Thursday, March 27, 2008

The Power of Perspective

I wrote this blog the other day about the storms of life that can cause confusion and turmoil in our lives.


I have been thinking about the storms in my life lately and realized that I don't respond to those storms like I used to. In the past, I would allow things in my life to throw me completely off course and for several days I would view life through blurry, rain streaked windows.


I don't respond this way anymore. It's not because my storms have gotten less severe. In fact, because of my stage in life, I'm facing things that carry far more weight and consequence then ever before. When storms pop up now, there is far more at stake.

The difference between the way I used to respond and how I respond now is the power of perspective in me life.

I am becoming more convinced every day that correcting my perspective is one of the most valuable investments of my time and energy that I can make. In Matthew 7:24-27 Jesus makes it pretty clear that our circumstances are going to be challenging no matter what. The storm is coming...the question is, am I going to be thankful for the rain?

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Layers Upon Layers

Acts 21:27-22:29 is a veritable labyrinth of lies and confusion; follow this for a second:

Acts 21:29 - We find out that Paul is arrested for allegedly bringing a Greek person into the temple courts.
Acts 21:30 - "The whole city was aroused, and the people came running from all directions."
Acts 21:34 - The Roman soldiers got there to break it up but no one in the crowd knew why they were beating Paul to death. (Actually, everyone thought they knew what was going on, but when asked to explain their behavior they all had a different story.)
Acts 21:38 - The Roman gaurd is shocked that Paul is NOT the Egyptian that led four thousand terrorists into the desert. (WHAT?!? Where did he hear that from? I thought this was about a gentile in the Temple?!?)
Acts 22:2 - The crowd is silenced when Paul speaks in Aramaic. (Why?!? Paul was a Jew is Jerusalem. That would be like me being shocked to find someone speaking English in Charlotte.)
Acts 22:23 - The crowd finally unifies against Paul when they hear him say that he has been sent as an Apostle to the Gentiles. And they say, "Rid the earth of him, he is not fit to live!"
Possible Takeaways:
1) That when dealing with people who are "looking" for a reason to be upset, there is nothing you can do but let them burn through their issues.
2) Sometimes, it's not you!
3) The Scripture is a very rich, exciting and complicated book about people and their strengths and weaknesses. It's pretty clear from this passage that not much has changed about the way people treat each other.
4) fill in your own blank - this is a facinating passage!

Monday, March 17, 2008

The Curse of Freedom

We all think freedom is always good all the time.

When we feel like our freedom is being limited we get a little feisty - such as when the boss cracks down on the time you spend at lunch, or your bank changes its policies on fees.

On the other hand, When we feel like we might gain more freedom we fight for it. We get our driver's license 30 seconds after we turn 16. Or, we work really hard to gain the ability to control our own schedules at work.

Sure, when I wasn't married and didn't have kids I was more flexible - I had more freedom. Now that I'm married and I have a kid (check out the pictures on the right) - there are more "constraints" on my time.

But here's my point: freedom, when we mean "lack of responsibility", never happens; it's a lie that we chase. True freedom comes when we accept our limitations and work within the boundaries of our reality.

In other words, freedom isn't escaping from my family responsibilities it's learning how to accept the new challenges and love my family fully within the new limits. Freedom isn't rebelling in my job, but accepting the constraints and excelling within the boundaries that have been set.

The type of freedom that rejects responsibility isn't freedom at all, it's a curse! Philippians 4:11-13 makes this pretty clear!

Friday, March 14, 2008

A Great and Powerful God!

You will face circumstances in your life that are so challenging they will either shape you or destroy you.

Jesus tells us that the storm is coming and our "house" will be tested by the storm.

As a man who has fought through some storms I have often wondered, in the midst of the storm, whether my "house" was going to make it.

During the storm, when it's raining hard and the wind is blowing fiercely, it's sometimes difficult to know whether it's the house that is falling apart or just the noise of the storm.

Thankfully, through my faith in Christ and through encouragement from others, I am learning how to figure out which kind of noise I'm hearing.

A few days ago someone that I have been leading paid me the greatest compliment I could have ever asked for. She confirmed what I have been slowly discovering on my own; that I have made it through the storm and my foundation is still holding steady on the rock.

