In the moment

Posted on by Fireproof

Life has been crazy.  That may be an understatement.  Life has been absolutely chaotic.  For the last month or so it seems that we have been on the run.  Starting at the end of July we had a mission team in town with 85 middle school kids setting up worksites for them, 12 in total around the area.  Imagine with me trying to lead and setup that many worksites where you are trying to teach 12-14 year olds how to use a screw gun, read a tape measure, paint, stain, cut, use a weedwacker and so forth.  Let’s just say there is still cleanup going on from kids not knowing you don’t walk across the floor when you have paint on your shoes.  Oh the joys of leading kids.  Isn’t that part of teaching the next generation though.  Yes some of these projects adults with skill could have done in an hour or so, but are we teaching the young anything if we do it all ourselves?  Projects in our home are the same way as our 4 year old twins want to help me work on the shed.  Silas, I am proud to say actually has gotten the hang of reading a tape measure, cutting with a chop saw and using a trim nailer.  (With supervision of course.)  How many adults can say they’ve never done that before.  

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Anyway, back to the thought of life being chaotic.  After mission team we had our annual camping trip to Cowan’s Gap.  All 6 of us packed into our trailer, my in-laws and my parents all camped beside each other enjoying God’s creation.  Man talk about a week.  A day at Hershey Park, biking the battlefields at Gettysburg, fishing every chance we got.  A moment that i will never forget included Eli catching a maybe 3 inch fish and singing “I am the champion,” until he realized how small it truly was.  At that moment we all just stood on the deck cracking up as we made him take a picture with his “prized catch.

Then last weekend my dad and I got to take the boys to the NASCAR race.  It has become our yearly tradition to finish off the summer by taking the boys to the race.  A final weekend spent with just them.  The truth is the race is just he excuse to have that time with them.  To hear about the things they are learning, the memories from the summer, and also picking on them asking what girls they have been kissing lately.  Moments.  Memories.  Times to be cherished while they are still at the age they want to hang out with their dad.  Maybe this is exactly what Jesus was talking about when he speaks of life abundantly, living life to the full.  Being in the moment?

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”  John 10:10 NIV

Does it mean a lot more hours at work, and late nights after getting back to everyday life?  Absolutely.  Did I at times during those trips catch myself about everything else i needed to do when getting back.  Yes, it happened at times.  I am still human and my mind wanders, but God has been working on my heart this summer on not taking things to seriously and learning to truly be engulfed in each moment.  Embracing the times and the little snippets I might have to share with my kids the “Father’s Love.” 

This past weekend I caught myself in one of those hours of just being present.  After a long day at work I got to take the kids to a block party our at Salix Bethel Church.  They had a bubble machine setup on one end of the property and inflatable water slides on the other.  For the kids that meant cover your body in bubbles and then run back to the slides using the bubbles to fly down at full speed.  (Take a moment now to remember the joy of being a kid when nothing else mattered).  Eli during that time made it his goal to give me a big bear hug every time he ran by thinking it hilarious to see how wet he could get me.  You know what happened during that hour.  I laughed, I smiled, and I just took it all in.  I forgot about everything else.  Life to the full.

I say that to you today in hope that maybe just for a moment you would take a moment with your kids or grandkids to just be present.  Put your phone down, turn off the tv, and just laugh.  Maybe you don’t have kids in your life anymore, think back to when you were a kid ripping around on your bike, or flying down a slip and slide.  All of us need moments of joy, memories.  What if today you went outside and caught yourself letting your guard down, forgetting about all your stress for a moment.  One of my greatest memories happened when I was about 10 years old.  It was over 90 degrees out and my dad’s a/c in his car went out.  That day he was driving home from Wheeling West Virginia for work and dripping in sweat.  I will never forget him pulling in the drive, climbing out in his suit and tie and just jumping in our small inflatable pool with us and just laughing away.  Is that what you need to do today?  

Just to give you a thought in closing can you imagine Jesus doing that kind of thing when he talks about let the children come to me.  He needed a break from all the noise and chaos?  A moment to just laugh.  Maybe that is even what He did when he went to the mountain by himself to pray, just embraced being in the presence of the father,  telling Dad jokes.  Sometimes we need to loosen up.  Can you imagine God one day looking at you and going, “Why so serious?”  

Matthew 19: 14Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”

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“A new way to read”

Posted on by Fireproof

Put yourself into the story, that was the message years ago that change my life and how I learned to read Scripture.  You see up until that point I would fumble my way through the Bible, understanding bits and pieces here and there.  It was a struggle if I am being open about it.  Here I was a student at Liberty University, going for ministry yet not truly understanding how a book written so long ago could pertain to me.  I would start at the beginning and do my best, making commitment after commitment to read through it in a year only to make it a few months.  (Let’s be honest, how many of you have quit when you get to about Leviticus.)  As a new believer of only a few years I kept finding myself discouraged crying out to God, “You have called me to ministry, yet I can’t even understand your word, how am I supposed to teach it?”  Anyone else ever feel that way?  Then one day in one of our youth classes one of our professors started sharing about the best way to teach youth is to encourage them to put themself into the scene.    If the story from Scripture is talking about Jesus in the mountains, allow yourself to go to the mountains, look at your surroundings, dream of the snowcaps, the trees, the smells.  If the passage is about being by the lakeside, let yourself mind wander to taking a kayak out on the lake engaging all your senses.  Doc Vandegriff, our youth ministry professor, may have meant this lesson to be about how we teach others but it was a game changer for me.  I started to get a new passion for reading the Gospels once again, placing myself into the stories and then from there learning to take on the roles of the characters described in the story. 

Now that we have kids, reading Scripture in this way puts a whole new adventure to this idea.  Especially as we were working through the Easter story with our kids, I really tried to focus on giving our kids roles, letting them see all their personalities shine through.  Let me give you a glimpse into that to hopefully encourage you to do the same thing.  

So I started with Eli our 9 year old.  He is definitely a compassionate child, with a heart of empathy.  In school he got the “rescuer” award as the one always looking out for others.  Going through the disciples, the one I equated him best to was John, the one whom Jesus loved.  The one leaning on Jesus side during the last supper.  Originally one of the “Sons of thunder,” makes me think of someone who is calm until pressed, then stands up to protect when needed to.

Next was Silas, he was pretty easy to figure out.  If there is a word the kid lives by it is, “why.”  Can somebody say doubting Thomas?  It really has given me a new perspective on Thomas though.  We give him this description because of saying he wouldn’t believe himself without proof.  That is how I see SIlas, questioning everything, deeper thinking.  Whether it is the questions at night of “How old is God?” Then without missing a breath, “do I wear shoes in heaven?”  His questions are nonstop, that is just part of who he is.  Maybe that is what Thomas truly was like.  

Third we have Evans, one of our 4 year old twins girls.  She is without a doubt, no brainer like Peter.  I can imagine her on the boat as the storms are raging, Jesus walking on the water calling out, “Lord if it is you, I want to come on the water with you.”  Who thinks that way, she does.  If there is a risk to be taken, she is in.  And He simply responds, “Come on.”  The rest of us may be sitting in the boat looking at the risk and the circumstances going no way.  Before we know it, I can picture her in my mind, diving in without a fear in the world.  It is how she lives.  She Is our snowboarding, go cart drifting, zip lining wild child.  Getting messy and bloody doesn’t scare her at all.  (We are going to have our hands full)

Finally is Elliston.  Totally opposite of her sister, she was a tricky one to figure out.  After some reading though, I came up with the character of Mary, just sitting at Jesus feet.  Taking in every word that Jesus spoke.  When we are reading Elli wants to be right in my lap, repeating every word.  If she is awake she is our clinger, always wanting to be right with me or Lindsey, holding on to one of us, never out of sight.  Think about Mary.  Almost every story you read in the Gospels, Mary is close by.  

This may have been a bit of a different column this month but it is just a glimpse into our family.  Hopefully it brought a smile to your face or made you laugh a bit, but the main goal with it is to encourage you to read Scripture differently.  Maybe it is something new for you to try, to engulf yourself, allowing your senses to run wild.  Hopefully it will make the Bible personal to you understanding it isn’t Just a book written years ago.  It is the word of God.  

Hebrews 4:12, “For the word of God is alive and active.”  

Do you read it that way?

“Time with daddy”

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“What is it?” 3 simple words that have now changed my life in ways many will never understand. You see I just spent the last 3 days at Snowshoe Mountain in West Virgina with my buddy, my 9 year old Eli. He was invited to take part in a CrossTrailOutfitters (CTO) Snowboard camp. Going into the time I wasn’t really sure what to expect, I just knew I was looking forward to some one on one time with my lil man. (In a home with 4 kids, the one on one moments are rare, but so valuable for all of them.) He was the youngest kid there, but he took it like a champ getting to play the role of the younger brother for once.

With CTO they keep their retreats to 4-5 kids at a clip so that the deeper personal relationships can be built. Honestly going into it from an American Church mindset I kept thinking why not the more the merrier, why aren’t we opening it up to large groups. After being there I totally understand why as Eli now has made friends for life. The really impactful time with all these kids happens in what is known as the fireside chats. A question for the day to ponder throughout and come back to discuss at night. The question for the camp was simply 3 words, “What is it?’ I was kinda dumbfounded by how simple it was, but as the time went on, the question kept getting deeper and deeper in my mind. “What is it that brings me joy? Peace? Hope? Life? Fulfillment? What is it that get me up in the morning? Gets me agitated? What is it?”

So as we would sit around and discuss this question the answers would be all over the place with kids ranging from 16 to 9 years old. The final morning though as we were having our final chat they got to Eli and said, “Hey man, what is it?” Very boldy and proud he sad, “Time with Daddy.” I think the dust kicked up quite a bit in that moment, but at the same time and scream and shout, “Buddy that’s how I feel to.” Above the snowboarding, the mountains, the time with others, it was about our time together.

Now driving home that day I had 4 hours to think more upon this simple answer. I started wondering if God were to ask us the same question, would we have that answer. “Time with you Lord, time with Daddy.” You see I believe God is saying the same thing to us, just desiring our time. In a culture where we have made it about events, big services and let’s be blunt, busyness, how much is God craving our time? I know in life it happens and we take time together with others for granted, but I hope and pray my lil man will always have that memory of our time together and those 3 simple words.

Kinda makes you think of Mary and Martha right, Mary just sitting at Jesus feet, desiring His time. Is that us or are we so consumed with other things.

38 As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. 39 She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. 40 But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”
41 “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, 42 but few things are needed—or indeed only one.[a] Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

“keep it simple”

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“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink…” Matthew 25:35. The righteous reply with a simple question, when?  Matthew 25: 40, “When you did this for the least of these, you did it unto me.”  Bam!  Pretty straightforward and blunt.  

Today I want to share with you a proud Dad moment.  A little over a week ago I was taking our 4 kids to Walmart to get Valentine’s stuff for Lindsey.  In my mind it would be simple, let them each pick a card and a gift that they each thought she’d love.  Amongst all the screaming ideas in the car, I was in my own little world oblivious to what was going on around me, just hoping not to spend an hour there.  Eli on the other hand was fully alert and that included noticing the man standing outside the store with the simple sign that said, “Hungry, will you help me with food?”  At that moment instead of thinking about his mom’s valentines,  his focus shifted toward that man; let’s say obsessing over it.  “Dad, can I buy that guy some food?  I have my own wallet.”  He exclaimed with joy taking over.  “Bud, you don’t have to pay, I can, but yes we can get him some things.”  He looked at me for a few moments like staring into my soul, “Dad, I said I have my wallet and this is something I want to do.”  Who am I to argue with that, like him saying, don’t steal my blessing dad.  

After about 10 minutes picking out flowers, cards and gifts for Linds, Eli again was laser focused.  He had time to think about what he wanted.  Chicken Poppers, Reese’s and a bottle of water.  Perfect, covering all the major food groups in our home.  Silas also had to throw in 2 apples for good measure.  Normally to get our kids out of Walmart is like a pulling teeth, an hour long ordeal after looking at toys.  Not that day, they were running to the checkout worried the man was no longer going to be there.  “Dad, dad, there he is,” all four kids screamed including the twins.  As I pull up to him, Eli jumps into the front seat so both he and Silas have a window they can reach out.  “Hey sir, hey sir we have stuff for you!”  The excitement in their faces and the joy in the man made it all worth it.  As they explained to him that they bought it with their own money, I swear it looked like the guys eyes were tearing up.  

Driving away from that moment Silas had one of his deep thoughts like normal.  “Dad, is that how we live Jesus?  Like is that what you mean when you say we can live out the Bible?”  Absolutely, the simplicity of a child’s mind.  They get it.  To be honest though, how many of us as adults would overthink it.  We’d see the sign asking for help then start thinking about the guys story wondering if he deserves it?  Is he really hungry or just trying to get my money?  How many other people already gave him food?  The list of excuses could go on and on.  

