My Key Words for 2013

JOY and DISCIPLINE. This past year I lost parts of both of these, and they have always been my strength. As I've reflected on 2012, I am convicted about this and know they need specific attention. I know it because a few people actually came up to me and spoke about my joy being lost (thank you btw). The Joy of the Lord has ALWAYS been my strength.

It will take some intentional thinking and doing on my part but I must lean on the Lord for help, I cannot simply will myself to do it. In regards to discipline, well let's just say in a couple areas I lacked it, (think 10 lbs. of more of me to love). I broke rules I have lived out, and even advised others on. Take the 10 minute exercise rule. Simply stated, "no one wants to exercise, but if you will at least start for 10 minutes, most likely you will finish." But getting started is the hardest part of any workout, there are justifications all over our lives as to why we will do it later. So, for 2013 I will submit my will to God's when it comes to JOY being my strength and not circumstances being just right, and being more DISCIPLINED. The cool thing is, when I am more disciplined I will also experience more joy! What are your keys for 2013?

Do You have one of these?

Perspective - it's a key tool that helps us know where we've been, where we are, as well has who we've been and who we are. Left to ourselves we may not have the most accurate of views.

Do you have people in your life who;
- Love you most?
- Know you best?
- Are willing to speak the truth in love to you?

Isolation is NEVER a good thing, but having a group of trusted people who will speak into your life is invaluable. If you don't have a "Life Counsel" I encourage you to begin assembling a team of about 3-5 people who fit the criteria listed above. When you are facing a major decision, need prayer and perspective then you have these people ready to pray and speak. Give them advance notice when you are needing their wisdom, this will give them time to ask you detailed questions and pray, so when the time comes for making a decision you are now equipped to make the best choice. Their perspectives take a lot of pressure off of you, it's just wise!

Proverbs 15:22 "Plans fail for lack of counsel but with many advisers they succeed." This is where the saying "two heads are better than one" originated from. Another benefit of having a Life Counsel is that you all get a glimpse of what has happened over your lifetime and that gives everyone a reason to thank God and celebrate together!

Wonder

At Christmastime my sense of wonder heightens, I love watching children get excited about Santa, toys, decorations and parties. I love how one moment the Christmas Spirit seems bigger than life and people are generous and kind, but then we get stuck in traffic or Black Friday sales and cause riots and get mean and selfish. How are these things possible? This makes me wonder.

In the Book of Corinthians "God made Him who knew no sin to become sin so that we might become the righteousness of God." Wonderful! Amazing! It didn't start with the birth of Christ and it didn't end with the death/sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. Christianity is the only religion where God works His way towards us since it's impossible to work our way to Him. That causes me to be in wonder and realize how wonderful God is toward me and all of us.

As I close I leave you with an illustration; if I went out a bought you a Christmas gift, wrapped it, tied a bow around it and placed your name on a card on it, is it yours? You have the knowledge of the gift, I could describe the gift even, but the reality is that is not your gift entirely until you receive it. Many people know about God, Jesus and His offer to completely forgive us of all of our sins. But knowing about it will not change a thing, it's only when you personally receive that gift by asking for it, believing it and trust in what He says He has done. Knowledge is never enough, it's about the experience! I hope you will wonder a lot about why the world has celebrated the birth of God's gift for 2000 years!

The greatest gift you can ever receive is complete forgiveness, unconditional love, and a place with God for eternity. Jesus is the reason for this season and it makes me be in wonder and awe.

What Being Connected to Jesus Can Do

I have been meditating on a couple verses for quite awhile, and this morning in my devotional reading one of them came up. If you are a Christ follower you really need to pay close attention.

In John 15:2 Jesus says that "God the gardener cuts off every branch that does not bear fruit. While every branch that does bear fruit, He prunes it so that it will be even more fruitful."

Do you see this? Cut off or pruned, it all comes down to continually making eternal differences in the lives of others. But where does this come from since we are not saved by our works? It is stated in verses 4 and 5. Read below.

"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 and 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."

Being in an intimate relationship with Jesus will cause us to want to bear fruit, and then actually bear fruit. I think too many try to bear fruit but not put the time in when it comes to connectedness to the vine. Many people do good works in Jesus name but because they are not in intimate relationship with Him, their works will not last or make eternal difference.

Lastly, turn to Ephesians 2:9-10 "we are not saved by works so that no one can boast. For we are God's workmanship created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God has prepared in advance for us to do." The pressure is off, we just need to ask "what do you want me to do today Lord." He has already prepared it!

Let's review -
1. You and I must be connected to God in every way in order to remain spiritually alive.
2. If we are not, we are cut off.
3. We will be pruned in order to bear more fruit. (that may seem painful but it's all about more of Christ in us, and less of us).
4. We cannot do anything of true spiritual significance unless we are connected to God.
5. Belief in God plus the power of the Holy Spirit working through us will produce great things.
6. He has already prepared works for us to do, we just need to be obedient and sensitive in the Spirit to do them.

Want to Keep Your Relationship with God fresh?

I am one of the fortunate ones, I am so glad that my relationship with God has been amazingly fresh and alive since 1976 when it started. I know this is NOT true for most followers of God, and unfortunately far too many followers fall away because no one showed them how. Our human relationships need nurturing and intentionality in order be alive, and so it is with our relationship with God.

If this helps here are some things I practice to keep my relationship with God alive.

1. Shake things up. By that I mean don't always read the same version of the Bible, I schedule reading plans that are not the same, eg. character of the Bible study, word study, Book study,or I read and meditate on a verse a day etc.

2. Remember who you are and whose you are! Every once in awhile it's so good to do an inventory of your Identity in Christ.

3. Consistently have times of remembering all that God has done for you. Keep a separate journal just for this, and when you are feeling distant from God or your faith is faltering this will be a great tool to use to look back and remember how God has showed His Faithfulness to you.

4. Listen to a lot of praise/worship music. Change the words and make them personal. For instance "we exalt you, we exalt you" to "I exalt you, I exalt you..."

