that he is a man of faith. He is well respected by many: clearly enough to get him elected. At his election celebration there was a point in the evening when people in attendance were given the opportunity to give their congratulations and exhortations to the man who would now represent them.

Somewhere in this jubilant and celebratory time the sentiments outlined above were shared.

What? How could you say something like that at a time like this? Knowing who he is, it’s a slap in the face per se.

How would he respond? A hush fell over the festivities…

Clearly this was not the first time he had heard that position. Keep the separation of church and state. Don’t let your personal beliefs bias your ability to govern. What goes on in your personal life should stay there. Don’t impose your values on others. Don’t disrespect people of other faiths by forcing your convictions on them.

We hear these sentiments all the time, and they often seem very convincing.

How would you answer this question?

I was very impressed with the Christian politician’s response. He thanked the person for their well wishes and their exhortation. The sentiment of his response was as follows:

“I don’t quite understand what you mean by not taking my faith to work with me. If what you mean is that I should not be loving, kind, generous, respectful, gracious, patient, good, peaceful, faithful, self-controlled, courageous, self-less, sacrificial, honest, trustworthy and hard-working, then I am afraid that I cannot refuse to be so. This is who I am and who I aspire to be, and it is my faith that compels and empowers me to be this kind of man.”

Wow.

I wish I could have been in attendance at this event. What a response. What wisdom. What a beautiful answer.

Sadly, what Christians have been historically known for is what we oppose – what we are against. I have no doubt that this mindset was in part behind the exhortation given to this politician. He turned it around in a wonderfully brilliant fashion to indicate the kinds of values that anyone would want in a political representative. And, it is those very values, those very character qualities, which are the result of our faith.

Jesus spoke to the religious posers of his day that they needed to produce fruit in keeping with their repentance. In other words, if we are truly partnering with Jesus in glorious submission to His lordship our behaviour will change; our values will change; our character will change.

The evidence of us being Spirit-filled is the kind of character that our Christian politician friend outlined and demonstrated.

Jesus also said that if we love Him we will obey His commands. His commands revolve around sacrificial love for others. It is Godly character that enables us to selflessly love others. It is the Spirit of God at work in us that changes our hearts and enables us to “produce fruit in keeping with our repentance.”

How should we take our faith to work? More in deed than in word. Should we use words to communicate our faith? Certainly. However, it is our deeds – our wholehearted, loving, selfless works of service – that creates favour in those we work with who are then subsequently drawn to learn more about what makes us the way we are. Or more accurately, “who” makes us the way we are.

May we be men who are actively working to see the fruit of the Spirit demonstrated in our lives in a fashion that serves others in sacrificial love.

By all means take your faith to work with you. Yes, by all means – how can we not do so?

Galatians 5:22, 23

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”

Colossians 1: 9, 10

 ^“For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God,”

John 3:8

“Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.”

James 2:17

“In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.”

Jun 15, 2015 | Categories: Uncategorized | Comments Off on Take Your Faith to Work

Fight for Your Life

Do you like swords? Most men do. It’s very entertaining to watch men at our boot camps interact with the swords we have on display.

When men first see them their eyes open wide in wonder. Words like “awesome” and “cool” soon follow. Initially they stand back and look, circling the swords like they have discovered some kind of treasure in the woods. After drinking in the primal giddiness of the moment they will hesitantly and, sometimes boldly, pick one up.

Who knows what visions of grandeur, what dreams of well fought battles flood through their minds? For a time they are lost in wonder of the moment with a twinkle in their eye and a tingle in their heart…

I like swords. I have a collection, and have given some to my sons as well. We have been slowly collecting swords from various international travels and other sources over the last 10 years. We have a Katana and various Wakizashis from Japan; three Dha (pronounced ‘daab’) I bought in Thailand – made famous in the Ong Bak movie trilogy; three Wallace broadswords from the movie Braveheart; two British Basket-Hilted broadswords; a Roman cavalry Spatha; various Nepalese Gurkha Kukris; and a couple of Kirpans from India.

These are the swords we display at the boot camps. These are the swords that seem to connect and engage with men and stir thoughts of noble battles fought and won.

One sword I am missing is the Scottish Claymore. We saw William Wallace’s claymore on display in the Wallace monument in Stirling, Scotland. Wallace’s sword is five and a half feet long and weighs over six pounds. It is a massive sword. It is estimated that Wallace needed to be at least 6 feet 7 inches tall in order to wield the sword effectively.

There is an old Scottish proverb about swords:

“Never give a sword to a man who can’t dance.”

Any idea what that means? Here is what I think it means: If a man doesn’t know how to dance then he doesn’t know what he’s fighting for. A true warrior can’t love war; he must love peace because that’s what he’s fighting for. It’s about the freedom, not the fight.

Even though our lives are surrounded by a spiritual battle, it’s not about the battle. It’s about the life of God. It’s about the government of God – the heart of God – in us and through us to others in our sphere of influence and authority.

We fight so we can get hold of everything Jesus purchased for us through His death and resurrection. We fight so we can live in the righteousness, peace and joy of the Kingdom of God. We fight so we can overcome the strategy of the enemy to steal, kill and destroy and appropriate the abundant life Jesus promised us.

It’s not about the fight – it’s about the freedom. It’s not about the battle – it’s about the joy.

Never give a sword to a man who can’t dance because the joy of the Lord is our strength.

Do you know what the joy of the Lord is? You – you are the joy of the Lord.

He delights in you. Jesus, for the joy of seeing you set free from the chains of sin, death and enemy, endured the cross so that you could be born again into the family of God as a beloved son of our Heavenly Father. When we get hold of that truth deep in our hearts we experience the joy of the Lord.