To a child it was as simple as “dad he is holding up a sign saying I am hungry, can we feed him?”

I know I learned something that day.  Maybe we overcomplicate the Gospels at times when Jesus is being pretty straightforward and blunt.  What if at times we started thinking like a child, going here is the need, how can we meet it.  Hope this challenges your thinking, and makes you laugh.  

Birthday Celebrations

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Birthdays.  A day to celebrate, to be put in the spotlight.  (Let’s be honest for some people they now call it their birthday month.)  This past week we celebrated both our boy’s birthdays as Eli turned 9 and Silas turned 7.  When they were younger we could get away with one party to celebrate both of them, but now they are at the age they both desire to have their own.  Talk about chaos in our home.  Not only was it Thanksgiving last week but we also had parties on Friday and Sunday night.  Our house is only so big, so this year we had to make the choice to let them each invite 3 of their friends from school because until you get all our family there, our house was overrun.  Each night around 20-25 guests were packed in to make them feel special.  Noise, noise, noise as kids ran everywhere with Nerf guns, playing hide and seek.  I think my hearing is still coming back, nope, ears are still ringing.  Okay maybe that is a little exaggeration.

When it came time for the cake though, it was their moment.  Everyone joining together in singing, lifting them up.  The spotlight.  The celebration.  Remembering their birth.  At this moment I cold go different directions with this devotion including celebrating Jesus brith, praising His name, and putting him in the spotlight.  Yet the thought that keeps coming to my mind is how as we celebrate our birthday, God knew us and designed us before we even took our first breath.   Imagine with me now as the crowd was gathered singing Happy Birthday, God himself being in that crowd singing along.  Maybe I am stretching it a bit, but hear these verses.  

“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. How precious to me are your thoughts, God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand— when I awake, I am still with you.” Psalms 139

In Psalms 139 David speaks of God knowing our inmost being, knitting us together in our mother’s womb, knowing our thoughts and our days before one even came to be.  Have you ever stopped and considered that?  His thoughts about us being endless.  The God of the universe caring about you, knowing you, celebrating you.  You are His beloved, His creation.  

Stop a moment to think about that, the God of all looking down on you, and I can picture Him smiling away.   With that thought in mind, it is out of that love and desire for you that He sent His son to die for you.  So you might live.  So next time you are in worship, celebrating Him, think about Him smiling down on you, saying I gave it all for this relationship.  I know personally, that thought has changed the way I worship.  It is no longer just me looking to the sky hoping to catch His ear for a moment.  But it is a relationship.  God desiring to hear my voice, and also Him speaking back to me! 

That’s not fair

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That’s not fair.

A little over a week ago now, our boys had off from school on Thursday and Friday for parent teacher conferences.  Needless to say, even though they were off Silas still managed to be wide awake at 6 am.  Here we are still sold asleep with our alarms not going off for at least another half hour, only to find him staring over our bed, waiting for us to move.  Startled Lindsey rolls over with a small shriek telling him to go back to bed.  Instead he just keep standing there, then quietly asks if he can put a show on.  Then it got interesting, as my wife made a comment to the affect of, “Silas maybe you should go to work for me and I will stay home now that you are up already.”  Without missing a beat he looks around and then answered, “Mommy sometimes life isn’t fair.  You just have to do what you don’t always want to.”  Hearing all this I couldn’t help laugh but was also waiting for the thud to hit the floor if she threw him across the room.  Eventually we did get up, both of us head to work, as the kids got to stay home and hang out with their grandparents.  

Throughout the day that phrase “it’s not fair” kept running through my mind.  How many times have we all said that.  In a home with 4 kids we hear it all the time.  How many times as adults do we stay it though also.  Maybe when someone gets that promotion or has the nice house.  When someone gets the new car or what seems like the dream life.  That’s not fair.  Then we take it one step further and start compiling to God about it.  God why did you answer their prayer and not mine.  Why did you heal them and not me?  God why did you bless them with kids and not us… You get my point.  “It’s Not Fair,”  as we gripe and complain.  

Then of course my mind starts thinking about it in a biblical perspective.  The older son in the prodigal son story.   He has watched his younger brother pretty much betray the family, break his father’s heart, squander everything, and just up and leave.  Yet when he decided after years to come back home, this same heartbroken father is going to celebrate and throw him a party. Can you hear it with me now, the pity party of him chanting, “It’s not fair.”  

Against his son’s desire I can imagine the father sitting down with him, let’s call him Johnny for our story,  at that moment and saying let’s talk.  “Johnny, you have been with me the whole time.  Did you ever mess up?”  Reluctantly, Johnny tries to play it off, looking all over the room except at the father and saying, “Yes.”  Can you imagine the tension in the room at that moment, oh to be a fly on the wall.  “Johnny, have we shown you grace and love the whole time your brother was gone?”  Again in muttering… “Yes.”  The conversation then continues on for about 10 more minutes of questions back and forth, until the Father finally explains that grace looks different for every person.  But at the heart of grace is the Father’s love.  

To explain it one step further, I tried to put myself into the story as the older son, complaining to God saying it’s not fair.  At that point he led me out to a fire pit to have a talk.  (I don’t know why, but in my life it seems the most honest conversations happen around a fire). Then God started to speak as the Father, “Was it fair that my perfect child died on a cross for you?  Is that fair? Is it fair, that you deserve death in your sins, yet I am giving you the free gift of eternal life?”  Again the questioning goes on for a while only to make me realize that I am so grateful that grace isn’t fair or comprehendible, but it is amazing.  That’s what makes it grace.   It goes beyond reason the God himself desires a relationship with me, that he would sacrifice His son.  

So this Thanksgiving think about grace, all that God has done for you.  If you catch yourself griping or complaining about something not being fair, think of what Jesus did for you and let that transform your heart to a heart of gratitude.  

“The same, yet oh so different”

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HOT TUB TIME. It’s that time of year for our family, and our kids couldn’t be more excited.  The changing leaves, the playing outside, the chill in the air, fires, so many different things that we all look forward to. (Time change, not so much.)  On top of all that we do look forward to, it is the time of year of setting the hot tub up for the winter.  Our family swimming pool, or as Lindsey would call it, “our time of noise and chaos.”  The kids have been asking for a few weeks now, so this past week I was able to get it ready to go.  Now, as I have shared before the word patience doesn’t really exist in our home so telling them they had to wait for the water to heat up they couldn’t get through their minds.  Every single day for three days straight they would feel the water and then get upset why it wasn’t ready yet, oh the anticipation.

Finally, it was time and next thing I knew all 4 kids were changed and diving in.  Water going everywhere, not realizing how much bigger they had gotten.  The screaming and noise had commenced.  As we were sitting there, all our heads now completely soaked the twins got in their mind that my hair needed cut, and they wanted to be the hairstylists.  (Come on dad, of course wet hair must equal a haircut). I told you they have an imagination.  Talk about an experience.  Ellie was all gentle about it, pushing my hair back, to the side, staring at me about 5 inches from my face, while pretending to cut a little bit at a time.  After a few minutes she smiled and said all done.  Going along with it, I said “thank you so much, how’s it look?”  Out of nowhere she replied with a giggle, “like a unicorn.”

Next thing I know Evi starts yelling and hip-checks Ellie out of the way, “my turn, my turn” as she begins yanking at my head back and forth.  Where Ellie was gentle and clam, Evi was anything but that.  I could feel it in my neck, with my hair getting pulled out.  I was honestly thinking I was going to find clumps of the little hair I have left in her hands.   Within a minute or so, I had to stop her with a more sarcastic, “oh thank you, how did it turn out?”  Instead of the little giggle like her sister, Evi more steamed at me, “Like a dinosaur!”  

What a difference between the two.  Even though they are identical twins, their personalities at this point are completely opposite.  Ellie is our dress up like a ferry unicorn for Halloween, gentle, play with dolls twin.  Evi, on the other hand hand, is going to be our wild child.  Spiderman, get covered in mud, tackle my sister, rough-houser.  How can they be so different.  We raise them the exact same way, they look exact, and most times it is hard to tell them apart.  I may have a 50-50 chance at times to get them right.  That is until personalities kick in.

Sitting there afterwards for a few moments though I kept thinking about how great it is that they are different, that we are all different.  How marvelous it is that God designed us all with different gifts and personalities.  Every trait, every aspect, He has shaped in His hand.  Can you imagine with me a world where we all looked, acted, and responded in the same way.  Can you say boring with me, a bunch of robots.  In God’s master plan, He created us all unique, one of a kind.  Some as rough-housers and some as gentle.  All designed in His hand.

Praise God that I am fearfully and wonderfully made, so are you!  Will you take a moment to praise Him now for that?

Psalms 139: 13-14, “YOU CREATED MY INMOST BEING, YOU KNIT ME TOGETHER IN MY MOTHER’S WOMB. I PRAISE YOU FOR I AM FEARFULLY AND WONDERFULLY MADE; YOUR WORKS ARE WONDERFUL.”

“it’s too loud!”

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“It’s so loud in here.”  Ellie exclaims as she yells and adds to the noise.  Having a house with 4 kids and 2 dogs get noisy at times.  Actually noisy isn’t quit the right word.  Maybe It gets a little loud.  No, that doesn’t quite describe it either.  Deafening, maybe that is a bit closer to the noise decibels coming out of our home at times.  To give you a glimpse when Silas was an infant we used to call his cry a  pterodactyl scream thinking it couldn’t get any louder.  So now just imagine adding both twins screaming at the same time on top of that.  (Can I say hearing aids will be in my near future.)  With all that screaming there are moments where it is so loud, you can’t hear anything.  Crazy how that works right?  So much noise that you can’t distinguish any of what is actually being said.  “Chocolate Milk, Apple Juice, Chicken, He’s touching me, Stop, He poked me, she’s copying me, and on and on it goes.”  Wait a second, there are more voices here than just our kids, and then we notice the 4-5 neighbor kids all going in the madness thinking it is hilarious.

I hate to say it but there are times with all the noise Lindsey and I cant hear what is being asked for and it goes unnoticed.  Within 5 minutes or so Eli or Silas will come to us upset asking “Did you get my drink?”  Feeling bad in that moment I normally will reply with, “Buddy did you ask e for any?”  After a glare, the simple response of, “Yeah, but you must not have heard me.”  Maybe I did, maybe I didn’t, or maybe there was just to much noise to tell the difference.  “I’m sorry bud, I must not have heard you amongst the noise of everyone asking.  

You ever think about prayer that way.  That your voice is just one in a million calling out to God all at once.  You begin to feel like they are just hitting the wall amongst all the noise in the world.  Or that your prayers aren’t as vital or important as someone else crying out in the midst of a hurricane or medical diagnosis.  

I know there have been times in our homes where the kids will feel like we just don’t care, but the reality is we just don’t hear them.  

Let me tell you something now and please hear me very carefully.  Even amongst all the noise and prayers going up, God hears you specifically.  He knows your voice and is listening.  Even though you may feel that there are others crying out for other things, you are just as valuable.  

He designed you, he created you, he wants to hear from you.  Just as we want to hear from and speak with all of our kids, how much greater is the heavenly Father’s love for you.  

Maybe it is just as simple as crying out saying, “Lord, I need you.”   Pulling at the pant leg of God just as our girls do when they really want our attention and allowing Him to reach down to be the comfort.  Picture that with me now.  Here you are crying out, “Lord, Lord” and He is reaching down picking you up like a little child.  

You are not just one in a billion voices to Him.  You have a name, a voice, a story.  Cry out to Him like He hears you today and watch as He answers.

Psalms 39:12, “Hear my prayer, Lord, listen to my cries for help! Don’t ignore my tears.”

“Say What?”

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As I sit here and write, sometimes I wish there was a way to have video of my emotions because I can’t always capture into words what I am sharing.  From the beginning I always said I wanted this to be posts of brutal honesty about our family and a glimpse into our world of chaos.  Which leads into laughter, tears, joy, excitement, anger, everything.  This is our life encapsulated into what my limited vocabulary has to offer.  

Today’s story is one of those ones that I can’t make up.  A little over two weeks ago now, Lindsey and I were having a date night.  A moment we were looking forward to, which included dropping the kids off at her parents for a sleepover.  After making sure we had everything packed we loaded up our kids and headed out towards there house.  About 5 minutes before we got there Ellie started screaming her head off, like a curdling, something is wrong type scream.  I am starting to think in my mind a be stung her or got in the car.  Wondering if I needed to pull over, Lindsey unbuckled, turned around to find her pulling at her shoulder straps on her corset like something was wrong.  “Ellie, calm down, talk to us.”  All the while I keep thinking in my mind selfishly, “Dangit, there goes our date night.”  The response that came from the mouth of our sweet 3 year old caught us totally off guard.  Through her tears she started saying these words clear as can be, “My nuts hurt, my nuts hurt.”  Tell me you’re not laughing right now.

