Tag: God

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”

Posted on by Fireproof

“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.”

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.  

“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”

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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

“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.