My Prayer for You... the Church.

"For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge - that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to this power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen."

I read this prayer written by Paul to Ephesian believers to our church this weekend. It is powerful and uplifting. It reminds us that our strength does not come from ourselves, but is given to all of us from God, Himself. Then we can watch God work beyond our imagination to do the impossible. I am so grateful we serve an amazing God. May I never take for granted the full capacity in which God wants to work through me and His church.

House for Sale... in Marengo!

For those of you that haven't heard, we have a house that has been on the market for most of the year. When God brought my family back to Washington, Indiana we had to leave a great house that we loved. This house is practically our dream home and having to leave it is frustrating due to the fact that we are unable to purchase a home in Washington until this one sells.

I'm ashamed to admit this, but my faith has lacked over the past several months because I felt that God wasn't answering my prayers. He is suppose to be leading someone to fall in love with our home and give me a purchase agreement! Why wouldn't they? It's the perfect place to live and it would be bring so much joy for them... and me.

Today, I was reading in the my Bible and a couple of verses literally leaped off the page at me. Acts 17:26, 27 says, "From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us."

Wow! How easily I forget that God has a plan and it's perfect and specific. I worry and fret for no reason. He has me in the exact place at the exact time in order for me to seek, reach out and find him. So... my house is still for sale. Why? I have no idea, but I know that God is aware and I trust his timing. I'm just thankful that he reminds me through the Word that he is in control.

Above All Else...

I recently ran across a clip from Nancy Beach of the Willow Creek Association. She was talking specific to leaders, but her wisdom speaks to all of us.

Proverbs 2:23 - "Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life."

It is a relatively short verse, but it is packed with a wealth of wisdom. These words have been walking with me for the past few weeks and I am so thankful. Of all the relationships we value in life, our relationship with God is by far the most significant. It is so easy for us to allow the busyness of our everyday lives to pack our hearts and our minds tight with worldly junk.

I loved what Nancy Beach brought out in this verse. Do the people in your family and those that you work closely with see more of Jesus in you or do they see less of Him? The closer an individual gets to you are they recognizing more of the qualities of Jesus or do they see less qualities of Him than when they didn't know you as well? That is a powerful question.

It's really easy to put up a facade when we keep people at a distance. When people spend time with you they learn the true condition of your heart. Do people see Jesus in us... or not? When we wrestle with questions like this the Holy Spirit is able to bring those qualities in our lives that do not reflect the character of Jesus to our attention. That's when we are faced with the choice to die to those human desires and embrace the Word that transforms us, or ignore the obvious character flaw and carry on as usual.

Over the past few weeks, I have grown to a new level of appreciation and devotion for my Bible. It seems to be giving me the very things I need right now in my life. (...as if I didn't know that it would all along!?!?!) The Word has been powerful and direct. It has revealed qualities in my personal character that need to change. I've been faced with the choice to submit or ignore those revelations. It sounds like a simple decision, but it's not always easy. I fight the struggle with what I know is the right thing to do and what I do without thinking. The foolishness of my first response continues to get me in trouble. That's why I like the first three words of that verse... "Above all else".

There is nothing more important than my ruthless pursuit to guard my heart and my mind. It's a dangerous world we live in and I can't chance any opportunity to let my guard down. The hope I have is that I know I have God in me (His Holy Spirit) that empowers me to choose the right thing. It's a strength above myself. Wow! What a true blessing IT is!

Loving Life

I was reading a blog of another pastor tonight, and I ran across a quote that jumped out at me.  Rob Bell was teaching at a conference in Atlanta this past week and said, "When you obey God you won't want anybody else's life."  

Bell was speaking on the Ten Commandments and the final commandment is not to covet. If you choose to follow the God's commands, you will discover that you will not desire anybody else's life.  You will want to be the person God created you to be.  What a profound understanding.  It's simple. Yet it speaks volumes when you consider how often we don't fully appreciate the life God has chosen for us.  

