BFF’s

“Unfriendly people care only about themselves; they lash out at common sense.”
‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭18:1‬ ‭NLT‬‬
http://bible.com/116/pro.18.1.nlt

I read a startling revelation tonight. In 1984 the average adult had four close friends. In 2014 that average dropped to zero! Most adults can not name one close friend. They say in that same article you are the average of the five people you hang out with the most. My number one FRIEND is my lovely wife. If I can become the person she is, I will be a great man. I have some really great friends in my CMA family. A few of my coworkers could be counted as close friends. Beyond a very small group of close friends, my list is full of people I love but I am not sure I could claim them as close friends. Even with my close friends, our relationship is different. ALL of us have such busy schedules. My friends work hard in ministry. We work hard at our jobs and we love to spend time with our families. We don't have to spend every waking moment with our close friends to remain close. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that my close friends will be there for me if I need them and I would give anything to help them. THAT IS TRUE FRIENDSHIP.

My life has been filled with a multitude of close friends. The Lord has truly blessed me with great partners in ministry and a few great coworkers that I love dearly. My friends are great witnesses to the love JESUS has for me. I believe they were sent to me by the Lord and I Praise God for these blessings. Life is better when it is shared with others!

Help! I've fallen and I can't get up!

“The godly may trip seven times, but they will get up again. But one disaster is enough to overthrow the wicked.”
‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭24:16‬ ‭NLT‬‬
http://bible.com/116/pro.24.16.nlt

Do you remember the commercial of the elderly woman who had fallen and needed help! The company touted an emergency call system to notify authorities of the need for help. I am not necessarily a clumsy person. But a few days ago I got up from breakfast and my foot was asleep, I stumbled and nearly hit the ground. So, I kind-of shook off my "sleepy" leg and tried it again; the exact same thing happened. I repeated this process several times until finally I could walk to the bedroom to finish getting ready for school. My wife was oblivious to my toil. I probably could have used one of those emergency calling devices! Even though no one saw me, if it could have been captured on video it would have been a hit on Youtube. 

My life is full of personal failures. I have made more mistakes than I can publicly recount. I really think God let's me fail just to see if I will get up again. He wants me to become a stronger person and knows the BEST way to strengthen my character and my faith is to let me fail. It takes effort, it takes strength, it takes determination to overcome our failures. Those traits are exactly what God is working for in a member of his ARMY. As I have grown older, I grow stronger. Calamity doesn't have a grip on me. Trials and barriers thrown up by my enemies just strengthen my resolve to serve the Lord. 

Thank You Lord for your love. Thank you for the joy of getting up to fight another day. I wouldn't change anything in my life except to serve you more. Lead me today in a path that brings glory to your kingdom. Amen!

Is it full?

15So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. 16Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days.
Ephesians 5:15-16 NLT

Is your life FULL? Most people would say our lives are busy with no room to breathe. What is the most important thing in your life?  I have never heard anyone mess this up. The pat answer is God, Family, Friends,.... But I heard an interesting comment. What is your favorite "action"? What is your favorite thing to do? What is the one thing that you fill your schedule with? If you were to keep a journal of all your activities for one week what would fill it. 

Let's just say you fill your day with 8 hours at work and sleep for 8 hours, what do you fill the rest of your time with? There is not much time left over for God, Family, and Friends. Out of 168 hours in a week 112 of it will be spent on OTHER things besides those top three. That leaves 56 hours! Now what is the most important thing in your life.

Where does God fit in to your schedule. How can we make the time with our Creator more valuable than ALL the other time we spend on "unimportant" activities. We need to focus our hearts on the Lord. If we do not make the most of every opportunity to serve the Lord, if we waste our time on frivolous activities, these verses state we are like fools. This world is an evil place. We will be consumed by the evil if we do not get our priorities straight. Simplify your life. Be intentional in planning the activities that fill your days.

What am I going to do today

26But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, 27and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave.28For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Matthew 20: 26-28

How am I going to be a SERVANT-LEADER today?  

I have stepped back from a leadership role at school. I believe God has directed this through a challenging chain of events over the past year. I struggled with it early and I have to admit I still struggle with it. But, today I can say I have learned a lot. 

Just because you don't have a title or a defined role of LEADER, we are all called to leadership. Jesus gave us that definition. He led a life of TRUE LEADERSHIP and he did it unconventionally, he served. So, I have been a background leader over the past year. All I want to do is help people. I want to serve my wife and family. I want to serve my students. I want to serve my back-patch wearing biker friends and I want to serve my community. 