Trying to comprehend what we were hearing Lindsey and I just looked at each other dumbfounded.  I don’t remember who started to respond but I remember it was 3 parted.  “First, keep your seatbelt on, we are almost there.  Second, you don’t have nuts.  Third, where in the world did you hear that. Back to point 2, you don’t have nuts.”  Eli then informed us that one of the neighbor kids has been screaming it and saying it over and over.  Now it makes sense.  As a 3 year old she is just picking up on what she hears, truth or not and making it her reality.  Believing in that moment that her response should be his.  He screams, this is what he says.  So now I am screaming, this should my response.  

You may be wondering where in the world I am going with this.  How many of us do the same thing response wise as Ellie did.  We speak what we hear.  We hear something and after hearing it so many times it becomes our truth no matter how ridiculous it sounds.  How do you think advertising works?  You are told something time and again to the spot you start believing it.  In a kids mind it turns into, “I need that.”  I am sorry to say, this isn’t just a kid thing either.  Let’s take your car or phone for example.  They are working totally fine, you are happy with them, but then you start seeing commercial after commercial of the new and eventually your mind starts buying into it, going maybe mine is getting old and needs replaced.  Maybe it isn’t a car or a phone, but a hunger issue.  You really aren’t hungry, but then you see the taco bell commercial and next thing you know you find yourself in a car heading to the drive thru.  We buy into what we hear, it becomes our truth.  

2 Timothy 4: 3-4, “Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.  They will turn away from truth and turn aside to myths.”

This is a spiritual thing also, a truth the church needs to hear.  In 2 Timothy Paul warns of a day where people will no longer stand for truth but will surround themselves with leaders who will tickle their ears.  Bottom line is, what he is saying a day will come when people no longer will stand for truth, truth will become relative to many and that will become their reality.  What is your truth?  Where do you get your truth from?  Is it from the source of truth, the Word of God or is it from what others around you are saying over and over.  

Joshua says to choose this day whom you will serve, but as for me and my house we will serve the Lord.   That includes the truth you are teaching in your home.  What are your kids hearing?  What are we allowing them to hear?  What are we hearing for ourselves?  The world’s truth that will tickle our ears and we buy into or God’s truth that stand forever.  

“Go”

Posted on by Fireproof

Sitting at a red-light the other day, I started to hear crying from our back seat and then a scream. Confused thinking something was wrong I looked in the mirror and then trend around only to find Elli starting to yell at me.  “Daddy, I don’t want you to stop.”  Honestly, I didn’t want to be stopped either, as I had been sitting there for what felt like forever waiting.  “Baby girl, I don’t have a choice, the light is red.”  For some reason I thought if I said ti calmly maybe she would understand.  Again as I have shared before trying to rationalize with a three year old doesn’t get very far.  The longer we sat there, the more she cried,  “I want to go home.”  As soon as the light turned green I was ready to go,  and that I did getting moving as fast as I could.  

Can you imagine with me if I just kept sitting there.  The light is now green and yet for some reason because I hadn’t thought through what I would do or get prepared for it, I didn’t move.  Now imagine the girls screaming, “DAD GO.”  

I continue thinking back to this moment when it comes to my prayer life. I don’t know how many messages I have heard throughout my life that speak of God answering prayers in 3 ways; yes, no, and wait.  Without a doubt there are definitely moments where God has to give us the red light, the all out stop, no go, bad idea, don’t even think about it answer.  Lets be honest, most of us hate those moments.  We want to go, to run ahead, and God is protecting you from the head on collision.  

Other times He gives us the wait.  Like I had sitting at the red light waiting upon the light to turn green.  I knew it was eventually coming, I just had to be patient.  How many of us are like Elli though, kicking and screaming about the idea of having to wait.  We don’t like the word wait in today’s culture.  We want the instant gratification, the here and now answer, or for some even the I want the answer yesterday.  What if God is saying in those moment’s you just aren’t ready yet.  I have to prepare you for what lies ahead.  Getting you to s spot in your life where you are ready to hit the gas and run.  

With a stop light we know the green is coming, correct.  What if there are times in our lives where God has made it clear that the green light is coming, and he is getting you ready.  What steps are you taking to get ready?  Are you continuing to trust Him that the green light is coming, or do you give up hope the longer you sit.  Do you get distracted by life, by your phone, by the noise, that when the light turns green instead of going, you just keep sitting.  The next thing you know the light is now red again.  

Are we so discouraged by things in your past that you now find yourself at a spot you have made up in your mind the light is never changing.  Is that how you pray?  Do you pray with a sense of hope, believing that God is going to come through or are you in the mindset that you will be stuck forever?  Are you preparing your heart, knowing the answer is coming?  What is distracting you?  

In Acts 12 Peter was imprisoned and the church earnestly prayed expecting God to move.  Waiting in anticipation, believing God for the miraculous.  Is that how we pray? In expectation of the “light to turn green” if you will.  Praying, in anticipation, expecting, preparing our hearts for when He moves!  One final thought about all this is obedience to go when the light is green to stop when the light is red, and the wisdom to know the difference. 

“So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him.”
‭‭Acts‬ ‭12‬:‭5‬ ‭NIV‬‬

G.E.T. Jesus. Gratefully embrace the Journey

Posted on by Fireproof

“G.E.T. Jesus. Gratefully Embrace The Journey.”  An acronym I have learned to live by and hopefully by the time you are done reading this, it will be one you remember also. It was one of those sayings my dad would always try to instill to my brother and I growing up.  Especially when it came to road trips asking the question “are we there yet.”  (How many parents are tired of hearing that after this summer, and all the hands in the crowd go up.)  My parents would always talk to us and tell us how it isn’t always about the destination, sometimes it’s about the journey.  All we wanted as kids was to get to the mountains, the beach or camp.  My brother Travis was the impatient one and just wanted to be there yesterday.  Okay, I will admit it,  maybe that was me.  So when my dad sarcastically would say embrace the journey, I would go “yeah Dad I get it, but it still doesn’t get us there any faster.”

Now fast forward 20 years and as a dad myself I am starting to understand, especially after this past weekend.  You see it has become an annual tradition for my pops and I to take the boys to a Nascar race.  (For those of you out there making fun of me for being a Nascar fan, you can keep yapping, I can’t hear ya.). It is something we look forward to, a true highlight and memory for us, as the boys say, our “guys trip.”  So this year we went to Michigan, about a 5 hour drive or so.  Along the way we got the occasional whining and Silas asking numerous times how much longer.  After about the tenth time, my response turned into, “We are one minute closer than the last time you asked.  Finally when we got there it was like a being a kid in a candy store for our boys.  Souvenir trucks, KidsZone, meeting the drivers, the sound of the cars, staying at a hotel, and the list goes on of highlights.  

Before we went into the race my dad and I were talking as the boys ran ahead.  He looked at me and smiled, “Even if we don’t get to see the race, this was an incredible trip, thank you for bringing me; the race is just the icing on the cake.”  He was right.  What a time of memories with my 6 and 8 year old.  Ironically enough when we finally got into the race, before it even started, it started pouring.  2 hours later, after sitting under the bleachers,  the track was finally dry enough to start racing.  Then an hour later it let loose again pouring drenching rain on us.  I couldn’t help but think about my dad’s words before the race,  “even if we don’t see the race, still a great time.”  Absolutely.  

The destination, watching the race was without a doubt the icing on the cake as Eli stood against the railing, grinning ear to ear as the sound of the cars shook the whole track.  Silas wearing the headsets, listening into the driver’s radios was priceless.  As we left without getting to see the end we asked them what was there favorite part.  Eli replied with a, “Having fun with you guys” as he gave my dad and I a hug.  

I think I finally understand what my dad meant when he would teach us to gratefully embrace the journey.  All the moments from our weekend leading up to the race are as valuable to me now as the race itself was.  What if I had missed all those moments.  The swimming in the pool, the spending way to much money on souvenirs, the cold steak-umm, the counting trucks pass by.  What if I was so focused on the race itself that when it got rained out, how disappointed would I be.  I can’t help but think of all the things I would’ve missed.  

Think about life with me real quick.  How many people are living in such a way to just get to the end.  As a believer it can be easy to get caught up in what heaven will be like one day, the ultimate destination.  But don’t miss the journey.  Please I am begging you to open your eyes to how God is moving in your everyday life.  He is telling you to embrace the journey,  He is desiring to live, move, and breathe through you now, not just after your dead. You see John 10:10 is my dad’s favorite verse and in it Jesus says these words, “I have come that you may have life abundantly.”  I have to believe He is talking about this side of eternity also, not just the next. 

What is it in your life that you have been so focused on the future about that you are missing the journey?  Will you G.E.T. Jesus and embrace the journey today.  How different our world could look if we started to see God moving in our everyday instead of waiting until our day comes to see Him face to face.  

“Breathe”

Posted on by Fireproof

Last week we had a conundrum on our hands, a real pickle if you will.  With all the rain and being at camp, we had to come up with ways to get out of the trailer before we lost our minds.  One of the things we could still do was go fishing even if everything else around us was soaked, being at the dock became a treasured time.  So why was it a conundrum you may ask?  Here is a visual to give you an answer.  Picture with me 6 kids under 10 years old on a 12 by 12 dock. 

Hooks flying everywhere, the continual sound of them screaming “I lost my bait again” and the impatience they all had when every cast did not yield a fish.  (Bringing up memories of how when I was a kid I hooked my dad in his forearm as I went to cast. How many have experienced that before?)  Luckily my father in law Bob was smart enough to decide not to put a hook on the twins line.  They wanted to be there but at 3 years old we knew that was asking for trouble, so instead he tied one of their plastic toy fish to each of their lines.  So for them every time they threw it in, wala, a fish.  The only problem was that when they would bring it in and set it on the dock, everyone knew it was a a “dead fish” as the girls chose to call it.  Somehow Elliston managed to lose her fish in the water and we saw the bright green piece of plastic sinking to the bottom, “My fishy died, my fishy died.”  

On the other hand, when the boys would cast a fish in, no matter how big or small it was they would set it on the dock and it would be very much alive.  Flopping around everywhere, the kids running up to touch it but then watching then run away as the fish would move back and forth.  The first time it happened to Silas, he literally ran out of his shoes.  The amount of noise coming off our dock, no wonder our kids didn’t catch to many fish on our adventures.  Definitely something we still have to work on as Lindsey would continue to remind me, fishing is meant to be a relaxing, peaceful time.  I guess I can at least say it was a memory being made.  

As we left I started thinking about this idea of the “dead fish.”  No matter how much the girls would twist it around of pick it up and down, that fish was still dead.  There was no life to it, no breath, no movement, nothing.  Scripture is filled with references of God breathing life.  In the beginning God formed man out of dirt and breathed life into his nostrils.  In Ezekiel we read of God bringing dead bones to life.  In the Gospels we read of Jesus calling Lazarus from the grave.  Bringing what was dead to life.  

Looking around at today’s world, it has me thinking about how many people out there are like the dead plastic fish.  They look like a fish, but hey have never allowed God to breath “true life” into them.  They are manipulated and influenced by everything others say, or social media tells them they should be, just like the plastic fish being thrown around by the girls.  Zombies, walking around not realizing or understanding what God truly has for them.  A shell of what he designed and created you to be.  

God wants to bring you to life, to breath new life into you.  

To close out today I want to finish with these lyrics that we have all sung before,

“It’s your breath in our lungs.”  Do we believe that?  Or how about these ones from Lauren Daigle, “We call out to dry bones come alive.”  

We can all sing them at the top of our lungs in church but do we allow others around us to see that we have been brought to life by Jesus.  Are our lives showing that we are no longer that dead fish, but God has now put breath in our lungs.  Church, it’s time we COME ALIVE.  I hear it now the sound of “Dry bones rattling.”   

“He gave his son”

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JOHN 3:16, “FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD THAT HE GAVE HIS ONE AND ONLY SON, THAT WHOEVER WOULD BELIEVE IN HIM WOULD NOT PERISH, BUT HAVE ETERNAL LIFE.”

A verse many of us know and probably memorized growing up.  Have you really ever thought of the depth of it though.  (Honestly, I hadn’t until Eli was born, and the depth continued to intensify with the brith of each of our 4 kids.)  It was just another verse in Scripture that I would recite during a service or someone would speak on and I would go, “yeah I’ve heard this message before.”

This year though is different, as I think upon Easter and look back at pictures of Eli sleeping in my arms these few words make me want to break down.   Looking at his face, recognizing his innocence makes me realize how much I have taken God’s love for granted.  It feels like a major slap in the face from God as I try and process what this verse really means for you and me.  (I am going to ask you to let your emotions run a little bit now and maybe even shed some tears.  Let God stir your heart.)

A new translation of this verse keeps coming to my mind, “For God so loves the world, that he sacrificed His one and only.  For God so loves Josh, for God so loves Eli, for God so loves you.”

Could I personally give up Eli if it meant saving others?  If it meant saving the world?  I would like to think I would give up my own life for those I cherish, but I can’t imagine sacrificing my child.

