Own "YOU"

 You, yes YOU, are the only you in this world! You are wonderfully made by God . . . one of a kind you. You must own YOU!

Have you noticed in sports that many people will wear the jersey of a particular player? They may even imitate his on the field or on the court actions. Yet there is a difference between the player wearing the jersey and the fan wearing the jersey . . . the player owns the name and number!

The player makes a commitment to be the best he can be every day and nearly every moment of the day; from rest, to diet, to exercise, to studying plays. The fan only sees the game results. The player has put in years and years of work unseen by most.

And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ. (Colossians 3:23-24)

Christ followers do not simply show up on SONdays dressed to participate. We should be prepping for the day all week . . . . each day of the week . . . . all day. We/you need to own what God has given us . . . . the uniqueness of YOU!

Put more into your prayer life. Put more into your bible reading. Put more into your school life, work life, family life and personal health. Put more into your personal growth so God can use you even more. 

Owning you requires commitment and sacrifice to be the best you. You can do it!

Are my words worth it? It is just a matter of timing and tact.

 Afraid to speak up? 

Ever find yourself trying to figure out how to respond? 

Have you thought it's better to just be quiet?

Are my words worth it?

Well, YOU are worth it! Your opinion is valued and needed. It is just a matter of timing and tact.

Many times we want to comment on a particular news event or circumstance in our lives, however the timing is not right. Folks are not ready to hear what we have to say. We have to plan out the right response with tact, thinking of how to be most impactful for Christ.

Here is some really good instruction from both Paul and James:

Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one. (Colossians 4:6)

So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God. (James 1:19-20)

We talk too much!

I was advised long ago that when sharing the Gospel, only speak if you absolutely have to speak. What??? Yes, we talk too much! You see, we plan our conversations and have all this information (including memorized Scriptures) ready for the next person we encounter. Yet we do not consider our actions!

Many things must be considered before we speak: the condition of a person's heart, their present situation, their underlying needs, etc. As we show we are listening and trying to understand the other person . . . that we really care for them . . . we can lay the groundwork for our words later.  

You see, they have some questions within their hearts that we just may miss if we are only focused on what we have to say! Are we talking too much?

“Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. But beware of men, for they will deliver you up to councils and scourge you in their synagogues. You will be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles. But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak. For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak; for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you. (Matthew 10:16-20)

Many times we simply have to allow God to act and speak through us!

The direction one is headed . . .

 Have you ever gotten lost when following someone else's directions? What about when even the GPS seems to be lost? How important is it to know for sure the direction one is headed? Is it not easier to get to a place after we have been there and discovered it more on our own than to keep following the map or the GPS each time?

Why did Jesus sometimes speak in parables, when it seemed confusing to many? 

Do stories convey truths better than facts at times? 

Is it better to figure things out on our own rather than to be given all the details?

Lots of questions make us seek the answer!  Seeking and finding the Truth is much better than being told what to believe . . . do you not agree? 

How can we cause others to seek Jesus on their own . . . or help them to do so . . . rather than simply telling them Who He is? Try a story . . . your story!

Why did Jesus speak in parables? It was to cause folks to understand with their hearts, not their minds!

And the disciples came and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?”
He answered and said to them, “Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says:
‘Hearing you will hear and shall not understand,
And seeing you will see and not perceive; For the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing,
And their eyes they have closed,
Lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears,
Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn,
So that I should heal them.’ (Matthew 13:10-15)

I 'Wanna Know What Love Is . . .

 We have all heard it before: Love is a verb. It is a decisive action one takes to care for another deeply. Yet beyond human understanding, we have the definition of love:

 . . . God is love! (1 John 4:8)

If we understand the meaning of love in this definition, then love is total sacrifice for another. It is the laying aside of one's wants and  desires to meet the vital needs of another. One must actively place the needs of another above their own even when it is not convenient. The other person becomes the priority! 

Jesus did exactly this for each of us. While we were yet sinners, Christ DIED for us! (Romans 5:8) He made us His priority and put His agenda aside. He laid aside His glory for sinful human flesh so we could be like Him one day. We had a vital need for salvation and He decided to love each of us . . . all the way to the cross!

Before you say "I love you" today, take a second to examine what love looks like in your relationships to your spouse, your children and friends. 

Protection is vital to success!

 "A good defense is the best offense". I often heard that as an athlete growing up. Now, I realize a team cannot win without scoring, but you cannot lose either if the other team cannot score! Defense, or protection, is vital to success! Spiritually speaking, we are called upon to protect, or cover one another. 

Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. For if anyone thinks himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. (Galatians 6:2-3)

A pastor covers his sheep in prayer daily. Husbands  and fathers need to be diligent to not only protect and cover their spouse and children in prayer, but also from physical harm and financial ruin. Youth leaders and teachers are tasked with protecting and defending the children in their daily care.