So, what type of leader are you going to be?  How are you going to serve others today? We are called to serve FIRST?

Dear Lord, Help me grow a heart for real servant-leadership. Fill me with your spirit. Help me to recognize those that need me and then take action to serve them. You are an amazing God. You have served those that just don't deserve it, me included. I praise you for your patience with me. I praise you for this wonderful path you have set before me. I love you Lord. AMEN!

ONE NATION UNDER GOD

“You are so proud of yourselves, but you should be mourning in sorrow and shame.....”
‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭5:2‬ ‭NLT‬‬
http://bible.com/116/1co.5.2.nlt

I am so ashamed of our political system and where it is heading. We do not know the truth anymore and the more vile and detestable we can portray out opposition the better we feel. Both sides want nothing more than to pillage and destroy each other. The lines between faith and politics is so distorted. I hear republicans say you can’t support democrats if you are a person of faith. I hear others say you can’t support Trump or you will go to hell. It’s all disgusting. I am in real mourning over our entire government. If our government is By the PEOPLE and for the PEOPLE, then we are really in trouble. Many times I am ashamed to be an American because of our politicians and the lack of passion by our people. We are no longer ONE NATION UNDER GOD.

We don’t handle conflict and disagreement with any kind of dignity. Our differences are means for hate. We revel in the failures of our enemies. I am talking about ALL CHRISTIANS and their facebook posts that trash "the other side". I have never heard more vile words than those spoken against this President. I have never heard such widespread HATE for a single individual. The response of our President is just as appalling. We are in trouble. We have lost our way. Please Lord help us make a difference in our country. We need you to unite us. We need you to bring judgment on the haters. We need you to build up the righteous. We need you, Lord, to give us a path out of this mess. Restore our nation to your laws. Restore our hearts and help us focus on your ways. If we just had as much passion for YOU as we do for the political parties and political platforms of this nation, our country would truly be GREAT AGAIN.

Words!

A bit in the mouth of a horse controls the whole horse. A small rudder on a huge ship in the hands of a skilled captain sets a course in the face of the strongest winds. A word out of your mouth may seem of no account, but it can accomplish nearly anything—or destroy it! It only takes a spark, remember, to set off a forest fire. A careless or wrongly placed word out of your mouth can do that. By our speech we can ruin the world, turn harmony to chaos, throw mud on a reputation, send the whole world up in smoke and go up in smoke with it, smoke right from the pit of hell.”
‭‭James‬ ‭3:3-5‬ ‭MSG‬‬
http://bible.com/97/jas.3.3-5.msg

I always thought the popular kids rhyme, “Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words will never harm me!” was just completely wrong. I have seen more damage to families, friends, or coworkers by mere words. Words can stir up much controversy and inject turmoil everywhere. It is not just the spoken word. Right now the written word, social media, is the go to source for tearing down people. We need to control our tongue, but we also need to control the pen.

Our reputation comes as much from the words of our mouth as the actions we perform. Our words need to match our actions. Our voices on social media must also match the words of our mouth. I just wish our politicians and our news media would realize this. The chaos of this world can be directly attributed to the lack of a controlled tongue. We have to stop the hateful words. We have to stop the chaos on social media. We have to spend more time sharing words of kindness and love. Our tongue is our witness to the power of the cross and if we don't show love to others, even our enemies, how can we expect them to turn to our savior. 

Dear Lord, Help me control my tongue. Help the words I speak and write match your love, grace and mercy. I praise you for YOUR love. I know I don't deserve it and yet, you continue to bless me beyond all I can imagine. Thank You Lord. Be with me this day as I share those blessings with the people I see. Amen!

Tough job!

“Dear brothers and sisters, not many of you should become teachers in the church, for we who teach will be judged more strictly.”
‭‭James‬ ‭3:1‬ ‭NLT‬‬
http://bible.com/116/jas.3.1.nlt


I’m a teacher. It is not an easy life. The pressures of preparing young people for life can grind on you. It’s not the kids that bother me, ever. It’s the political “crap”, it’s the endless hoops I have to jump through, and yes, sometimes my colleagues make my job so difficult. But I keep fighting for my kids. Despite politics and interference from non teaching professionals, I fight to prepare my students for life. I don’t teach math, I teach students. 