In our country we have men and women who will sign up for our military knowing the sacrifice that may be required of them.  To give up our own lives many of us would say we would do it without a doubt.  “God, I will sign MY name on the dotted line, but to give up my kids, you don’t know what you’re asking.”  Can you imagine God asking of us to give up our child’s life to save our city, our church, others, strangers even.

I am truly struggling with this thought right now.  I know I care for others, I even love others, but I can’t fathom the depth of love it would take to offer any of my kids up for others.  To willingly watch them suffer, to see the pain in their face,  to see their blood shed.  I don’t think, actually if I’m going to be blunt, I know I couldn’t do it.

12374871_1098178626889792_5569784334676026566_oI can only imagine Eli crying out, “Daddy, this hurts.  Daddy, Help.  Daddy, if there is any other way, please.”  Yet, God in his infinite love for you and me, allowed Jesus, His son, to go through this agony.

Now my mind is racing thinking upon this thought of God’s love, the wheels are spinning in my mind, the smoke is pouring out from my brain as I consider this.   My thoughts now turn from God’s love to how much Jesus himself loves you and me.  The love he must have had, that He would willingly lay down his own life, out of submission to His Father’s plan.

JOHN 15:13, “GREATER LOVE HAS NO ONE THAN THIS, TO LAY DOWN HIS LIFE FOR HIS FRIENDS.”

That he would be the perfect example of the verse he shared with his disciples. The reality hits that Jesus didn’t just talk about this type of love that he had for others.  He didn’t just offer up some kind words and say,  “do as I say, not as I do.”  He actually lived it.  When he talked about laying down His life, it didn’t just sound good, he actually did it.  When he talked about forgiveness, he followed through, “Father, forgive them, they know not what they do.”

Jesus lived out what he taught.  He is the ultimate example.

I want to be the same way for my kids, I want to live out what I say.  I want to be an example of love.  I want to be an example of forgiveness.

This Easter take time and consider God’s love, Christ’s example, and what it means to you.  I know I personally will never celebrate Easter the same way again.

In closing there is a worship song out that we all have probably sung, “Oh how he loves us.”  Take a moment, think upon those words from the perspective of a DAD.

PLEASE PASS ON!

Grace Redefined…

August 4, 2017

I Prayed For This Child

March 27, 2017

In “Parenting and Faith, Easter”

Fearfully and Wonderfully made

April 14, 2017

In “Parenting and Faith, Easter”Tagged Children, Easter, faith, parenting

PUBLISHED BY FIREPROOF

I am the pastor at Crucified Church, but honestly and more importantly to me I am the husband to Lindsey and the father to Eli (8), Silas (6), and most recently our twin girls Elliston and Evans (3) . Without these 5 in my life, my ministry wouldn’t be where it is today and this blog would not exist.View all posts by Fireproof

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“I FORGOT”

Posted on by Fireproof

“Back up,” I say once again starting to raise my voice.  Honestly, next to I love you, those 2 words have to be the most quoted words in our home.  Our kids as soon as they turn the tv on are glued right up to it.  It is like a competition of who can be closest.  Followed by Lindsey going, “Eli, what am I about to say?”  With a shrug of the shoulders and the slow backwards walk he remarks, “I Forgot.”  No kidding this has to happen around 10 times a day with all 4 of our kids.  I can’t just pick on one of them for this story.  It is now at the point that we have downloaded an app onto our phones to act as a remote.  Without even saying a word after the third time telling them we just turn it off and take television away for a half hour.  Every so often we will get some  kickback which then turns into, “what are we going to have to do to make you remember” or “How many times must I tell you?”   To give you a glimpse into SIlas personality usually within 5 minutes will come over showing some remorse, looking up at me, saying, “I don’t know why, I just can’t remember Dad, I just forget.”  Maybe it isn’t TV that is an issue in your home, but how about brushing their teeth or feeding the pets. To all parents out there, you are not alone in having forgetful kids. The truth is even as adults we forget things way more than we’d like to admit.  

In writing this I have been completely convicted.  It is almost as if as I was writing God was showing me in real time how much I forget.  Linds gave me a list of 3 things to pick up at Walmart, even asking if I needed her to write it down.  Nope I think I got it babe, only 3 things.  Milk, Turkey Breast, toothpaste.  So here I am, start talking to someone of course, and totally forget the toothpaste.   After about 20 minutes of wandering and trying to remember I break down and call her, “Honey, what was it again?”  Then later that week we are at church listening to the announcements, thinking about certain things we should join in.  You think by the end of service I had any memory left of what it was, not a chance.  (Now get off my case, you know we all forget announcements at church).  See what I am saying though, we are all forgetful people.  

I bring all that up because I used to look at the story of the Israelites when God gave them the 10 commandments and wonder how they could be so dumb.  Literally these are the people who witnessed God part the Red Sea, send the plagues, provide quail and manna daily, lead them by a pillar of fire, and the list goes on.  Of all people you would think they would be grounded in their faith.  Now Moses comes off the mountain, declares the commandments, and they reply, “Whatever you say Lord we will do.”  Seems pretty straightforward until Moses goes back up the mountain.  How quickly the people forget, they couldn’t even remember command 1, “No other Gods before me.”  Instead they went to Aaron and asked him to create for them a god.  “WHAAAAAT?”  How quickly they forget!  

It becomes a theme throughout all of Scripture and humankind even to this day.  God moves, works, does miracles, answers prayers, and yet how quickly we forget.   When things aren’t going our way, we question if He is there.  When His answers aren’t coming fast enough to our prayers, we wonder if He hears us.  When we have a few rough days at work or look in the mirror too long we question if He still loves us, and I could go on and on.  

I would challenge you today, take a moment, and write down all that God has done for you.  Post it somewhere in your home as a reminder, like tying a string around your finger.  Remembering things, the ways that God has moved is something that is taught throughout the Bible.  In the Old Testament Joshua taught the people to set up monuments, David would write songs, while others would share them by word of mouth.  In the New Testament beyond those 3 things Jesus teaches us that in taking communion we are remembering His death, burial and resurrection leading to us having life.  Retrain your mind to remember and celebrate all that God has done for you and who He is in your life.  

“When your children ask you, ‘What are these stones to you?’ you’ll say, ‘The flow of the Jordan was stopped in front of the Chest of the Covenant of God as it crossed the Jordan—stopped in its tracks. These stones are a permanent memorial for the People of Israel.’”“

Joshua 4:6-7 MSG

“Remember this day.”  Exodus 13:3

”And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.”“

Luke 22:19

“You Stink!”

Posted on by Fireproof

“When was the last time you changed your socks?” Should be a pretty straightforward question right. Apparently not to a 6 and 8 year old. Of all the battles we have in our home, and with 4 kids there are quite a few, changing socks has to rank near the top. You know we get the standard arguments over not wanting to go to bed, who has control of the remote, even what they want to eat. I get that, not everyone wants to eat peas, and would rather have pizza everyday. Am I right? Come on now though, a meltdown over changing socks. So we press the question a bit. Here is a glimpse of the conversation.

“When was the last time you changed them?” The hesitation begins and then, “Maybe 2-3 days ago, followed by the I think.”
“But you bathed since then.”
“Yeah what’s your point dad.” Eli replies glaring back at me.
“And you put the same socks back on?” Lindsey chimes in shaking her head.
This is now followed by the confused, “I’m sorry, but why do we have to change our socks everyday?”

I am now fighting back many sarcastic remarks going through my mind and all I can do is start to laugh as I bluntly say to them, “because you stink.”

Now I would love to get on their case a little bit more about this. The truth is though as adults we can stink at times too. There will be days Linds will come home from work, walk in the door, and as I go to give her a kiss, she stops me and says “something stinks.” We start searching the house, is it the dogs, is it wet shoes what is it? After a few moments of searching, we circle back and realize the smell is coming from me. “Did you shower today?” Now I am beyond the point in life where I get embarrassed to easily so i just start laughing and go, “I ran out of time this morning, but I did use body spray, doesn’t that count?”

You may be wondering how this all ties into anything spiritual but I promise you it does. God has actually been working on my heart all week about it, so it is one of those messages that speaks to me as much as it may to you. It all started a few weeks back when my dad spoke a message entitled “Stinking thinking.” For some reason, God will not let that out of my mind and expanded it from stinkin thinkin to stinkin livin.

In John 8, Jesus forgives the adulterous woman. At the end of the story he says to her, “neither do I condemn you, now go and sin no more.” Many of us have memorized that story, we love that story, pointing out that their is forgiveness in Jesus. The downfall is that we skip the point where he tells us to repent, to change, to go and sin no more. Can you imagine with me the woman looking at Him and saying, “Thank you for forgiving me, but why do I have to change?” Not quite the story we read, yet somehow it is how many of us live. God calls us to change, to leave our life of sin, but instead we try to push the limit of what we can get away with. “Jesus, it is all I know, Jesus it is what everyone else is doing, Jesus, I’m not as bad as the next guy, why do I need to change?” I can picture Him then writing in the sand some more, “Because your sin stinks, I want to give you a pure heart, a clean heart, a changed life.”

Maybe a better analogy for you is the one of the body spray. Where we know we’ve been changed but we allow certain areas to just linger in our lives. We know it is still there but when it comes to others we try to hide it. We think if no one else knows, does it really count, does it really still stink? As long as no one knows I talked about them behind their back, cheated the system, or looked at certain things. I can just cover it up with some body spray to make myself smell better on the outside right. Jesus addresses that very bluntly also.

Matthew 23:27-28 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.

Talk about a stench. So how are we supposed to live then?

Ephesians 4: 22-23  “You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.”

Are you seeking God daily and allowing Him to convict you of areas that an odor to them? This is a lifelong process becoming like Him. It isn’t a snap of the fingers, wake up one day and everything is perfect. It is a daily surrender, allowing God to work in your life changing you from the inside out.

“JESUS, I BELIEVE IN YOU.”

Posted on by Fireproof

As I have shared previously, our family hot tub has turned into my prayer closet. Those moments of sitting out there at night once the kids have gone to sleep, have become invaluable. Even if it is just a couple minutes of silence from our world of chaos and noise. Recently that has changed a little bit though. With the temperatures changing and it getting colder out, all our kids have taken to it as their swimming pool. Now it seems a few nights a week, one of the girls will say as clear as can be, “hot tub, hot tub.” So who can turn down that family time right?

At first I was honestly frustrated, arguing with God, “but that is my time.” (Talk about being selfish). Honestly it turns into a comedy hour. Seriously, I encourage you now to picture yourself in this scene. All of us jammed into a 4 person inflatable hot tub, with not much room to spare. Eli trying to swim laps under everyone else’s legs, Silas acting like he is falling off the side to see how big of splash he can make. The twins learning to get their head under the water or to hold on the side while kicking their feet. Let’s just say a lot of laughter and joy takes places in these precious few moments.

Anyway, I share all that because last week I was explaining to them about it being my prayer closet; my moments to just sit and talk to Jesus. Silas then asked me if he could talk to Jesus like that. “Absolutely bud. What would you want to say to him?” His answer truly caught me off guard. “Dad, I think I would just say, Jesus I believe in you.” I really didn’t know how to respond. “Is that all you’d say or ask?” His eyes started looking around and you could tell his mind was searching, then simply, “yep, that’s all I’d say, I believe in you.”

So simple, yet so profound. What if our faith as adults was just that simple. Instead of overthinking or trying to explain everything. Instead of thinking we need magic words or long drawn out prayers. Just a simple, “Jesus, I believe in you.”

Moments like that make me truly grateful for little kids and their simple minds. I am learning to embrace the everyday conversations where God continues to teach me through my kids. Faith through the eyes of a child. Maybe that is what God will teach me more of in 2024, to have faith like a child, what about you?

“Then he said, “I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven. So anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.”

Matthew 18:3-4 NLT

“More than a number”

Posted on by Fireproof

7.8 billion people in the world today. It’s hard to fathom or even comprehend just how vast that number is. You ever take a moment to think about it? Start counting. At a rate of one number per second, it would take approximately 31 years, 251 days, 7 hours, 46 minutes and 40 seconds of counting nonstop to just reach 1 billion. That’s crazy. Now imagine that being the number of people in the world. Can you picture them all as children at one moment. Lindsey and I have a hard time with 4… now imagine from God’s perspective.

This past week my sister in law Kayla met the twins for the first time. Her first question, how do you tell them apart. Being identical, honestly it’s challenging. “Well, Ellie has a more pointed ear and Evie has more of a birthmark over her left eye. That’s about it.” Then we laugh and tell her at times you can’t tell.

I feel horrible admitting to that, but it’s the truth. If the lighting in the room is dim, you seriously cannot tell. I remember always joking with my dad because he couldn’t would mix up at times Travis and I. Or he would call us trosh. (And we don’t look at all alike.