Over the past few weeks I have experienced many situations that would have been easy to throw up my hands and give up. I have questioned and wrestled with God's purpose for my life and wondered if I was fighting a loosing battle. If I was completely honest with myself, I would have to admit that I felt this way on more than one occasion. The discouragement and fatigue makes it tempting to look around and wish your life could be like someone else.  

A few weeks ago I met with Ron and asked him to keep asking me about my daily reading and spending time alone in God's Word. For several days I'd spent many hours preparing for sermons but little time reading and meditating on Scripture for my personal growth and development. I sensed a deep conviction that I needed to be more disciplined... and I was right. So I stepped up to the plate and made some changes in the days to follow. 

Over the following weeks I was bombarded to the point that without God's Word speaking to me on a daily basis I might not have survived. Each day I would receive exactly what I needed to face criticism, discouragement and stress. The people closest to me offered comfort and support, but it was the Word that gave strength and confidence in my time of greatest need.  

Reading Bell's quote tonight reminds me that even when my life is most difficult. Submitting to His commands and reminding myself that God is in control of all things has given me peace that goes beyond my ability to understand.  That peace in the craziness of my life makes me know that I love what God created me to be and do.  I wouldn't want to trade what I have for anything.  

I have a beautiful wife and a wonderful son.  I am so glad that God created me to be a pastor even though it's something I never dreamed about doing as a career. The church I serve is far from perfect, but I know I wouldn't want to be at any other place on the planet.  So... life is simply a gift when I look at it though God's design. No other life would give me the joy that I have right now.  It's still tough, but that's what motivates me to submit and obey. 

Ancient Franciscan Prayer

"May God bless you with discomfort at easy answers, hard hearts, half-truths, and superficial relationships, so that you may live from deep within your heart where God's Spirit dwells. 

May God bless you with tears to shed for those who suffer from pain, rejection, starvation, and war, so that you my reach out your hand to comfort them and turn their pain into joy. 

And may God bless you with enough foolishness to believe you can make a difference in this world and in your neighborhood, so that you will courageously try what you don't think you can do, but in Jesus Christ you'll have the strength necessary to do. 

May God bless you so that you remember we are all called to continue God's redemptive work of love and healing in God's place, in and through God's name, in God's Spirit, continually creating and breathing new life and grace into everything and everyone we touch."

God help me to live my life this way with every heartbeat. 

Being Fully Present

I spent last weekend with an amazing group of people. We worshipped together, studied God's Word together, shared life's experiences with each other, and had a wonderful time growing in our awareness of God's love for us.  To watch people come to a deeper knowledge of God's love and grace is always thrilling.  Weekends like these change lives and I am so thankful to be a part of them. 

Even though my weekend was terrific, I still feel like I missed something important. My wife and my son were not able to be with me for those three days and I missed them terribly. I struggle when I can't see them for long periods of time. It feels like a piece of me is missing. Even though I am enjoying myself, a large part of me can not fully appreciate everything because I'm not sharing it with those I love most. 

It is times like these that I am reminded to be fully present with my family.  Time goes by so quickly and before we even realize it years have past us by without our knowledge. We can't afford to ignore the time we have with our families. One day we are holding our child in our arms and the next they starting a family of their own. Being fully present means we make the most of every opportunity with the people we love. 

Our son Noah is seven years old. It seems like yesterday he was sitting on my lap and smiling with his little toothless grin. I already miss those days with him. I can not turn back time, but I can make the most of my time with him today.  My challenge is to live every day with the mindset to be fully present in all situations. I know a day is coming when I will watch Noah start a family of his own. I don't want to look back on that day and have regrets. I bet I will wish I had more time playing catch in the back yard and building spaceships with Legos. I think every parent that loves their kids wants more time, but not every parent has to have regrets. Knowing I was fully present every day with my wife and my son is the best gift I can give them and myself. 