When you know you are delighted in, you feel delightful! When you know you are the joy of the Lord, you are joyful!

It’s the joy of the love of our Lord that drives us forward. We fight so we can be free. We fight so we can apprehend that for which Jesus apprehended us. We fight to overcome the spiritual resistance of the enemy in order to work out the salvation Jesus bought for us.

If we will not fight, we will not apprehend the life God has for us.  We must fight for our life, and for the life the Lord has for others through us.

Romans 14:17

“For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit,”

Romans 6:12

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”

Nehemiah 8:10

“Nehemiah said, ‘Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.’”

Psalm 34:7, 8 (The Message)

“God’s angel sets up a circle of protection around us while we pray. Open your mouth and taste, open your eyes and see how good God is. Blessed are you who run to him.”

Jun 08, 2015 | Categories: Uncategorized | Comments Off on Fight for Your Life

How Will You Say Goodbye?

When it comes to your time to leave this earth, how will you say goodbye?

The following is the self-composed obituary of Bill Gallagher as it appeared on the website of Anderson Stevenson Wilke Funeral Home & Crematory in Helena Montana.

Be inspired…

“William Anthony (Bill) Gallagher Jr., the most fortunate, blessed man you might ever want to meet, died on May 22nd at age 55.

After a long running battle with pancreatic cancer, I am headed into Chapter 3 of my life. Chapter 1 being that time that I was comfortably ensconced in my mother’s womb and Chapter 2 being my delightful life here on earth.

Chapter transitions and tragic times in our life, at the time, are fraught with trepidation, apprehension and anxiety.  Imagine trying to explain to an unborn baby how life is going to be on the outside. “No thanks! I’ll stay right here where I am comfortable, thank you very much.”  Truth is, life’s “chapters” and transitions, at the time I endured them, seemed disastrous, and devastating. But, looking back they ended up being avenues for blessing, good fortune and the very best things in my life.

So, unless my faith in the risen Savior Jesus Christ is sorely misplaced, I suspect that this transition, like my last one from womb to big scary beautiful world, will be viewed in retrospect with pleasant appreciation.

Take for example the calamity when I was 10. My parents’ turbulent divorce, my mother’s remarriage to a step-father I didn’t appreciate, followed by my brothers’ and my unwilling relocation to the high desert community of Lovelock, Nevada.

But, it was there that I had the good fortune of coming under the mentorship of my son’s namesake, Pastor Buck Dikes and his family. They introduced me to a living Jesus Christ and His importance in their lives.  It was there that my friend’s mother, JoAnn Meredith, committed me to her prayers and undoubtedly rendered me the beneficiary of countless life blessings.

It was in Lovelock that I met and fell in love with my beautiful wife, Jennifer, of 37 years, who, after nearly four decades with me, managed to maintain her physical beauty, her sanity, and her patience. We have two children and 5 precious, above average, grandbabies; David Buckley Gallagher and his son Tristan, Catrina Jean Majack and her daughters, Grace and Anna, and sons, Caleb and Samuel.

Athletics led me to a scholarship at Western Montana College in Dillon, Montana, where I immediately fell in love with this gorgeous state and everything about her.  I agree with John Steinbeck, “I have respect and admiration for other states, but with Montana its Love, and when you’re in love you just can’t explain it”.  In Dillon, my son’s other namesake, David Cypher and his family, mentored me in church and family and taught me the basics of my lifelong passion for hunting and fishing.

A degree from Western, led me to a coveted position as High School History teacher and coach in the charming little town of Plains, Montana, just west of Paradise and the confluence of the Clark Fork and Flathead rivers.  There, I was mentored by Ron Rude, Bob Johnston and other fine teachers, and of course, my students.

Call me a romantic, but there I fell in love yet again, with the generous people, the wild mountains, rivers and forests.  I’m not sure if Plains adopted me or I adopted Plains as my Montana hometown, but after I left in ’88, I spent the rest of my life trying to find a way to get back permanently.

Now, I’ve done it.  You’re welcome to my graveside service at the Plains Cemetery, where we’ll celebrate my Chapter 3 homegoing at my last real estate purchase. A little tract with a gorgeous view of the western mountain cut that silently watches the setting sun and the westerly flow of the Clark Fork River.

Another “tragedy” turned blessing in my life was a foolish decision to stick my hand into a neighbor’s operating meat grinder.  Although traumatic, that accident introduced me to my neighbor’s kind insurance company adjustor.  I soon became their customer and eventually secured an agency with Farm Bureau Insurances.  That required a move to Polson where, in addition to the insurance, I invested in several businesses, including Days Inn Hotel franchise.

The insurance career led to a move to Helena where I learned to be a farmer. Because of the blessings rained on me, most decidedly from the prayers my friend’s mother and due in no small part to my wife’s commitment to tithing, we prospered and I was able to retire at the ripe young age 42.

Able to do anything I pleased, I enrolled at the University of Montana Law School.  That led to a highly gratifying solo practice in Helena where I especially enjoyed helping the elderly navigate an ever increasing complex business and tax world.  It also led to my running for public office.  I was elected to serve the people of Montana and lead the Montana Public Service Commission, where I successfully helped Montana reacquire her hydro-electric dams squandered in the 1990’s.

So, how does a man with the misfortune of dying of pancreatic cancer at 55 come to the conclusion that he’s one of the luckiest people you’ll ever know?

Well, in my theme of bad circumstances and transitions turning out to be blessings, let me explain….

First, if this damned disease had struck anybody that I loved, I would have been begging, even demanding that God take it out of their body and put it in mine. Thank you God for letting it be me.

Second, unlike my proverbial Uncle Bob, the bus driver, who died quietly in his sleep or his proverbial passengers who died screaming in terror as his bus went off the cliff, I was blessed with nearly two years heads up! Every bit of which I needed to set things right, especially torn relationships.  Believe it or not, I was far from perfect.  Thank you God for the time and forgiveness.

