I told you so!

Okay, all you doubters. I did used to have red wavy hair.

Last night of my LIFE Group

Tonight is the last night of the "Secrets of the Vine" LIFE Group. It has been a real pleasure to share this one. We have had some great discussion even on the nights when some of the material was kinda tough. I appreciate everyone who attended and contributed to the discussions or offered feedback both during and after the classes. The give and take of good conversation always stretches the mind. As Oliver Wendell Holmes said, and I paraphrase, "Now and then a man's mind stretched by a new idea and it never returns to its original proportions." I learn every time I teach. I'm looking forward to the next opportunity, wherever it arises.

Back in town

I flew in from California last night, and boy, are my arms tired! (rimshot) I had a really great time with all my family. Tyler did great on the airplanes. Carole and I went to Disneyland with Rob and Taylor, Sea World with Mark, Elizabeth and Tyler, and went whale watching with all of them. (No, we didn't see any whales, but we did see a lot of dolphins.) Tyler put his feet in the ocean for the first time. (see picture) Got to eat fresh seafood with everyone at Fisherman's Restaurant in San Clemente. We sat on the porch outside while the waves crashed on the shore below us. Watched the sun go down over the ocean. With my kids. I'm really proud of my kids and their families. I like hanging out with them, and if they don't like hanging out with me they do a good job of disguising it.

Goin' to Californee!

I won't be posting for a few days. I am going to California with Carole, Rob & Taylor, Elizabeth, Mark & Tyler to visit Carole's family out there. I probably won't think about you at all while I'm gone. No sense telling you anything else; you wouldn't believe me anyway. I've got a lot of ideas for new posts, and I'll begin when I get back. See yaaaa!

Spiritual Workout Disciplines

A proper gym workout regimen includes cardio, upper body, lower body, core and back routines. It is counterproductive to spend all of the workout time on only one area of the body, because true useful strength comes from the development of every part of the body.
It is the same idea in spiritual disciplines. We have to develop every area of our spiritual person. We must spend time reading the Bible, spend time in prayer, time in worship, be faithful in financial stewardship, and time in fellowship. The long-term continued faithfulness to these spiritual disciplines will make us sharper, stronger, and more effective for the Kingdom.
We have to continue them even though in the short-term we may not see any benefit. The benefit will come, but only through discipline.

Workout Discipline

Continuing to go to workouts requires discipline. Workouts are not recreation for me because they are painful and uncomfortable. I do them because I recognize the long-term benefit of short-term discomfort. That recognition is called discipline.
In my spiritual life I find two types of discipline. Today I will talk about the type we recognize as parents. At times we have to inflict emotional or physical pain on our children because we want to correct incorrect behavior with the purpose of helping to bring them to maturity. Out Heavenly Father will bring challenges into our path that cause us to actually trust Him, or to exercise our spiritual "muscles". It is during these dark times that we find out how big God is. Our experience in him goes from theoretical to actual. And when we realize that God is faithful even when we are not getting the outcomes we want, we begin to develop in ways that will not happen when we are unchallenged. We will develop endurance, patience, and tremendous faith.

The only way that we do not increase in our relationship with our loving Heavenly Father during these time is if we recoil from the pain and withdraw from our relationship with Him. But if we will draw closer to Him, we will find that we are stronger and more useful to the Kingdom than we ever thought possible. Hebrews 12:11 tells us "No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it." Remember that the discipline of God is administered by a God who loves us and is not mad at us. He does not allow anything to happen to us without purpose and He will not put any more on us than we can handle.

Tomorrow I will talk about self-imposed discipline.

I Hate Working Out

I went to the gym and worked out this morning. I try to do that at least twice a week. I have to make myself go and I really don't enjoy the working out experience. When I leave the gym I'm sweaty and out of breath. I'll probably be sore the next day. I often compare my physique to the young guys there and find that I am severely lacking in the "WOW!" factor. I will never sport a "6 pack". Usually I am starving when I leave the gym, and it's still 3 hours until lunch. Right after the workout, I don't see anything positive about working out. Why do I continue to do something that makes me dirty, hungry and sore? Because I have seen the long-term result of regular visits to the gym.

