Shiny happy people

What's our goal as parents? If we're honest, there are days when we just want do whatever it takes to make the kids happy and get some peace & quiet. It's important to pick our battles, but it's also important that we pick them for the right reasons. We need clear-cut objectives to guide our decisions in the times when decisions seem difficult to make, and the decisions never seem to get any easier. And although setting a goal of "raising happy kids" is good, there's a far better target we can aim for.

Ephesians 6:4 says: "Fathers, do not exasperate your children..." It's easy to become so focused on the external details of how our kids perform that we spend the bulk of our time pointing out where they need to improve. That's exasperating for you and for them. The Bible goes on to say "... instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord." So the goal isn't simply for our kids to be more moral - the target is for them to be more like Jesus: kind, others-centered, disciplined, pure. We want to set them up for success as God defines it.

Once we're aimed at the right target, then the tough choices will get easier. And if our kids learn godly character, then we won't need to try to impose godly restraints around them.

Parenting struggles

Let's focus the blog on parenting this week. With 3 boys under the age of 10, I know very well that parenting is a full-time 24/7 job. On any given week, I fluctuate from moments of joy that rival any Hallmark commercial to times when I'm ready to pull my hair out because I'm just not sure what to do. If I had to name my #1 parenting challenge right now, I think I'd say that it's having the energy to be consistently involved when my kids need me instead of occasionally "checking out" for an hour or an evening.

I'm going to look at biblical principles for parenting this week. So here's the all-skate question for today: whether your kids are toddlers, teens, or no longer at home - what's your #1 parenting challenge or question?

Twisted

I've been thinking about spiritual warfare a lot lately (cue the Twilight Zone music). It seems like it's generally okay to talk about God, but when you mention Satan people start wondering what you've been smoking. I guess that's why most people go to one of two extremes: they either see the devil hiding behind every bush or else they assume that the spiritual realm is the stuff of fairy tales. But the same Bible that makes all of the promises that we love to quote also says that Satan is very real. And his strategy today is the same as it has always been.

The Bible says over & over that Satan is the ultimate deceiver. He twists the truth just enough to trip us up, but not so much that the lie is so obvious that we'd reject it. In John 8:44 Jesus says of Satan: "When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies." He'll distort the truth just enough to make us believe it. He'll twist our appetite into addiction. He'll twist our desire into greed. He'll twist our view of God into anger and blame for whatever we don't like. And the ultimate goal of the deception is destruction. So if we're going to avoid his traps, we've first got to recognize that they're real.

Want to be well?

In John 5:6 Jesus saw a man who had been an invalid for 38 years. He asked the man: "Do you want to get well?" It seems like a silly question, doesn't it? It seems so obvious that the man would want to be helaed and would know Jesus is the one who can do it. But instead, the guy starts whining about how other people always hop in the water ahead of him. He had bought into a local myth that whenever the water would be "stirred," the first person into the pool would be healed. In other words, he was putting his faith in the wrong thing.

I think that we often do the same thing. We know in our heads that we can trust God, but we make choices that show that we trust our own ideas even more. Maybe we're not as smart as we think we are. Maybe we need to go "all in" and stop being half-hearted. We'll never find out what God can do in our lives until we trust Him completely. And when we do that, He's promised to always meet us where we are and start growing us to become who He wants us to be.

Turning the other cheek - even when it's sore

Ever had people say things about you that just weren't true? Ever been ambushed by someone that you trusted? I have and it's not fun at all. In fact, it makes me want to lash out & strike back. But Jesus famously said in Luke 6:27 that we're supposed to love our enemies. It might be natural to strike back or do the passive-aggressive thing, but it's still wrong. So what should I do?

Here's a verse that kicks my butt regularly: If anyone says "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. (1 John 4:20) The truth of this verse absolutely rocks me: that means that I can only love God as much as I love the person that I love the least. Wow - that really stomps on my own toes.

I sometimes try to convince myself that I can simultaneously have a lot of love for God and have almost no love for my enemies. But the Bible says that the amount of love I have for the people who attack me is like a "lid" that reveals the upper limit of how I really feel about God. So I'm going to "raise the lid" and go out of my way to show God's love to the people who are acting like my enemies. Do they deserve it? No. But I didn't deserve it when God did it for me either.