Finally, I get to avoid my fear of dying very old, confused and alone.  And, as a bonus, I don’t have to watch as my beloved country flushes itself down the toilet of depravity.  Thank you God for when and where I lived my life.

So, if you knew me, I thank you! My life was well lived and I’m grateful for your helping me to live it. If you didn’t know me, then you now know at heart I am a storyteller and just taught my last lesson. About the time you think your life is in the middle of tragedy, hold on, you might one day be writing your own obituary explaining how all of the bad things in your life turned into delightful blessings.

Finally, if you are wondering how I can be so confident about Chapter 3 of my life, take a quick peek at Romans 10:9.  I hope I see you all again one day.”

Romans 10:9, 10

“If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.”

Hebrews 9:27, 28

“Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.”

May 30, 2015 | Categories: Uncategorized | Comments Off on How Will You Say Goodbye?

Prisoner of War Songs

Click to watch “More Than Conquerors” by Rend Collective

He was imprisoned in the Hanoi Hilton – the most notorious of prisoner of war camps in Vietnam. He was a marine pilot who was shot down at the onset of the war and spent the duration of the war imprisoned.

They tried to break him. Oh did they try to break him. Psychological, emotional, and physical torture beyond comprehension was his daily lot. He should have died. He should have gone crazy. He should have ceased functioning as a human being.

But he didn’t. Why?

There were a number of factors, but one surprising one to him, was his Sunday school upbringing. He was not currently walking with Jesus, but he had been raised in a Christian family and, therefore, attended Sunday school as a child. During his years in Sunday school he was taught to memorize many scriptures, as well as numerous songs about scripture.

He gives credit to these scripture-based songs and the scriptures themselves to keeping him sane during his long years of captivity. He spent years in solitary confinement and had to keep his mind active in order to not lose his mind. These songs and scriptures came back to his recollection as he desperately exercised his brain to remember: to remember truth that would save him.

I read the book of this harrowing story when I was in my early 20’s. Unfortunately I do not remember the title of the book or the name of its author. What I just described was the key lesson I took from my reading: truth will keep you alive in the midst of a battle of lies.

After reading this book I determined I would evaluate praise and worship songs by this standard: would the words of the song keep me alive and sane in a prisoner of war camp? Is there enough truth in the song to feed my spirit in the midst of a battle of lies?

Is it a “Prisoner of War” song?

I thought of this lesson recently when listening to the Rend Collective song “More Than Conquerors”:

“When my hope and strength is gone, You’re the one who calls me on
You are the life, You are the fight that’s in my soul
Oh, Your resurrection power burns like fire in my heart
When waters rise I lift my eyes up to Your throne

We are more than conquerors, through Christ
You have overcome this world, this life
We will not bow to sin or to shame, we are defiant in Your name
You are the fire that cannot be tamed, You are the power in our veins
Our Lord, our God, our Conqueror

I will sing into the night, Christ is risen and on high
Greater is He living in me than in the world
No surrender, no retreat, we are free and we’re redeemed
We will declare over despair You are the hope

Nothing is impossible
Every chain is breakable
With You, we are victorious
You are stronger than our hearts
You are greater than the dark
With You, we are victorious”

This song is definitely a “Prisoner of War” song. It is packed full of scriptural Truth to keep us alive in the midst of the battle of lies.

In order to stay alive and vibrant on a day to day basis we must be “marinating” in Truth. We must ensure that amidst the strategy of our spiritual enemy to imprison, oppress, condemn and destroy us we are focussed on the Truth – in the same way that Marine pilot kept his sanity during his torturous captivity.

Scriptural-based praise and worship songs are a fabulous way for us to stay focussed on the Truth. I have no doubt that all of you know the lyrics to a vast array of songs – many of which can feed your heart, soul and spirit on Truth. And, many that perhaps do not.

Let’s choose to feed ourselves on songs of Truth; on songs that contain scripture, or its essence, to empower us to battle the whisper campaign of our spiritual opposition.

Let’s give the music we listen to the “Prisoner of War” song test – If we know the Truth it will set us free.

Romans 8:37-39

“No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.  For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

1 John 4:4

“You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.”

Isaiah 43:2

“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.”

May 25, 2015 | Categories: Uncategorized | Comments Off on Prisoner of War Songs

Shower the People You Love with Love

Click to listen to James Taylor

Do you know the James Taylor song “Shower the People”? What a great song. It’s an encouragement to not be afraid to tell the people you love how you feel about them – let them know you care.

“…shower the people you love with love, show them the way you feel. Things are gonna be much better if you only will.”

Isn’t that the truth? Things are much better when we actually communicate how we feel about people – if we will communicate how much we appreciate and love them. I experienced a great example of that this week…

My cell phone rang mid-morning. I looked down to see who was calling. Lo and behold, it was a former client and friend whom I hadn’t spoken to for over 2 years. When I left the industry in which we had met, we just lost touch. Our lives had intersected over the course of the 2 years I had been involved in his industry probably 3-4 times each year, and each time we seemed to connect at deep level. The Lord had done something in our hearts in that short period of time.

Even though we hadn’t spoken over the course of the last few years he has continued to receive my weekly visionals. And, one landed in his cell phone this particular morning when he was in a Chicago skyscraper about to go into a very important meeting.

“Dave, hey brother, I know we haven’t seen each other or spoken for ages, but your email popped up on my phone as I’m waiting to go into a meeting and I just wanted to call you and tell you how much I appreciate you…”

He then went on to “shower me with love”. I was blown away.