I honor the profession of Teacher. I am humbled by the young people that still decide to join this lifetime commitment even with the low “wordly” rewards. Sometimes it’s hard to continue with only the eternal rewards of any real value, then I show up at school and start interacting with my kids. It’s that reward that makes it worth it and it’s knowing the importance that keeps me going. We need teachers. We need people dedicated, in love, to developing our future. 

Dear Lord, thank you for making me a teacher. I know how important it is. I can’t do this without your grace, mercy, and power. I praise you for your love and pledge to serve you through eternity. May your spirit fill me and those that teach. Help us to stay focused on what is real and to overcome the barriers placed before us. Amen!

Fan the fire in me!

“I remember your genuine faith, for you share the faith that first filled your grandmother Lois and your mother, Eunice. And I know that same faith continues strong in you. This is why I remind you to fan into flames the spiritual gift God gave you when I laid my hands on you. For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.”
‭‭2 Timothy‬ ‭1:5-7‬ ‭NLT‬‬
http://bible.com/116/2ti.1.5-7.nlt

God gives us gifts, all of us. Our lives should be spent using those gifts in service to the kingdom and to the lost. The more I connect with the Lord the more I am aware of those gifts. The more I pursue his kingdom the more I realize he has amazing plans for me and will direct my life to fulfill his plans. It’s funny. He doesn’t need me. He wants me.

We need to take our gifts and dedicate them to the Lord. If we are not on fire for the Lord, we are not doing the work God has directed us. God does not expect us to sit quietly on the sidelines of this world. We are not to sit idly by while sin runs rampant. We are not to cower from evil. We are to fan our spiritual gifts into a flame that will stand up to any challenge. We are to use the power of the Lord to spread our faith to our families, friends, and communities. 

Dear Lord, fan the flickering, fading flames of my faith into a roaring fire. Fill me with your fire, help me to see opportunities to share my faith and to act on those opportunities. I need the power and strength of your spirit. Forgive me Lord when I do not listen to your guidance. Forgive me when I let the world keep me from serving your kingdom. I truly love you. I praise you for your love! Amen!

Why are we here?

“For everyone here, including the whole palace guard, knows that I am in chains because of Christ. And because of my imprisonment, most of the believers here have gained confidence and boldly speak God’s message without fear.”
‭‭Philippians‬ ‭1:13-14‬ ‭NLT‬‬
http://bible.com/116/php.1.13-14.nlt

I’m sure many of you have read Purpose Driven Life or one of its authors many books. I loved the simple message that we all have a purpose. Even in prison Paul had purpose, he focused on spreading the gospel. It is so easy for me to get disillusioned without a clear purpose, goals for my life. I think this is a bigger problem than we want to admit or even recognize. I hear my students wonder if there is more to this life than the drudgery of our daily routines, going to work, school, or marching in-line with society. The WORLD tries to make this about “things”, it tries to make life about gaining power, competition, winning and climbing that perverbial ladder. To put it simply, life is about the Lord, it’s about bringing more people to know his saving grace, and it’s about serving those that need us most.

Unequivocally YES there is more than the routines of our daily lives. God is the answer to our eternal need for purpose. He is the answer. He gives us our purpose.

Why are we here??

Turn to God and see your purpose explode throughout your life.

It’s up to you

“By God’s grace and mighty power, I have been given the privilege of serving him by spreading this Good News.”
‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭3:7‬ ‭NLT‬‬
http://bible.com/116/eph.3.7.nlt

Well, Christmas break is officially over and I’m wupped. Steph and I spent the last 18 days cleaning, deep cleaning, a house that has been filled with 4 adults, 4 kids, and two dogs for the last 18 months. We have gone room by room , wall by wall, floor by floor and cleaned, organized and removed stuff. We made great headway but still have more to do to get our house up for sale by March 1st. God is blessing us and it has been an honor to serve him by providing a place for my daughter and her family to live. But, we are starting to shift our thoughts. We are listening to God and the plans he has for us now and in the future. All we want to do is follow his will.

I love my Lord. He gives us the tools to do his work. He leads us, if we will act. He directs us, if we will listen. He will not force us to act. He will not force us to listen. It’s completely up to us. You know what? Maybe we should follow his lead. Maybe in our ministry we should concentrate on serving, setting examples, preaching his word, giving guidance out of love and then letting people make their own decisions. We are not directed to change people. We are charged with loving and serving others. It’s up to us to make sure we are focused on those two things. Then we let God do the rest.