God Has Called You

What has God called you to do? If you’re a believer, you’ve been called to do something. Many times we struggle with that. We might even start getting involved in ministries and religious works, trying to figure out where we belong. And then after pouring our energy into trying to make some sort of ministry “work” for us, we grow tired and weary. That’s because we often allow the work of ministry to become more important that what we’re all called to do. So what are we all called to do? Jesus said, “follow Me”. And that’s the primary calling we all have. When we get away from that, we will find ourselves wandering in the desert, spiritually dried up and weary as we operate in our own strength instead of allowing the Holy Spirit to operate thru us. Believe me, you won’t last very long trying to do ministry without the Holy Spirit’s empowering. You’ll fall flat on your face – I’ve been there… But when that happens, Father God isn’t disappointed or upset with you. In fact, it’s all part of His plan to refresh, refill and reenergize you. You’re still important to Him and He still has much work to accomplish thru your life. Just remember that our part is to follow Him. He has a way of taking care of everything else when we make that our life’s priority. 

Read More

Freedom

Do you ever long to be free from the junk of this life? Free from the stress? Free from the problems? Free from the insecurities? Free from the disillusionment? Free from the discouragement? Well, the Apostle Paul said in Galatians, "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery." Ah yes... but that sure seems much easier said than done to me. One minute I think I'm living in freedom, then something comes along and ties me in knots again... But we can choose to be free if we will surrender our heart, mind, soul & strength to freedom in Christ. In fact, until we are experiencing and living in the freedom of Christ, we will remain in bondage... bondage to unrealistic expectations, bondage to our own unmet goals. And ultimately, when we realize how insufficient our strength and abilities in the flesh really are, we'll hit a downward spiral of burnout. I can tell when I'm hitting that downward spiral... I become controlling, frustrated, and judgmental. I find myself trying to please everybody, and live up to impossible expectations. Then I get even more frustrated because I can't get everything done. What about you? Do you ever find yourself trying to be a god? If only we could consistently live in the freedom that is ours by birthright... without fear of judgement and rejection... what a beautiful world this would be! 

Read More

Blessings, Burnout & A Bunch Of Bull

As many of you know, I took last week off for a pastor’s retreat in Oklahoma. Wow! What a much needed time of refreshment and restoration I experienced. There’s something that happens when we can get away from the hustle of life and relax in the Spirit of God. It’s amazing how my view changed as I soaked in the sap of the tree of life. Kim Wenzel, the host of this retreat is a wonderful teacher and man of God. Together we explored numerous truths from Scripture that not only helped me sort thru several struggles I have been going thru, but also reaffirmed in Whom I find my strength. Not that I ever forgot, but sometimes I confess that I think everything is up to me! (I’m sure none of you struggle with that, right?)  One thing Kim talked about was how we are so geared to be success oriented in our Christianity. We feel that if we’re not being blessed with health, wealth and prosperity in life, something must be wrong. But in reality, that way of thinking is a form of selfishness. We believe that if we do the will of God surely He will bless us beyond measure. And if we’re not being blessed, we think that we’re not doing something right. But the people we read about in scripture didn’t experience that kind of life. In fact, many of the heroes of our faith would not have been successful in our American, Christian culture. Many times the cause for spiritual burnout comes from striving to live a successful Christian life or have a more successful ministry. And a lot of us aren’t as focused on God as much as we’re focused on the success part. Yet Jesus told us to “seek the kingdom of God first…” The impetus for all that we do must be God. The power for ministry that happens in and thru our lives must be the Spirit of God. If we try to live life by our own power – by the flesh and for our own success – we’re quickly headed for trouble. When we’re operating solely in our own strength, our own wisdom, our own ability and know-how, we’ll strive to climb the ladder of success and self-promotion. And eventually, some one very likely will come along and knock the ladder out from under us… where does that leave us? Flat on our faces. But how much does worldly success matter in God’s economy anyway? Not a lot… God measures success much differently. He may make you the King, like David. But He also may ask you to live your life on some isle of Patmos with stale food, no bed, and alone like the Apostle John. You may be promoted to second in command of Egypt like Joseph. Or you may suffer trials and hardship like Job. Regardless, keep God as your focus. Don’t get pulled away by the “pipe dream” that you can have a better life now if you’ll just work harder for the Lord. That’s a bunch of bull. And it most likely will lead you to disappointment, disillusionment, and burnout… If the best we have to look forward to is this life and our circumstances, we’re a pitiful bunch of folks. Thank the Lord this is not our destiny.