He simply shared how I had always been an encouragement to him and how, in particular, my writing had often spoken directly to his heart. He shared a number of very kind, appreciative and encouraging words. As I said, I was gobsmacked. It was awesome.

After a few minutes he indicated that he had to get into his meeting. I asked if I could quickly pray for him – he said yes. I prayed for him. He said, “Dude, you just made my day.”

“Are you kidding, you just made my week!” I replied.

A simple interaction, but I was so blown away by his kindness – I took courage from his encouragement. Man did I feel good!

“…shower the people you love with love, show them the way you feel. Things are gonna be much better if you only will.”

Things are waaaaay better if we shower the people we love with love. My friend’s phone call was a fabulous example of that!

So, who do you need to shower with love? Who do you need to call or write or visit and let them know how much they mean to you? And, who is there in your world that you need to make a point of regularly sharing your heart with? Don’t wait for their funeral to tell them how much they mean, or have meant, to you. Don’t live in regret knowing that could have said something and you didn’t.

Why is it that we are reticent to share our love for others? What are we afraid of?

I think it’s ok to have a bit of a scale of “love” for others. Perhaps the levels are Appreciation, then Gratitude, then Affection, then Love. If you dive right into overtly communicating love for some people they might get freaked out. Start with appreciation, then add some gratitude, then a little affection, then when appropriate overtly communicate love.

All of it is expressing love in one form or another, but our language can be adjusted accordingly. You can communicate love to you wife in a way that would be totally inappropriate for a co-worker. And, conversely, if you only communicate appreciation for your wife without overtly communicating love, you are missing something.

My point is simply this: let’s be prodigal communicators of appreciation, gratitude, affection and love for others.

Let’s shower the people we love with love – things will work our fine if we only will.

John 13:34

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.”

1 Thessalonians 3:12

“May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you.”

1 Peter 1:22

“Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart.”

May 18, 2015 | Categories: Uncategorized | Comments Off on Shower the People You Love with Love

Let’s Get our Wow and Wonder Back

He was definitely afraid. There was no denying it.

In fact, he was so afraid that he was crying. He seemed to have lost it and was loudly declaring how this was not what he wanted. This wasn’t what he had signed up for. It was all going to go bad very quickly and he wanted out.

I couldn’t help but overhear everything he was saying. I couldn’t see him, but he was certainly distraught. The whole front of the airplane knew of his plight. We couldn’t see him, but he was coming through loud and clear.

And we hadn’t even taken off yet. This was going to be a long flight…

Thankfully there was someone trying to calm him down; doing their best to console him and help him understand everything was going to be alright. There was no need for him to be afraid. Apparently this was not the first time he had flown, but somehow he had lost his nerve this time.

Carefully, lovingly, graciously his mother was able to calm him down. She was able to talk him off the ledge and help him understand this was not something to be feared, but to be celebrated. This was a grand adventure we were about to embark upon. Thankfully her young son responded to her soothing words, calmed down and settled in for what he now hoped was a grand adventure.

He began to chatter excitedly about how the plane was moving along the taxi-way heading out to the runway. As the plane accelerated down the runway he grew in excitement and anticipation of that special moment: you know, that miraculous moment when thousands of pounds of steel overcomes the limitations of gravity and begins to fly.

His loud, childlike declaration broke through the mundane monotony of yet another flight at the precise moment we all felt the force of the plane pulling up into the wild blue yonder…

“Wowee – we’re flying!!!!!”, he shouted at the top of his lungs!

His adrenalized exclamation awoke something in me. Yes, you are right, wowee – we are flying! This is indeed awesome!

Is it not incredible that a mass of metal weighing over 70,000 pounds, more than 100 feet long with a wing span of 112 feet can hurl through the sky at over 900 kilometers per hour with 150 passengers aboard?! You bet it is!

In fact, most of the everyday conveniences we take for granted are awesome: electricity, indoor plumbing, smart phones, automobiles, computers, refrigeration… it’s all awesome. But somehow we seem to have lost a sense of awe. We have lost the wonder and the wow in everyday life.

And how much more awesome is it that the Creator of all that was, is and shall be has chosen to bestow upon us His love and life? He has chosen to set us free from the bullying of the enemy of our soul and adopt us into His family as His beloved children – how awesome is that? The commander of angel armies calls you friend! Awesome!

We need to ask the Lord to help us get our wonder and wow back.

You know what the opposite of awe is? Apathy. Our God is an awesome God. And His creation is awesome as well. We can live in a continual state of awe. Sadly though, all over the world people are asleep, but for the few who are awake they live a constant state of awe – they live in wonder and wow!

I think part of having a child-like faith is expressing awe at a deep heart level: “Wowee – we’re flying!”

Wow – I’m loved! Wow – I’m forgiven! Wow – I’m not alone! Wow – my God delights in me! Wow – my God provides for all my needs! Wow – I have victory over the enemy in Jesus’ name! Wow – the Risen Lord of Glory calls me friend! Wow – the God of all creation calls me His beloved son!

Wow and wonder cannot help but lead us to gratitude. And what is wow, wonder and gratitude if not worship?

Our God is definitely an awesome God! Let’s worship Him in wow and wonder every day!

Psalm 65:8

“The whole earth is filled with awe at your wonders; where morning dawns, where evening fades, you call forth songs of joy.”

Habakkuk 3:2

“Lord, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, Lord. Repeat them in our day, in our time make them known; in wrath remember mercy.”

Psalm 119:120

“My flesh trembles in fear of you; I stand in awe of your laws.”

Hebrews 12:28, 29

“Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our ‘God is a consuming fire.’”

May 11, 2015 | Categories: Uncategorized | Comments Off on Let’s Get our Wow and Wonder Back

The Magic Words

Do you remember the “magic words”? Think back to when you were a child, and if your parents were similar to mine, you were introduced to the “magic words”.