5. Write God love letters, and let Him write you love letters. Now the first one makes sense and is pretty easy to do. The second one is a little more difficult. When I do this, I really take time to listen, be still and quiet. Then I grab a pen and paper and from God's perspective, I write down what I think He would be saying to me right at that moment. It's hardly ever condemnation, especially in light of Romans 8:1, but it's almost always very tender and grace filled. Sometimes He will communicate an area or weakness to pay attention to but mostly it's just tender.

6. A Daily Gratitude List - I bought a book years ago called "10,000 Things to Thank God For". It has served me well to remind me of all the reasons I can thank Him. Create your own, seriously, we have so much to be grateful for.

Well this is a start but I hope it helps keep your relationship with God alive and fresh. You and I must be strategic and intentional in all of our human relationships or they become predictable and stale, the same is true with God.

What's Your Current Spiritual Season?

I have had the opportunity to live in the Midwest, West and Southeast. Most of the States I have lived in have seasons, some more severe than others. For instance in the Midwest where I grew up, went to College, and where I served in some local churches, there were some record setting Winters. I mean like -60 degrees, snow piled so high you had to get on your roof to shovel it off so it would not cave in. I lived in Atlanta one summer where we had 30 plus straight days of 95 degrees and hundreds died. I lived in South Florida, where there really are not seasons but it does rain hard in the summer, gets very hot, and there are hurricanes to contend with.

I also believe we have seasons in our spiritual lives too. Let me explain. Based on your life with Christ right now would you say you are in Fall (cool towards the things of God) and moving toward Winter (cold toward God and giving into sin willingly)? Or are you moving out of Winter and toward Spring (your heart is warming up to the Word of God, toward Prayer and sharing your faith)? Or perhaps you are in the peak of Summer and spiritual matters like tithing, serving and sharing your faith, along with deep and intimate prayer is your norm? We know that weather seasons change. But you do not have to wait out the seasons spiritually. No, you can change the condition of your heart simply by confessing where you are and asking God to help move you to a "warmer climate". I encourage people to have a spiritual mentor who has learned how to live closer to the "Son", and how to stay on fire for God. Spiritual fervor can be sustained but that takes being really intentional and having others walk with you. Repentance is a spiritual word that means changing direction. It's not being sorry, but actually doing something different. If you are sensing you are in a cool place and it's getting colder toward God, stop and ask God to help heat things up.

A British Pastor named Gypsy Smith who spoke to me powerfully on revival. In essence he said this;

"Many people want revival but few know how. Revival is quite simply a personal thing. Here's how you start a revival, take a piece of chalk and go into a private room. Draw a circle on the floor and then get down on your knees in the middle of that circle. Begin asking God to reveal any sin you have in your life, confess it, repent of it and don't get up until you are confident that you have confessed it all. You will immediately feel the joy of forgiveness and you won't be able to contain yourself. That's how you start a revival."

My wife and I live in North Carolina now, the leaves are beginning to peak and the temps are beginning to fall, but....our hearts don't have to. How about yours?

Getting away is a great practice, here's why.

My wife and I were able to get away this past Friday morning until Sunday night at Winshape Retreat in Rome, Georgia. I cannot begin to tell you how good it was for us and each other, it was an absolute gift (thank you Bubba and Dan Cathy)! Normally, I am not "needing" a vacation because I am a joyful person and I do a lot of self-care/soul-care and that makes me not need to get away. But some seasons of life are harder than others and lately I had lost a good deal of my joy. Here are some reasons it is important to take regular time to get away.

Getting away brings perspective! When you are in the midst of life you can lose perspective it's just that simple. Another way to get perspective is to have some wise people speak into your life who do not live too close to you but can offer wisdom and advice. Either way, you and I need perspective. It's that feeling you get when you are 30,000 feet in the air and you fly over familiar places, everything looks different than on the ground.

Getting away disconnects you from normal routine. Routine/discipline are good things that bring order, function and productivity, but getting out of routine allows time to see life differently and can cause you to answer the question - "Why do I do what I do?" and "Can I do what I do better than I am doing it now?"

Getting away brings refreshment. Karyn and I were able to have fun, do things we wouldn't normally do, and that is so good for the soul. Even if it is outside your comfort zone, adventure is good for you and I. Seeing new places, meeting new people and doing new things refreshes us.

There are other reasons to get away but those are a couple quick thoughts. I close with this challenge. Getting away will not just happen, you and I MUST be intentional about it. Chances are you KNOW you need to get away and you are likely thinking there is no way you can with demands, finances and whatever else has got you tethered, but I am exhorting you to make time to get away, you will be glad you did! I know I am!!

Don't Leave Home without these - seriously!

Fall is here, and most people across the country need to put their summer clothes away and get their Fall/Winter clothes out and ready to wear. God's word gives us a list of clothing we cannot afford to have missing from our wardrobe, in fact these items need to be put on everyday. Want to know what they are? Of course you do, here is the list.

1. Humility - I Peter 5:5. God is opposed to the proud but gives grace to the humble.
2. Christ Jesus. Romans 13:14 & Galatians 3:27 say we are to clothe ourselves with Christ. If you know what Jesus looks like than you will know what to put on each day.
3. Compassion - Colossians 3:12
4. Kindness - Colossians 3:12 Treat others the way you want to be treated.
5. Gentleness - Colossians 3:12 When we are in a hurry, it's hard to be gentle.
6. Patience - Colossians 3:12 We need to slow down and show grace, we are all in process.

Remember that in Biblical times people more or less covered themselves from head to toe with clothing. There was not a lot of skin showing. People need to see less of us and more of God in us and through us!

