The Answer Is Right There In Front Of You!

Rejection happens to everyone, but even knowing that sure doesn’t make the pain go away.  I think rejection cuts so deep because it can seem when someone doesn’t want you in their life, their business, or their group, they are actually rejecting more than just your talent…they are saying, “I don’t see anything desirable in you!”

In John 9 we find that Jesus heals a man that had been blind from birth.  The church elite didn’t understand this miracle and threw the man out of the synagogue.  But verse 35 is where the story gets interesting.  When Jesus heard the man had been rejected, he went and found him.  Even when you thik that you have nothing to offer, and no one finds you desirable, Jesus comes looking for you.

In verses 35 and 36, Jesus asks the man if he believes on the Son of God, to which the man replies, “Who is he?”  This man had the answer right in front of him the entire time and did not know it!  Jesus had worked a miracle in his life, desired to be with him when no one else would, stood by him, and was now talking to him!

I wonder how many times we have been looking for the answer to our problems in all the wrong places, never realizing who was standing right in front of us and speaking the REAL answer softly to our hearts.

Once this man knew he had seen and heard the voice of the Son of god, verse 38 says “…he worshipped him.”  Do a quick gut check…  Have you heard the voice of the Son of God today?  If not, the day is not over.  You can find your answer.  It’s been right there in front of you the entire time!

You Can’t Drive In A Ditch…

We’ve been blasted with wave after wave of winter weather lately.  It’s caused school cancellations, slower than normal traffic, and a lot of cars sitting frustrated in ditches.  Something interesting is that these cars could have cruised to their destinations at a much faster rate, and much more safely, had they drove at the right time.

• God has a perfect timing for your life.  When you try to make something happen before the right time, you’ll end up in the ditch frustrated. 
• He knows the dangers that lie ahead on the road of life.  This is why, if you were really honest, you heard the Spirit’s warning deep down telling you to just wait.  But due to impatience, fear, or worry, you chose to force your way toward your destination.  Waiting on God’s timing pays HUGE dividends in the end.
• When God tells you “The road is clear…GO!!!”, then put the pedal to the metal and go!  By waiting, you can actually get to your life’s destination at a much faster pace, than if you had tried to force it.

Be patient, trust God, and get to your destinations safely!  I’ve been hearing God telling me to “GO”, but now I now it’s Him.  I’m not having to force doors open…They’re opening for me!

A Sunday Night Reflection…

Is it just me, or did the snow today suprise the heck out of anyone else?  Numbers were down a bit this week because of the roads.  But for those that showed up, it was really a great service. 

Here are some things that have been going through my mind lately:

1. We found out last Wednesday that we’re having a little girl!  Marilyn and I are really looking at the name “Brianna Grace” pretty seriously.  All of you dad’s will understand this next statement…I’m getting ready to start taking my gun cleaning very seriously for the next 18 years or so!
2. Josiah just turned the big “0-3″ this past week.  WOW they grow up fast.  It makes me realize just how important my job is as a dad…showing him things like serving God, how to treat women, and protecting his little sis!
3. All you prayer warriors please remember my Aunt Donna.  She’s recovering from getting her stomache removed due to cancer.  I just got back from visiting her at the hospital in Bloomington.
4. School’s back in session tomorrow.  It’ll be different having to get back into the swing of things after all of those snow days!
5. God’s really been stirring my heart the past few days.  He’s called me to do something that I’ve not done before…70 hours of prayer for the direction of my life.  I began this on Friday and God is REALLY rocking my world!  I’ll begin to post some of the lessons He’s teaching me soon.  They will be lessons that will maybe help you too.  On a personal note, all I can say right now is that God is getting ready to bring some major changes in my life.  He’s calling me to walk on faith as I follow His divine purpose for my life.

Well, until next time, keep it real.  I hear some Thin Mints from the Girl Scouts calling my name from the kitchen!

A Critic’s Greatest Weapon…

It’s funny we can focus on the wrong groups.  90 people can approve of what we do, 5 people don’t care, and 5 criticize what you do.  Guess which group we give all our attention to….THE CRITICS!