These are the words that have a special power to them. They open locked doors and they transform hearts. There are only three of them, but the power they wield is way beyond their size. They are applicable to all manner of different situations and can be utilized by any human being capable of communicating.

They are often the first words we are taught as children. They are rehearsed over and over again by caring parents who know the power these words have to transform lives: the power these words have to help create good human beings.

The power of these words is so amazing that when used frequently they transform the heart of the user and the heart of the receiver. They actually facilitate change at the deepest level of our humanity.

Do you know these words? Do you use the magic words?

These words are of course, “Please”, and “Thank you”.

These words are not simply about being polite. They are in many ways the keys to being truly human.

“Please” is used in recognition of the fact that one should not simply demand something from someone. It indicates deference of some sort. It represents a realization that I should not force my will upon another. I must recognize their humanity – no matter who they are – and honor them by using “please” in my request.

Simply stated, using “please” with requests honors other people. It communicates respect, care, and value.

Of the three magic words, however, the real power lies with “Thank you”. “Thank you” contains a power far beyond our comprehension. “Thank you” is the expression we utilize to communicate gratitude, and the power of gratitude is enormous.

It has been said that a person without gratitude has lost part of their humanity. Zig Ziglar said,

“Gratitude is the healthiest of all human emotions. The more you express gratitude for what you have, the more likely you will have even more to express gratitude for.”

Gratitude transforms discouragement into courage, sadness into joy, hopelessness into hope, failure into success, a morsel into a meal, nothing into something, heaviness into happiness, self-pity into strength, bitterness into betterness, selfishness into selflessness, fear into faith, and much, much more.

Gratitude has the power to transcend any scenario. Gratitude can change our hearts. Gratitude is the beginning of whatever transformation you want to initiate in your life. Gratitude is the catapult to launch you from what is to what can be – and from what is, to what really is. Gratitude is a choice to see beyond what you currently see. It is a choice to focus on what is, as opposed to what isn’t. It is a choice to focus on what you have, as opposed to what you have not.

Is the glass half full, or half empty? The answer is “yes”. It is both half full and half empty. However, seeing the “fullness” is a choice – that is gratitude. The more we choose to see the “fullness” and be grateful for it, the more we will see what we have to be grateful for.

What if all you could enjoy today was that for which you expressed gratitude for yesterday? Think about that for a minute…I know in my life there would be a few things missing…

We have so much to be grateful for: a Heavenly Father who loves and delights in us; a Savior who made a way for us to beloved children in the family of God; victory of the bully of our souls, the warmth of the sunshine; the scent of lilacs; to live in a country free from war; etc., etc., etc.

Think of what you are grateful for – which should only take the rest of your life due to the sheer volume of it. Now, think of who is responsible for that and thank them. Thank them regularly and repeatedly.

That’s called an “Attitude of Gratitude”, and it will transform your life!

“Thank you” are indeed the most magical of words.

Ephesians 5:20

“…always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

1 Thessalonians 5:18

“…give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus”

1 Chronicles 16:34

“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.”

Psalm 100:4

“Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.”

May 05, 2015 | Categories: Uncategorized | Comments Off on The Magic Words

Welcome to the Family!

He had never stepped into a church building before. He was raised with no real input whatsoever about the Bible, the claims of Christ, or God. All he had heard was negative comments about ‘the church’.

But something was stirring in his heart. He was drawn to be here. He was compelled at a certain level to find out what this was all about…

He had said ‘yes’ to attending a Wholehearted Husband’s event, even though he is not married – he is still a teenager. He works for a Christian businessman who thought this might be an opportunity for him to learn something about Jesus.

They had been talking about Jesus at work, and the businessman realized this young man was open-hearted. He was open to see how life could be different from what he had been experiencing so far.

So, it was with a certain degree of hopeful trepidation he agreed to spend a day in a church building with dozens of Christian men learning to become better husbands.

The first session impacted him deeply. The message was the “Father Heart of God” – the critical revelation upon which our marriages and our lives need to be built. The deep revelation that we are beloved sons of our Heavenly Father; that our Father delights in us!

What? A message of love and hope? That is not what this young man had experienced in his life thus far. He could sense his heart, like a bone-dry sponge, beginning to come alive in the waters of life.

At the break he shared with me how the message was resonating deeply within him. He wanted to talk more – this was paradigm shifting Truth for him. He had never heard a message like this before. I could see very clearly the Lord was powerfully drawing him home. We agreed to speak more at the lunch break.

We sat down after eating with 20 minutes before the next session. He poured his heart out further. His life was hopeless; he was at a dead end staring into an abyss. He needed a new beginning; he didn’t want to live in despair any more. It was clear this was his time to meet Jesus. It was time to trade in his ‘death’ for Jesus’ life. It was time to be born again.

How do I summarize the gospel in less than 5 minutes? Lord, please give me a picture that will resonate with this young man. And then the Lord gave me a very simple picture of the choice that lay before this young man – a choice that lies before each of us.

There are two ‘families’: One is the Family of God where our Father loves and delights in His children. It’s a family residing in a house of love led by a Father who longs for His children to know all that is in His heart for them – life, love, freedom, faith, hope, justice, peace, righteousness, and all the other attributes of life for which He has created, crafted and called us.

There is also a dark house. A house ruled by the father of lies who wants to abuse and oppress his ‘family’. He wants ‘his children’ to live in fear, hopelessness, despair, discouragement, hatred, enmity, jealousy, depression and all that is contrary to that for which we have been created by our loving Heavenly Father.

This young man knows what it means to live in this dark house.

However, across the street is the house filled with the children of God, and the Father is calling him to join the family. At the front of the house is Jesus, who is the doorway to being born again into the family of God to live in the delight of our Father.