Just look up

I was reading John 3 today - the passage where Nicodemus sneaked over in the night to ask Jesus a bunch of questions. The more Jesus explains, the more confused Nick gets. Jesus reminds Nick about the strange time when the Israelites were being attacked by poisonous snakes. Moses had made a big bronze serpent and put it on a flag pole. When I was a kid, I had a Bible with a picture of that bronze snake - really creeped me out! Anyway, if the wounded people would look at the bronze snake, they would be healed.

Jesus makes this comparison for Nick: just as they looked up at it and received life, anyone who looks up to me on the cross will receive eternal life. So simple. So clear. I'm not sure why I forget to look up so often.

Tonight I'm going to be intentional about spending at least a couple of minutes at dinner talking with my kids about why it's important to look to Jesus. Will you join me and do the same at your table?

Wine at a wedding

This weekend I "did" a wedding. I'm never quite sure how to say that. If I say "I married someone," then it sounds like I'm a polygamist. And if I say "I officiated a wedding," then it sounds like a fight broke out and I had to give the groom a standing 8-count. Anyway, I was reading John 2 this morning about the wedding that Jesus attended. This is the time when Jesus changed the water to wine (and I'm glad they didn't ask me to do that this weekend!).

As I read the story carefully, it sounds like the water didn't change to wine until the moment the chief servant tasted it. That means that the servant who Jesus told to draw the water and take it to the chief had to trust that Jesus was going to do something amazing... just in time. This anonymous servant walked all the way to the chief looking down at a ladle full of plain old water. What happened next (if anything) was completely beyond his control, but it wouldn't have happened if he didn't trust Jesus enough to obey. Wow - I want to be like that servant! It seems like most of my stress comes from wanting to see God do something amazing and transform my plain old water before I ever take the first step. But it's not faith if it's within my control. So I'm committing today to obey and do the part He's called me to do, and then trusting Him to show up and do what only He can do... just in time.

Want to read John with me?

I'm going to read a chapter a day of the book of John in the Bible, which means that this will be a 21-day project. I think that chapter 1 is probably the longest in the book, so don't be too intimidated if this one takes a while! I'll blog a quick note each day based on what impacted me as I read, and I'd really like to hear your thoughts, too.

I noticed four references in the first chapter to the fact that Jesus wasn't what people expected. Verse 5 (the darkness has not understood it), verse 10 (the world did not recognize him), verse 31 ("I myself did not know him"), and verse 46 ("Nazareth! Can anything good come out of Nazareth?") Some things never change: we still often try to turn Jesus into something that He never intended to be.

I once heard someone say: "There's a God that we want, and there is a God who is. Often they are not the same God." It's so easy to ignore or explain away the things about God that make us uncomfortable or that we don't completely understand. My challenge to you & to myself is to not do that. As you read John, don't mentally erase the verses that you don't like. You might struggle with them, wrestle with them, or study them - but let's ultimately embrace them. Because they tell us about the God who is.

Salty words

A while back I memorized Colossians 4:6: "Let your speech always be filled with grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you should answer each person." When you put salt on something, it makes it taste better and it's easier to digest. In the same way, when we speak - even when we're correcting our kids or lovingly confronting a friend - we need to do our best to say it in a way that makes it easy to receive and digest. I've never known anyone who became a Christ-follower because they lost an argument to a Christian who harshly slam dunked them with Bible verses and platitudes. But when that same truth is presented lovingly and graciously, it can potentially set a person on a different course for eternity.

Silent, but thankful

As I read Colossians 3 today, I found something that I hadn't noticed before. Verse 17 says: And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

I usually think of deeds as something that I "do" and words as something that I "say" - two very different categories in my mind. But Paul uses "do" to describe both words and deeds. It caused me to ask myself: what have I 'done' to others lately with my words? And for that matter, what have I done with my silence? Because my words (& my silence) definitely impact people. I can get mad & completely stop talking and, even though I might pretend I don't know I'm doing anything in my own passive-aggressive way, the reality is that my silence is doing damage.