When I'm working out regularly, I have increased focus and energy. I can stay on task longer and get more accomplished. I have increased stamina and I can work harder and longer. I can hit the golf ball farther. My blood pressure and resting heart rate are lower. The long-term benefits of working out outweigh the short-term pain and inconvenience of the workout.

You know where I'm going with all this by now. I'll finish up tomorrow.

It's Hard to Talk About

The vast majority of christians have never led another person to Christ. We have made it seem so difficult theologically that the average christian believes that he or she will never know everything needed to lead someone to salvation. Many believers are turned off by the "sales pitch" methods that have been taught. In these, the christian leads the "mark" down a road of simple questions designed to elicit affirmative answers before "closing the deal" with logical or emotional appeals that the person being "sold" cannot possibly overcome. That approach puts the person doing the witnessing in the role of a salesman and can become a situation where more pressure is exerted by the "soulwinner" than by the Holy Spirit.

It is so incredibly important that each individual believer feels comfortable sharing his faith with those who are not yet believers. But sharing faith should be as natural as sharing the passion that we have for "Scrubs" or the Yankees. I have had to ask myself some hard questions about my lack of faith sharing. Why is it so hard to talk about my faith in God and so easy to talk about golf? Do I really believe what I teach? If so, why don't I share that knowledge with others?

Ask yourself these same questions, and let's talk more about this, later.

Grandson Update

I know you must be frustrated that I haven't posted any pictures of my grandson, Tyler, since right after his birth. Well, he's three months old now and having a great time most of the time. The red hair is in part my fault. I know I am a gray haired old guy now, but in my prime I had thick and wavy red hair.

The Easy Life

Our basic desire is to live the life that comes to us naturally. It is difficult to go against our nature. The Bible stands at the pivot point of our life. The farther away we get from the Bible, the easier it is to live a Godless existence. However, the opposite is also true. The closer we get to the Bible; reading it, meditating on it, and allowing it to speak to us, the easier it is to forsake godlessness and to live a Christ-centered life.
It is impossible to be a student of the Bible and live a self-centered life. It is equally impossible to remain close to God without a substantial investment of time in God's word. Just going to church won't do it. Watching christian television won't do it. If you desire to make living for God easy, spend time in God's word and allow it to recreate your nature. But watch out, your definition of easy might change!

24/7 Ministry

Rick Ryan, my friend from Convoy of Hope spoke to us last Sunday. He related a story about a time when he was on an exasperating errand for his wife, when suddenly he was presented with an opportunity to minister to a young man. Without warning, Rick was given an opportunity to speak Christ into someone's life.
When we see ourselves as on mission, we realize that we do not "clock in" to our mission. Our ministry is 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, every day of the year. We don't pick it up when we enter the church, and we don't leave it in the car when we go on the golf course. We live it out and we have to be ready at any time.
When we are in 24/7 ministry, we are more concerned about the needs of others than we are our own comfort or preference. It is exciting, because it is dangerous. Eternities are in the balance. We can make a difference. 24/7.

Props to Chris!

Our own Chris Griffin received his certificate of ministry today. I know that he worked hard to earn it, and he is to be respected for his accomplishment. Go Chris! Continue to be awesome!

The Masters

If any of you ever want to do something nice for me, make it possible for me to attend the Masters golf tournament. It is my favorite. I love everything about it; the course, the history, the setting, the traditions, the green jackets, everything. I can't get enough of it. Sunday afternoon watching the players in the final group navigating amen corner. Awesome. I think it would only cost a few thousand dollars to send me, and I would promise to bring you back a souvenir, so, why don't you think about it?

Surgery vs. First Aid

There is no way that I will ever perform surgery for two reasons- I never wanted to, so I never trained to do it. But that doesn't mean that the entire medical profession is closed to me. I can do first aid. I can bandage a cut finger or a skinned knee. I have received training to do the Heimlich manuver and to do CPR, and I am ready even though I have not been called to do either at this point. Even though first aid is simple, that does not mean that it is unimportant. On the contrary, being able to clean and bandage a simple wound can forestall a greater medical situation later. By my first aid, an infection is stopped, and a medical emergency is headed off. I am not a medical professional, but I am a healer at my level, and I am effective at it.