How is it that they have that kind of power over us?  It comes down to one word…FEAR.

1. Fear of disapproval–It’s easy to want everyone to like you and appreciate what you do.  But the fact is that you’ll never have everyone approve what you do.
2. Fear that you made the wrong decision–If you give ear to what they’re saying, it could seriously cause you to doubt your decision.  You could be feeling great about it until someone who isn’t even involved or has any relationship with you points out what you SHOULD have done.  The sports world calls these people “armchair quarterbacks”.
3. Fear that everyone else really feels the same way–Fear causes  this small groups of critics to appear HUGE!  It reminds me of the scripture that says “Satan walks about AS a roaring lion seeking those who he may devour.”  He’s good and

So how do we combat the fear the critics are dishing out?

1. Listen to the people that matter–These are people that are close enough to you to see not just what you do, but your motives as well.  For me, this has often been my beautiful wife and my prayer warrior of an aunt, Joyce.  They’ve saved me from making bad decisions many times and I knew I could trust their voices because 1)  I knew they genuinely cared about me, and 2) I knew they had spent time with God.
2. Spend time hearing from God–When you’ve heard from God concerning what decision He wants you to make, no critic should ever cause you to change course.  Romans 8:6 says, “If God be for us, who can be against us?”.  Verse 33 tells us that God is the judge of what we do (not the critic who is probably someone without much of a life except to point out the flaws in those that are actually trying to forge ahead and make a difference in the world for Christ).
3. Realize that there will always be critics–They’re not going anywhere…But you are–You’re going to places they were to scared to venture.

A Tuesday Ramble…

I really enjoy rainy days…probably because it’s reminding me of spring.  Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy snowy winters but I’m ready for some warmer weather.  I’d love to get outside and enjoy the outdoors some more if it wasn’t so frigg’n cold! 

Last night we had a really good laugh.  Marilyn and I were cuddled up on the bed watching Daddy Daycamp and Josiah was watching on the floor.  For those of you who don’t know, he’s two (going on three this month).  There was a scene when a bunch of the little boys got into a fight with each other.  The next thing I know Josiah peeks up over the edge of the bed and is just squinting his eyes at me.  He climbs up on the bed with his dukes up in the air and says, “You want me to kick your butt?”  I started laughing because it was pretty cute (Josiah is just naturally a kid that loves to rough-house with dad).  As I was laughing Josiah gives me a quick jab to the throat!  Marilyn and I laughed until we almost cried.  Josiah thought it was pretty funny too.  I don’t think we’ll have to worry about kids picking on him when he gets older!

Here is a firestorm of thoughts going through my mind today:

• Small groups are awesome.  If you’re not involved in one, then get a hold of me or Pastor Randy to get plugged in.
• Today is Super Tuesday.  I hope all the Christians show up in full force to vote.
• Bob Knight just retired from coaching before the season was over.  What’s up with that?
• I sure need prayer from all of you who spend time with the Lord.  There are some detailed decisions I am making.  What about?  Keep watching the blog to find out!

What Should Church Look Like?

I was reading some material off of a fellow pastor’s blog that really began to stir something within me.  You can check it out yourself by clicking here.  My worst nightmare as a pastor is to be at the helm of a church that begins to turn inward and only concerned with taking care of themselves.  How serious are churches when they say their primary purpose is reaching the lost? 

When we speak of reaching the lost, how is that accomplished?  What does that look like?  I feel that too often, churches begin to plateau spiritually by not intentionally reaching out to those that are “sick and in need of a physician”.  Once you plateau spiritually, it won’t be long before you plateau physically.  Numbers begin to drop and so does morale.  Yet we are caught in a perilous downward spiral do to a sinful selfishness that we have refused to crucify to Christ.

Hopefully, you can tell I’m a little ticked towards those that refuse to drop tradition for the sake of winning souls to the kingdom of God.  Isn’t it time we begin to think about church in terms of what is negotiable versus what is not negotiable? 

So let’s hear some comments…

1. What should a church look like if it’s main focus is reaching the lost?
2. What should a church NOT look like if it’s main focus is reaching the lost?