The end of the verse says that we should be using both our words and deeds to give thanks. I tend to think of thankfulness as a verbal act. But I can express gratitude even more profoundly with my actions. So today I'm going to focus on what I do with my words (& silence) and on being thankful with my actions. What are you learning from Colossians 3?

Cancelled debts and silly rules

Today I'm reading Colossians 2. Verse 14 is so powerful: "He erased the certificate of debt, with its obligations, that was against us and opposed to us, and has taken it out of the way by nailing it to the cross." That's an awesome visual. Once the last payment was sent in for my truck, that debt was paid. I didn't keep sending in payments to the bank just to be nice or out of a sense of obligation or habit. The debt was paid in full! In the same way, Christ paid the debt we owe because of our sin and nailed it to the cross. I don't need to try to make any additional payments. And I think that it probably insults Him if I ever think that I could possibly pay him back - I can't!

And it's always been interesting to me that Paul associates the need for legalistic rules with "weak" people and rising above the rules as something that "strong" people do. As verse 23 says, we tend to like for people to see all of the rules we follow because they give us a "reputation of wisdom," but ultimately hey are "not of any value against fleshly indulgence." It's not about rules; it's about a relationship. Our primary focus isn't suppsoed to be our performance, but a person: Jesus.

Hope that wasn't too deep for a Wednesday! What is God saying to you as you read Colossians 2?

Want to read Colossians with me this week?

The book of Colossians is only 4 chapters, which amounts to 4 pages in my Bible. But there's a lot of good stuff in those 4 pages. I'm going to read slowly and digest 1 chapter a day for the rest of the week. Want to read it with me? I'll post my thoughts and I'd be interested in hearing yours.

I love Paul's prayer for the church in Colossae in verse 10: "that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him, bearing fruit in every good work and growing in the knowledge of of God." I'm going to make that my prayer this week for each of the people connected with Friendship. Reading this chapter is almost like reading a list of song titles because I recognize so many lyrics to current songs that came from this passage. Which verse in Colossians 1 is most meaningful to you today?

Ecuador - Day 6

Thursday was our last "work" day. The people here are amazing so patient as they wait in line and so grateful for everything that we're able to do. It occurred to me today that even though we only have one style of glasses frames and 2 sizes (adult & child), not a single person has complained about their glasses not fitting right. As usual, I'm learning more than I'm teaching.

We've had 6 people make decisions for Christ this week, and many people have told Mercedes (our local point of contact) that they were going to start coming to "her church." After I got on the bus to leave the clinic site today, I saw a smiling man walk up to Mercedes. As he pointed to our bus and pointed to her, I could tell from his hand gestures that he was thanking her for bringing us into the community and giving her all of the credit. As she began to reply, she immediately pointed up and I knew that she was redirecting the man's praise to God and sharing her faith with Him. That was the perfect "last image" to see as we pulled away!

Friday is our "free" day and we're supposed to go to some sort of zip line over a rain forest. Should be interesting. Thanks again for all of your prayers this week!

Ecuador - Days 4 and 5

We were able to see many more patients the past 2 days than the first day. I think that word got out that we were here because when we arrived at the clinic site today there was already a large crowd waiting outside. I've uploaded some pictures to my Facebook page, so hopefully you can view those. In case you're wondering why a few of us seems to always be wearing the same shirt, it's because a company donated them and wanted us to distribute them out of the country. So we each brought tons of these shirts to wear and give away. Either that, or Nelson just really likes dressing like me!


The carnival team is doing a fantastic job of playing with the kids while they wait. They are also sharing Bible stories. We were stunned to find that none of the children knew the Biblical account of creation from Genesis and only one had ever heard of the 10 Commandments. On Wednesday, some of the locals "caught the vision" and set up some additional kid's craft areas of their own to help us out! How cool is that!!


SIFAT, the organization that is coordinating our trip, has an amazing and thorough program that trains local Christians to impact their own communities for Christ. The missions teams come in and support the work being done locally. We are working in Cotocollao with Mercedes Cruz, a graduate of their program. Since the local people know that Mercedes is responsible for bringing us to their community, we are building a ton of goodwill between her and the people in her community. We are praying that our presence and work will lead to many opportunities for future ministry and discipleship for Mercedes.