In the church world, we sometimes have the idea that since we can't answer every theological objection that might be posed to us that we should not even participate in the discussion. But you don't have to know all the answers, if you know the Answer. You can give spiritual first aid. Just tell your story. People can argue your theology, but they can't argue your testimony. The ministry you do is just as valid as that of a ministry "professional". We receive our training from the pastors, because their responsibility as described in Ephesians 4:12 is to prepare us for acts of service, not to do all of the service. We can do the service we are prepared to do and be effective. Of course, we should always have the desire to increase our abilities, but go with what you already have. It's more than you think.

Mission

Pastor Darren's message Sunday really stirred my spirit and I could tell that it resonated with many who heard it. Somewhere over time many churches have determined that mission is a department that is nice to have if funds are available. It is inspiring to hear from missionaries who have gone to a foreign land to bring the gospel, and we are happy to give them an offering and thank God that He didn't call us to be missionaries.
In actuality, God has already called every believer to mission. I recently heard Earl Creps say that mission cannot be separated from church any more than heat can be separated from fire. If we are not focusing on evangelism in equal proportion to discipleship and worship, we are not being the Church the Bible describes.
We will see in the coming months and years that as we begin to reach out and trust God to enlarge our vision, He will also increase our provision to accomplish it. God is not a god of "unfunded mandates". Matt. 6:33 tells us to "Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." (italics added) Jesus is not telling us to budget our surplus to reach the world. He is telling us to do that first, and He will supply what we need to do the rest.
This biblical principle runs throughout the old and new testaments. Trust God, see God move. Sow bountifully, reap bountifully. Sow in weakness, reap in power.
Thanks, Pastor Darren, for opening our hearts to this great message.
If you didn't get to hear it, go to the website at lakesideassembly.org and listen to the podcast of the message.

Change

It is certainly no surprise to anyone to read that change can be difficult. Everything changes; nothing stays as it is. A favorite pair of jeans finally falls apart and must be replaced. A song which was once our favorite now sounds really dumb to us. Friends move away and are replaced by other friends. Our neighborhoods move slowly from new homes filled with young families to decaying houses filled with people who are strange or even scary to us. Our churches don't look or sound the way they used to. Our human response is to resist or even to fight change because we long to have something permanent to hold on to. Times of transition can feel like times of chaos, because so many things seem foreign and frightening, and we long to withdraw into something that is familiar and comfortable.

It is in these times that the strength of our trust in the Lord is revealed. Proverbs 3:5 tells us to "trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding." He is the one who doesn't change. Our relationship with Christ will only grow stronger and more precious as we put our trust in Him and not in our circumstance or position. When it seems that everything around us is going away, remember that Christ is always right there.

National Championship Thoughts

The final four has been surprising in that neither of the games were nail-biters. So now we are faced with an incredible match-up and I don't have any idea how the game will turn out. If Kansas wins, the Big 12 will have its first national champ, and I will be tied for first in the final four game we are playing here in the office. The tie breaker is the total combined points scored in tonight's game. If Memphis wins, Vada wins our final four game, and my son-in-law and his family are very happy, because they are from Memphis.

I don't have a clue who will win. Do you?

Come to Arizona and Hang Out!

Guys! Don't forget about the upcoming building expedition to the Apache Indian reservation in Bilas, Arizona. We are assembling a great group of guys, and you will have more fun than you deserve. Keep June 21-27 open. There is a sign-up sheet on the missions bulletin board. The cost is only $350 which includes all transportation, meals and lodging. All you have to do is show up and work your tails off. We will only work half days; what we can't get done in 12 hours will wait until the next day. Let me know if you're interested. It'll be great!

My Crazy Week

Wow, sorry I have taken so long to post. This has been a crazy week with no end in sight. Monday our computer network was down because of the Sunday night storm. It wasn't up and running again until Tuesday afternoon. Turns out it was the DSL modem. Monday and Tuesday night I stayed here late and watched Jason Engelke as he worked to tile the men's bathroom. He's doing a great job. Tomorrow (Thursday) I am meeting a guy in NE Oklahoma and taking him to our two Teen Challenge centers in Disney and Jay. Friday night the guys who are participating in District Fine Arts are spending the night at my house. Saturday morning I rise early to go back to Disney for a Teen Challenge Board meeting. Occasionally, weeks come together like this, and I always survive. I imagine I'll survive this one.

See ya later!