Growing Up

Wow, what a week. This was the first week back to teachinng for my wife and she was bit nervous. God provided a wonderful opportunity for her top stay home for a couple of years and spend time with our children. Now, after much prayer and consideration, she is back to teaching 4th graders. I admit, I am in awe of her as a person. She is simply wonderful and she is one of my heroes. She, however, is not going back to school alone. Our 3 year old begins pre-k and he is so excited. His teacher is great and he loves it. I did not realize that seeing go off to school would be so difficult. Yet there he is, spiderman back pack and all, heading out to school. My prayer is that he will become a wholehearted follower of Christ. He is growing up and soon, he’ll be a man. I feel such a responsibility. May God grant to me the patience, wisdom, and boldness to be a dad that points him to Christ. Growing up is part of life and life is moving constantly along. I am reminded that in my own life, that it is imperative for myself to be growing more and more into the image of Christ. In a way, my son and I are growing up together. Wow!!!!

Oh the Theories!

My wife and I had dinner tonight with 3 of her friends and their husbands. Now suffice it to say that it was interesting. The four of us guys were forced to make conversation with all of us knowing very little about each other. One of the guys is nominal at best, another thinks he knows all, one was ultra conservative, and then myself. The topic of using xbox and playstations to reach youth came up and you guessed it…no one agreed. My ultra conservative friend is adamantly opposed and the other 2 felt that as long as youth are accepted and that they belonged, then it must be ok. I really simply listened and wondered: what is the answer? I wish it were easily summed up in one sentence or phrase but unfortunately it is not. We are caught with a generation that believes everyone must feel safe and accepted. To a point I certainly agree. Yet, there is a distinction that must be made. This distinction has less to do with acceptance and more to do with understanding that following Christ is not safe. It is like the beaver says of Aslan in Narnia: “Is he safe? No, but he’s good.” Follwoing Christ demands that we leave all to pursue Him. Even further, unless he calls, we cannot follow. Now, does using the game systems mentioned above help us lead students to Christ? Possibly. More realistically, the truth that matters more is that we build relationships with the students and engage their hearts and lives to give us an opportunity to share the truth of Christ with them.  A word of warning though: it may not be safe but it will be good.

The prodigal within

Is it possible to be overwhelmed to the point to where all of life seems like nothing will ever change. I meet people often times, including the man in the mirror, who have exchanged God’s grand design for some cheap imitation. The promise of such imitation seems so lavish that to pass it up would be both foolish and regretful. Yet, it is when we waste our time and energy onthese things that we see that the most valuable and wonderful truth, truth that truly sets us free, is found in the one whom we abandoned. The identity that we sought in our rebellious endeavor is discovered in the One whom we have rebelled against. A life marked by broken promises and plans, finds its true value in the One who gave us life. We are prodigals at some point in our lives and we must “arise, go, and say to our Father” that we have sinned, yes sinned, against Him and Him alone. In repentence, we confess the greatness of God and the inability of ourselves. In repentence we discover that God freely forgives and accepts us as we are. He lavishes His grace upon us and in Christ we are made the sons of God. Not mere add ons, but made part of God’s family. So, while there is a prodigal within us, there is a God who stands ready to forgive and to make us His very own. Praise the Lord.

The Toughest Generation

I have heard much about the greatest generation. The men and women who served during WW2 certainly deserve all the recognition they can get because offered so much for our freedom. This post, however, is not about them. It is about a generation that now roam the halls of our schools. They are a connected crowd because of their web savvy socila skills. They are, at the same time, a disconnected generation because at any moment they can retreat into the solace of their ipods and disappear from the world around them. There is an air of doubt that floods their outlook of life. They live with an anemic supply of loyalty and bitterness motivates much of what they do. They take their frustrations out in violent video games and online bullying. This generation is tough. As I work with students I see lives ruined by broken promises, disfunctional families, parents who do not lead, and churches that entertain. On one hand, I feel overwhelmed at the enormity of the task. Where do we even begin? Yet, I also am reminded that God sees a generation that needs to find their true identity in Him. The one thing that I truly believe that will change these students is the truth that God changes people. I know this to be true because in the midst of a sea of brokeness and hopelessness, there are those who are being changed into the image of christ. So, the generation of today is tough but praise God, we serve a God who is more than able to change their lives.

The World at My KeyBoard

Have you ever heard the phrase, “The world a my doorstep?” As I sit and write this post, God has been opening some doors that I never thought possible. I really believe that as believers, one of the desires we should have is to reach the world for Christ. What amazes me, is that now to do this, I do not have to leave my home (though certainly God calls us to do so) but I can dialog with people from all parts of the globe through this amazing tool called the internet. I am a member of facebook and I have just joined a group called Christian testimonies. We post our testimony for all the world to see and we bring glory to GOd by sharing what he is doing in our lives. I was in awe recently as I looked at the people who had posted recently. Listen to where they were writing from: Russia, France, Ireland, England, and the U.S.. The world is at our keyboard, let’s take the gospel to them!!

