What Makes You Worry?

Okay, I’m going to admit it:  I’m a closet worrier when it comes to my kids.

When Brendan (our 7-year-old) was much younger, his pediatrician detected a heart murmur in his heartbeat.  We were sent to a specialist.  I was scared to death.  I’ve heard too many stories on the news and my mind was racing.  The doctor told us that it was definitely there and to watch it but that he’d probably be okay and that he might even outgrow it.

I’m not going to tell you exactly what went through my mind, but suffice it to say, I played multiple scenarios in my mind.  I mean, it’s THE HEART.  It’s a pretty stinkin’ VITAL ORGAN.   “Woe is us,” I thought.  

He’s 7 now.  Heart murmur: gone.  Not there anymore.  Now what good did all that worry accomplish?  Nothing.  If anything I guess it at least reminded me how much I love my son (he’s a great kid, by the way, not that you asked!)

Over Christmas break we noticed a small lump on Brayden’s back.  It’s about 2 inches tall by 3-4 inches wide.  We took him to the doctor and he didn’t think it was anything serious but wanted to monitor it.  He said it didn’t feel like a tumor but he wanted to be careful and keep an eye on it.  We waited a few weeks for it to go down on it’s own.  It didn’t.  It grew. I was out of town when Annette called me early last week and said, “They want to schedule an MRI.”

Now I have to be honest here: my heart just sank.  MRI= serious business, right?  The emotions I had about Brendan’s old heart murmur all drudged up and reared their ugly head.  I got scared.  I worried.  I’m still worried.  We’re wrestling with the insurance company to get it scheduled.  I don’t have a date scheduled.  I’M READY.  LET’S DO THIS THING.  WHAT IF THIS AND THAT AND…

And then, the still, small voice of the Lord.  Reminding me of a beautiful passage found in Matthew 6:27.  Jesus said, “Which of you by being anxious (worrying) can add a single our to your life?”  My Savior said that.  Good point Jesus!  And remember when Jesus the Savior was asleep on the boat, and the storm arose and the disciples were absolutely freaking out and they woke him up?  He quieted the storm for them… but was obviously dismayed.  The Savior, the One who Colossians says “holds all things together”, was on the boat with them, and yet they were scared.  

So, I know I’m not alone.  A group of men were being tossed about in the waves of life and the One who could save them was right there with them.  They worried needlessly.  I admit sometimes it feels worlds apart.  I mean that was 2000 years ago and He was physically right there.  He’s not sitting here sleeping on my couch.  So, I get afraid sometimes.  I worry.

Finally, I think of the words of Paul in Philippians.  This verse gives me comfort and strength.  It reminds me that there is One higher than I that knows my needs.  He gives a rip about me enough to put these words here to remind me to go to Him.  Not to me.  Not to those scary thoughts in my head.  To Him.  Just Him.  Maybe if you’re still reading, you need to be reminded of this today as much as I do:

“Do not be anxious about anything (don’t worry), but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”  (Phil 4:6-7)

May we be anxious about nothing, but rather, trust in Him.  May we live our lives as an example to others that our faith is more than a system of beliefs- it’s a call to a radical life of action and faith.  James says that faith without works is dead.  My work here is to trust Him.  I can’t fix it.  I can’t make it be okay.  As a dad I want to but this time I’m conceding to Him to take care of it.  Capable hands.  Powerful hands.  Calming hands.  This is where the rubber meets the road.  I wait.  I trust.  I’m renewed. Praise be to God.

What makes you worry?

 

Big News!!

Hey all friends and blogfriends-

I’ve got some REALLY big news to share with you.

Ready for it?

Well I’ll share it soon, I promise.   It will probably be Monday or Tuesday.

You’re just not going to believe it!

Catch you soon!

 

Howdy howdy

Hello all!  This is my first blog post in awhile.  A friend encouraged me to twitter, and that has sent my add into a spiral deathspin, and I figured you could get fragmentary updates via the twitter updates on the right of this blog.  

I plan to finish writing some fresh posts soon, so stay tuned!

 

Your mission

I’ve been speaking the last 3 nights out at a boot camp for young men.  It is sort of a short-term prison-type place.  These are good kids who’ve made some bad decisions.  

Tonight I used some materials my good friend and boss, Jeff Wideman, gave me to help them determine their mission in life.  I had to pick from a number of “action words” to determine this, and I might tweak it, but I worked on my own to model to them and here’s what I came up with:

My mission is to create, teach, and lead my family and others with integrity.

I can do this in any context- it’s not dependent on my job or where I live or how perfect circumstances in my life might be… it’s simply dependent on me operating within those things no matter what the circumstance.  I love to create things; I can do that in a variety of situations.  I love to teach and lead.  Again, it might be in my current context (as a pastor at a church) or working at Starbucks or whatever the situation may be.