It’s really had me thinking though about God’s perspective on 7 billion people in the world. Do I matter. Does he hear my prayers. How can he tell my voice apart from others. It made me all the more grateful for the passages in Scripture that tell me he knows me by name, he has a plan for me, and that I am His child.

“O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me. You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my thoughts even when I’m far away… You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭139:1-2, 13-14‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.”
‭‭John‬ ‭1:12‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Truth. I am a child of God. You are a child of God. Jesus died for you personally. Not just a number or a statistic. He knows you. Every detail about you. He created you as His masterpiece. how incredible is that. You are more.

Years back Kutless wrote a song that captures this thought called Sea of Faces.

And In Your eyes I can see
And in Your arms I will be
I am not just a man, vastly lost in this world
Lost in a Sea of Faces
Your body’s the bread, Your blood is the wine
Because you traded Your life for mine

You are more, and Jesus traded His life for you. So if today you feel that no one cares, no one notices, no one is listening, cling to the truth that you have a Heavenly Father who knows you and loves you.

MELTDOWNS

Posted on by Fireproof

If you have kids, you understand what I mean when I say the word meltdown.  The uncontrollable crying, whining, kicking and screaming.  And the more you try to talk and reason as a parent, the worse it seems to get.  This past week Eli has been dealing with allergies and Silas has been battling a cold.  Both we have found are triggers for meltdowns.  Whether it is due to lack of sleep, just not feeling good, or for Silas just not understanding why he keeps hacking it has led to a complete personality change for our kids a d a bunch of whining.

The littlest things will now set them off.  Being out of chocolate milk,  asking them to take one more bite of food or it being cut the wrong way for their liking, and who knows what else. This morning it was Eli’s hoodie being dirty and in the wash from him playing in the mud yesterday. Honestly the shirt straight up smelled.  It had to be washed.  You would have thought the world was ending.  He no longer wanted to go to school, instead he kept hiding under the stroller screaming and crying over the situation.  

As a parent I have to keep reminding myself he doesn’t feel good, and doesn’t necessarily understand all that is going on.   That it is only for a few days, that his energy will return, and life will get back to normal.  Silas just keeps saying, “daddy, I don’t want to cough anymore. I know buddy, and it will get better.  I promise.

This week has me thinking a lot about our meltdowns with God.  When we can’t understand the whole situation.  When things don’t go quite the way we think they should.  We look at our kids throwing a tantrum or having a meltdown (as we want to pull our hair out) but figuratively we do the same thing.  Yelling, screaming, hiding, not wanting to talk to God in those moments.  

I can only imagine Him reminding himself that we are just human and not seeing the whole picture.  What sets us off as humans, we get totally overwhelmed with. God is saying I got it here in the palm of my hand.  It’s okay.  Trust me.  But we only see the moment, the thing that set us off.  The “sweatshirt” not being washed that we have turned into a mountain thinking it’s the end of the world.  

How hard is it for us to remember these words from Paul when we are going through our “crisis?”

For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

Is there something in your life right now that has become your trigger for a meltdown?  In those moments, do you hear God’s voice trying to calm you and reason with you, or are you only seeing your logic in that moment?  

“Classic Eli meltdown moment”

DO NOT FEAR

Posted on by Fireproof

So recently as our family grew to 4, I built the boys bunk beds.  Eli was super excited and couldn’t wait to have the top bunk.  Even before I got the mattress in place he would climb the ladder and proceed to launch himself off the top onto the mattress below.  Screaming with joy he convinced Silas to try it also.  Next thing you know our 3 year old is also climbing.  The only difference when Silas reached the top, the threshold of having to step over the edge he froze. You could see the fear take over. And just like that Eli jumped into action, climbing up behind him.  Reaching him he started saying to Silas, “it’s okay buddy, God’s got this, you have nothing to fear,” as he patted him on the back.

All I could do was smile picturing Silas flipping over the top.  I was gonna correct him that maybe that’s not quite what God meant in saying, “do not fear.” But then I just kept thinking about the simple concept of faith like a child and that is what he can grasp right now.  

It was definitely a proud moment realizing that thing are starting to sink in,  he is hearing us.  (At times haha). 

But then it got me thinking what if we as adults had that simple grasp of faith also when fear starts to consume us.  Like Jesus patting us on the back saying, “it’s okay, I got this.”  How many of our fears would be alleviated if we understood that God himself is truly with us as we face life.  We can trust the king of kings with our everyday fears.  Nothing we are going through is beyond our Savior.  

“This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.””

‭‭Joshua‬ ‭1:9

“Told ya so”

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“ I told ya so dad.” A statement I remember making as a kid to my pops. How can Eli and Silas be that age already, that they are saying it to me. Where has time gone? Yet here they are starting to say it and having to show me how to do things. What? They are 3 and 5, this should not be happening yet. Yes it may be over random things like working the tv or where there snacks are, but still there is something to them saying, “told ya so.” Like I should have just known it as a matter of fact. Then there is the flip side of it. When I tell Eli and Silas something and they are blown away when something happens just as I said it would. Like daddy is a genius. (Maybe just in my mind.).

It got me thinking about Jesus and the disciples. With Jesus being the dad teaching his kids (the disciples). Think about the scene right after the resurrection when Mary and Mary went to the tomb and the angel spoke, He isn’t here, he is risen, “Just as he said he would.” Can you imagine Jesus sitting in the distance, laughing, going, “told ya so.” Then appearing to the disciples. When they were in shock, going there is no way possible. Jesus going, “I told ya so. Why does this shock you?”

To reiterate the point Jesus had this type of engagement with the disciples multiple times throughout His 3 years of ministry.

Think with me about the raising of Jairus duaghter, The commotion, the wailing, a dead daughter, and Jesus saying don’t worry, just believe. I dont know about you that would be tough. “Jesus, I’ve seen you do incredible things, but medically wise, she’s flatlined. Jesus I want to believe but this is crazy.” Then he goes in the room and tells her to stand up. I can only imagine Jesus in that moment looking around, especially at those who were laughing, going “told ya so.”

Proving himself over and over. That we can take him for his word. I want to believe that. I want my kids to believe that when I tell them something. Where I told ya so isn’t a bad thing, but a trust being built.

As believers most of us can quote Romans 8:28, and we want to believe that “all” things work together for the good. But if we are honest, many would say, “God, I know you said all things, but somehow you missed on 2020.” We being to question and start basing our God relationship on Earhtly relationships where we have been let down. We can’t see the big picture, but I know without a doubt because of Scripture and Jesus proving himself time and again, He is going right now, “told ya so, I’m still God, I’m still in control.”

One final thought for ya with this ideas in mind. Think about the end, when every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord. How many at that time will be in shock. Even though Jesus told us it will happen. Scripture is clear, in the end God wins. Can you imagine him looking out over the masses smiling, going “told ya so.’

Take comfort in that. Just as my kids can take comfort in my words when they get scared or when they are confused. They can know that daddy is there.

Jesus is with you. Just believe!

Judgement, Discipline, Love

Posted on by Fireproof

Over the last few weeks being at home with the boys, discipline has become part of our daily lives.  It could be fighting over the same car, throwing things at each other, hitting, you name it, we have faced it during this time.  So it also means the timeout chair and being sent to their rooms has been happening.  Does it mean the boys agree with me?   Yeah right.  Do they kick and scream? Absolutely!  But as their parents Lindsey and I are learning that this is part of what God is calling us to.  Is it enjoyable for us?  Heck no.  It would be a whole lot easier to just let them stay up at night or not eat their dinner.  Do you remember the old phrase all our parents use to say, “This is going to hurt me more than it hurts you.”  But we are called to be the parents, not just being another friend to our kids.  They may not understand it now, but it is what is needed.  As Timothy says in Scripture we must manage our own household well.  Part of that is discipline.  But it also means explaining to them that we are doing it out of God’s love and that we want what is best for them.

88B110FE-50C9-4822-B7BA-DC52A492B50ENow the problem comes in with how the world now sees discipline.  None of us like the word discipline.  Part of that is because we hate being honest when we screw up.  So we call it “judgment” when we are guilty.  We have all heard it, especially within church.  “Why you judging me?”  Can you imagine Eli or Silas saying that to me as they are getting sent to timeout.  Eli may have just been caught red handed but yet he still tries to blame Silas.   It isn’t something he had to be taught, it is part of our sinful nature.  This isn’t something new, but goes back to the beginning of time, to the garden of Eden.  In Genesis 3, Adam blames Eve, then Eve blames the serpent.  We see it still in today’s world.  To come up with an excuse or play the blame game. Can you imagine Adam saying to God, “Why you judging me, God I am going to go to a different garden where they just accept my sin.”  So when it comes to my boys, I am not judging them, I am trying to teach them.  The same is true as my role as a pastor.  When someone calls me drunk out of their mind, I am not judging them, I am trying to speak truth.  When I continue to meet with someone about their marriage failing, yet week in and week out they tell me of their porn issues.  I am not judging them, I am trying to lead them,.

As a parent and as a pastor, part of my role is to lead.  If I see one of my boys driving off a cliff, figuratively speaking, you better believe there is going to be discipline.  That is part of my God-given responsibility.  Same is true as my role as a pastor.  If someone in my flock is making decisions that is blatantly sin, then it is my responsibility to speak up.  I can’t just sit by and watch.  I am responsible.  Think of it this way, as a pastor my boss is God himself, I answer to Him for those who follow after me.  Can you imagine me saying to Him that I had a few drive off the cliff because I was worried how they’d respond, and Him looking at me and saying, “they were your responsibility.”

Now please hear me in saying this.  I need people in my life who are willing to point out my own shortcomings.  Is it fun to sit and hear areas that I need to work on, or hear of sin in my life that I have been trying to hide or ignore?  Heck no!  In all reality, those conversations hurt, but many times, they are the ones most needed.  We all need people in our lives who are willing to speak up.  So I ask you now, do you have someone like that.  Just like Eli and Silas, we need others who will lead us.   I loves my boys to much to just sit by and watch, but it has to be done in love with a teaching spirit.

“He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him, and he must do so in a manner worthy of full respect.”
‭‭1 Timothy‬ ‭3:4‬ ‭

“That’s My Boy!”

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There are moments as a parent that just bring extreme pride and joy.  Where your kids do something and you cant help but smile as the excitement takes over.  Moments where you just want to scream and shout, “That’s my boy!”  You know the moments I am talking about, like scoring the winning touchdown, riding his snowboard for the first time or getting that game winning hit, right?  The big moments!  As parents though we are learning it is the little things in life that many times we don’t even think about that can bring these emotions.  Recently it was Silas peeing on the pot for the first time.  He was so excited as he sat there just smiling away and couldn’t wait to give me a high five.  In his mind he had just counquered the world.  For Eli it is learning to jump off things higher and higher.  Now I know for some parents that might seem like a scary idea, but it is what he loves to do.  He will look at me, tell me to move back and then wait for the countdown.  “Ready, set, rev your engines,” as his arms go up in the air like he is riding a motorcycle, “Goooo!”  Then he takes off in a run towards the hillside and launches off into my arms.  “Bungakowa.”  He screams.  (He has it a little backwards still). Such a moment of thrill and excitement.  As I swing him in the air, and then set him down, you can see the joy as he jumps for a high five and again I yell, “That’s my boy.”

Some people might think I am nuts, but I truly believe in positive reinforcement with our two boys.  Lettting them know how much the little things in life mean to Lindsey and I.  Whether it is getting their colors right, learning new words, using a slide, etc… it truly is about the little things.  We want them to know how much they mean to us, each and every day.  Do they have their moment where they disappoint or frustrate us?  Oh yeah, of course they do, but I dont eve want our kids to think that we don’t find joy in them.

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Just hangin out, swinging on a log.

So the other night, as I was putting Eli to bed, praying over him, thinking back over the day and the things he had done, God hit me with this.  That same feeling you have towards your boys, I have towards you.  That same thought of, “That’s my boy,” is the same way I see you my child.  I couldn’t help but smile.  The reality and truth that I have been accepted and adopted into God’s family is a game changer.  Think about it.  God screaming and shouting over me and you.  “That’s my boy,” or “Thatta girl.”  Can you just imagine?  The creator, God himself, looking down on you, as his child.  If that can’t get you excited you better check your pulse.  Are you breathing, or is this just another moment of ho hum, yeah I heard this before.  Please take a moment and truly understand that you are God’s adopted!  God’s child!

“For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “ Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭8:14-16‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“Daddy.”  You can cry out to him, saying, “ABBA, Daddy.”  That is personal!  And that is how God sees you who have put your trust in Him.  Check it out in the Message version and I will let that speak for itself to finish out today’s post.  Take a moment and just cry out to Him.  `

“This resurrection life you received from God is not a timid, grave-tending life. It’s adventurously expectant, greeting God with a childlike “What’s next, Papa?” God’s Spirit touches our spirits and confirms who we really are. We know who he is, and we know who we are: Father and children. And we know we are going to get what’s coming to us—an unbelievable inheritance! We go through exactly what Christ goes through. If we go through the hard times with him, then we’re certainly going to go through the good times with him!”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭8:15-17‬ ‭MSG‬‬

“To speak the truth”

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Exodus 20:13, “Thou shall not lie.”