Lastly, we are in a continual battle, I mean it we are! If you are truly living for God and are a citizen, an heir, a child of His then you are at war with your gratifying your own flesh,fighting against the accusations, lies and temptations of the devil and the ways of the world which oppose the ways of God. With that being said, no one in their right mind would forget to take their armor and weapons out on the battle field. But I am afraid that is what happens MOST of the time. You don't have to believe me, look at what scripture says in Ephesians 6 10-17. The Apostle Paul says twice to put on the FULL armor of God. Why?
"So you may stand against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is NOT against flesh and blood but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of the this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places...that you may be able to resist in the evil day and having done everything to stand firm." Ephesians 6:12-13.

Here are the other pieces of "clothing" or armor you and I must put on EVERYDAY!

1. The Belt of Truth Be truth tellers not liars and deceivers or gossips.
2. The Breastplate of Righteousness. Do things that please God.
3. The shoes of the Gospel of Peace The Gospel is GREAT NEWS - Share it!
4. The Shield of Faith It is impossible to please God without it.
5. The Helmet of Salvation. Use your head and handle accurately the truth.
6. The Sword of the Spirit. God's word is truth and eternal, enough said.

This is pretty plain isn't it? We would not go out in the rain without an umbrella or rain coat, we wouldn't be wise to go out in the snow without a winder coat, hat and gloves, and we wouldn't go outside in the sun in South Florida without sunscreen. Everyday, do your best to be the best dressed Christian you know.

A Great Spiritual Trio

I am not just talking about the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. When the combination of God's word (the Bible), the Power of the Holy Spirit (who leads us into truth, convicts of sin etc.) and our own open/teachable hearts intersect, amazing things happen! Life changing and world impacting! Seriously, it is an amazing trio! One without the other is still amazing and great, but if you are not open and teachable than God's word and the Holy Spirit will not always do what they fully meant to do in your life. If you are open and teachable, but you are not interacting with God's word, than it's still not enough. You get the point! Or do you?
Many people who are born again do not take their next steps and it becomes a bit of a loss because they do not become all that God desires, and other people are not effected by the fruit of the changed life either. I think it's one of the reasons so many Christians get stuck. Is that you? I want to encourage you not to give up. You probably know of some other Christian who has had the kind of relationship with God that you long for yourself. If you looked at some of the reasons why this is true, I think you would see that they read Gods's word consistently, they allow the Holy Spirit to do whatever He wants, and they are open and teachable to keep growing and living in a way that fulfills them and points others to God.
Find that person you know who has a fulfilling walk with God, approach them and ask them to help you get into the Bible more, guide you to a better relationship with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and ask God to help you be open and teachable. Before you know it, you will be one of those people being sought out to help others out of their stuck place.

Got A Second, Make A Choice

Everyday we have choices to make, lots of them. Maybe too many choices! Growing up in a small town we had 2 grocery stores, 2 Gas Stations, 5 TV Channels and 5 Churches. Choices were limited, and our minds were not inundated with constant thinking through which things to choose, and not too much about the consequences.

Today, there are so many choices, from a million products in grocery stores, 500 TV Stations 24 hours a day, more churches than you can shake a stick at. With so many choices we just get stressed out by them. At McDonald's there was a hamburger, a cheeseburger, coke or orange, and Chocolate, Vanilla and Strawberry Shakes. Not today!

People do the same with God. Many follow Him only when there is a crisis, at holidays, when someone dies, or when it's popular, which it isn't too much anymore. But God chose us while we were sinners, enemies of the Cross, He created us, saved us,

loves us, is crazy about us, empowers us, surrounds us, lives in us, is for us, never leaves nor forsakes us. He even sings over us, has a special new name and body for us, gifts us to serve and proclaim Him and even lets us represent Him. I just have a quick question, why would you not choose Him?

Foundations are tricky things, I am no construction or engineering guy, but I have heard wild stories of houses, buildings and roads where the foundations weren't solid and it meant disaster. Billions of dollars of worth of destruction happened because of poor planning/research, or acts of nature.

Our lives need foundations because disasters will happen. These disasters may not even be our fault, but something may go wrong because of either poor planning or a natural disaster. We will need a strong foundation in order to survive and thrive. Take some time to think about what you are building your life on that is strong enough to count on. Most people will say family, friends, health and traditions. Those are good, but let's face it, family and friends are NOT 100% reliable. People die, get sick, move away or there is a disagreement that divides.

Those of you reading this know me well enough, (I think) to know that I have built my foundation on God and the Bible. They have stood the test of time and truth! The truths found in them have sustained people for thousands of years. I admit there is controversy in some parts of the Bible regarding slavery, religious wars and the mistreatment of people. People are flawed and that's why we need God. People come and go, philosophy's become out-dated, historic buildings and even modern ones that supposedly are indestructible have fallen! Building your life on top of God and His truth will be the best thing you can do.

I close with John 14:6, Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth and the life, no one can come to the Father (get to Heaven) except through me". You don't have to crumble when disaster comes, God is for you, He will never leave you, He is faithful! People and organizations will let you down. There are many wrong things said about God, the Bible and the church all under the subject of "organized religion", but part of the reason Jesus came was to get rid of religion and have people live in freedom and love. A local church is full of people who are in process, but as God takes over our lives people will see a difference. A life filled with love, forgiveness, generosity, unity, and crosses barriers that prove God is a foundation worth building upon.

Keep Focused or Find Trouble

I am a pretty free spirit, those who know me know this to be true, but, I have a very disciplined side that allows me to be the relational free spirit I am. Who I am is a personality thing (free spirited, relational), what I must do to thrive is practice disciplines. Disciplines are really protections - when I miss exercise and eat poorly I am not protecting my health. Bible reading, prayer, and listening to the Spirit are spiritual disciplines that keep me intimate with God and protect me from sinful tendencies. What disciplines do you consistently practice in order to maintain the kind of life you want? What are you passionate about that will make a a difference in other's lives, and make your life a legacy? I contend we must live balanced and disciplined lives in order to be all we are meant to be, and do all we can to make life worth living. The Bible says not to run around aimlessly but focus on the prize of Christ. I want my life to be a joyful experience that God is proud of and others are drawn to because of Him over-flowing from me. The same is true at work, I have a list of Non-Urgent/Highly Important tasks to stick to on a daily basis knowing that there will be appointments, interruptions, crisis, projects non-scheduled items and so on, but if I stay true to my list I thrive, and the ministry does as well. It's not always easy but disciplines are crucial!