So, do you want to continue living in the house of darkness with the father of lies, or do want to cross the street, meet Jesus and ask Him to be born again into the Family of God? This young man then said, “I have crossed the street and am standing in front of Jesus saying, ‘I want to join the family of God as a beloved son of my Heavenly Father.'”

So that’s exactly what we did.

Welcome to the family!

Acts 2:21

“And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

John 14:6

“Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.'”

James 1:17

“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”

Apr 27, 2015 | Categories: Uncategorized | Comments Off on Welcome to the Family!

Want Friends? Befriend Others!

Click to watch “You’ve Got a Friend”

My good buddy Brad recently had a birthday. We had a little celebration at our house group that Brad and his wife Colleen happen to lead. He spoke affectionately about being able to share his special day with the special people gathered in their living room.

We sang happy birthday as Colleen brought in a cupcake with a candle for Brad to blow out. We all feasted on our own chocolate cupcakes following his lead. It was a simple heartfelt ceremony for a man we all know and love. Words were shared to somehow communicate our appreciation for Brad.

There was something I wanted to share, that I didn’t. Something I have noticed about Brad and how he lives life. Something I admire very deeply about him. Something I wish I could somehow clone from him and inject it into me. I wanted to verbalize a simple observation that has profound ramifications:

“Brad, you have many friends because you are a friend to many.”

Brad has an incredible capacity to befriend others; to care for others; to love others; to serve others; to give to others, to show interest in others. Simply put, he has friends because he is a friend.

He befriends people in many, many different ways. He shares a kind word. He offers practical help of some kind. He practices hospitality at home and at restaurants. He volunteers. He phones. He emails. He texts – just to see what’s up and how you’re doing. He gives his time, talent and treasure to others.

He has friends, because he befriends.

We all want friends. Oftentimes, people are desperate for friends, or friendship, to meet a need in themselves. We may feel lonely or discouraged or rejected, and want the friendship of others to make us feel better. Or we may be insecure about our own value and worth and look to others to make us feel better about our self.

Real friends do not look to others and ask “What can you do for me?”, they look to others and ask, “What can I do for you?”. They understand their lives are far richer when they spend themselves for the benefit of others, and far poorer when they spend others for their own benefit.

True friends are there when you need them. True deep friendship always begins with one person choosing to give, choosing to care. Sure you may encounter many people who will be willing to simply receive whatever you have to give without necessarily giving much back. But you will also find others who reciprocate with the same or similar degree of friendship you are offering.

Being a friend automatically creates friends. Ralph Waldo Emerson said,

“The only way to have a friend is to be one.”

Instead of asking who your friends are, I would encourage you to ask, “Whose friend are you?”

Who have you befriended? Who do you reach out to to offer care, encouragement, service, support, and camaraderie?

Henry Ford said, “My best friend is the one who brings out the best in me.”

Whose best do you bring out?

Friends accept us for who we are, yet are still able to encourage us to be our best. Real friends will even pursue us when we try to push them away – when we may be lost in the dark.

Helen Keller said that, “Walking with a friend in the dark is better than walking alone in the light.”

Friendship is the greatest gift we can offer another human being. Friendship is love wearing work boots. Being a friend is choosing to be with someone in their need even though you would rather be somewhere else.

“The friend who can be silent with us in a moment of despair or confusion, who can stay with us in an hour of grief or bereavement, who can tolerate not knowing…not healing, not curing…that is a friend who cares.” Henri Nouwen

Friends are the essence of life. Friends are often the heart of God with hands and feet. We would be wise to make friends before we need them. What we sow we will reap. As we give friendship we make friends.

So, whose friend are you? It’s never too late to start…

Proverbs 17:7

A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity.

John 15:13

Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.

John 15:14

You are my friends if you do what I command.

Apr 20, 2015 | Categories: Uncategorized | Comments Off on Want Friends? Befriend Others!

Discerning God’s Voice

The room was full of people engaged in many different conversations, yet I heard it from clear across the room. I heard it not because it was loud, but because it was distinctive. I have heard it a million times before and can pick it out anywhere. It is subtle, sweet and very special.

It’s my wife’s laugh.

I have learned to discern Anne’s laugh, and obviously her voice for that matter. Play me the recordings of a thousand voices, or a thousand laughs, and I can pick out my wife’s. I know her tones, her intonations, her language, her inflections – I simply know her voice. I know what she sounds like. You cannot convince me that another voice is hers.

Why? Because we have spent thousands of hours in conversation. I have listened to her for decades. I have learned to discern her voice.

When we first met over 36 years ago I was not as familiar with her voice. I could easily have mistaken her voice for another when in a room amongst competing voices. However, the more time we spent together the more I got to know her. I not only became familiar with the sound of her voice, but the content of her speech.

There is a certain kind of language Anne uses, and a certain kind of language she doesn’t use. I am very confident there are many things I will never hear my wife say, words she will not use and expressions she will not utter.

Why am I so confident? Because I know her character. She has demonstrated consistent character for decades.

I know her voice and I know her character.

I would bet there are people in your life who are the same for you. Perhaps your spouse? A parent? A sibling? A friend? People you have spent time with so you know what they sound like and what values they bring to their speech.

So, how do we learn to discern the voice of the Lord in a similar fashion to that which I have described about my wife’s voice?

We know that our spiritual enemy engages in a Whisper Campaign of lies set against our heart to steal, kill and destroy all the life Jesus has for us. We must learn to discern that voice. And, we know that the Lord whispers words of life into our heart. We must learn to discern His voice.

How do we tell the difference between the two voices?