This evening a few of us wandered down to a local restaurant with Ecuadorian food. We should find out in the next 48 hours whether that was a good idea! Thanks again for all of your prayers!

Ecuador - Day 3

Monday was awesome! I've been trained to work in the eye clinic, so I spent the day giving eye exams and getting people fitted for glasses. All of our eyeglasses are the same style and look just like the ones that Harry Potter wears. It's so amazing to be able to help someone with 20/100 vision to be able to see 20/20. Their face just lights up when they first put their glasses on. One little boy who wasn't even old enough to read the alphabet yet said to me in English: "Thanks you, doctor!"

I learned a couple of things today. First, I learned that most Ecuadorian people can't understand English even if you speak it more loudly and slowly. I'm not sure why. Maybe my Southern accent is throwing them off. Second, I learned that they can clearly understand love. It's remarkable how quickly we can form relationships with people when we're showing God's love in practical ways with no strings attached - even though we're communicating through a translator.

Thanks again for all of your prayers! Please don't hesitate to let me know if there's any way that I can be praying with you!

Ecuador - Day 2

On Sunday we went to the worship service at a church called Mama Yoli House. Several people who are connected with Friendship helped to dig the basement to build this church abut 4 years ago. It was so cool to see it making a difference in the community!

We also went to the equator. They did some cool "experiments" like balancing an egg on a nail, showing water fall straight out of a bucket while it swirls when you move a couple of steps either way, and how it's virtually impossible to walk a straight line with your eyes closed on the equator.

On Monday we'll be operating a medical clinic and carnival in Cotocallao. And I still haven't eaten a guinea pig. But this experience is definitely going to cause me to watch G-Force in a whole new light!

Ecuador - Day 1

Saturday was mostly a travel day. We're staying in a hotel in downtown Quito. The elevation is 9,252 feet and I'm definitely feeling the effects - a little shortness of breath even when I'm just sitting around. It will probably take a day or two to adjust. There's no A/C here because they don't really need it. The forecast for today is a high of 70 and a low of 48, and the forecast is virtually the same all year. The sun always comes up at around 6:30 AM and sets at about 6:30 PM. Welcome to life on the equator!

On Sunday our group will be attending a church, visiting the equator, and going to observe some of what SIFAT has already done in the area. I am already very impressed with this organization. This is the most organized mission trip I've ever been on! Of course, I'm probably impressed by anyone that gives me good food!

Speaking of food, they keep saying that they're going to get me to try guinea pig before the end of the week. I've seen a lot of guinea pigs in my life, and never once did it make me hungry. So we'll see...

The real work starts on Monday, but we're hoping to get out on our own today and do some servant evangelism at the market. I'm missing everyone at Friendship since it's Sunday and I wish that I could be there with you to hear Michael Kelley. Thanks for all of your prayers!!

Credit card saga

Last week someone started making fraudulent charges on my credit card. It's kind of ironic since we just finished a series at church called "Mistaken Identity." I would think that normally when someone uses a stolen credit card, they would want to get everything that they can: electronics, clothes, games. Here's the weird part: they ordered stuff and had it shipped to MY house! On Monday, I received a bottle of "Colon Cleanser Pro." Then yesterday I got 3 books from the Book of the Month club. Isn't that crazy?

So here's my question: why would someone steal my credit and then only use it to send stuff to me? I've got a theory, but I want to hear some other opinions.

And by the way, if you're interested in reading "Abandon" by Blake Crouch OR if you're having any colon issues, then let me know and I'll hook you up!

Be intentional

My new favorite word is 'intentional.' It is amazing how much progress we can make when we lock in on a goal and get purposeful about moving toward it. Lately I've had a lot of conversations about parenting. I'm learning that everyone "hopes" their kids turn out okay, but not everyone is "intentional" about investing their lives into their kids. I once heard someone say: "Parenting is a verb, not a noun." I totally agree.
So take a minute today to think about where in life you want your kids to be in 15 years, and then decide what 1 step you can take today to encourage them in that direction. If you want them to be smart, snuggle up and read them a book. If you want them to be active, play a game outside. If you want them to be spiritually strong, have a devotional with them. Because here's what I know: they're learning from you every day whether you are "intentional" or not.