The disciplines I practice consistently protect me from aimless living.But when I fail to practice them trouble finds me and I find frustration. How about you?

A New Look

Sometimes a new look can help us out, I have a saying; "predictability breeds boredom". I get bored pretty easily so it helps to change things up every once in awhile. Karyn and I often change the furniture in a room, we just changed what was a spare bedroom into a family room and Karyn just changed her hair style a bunch. I can get bored going on the same running routes, the way I drive to work, my workouts, etc. Rarely do people take the time to get perspective to see where change might be good, do you? I am going to switch gears to our spiritual lives (I am a Pastor after all). Are you stuck in a rut spiritually? Do you read from the same Bible, write about the same things in your journal, pray the same way day after day? It's good to change things up to keep our relationship with God fresh. I encourage people to read a different version of the Bible every so often, read books on spiritual disciplines to get new ideas, listen to the Bible instead of reading it only. Sometimes a new look is a great idea!

It is Well with My Soul - or Not!

I grew up in the Midwest in the 60-70's and my family attended a Main line Denominational church where we sang hymns Sunday after Sunday. Most of them I didn't understand or even question, I just sang along like everyone else. I became a born again believer right before graduating from High School and headed off to one of the Best Christian Universities in the United States,(www.taylor.edu) and we had Chapel Monday, Wednesday and Friday's at 10:05 in the morning. This was long before the Modern Praise music era we have now, and so we sang more hymns, accompanied by either the piano, the huge Pipe Organ or both. Sometimes for a special treat, the brass ensemble would join in giving the hymn a sort of regality about it. One of the many hymns I remember singing was "It is Well with My Soul". As I said I was a new believer, and I hadn't yet learned to stuff down or hide my duplicity when I came across a hymn that wasn't true of my life, (that would come later). I remember a specific chapel one morning and singing the chorus "It is well, it is well with my soul" when I stopped singing, I stopped because it wasn't true. I couldn't sing the words because my soul was in anguish over many things, instead I pushed the huge lump in my throat down as far as it would go, fought tears but finally gave in. I didn't wail but my face had a slow stream of water streaming a straight line under both eyes, down each cheek and dripping off of my jaw. I hoped no one saw me, I was a college wrestler after all, and a guy. Never mind that last sentence. I knew I had to do something about this and not singing this hymn in the future was not the answer. I needed wellness of soul. I wasn't sure how to get it, was there an Rx for that? Yep, come to find out there is. 1. Be open, honest, transparent and admit it to yourself, God and a trusted friend. Psalm 32, 51 and James 5:16. 2. Figure out how you got there in the first place. 3. Remove the source of angst, lack of peace - Get right/nearer with God! 4. Do your best not to repeat it again, and choose to live under the direct influence of the Holy Spirit and by living out the Bible. Now on Sunday mornings at church and whenever I listen to praise/worship music I occasionally come to songs I know are not completely true of my heart/soul/life. Rather than continue singing them, it's best for me to address the issue. I don't want to live with a lack of peace when I do not have to. Proverbs 4:23 says to

" guard your heart/soul above everything for it is the well-spring of life."

The important thing for me was and is to be honest and get to the heart of the matter and never give the enemies a foothold by waiting until later. It is also important to be well in my soul because I need peace and it's available. Living with peace also allows me to show those I come in contact with what it looks like to be at peace for others lacking peace. And today there is a lot of robbing, killing and destroying of the peace God desires for us. (see John 10:10).

How to Take Daily Vacations For Free!

Joy - what comes to your mind when you read that word? It's important so take your time. That word is mentioned at least 242 times in the Bible, and is one of the Fruits of the Holy Spirit. John 10:10 Jesus says; "The Thief comes only to rob, kill and destroy, but I have come that you may have life, life to the full." Satan is a joy robber! He is, just look around, even most Christians lack true joy!! Joy is a happiness that is NOT based on circumstances. That's a great thing because most of the circumstances of our world are not good. It seems like the weather is almost always extreme, so is the economy, the job market, the stock market, the daily headlines and the political arena are tragic and full of evil. The Joy Robber is nearly everywhere. But I emphatically believe that true believers in Jesus can and should be experiencing Joy everyday, in fact several times a day. Joy is not based on your personality type by the way. Those of you who know me, know that I am a glass half full kind of guy, in fact I would go as far as to say my glass isn't just half full it's over-flowing. To God be the glory on that! Joy comes from so many things!!! It's an appreciation of what God does in nature that is there all the time, yes, stopping and smelling the roses is a joyful thing. Looking at the clouds, watching a baby discover something, a ski run down a steep trail, being with friends, learning something new from the Bible that you never saw before, watching someone get baptized, a worship song, it's so many things. That's my point, JOY is nearly everywhere and we are to experience it frequently, but....the Joy Robber is doing all He can to rob, kill and destroy our joy. How's he doing with you? I mentioned in my last post the concept of daily vacations and this is what I was referring to. I practice certain disciplines that protect me from the joy robber but I also run into several opportunities everyday to be robbed of joy. People I counsel who are in really rough spots, physical pain that seems to be my constant companion, friends and family who are experiencing tough times, or finances that are not where I want them to be and could scare me when I think hard about the future. But, the abundant life Jesus talked about has so much to do with JOY. In fact check this out from Luke 10:21. 21 "At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do." Do you see it? Jesus was full of joy and said we need to be child-like to experience joy. To me, joy is like a daily vacation. It's not worrying, but finding the joy in almost anything. Psychologist and Medical Doctors agree that those who laugh several times a day are healthier and live longer. I want to exhort you to live in JOY, let JOY flow out of you and you will not only experience daily vacations, your life will be so much better and full!

