Your Best Friend isn't a Dog.

We’re all wired to want to be in the “know”. We want wisdom and smarts. It’s been that way since the beginning of recorded time. The story of Adam and Eve is evidence. God says “Don’t go near the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.” Eventually, Adam and Eve could not resist so they ate the fruit because they wanted to be in the “know”.

James tells us in James 1:5, “If you want wisdom, ask God and He will give it to you.” Jesus says in Matthew 6:33, “Seek God’s Kingdom, live righteously, and God will give you everything else you need”….(including wisdom). But there is secondary way to gain wisdom. We must first acknowledge it doesn’t happen overnight but is a life-long endeavor.

We realize we can’t build a life of wisdom by ourselves. And we have learned during COVID-19, we are better together than apart! We do seek wisdom from God first but God also embraces the value of people in your life. I’ve often said, “You show me your friends and I’ll show you your future.” So let me encourage you three different ways today.

Develop healthy friendships. Proverbs 18:1 talks about being in isolation. But we discover that isolation is the enemy of wisdom. Indeed, it invites pride and arrogance and is a sign of immaturity. God said in Genesis, “Let US make humans in our image.” It’s an indication God has always lived in community. Since we are created in his image, we also are called to live in community and not isolated.

You need to find godly friends you can be connected to through Bible study and a small group setting. a Kenyan proverb says, “if you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, take others.” We learned over these last six months, we need each other!

Also invite Godly counsel. Allow others into your world to act as guardrails. Give permission for a close group of friends to be honest about your life and tell you when things are great or when things need to be better. We need straight-shooters in our lives. People who will be honest and revealing about our life and whether or not we look like Jesus. Find people you trust and give them permission to speak into your life.

Finally, invest in relationships that pull you up rather than pull you down. Proverbs 27:17 says, “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” I refuse to be connected to negative people. Folks who only see the bad and that the glass is half empty. Those kind of people will demoralize and depress you…help take your eyes off of all that God is really doing in your life and the world. If you have them in your life, find a way to move away from them. You don’t need them.

So, how do I accomplish these ideas? Well, every church family should have three circles and I’m advocating you need to be in every one of them to gain great godly wisdom for life.

The large circle is the Sunday morning experience. Recommit to being at a large group gathering once a week to celebrate Jesus in a big group. Sunday morning service has been the traditional moment for this. You all sing together, dig into the Word of God together and take communion together. It’s a huge encouragement as you all celebrate Jesus as one big family.

The medium circle is the small group or Bible study time. Usually, this group is 10-15 people digging deep into God’s Word really discovering practically how to live out what God calls us to do. You pray personally for each other…sometimes there is a meal involved. You journey in life together and take care of each other’s needs.

Finally, there’s service. Each of us has a spiritual gift. Discover what you are passionate about and use that to serve others. Maybe you enjoy teaching young kids about Jesus so find your Children’s pastor and work with the kids. Maybe you enjoy teens so you are willing to be a chaperone or host a group in your home. Maybe you love AV and tech so on Sunday’s, you’re in the sound booth bringing together media, lights, sound. Find your passion and start serving others with others.

Ask God for wisdom and he’ll give it generously. But being with others will also impart wisdom so discover how you’ll be involved in the “circles”. Don’t wait! Start today finding ways to get “smart”. Blessings on the journey.

What is a Priority?

Growing up, I seemed to butt heads with my dad. He was trying to be a father who was guiding me and I was playing the role of the stubborn son. I remember saying one day, “I want to make my own mistakes. Thanks for sharing your life experience but I am not you.” I ignored wisdom and paid the price.

There’s no doubt you’ve had similar experiences. Someone tried to warn you…tell you…explain to you how to be better in life but you had your own plan, your own agenda. But what I have discovered in life is that what you put first in your life will determine where you end up.

Many of you have seen or read Alice in Wonderland. There is a point in the story where she’s in the woods and at a crossroads. This is where she meets the Cheshire Cat. Alice asks, “Which way should I go?” The cat asks, “Where do you want to go?” Alice replies, “I don’t know.” To which the cat says, “Then one way is as good as another if you don’t know where you are headed.”

Jesus reminds us as Christ-followers what’s a priority and which way we should be headed. It’s during his famous Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 6 when Jesus says, “You can’t serve two. You’ll hate one and love the other. You cannot serve God and everything else.” You see our priorities will determine the path we take. And Jesus reveals a couple of things in Matthew 6:25-33 that are important as we better understand priorities.