So... I'm off to build the next space ship that will kill Darth Vader. Twenty years from now I bet I won't remember one thing I accomplished at the office, but I bet a young man will remember the day his dad came home early to build the best Lego space ship the universe has every seen. 

The Trap of Isolation

When I was growing up there were always people around our house. We didn't have a huge family compared to others that lived in our neighborhood, but there was always a lot of activity in our home. It was normal for people to be coming and going most of the time. My mom loved for our home to be filled with people - especially family. Holidays and birthdays were always a big deal and when everyone she loved was sitting down for a huge meal, she was elated. 

I am the youngest of four boys. My brothers are all three years apart in age, but I came along ten and a half years later. It is safe to say that I was not a planned addition to the family by my parents. They had pretty much decided that three boys were enough to handle. With the youngest turning eleven years old in a few months, giving birth to another boy was overwhelming to say the least. 

When I stop and think about it, I didn't really mind the fact that I was so much younger than my brothers. It often worked in my favor when it came to getting my way. I seemed to always find a way to use the fact that I was the youngest to work toward my advantage. All I had to do was whine (I can't believe I am confessing this) that I wasn't being included and I would receive special attention from just about everyone. Boy, it sounds like I was a brat! If you talk to my brothers I'm sure they would agree. For the record, it didn't always work. It backfired at times, but it did allow me to manipulate things in such a way that I often would get what I wanted. (I guess I was a brat!) I enjoyed my family very much, but I also enjoyed finding time to be by myself. 

After I made the decision to go to college, I packed my belongings and moved from my small town in southern Indiana to Cincinnati, Ohio. Up until that time in my life this was the single most exciting event I had ever experienced. For the first time I wasn't around the familiar relationships of my family and friends. I was able to be my own person and experience a new life. Only a couple of individuals from my hometown attended the same college. Even though we were friends, those relationships were not deeply connected to me. By moving to Cincinnati, the time had finally arrived where I was able to become another person. I had broken out of the familiar. I was seizing a new beginning. The possibilities were endless. I wanted to try new things and discover if I could transform into a new identity.  

I was on my own and I liked it... a lot! 

Looking back, that moment was a turning point for me. I finally got what I longed to experience. I isolated myself and kept everyone at a safe distance. Sure I had lots of friends, but no one was close enough to know me deeply. Isolation became a well protected part of my life. Like many college students I did things (really stupid things) that I am not proud of today.  I regret those choices. If I had the opportunity to go back and do things differently, would I?  Maybe... but maybe not. 

My point in all of this is not to focus on the poor decisions I made in my life, but to expose the trap of isolation. Isolation keeps us weak and unguarded. It keeps everyone at a distance. When we don't allow anyone to know us deeply we can easily misjudge our perceptions.  Wise people gain confidence in individuals they can trust that speak truth into their lives. Having those relationships can eliminate confusion and misunderstandings. When we isolate ourselves we can fall for anything, and we are unable to escape deeply painful situations because of sheer weakness. The saying that there is strength in numbers is absolutely true. Single out anything and it wont be long until a predator will devour its prey. 

That is why having others that know you inside and out is vital to your survival. There is no one that is able to live this life without having trustworthy support for a successful journey. Ideally a personal relationship with God and at least one other person will place the accountability and boundaries in your life that will open the doors to all the joy each of us were meant to experience. 

Jesus is the only person that ever lived that was without sin. He was able to overcome every challenge He faced, but He didn't do it alone. He had an intimate relationship with the Father, and He had a deep knowledge of the Scriptures. He often would retreat to a place of solitude to pray and mediate but even then He wasn't alone.  He had the presence of Holy Spirit and the words of Scripture as His companion.  With all of that, Jesus even pulled together a group of men that would travel with Him throughout His ministry that He taught and challenged to embrace a life as faithful servants.  Those men offered companionship to Jesus and to one another. Of those individuals, Jesus even had a closer inner-circle that knew one another even more intensely.  