Daily Vacations

Some people can get down right obsessed with vacations, spending crazy amounts of money,(they probably don't have) planning and making long lists of logistics like catching planes, getting people to watch the house, stopping the mail, and putting special voice mail and e-mail messages on our phones/computers to let people know we are gone. Then there is the issue of pet care, watering plants and if that is not enough, we have to work our brains and bodies to the bone before we can go,only to have everything piled up for us when we get back. When it's all said and done, we will either come back refreshed or....needing rest from our "vacation". How can we avoid this situation?

I do my best to spend time every morning and throughout the day getting refreshed in my soul, that way I won't NEED a vacation. Don't get me wrong, getting away is a great idea, in fact Karyn and I are leaving tomorrow to stay at a cabin in the mountains at about 5,000 feet elevation, just a few hours from our home in Charlotte. Getting away gives perspective that you can't get when you are in your same environment day after day. But...when we create balance in our lives and do our best to practice important disciplines, watch out for distress, spend time with friends who energize us and not too much time with those who do the opposite, then there is a good chance we won't be in a desperate place to have get away How are you at this? Part of the reason Karyn and I are getting away is to do some goal setting for our marriage, listen to God, dial it down and get away from demands. We SHOULD come back refreshed and ready to live out the goals we set from the vision we sensed God speaking into our lives. In my next post I will share what I do daily/weekly/consistently that leads me to having lots of energy, being mostly at peace and stay focused. I would love to hear your ideas, we can help each other!

Speed Mentoring

I heard this topic years ago and thought it was a really great idea, but I haven't heard it spoken of at all in a long time. Since there are so many different ways of learning I thought about this one and just in case you are not aware of it, here goes. Speed Mentoring is basically finding people who do what you do except that they do it better than you. What you can do is approach them and ask them to show you how they do what they do. It can take a couple hours in a conversation, or you can shadow them while they perform the skill, or both. Reading books is great, and so is going to conferences and hearing speakers expound on their skill, but Speed Mentoring gets you closer to the person (networking and relationship building) and you have a chance to get better too. So whether it is in your job, in a hobby or it's a spiritual skill, consider Speed Mentoring as a great option to get better at something you truly want to. On the other side of it, perhaps you are good at something and you see someone with potential, and that you believe in, why not approach them and see if they would be interested in being mentored by you. I urge you to be cautious about this as it may be perceived as prideful, so make sure you already work closely with them and you know that they respect you and your abilities.

It's the Simple Things in a Complex World

I am about to turn 54, ugh! Typing it looks like it's someone else's number, not mine. My body is starting to catch up to that number however and I am just going go ahead and admit that. BUT, what will always stay young is my heart and soul and I think one of the reasons why is because I keep things pretty simple. I literally stop and smell the roses, enjoy the shape of a cloud, smile at people having a good time, I love to laugh and play and be around happy people and so on. I KNOW that this keeps my heart and soul young. I can spot quickly when I am letting the complex and downer parts of the world in and I rebuke it. I am not saying that I duck responsibility, because I have walked through plenty of difficult situations with people and organizations. I am saying that I do my best to not carry the weight of those people and situations around with me. Take some time and consider the weight of your heart/soul. If it's feeling particularly heavy a simple test would be to figure out how much of the complex world you are carrying around with you and how you are missing the simple things in life. God wants us to live joyfully but I don't see a lot of joyful people. Who can blame anyone, the news and newspapers for the most part report bad news. Most people carry too much debt, don't like their jobs, have too many bills and too little time. Television has a few feel good shows out there but they are out-numbered, and we seem to be either in a big hurry or staring at our smart phones too much to even look up/around to notice the simple and good things in life. So, put your phone in your pocket, turn your music off in the car (every once in awhile), slow down and enjoy life a little, it's good for your soul!

Being Included

Inclusion is huge on the positive side, exclusion is frightfully damaging on both the short and long term. While growing up I nearly always felt on the outside looking in. I saw pretty early on that there is the popular crowd and then there is the rest? I have always felt like the rest but wanted to be the other. And that feeling hurt, what I did was either die inside but look happy on the outside, or....I worked hard to be included with the popular crowd. For the most part you CAN earn you way into the popular crowd by being smart, talented and or athletic, or you get in by being from a well to do family or being especially attractive. Early on I was not considered smart, a little below average if the truth be told,and athletically it took me awhile as well. Eventually I was good enough to compete at the college level but never won a championship. My parents worked very hard at providing for us 5 kids but we were not rich, and regarding the especially attractive part, let's just say even though I am not ugly, I am no head turner. Relative to this are those social events that come with invitations, some people get invited to things that the majority do not. Knowledge can be a cruel thing sometimes, like when you know a party or wedding is happening but you were not on the guest list. There is this wedding coming up, a huge affair, the Groom is the most handsome and amazing guy, the woman he is marrying is NOT. Most people figure that He is either codependent and rescuing her, or he sees something in her everybody else has missed. He lavishes her with love. So when the invitations came out, many of the people who received them thought about going but because the couple is so odd, many are choosing not to attend. They sent gifts ahead instead and are managing to find something else to do. The Bride has her family and friends who are coming and count this as the highlight of their lives for they never were a part of his crowd. In the region of the country where the wedding is taking place they have as a custom to go find people to attend so that the wedding will be well attended, the more the merrier! The wedding has not happened yet, for I am speaking of Christ and the church. The wedding will happen soon, I'm not exactly sure when because there are still seats to fill. It will be the most extravagant event in history, Royal weddings will have nothing on this one. All are invited but only a few (relatively speaking) will actually choose to come. It's a choice. I am over whelmed to have been invited, it feels so good to not be on the outside looking in, and because I grew up knowing what the opposite feels like,I am going because He loves me, forgave me and He sacrificed for me. I could never get there on my own merits, looks, talents or brains. His love is immeasurable and we are not just the invitee's, we are the object of His affection, the Bride. There is a seat at the wedding and reception for you, but will you come? For God so loved the world that He gave His very own Son to die for us so that we might live and have life forever, and all we have to say is yes to the invitation. Being included is a huge deal!

