An Invitation

I helped coach Nick's basketball team this morning. It was their first game. I enjoy watching basketball more than any sport he has played. There is always a lot of action and scoring. His team did well and Nick did very well. They won the game by a pretty good margin. As I watched the boys come in and out of the game, several players told me that they were tired. I couldn't help but smile a little and reflect on our practices. Few of them enjoyed running during practice. They did not see the sprints as an invitation to get better. Running seemed like a waste of time to them. They would rather shoot or scrimmage. Conditioning is no fun. God invites us everyday to engage in spiritual conditioning that will help us in the "game". He wants us to know Him better through prayer, meditation and careful study of His words. It's not always fun - but it prepares us for the game. Maybe God smiles a little when we get a little winded in life.

God bless you

I walked out to my car after lunch today and was met with a request for help. A lady in the parking lot had a dead battery. She asked if I minded to give her a jump. She already had her jumper cables out and I was happy to help. After we got her car started she said "God bless you" as I left. I replied "God bless you too". What is interesting about this story is the fact that yesterday, my wife Lynn had a dead battery at home. Our neighbor helped her get her car started. Coincidence? How about this - the day before I loaned our jumper cables to a preschool teacher at church because her battery was dead. How about that? How does God bless us? Sometimes it is in the giving. Sometimes it is in the receiving. When we offer kindness to others, God always sees and He always blesses us.

Saints or Aints?

I watched a little of the Monday Night Football game last night. The Tennessee Titans played the New Orleans Saints. It was a year after the much celebrated win of the Saints at home. The game last year marked the reopening of the Super Dome after the devastating effects of Hurricane Katrina. Last year the level of emotion and support rivaled that of a championship game in the Super Bowl. And last year the Saints won. Not only did they win that game, but they went on to have the most successful year in Franchise history. Last night, there were many references to the "magical" season that is no more. The Titans pounded the Saints last night and the end result was another loss for the winless saints. Of course, I discovered a spiritual metaphor in the situation! What makes the difference in our lives from day to day? Do we live as Saints or Aints? The difference for the New Orleans Saints last year was clear. They were playing in a game that was bigger than football. They embraced their role in bringing hope to a city that was devastated. That makes the difference. If we are myopic in our role in God's kingdom - seeing our world with selfish and limited vision, we are destined to live as "Aints". When we embrace our responsibility to bring hope to the world and participate in God's big picture, we are mighty "Saints".

Have you been in the game?

I was watching a football game not long ago and I heard the coach ask one of the players whether or not he had been in the game yet. I could tell the young man was anxious to play and the coach sent him in for the next play. What a contrast to our Christian lives. Sometimes we are content to be on the sidelines. We would rather hide on the end of the bench where it is safe than be on the front lines risking ourselves. Sometimes secretly we hope the coach doesn't send us in. We become content watching others shine while we stay safe. We can be assured that our Head Coach, the Lord, knows whether we have been in the game yet. He knows exactly where we are and what we are doing.

Clean House

We just had some new neighbors move in across the street. They seem to be very nice people. They are unloading the truck today. Moving is a challenge. Since marrying in 1988, Lynn and I have moved three times. I don't enjoy packing and unpacking. One of the things that we have learned is that if you don't really really want something, then leave it behind. I tend not to be very good at throwing things away. I think the same applies to our spiritual journey with Christ. We need to evaluate the stuff we carry along with us and clean house periodically. The Bible teaches that bad habits and wrong ways of thinking can weigh us down and hinder our progress. Just because we have become comfortable with certain behaviors does not mean we are bound to continue. God loves to renew us and transform us. He asks that we lay aside the things that bog us down.

Keeping a Safe Distance

According to some who have ridden with me in my car there have been occasions when I have not maintained a safe distance between my car and the car in front of me. Despite my pleading about my exceptional reaction time and superb driving skills - it's best to keep a safe distance to allow for sudden and unexpected stops. This is wise. However the same principle does not apply to following Jesus. When we attempt to follow Jesus at a "safe distance", it is our way of trying to remain unchanged/untouched by who He is and the transformational power that comes from drawing near to Him. Following Jesus at a distance results in apathy and a loss of passion. The Bible teaches "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you" (James 4:8).

How's your day?

After asking the difficult question in my message yesterday, "Am I like Jesus?" it leaves me pondering my own productivity. Jesus poured meaning into the moments of His life here on earth. His presence defined the moments. Though His time here on earth was brief by most standards, He accomplished what was given to Him to accomplish. I am learning to allow His presence in my life to define me. Our thinking is so backward. We try to extract meaning from external sources. If someone asks us, "How was your day?" we are most likely to spout off about what happened "to" us rather than describe what happened "in" us or "through" us (particularly if we perceive it has been a rough day). It's not easy to change our thinking, but the presence of Christ in us will transform our thinking if we allow Him.