Knowing your mission helps you to remain focused and make sure that you are really operating at max efficiency and impact.  We all want to make an impact, right?

What’s your mission?

 

Permission to Speak Freely…

“Larry, can I have permission to speak into your life?”  Those words stung to the core.  I’ve been trained on this kind of language; as a “small groups guy”, I know this is the phrase that you utter to someone just before you speak about something that’s going to hurt.  I gulped.  I didn’t know where this was going but I wasn’t sure I wanted what was coming!  I didn’t want a chastising, but I respected this friend so much that I sheepishly nodded.  He continued…

“Tell me about your devotional life.”

I had just spent a couple of days with this person, lamenting over some things that I was frustrated about in my life.  Over and over, I complained about this thing and that element and this person.  So when he uttered those words, I instantly knew.  My life, my actions, my words, were not those of someone who walked intimately with Jesus.  I felt sick at my stomach.

We went on to discuss this, and I freely admitted that my time with God had been lacking.  Sometimes when you’re involved in ministry, you can get so busy doing ministry and talking about God that you forget to talk to God.  I was guilty!

I have to admit that, as uncomfortable as this situation was, it drove me to really reconsider the idea of a daily time with God.  I’m watching many around me sort of poke fun at the term, “a daily quiet time,” and I’ve done that myself.  But on the other hand, I’ve seen the damage that happens around me and within me when I’m not regularly engaging God.  It hurts.

Consider a familiar verse: Romans 12:2.  “Don’t be conformed any longer by the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”  I’ve heard/read this verse a number of times, often used to describe our time with God, the change that should happen in the life of a follower of Christ, etc.  But this morning as I’m reflecting, I see something fresh.  A picture that really seems to illustrate to me the importance of regular communion with God.

Lungs.  Our lungs expel unhealthy gas and process healthy gas to help our bodies get what they need.  Think of this picture in relation to the verse.  It’s not just that we’re cleaning up our thoughts and minds, etc.  It’s that our very existence depends on being transformed.  I’ve seen someone lying in a hospital bed when they were not getting the oxygen they need, and it’s horrible to watch.  The same is true for anyone who follows Jesus: if you’re not regularly meeting with Him, you’re starving your spirit-man of what it desperately needs.  You’ve cut off oxygen.  This isn’t some abstract concept that Paul is putting forth.  He’s commanding that we be transformed by renewing our minds- and that happens by the Word and Spirit of God.

This isn’t optional- your spiritual health depends on it.  Be transformed by the renewing of your mind.  Daily meeting with God is an imperative.  It doesn’t matter if the idea of a daily quiet time “doesn’t sound cool.”  Do it.  It doesn’t matter if you think you’re too spiritual and don’t need it.  Do it.  Jesus frequently got alone with God to pursue the heart of the Father.  Do you think you’re more spiritual than Jesus?

I have to admit that this conversation has changed my life for the better.  It brought me back to chasing after God in a new and fresh way.  I now get up at 5am to sit and pray, journal, read the Word, and speak to the heart of my Father.  Sure, I miss some days, I’m still an imperfect being pursuing a perfect Savior.  But I’ve filled up a journal of thoughts that help me track an ongoing conversation between me and my Creator.  It fills me up.  Some days it’s hard and I don’t “feel it.”  But it’s worth pursuing. These past 6 months or so have been some of the best times with God I’ve ever had.

My friend told me to put God first.  That even when I get up early and think I need to study, I need to spend intimate time with God first, and He will honor that, and I’ve found that to be true.  I think this guy knows what he’s talking about.  After all, he wrote the book on it!

I encourage you, if you don’t have a regular time with God (several days a week- and no, it doesn’t have to be at 5am) to start.  One foot in front of the other.  Building a foundation.  And when tough times hit (which they will), you’ve got something to stand on.  Oh, how firm a foundation.

What about you? Can I have permission to speak into your life?  How’s your time with God?

 

Radio Flyer

Just watched the movie, Radio Flyer.  I’ve never seen it and it was a great movie.  In this film, there were 7 truths.  Good to remember being a kid!

1. Animals can talk. 
2. Your favorite blanket is woven from a fabric so mighty, that once pulled over your head, it becomes an impenetrable force field. 
3. Nothing is to heavy to lift with the aid of a cape. 
4. Your hand, held forefinger out and thumb up, actually fires bullets. 
5. Jumping from any height with an umbrella is completely safe. 
6. Monsters exist and can both be seen and done battle with. 
7. The greatest and most special and regrettable loss of all, the ability to fly.

 

Joel Osteen

I stumbled upon a post by Anne Jackson this morning that I thought worth reposting.  I’ve heard my share of people criticizing Joel Osteen, and have even done some of that myself.  Her post really made me think hard about that.  Read that here.  I think we spend much time hitting other followers of Jesus in the knees.  I think our time is best spent in other ways.

