Abba Father

My dad had a total knee replacement recently. He is in a ton of pain and the rehab is going to take several months. However, when all that is over I think he will be pleased with the change.

I am very close with my dad and to see him in pain is difficult. He has enjoyed good health the majority of his 72 years of living. He still plays baseball, swims, and golfs. He is very active for his age.

My dad has always been a good example to me of what God the Father is like. I know so many people who have warped images of God because of their earthly fathers. That is not the case with me. My dad has always showed unconditional love to me. When I was far from living the life God intended for me my dad always kept a close relationship with me.

Obviously, my dad has flaws. But what he does have is a tender heart towards his kids and his 12 grandkids (plus 4 great grand kids). Everyone of us know how much he loves us. The love of God the Father is tender and unconditional and for that I am grateful. My prayer for my dad is that he would continue to know the love of His heavenly Father and thus let that shine through his life.

Jesus called God "Abba". Which simply means daddy. It is a term which oozes with closeness. The New Testament tells us that because of Jesus we can call God "Abba" as well:

Romans 8:15-16 For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father." The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. NIV

My prayer for all of us is simple, that each one of us would know and live in the unconditional perfect love of our heavenly Father.

P.S. I also pray my dad heals quickly, we have a lot of baseball games to go to soon...

What song would you want played at your funeral?

"...Death is the destiny of every man; the living should take this to heart." King Solomon

As a pastor I have officiated numerous funerals. A constant at most funerals is picking the right songs to sing or play the songs that best represent the life of the person who passed away. I have heard everything from Jimmy Buffet, tons of Country, Christian contemporary, and many hymns.
I do not plan on dying anytime soon, but if God has a different plan for me the song I want played at my funeral is "These are the words I would say" by a band called "The Sidewalk Prophets." Here are the lyrics:
Verse 1
Three in the morning, and I’m still awake So I picked up a pen and a page And I started writing just what I’d say If we were face to face I’d tell you just what you mean to me Tell you these simple truths
CHORUS
Be strong in the Lord And never give up hope You’re gonna do great things I already know God’s got His hand on You So don’t live life in fear Forgive and forget But don’t forget why you’re here Take your time and pray These are the words I would say
Verse 2
Last time we spoke you said you were hurting And I felt your pain in my heartI want to tell you that I keep on praying That love will find you where you are
I know cause I’ve already been there So please hear these simple truths
Repeat CHORUS
Say… from one simple life to another I will say… come find peace in the Father
Be strong in the Lord And never give up hope You’re gonna do great things I already know God’s got His hand on You So don’t live life in fear Forgive and forget But don’t forget why you’re here
Take your time and pray And thank God for each day His love will find a way These are the words I would say
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fpKwja0j50&feature=related

Where would we be without CHRISTmas?

Luke 2:11-12 "Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord." NIV Revelation 21:5 "...I am making everything new!..." NIV

It is hard to believe that Christmas is already upon us. Christmas really is a wonderful time of year. The sights the sounds, and the smells are truly amazing. One thing that I love the most about Christmas is that it precedes the New Year. I'm not sure if Jesus was really born on December 25th or not and truthfully I don't really care to the accuracy of His birthday, I am just glad He was born. I am glad that God chose to become one of us so that He could become our empathetic, triumphant Savior and Lord.

It is so brilliant that we celebrate the birth of Christ so close to the New Year because it provides the opportunity to finish the year with reflection on Who Jesus is, Why He came, and How His person and work affect our lives. Regardless of how the year went Christmas provides reflection on what is most important in life. In a sense it refocuses our priorities and purpose when we stop and celebrate the birth our Savior. Without His birth we would not be able to celebrate the salvation that His life, death, resurrection and ascension has provided. We have none of that if He had not first chose to become flesh and make His dwelling among us.

Christmas at the end of the year also provides the opportunity to have a fresh outlook on the New Year. Regardless of the failures of the past year, regardless of the heartache, we have experienced, Christmas is a perfect illustration of the heart of God for us. At the birth of Christ God was ushering in the beginning of His kingdom of which there is no end. Of which we are invited be part of. "Behold He is making all things new." That includes us. For that I am thankful. As you celebrate the birth of Christ this year celebrate the newness of life that Christ not only offers but delivered and will fulfill at His return.

A Tough Command

1 Thessalonians 5:18
“give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.” NIV

Thanksgiving is by far my favorite holiday. What is better than family, food, and football? (Three of my favorite things in life) However, since I have become a follower of Jesus Thanksgiving has a deeper meaning.

As you search the pages of Scripture you find that thankfulness is a way of life for anyone who wants to know and follow after God. Thankfulness opens the door for reflection on the goodness of God, the character of God and the providence of God.