Even through challenges and conflicts, we are to fight for our spouses and children not against them. The enemy would like nothing better than to break down the walls of defense! 

We must learn how to fight fairly and be gently or lovingly honest with one another. It helps us to avoid any deception from creeping in between relationships.

We need to be proactive in easing one another's burdens in life by assisting with daily activities such as cleaning duties, making of meals, assisting with homework, and the like. Everyone needs a little hand up now and then!

A strong support system

 I do not know how we competed as athletes back in our day! We played basketball with canvas shoes. We had no muscle compaction sleeves. We used wooden bats in baseball with no batting gloves. We played on dirt fields and concrete courts. We had no air conditioning our gyms. We played pick up tackle football without pads and helmets. We didn't have personal trainers or even instant highlight films on YouTube!

Yet we had each other. We had parents, coaches, teammates and friends who supported us! What about us today? Do we have a strong support system?

Whether it is marriage, sports, school, just life in general everyone needs support! We all need some encouragement and yes, some correction along the way. No matter the age or level of maturity, we all need someone. 

Who has your back? That person speaks to us in love. He or she is able to empathize with us. They encourage us to dream dreams. Do we have that person or that team?

Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. (Romans 12:15)

Connections are essential!

Remember "connecting the numbers" as a child?  We would be presented with a design with numbers that resembled something, but we could not quite see it. We had to trace the numbers in order to really understand it. Then we would color it in and really experience it. 

Life and relationships are the same way. We pass by people daily and see a shadow many times. We even ask "What's up?", or "How 'ya doin'?", but before anyone answers we have already passed each other by. 

Connections are essential! 

Look at the drawing below. What do you see? A faint image right? One that requires a deeper focus to really see or understand. It requires time and investment. It requires connection. 

Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time. Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one. (Colossians 4:5-6)

My wife reminds me daily of the importance of connection, but it took someone else to show it for it to really set in . . . by the way, is that not what we husbands do? We need someone else to say what our wives have been saying all along? Ok, back to my point . . .

I so appreciate a co-worker who the other day took valuable time out of his day to connect with my wife and me. He wanted to know all about us. Not just a simple fist bump, high five or even a casual hand slap or hug, but a real desire to connect! WOW!!!!

In our relationships with Christ, family, co-workers, even the young people we encounter, are we deliberately making time to connect? If we connect the numbers to the drawing we will get a deeper meaning and perhaps begin to imagine what Paul may have experienced when Jesus confronted him. We get to know Paul a bit as we connect!

So some application: 

Will we sacrifice our agenda for the chance to get to really invest in another's life?

In life . . . especially in the CHRISTian life . . . connections are essential!

Woe!

 Woe . . . to the scribes, Pharisees, and to you and me!!

“The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do, but do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not do. For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. But all their works they do to be seen by men. (Matthew 23:2-5)

Just think as we followers of Christ, and many of us mature believers in Christ and in positions of influence, go around spouting off CHRISTian-ease and quoting scriptures, yet we ourselves do not hold ourselves accountable to such things! 

Seven times in these passages (Matthew 23), Jesus says, "Woe", calling out the hypocritical actions of the church leaders. Can we hear those words today?

Woe indeed! Today, before, we instruct others, let's look deep inside and allow God's Word to penetrate our own hearts and help us to be better examples of humility and obedience. Maybe we will be able to see into Christ's heart and the hearts of others as well.

He changed my way of life

 He changed my way of life . . .  

Many things in life cause a life-style change . . .  high school graduation . . . college life . . . dating . . . living on your own . . . having a full time job . . .  a new baby . . . getting a family dog . . . marriage/divorce, among others. However, nothing changed my life like when Jesus entered in to it. He changed my way of life for sure!

But you have not so learned Christ, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind . . . (Ephesians 4:20-23)

He changed my thought process, my daily activities, my friendships, my exercise routine, my language, my family, and my future! Once He invited me into His Kingdom, I grasped an entire new way of perceiving everything. The more I learned, the more I wanted to learn. I realized how crazy I had been living. I was convicted. Jesus became the center of my life and His Spirit began to move me in directions I could never imagine; relationships, entertainment, school, career, missions . . . I am still amazed! Some thirty years later, my life is still evolving the more I grow in Him.

My way of life is still changing . . . how about you? Feel free to comment!

Changed plans

 A change in plans . . . how do you deal with that? I know I like to have plans and go according to my list. When something throws a monkey wrench in to my plans, it bothers me. Now I have to adjust my plans for someone or something else. Selfishly, I think to my self, " That's not fair!".

I am a creature of habit. I like planning. I like completing those plans. It gives me a sense of accomplishment when I finish a task or a list. So when those plans change, my whole day, week, or month could go awry. So imagine the Jewish followers of Jesus  when He changed plans! 