First, he reminds you that God sees you. Not in a scary way but a comforting way. You have celebratory things and difficult things in your life everyday. You’re working in a career that doesn’t suit you anymore. You have a difficult marriage. Your parenting skills are being challenged. You have a gambit of emotions you work through with your friend group. But Jesus reminds us that worry doesn’t have to win. Jesus tells us when we choose worry, we are choosing the way of the world.

You see, God sees the birds and takes care of them. But God sees you too and aren’t you more valuable than birds? When we have faith in God to take care of us, we will be on the road of peace and not panic.

But equally, God cares about you too. Whatever brings tears to your eyes, know God sees that too. What Jesus tells us in this text in Matthew is that God is FOR YOU! We know this….Jesus changes everything!! The people who worry or have an anxious spirit are not living in Jesus. In fact, Jesus calls folks living like this pagans and unbelievers.

Right now is our chance to really shine for Jesus. We want to be different than the world recognizing God will provide all our needs. So, how ARE we different? Are you more focused on your new home rather than your new neighbors? Are you more concerned with the latest tech gear than being in God’s Word? Are you distracted by putting more stuff in your house and keeping up with the Joneses? Is your priority becoming Instagram famous? If Jesus is saying these things are not your purpose as a follower of him, then what is your purpose?

Jesus reveals that in Matthew 6:33. He says, “Seek the Kingdom of God above all things, live in such a way that it gives God glory, and everything else will be given to you.” Remember, God is our father and He knows what is the best wisdom for the best life we can live. Seek God’s will and desire first then live it out in your life and everything else will be given to you.

May you bring the kingdom to your home, your work place, your neighbors. May your light shine in traffic, at the grocery store and Wal-Mart. May you see your purpose in seeking Kingdom right where you are and living out how God has called you to live. Blessings on your journey.

Peace in Presence

In the quiet early morning, as the sun’s first rays peak over the horizon, we may sense the presence of God. But as the day wears on and the demands of everyday life bear down upon us, we may become so wrapped up in earthly concerns that we forget to praise the Creator.

God is everywhere we have ever been and everywhere we will ever be. When we turn to Him often, we are blessed by His presence. But, if we ignore God’s presence or rebel against it altogether, the world in which we live soon becomes a spiritual wasteland.

Since God is everywhere, we are free to sense His presence whenever we take the time to quiet our souls and turn our prayers to Him. But sometimes, amid the incessant demands of everyday life, we turn our thoughts far from God; when we do, it feels hopeless.

Are you tired, discouraged, or fearful? Be comforted because God is with you. Are you confused? Listen to the quiet voice of your Heavenly Father. Are you bitter? Talk with God and seek His guidance. Are you celebrating a great victory? Thank God and praise Him. He is the Giver of all things good. In whatever condition you find yourself—whether you are happy or sad., victorious or vanquished, troubled or triumphant—celebrate God’s presence. And be comforted in the knowledge that God is not just near. He is here.

So get up and move. God has things He wants to show you. Listen closely and stay on His path, focused on His Kingdom. Blessings on the journey.

What Were You Thinking?

Here’s a proven way to build character: learn to control the direction of your thoughts Your thoughts, of course, are intensely powerful things. Your thoughts have the power to lift you up or drag you down; they have the power to energize you or deplete you, to inspire you to greater accomplishments or to make those accomplishments impossible.

How will you and your family members direct your thoughts today? Will you follow the instructions of Paul in Philippians 4:8 by dwelling on those things that are honorable, true, and worthy of praise? Or will you allow your thoughts to be hijacked by the negativity that seems to dominate our troubled world?

Are you fearful, angry bored, or worried? Are you so preoccupied with the concerns of this day that you fail to thank God for the promise of eternity? Are you confused, bitter, or pessimistic? If so, God wants to have a little talk with you.

Watch what you think. If your inner voice is, in reality, your inner critic, you need to tone down the criticism now. And while you’re at it, train yourself to begin thinking thoughts that are more rational, more accepting, and less judgmental.

It’s up to you and your loved ones to celebrate the life that God has given you by focusing your minds upon “whatever is commendable.” So form the habit of spending more time thinking about your blessings and less time fretting about your hardships. Then, take time to thank the Giver of Life for the gifts that are, in truth, far too numerous to count!

With less media intake and the help of the Holy Spirit, you can do this. Get into God’s Word. Talk to God through prayer everyday. Continue to focus on blessing and not cursing. Be the light. Blessings on your journey.

You been Frustrated Lately?