Day 1

Day 1 of the 90-Day New Testament Challenge is to read John 1-3. We're starting in John because of the 4 gospels (including Matthew, Mark, & Luke), it's the one that is probably the easiest for us to understand today. The other gospels were written for different target audiences. For example, Matthew was written primarily to Jews, so he's constantly explaining how the things that Jesus did fulfilled the Jewish prophecies about the Messiah.
I almost laughed in 1:46 when Nathanael said, "Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?" Wow - he had no clue. Jesus was not at all what they expected. But he wasn't worried about conforming to their expectations. He was focused on accomplishing what the Father had sent him here to do. It reminded me that I can't afford to get caught up in trying to be what everybody else wants me to be. When I have a clear vision of what God has called me to do and who he has called me to be, then I can be secure in that instead of insecure in my concerns about everyone else's opinions.
What application did you get out of reading these first three chapters?

A good way to study the Bible

I'm so excited that 100 people from our church are already taking the 90-Day New Testament Challenge! If you'd like to sign up for it and haven't already, then just let me know. It will be so cool to have so many people doing this together. We'll have to celebrate at the end of July when we've completed it!

There's definitely a difference between reading the Bible and studying the Bible. We'll be reading it every day for the next 3 months, but I want to encourage everyone to take time to study it at least once a week. There are a lot of good ways to study the Bible, but here's one that works well for me. It's my adaptation of the "devotional method" that Rick Warren put together. Here are the steps:
1. Prayer – Pray for insight on how to apply what you’re about to read. Ask God to help you understand the Scripture and to show you specifically what He wants you to do. We don't want to read the Bible just to become smarter: we want to hear from God and apply what we learn.
2. Read – Read whatever Scripture passage you’re decided to study.
3. Reflection – Take a moment to process and digest what you’ve read. There are several practical ways you can do this, depending on the passage that you’re studying. You could:

• Visualize the scene of the narrative in your mind
• Emphasize certain words in the passage & consider how that affects the meaning
• Write a paraphrase of the big idea of the passage
• Say parts of the passage back to God as a prayer

4. Application – Write out a specific application. Make it personal and practical. Think through the SPACEPETS (it’s an acronym) questions as you consider what God is saying to you. Is there any…

• Sin to confess?
• Promise to claim?
• Attitude to change?
• Command to obey?
• Example to follow?
• Prayer to pray?
• Error to avoid?
• Truth to believe?
• Something to praise God for?

5. Memorization – Memorize a verse that connects directly with the application you have written. When you pick a verse that is really meaningful to you, it becomes a lot easier to remember.

Easy way to make a difference

It's sobering to realize that 1 in 6 people on the planet don't have access to clean drinking water. I drink way too much Diet Pepsi. What do you tend to chug too much of: Starbucks? Gatorade? If I replaced my Diet Pepsi with water, I'd probably save $4 a day. If I did it for five days, then I'd have $20 to give toward enabling people to have clean drinking water for the rest of their lives. What if the 200 adults in our church last Sunday did it for 5 days, too? And what if they spread the word to some of their friends?
In a couple of weeks I'll be talking about the 5 Days in May project. It's an easy way to make an impact through Water Missions International. I'm going to plan on doing it May 4-8. I'll be getting myself healthier & helping others at the same time. It's a no-brainer win-win. Are you in?

Getting to the root

My third grader has been learning about the parts of a plant lately: leaf, stem, root, fruit. As I've helped him with his homework, my knowledge of words like 'photosynthesis' have come rushing back like a bad dream.
Today I was reading Deuteronomy 29:18 - "Be sure there is no root among you bearing poisonous and bitter fruit." Sometimes I see "bitter fruit" in my behavior and attitude. When I see that in myself, my instinct is to try to get rid of the fruit. But to really deal with it effectively, I need to do what this verse says: get rid of the root. Otherwise I'm just dealing with the symptoms and never treating the disease. Let's figure out the "root" cause of our bad habits and ask God to show us how to deal with them!