A Simple Discipleship Formula

Sometimes we complicate simple things. Think of jobs or projects from your past where rules and procedures so slowed outcomes down to the point it either robbed joy out of it or caused resentment and caused you to quit altogether. We make up rules and procedures that may look like safeguards but in the end they can easily take us down a path so far away from the original idea that we forget why we are doing what we are doing. Take discipleship, Jesus said in Matthew 28:19-20 that we should go into the entire world to make disciples, baptize them, teach them to obey EVERYTHING He taught and as a promise, He'd be with us always. Looking at His ministry life we know that He spent a full night in prayer just to determine who the faithful followers would be who would become His disciples, God's agents of change. Next, He spent 3 years training, teaching, being with and praying for these guys. If it were an equation it might look something like this; Relationship + Spiritual Truth + Teachable Heart + Time = Transformation In our highly connected, socially savy, information revolution we must remember that there are no short-cuts to building/multiplying Jesus followers. Books, blogs, tweets and podcasts can help as long as they are pointing back to the Bible and not just about it. Authenticity and transparency are critical so that disciplers do not set up disciples with the idea that they personally get something out of the Bible every time they read it, or that great faith prayers are prayed that reap huge results morning, noon and night, and that new converts are won every week. I have had the honor of being poured into and been able to pour into others. Success rates climb really, really high when we take the time to dispense practical Biblical truth, over time to people who are teachable and real. Biblical truth can seem pretty overwhelming but an easy place to start are the Red Letters of the Gospels. What did Jesus say? Most people can quote only a fraction of it. And remember in the Great Commission quoted above in Matthew 28, that Jesus commanded us to teach them everything He commanded. We also have the Epistles of Paul where there is plenty to study and apply. We have the entire Old Testament which is full of great treasures of Truth/Gold. This can easily take you all of 3 years. As I have quoted many times from David Watson's classic book - "Called and Committed" "If a gifted evangelist could win 1,000 converts a night, it would take them about 10,000 years to win the world to Christ, not including any population spikes, but if a true disciple of Christ were to win one person to Christ per year and spend that year training and teaching that disciple to do the same it would take aprox. 32 years to win the entire world to Christ." Amazing! Let's make this simple, if you need to be poured into, ask someone around you whose walk with Christ inspires you and you wished to be like to help you become like them. If you are pretty mature and obviously walking with Christ, than you should be looking for someone to approach and pour into. It's simple!

There are No Short-Cuts!

This past Monday night I just finished several months of formal discipleship/leadership mentoring with some outstanding young men, followers of Christ. We met every other Monday night at our house and as each night approached I sensed my own excitement building. I had planned out the 10 sessions way in advance, I asked God what He wanted me to teach, and most nights that planned was followed. There were some nights however when what was planned got changed and that was great, for I love how the Holy Spirit leads like, and I am grateful to hear His promptings and as much as possible, follow them. One of the sayings that I repeated,t "there are no short-cuts!" In matters of spiritual growth, scripture knowledge, a deeper and more effective prayer life, growing more intimate with God and so on - "there are no short-cuts". I remember one of my spiritual/ministry mentors say to me many years ago; "you have as much God in your life as you want, you have as many close friends in your life as you want, you have as much love in your life as you want" and so on. He was and is correct. The question we must all ask is "how badly do I want something?" One of the keys in obtaining it is to make sure you have peace and confidence it is from God, if it is, than He will provide the plan, power and passion to see it through. Right now I am trying to lose some pounds around my stomach, re-gain some muscle, and get more limber, there have been several challenges like injuries, and those have discouraged me. Much of my success or lack of it will depend on how badly I want this. I know that there are no short-cuts. I am grateful for my relationship with God, my love for Him, the joy I get in serving Him and the people of the church I serve for they are a Godly, teachable and passionate bunch! There are no short-cuts in seeing our church become all that He desires. As I finished up our last meeting, I closed in a prayer for each man, a personalized prayer that I hope they get to see become a reality. I then challenged each of them to find 4 men they can mentor and I will do the same, that will become exponential. Come next Fall it will be time to Produce some more Reproducers, four new men will step into our living room and I will lead off with the same true statement - "Men, there are no short-cuts."

It's Still All About Relationship

We are all wired differently and of course that's a great thing. Some people are thinkers, others are inventors, engineers, artists, athletes, writers and relational. I was certified years ago as a DISC Personality Profile Facilitator and loved helping people and teams identify strengths, here is a simple view! D for Doer/dominant; I for Influence/people person; S for Steady/loyal and C for Compliance/correctness. There are also many ways to learn, reading, watching, listening, doing and mentoring. When it comes to discipling others in the ways of living the life of a Jesus follower all of these are needed but the one item that is MOST NEEDED is the Mentoring/Relational method. Jesus spent 3 years with 12 men who were willing and teachable and the world has never been the same. Who are we to think that reading the latest greatest book, blog or magazine is better than a real person? Doing is great but if you don't know what you are doing then failure is an option, and no one likes to fail. Listening is a great way to learn as well and there are so many great podcasts we can access at anytime from the very best teachers in the world, but unfortunately you can't take that teacher with you during your day. The best method of discipleship is still the tried and true method of on-going relationship. Even if you've never had this experience for yourself, you can still be that person for someone else. If you have been a follower for a long time, it's never too late to have someone do some nuturing/iron sharpening so that you can still become all that God desires for you as you follow, obey and reproduce. I encourage you to take some steps that are quite do-able. 1. Identify some people of the same gender whose faith you look up to. 2. Pray and ask God to lead you to the person you'd most love to be mentored by. 3. Go ask the person and be specific about what you are asking. 4. If they say yes, set up a time to begin meeting and decide a time frame, a curriculum/study to go through and discuss what it is that you need or they think you need to become a strong, God confident and producing re-producer for the rest of your life. It doesn't matters if you are relational or not, the reality is you have something to offer to others and you have needs certain others can provide. It's still all about relationship!