Tell me the truth.  Be honest, don’t lie to me.  Tell me what really happened.  These have become common phrases in our house recently.  As Eli gets older and his reasoning and vocabulary becomes stronger we are starting to deal with an issue I believe every parent does, lying.  Isn’t it crazy that of all things that need to be taught to a child, lying is something they just know.  We dont need to show them how to do it or teach them what a white lie is, they just pick it up.  The truth is if it isn’t handeled correctly or dealt with appropriately early on it just seems to get worse.

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One of the faces Eli makes when you kinda wonder if he is telling the truth or not.

So the other day I was playing in the garage with Silas as he raced down his track on the his Lightning McQueen car.  As he’s going all out no hands full speed ahead for him, I hear Eli start running towards me.  “Daddy, Daddy come quick there is something wrong with the hose.”  In my mind I am thinking that maybe he just loosened it and it was leaking or that the nozzle got stuck on.  As we approached though I noticed it spraying out the side all over the house.  So I ask him, “Eli what happened?”  His response without even flinching, “Silas did it.”  Knowing that Silas was with me I was intreigued to see where this was going.  “Silas did what bud?”  He then looked at me, held out his hand to show me a nail.  “Silas put a nail through the hose, Dad.”  At that moment I started getting frustrated.  “Eli, tell me the truth.”  Knowing our 2 year old Silas could not put a nail through the hose I started asking again.  “Please be honest Eli.”  This time he changed his response.  “It must have been mommy, yeah it was mommy.”    Now  so you know Lindsey was still at work at this point.  “Eli, You still aren’t telling me the truth.  I think we need to go to timeout for a little bit to think about what happened.”  With that his face dropped, and he just mumbled, “It was me, how long do I have to sit for?”

At first I started thinking to myself how could he just lie to us like that. Then I started thinking how often do we lie to get ourselves out of a jam, or to diffuse a situation. How often do we just not say anything hoping someone else will never find out. I had my own personal incident the very next day. I was working on our front foyer putting down flooring. While on the front porch cutting the tile the jigsaw jumped on me, knicking the side of my thumb and then Linds new metal chairs. My first thought and I am ashamed to say was to move the chair to the back and cover it up, hoping that she would never see it. Yet as I thought about it I couldn’t help but think about the incident with Eli just days before. How could I have that thought? Why would I try to deceive her? I need to just be honest. Guess what, she forgave me. Yes she was frustrated at first, but accidents happen and forgiveness takes place. Honesty, confession, forgiveness. I believe are all three foundational words in marriage and in parenting. These are all words we want both our boys to learn.

It was definitely a learning moment in our house.  Not only for the boys, but also for Lindsey and I.  It challenged us to think about the times in marriage when truth must be spoken, even if it might hurt.   It challenged us to open our mouths to speak even if it is easier to remain silent.  It also taught us about our faith.  To confess before God.  It’s not like He doesn’t know already.  How freeing is it though to get hints off your chest that maybe you have been trying to hide or conceal?  There is a peace that comes from being open and honest.  May there be consequences, absolutely, but there is freedom with a clear conscience.

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”
‭‭1 John‬ ‭1:9‬ ‭NIV‬‬

You’ve Got Mail!!!

Posted on by Fireproof

Anyone else remember the excitement those three words used to bring when you would open up AOL and hear the ding, and then the monotone voice, “you’ve got mail.”  There was something about it.  Thinking back, I am not sure if it was the excitement of mail or the reality that you were finally connected after waiting for what seemed like an eternity to actually connect after all the random noises the dialup connection used to make.  Maybe it was mail from your girlfriend, or a happy birthday message or someone who was new to email just saying hi and testing it out.  Either way there was a thrill to it.

How about when it was near your birthday and you would run to the mailbox to see if you got your long awaited card from your grandparents.  Inside you knew it contained just enough money to go get that new lego set from Toys R Us.  Oh the anticipation, the joy in getting mail.  Nowadays even the post office sends you an email telling you what is coming in your actual mail that afternoon.  Kinda ironic right.  An email to show you an image of your real mail.  You see the package you have been waiting for that you ordered offline.  You know it is coming that day, but then it seems like the hours drag on as you wait.  Yet still the excitement for when you get home.

I say all this because Eli is the same way.  At 3 years old he loves going to the mailbox with me each day to see what’s there.  Some days he will be like, “Just Junk dad.”  Others he will get all excited, “Wow that’s a lot of mail dad.”  He doesnt realize most of it is still just junk or bills, he just knows that we received something.  So Lindsey and I decided the other day, because of his excitement and thrill of mail that we would surprise him.  We went to Walmart, picked out a couple cards and then wrote personal notes of how much we loved them for our 2 boys.

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Here are their 2 cards now proudly displayed on our counter.

The excitement it brought to him was incredible.  When he opened the mailbox and saw his name on the envelope. “What’s it say bud?”  With joy in his face he started screaming, “Eli, it says Eli.”  And what about the other one?  “Silas got one to.”  And then before even opening them, he took off running towards Linds.  “Mommy, mommy, I got mail.”  It was totally worth the few bucks spent at walmart to give him that moment of joy and now cards they can hold onto.  A simple reminder of our live.

Now thinking about this the last couple days makes me wonder if we get the same thrill and joy from opening God’s word.  Each and every morning we have the opportunity to receive a message from God himself.  A message of Him whispering, “ I love you” straight to your soul.  He wants to speak with us, and to us.  Would it bring us more thrill if maybe He made the noise of a bell before it and a deep audible voice saying you’ve got mail?  Maybe if he sent it in a letter with postage on the front?  How about in a package sitting in front of our door for when we get home?  Would we have that same passion and anticipation or have we allowed God’s Holy word to just become part of our schedule, even mundane in our lives?  What if we still had the thrill like Eli did saying, “Mommy, Mommy, God spoke with me today.”  It might seem a little crazy to think about, but again is this what Jesus meant when he said to have faith like a child?  A simple joy and excitement.  God’s word can truly be like receiving mail each day.  When you spend time in it and allow the Spirit to have a chance to speak, you might be surprised with what He has to say.

But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
And in His law he meditates day and night.- Psalms 1:2

Is there a joy, an excitement, a passion for His word?  God wants to speak to you, to pour into you, to send you a message.  Are you ready to listen?

 

 

“Daddy, Pay attention”

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This morning was a learning moment for me.   Honestly, as I sit and write this I am ashamed of how I handled the moment.  So after Lindsey leaves every morning for work I usually have about an hour with our two boys before my parents or her parents pick them up and I head to work myself.  Today was no different. She had just left, and Eli and Silas were watching their Mickey Mourse Clubhouse.  As it ended, Eli asked me to go play trains.   “Of  course buddy.”  Hearing that, Silas grabbed my hand and started pulling me towards their toy room.  So here we are all three of us getting the trains out, with Eli dividing them up evenly between them. (Well as close to even as a 4 year old understands, he had 6 traincars and Silas had 4). But they were both content so that is more what mattered.

After about 5 minutes or so, I started to notice my phone going off in my pocket.  So of course, I gotta check it right.  It could be important I justified in my head.  It was ESPN telling me that Major Leauge Baseball had decided to actually play a game next year at the “field of dreams” in Iowa.  I gotta click on it, this sounds kinda interesting.  Here I am lost in the article, when next thing you know though Eli is in the back trying to get my attention.  “Daddy, Pay attention, My train is on fire and you have the fire truck.”  (Make believe of course).  “I’m sorry bud.”  Telling myself it wont happen again.  And then he goes, “daddy there could have been an expwosion and you weren’t watching.”  So here we keep playing some more but then of course my phone goes off again.  You would have thought I had learned the first time, but nope of course not.  Email this time from the post office letting me know what is coming in the mail today.  So important right.   This time I hear Silas screaming. As I look up I notice that Eli has taken all the trains from him.  Yet again I was to distracted to notice.

 

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Now I would love to tell you that was the end of it, but it happened twice more.  An unimportant phone call and then facebook telling me about notifications.  All my boys wanted was some time to play with daddy yet I let my mind be distracted.  After the fourth time I finally learned and set my phone in the living room, knowing I only had so much time with them before they’d be picked up.  I would love to say that I have learned my lesson but how many of us do the same thing.  Allow distractions to take away from precious moments.   Whether it is time with our kids, a date night with our wives, a night out with friends.   Do we know how to engage anymore, or are we consumed and distracted?

“Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.” James 4:8

Spiritually speaking, how often are we the same way.  God desiring time with us.  Wanting to speak to us, teach us, pour into us, and yet we are just to distracted.  He is trying to whisper to us and yet we have so much other noise that we can’t hear him.  Have we lost what it means to just be in his presence.  James tell us that He will draw near to us, but are we ready to take the moment to draw near to Him.  We say we crave him, we desire him, we want to know hime more.  Are we willing to set aside the phone, the noise, the distractions.  What if God is trying to get our attention saying to us like Eli did this morning, “Pay attention.”  But instead of screaming like my boys, His voice is just a whisper, not the screaming and shouting forcing our attention.  He is just waiting for us to be intimate enough that we can hear that still, small voice.

“After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.” I Kings 19:12

My boys were craving that time with me, what if today God is craving that time with you?  Let me finish with this thought.  Can you imagine at the end of your life God saying to you, I had so much to teach you, to share with you, but you were just to distracted.

In His Image

Posted on by Fireproof

 

It’s been a while since I have written or posted anything, and during this time our boys have grown like crazy.  Eli is now 3 and a half years old, and Silas is over 1 and a half.  Where has the time gone?  It is like we blinked and now they are both full speed ahead.  As I sit here this morning and think about both of them, I can’t help but notice the differences in them.  And I praise God for each of them being their own unique creations.

Let me explain.  Eli hardly eats anything, Silas will try everything.  Eli is scared of loud sounds, Silas seems to love noise and making as much sound as he possibly can,  Eli is skin and bones, while Silas is going to be more of our bruiser.   Eli is more of an intorvert, while Silas seems to be are outgoing one.

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Even at this young age you can see the complete differences in them.  Lindsey and I will both laugh at times as we talk about them and joke with each other saying, “Oh he definitely got that trait from you.”  As we watch our kids grow we truly can see each of us in both of them.

“So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.”
‭‭Genesis‬ ‭1:27‬ ‭NIV

For some reason this morning though it has me thinking about how unique every single person who has breath in their lungs goes back to the image of God.  All unique, with all our own chracateristics, yet all in his image.  So I have to ask this question?  If we believe we are made in the image of God, why do we try and conform to the image of everyone else.  God made you different, be different.  Embrace your uniqueness.  Celebrate the qualties He has given you.  Be you.  There is no one else like you.  Check out this verse.

“He brought us to life using the true Word, showing us off as the crown of all his creatures.”  James‬ ‭1:16-18‬ MSG‬‬

In my simple mind, my simple translation I read this.  Each of my kids, my wife, me, and yes even every single one of you reading this, are God’s masterpiece.  The crown of all his creatures.  Did you catch that?  I believe He broke the mold with every single person.  Each of us has his characteristics.  All the same, made in His image, yet all different.  Unique.  Individual.  Perfect.  Will you embrace that?  When you look in the mirror, do you celebrate who God has made you to be?  David celebrated this is Psalms 139 and I will finish my thought with these words.

“Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out; you formed me in my mother’s womb. I thank you, High God—you’re breathtaking! Body and soul, I am marvelously made! I worship in adoration—what a creation! You know me inside and out, you know every bone in my body; You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit, how I was sculpted from nothing into something. Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth; all the stages of my life were spread out before you, The days of my life all prepared before I’d even lived one day.”  ‭‭Psalm‬ ‭139:13-16‬ ‭MSG‬‬

 

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“I know more than you”

Posted on by Fireproof

So a new trend has started in our house recently.  Ever since Eli has turned the good ole age of 3, he thinks he knows everything and that he is smarter than you.  Whether it is in the car while driving or at the house while doing renovations, he loves to give his opinion and tell you in his limited vocabulary what is on his mind.  With doing the work around the house, he loves to pick up the screw gun and tell me how I should be using it. Or when I go to make a cut, somehow he has an opinion about it.

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The thing that I think cracks me up the most though is in the car.  He is by all definition, a backseat driver.  The light turns red, so I stop.  Automatically without missing a beat, I hear in the background, “Daddy, Go!”  So I try and explain to him about the light being red, which means to stop.  “But I don’t want to stop, I want you to go.”  Yeah, trying to reason with a three year old works real good.  Like when he thinks he knows where we are going or when he wants to go somewhere different.  “Turn here, I want to go there, You’re going the wrong way, and the list goes on.”  All I can say is that he is a pistol.

