Tag: jesus

“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

“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.