Read More

Worship In All That You Do

What is worship? Many of us have heard about “worship wars” in the church, when traditionalists and contemporary parishioners battle over style and type of music. But is that really what worship is all about? The Apostle Paul speaks of worship in Romans 12 when he says that we are to present our bodies, our lives, all that we are and all that we have, unto God. In fact, he calls that our spiritual and reasonable act of worship. Jesus said that those who worship God must worship Him in spirit and in truth. Worship is far more than music. Worship is our first responsibility to God and it speaks of bring glory to the name of God with all of our being. Worship is not for us. Many times folks have come up to me after church and said things like, “Man, I thought worship was awesome this morning!” or “I so much enjoyed the worship today.” That’s an incorrect view of worship. Worship is not for us. Worship is from us, for God. And when we offer our uninhibited worship to the Lord, He responds. CS Lewis once said, “In commanding us to glorify Him, God is inviting us to enjoy Him.” So how do we worship? We can worship Him in everything. Whatever we do “as unto the Lord” becomes an act of worship. The Apostle Paul also said in 1 Corinthians 10, “whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” When we do everything as if we were doing it for Him and not for anyone else, we are worshiping. I see many people worshiping God on Sunday mornings during our services. Who are they? Those who pray not to be heard by others, but to truly listen and communicate with God; those who sing with hands and/or hearts lifted to the Lord, not so they can be heard by others, but to express their love and adoration to the Lord; those who minister and work in various ministries, not so they can be praised or seen, but as an offering of service to Christ. That’s what worship is all about. It’s not just in your actions, but how and for whom you express and do whatever you do. So, how are you worshiping God today? The Bible says “God is seeking those who will worship Him…”

Read More

Parenting & an Empty Nest

As I have been preparing for a new series on parenting, I've kept my eyes and ears open for any sort of information on the subject. While driving to my office on Tuesday, I heard some interesting facts from Dennis Rainey and Family life today on 106.9 The Light radio station. Something that really struck me was the fact that 88% of our children will walk away from the Christian faith once they leave home… Folks, we're not meeting the mark when it comes to preparing our children to face the world. In fact, several experts on the show said that if Christian parents were given a grade for our parenting skills, overall we would be failing.

I think we've somehow gotten away from the biblical role of parents. We've bought into the lies of our culture that tear down the family unit and undermine the importance of the role & relationship of the husband & wife with their children. Maybe it's because of advertising, or marketing, but we've accepted the idea that the child is the center of attention in everything. I'm not saying children aren't important - they are... but they're not more important than the marital relationship. And they also should not determine the priorities and practices in the home. For example, in today's world, parents are seen primarily as the providers for their consumer children. That sort of statement can lead us to believe that everything parents do has to be focused on the children... In other words, the parents work for the happiness of the children. We might feel that way sometimes, but that's not the biblical approach to parenting. Yet, so many parents fall into that trap. That's why we have a lot of spoiled brats and so many 25 - 30 year old kids still living at home! Why on earth would they want to give up a sweet deal like that? 

Parents, our primary job titles are not - chauffeur, butler, maid, slave and money source. Of course, we will have to do some of that as a part of life, but those jobs do not define our roles. Our primary roles consist of teaching, training, coaching and preparing our children to leave home. And if we are doing those things correctly, we should also lead them from having a total reliance upon us to having a total reliance upon God. I realize it's tough when the kids grow up and leave home... Lynn and I just moved our youngest off to college. But along with the saddness we both felt when he drove away, was such a great joy and sense of pride. Like his sister, I know Hunter's trust is in God. And I have no doubts that he also has the confidence to spread his strong wings and fly to the greatest heights!  

Read More