Now what if we listened to his 3 year old wisdom and did everything his way.  Absurd right.  Who knows where we’d end up or how the work would get done.  While driving the other day though is truly got me thinking about this idea.  We would all say that we would be nuts to listen to a 3 year olds advice, like when he doesn’t want to go to bed.  “You’re right lil man I’ll take your 3 years of knowledge over my 35 years of living.”

In reality though, how often do we do the same exact thing with God.  Trying to tell Him how we think things should be done or bartering with him claiming we know more.  Maybe there are times we need to keep our mouth shut and listen to His ways instead of thinking our years of living outweigh His knowledge.  It reminds me of the scene in Job where God respond to Job’s questioning.  Follow this thought real quick.

“Then the Lord answered Job from the whirlwind: “Who is this that questions my wisdom with such ignorant words? Brace yourself like a man, because I have some questions for you, and you must answer them. “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell me, if you know so much. Who determined its dimensions and stretched out the surveying line? What supports its foundations, and who laid its cornerstone”
‭‭Job‬ ‭38:1-6

Kinda absurd to think about right.  How often do we really think we know how things should be done, more than God himself.  So I guess in closing I’ll say this, ARE YOU FOLLOWING CHRIST OR YOU TRYING TO TELL HIM TO FOLLOW YOU?

“Jesus was fully human”

Posted on by Fireproof

So the other morning, right after Lindsey left for work as I was getting the boys ready, God revealed himself to me in a completely new way.  To be honest it was in a way that I have never thought of before.  While Silas was walking across the floor, I caught Eli running up right behind him, bear hugging him and then falling down backwards taking Silas with him.  And so it began.  Silas burst out laughing and I mean like all out hyaena laughs, as deep as belly laughs as I have ever heard a baby have.  Now you might be thinking at this point as a good dad I should intervene but honestly all I could do was stand there laughing myself.  Then Silas would get back up, and Eli would pull him back down.  This time though Silas landed right on top of him, rolled over and seemed to pin him.  Here was our 1 year old fighting back.  I really wanted to get down and pul the old www, !., 2, 3, Ding, Ding, Ding.  I think we might have 2 wrestlers on our hands.  But then it turned and the fun was over Eli got Silas pinned down and the laughing started to turn to a whimper.

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You know me though, as my day went on I started thinking about the reality that Jesus himself had a brother, James.  In my mind I started thinking about Joseph standing over Jesus and James as they went at it as kids.  Can you imagine Mary looking at Joseoph and saying to him, “I thought we were raising the Son of God?”  And Joseph replying by saying, “He is, remember what the angel said, but that doesnt’t mean he’s not still a kid.” I can only imagine the fights between the boys, the disagreements that took place, the tears that were shed, and the discipline that had to be dished out.    How about the time when Jesus wandered off from his parents and He stayed at the temple while Mary and Joseph searched for him.  Think there might have been some belts being cracked that day?

Luke 2: 43 After the festival was over, while his parents were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but they were unaware of it.

Maybe you haven’t thought to much about this before, but please if you get anything from this, remember that Jesus truly was fully human.  He left the comforts of heaven, humbled himself, took on the form of a man, was born in a manger and lived and breathed just like you and me.  So next time you think to yourself and shake your fist to the sky saying, “God you don’t know what I am going through,” remember that he does.  When you say, “You dont know what it’s like to be betrayed,” He is saying, “I had everyone turn there back on me.”  When you are saying, “You don’t know how hard it is to forgive that person, He is saying, “How hard do you think it was for me to forgive the soldiers who nailed me to the cross.  When you are thinking, “You don’t know the temptation I am going through, he reminds you of his time in the desert being tempered directly by Satan himself.  You seeing my point yet?

Phillipians 2:6-7 Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form.

What a way to start my day.  Thank you Jesus for the simple reminder that you were fully hunan, yet fully God at the same time.  Thank You God for my two boys who give me that simple reminder.

I saw Santa!

Posted on by Fireproof

As I got home Wednesday night from a meeting Eli came running up to me, “Daddy, I saw Santa, he was riding on a fire truck.”  There was such excitement in his voice as he told me all about it.  Honestly I’m noit sure if he was more excited about Santa ore about the firetruck.  Either way it was incredible seeing his joy and excitement.

2 hours before that, Lindsey had called me and told me to keep a lookout for the jolly big man.  She was just leaving work, and I was at home already making dinner with the boys, so she wanted to make sure we didnt miss it.  So we started watching out the front window.  Pulling up the blinds in anticipation seeing if every truck that went by was Santa.  Talk about a bunch of false alarms.  I think we saw more big rigs go by our house that hour than we normally do in a full week.  We even saw three fire trucks go by on their way to a call.  Explain that to a 3 year old.  So after an hour or so of watching, Linds was now home and I had to leaver disappointed that I would miss seeing the boy’s faces when Santa came by.

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We have learned you can’t keep ornaments within reach.

While driving to my meeting it got me thinking.  What if we had the same anticipation of Jesus coming back that kids do for Santa coming.  What if we lived in such a way as if He was coming back tomorrow?  The joy, the excitement, knowing that our Savior was returning.  Because the truth is Scripture tells us time and again that Jesus is returning.  The only difference is for a kid they know Santa is coming December 25th each year and we teach them to “be good” because Santa is watching.  What if we took this same mindset of God is watching and He is calling us to live holy lives know that Jesus is going to return.  In church many times we can talk about the idea of Jesus returning as just an afterthought, like oh yeah it will happen one day.  But what if Jesus returned tomorrow?  Have we lived with urgency to tell others of His ultimate return?   I remember a few years back there was a song, “I wish we’d all been ready”  and it talked about this very idea.  Being prepared because his return is a guarantee.  A PROMISE!

“Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left. “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.” (Matthew 24:40-44)

We teach our kids to be ready for Santa.  What if we started living and teaching the same thing about Jesus return.  To be ready and to share with others as if Jesus were coming back tomorrow.  That next morning I was totally convicted as I read this.

“Peter saw his opportunity and addressed the crowd.”
‭‭(Acts‬ ‭3:12‬ )

This is a verse I have read time and time again, but this time it hit me.  We need to seize the opportunities God gives us to share, to love, to serve, and to live as if Jesus is coming back at any moment.  That thought shouldn’t scare you, but should excite and motivate you, like a child waiting for Santa.  Just some thoughts coming from a convicted heart who wants to make the most of every opportunity living this adventure we call life.

 

 

“Family is my ministry”

Posted on by Fireproof

So a little bit over a week ago I got to spend four days in Colorado for the national Skiers and Snowboarders for Christ Conference, otherwise known as SFC.   What an incredibly challenging, convicting, encouraging and beautiful week.  I had the opportunity to hear some unbelievable speakers including Brian Sumner bring the Word of God passionately.  I had the chance to meet with 180 other believers from around the globe who all have the same heart to share Jesus name on the slopes.  I got to meet with 11 others from the midatlantic area who my wife and I have the privilege to lead and disciple.  Such a blessing this group truly is and I cannot wait to see what God has in store for this season.

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180 of us gathered to be the light!

It truly was a week I will never forget as I came home a changed man.

Yet here is what I want to share with you today.  I was coming home last Sunday night, exhausted from over 17 hours of traveling including black ice, slow traffic, and then running through the airport to catch my next flight.  Needless to say I was looking forward to sleep in my own bed.  The crazy thing happened though as I got to the door.   That exhaustion feeling seemed to dissipate as Eli came running, “daddy’s home, daddy’s home!”  As I picked him up, gave Lindsey a kiss, a reality struck me loud and clear.  My family is my first ministry!  Even though when I went to pick Silas up he screamed like crazy, I know that these 3 are the one’s that God has placed in my life.  I want to live a life that shows that.  I want my boys to know what it means to have a dad who loves and serves Jesus first and is an example.  I want my wife to know that she is a priority and that I am here to lead her.  Above all else they have to be first in my life next to my love for Christ.

If a man cannot be a good leader in his own home, how can he lead the church?

-1 Timothy 3:5

Then Monday morning came around.  The list of things I needed to catch up on seemed absurd.  How was I ever going to get everything done?  Work, ministry, renovations, you name it.  Yet in the midst of all of what seemed like chaos, Eli and Silas climbed up in my arms and just wanted held.  Again, it was that tapping on my heart from God.  “Your family needs to be your priority, embrace this moment.”  As I sat and held them for even just a few moments it occurred to me, thinking how God must feel as our Heavenly Father just wanting to spend time with us.  To just hold us.  To just embrace the moment.  When was the last time you just took a few moments to just be held by God, spending time with Him.  Maybe as you are reading this, you yourself are being convicted.  Right now, maybe take a few deep breaths and just embrace the moment with Him.  Now also maybe it is time for you to take some time for your kids and family.    Will you really think about this and see where God is leading and speaking to you?

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My lil men!

“Daddy, I missed you”

Posted on by Fireproof

To start out I have a confession to make.  This past week I have had a few rough days.  While working on the new house to get ready to move, it seems that everything could go wrong… did.  You know what I mean?  Those days where you have goals of how much you want to get done and none of it happens.  Whether it was plumbing issues,  cutting trim or just called in another directions, it was a rough week.

Now I am not writing this to complain or to tell you about how bad my days were.   I am writing about this today to share God’s grace with you.  You see at the end of those days I would go by my parents to pick up the boys and as I walked in Eli would shout, “Daddy, I missed you.”  As he would say that Silas would come crawling over to me and just grab onto my leg.  You know what happened in those moments.  My frustration would melt.  My joy and excitement would be restored just by hearing there voice and seeing them come to me.

Now if those simple words and actions can stir my emotions, can you imagine the joy and excitement God must experience when one of his children (You and Me) cry out to Him.  Maybe it truly is such simple words of saying to Him, “Daddy, I missed you.”  Or maybe you have been distant from Him and He is just waitin for you to pull at His leg.  I am totally overwhelmed at this thought right now understanding that God himself desires this genuine close connection.

”Draw near to me, and I will draw near to you.

James 4:8

To finish off this thought though I need you to understand something.  Maybe you have been or feel distant from God.  Like really far gone, worried that He won’t tsake you bask in the state you are in.  Maybe you feel like you need to clean up your life first or get things in order before crying out to him.  That is a lie straight from the pits of hell.  God desires you right as you are and He is waiting for you with open arms.

“So he got up and went to his father. “But while he was still a long

way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he

ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.”

‭‭Luke‬ ‭15:20‬

Will you return to God today?  No matter how frustrated you are with life or what has seemed to go wrong, God is waiting for you!  He wants to celebrate with you.  He wants to draw near to you and He is waiting with open arms.  If I get so excited to see my boys in my human emotion, can you even begin to fathom God’s feelings towards you when you choose to return and just cry out, “God, Daddy, I missed you!”

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One of those momernts just escaping everyday life to celebrate.  Oh the joy they bring

 

 

 

“Yes, No, and Wait”

Posted on by Fireproof

I call on you, my God, for you will answer me; turn your ear to me and hear my prayer.  -Psalms  17:6

If you have ever been in church before then you have heard your pastor say when it comes to prayer that God responds in one of three ways, “Yes, No, and Wait.”  Maybe you have even heard me say it.   If I am to be honest though here for a moment, wait, is probably the most frustrating answer.  Especially when you feel that day in and day out that continues to be the answer.  Your patience’s starts to wear thin and you find your self trying to barter with God saying just give me an answer already.

Well,  like God has been doing lately,  He taught me a lesson on it this morning through Eli.  So recently I have been getting up close to 6 to go downstairs and have some alone time before the boys get up.   I had just gotten done doing a little reading and I heard footsteps coming down the stairs.  Then here comes little man Eli.  Right away,  “Daddy,  I want McQueen.”  (His way of saying he wants to watch the movie Cars.).  “In a little bit buddy.”  I replied.  How about you go play with your trains instead.”  He looks at me kinda confused, still trying to wake up,  “No, I want it now.”  (Does his answer sound familiar when it comes to or prayers to God?)  The more demanding he got the more I wanted to say no.   After a few moments I saw his little feet scamper off towards his play room.  Then after about 5 minutes he came back, “Daddy, can I pwease have some chocolate milk?”  How can you deny that when you know my kids pouty face?    So of course I went and got him some.  Then as I sat back down he asked me again about “McQueen,” this time actually asking and not demanding.

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“Daddy, pweeeese”

So as I sat and thought about the moment, I couldn’t help but start to laugh to myself about what God was trying to teach me.  How many times do we pray demanding God for an answer right here, right now.  Coming before Him on our terms, thinking we totally know what we want and when we want it.  What if God is trying to protect us in making us wait?  What if we aren’t quite ready for his answer?

“But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me.”  Micah‬ ‭7:7‭

Yesterday, I was making Eli and Silas pancakes.  I had just mixed up the batter, including raw eggs.  Well, both boys kept trying to reach for the bowl, just wanting it right then, not willing to wait until they were made.  I kept having to move the bowl around the room to keep them from eating it.  Why?  Because,  I didn’t want them to have the batter? No, because I didn’t want them to get sick.  So they had to wait.  They couldn’t understand in the moment that I was trying to protect them, but as their dad I knew what was best.