But how do we give thanks for difficult times and the trials we go through? It is so hard in the middle of difficulty to be thankful. Without a doubt, pain, suffering, and the trials of life are the biggest obstacles for people to overcome concerning faith in God.

I remember being on a mission trip in El Salvador many years ago. We were in the airport awaiting our trip home. It had been an amazing trip. God had done many great things in the lives of many people. With that said, I was ready to get home. We had been there for two weeks. It was hot, humid, and I had taken one shower during the two-week period. You are probably thinking, “Wow, I bet you stunk”. We did bathe, but with buckets of rainwater. I learned to be thankful for simple conveniences that I had taken for granted at home.

Anyhow, back to the airport.

With my eager desire to hurry up and get home we got to our gate and got an announcement that our plane was going to be delayed by 13 hours. Needless to say I was very ticked off. As I began to complain about this inconvenience, the Lord spoke: “give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.” My complaining heart gave way to faith that God was in control. I thought to myself: “Maybe God is protecting us from something by delaying our plane.”

You see God was not through with what he wanted to do even though I was done. In the airport the team bonded, prayed, and shared Christ with many people who would have otherwise not have been ministered to.

Awaiting us at the Houston airport was a Church bus that was going to drive us back to Denver. This bus was the same one we drove to Houston in the middle of the summer with no air-conditioning (You think God was teaching me some lessons?). The students that I had the privilege of leading wanted to stop in Dallas and spend the night with a former youth group member. I was once again faced with my own selfishness and being inconvenienced. I tried to talk them out of it , “if we drive through the night we will be home in the morning,” I reasoned. But nothing doing, we stayed the night. I pouted on the bus, and slept there all night. I woke up in the morning did my duty bible reading and felt self-righteously ready to depart.

After we had traveled an hour or so, one of the 10th grade girls approached me and said she “felt like God had a word for me.” She began to tell me that God was not through ministering to the team and that I needed to finish strong and be open to what God wanted to do. I was extremely convicted. It took God to use a girl half my age to set me straight. God wonderfully did some healing work in the lives of several people on the bus ride home that would have never happened had we drove through the night. We did indeed finish strong.

What if we saw inconveniences as opportunities for God to move? What if we looked for things to be thankful for in the midst of trials? How different would life be?

The only way to be thankful in all circumstances is to believe two important verses that speak of the sovereign power of God over our lives.

Philippians 2:13
“…for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.” NIV

Romans 8:28
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. NIV

What I like about both of these verses is the word “good”. God works and acts for his GOOD purpose, which is obviously for our own good.

Sometimes it is a good practice to ask what a verse does not say in order to understand what it really does mean.

Notice that Paul does not say, “we see”, but rather “we know”. We may never see how God works something good in our lives, but by faith we can trust that he will.

Secondly, he uses the phrase “all things.” He did not say “some things”. God uses everything, our mistakes, the mistakes of others, and all the difficulties life brings us and works it for His good purpose in our lives.

Thirdly, he says it he works it for “good”. He does not say that all things are good. God never calls evil good. He does not call the difficulties good, but that he will work it for good.

Lastly, he uses the phrase “His purpose”. God’s purpose for us is to become like Jesus. The good purpose in God allowing difficulties in our lives is to conform us to the likeness of his son (Romans 8:29). If we do not grasp this then we will be unable to be thankful in all circumstances and we will not grow in Christ-likeness.

May prayer for each of us is that no matter what we have gone through, are going through, or will go through, we will have a heart of thankfulness to the God who is Sovereign, all powerful and all knowing and thus bring him glory with our lives.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Spiritual bitter beer face

“See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.” Hebrews 12:15 NIV

Several years ago there was a beer commercial that claimed if you drank a certain brand of beer you could avoid "Bitter beer face." Bitter beer face happened when you drank beer that was bitter. In the commercial there was an old man who could contort his face in such a way he almost appeared as if he was wearing a mask (see above picture).

On a more serious note, bitterness in the human heart does more than harm our facial expressions, it is so serious it can lead to spiritual and emotional death.

What is this kind of bitterness? According to one noted Bible teacher:

“Bitterness is planted as a seed of anger, rejection, or resentment, bitterness grows into a poisonous emotion that chokes out the peace of God in our lives and defiles the lives of family members and friends.” C.Stanley

In other words, bitterness has it's roots in disappointment and unforgiveness. People can be bitter with God or others, usually a combination of both.

How do people get bitter? People get bitter towards God because when things do not go our way or when He does not answer our prayers the way we had hoped. People get bitter towards others when people disappoint, hurt or offend us and we refuse to forgive them.