Here are some insights into how to do that I recently read in a daily devotional. It has been adapted from Come To Me © 2002 Discovery House Publishers, written by Elaine Martens Hamilton and Kathy Escobar:

When the Lord speaks to us it will be consistent with scripture. It will be consistent with His nature and character. It will lead to change, growth, hope, healing, encouragement, faith, restoration, peace, contentment, motivation, conviction, repentance or many other elements consistent with the nature and character of God.

When the enemy speaks it will be accusational, mocking or condemning and create fear, anxiety, despair, discouragement, guilt, shame, hopelessness, weakness, defeat, and many other elements that are consistent with the nature and character of our enemy – and contrary to that of God.

The Lord encourages; the enemy discourages. The Lord creates hope; the enemy hopelessness. The Lord brings conviction, which leads to repentance, which leads to life. The enemy brings condemnation, which leads to guilt and shame, which leads to death.

The only way we are going to learn to discern the voice of God amongst the Whisper Campaign of the enemy is to spend time with Him. Get alone with Him. Listen in prayer. Get to know Him. Get to know the character of God. Study how He has revealed Himself to His people through scripture.

Commune with Him.

Jesus said that His people know His voice. We familiarize ourselves with the voice of God by communing with Him, listening in prayer and studying His character through scripture.

We recognize a counterfeit by being familiar with the authentic. We identify lies, by knowing the Truth.

We learn to discern the voice of God by spending time with Him listening, and in His Word.

Jeremiah 33:3

“Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.”

John 10:27

“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.”

1 Kings 19:12, 13

“After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Then a voice said to him, ‘What are you doing here, Elijah?'”

Apr 13, 2015 | Categories: Uncategorized | Comments Off on Discerning God’s Voice

He Hears When You Call

Click for song “He Knows My Name”

“That’s my little baby…” she was able to whisper before she burst into tears.

The emotion of the moment was overwhelming. Even though I had just met these people I was now swept up in their grief; emotion was rising to the surface of my own heart. It was the painful closure they had wished would not be the case, but deep inside knew it to be the most likely of endings.

She began with the utmost of care to stroke the head of her little beloved dog. She gently wrapped the broken and lifeless body of this special member of their family in preparation for the journey home and the final stage of their heart wrenching goodbye.

I mentioned how providential it was that we discovered their dog on this remote portion of our property. She thanked me for the role I had played in helping them bring closure to their grief-stricken last 4 days. She indicated they had been praying that God would help them in their search. Her final words to me were,

“You are the answer to our prayers.”

I began to realize the great lengths to which the Lord had gone to answer their prayers to find their little dog that was carried off from their back yard by some sort of carnivore…

I had just phoned them in response to a message I found taped to our mail box:

“Lost Yorkie. Please call 250-764-xxxx if you find her.”

Earlier in the day Anne and I had walked to our neighborhood store to get a Globe and Mail to sit in the sun at the coffee shop to relaxing by chatting, and reading the paper while we enjoyed our preferred form of caffeine. At the tail end of our long walk we cut through the far corner of our property – which we never do. I can’t remember the last time we walked through this steep brush and tree covered area of the yard.

That’s when a Magpie caught Anne’s eye. It was on a dark lifeless object. She wondered if it could be a pet. On a number of other occasions we have found deceased neighborhood dogs and cats on our property – typically the prey of coyotes.

I pushed my way through the bushes to investigate and discovered it was indeed a little dog. With no collar on its neck I had no one to call.

Later that day I was suddenly moved by a burst of motivation to zip out to Rona to buy some parts I needed for a home repair I had been procrastinating about for months. When I came home the note about the lost Yorkie was taped to our mail box. They had come by while I was away. They had been searching the neighborhood for 4 days and had finally reached our street.

I phoned. They described their dog to me. I told them I think I found her. They came and got closure, and an answer to their prayers.

Even though this was a heart-breaking situation, my new friends recognized God had answered their prayers. He had gone to great lengths to coordinate Anne and I with a number of other factors to bring resolution.

I realized again, God hears us when we call. He cares about our lives. He cares about us far more than we realize. Oftentimes we think He doesn’t hear, He doesn’t care, He is disengaged, but it’s not true. He is very much engaged – He hears our prayers. Our prayers may not be answered the way we think they should be, but He answers out of what is best for us.

God loves you and is far more engaged in your life than you realize. He cares about the big things and the little things. His invitation is for us to trust Him with all aspects of our lives; to discover His great love for us in everything. And then to make His love known in everything we do.

Whatever you are going through, God cares and He hears you when you call. Whatever you are facing offer it to the Lord, look to Him for your hope, provision, healing and resolution.

He hears when you call.

Psalm 34:17

“The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles.”

Psalm 145:19

“He fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves them.”

Luke 12:6, 7

“Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.”

1 John 5:14

“This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.”

Apr 06, 2015 | Categories: Uncategorized | Comments Off on He Hears When You Call

Stand Your Ground

“Well I won’t back down, no I won’t back down
You could stand me up at the gates of hell
But I won’t back down

Gonna stand my ground, won’t be turned around
And I’ll keep this world from draggin’ me down
Gonna stand my ground and I won’t back down

[Chorus:]
Hey baby, there ain’t no easy way out
Hey I will stand my ground
And I won’t back down

Well I know what’s right, I got just one life
In a world that keeps on pushin’ me around
But I’ll stand my ground and I won’t back down

Hey baby there ain’t no easy way out
Hey I will stand my ground
And I won’t back down
No, I won’t back down.”

You may recognize these words as the Lyrics to the song “I Won’t Back Down” by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. I love the sentiment of this song.

Hey, sometimes it’s just tough – there’s no easy way out. So what am I going to do? Stand my ground. I am not going to back down. I know what’s right. I’ve only got one life and even though the world is trying to push me around I’m going to stand my ground.