If Jesus (God in the Flesh) avoided a life of isolation why do so many believe it's fine for them? 

When I was in college, I was naive to believe that I could accomplish all my hopes and dreams by keeping others and God at a distance.  To be completely honest, I guess I was afraid. I was afraid that if I let someone close enough to know me completely they would know that I was wearing a mask. The facade I kept hiding behind would be destroyed and I couldn't bare the rejection. 

Isolation is a trap that is securely locked by the key of rejection. Our fear of being known builds a wall of safety that protects an irrational fear we create.  It takes a conscious decision to break down the wall we have built around ourselves and risk relationships. Relationships are risks. Even though the risks are real, to experience authentic and meaningful relationships are always worth the journey.   

Looking back on my childhood, I miss those times when our home was filled with close friends and family. The very thing I wanted to escape when I ran off to college now is something I wish I could run back to again. I guess that is why being in a relationship with God is like being a part of a large family. We are created to be in a relationship with Him and others. He seems to know what is best for us. I just wish I would have listened earlier in my life instead of learning the truth the hard way.  

OK Ron! Here we go...

This morning I met with Ron (my accountability partner) who has grown over the past few years to become my best friend. We meet for a couple of hours almost every week for the sole purpose of keeping our lives on track. That may sound strange for some people, but it's true. The time we spend together has a very specific purpose. We hold one another accountable to a set of goals that we determined are essential in our lives. 

A long time ago I made up my mind that I needed accountability in my life to grow to be like Jesus in my attitude and in my actions. You would think that a pastor could master that process on his own. Maybe some can, but I didn't want the chance of failing... again. I was tired of messing up on my own. I needed to face the reality that it was OK to ask for help. It's a hard lesson to learn and I had the bruises to prove I needed a new plan. Accountability was the answer. 

Soon after moving to Washington, I began to pray for someone that would be an accountability partner in my life. I prayed for another guy that wanted to grow in the same areas of his life where I wanted to grow. I wanted to be a great husband and a great dad. I desired to be a better teacher an example to others. I wanted to grow in my capacity to love God and others. My goal was to be more like Jesus in every aspect of my life. It's not an easy list, right? 

Over the years I discovered that if something was truly important to me, then inviting accountability in my life would stack the deck in my favor to succeed. Having an accountability partner would give me the edge I needed to meet my goals. My prayer was simple. "God, show me the right person." I wasn't sure how or when He would answer my request, but I knew He wouldn't let me down. I was often frustrated, because He wasn't answering right away. It took some time, but I kept praying and waiting.  

It wasn't long until I met Ron for breakfast one morning. Our first few meetings had nothing to do with accountability. He simply wanted to get together (to eat of course) and ask about the church where I was working. Ron and his family had visited the church for several weeks and they had some questions about what we believed and why we did certain things. We took several opportunities to meet and it wasn't long until I began to see an individual that wanted the same things in life that I wanted.  So... I made the ask. 

Today, Ron is not just an accountability partner.  He is a brother. When we meet we encourage one another in all areas of our lives. We have a lot of fun too. Our families have grown to be dear friends. Our wives have a great relationship. Our kids love to be together (when they are not picking on one another)! Our relationship has grown well beyond simply being accountability partners. But, when it's time to see how we are growing to become like Jesus... it's all business. It's one of the highlights of my week. 

I have to let you in on something... Ron and several others have been challenging me to do something for a long time. The whole idea of accountability has become a deep passion of mine. I think everyone that is serious about their life being meaningful and significant must have a deep level of accountability. Without it, I think you are doomed to fail. Those that are closest to me believe I need to share my thoughts and ideas with others. This is my first "written" attempt to step up to the challenge. It is very scary to put your thoughts out here for the world to read and critique. I guess this is helping me to grow to be more like Jesus.  He never seemed concerned about those that opposed what He knew was truth. I guess I need to grow in that area too.  

OK Ron! Here we go...