For someone that has needed, and taken, so much of other people's time and investment, it is so fulfilling to know I am finally in a position to give back. (You can read about it here.)

If you're caught in the storm hang in there. The day is coming when you'll look back and realize that your storm served a greater purpose. The same God who has the power to sustain us in the storm has the power to calm it too. And if you're resigned to His leading, there will come a day when you'll be able to give it all back.

We serve a great and powerful God! His plans are perfect and His ways are untrackable but for those that love Him and are called to His purposes, the end result is always good!

Thursday, March 13, 2008

Dead Battery

I stepped on the bathroom scale the other day expecting to see 185.5. Instead, it read "batt". I was confused!




What I was seeing was not jiving with what I was
expecting.



I'm not sure how you handle these types of situations, but for me I begin to think drastic thoughts. If the scale is not going to perform correctly, if it's not producing the results that it was designed to produce then toss it in the trash.



There are two problems with tossing it in the trash however:



1) The history. Me and that scale had been places. It had seen me at 162 and it had carried my burdens at 186.5. That scale sits next to the toilet in the bathroom...it has endured! And by throwing it away I would be neglecting the history.



2) The investment. About 2 years ago I had to pay money for that scale. not much, but some. I had to pick a spot in the house and then calibrate the scale to that spot. I have spent my time cleaning it and repositioning it, and recalibrating it; I have invested in this scale.



To simply toss it in the trash would be a waste. So I've decided to keep it. Now eventually, I will change the battery, but for right now, I'm not sure it's a bad thing to see "batt" when I step on the scale. At least the scale will be consistent for a while.



Now for the cheesy blogplication (that's blog + application). Thank God that He doesn't treat us the way I was tempted to treat my poor bathroom scale. When we're weak - He's our strength. When we're broken - He's our support. When we were dead - he raised us to life in Him.

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

I Am What I Am

Paul makes this statement in 1 Corinthians 15:10, "I am what I am..." in reference to his being an apostle. He is struggling with the fact that he is leading a movement that he used to be adamently against. In other words, he is having a hard time being confident in his ability to lead because his history speaks out against him.

Maybe you're parenting some teenagers right now and they are dabbling in some things that you don't want them to touch but you're afraid to say something because you did it when you were their age...

You might be having to hold someone accountable at work for the mistakes they're making when everyone knows that when you were in that position you made some of the same mistakes...

It could be that you're a highschool student and you're struggling with the fact that last year you were accepted and cool. But now that you've given your life to Christ and you're trying to live for Him people aren't sure what to make of you...

It would help us to take a little dose of whatever Paul was taking. We are what we are!

Parent, you're not a kid making those mistakes anymore, you're a parent. Sure, you're not perfect, but you're the only parent your kids will ever have. If you don't stand up for what's right no one else is swooping in for the second shift.

If you're the boss, then lead like it. If you got saved, then walk in it. We are what we are and it doesn't do anyone any good for us to tuck our heads and pretend that we aren't. If God has placed you in a position of influence then use it to His fullest glory. God's got your history under control, just like your future!

Wednesday, March 5, 2008

And the Game Goes Sour...

Last night I was playing with Jeremiah on the floor - you can see his picture on the right...

The game goes like this: I have something that he wants so he crawls toward me to get it. Just as he gets close enough to take it I slide it all the way across the floor. He laughs. Then he turns to crawl after it. when he gets about half way I crawl really fast, pass him, and get to the object first. He laughs harder.

This has been a fun game for us and we've really enjoyed it for the past week or so, until last night...

I had just slid the object across the floor and Jeremiah was in hot pursuit until he suddenly took a detour. Within a half a second, Jeremiah had abandoned our game and was over by the electrical outlet playing with a battery charger. I, of course, leaped over to him and kept him from electrocuting himself, but not after almost having a heart attack.

So what are we supposed to take away from this story? Well, if you have a 9 month old with the dexterity of a chimpanzee - buy outlet plugs!

For the rest of you, maybe I'll tie this story back to something profound on my next blog, but for now, I think I'll just leave it alone.