There was a man who commented that his main beef is Joel’s lack of sharing the gospel on Larry King.  Larry King basically asked if Joel believed Jesus was the only way to heaven, and Joel didn’t clearly respond with a “yes”.  I’ve heard many people complain and criticize about this.  However, what I didn’t know was Osteen’s response to the criticism, which I’m pasting below:

Dear Friend,

Many of you have called, written or e-mailed regarding my recent appearance on Larry King Live. I appreciate your comments and value your words of correction and encouragement.

It was never my desire or intention to leave any doubt as to what I believe and Whom I serve. I believe with all my heart that it is only through Christ that we have hope in eternal life. I regret and sincerely apologize that I was unclear on the very thing in which I have dedicated my life.

Jesus declared in John 14; I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father but by me. I believe that Jesus Christ alone is the only way to salvation. However, it wasn’t until I had the opportunity to review the transcript of the interview that I realize I had not clearly stated that having a personal relationship with Jesus is the only way to heaven. It’s about the individual’s choice to follow Him.

God has given me a platform to present the Gospel to a very diverse audience. In my desire not to alienate the people that Jesus came to save, I did not clearly communicate the convictions that I hold so precious.

I will use this as a learning experience and believe that God will ultimately use it for my good and His glory. I am comforted by the fact that He sees my heart and knows my intentions. I am so thankful that I have friends, like you, who are willing to share their concerns with me.

Thank you again to those who have written. I hope that you accept my deepest apology and see it in your heart to extend to me grace and forgiveness.

As always, I covet your prayers and I am believing for God’s best in your life,

Joel Osteen
Pastor – Lakewood Church

 

Wikipedia within Leopard??

Check this out…. you can search wikipedia right within mail, dictionary, etc!! Check it out here…

 

Stepping Out…

Have you ever felt as a leader that what you know God wants you to do is beyond what you’re capable of?  Do you ever feel a challenge in your path that you’re not sure you’re “the one to lead through it?”  I’m in a season right now as a leader where I feel God challenging me to go beyond what I think I’m capable of.  I feel like He is calling me to lead like never before, to shed some immature ways, and depend fully on Him.  

I was reading in Exodus 3 this morning and thought I’d share this with you.  The setting is Moses encountering the burning bush.  Moses at this point was no mega-leader.  He was being faithful in simply leading the flock of Jethro, his father-in-law (one of the Beduin Hillbillies: okay, I couldn’t resist!).  I’m not sure Moses had any aspirations of being a great leader- he simply wanted to do well at leading the flock.  Then, he encounters God in a huge way: the burning bush.

God tells Moses that He’s heard the cries of the Hebrew people.  He’s coming to deliver them from the hands of Pharoah.  Then, He drops the bomb. “Come, I will send you to Pharoah that you may bring my people out of Egypt.”  Now, we’ve all heard this story a bazillion times.  But feeling uncertainty and doubt about my abilities at times, what happens next gripped me this morning, and if you’re a leader, I think it should grip you too.

Moses questions God about this HUGE task laid before him. “Who am I that I should go to Pharoah and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?”  As a leader, when the seemingly impossible looms before us, when the task ahead seems to be beyond our abilities, we may feel this same way.  ”Why would they think I could lead that ministry?”  ”How could I ever do this huge thing?”  ”Of all the people that they could have asked, why did they ask me?  Isn’t there someone else more qualified?”  Perhaps you’ve asked those same questions.  Maybe you’re asking them now.

But watch this.  This is the beautiful part of the story.  Look at God’s response: “I will be with you…”  God didn’t try to convince Moses that on his own ability he’d be able to do it.  He didn’t stroke Moses’ ego or do all He could to make Moses feel confident in himself.  God simply said, “I will be with you.”  Why would Moses be able to do it?  Simply because God would be with him.  BOOM!

With the growth our ministry is experiencing, I have to change some things about the way I lead.  I’ve got to push myself harder.  I can’t lead like I led before, I’ve got to lead the way I would 3 years from now.  I’ve also got to stay closer to God.  I’ve got to press towards Him, following His lead.  And when He calls me to step beyond myself, that’s okay.  I get to go with Him.  He will be with me.  If He’s leading you to step out, He’ll be with you.  You don’t need the complete skill set.  You learn that as you go.  You’ll make mistakes.  You’ll make some people angry.  You’ll feel completely out of your league.  You’ll wonder why those God’s placed over you would even believe you could do this out of the thousands of others that could try.  You’re human.  But if you’re being led by the Spirit of God, you’ll fail forward, you’ll go far, He’ll be with you.

How do you need to step out?

 

Quick Survey: Chuck Norris vs. Dwight Schrute

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