The frustrations of everyday living can sometimes get the better of us. Like me, you have probably seen numerous videos posted of folks going off in a grocery story or a retail store because they were asked to wear a mask. I mean, life was sometimes difficult and then COVID-19 came along and added stress to our teachers, store clerks, restaurant wait staff, church members….well the list goes on.

The question we all have to ask ourselves is, “Will you control you or allow your emotions to control you?” See, when we allow ourselves to become overly irritated by the inevitable ups and downs of life, we may become overstressed, overheated, overanxious and just plain angry.

Anger often leads to impulsivity; impulsivity often leads to poor decision-making; and poor decision-making tends to tear down character. So, if you’d like to increase your storehouse of wisdom while, at the same time, strengthening your character, you should learn to control your temper before it controls you.

When you allow yourself to become angry, you are certain to defeat at least one person: yourself. When you allow the minor frustrations of everyday life to hijack your emotions, you do harm to yourself and to your loved ones. So today and every day, guard yourself against the kind of angry thinking that inevitably takes a toll on your emotions and your relationships.

As the old saying goes, “Anger usually improves nothing but the arch of a cat’s back.” So don’t allow feelings of anger or frustrations to rule your life, or, for that matter, your day—your life is simply too short for that, and you deserve much better treatment than that…from yourself.

If you think you’re about to explode in anger, don’t! Instead of striking back at someone, it’s usually better to slow down, catch your breath, consider your options, and walk away if you must. Striking out in anger can lead to big problems. So it’s better to walk away—and keep walking—than to blurt out angry words that can’t be un-blurted. Blessings on your journey!

Letting Go

If you’re like most people, you like being in control. Period. You want things to happen according to your wishes and according to your timetable. But sometimes, God has other plans…and He always has the final word.

Oswald Chambers correctly observed, “Our Lord never asks us to decide for Him; He asks us to yield to Him—a very different matter.” These words remind us that even when we cannot understand the workings of God, we must trust Him and accept His will.

All of us experience adversity and pain. As human beings with limited comprehension, we can never fully understand the will of the Father in heaven. But as believers in a benevolent God, we must always trust His guidance and provision.

When Jesus one to the Mount of Olives, as described in Luke 22, He poured out His heart to God. Jesus knew of the agony that He was destined to endure, but He also knew that God’s will must be done. We, like our Savior, face trials that bring fear and trembling to the very depths of our souls, but like Christ, we too must ultimately seek God’s will, not our own.

I was watching the news a couple of days ago and a guy was being interviewed about losing his job due to COVID-19. His words and body language indicated he expected the government to pay him now since it was no fault of his own. So many times, that’s our attitude. We look for ways to change our journey that will not cost us anything.

Are you embittered by a personal tragedy that you did not deserve and cannot understand? If so, it’s time to make peace with life. It’s time to forgive others and if necessary to forgive yourself. It’s time to accept the unchangeable past, to embrace the priceless present, and to have faith in the promise of tomorrow. It’s time to trust God completely. And it’s time to reclaim the peace—His peace—that can and should be yours.

God says in Isaiah 43:18-19, “Forget what happened before, and do not think about the past. Look at the new thing I am going to do. It is already happening. Don’t you see it? I will make a road in the desert and rivers in the dry land.” May you experience His peace and discover how to let go. Blessings on your journey.

"More than a Feeling..."

I am a child of the ‘80s. I love most everything about that decade…especially the music. A band out of Boston, Massachusetts started in 1975 and still is touring today. Of course, their name is Boston. They’ve had a great many hits. One of those songs is named “More than a Feeling.” Go ahead and sing the line…you know it!

However, the Apostle John reminds us that the love of God is more than a feeling, it’s a daily lifestyle. As a matter of fact, Paul the Apostle even says in Ephesians 5, “Imitate God (everyday)”. So how do I know how to imitate God?

Well, Jesus tells his disciples in John 14, “It you have seen me, then you’ve seen the Father. Me and the Father are one.” As a follower of Jesus, I simply need to look at the life of Jesus, found in any of the four gospels, and do what Jesus did…live like Jesus…love like Jesus.

You see, John tells us in his letter, 1 John, that love is how we know God. John says, “God IS love.” Most of us imagine him as a harsh referee, or a detached inventor, or a spoiling grandpa but none of these pictures are true. We realize that our God is a good, good Father. That imagine is used 245 times in the New Testament. So if God is a loving Father and we are called to imitate him, then we should also be loving in our life.