Weeds need to be pulled out by the roots. Sure, you can mow over the weeds in your yard and make it look better for a few days, but the weeds will be back. Unless a weed is de-rooted it will always grow back and in most cases stronger because the roots are stronger.

The only remedy to the root of bitterness in the human heart is to choose to forgive and walk in love. Something very helpful is to actually view the person you are bitter with as a tool in God's hands to make you more like Jesus. Walking in grace towards others is very difficult. That is why it is important to always remind yourself of how much God has forgiven you. Charles Stanley writes: "It is impossible for bitterness to grow in the soil of grace." The only way to have a heart filled with grace is to daily ponder the cross of Jesus and what He did for you. When we do this it is like putting spiritual weed and feed on our hearts.

If you would like to go deeper on the subject of bitterness you can listen to the podcast titled 'Bitterness". May God bless you with freedom from bitterness and the joy of having a forgiving heart.

What would it be like?

What would it be like if we actually lived what we say we believe?
More importantly, what would it be like if followers of Jesus actually and consistently put the teachings of Christ into practice? "Why do you call me Lord, and do not do the things which I say?" (Luke 6:46-47)

What would marriages be like if couples who said they followed Christ, actually let Christ be in charge instead of themselves? What if every day each spouse made it a priority to make life better for each other rather than being self serving?

What would families be like if Jesus was allowed to be the head of the home? How differently would people in the family treat each other? How much more true joy would there be and how much true celebration of life would there be?

What would it be like if Christians in the work place chose everyday to give Christ first place? How much more productive would we be if we lived with a sense of accountability to God for our time? What would it be like if every business transaction was done through the integrity of Christ rather than being blurred by selfish motives?

What would our community look like if we actually believed that Jesus loved people and wanted to use us to bring healing and hope to all?

What would our churches look like if we truly believed that the local church was the hope of the world?

What would it be like if all who said they followed Christ took his command to love one another more serious than anything else?

What would it be like if we joined Christ's in his invitation?
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

What would life be like?

Looking for "It"

I was having a conversation with someone recently who was struggling with life. They were sharing that relationships were disappointing, that they did not like their career route, and they were unsure of God's calling on their life and whether their life was counting for much. In our conversation I realized that this person's struggle was coming from their quest to find "it". We all find ourselves looking for "it" sometimes, I know I do. We think "it" will be found in the right relationship, the right job, the right ministry, or even the right house or car. Yet if we were honest the harder we look for "it" the more dissatisfied we find ourselves.

I told this person that "it" was God Himself. As Augustine said: "Our hearts are restless until they find rest in Thee." "It" is found in learning how to enjoy God. True joy can only be found in God. God's gifts in life are meaningless if we do not enjoy the Giver of the gifts first. John Piper puts it this way: "To be satisfied in God does not come naturally to sinful people. By nature we get more pleasure out of God's gifts than God Himself." Joy is serious business to God. Finding joy in God is a command in scripture: "Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart."(Psalm 37:4 NIV) As with all of God's commands He always has our best in mind and at heart.

He is the Superior Pleasure.
Delighting in God is the remedy to overcoming sin: "You have filled my heart with greater joy..." (Psalm 4:7 NIV) Sin promises pleasure; that is why we are tempted by it. God promises pleasure as well. When we seek Him and obey Him we will find a greater joy than sin can offer.

He is the Superior Promise.
Delighting in God is the remedy to heartache and disappointments of life:
"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade-kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith-of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire-may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls." (1 Peter 1:3-9 NIV)
The promise of eternal life in heaven outweighs any trial, struggle, or disappointment this life can bring.

He is the Superior Power.
Delighting in God is the remedy to routine and apathy: "...the joy of the LORD is your strength." (Nehemiah 8:10 NIV) Joy in God is where we find true spiritual and emotional strength. Sometimes I find my prayer life a drag. Why? Because prayer becomes drudgery when it is seen as duty rather than a means of joy. The same can be said of worship. Worship becomes routine when it is not pursued as a means of joy.

I know that what I need in my life is to learn to enjoy God more. There are many things that get in the way of me enjoying God. TV, busyness, schedules, self, false thoughts of God, avoiding the Word, avoiding prayer, avoiding others, keeping grudges, pursuing joy in God's gifts rather than God Himself, the list could go on and on.

I realized the other day I was looking for "it". God reminded me that I was simply looking for Him. He had not gone anywhere. I am determined not to pray more, read more, serve more, or even obey more, but rather to enjoy God more. I know if I do that all of these things will be in my life.

I pray you will join me...