More up to date

Time is valuable. I know, this is nothing new and certainly it will always be true. I wish I had more time to write and publish but unfortuanetly it is not so. Starting on Monday, April 28th, I will beging to write 3 entries per week. These entries will focus on different topics that all relate to spiritual growth and the church. I hope that you will invite people to read these blog posts for I believe that together we can learn so much more of the GOd who made us. Take care friends from wherever you may be and God bless.

An Intro of a Study about Trusting God

I will never forget my first roller coaster ride. It was at Six Flags over Georgia and to be honest, I’m not even certain how old I was. I am certain though that I was at the age when I wanted to be a teen but still wanted to be a kid. My family and I decided to take a few days vacation and we ended up at the theme park. To my delight, they had just opened a new roller coaster called the Georgia Cyclone. Its calling card was its 10 story drop and boy did it live up to its billing. My dad and I braved the long line and off we went. It was over before I knew it, but as we climbed the hill that would take us to the brink of pure excitement, I was scared. Some people had the incredible courage to hold there hands and arms in the air. I thought they were mad. I closed my eyes and swoosh; there was no turning back! Despite the long line, my uneasiness, and the cramped car space, I knew my dad was there with me the whole time. He is the reason I did not bail out after a few minutes in line. I knew I could trust Him and that if he was with me, then everything was going to be alright.

            So it was with our walk with God. Sometimes life is like walking around the theme park. It has an easy pace, lots of different sights and sounds, as well as time to watch other people endure frightening rides. There are times; however, that life is like the Georgia cyclone. It is a test of patience (standing in line in the Georgia Summer), battle of wills (do I really want to be mature or do I want to bail out), and a full throttle ride that has you in its grip and on its timetable. Thankfully for my roller coaster ride, the time was short and I was finished. For life, the time and grip are unknown to us. As people who have been created and redeemed by God, we may not know how long we will be in the good times or how long we will be in bad times but we can be assured that we will at all times be in one or the other.  We often refer to this time as being on the mountain and being the valley. The great truth that we are reminded of is that God is with us no matter where we are in life.

            Trusting God is a foundational truth that we find in scripture. From the cradle of creation we see men like Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, and Joseph being men who fully trusted in the Lord. History is filled with people who lived their lives fully assured that God was more than able to protect them, provide for them, redeem them, deliver them, and more. Trusting God is foundational to the life of the believer. What good is it if we trust God to save us but not trust him to lead the rest of our lives? Nothing! I believe that it is important to lives that demonstrate full trust in God.

Ordinary People…Sort of!

I was thinking recently of who some of my heroes. For me, a hero is someone who not only embodies courage and boldness in a time of uncertainty, which could be all the time really, but someone who also shows themselves to be devoted whole heartedly to God. here are a few people I consider to be my heroes:

1.) My Father

2.) Dr. Adrian Rogers

3.) The Reformers of the Protestant Reformation

4.) John Morris

5.) Jim and Elisabeth Elliot

6.) Dr. Gray Allison

How to Deal

As I work with students, I see students deal with alot. They deal with divorce, death of friends and family, sexual temptation, pleasing people, fitting in, doubt, and tons of more issues. There are times I feel overwhelmed and not sure where to start. If you read this, please pray for the students in your life and become a real person they can trust and turn to. More importantly, show them that trusting in God is the first priority of life and that in Him, we are complete.

Relational Redemption

Hey guys, I wanted to share something with you to start getting our thoughts ready for this wednesday night. At Church we often talk about redemption, that is the actual act of God delivering people from their sinful condition, only in the context of salvation. Certainly, we should be forever grateful for the truth that God, who is perfect and Holy, would take notice of us and redeem us. I am never ceased to be amazed to think that my Creator has redeemed me, his creation. Before time ever started, God chose me to be his child and to redeem me from my sinful rebellion. This is a truth we can never forget. However, an area that we often pass over, assume, or simply do not think enough of is that as people who have been redeemeed, we are in a relationship with each other. We are the body of Christ. God, who is relationship to Himself, created us to be in relationship with each other. As believers, we enjoy the freedom of loving one another, encouraging one another, and holding each other accountable. Yet, what happens when we do something wrong to someone else in this God ordained relationship? I believe, we should experience redemption. Not the redemption that saves us again, but redemtpion in a social context. We model what Christ did for us when we redeem one another through reconciliation. To best illustrate this idea, read the book of Philemon. This is a short book (only 24 verses total) that shows us the truth of relational redemption. You can explore what this means more fully, how it happens in our lives, and some insight as to what may keep us from experiencing relational redemption. Have a great week and may the Lord bless you, keep you, and cause his face to shine on you.