Garth Brooks famously writes that some of God’s greatest gifts are unanswered prayers.  I understand what he is saying and am a huge Garth fan, but I disagree in that statement.  We confuse God’s answer of no, or wait with Him not hearing or answering.  I believe with everything I am that our Heavenly Father answers, just not always how we think He should of wan5 Him to.

You may not like this but I write all this to say, today when you pray and God tells you,  “yes, no, or wait,” that maybe He has his reasons that we can’t always see or understand.  Oh wait He is Lord and not us, so yeah that’s right, He does have a 100 percent guaranteed reason for giving you the answer He gives.  Who is on the throne in your life?  You or Him?  Then trust that he is responding in the way he is for a reason.

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭55:8-9‬ ‭

 

 

 

 

Scared of the DARK!

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”Daddy, Daddy.”  Eli started to whimper as he came sluggishly walking over to me with his head down looking around.  “Hey buddy, what’s wrong?”  I replied as I picked him up and immediately wrapped his arms around my neck clinging tightly.  “I’m skawed, I can’t see. It’s so dark in hewe.”  Then things started to make sense.

Rewind about 2 months, Lindsey and I started to notice a trend and a difference in Eli’s sleep pattern.  He went from sleeping through the night in his own bed to now coming into our room about 4-5 in the morning and climbing in bed with us, usually with a little whimper.  I had just always assumed it was him having a bad dream.   After that night locking up the church though things started to click in my mind, he isn’t always having a bad dream, he is just scared of the dark.

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“Finding his refuge wrapped up in out bed.”

I don’t know at what age kids start experiencing fear, but it has become obvious to us that Eli is at that point.  Whether it is the shadows, or the unknown or the fear of the boogie monster in his room or under his bed, I believe we can all relate.  Whether we will all admit to it or not, I would venture to say that we all have some type of fear in life.  Some fears are rational, some irrational and some we just create in our own worst-case scenario minds.

I share all this to share the lesson God has taught me through these experiences with my son.  Did you know that Scripture talks about fear time and time again, over and over.  “Do not fear, Be not afraid…”  Why?  Because as a believer just like I am there to protect Eli and pick him up, your Heavenly Father is right there with you in the midst of whatever it is you are facing.  He is there to cling to, to wrap your arms around his neck and cling to.  Here is one of the most famous and memorized verses when it comes to fear.

“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.  For you are with me, your rod and your staff they comfort me.” -Psalms 23: 4

So I ask you now, do you truly believe that?  Do you believe what you say you believe?  Then take comfort, trust in the one who is far greater than the fear that is in your mind and allow Him to pick you up.  Just as Eli finds his refuge in my arms, find your refuge in your Savior.

 

 

Blank Stares

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Eli is now a little over 2 and a half years old and it is truly incredible how much our lil man can understand.  There are moments when Lindsey and I will just look at him and go how in the world did he know that.  Some of the comments he makes to us blow us away.  I promise you that he may even have more of a sense of direction than I do and he has no problem telling me I am driving the wrong way to Pappy’s house.  Crazy right?  There are moments where you feel like you are having conversations with another adult.  Last night we were in the kitchen and he heard a noise outside that scared our 7 month old Silas, and Eli just looked at him and said, “It’s okay Silas, it’s just a motorcycle and it is being loud.”  We all just started to laugh and couldn’t help but wonder, “Wait how old are you again?” 

Then moments like last week happen where you ask him to do something or tell him something and he just gives you this black glare while tilting his head sideways.  We were at the races and he just kept fighting the idea of wearing headsets.  You try explain to your kid about ear protection and hearing later in life.  Another moment was when he got the stomach bug and trying to explain to him he would be okay and why we were putting a bucket beside his bed.  Another fun conversation to try and explain.  “Throw Up?  Vomit?  Belly Hurt?”  It is hard at times to realize that there are still certain things we might say that he doesn’t get and isn’t able to comprehend.   There are still certain words that he just hasn’t caught on to what they mean yet. Words we might take for granted or just expect him to know and understand.  

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At the races,  when he couldn’t understand why he needed ear protection.

I felt this way while working on the new house.  We have old wiring in it so it needs replaced.  While working on it my dad, my brother, and my father in law have been helping me.  Well they all know electrical work and the lingo of it.  (I never knew that wiring has it’s own language).  So here we are working away running new lines and they would look at me and be like, “yeah we need the 12-2 there and the 10-3 here and the 14-2 running that way.”  Sure ok Trav whatever you say as I’m looking going “what the heck does that mean?”  Then Bob (Lindsey’s dad) starts chiming in about the size box we have, the different fuses that he is using, and where all the different wires go to.  To me it looks like a jumbled up rat’s nest with no making sense of it.  But to be honest, of course as a guy, I didn’t  want to say I didn’t know what they were saying.  The reality  was though I had no clue and just went along with it.  

How many times in church are we the same way though?  Just expecting others to know what we are talking abut because it is the church lingo or what we have been accustomed to.  How many times do we throw out words or statements that we just assume everyone else knows?  “Are you saved?”   What the heck does that mean?  “What denomination are you?”  De-Nom-A-Watt.  “What are your views on the end times?”  End times, like when service ends?  “What Bible do you read?”  There is more than one?  “What do you mean you don’t know who Chris Tomlin is or that you are to stand when worship plays and to sit when the pastor speaks?”  

See what I am getting at here.  Within the church we have created our own culture and lingo.  I love the description given about the book of Luke.  “Luke set out to write a Gospel  that was understandable to those outside the Jewish faith and culture.”  Maybe we need to get back to that attitude and understand that many people grow up outside the church culture.  That maybe the person you are trying to share with doesnt know the lingo or your Old Testament stories you keep referencing.  Maybe they don’t understand the word “sin” you keep talking about it.  Think abut this in correlation with Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians.  

“To the weak I became weak, to win the weak.  I have become all things to all people so that by all means I might save some.”  

-1 Corinthians 9:22 

So whether you are talking to a 2 year old, a 50 year old, or just your neighbor down the street, think about the lingo you are using when they start giving you the blank stare and you can’t figure out why.  Maybe what you are trying to say to them is a foreign language.  Learn to speak in a way they understand.  Don’t take for granted that what might seem like basic knowledge to you is a stumbling block for others.  Learn to speak to all people.  If you don’t know what to say, ask for the Spirit’s guidance, and let Him show you the words just like he did at Pentecost.  (Another reference that other’s might not have a clue about that we might just assume they should know)

“He gave His son.”

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John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that he gave His one and only son, that whoever would believe in Him would not perish, but have eternal life.”

A verse many of us know and probably memorized growing up.  Have you really ever thought of the depth of it though.  (Honestly, I hadn’t until Eli was born, and the depth continued to grow deeper with each of our kids.)  It was just another verse in Scripture that I would recite during a service or someone would speak on and I would go, “yeah I’ve heard this message before.”

This year though is different, as I think upon Easter and look back at pictures of Eli sleeping in my arms these few words make me want to break down.   Looking at his face, recognizing his innocence makes me realize how much I have taken God’s love for granted.  It feels like a major slap in the face from God as I try and process what this verse really means for you and me.  (I am going to ask you to let your emotions run a little bit now and maybe even shed some tears.  Let God stir your heart.)

A new translation of this verse keeps coming to my mind, “For God so loves the world, that he sacrificed His one and only.  For God so loves Josh, for God so loves Eli, for God so loves you.”

Could I personally give up Eli if it meant saving others?  If it meant saving the world?  I would like to think I would give up my own life for those I cherish, but I can’t imagine sacrificing my child.

In our country we have men and women who will sign up for our military knowing the sacrifice that may be required of them.  To give up our own lives many of us would say we would do it without a doubt.  “God, I will sign MY name on the dotted line, but to give up my kids, you don’t know what you’re asking.”  Can you imagine God asking of us to give up our child’s life to save our city, our church, others, strangers even.

I am truly struggling with this thought right now.  I know I care for others, I even love others, but I can’t fathom the depth of love it would take to offer any of my kids up for others.  To willingly watch them suffer, to see the pain in their face,  to see their blood shed.  I don’t think, actually if I’m going to be blunt, I know I couldn’t do it.

12374871_1098178626889792_5569784334676026566_oI can only imagine Eli crying out, “Daddy, this hurts.  Daddy, Help.  Daddy, if there is any other way, please.”  Yet, God in his infinite love for you and me, allowed Jesus, His son, to go through this agony.

Now my mind is racing thinking upon this thought of God’s love, the wheels are spinning in my mind, the smoke is pouring out from my brain as I consider this.   My thoughts now turn from God’s love to how much Jesus himself loves you and me.  The love he must have had, that He would willingly lay down his own life, out of submission to His Father’s plan.

John 15:13, “Greater Love has no one than this, to lay down his life for his friends.”

That he would be the perfect example of the verse he shared with his disciples. The reality hits that Jesus didn’t just talk about this type of love that he had for others.  He didn’t just offer up some kind words and say,  “do as I say, not as I do.”  He actually lived it.  When he talked about laying down His life, it didn’t just sound good, he actually did it.  When he talked about forgiveness, he followed through, “Father, forgive them, they know not what they do.”

Jesus lived out what he taught.  He is the ultimate example.

I want to be the same way for my kids, I want to live out what I say.  I want to be an example of love.  I want to be an example of forgiveness.

This Easter take time and consider God’s love, Christ’s example, and what it means to you.  I know I personally will never celebrate Easter the same way again.

In closing there is a worship song out that we all have probably sung, “Oh how he loves us.”  Take a moment, think upon those words from the perspective of a DAD.

“LET THEM GO”

Posted on by Fireproof

Let them go.

This is the year where our twins are getting way more independent.  I know they are only 4 but it seems like they are teenagers already.  Forming their own personalities, and lets just say we are learning that we are going to be in for a crazy time, especially with Evans.  She is our Spiderman loving, wild child.  Our risk taker, push you to your limits child.  This includes sled riding.  Up until this year both girls either wanted us on the sled with them or were scared to do the “Big Hill.”  Not anymore.  Evans now is at the spot where she will yell at you, “I go by myself.”  That has been a challenge for me.  I can’t honestly tell you why, besides that these are my lil girls, and maybe I am just not ready for it yet.  (The boys on the other hand, go for it, the earlier they could get on a snowboard the better.)   With this reality I know it means that she will take some falls, she will get a bloody lip or two and tears will be shed.  I have also had to come to the grips that as she gets older Lindsey and I will have to entrust her to try things on her own.  We can hold the tube, we can point her in the right direction, but eventually we have to let her go.  So as I shout to her nervously, “You got this baby girl” I have to start believing it myself.  

The first few times watching her fly down the hill right towards the jump I was nervous.  Grabbing my board to be on the ready to chase down after her, I would wait anxiously at the top watching her fly though the air waiting to hear if she started crying.  Out of amazement though all I would hear would be wild laughter and smiling, “I DID IT, I DID IT.”  Now she is hooked, asking everyday, “Big Hill?  Big Hill?”  

Do I still get nervous, without a doubt.  Has she taken some falls, oh yeah, with tears to follow.  Follow by, “I go again.”  

I don’t know why this is hitting me so hard lately but is this how Jesus felt when sending out the disciples for the first time.  Taking that step from watching over them, teaching them, showing them how to do ministry.  To now entrusting them to do it on their own.  Would they fail at times, would they always do it the way he taught them?  Would he trust them?  

The Bible doesn’t give us a time frame for how long the disciples were with Him before sending them out, but we know it was under three years, most likely within a year of being with Him.  I can only imagine the thoughts going through His mind, are they ready?  “Well, maybe Peter is but Matthew how about a little more training.  John, you are good but Judas, yeah your personality doesn’t really line up.  We don’t get any of that, it just says He sent them out in groups of 2. 

In Mark 6: 7 it says, “He called the disciples together and began sending them out two by two, giving them power to cast out spirits.”  In Luke 10 we read of Him sending 72 more.  Entrusting them with the message.  Were they all ready?  Did they have all the proper training?  This information we do not know.  What we do know is that He empowered them and He entrusted them.  He is still entrusting us and empowering us to this day to carry His message. 

Just as we had to get to a spot in life of emtrusting Evans with that inner tube to go by herself.  Now the beauty in all of this is hearing her talk about it when she gets home, the joy in her voice telling Lindsey all about how far she flew through he air.  The testimony of what she just accomplished.  

This again is true of the disciples, in Luke 10: 17 it tells us how the disciples joyfully returned excited to share all they had seen God do.  So as I wrap this up today do you realize that God is still entrusting and empowering you with His message?  Do yo still get excited to share all that you are seeing God do in your life?  He is alive and at work all around you, will you be the one too say God I am ready, send me.