Love is also how we see God. In 1 John 4, John reminds us that God loved us before we ever loved him. We are called to this lifestyle of love if you claim to follow Jesus. God showed us his love by sending his only son while we were still sinners. Get your head wrapped around that! While you were rebelling against God, Jesus came for you anyway! What a wonderful God we serve!!

Some ways we might let others see this love of God in is right now could look like helping your older neighbor with the yard work or taking baked goods to those who are shut up in their houses. It might be just handing out cold water at a local event or march. Maybe you could write letters of encouragement to your city leaders letting them know you are praying with them over the city. Or sending a thank you card to the administrators at the school your child attends telling them you are praying for their wisdom and discernment during this difficult season of school.

Because love is how we follow God and we are indebted to him to do so. We ought to be loving on each other, not hating nor being mean-spirited. We follow Jesus and his life reflects a person who was inclusive, loving, forgiving, full of grace and mercy.

The word for “love” John uses every time is the Greek word “agape”. This word specifically means “unconditional love”. Love with no strings attached. As followers of Jesus, we do not say, “I’ll love you as long as you do what I want, say what I want you to say, live how I think you should live.” We love even our enemies unconditionally.

God reminds us of how much He loves us in John 3:16. He sent his son so no one would perish but all would have eternal life. And for those of us who follow God’s Son, we were adopted into his family. As children of God then, we follow or act like the Father.

So, be someone who transforms the world around you for good. Be someone who loves unconditionally. Be someone who shines the light of Jesus in everything you do. Blessings on your journey.

Squirrel!

If you’ve read my book, Beautiful Interference, then you’ve read the story about me and a friend hiking in Colorado. We wanted to hike Mount Beirstadt and Mount Evans the first week of June. We found our entry point, parked the SUV, and started down to the valley floor. These two Oklahoma boys were not ready for the thin air and the June weather.

We crossed the valley floor and began our accent up Beirstadt. We were exhausted and out of water by the time we summited so we decided to go back to the car. Only problem was, once on the valley floor, we could not find which gorge we came down and it had already started snowing.

With patience and a lot of lucky guess-work, our tired, oxygen-deprived bodies found our way back to the SUV.

Spiritually speaking, that’s what happens when we get off the path as we follow Jesus. We have these grand ideas of how things will go but the minute we step away from the safety of Jesus, everything goes chaotic. The Apostle John calls us to stay focused on Jesus, to stay on the path and don’t let anything distract you from leaving the safety of Jesus.

In 1 John, John tells followers there are three things that can pull you away from following Jesus closely. John writes in 1 John 2:16 that “pleasure, possessions, and pride” can lure you off the path that Jesus is on. He reminds us there is a epithumia or hyper-desire in all of us that we must keep in check. Our hyper-desire must be Jesus above all else.

Pleasure could be just about anything. Sexual pleasure is the one that comes to mind. We all as humans have a desire for instant gratification. Inappropriate relationships with people outside our marriage, dangerous late night excursions on our computers to sites that should be untouched by Jesus-followers, and lustful thoughts should be things we must guard against as we follow Jesus on the road.

Our possessions can get the best of us. Collecting things is the American way and if we are not careful, those shiny things will pull us away from our commitment to follow Jesus. There is nothing bad in and of itself about owning things but when we make that the center of our life and our focus, that’s when we know we’ve left the road of Jesus and are on the road the world offers.

Finally pride and ego will get the best of us. Our pride ends up being all about us. I get prideful of my race or skin color. Right now across America, ethnic pride is at an all time high and it creates resentment of other people who are also made in God’s image. Our socio-economic pride can cause us to look down our noses at folks who don’t have as big a bank account as we do. My achievements equally can make me puff out my chest in comparison. But all my degrees and awards mean nothing when falling the risen Savior.

May your shine like Jesus. May the “shiny” things the world offers pale in comparison to the Son of God. May your hyper-desire be for Jesus and him alone. Don’t get detracted by the world. It will all fade away. But God and his desire will live forever. May you find the courage to stay on the path and shine like Jesus! Blessings on your journey.

I'm going to let it shine!

Do you remember when you learned to ride a bike? Or maybe when you helped your child learn to ride a bike? It didn’t happen just “overnight”. It was a process. You put training wheels on and they got the hang of that. But then there was the weekend they wanted to take off the training wheels and really ride. So, you took off the training wheels, let them straddle the seat and you jogged behind them while you held the back of the seat.

What happened when you let go the first few times? Well, they fell over. And if they didn’t fall over in the grass, there were some scraps and scratches.