Back on the blog

Wow - I got way out of the habit of writing a blog. I figured April Fool's Day was as good a day as any to start back. I'm in 4th place out of 35 in my March Madness pool. It looks like I might finish 2nd if Connecticut wins one more. Usually I'm in last place by now! I got 2 of the Final 4 right since I had Connecticut, Villanova, Lousiville, and Oklahoma. How about you - who did you project to the Final 4? Be honest!!

Incongruence leads to chaos

Are you impressed that I used such big words in the title? Don't be - if it weren't for spell-check I would have never got them right. I heard someone this week talk about how Pascal developed the "law of congruence." The basic idea is this: everyone is seeking happiness and that motivates most of our actions. Whether we pick an argument or avoid one, we're doing it because at some level we think that it's ultimately what is going to make us happy (or at least happier than all of the other choices). Are you with me so far?
Here's where it gets tricky: sometimes we do things that don't line up with our personal beliefs and values. And that incongruence leads to a tension that we have to resolve. For example, if I believe honesty is important and I generally consider myself an honest person, then when I find myself lying to get out of a jam, I experience a tension between my beliefs and my behavior. Somehow I'm going to hae to resolve the tension. I either have to (a) decide that honesty isn't really that important, (b) change my view of myself so that I'm basically a dishonest person, or (c) STOP LYING!! Did you catch my subtle hint at which choice is best?
So if you've been stressed or easily overwhelmed lately over "little things," then maybe the real problem is that you've got some discongruence in your life (AKA sin). So take a minute and think about it, because you're going to have to resolve that tension one way or another.

A-Rod

All of the sports talk radio buzz is about Alex Rodriguez admitting that he took "illegal supplements." He said that he felt so pressured to perform at a high level that he made some bad choices. I started laughing imagining what the world would be like if us "regular people" took supplements to perform our jobs at a higher level. Picture what that could look like. Would my barber cut my hair like Edward Scissorhands? Would the guy at the McDonald's drive-thru start serving customers at an inhuman rate (although one car per minute would be an improvement)? Would the policeman be able to eat doughnuts like a competitive eater? Here's the question of the day: what would it look like if someone in your job took illegal supplements to perform at a higher level?

What's your favorite Super Bowl commercial?

Try to find your all-time favorite on YouTube and post a link to it below. I'm going to go with the cat herding commercial, because I actually worked for EDS when this one ran. What's your favorite?

Getting out of school

For those keeping score at home, so far in 2009 the kids have been out of school because (1) it was just too cold and (2) there was snow coming, but not here yet. When I was in school, I can remember (3) a time we got out of school because it was too hot and the A/C was broke and (4) a time that it rained a lot and "the creek was risin'" and some kids were going to have swim home if we stayed all day. But hey - that's life in Cheatham County. So what about you? What's the craziest reason you ever got out of school?

Unproductive arguments

Have you ever known someone that just wanted to argue & debate? Today I went to a fast-food place to just study. Believe it or not, McDonald's during the breakfast rush is usually more peaceful than a house with 3 energetic & well-rested boys. So I went there to do some studying.
A guy sitting near me kept asking me questions like it was a job interview. I've seen him there before. He is a pastor and is always arguing with people about the Bible. He's pretty obnoxious about it. I generally try to avoid him. When he finally asked what I do and I said that I was a preacher boy, he got really excited. I could tell he'd been wanting to argue with another pastor for a long time.
So he started peppering me with questions to identify all of the things that we disagreed about so that we could debate them. And believe me, we disagree about a lot. But when he asked me if I memorize Scripture, I just said, "Yes. I really like Titus 3:9 - Avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and strife and disputes about the Law, for they are unprofitable and worthless. That's why I'm not going to argue with you. I just came here to read & study, but thanks anyway."
There was a time in my life when I used to like to pick fights, too. I am hoping that I've matured beyond that. I want to be right in the center of God's will, and His Word says that these kinds of arguments are unprofitable and worthless. And I've seen that to be true. I've never known anybody who became a Christian because they were arguing with a Christian, the Christian won the argument, and so the loser decided to become a Christian. Instead, the loser of the argument usually just gets mad and moves even farther away from God. Here's a thought: how about we take Jesus seriously and love our neighbor as ourselves? Or to be ever more radical: what if we were to be intentional about loving them as much as possible even if they have different religious or political views than us? Okay - that's the end of the rant.
My next step is to figure out how I can rock this guy's world by showing him God's love in an extravagant way. Seriously. Any suggestions?