This is a song about conviction, commitment, fortitude, courage, diligence, perseverance and strength.

We need more of this sentiment.

We need more men who will stand their ground. We need men who won’t back down. We need men who are choosing courage, conviction and commitment: strong men of fortitude, and diligence who persevere through difficulties.

We need men who understand when to surrender and when to stand firm. Men who know how to surrender to God, and stand firm against the spiritual opposition sent to steal, kill and destroy. Sadly though, we can often surrender to the seduction of sin and resist the work of God in our lives.

Your ability to stand your ground in the midst of opposition depends on what you’re standing on and how you’re standing. It very difficult to stand firm on ground that is shifting – like sand. To stand firm you need to be standing on solid ground.

The only solid ground that enables us to stand firm is the Truth. We must be standing on the Truth. Jesus said that He is the Truth and that He will send the Spirit of Truth to guide us into all Truth. We will know the Truth and the Truth will set us free.

Our power to stand firm in the midst of opposition – to stand our ground – is found in the authority of Christ: the Truth of who He is, what He has done for us, the Truth of who we are in Him, and the Truth of the Father’s heart for us.

The only way we can stand our ground in the authority of Christ is to surrender to the authority of Christ. Your ability to stand your ground and be a man of strength, courage, conviction, fortitude, perseverance, faith and diligence is dependent on your willingness to surrender to Jesus and believe the Truth.

Once again, only by surrendering to the authority of Christ can we walk in the authority of Christ.

It’s in the authority of Christ that we need to take our stand on the Truth of God. Standing on the Truth in the authority of Christ enables us to stand our ground and not back down. This enables us to live in victory. When doubts, fears, insecurities, regrets, shame, and condemnation come against you, don’t back down. Stand in the Truth of what Jesus has accomplished for you. Stand on the Truth of the authority of Christ – the victory he has given you over the strategy of the enemy.

Easter is when we remember and celebrate the death and resurrection of Christ. He has overcome the enemy and broken the curse of sin. We have all authority in heaven and on earth in the name of Jesus. We don’t need to surrender to the lies and shame of the enemy when we have surrendered to the authority of Christ.

Stand your ground. In the authority of Christ. On the Truth. Don’t back down.

Matthew 24:13

“but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.”

Luke 21:19

“Stand firm, and you will win life.”

Ephesians 6:13-17

“Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”

Mar 30, 2015 | Categories: Uncategorized | Comments Off on Stand Your Ground

From Eyesight to Insight

There were thousands of them – they were everywhere. How could so many people hear about where he was? He was trying to get away from the crowds and now they had discovered him here.

The people were hungry for more of what he had to tell them. So he took the time to speak to them. He took so much time to speak to them that it was approaching dinner time. They were now hungry for a meal, and they were not going anywhere.

The disciples knew they wanted something to eat. They also knew that they did not have the resources to feed thousands of people. Hey, if a handful of them wanted to stay behind and join them for dinner that’s one thing. But there is no way on earth they could feed thousands of people – what a preposterous notion! The disciples said to Jesus that he should send them away to go get some dinner.

And then Jesus did it again. He did what he had a habit of doing. He pushed them a little deeper into faith. He encouraged them to step out of their comfort zone and into the faith zone. He was thrusting them into the purposes of God. He was throwing them in the deep end…

“You feed them.”, he said matter-of-factly.

Ha, ha, ha – that’s funny Jesus. But Jesus isn’t laughing. He is still looking at them with that same, “I see something that you don’t and want to help you see it too” kind of look on his face.

Are you nuts? There has got to be close to 10,000 people here. 5,000 men plus women and children – there is probably way more than 10,000. We checked the cash box and we don’t really have $80,000 to go buy lunch. And even if we did, how on earth could we logistically make it all happen?

But Jesus isn’t budging.

It seems there was a boy who overheard this conversation and thought he’d jump in,

“Hey, I got 5 loaves and two fish.” , he declares.

Ahhh yes, now we have some faith. The boy showed up, he brought his lunch, and he shared his lunch – that’s all Jesus needed. Now watch what God can do.

God can, and that changes everything!

Jesus was about to school the disciples, and us as well, in the principle of shifting from “eyesight to insight”. To walk with Jesus in the adventure into which he is inviting us, we cannot look solely with our physical eyesight – we need spiritual insight. We must see things from God’s perspective.

We need wisdom and revelation. We must see the visible and the invisible. We must live in the now and not yet. We must believe the impossible is possible for an all-powerful God.

This is shifting from eyesight to insight.

As you know, Jesus fed those thousands of people with 12 baskets of leftovers. He multiplied the 5 loaves and 2 fish into thousands, and had far more left over than they started with. That’s just a blow-your-mind kind of miracle when you stop and think through the details of what happened that day.

Jesus was saying loud and clear, “God can, and that changes everything!”

No matter what overwhelming situation you are facing – God can, and that changes everything! No matter how little you think you have that cannot make any sort of difference – God can, and that changes everything! No matter how much you think you are short, that you don’t have what it takes to do what needs to be done – God can, and that changes everything!

To walk wholeheartedly with Jesus into the epic adventure of God’s kingdom coming and his will being done in and through us, we must shift from eyesight to insight. We must see through the eyes of faith. We must see things from God’s perspective.

God is able to do far more than we can ever ask or imagine. We must ask Him to open the eyes of our heart to see differently – through the eyes of faith.

We must be able to shift from eyesight to insight.

Ephesians 3:20

“Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work in us.”

Ephesians 1:17-19

“I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know Him better. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints, and His incomparably great power for us who believe.”

Philippians 4:13

“I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.”

Mar 24, 2015 | Categories: Uncategorized | Comments Off on From Eyesight to Insight