Mentors

Our church has just kicked off the 2012 theme "The Year of Discipleship", I am pretty stoked about it because I am one of those fortunate ones who was formally and informally "discipled", or if you prefer "Mentored". I am so incredibly grateful for the men and women who poured into me, the list is long and I am deeper because of it. One of my catch phrases this year is - "Deep and Wide". What I mean by that is we want to help people go much more deep in their knowledge and handling of God's word and we want them to go wide with this knowledge as they obey the word of God which will impact others and the world.
What about you? Are there people you can point to who spent time with you to grow you up in God? If not, it's never too late and if you have been a follower of God for any length of time, then it's time to get busy and make a difference in someone else's life. Another phrase I will be using is Looking UP for people who are wiser and more knowledgeable than you, Looking Around for those at about the same place who can be Iron Sharpeners and are willing to be with you in the midst. Finally, Looking Below for those younger in the Lord than you who could use whatever you know and help them grow deeper.
Since discipleship is going to be on-going,life long journey let me ask you who is more deep than you, who can help you grow deeper? Come on, who is it, write their name(s) down and get ready to contact them. And while we are at it, who are some people in the same place as you who can be an Iron Sharpener? And finally who can you bring up who is younger than you? They need you! Write these names down, start praying for them and enter into a grow deep and wide relationship.

Not Fair!

Okay it's confession time. (gulp) I struggle with fairness issues, more specifically, un-fairness issues. Unfortunately its due to self-righteousness and that's not good. Here are some examples of my struggle.

a. I am on a busy and backed up section of highway and up ahead is an exit lane on the right that people are supposed to use for exiting but some rather inpatient people use it to pass as many cars as possible and then at the last minute they jump back onto the highway having passed a whole bunch of cars (mine included).

b. A referee/umpire makes an obviously bad call that ends up effecting the outcome of a game or contest and the team/individual who should have won, loses. Do nice guys finish last?

Thankfully I am so glad that God is not into fairness!  Psalm 103:10 says "He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities." In Matthew 20:1-16 Jesus tells the parable of the landowner who hires workers to bring in the harvest, but because he is desperate to get the crops in he ends up paying them all the same no matter what time of the day he hired them.  I used to say "that's not fair" and of course that's the point of the parable.  Thank God that He is not fair because none of use deserves His grace, forgiveness and freedom, Instead "God demonstrated His love by sending His only Son to take our place while we were sinners and enemies of His." Romans 5:8.

  Life is NOT fair and there are injustices that do need a voice and action and we should do our best not allow them, but  let's also remember that there is this incredibly great gift that God offers to all of us that isn't fair and it is the craziest demonstration of love ever! None of us deserve what God makes available, but God offers it anyway!! Not fair - praise God!

Strategic Spiritual Growth

In reading the "Great Commission" found in Matthew 28:19-20 we know that we are to go and make disciples, baptize them and teach them to obey everything Jesus commanded. It's called discipleship, There are so many ideas on how to teach others everything that Jesus commanded. Pastors preach from pulpits, blog, write books and we've used Sunday School classes, classes and Life Groups. Jesus took 12 guys and for 3 years He prepared them for world and made history changers out of them! If this was Jesus method, why should we do anything differently?

Here is a simple plan -

1. Do you know everything that Jesus commanded? Get to know it, read the Gospels!
2. Do you know another follower of Jesus? Ask them if they know everything Jesus commanded. If they do then move on, but challenge them to grow up a new follower.
3. Do you know someone who has recently chosen to follow Christ? Then schedule time with them for a year to go through the Gospels so that they can know everything Jesus commanded. Then move onto another one person the very next year.

It's been said that if a gifted evangelist could lead 1,000 people a night across the line of faith it would take 10,000 years to win the world to Christ, but if one true disciple were to take one new convert and spend just one year and teach them all that Jesus commanded and than have that person do the same the next year and you move onto someone new the next year, it would only take 32 years for the world to be won to Christ; David Watson "Called and Committed". Now that is exponential!
Search your heart and get strategic about truly helping others to grow up in the Word of God and become an agent of transformation, when you do this your life will be marked by incredible and eternal purpose and it will be a life worth living!

Refinishing

Today I started a refinishing project on an old piece of furniture that nearly got ruined. What's so fun is the process and hopefully the reward when it's all done. After I started scrapping off the stripper and the layers of paint that came with it I saw the original wood and I am really hoping that once it's sanded down smooth it will be restored and be a potential show piece. Okay, maybe not a show piece, but better than it was before I started.
As I was in the process of scrapping I started thinking how this is what God does in our lives. We were created for relationship with Him but our choices, the world we were born into and other things ended up bringing out our ugliness and covered our beauty. The Bible, the work of the Holy Spirit and fellow followers of God can act as the chemicals and tools needed to peel back the gunk so our true beauty can be shown, most people shun this process.
In Genesis we read the account of creation. Each day God created something very unique and at the end of the day He said it was good. However when He finished creating man He said was was VERY good! Creation took 6 days and what we discover all over the world is amazing. Plants that are incedibly beautiful, bright tropical fish, mountain peaks that rise out of the earth toward the skies and canyons that are much more than grand! You get the idea, if not check out tomorrow's sunrise or sunset! Humans need more than 6 days for creation, we need 9 months to be formed. Psalm 139 shares a word picture of God knitting us in our Mother's womb, it says that we are fearfully and wonderfully made. That God takes 9 months with each of us and only needed 6 days for glorious creation says alot about how special we are!
No back to the stripping off the paint of the antique furniture. The process I am in right now is smelly, not easy, time consuming and it may rub my fingers a little raw, but I am keeping my sights on the end product for when I can brush some light stain over the natural grain of the wood and it's original beauty will be seen.
I am not sure what gunk is covering your inner beauty, it could be doubt in yourself or that others placed there when you were young, it could have been a wound from the past that you have hung onto even though you wished you wouldn't. It could be shame, fear, an incident that you think can't be overcome, a really poor decision you regret or a failure you can't seem to let go of. Why not do the hard work of stripping away these coats of ugliness so your true beauty can be seen and you can live a life of freedom and beauty? It starts with a prayer of admitting you aren't who you want to be or could be, a prayer of surrender to let God do what He wants. Next, make a list of wrongs that you have done or that have been done to you, deal with them in a healthy way and move on. Believe the best in yourself and in others and get rid of the everyday cynic in you and take the high road. He makes all things new, the old is gone and the new has come and it's just a prayer and some stripping and sanding away!