If I were being inaugurated

There's been a lot of news about Bible verses lately. Did you hear about what happened as a result of Tim Tebow having "John 3:16" on his eye-black during the championship game? Google Trends reported that "John 3:16" then became the #1 most searched for phrase that day. That surprised me since people have been displaying that verse at sports events for years.
I've also been hearing a lot of discussion on TV about which passage President-elect Obama would open the Bible to when he places his hand on it for the oath of office. Off the top of my head, I think that my first choice would probably be 2 Chronicles 7:14 - "If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land." What about you? What passage would you use if you were being inaugurated? Or what would you put on your eye-black?

Who are you cheering for?

I'm completely confused. Now that the Titans went one-and-done in the playoffs, who are we supposed to cheer for? On the one hand, we could cheer for the Ravens to win it all so that we could say "Well, the team that beat us is the team that beat everybody." Then it's kind of like the Titans came in second place (but not really!). OR we could be Raven-haters and cheer for them to lose since they beat the Titans and we don't like them. Of course, you and I both know that the Ravens didn't win so much as the Titans found a way to lose. But don't get me started.
So what do you think? Who are you cheering for now?

Bad investments

As I've been studying about finances this week, I've been thinking about investments. Since I tend to invest for the long haul, so far I've never lost money on an investment. But I did get suckered one time at a county fair where the ring toss guy kept talking me into going "double or nothing" and I was trying to impress a girl with my mad ring toss skills. By the time I was down $30 the carnival guy backed off, I think because he didn't want to make me look any more like I a loser than I already did. So what about you? What's the worst financial investment you ever made?

The best gift I could give my son

I am so excited! Our oldest son is 8 - although he would correct me and say 8 & 3/4! Ever since before he could read we've been sitting down in his room at bedtime and reading a story from a children's Bible. In fact, we used the Early Reader's Bible to teach him to read. It's really great and I highly recommend it. We don't do it every night because sometimes we get home late and stuff like that, but me and the boys read a story together more often than not. Anyway, now that he's in third grade and his little brother is the one learning to read, he's not so interested in a story Bible designed for kindergarteners. So last week I had an idea. I told Elijah about it and I think he's as excited about it as I am.

Starting tonight he and I are going to read one chapter of the New Testament together every night. That's all - just one chapter a night and then spend a few minutes talking about what we've read. Most of the chapters are 2 pages or less. We're going to use the NiRV Bible that I bought him a few years ago. It's a complete translation of the Bible that is written so that it's easy to read and understand. There are 260 chapters in the New Testament. So if we can do this at least 5 nights a week, then we will read and discuss the entire New Testament in 52 weeks. I told him that when we finish, he will have accomplished something at age 9 that most adults haven't done in a lifetime.

I've had a lot of Bible-reading partners over the past few years, but I've never been as excited as I am about this one. If I continue to invest in my son like this, then by the time he is 18 we will have read and discussed the entire New Testament 10 times. Wow - I can't wait! I believe that really is the best gift that I could give my son.

How seeds of kindness multiply

I was reading an article about a charitable organization providing water pumps to rural villages in Africa: "In Africa, Christianity changes people's hearts. It brings a spiritual transformation. The rebirth is real. The change is good." Why did that quote jump off the page at me? Because it was written by a confirmed atheist.

You can read the article for yourself, but this man is realizing that he sees a tangible difference between the impact of Christians in the area compared to the work done by secular organizations. He says that he used to believe that if faith was needed to motivate the missionaries to help, then fine: but that what counted was the help, not the faith. But he now says this view simply doesn't fit the facts. He explains that even though he's been refusing to see it his entire life, the reality is that faith matters. Instead of them being close-minded and ruled by fear, he recognized that the converts he encountered in Malawi were actually the most liberated and relaxed people in that culture.