Cheaters never win?

It's an interesting sports world. This week, Coach Belichick of the New England Patriots was fined $500,000 for cheating. It seems that the Patriots were pretending to be spies instead of a football team and they got caught. If you are a sports fan, this is another headline in a long list of headlines in the past year about cheating. Whether it's a story about HGH or steroids or spy cameras, it's getting a little bit old for me. Actually, it's quite a commentary on our culture. There will be many who raise the question, "Is it cheating if we don't get caught?" The dangerous carry over from this kind of thinking is evident to me with regard to our overall sense of morality. Take a trip through ancient history and ask King David if it is sin if it's not exposed? Well, when was the last time you hid something from God and were successful?

Preschool Joy

I just finished spending time with a lively bunch of preschoolers in the first of many weekly "chapel" services at our preschool. It was a blast. I enjoyed their enthusiasm and they actually listened to what I was sharing. We sang some songs and had a great time. What I noticed as they entered was one little boy who was greeting all his friends by name as they walked in. He had a smile from ear to ear and shouted their names. One by one he would say "hi" to each of them. His joy did not diminish one bit as he went from greeting to greeting. I couldn't help but smile along with him. Wouldn't our day go better if we had that kind of attitude. I guarantee our lives would be richer and Heritage would not have an empty seat if that was the norm for us from day to day.

It's Mine

I have a hummingbird feeder outside my window at church. I put a fresh supply out last week and there has been a flurry of activity around the feeder. I am amazed by one hummingbird in particular. We'll call this bird "Greedy" for identification purposes. Old Greedy has decided that the hummingbird feeder is there for him and no other hummingbirds are allowed to feed. If I spoke hummingbird (which I don't) I would pull a Dr. Doolittle and straighten him out on the facts of life. I put the food out. I didn't plan on just feeding him and no other birds. "Lighten up" Greedy and share the wealth! It does remind me of how we treat God's blessings. God does speak our language and He has told us in more than one location in the Bible to "share His blessings with others".

Why Fast?

Recently, I asked the congregation at Heritage Fellowship to consider fasting during the month of September. What difference does it make to skip a meal? I'm not an expert, but I have noticed some things from my own experience. The pressure to let our own appetite(s) govern our lives is enormous. We are a hedonistic culture. A good definition of hedonism is the belief that the highest intrinsic good in life is pleasure. That pretty well sums up our world doesn't it. So, why would I want to give up food for a meal or a day if gives me pleasure (and it does). Because it is a way to break us free from "pleasure" dominated appetites and redirect us to an appetite for God. In my experience fasting elevates my "God consciousness". When I fast I think about God more and I am more sensitive to my need for God because I know there must be a reason that I'm not eating.

Give grace to yourself and others

I need grace. You need grace. We all need grace. But the problem seems to be our ability to receive and extend grace in the right measure at the right time and in the right way. In one of Fenelon's letters he wrote "Don't let the compliments you receive from worthy people go to your head. On the other hand, do not let a false humility keep you from accepting God's comfort when he sends it through others." Pride prevents us from receiving God's grace and pride keeps us in "selfish" mode so much that we overlook opportunities to help others.

Focus?

Do you ever read something and then say "ouch" out loud? As I was reading my devotional from Fenelon's writings today, I read "God never complicates what can be done simply. The focused life is the powerful life." Even though we might object and try to put up a fight with these thoughts, deep down we know it's true. Most of the time our complications flow out of a root problem: we haven't established what is most important. Start the day with total allegiance to God and His will and everything else flows from that. In the words of Jesus, "No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other." (Matthew 6:24)

Selfish Eyesight

I had a great trip with my father and Nicholas this weekend. We went to a Cincinnati Bengals and Baltimore Colts preseason football game yesterday. It is an annual trip for the "boys" to go to a ballgame. As we sat in the stadium with 60,000 Bengals fans, Nicholas proudly wore his Peyton Manning jersey and Colts hat. (I suppose peer pressure will not be a big worry in our house) Anyway there was one play where one of the Bengals fumbled the ball and the Colts recovered. The officials reviewed the play to determine whether it was really a fumble. Meanwhile all of the Bengals fans including those in the middle and upper decks were absolutely sure it was not a fumble. Despite the fact that the football appeared about the size of a pea from their vantage point and the replay on the jumbo screen did not show a camera angle where the fumble was visible, they were sure that they could see every detail better than the officials that were two feet away. Why? Because they were selfishly pulling for their team. It dawned on me that our own selfishness affects everything we see. I started to point out this great theological truth to the Bengals fans - but I guess I am more subject to peer pressure than Nicholas. Unashamedly, he cheered for the Colts when the call went their way.