Getting Out of Stuck Mode

We all have areas of strength and weakness, and periodically it is a good thing to assess progress! We need to evaluate in order to grow! Being a learner is critical for you and I to become all that God desires, if we are not growing and learning than we are in stuck mode. Prayer is one of my strength areas but I've felt stuck for awhile, that is until I started reading "The Circle Maker" by Mark Batterson, wow, what a book! I can't hardly put it down! So in one of my shortest posts of all time I have a simple question for you.

What area's of strength are you cruising/maintaining/stuck? Come on you know what I am talking about and equally important, what will you do about it? You and I cannot afford to stay stuck, so our options are;

a. Read a book.
b. Read an article.
c. Find an expert and learn from them.
d. Take a class.
e. Search Websites.

But don't sit still!!! Be all you can be!

Thoughts in the Midst of a 21 Day Fast

Why do people fast? For health reasons, to lose weight, or for spiritual reasons, Right now I am finished with the second week of a 21 day fast. I am doing a "Daniel Fast" which means no caffeine, no meat, no dairy, no tea, sugars, nothing artificial. I am basically eating veggies and fruit and drinking water. Can I say it's been easy in many ways, partly because my wife is doing a GREAT job of buying and preparing foods that are tasty! Secondly, I have done all of my other fasts without food, and some by eating smoothies. Fasting is not about some sort of "rabbit's foot" or rubbing a magic lamp so God will bless me. It's about drawing closer to God and doing away with distractions and spending lots of time in prayer. Frankly things around me (others lives) have really become very hard. People are ending up in the hospital, people losing their jobs, marriages that are struggling and family situations of others at near breaking point. It is causing me to be more prayerful that's for sure. I am believing God for some very specific things but they are not about me but about Him. That's right, I so want God to receive the Glory and Honor and Praise for anything that happens because of this time. Our entire Staff fasted together for 10 days and our Senior Pastor did a 21 day fast before we all started. A couple other staff people are still fasting for the full 21 like I am. The best and least that happens is that we all draw closer to God than when we started. That God may do something significant for our church and others would be a total blessing. I really hope that when I am done I hunger and thirst more for God than I do a glass of iced tea, or a hot cup of Mocha, or a steak. After fasting completely from food for 40 days, the first temptation the devil tried to get Jesus to give in to was food. "tell this rock to turn into bread". Jesus wanted to eat I am sure of that, but Jesus' reply was scripture, "man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God." Doing the will of His Father was more fulfilling than filling his belly! Can the same be said of us? I realize through this time how much certain foods had me addicted and since my body is to be a holy temple of God I need to make sure pure and healthy foods go in.
What about you? What are you willing to do in order to hunger and thirst after God more than you are doing today? Is there something more important? That's an idol. Could you give up watching the Superbowl if it meant you could use that time instead on your knees listening to Him and drawing closer to Him? I pray that true follower of God's (not just believer's of His) would be willing to abandon anything in order to draw closer to God. James 4:8.

Walk in the Spirit - My Focus Verse for 2012

Galatians 5:25 says "Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit." (NIV) the (NLT) "Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit's leading in every part of our lives.". (Message) "Since this is the kind of life we have chosen, the life of the Spirit, let us make sure that we don not just hold it as an idea in our heads or a sentiment in our hearts, but work out its implications in every detail of our lives."

This is my focus verse for 2012. Walking and living by the Spirit of the living God. I want to break this down just for a minute than get practical. There is a pre-supposed phrase here, "Since we are living by the Spirit.." What exactly does it mean to live by the Spirit? Yes, Jesus lives in us, but He also promised that when he left for Heaven, that He would not leave us as orphans all alone but it was actually good that He was leaving. Here is a short Biblical list of the purposes of the Holy Spirit.

Counselor - John 14:26
Truth Giver - John 16:13/I Corinthians 2:10
Strength - Romans 8:26
Fruits given by the Spirit - Galatians 5:22
Seal - Ephesians 1:13
Word of God/Sword of the Spirit - Ephesians 6:17

This is a short list, and of course there are the Gifts of the Holy Spirit but that's a whole blog on it's own. My point is this, when the Holy Spirit came at Pentecost, and now indwells in every believer at the moment of salvation, we act much like a faucet. We determine if we are going to open up and live under the power/influence/leading of the Holy Spirit or of the leading of our own power or even the world's. We say yes or no all of the time to the leading of the Holy Spirit. We need to be aware of His promptings all of the time. He wants to lead in our lives but we say yes or no. So many people are just too busy/noise filled to know this is even going on. When we learn enough scriptures and practice them we are walking in the Spirit. When we see someone in need and choose to sacrifice instead of being selfish we are walking in the Spirit. We either gratify ourselves or God. (Galatians 5:16;I Thessalonians 5:19) I liken living in the Spirit to have a special antenna, it is up and circling all over to point to an opportunity to share Christ verbally or serve someone, or speak up, encourage or exhort. When I am sensitive to this I am ALWAYS amazed at what happened. Are you? Don't miss out on this HUGE part of the Christ life. My goal this year is to continue to be open and obedient, courageous and let the Spirit have His way in my life. How about you?