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:34-35)

💔Love💔 . . . as a follower of Christ this love must cover all of our plans! It requires sacrifice. Because He first loved us and put His agenda aside to step down into a sinful world and sacrifice for us, we too must love like that! Our plans must be laid aside at times for the needs of others. It is how we show His love!

I don't know about you, but I may have to change my plans today!

Failure or a Re-Start? How is God working in your life?

Don't be afraid of a re-start. I know I do not like failure. As an athlete since I was five years old, it has been engrained in me to win. Just about everything is a competition to me. Just ask my wife. She often asks, "Does everything have to be a competition with you?" My answer is a simple, "Yes"!" I have to fight it daily.

As a believer, I hate failing God, even though I do it daily. However, when He gives me a specific assignment, I want to finish it and finish it well. Yet I am learning that even when God gives me work to do, it is He who is doing the work through me, not me working for Him. I am just a toll in the Craftman's hands.

Lately He has shifted our ministry focus and it is a bit hard to handle. For over twenty years He has used us in a unique way to serve teens and families here in the DMV. But things have changed. It is a bit weird!  Have we failed God or is He simply saying "I want you to adapt"? I am beginning to understand that He is giving us a re-start. He still wants us to serve, but is a different sort of way and even a unique arena. I am open to Hid calling and provision.

Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. (2 Corinthians 5: 20-21)

Our goal is till to bring people to Christ, yet as His ambassador, just maybe He is shifting our assignment!

What about you? Failure or a Re-Start? How is God working in your life?

Causes for celebrations

 New year...new life...new relationships?

Everyone loves to celebrate new things. . . .  new marriages . . . . newborn babies . . . new jobs . . . . new cars . . . . and in our current state, Lord willing a new home! Causes for celebrations all and rightly so. Yet as a believer in the Risen Christ, each day brings new things!

Yes we have new life in Christ due to His sacrificial death, burial and resurrection from the grave. We are now new creatures in Him, with the old passed away. (2 Corinthians 5:17) We even have a new start each day with Christ. (Lamentations 3:22-24) He has created a new heart in every believer. (Ezekiel 36:26)

So even as we face so many challenges today, cherish the fact that God makes all things new! Do not focus on the past failures or down times. Look forward to what God promises!

Try singing!

 Try singing . . . .

Ever have a day when all seems to be going haywire, then you hear a favorite song or melody, and for just a moment, for a little while at least, things seem a bit better? I think songs are what make holidays a bit brighter. Just after Thanksgiving, we begin to sing CHRISTmas carols and we start looking forward to CHRISTmas celebrations and seeing loved ones, eating Grandma's cookies, and having days off from work and school. Birthdays are marked by singing "Happy Birthday to you" as we gather around the cake and have a celebration of life. At weddings, the bride and groom dance to their song. Summer gatherings are marked with music and bbq cookouts. Music and singing simply brighten a day!

The bible is full of song. We are to be singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs (Colossians 3:16). We are to sing to the Lord a new song. (Psalm 96:1) With my song I shall thank Him. (Psalm 28:7) Is anyone cheerful? He is to sing praises. (James 5:13)

Get the picture? When we are challenged . . . . when we are a bit confused . . . . when things do not seem to make sense . . . . even when all is going well . . . . SING!

He has put a new song in my mouth—Praise to our God;
Many will see it and fear, and will trust in the Lord.(Psalm 40:3)

Too many opinions and too much advice, without a lot of facts!

But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. For “who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ. (https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Corinthians%202%3A14-16&version=NKJV)

The world is simply crazy. We never know what will happen next or who will be giving us what advice and when. There are simply too many opinions and too much advice, without a lot of facts to back things up!

Yet as we read in the above passages, we who are in Christ are spiritually discerned. We should be thinking differently than the world. We have the Holy Spirit within us which allows us to discern things. We do not have to panic at every news story or run from every challenge we face. In fact, we face challenges with courage and faith!

We need to be visible and active in a world that needs Jesus!

New Year, Same God

Well it's back to school and back to serve....a few extra snow days has been a pleasant surprise. The new Covid variant has not been as welcoming. However, we still serve the same God and He is still in control of all things!

With so much fear , uneasiness, and anxiety in our society today, we can be sure of one thing: if we have confessed Christ as Savior and Lord, then everything will work out fine. Yes, we live in a scary world at time.....like today, yet we wake up with a desire to live out loud for Christ so that others may see Him in us and want to know Him for themselves. He just may be their only hope and we just may be the one to share His love with them today!

So today . . . let your light . . . His Light shine brightly despite the circumstances. Let Christ be known today!

Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord. (https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Corinthians%2015%3A58&version=NKJV)