The Apostle John, in his letter called 1 John, reminds us shining our light for Jesus is a process. Doing it well doesn’t happen overnight. In the first chapter, he reminds us that God is light and in him there is no darkness. He’s calling us to shine or reflect that light in the world in which we live. The world is full of evil and wrongdoing but as followers of Jesus, we fix our eyes on him and imitate him. We reflect Jesus no matter what is going on in the world around us. And right now, there is so much distraction.

We are still in the middle of the COVID-19 event. I’m afraid until there is a vaccine, we’ll need to continue all the safety measures that are currently in place. But the virus has negatively affected our relationships, our community, our jobs, our income level, our education system, our buying habits and the the list goes on. Even so, John says, “Be the light”.

The racial tensions that exists all over this country have reached a boiling point. The frustration of some have evolved into violent outbursts which have included death, robbery, destruction of personal and public property, traffic disruption and flow, hate crimes, and just plain meanness toward each other. And John says, “Even so, be the light.”

The tension between authority figures such as our police departments and fire departments have resulted in our population ignoring and trampling the laws that govern our land. The distain has reached to the highest office. I’m reminding us that Paul tells us in Romans 13, God has put these authorities in place and we are called to respect them. Even with this new face of disregard for public authority, John says, “You be the light that reflects Jesus.”

So John reminds us as followers of Jesus to walk in the light as He is in the light. That you and I are called to take the first steps of inviting the world in to a better place. We don’t wait on someone else to initiate but rather you be the light by being positively different than those around you. Shine like Jesus offering love, grace, mercy, forgiveness before anyone else. That’s what Jesus would do and we are called to represent him in a dark, chaotic world.

But John knows we are human and tells us that we are going to drop the ball, stub our toe, make a poor decision. We are going to get angry and exhibit that in ways unbecoming a follower. We are going to use other outlets to “ease the tension” by taking excessive drinking or pornography into our lives or mistreating those around us. We are going to treat those we love negatively because we don’t know what to do in this chaos.

John goes on to say that we have an advocate when we mess up! Praise God. It’s Jesus Christ who pleads our case before the Father. So when you realize you are not representing Jesus well, you turn back to him. It’s called repentance. You make a 180 degree turn to continue to shine your light and reflect Jesus. You confess to God and others that you’ve hurt and continue walking in the light.

Some of us have been followers of Jesus for a long time and if we’re honest, we still have training wheels on. Now is the time to take them off and begin really living in the light. It’s time to shine like Jesus. Don’t wait on someone else to plan the event or invite you to come along or start something. It’s time you began leading others and reflecting Jesus in your life. Maybe more than ever in your life and mine, now is when people need to see the light and what it looks like to have a life of love, peace and hope. You’re the one that can show them.

May you be encouraged to live like Jesus. May you find the strength and bravery to look like Jesus even though others around you are not. May you feel the peace that passes all understanding and pass on that peace to those you encounter everyday. Blessings on your journey.

He's Got the Whole World...

Jesus! He. Is. Awesome. I sat with him over my Panera coffee this morning, and began to unravel my wound up and anxious heart. Rather than trying to put my best foot forward in my time with Him, I began to tell him what He already knew:

I am not sure if I can do it. I can’t make sure everybody likes me. I can’t stop eating sugar. I can’t focus in my time with him. Facebook seems much easier than facing my fears. It’s difficult to sleep because I have a couple of weddings on the calendar, a sermon series in the making and the list of “to do’s” is growing.  I can’t change my wandering heart and my “normal summer” is gone. I can’t “get it together.” (What is “it” anyway? Who defines “together?”)

In Jesus, “we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are – yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” (Hebrews 4:15-16)

Our Lord “is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love.” (Psalm 145:8)

Jesus has “it together.” He is keenly aware that we don’t.  He moves toward us with infinite compassion and lavish love. This is why He died: that we can come with our wound up and anxious hearts and unravel them at His feet.

One by one the fibers of my heart were laid bare and I surrendered to the One who can handle my life, my propensity to wander, my addictions and my details. My eyes were shifted, if even temporarily, from myself to the One who spoke the world into existence and knit me in my mother’s womb.

He has taken the condemnation that I deserve so that I can have my mind free of the murmurings of self-contempt. This freedom allows me to live boldly, honestly and creatively. I no longer need to self-protect. I can allow space for Jesus to change me.

So today, remember that Jesus has you and gets you. Turn over your anxiety to him. Don’t worry about tomorrow because tomorrow has enough worry of its own. Hold his hand. Know He protects you. Blessings on your journey.