That's so cool that seeds of kindness planted in Africa are even having a direct impact on people from other countries. When was the last time you showed God's love to someone with no strings attached? Did you use an AlreadyPaid4.com card? I'd love to hear your story!

Growing in two directions

When I edit pictures on my computer, sometimes I "stretch" them to make it easier to see the main thing in the picture. But I have to be careful where I click. If I take a picture of myself and pull the top bar vertically, the image distorts and gets long and skinny - and yes - it makes me feel better about myself! Or if I pull the side bar horizontally, then I look like Wile E. Coyote after he gets in the head with an anvil. But if I do it right, then the image grows proportionately and looks great - or at least as good as a picture of me can look (which isn't saying much).

Church is all about growing in our vertical relationship with God and our horizontal relationships with each other. In fact, Jesus said that those were the two most important things: loving God with all your heart and loving your neighbor as yourself. It concerns me when people are regularly connecting with God on Sunday mornings and growing vertically, but aren't connected with any sort of community group to grow horizontally. After a while, the image of God in their life gets distorted - often because they keep wanting to learn more when they haven't even put into practice the stuff they already learned. It seems like most of us are already educated far beyond our level of obedience. We need to keep growing in both directions.

I have received so much encouragement and seen so many positive life examples in the groups I've been a part of, that it's hard for me to imagine how different my life would be if I'd never connected with any of those groups. So what about you? How has a small group impacted your life and helped you to "grow in both directions"?

Got shoes?

Yesterday I met a guy named Terry at McDonald’s. As you may know, I was there because I’ve organized a one-man boycott of Hardee’s until they get hash browns back on the menu. The campaign isn’t going too well, but I guess I’m a man of principle. :) Anyway, Terry asked me if I had some extra shoes that I could give him because it was cold & rainy. I looked down and could see his right pinky toe through a hole in his shoe. I told him that I’d be back in a few minutes with some shoes. As I drove home it occurred to me that he didn’t even mention what size he wore. I guess when your shoes have holes, it doesn’t really matter. Any size without holes that keep your feet dry and warm is an improvement. I took him a pair of sneakers and some other stuff that I realized he needed. I was glad that God used me to show His love in a small way.

Now for the ugly part: if Terry hadn’t walked right up to me and asked me for help, then I would not have even noticed him. Know why? Because I was too busy doing “church work” on my laptop. How’s that for irony?

It reminded me that there are people all around us whose lives have holes. Perhaps God has put them in our path so that we can help - if we'd just notice them. Let’s not be too busy doing good stuff that we miss the God stuff. And would you do me a favor? Say a prayer for Terry that he’s experiencing God’s love wherever he is today.

And by the way, if you have extra shoes in your closet, Soles4Souls is a great organization to help you get those to people who need them. Thanks for what you're doing there, Wayne!

A new money problem

OK - I was asked a question this morning that caught me totally off guard. So I'm hoping people can help me out. A friend of mine said that she's been inviting a friend to church, but she thinks that her friend's own preconceived ideas about money & church might be keeping her from coming (to a new teaching series about money, strangely enough!). Could it be that unchurched people view church attendance as another new financial obligation that they just can't take on right now? Even though I ask our 1st-time guests to NOT GIVE every week, could it be that it still feels awkward to pass the offering bag along without dropping something in? This could be an issue, but I confess that it has absolutely never been on my radar. So what do you think - is this an obstacle keeping some people from coming to church? Did you worry about this before you came? And what can we do about it?

Resolutions

Happy New Year! As I've been thinking about my own New Year's resolutions, I've realized how much I tend to do what's urgent instead of what's important. The beginning of a new year seems like a great time to think about what's really most important and take steps to make sure that the "important" stuff doesn't get crowded out by the "urgent (but ultimately unimportant)" stuff. So without getting legalistic about it, I'm planning to be more intentional about the things that are most important - like time with God and my family. What's your resolution this year? And have you broken it yet? :)