Every Monday, my son’s camp has “Bike Day”. For Bike Day, the kids bring in their bikes, scooters, skateboards, roller-skates etc…and are given the opportunity to play with them at camp during the day. My son loves to take his bike or his scooter, but there are two recurring issues that seem to surface.
1. Every Sunday Evening, my wife and I ask him to totally prepare himself for the next day. Meaning that he must gather everything he needs for the next day the night before so that we are not scrambling around with him on Monday morning looking for “his” things.
2. In preparing for the Bike Day, if he wants to take his bike, he must coordinate that effort with me, because his bike will not fit in my wife’s car. She can only transport the scooter.
Last Monday, I worked from home. This means that I usually don’t leave the house until late in the afternoon, when it is time to pick up the kids. Being that it was Monday, it was also Bike day and of course through indirect actions and “reading between the lines” questions and answers with our son that morning, my wife had determined that my son wanted to take his bike (which meant that I would have to get myself together to take him and the bike to camp).
Taking him and the bike to camp would usually not be a problem for me, but in this instance, I was not moved to act upon my desire to make my son happy. Here is why…
My son ignored the house rules. He had not prepared himself the night before by getting the bike out and loading it into the proper vehicle.
He didn’t make his intentions clear to anyone with a request until it was too late (My wife was on her way out of the door)
He did not follow through and complete several of the household duties that he was responsible for.
Through this situation I was forced to take a look at myself and how the situation mirrors my relationship with my Heavenly Father. Many times I want my Father to move on my behalf, I want Him to give me the desires of my heart, I want Him to stop what He is doing to “come through” for me, I want Him to make provisions for me…etc. God loves me and there is no doubt in my mind that He does, but I think that because He loves me He tells me NO. Especially when I’m not walking in obedience.
While God’s faithfulness, love, grace and mercy are beyond human understanding, He does require that His children follow His will, His instructions and His example. God honors obedience and He wants us to choose to honor Him in our actions and not just our words. He wants us to honor Him because we love Him and not because we want what He can provide for us. God wants obedience that is driven by Love. We can’t ignore His will, His calling on our lives and His desires for us and expect Him to bless our “mess” and to “budge” just because we are crying out to Him.
God has a track record of blessing those who follow Him. These blessings may not appear to be blessings to the natural eye as they may be spiritual in nature (a better understanding of the Father and His ways, wisdom, power over spiritual enemies...etc), but their worth far out way any “blessings” that the world has to put forward because His blessings are eternal.
David wrote:
Psalm 5:12 (Amplified Bible)
12For You, Lord, will bless the [uncompromisingly] righteous [him who is upright and in right standing with You]; as with a shield You will surround him with goodwill (pleasure and favor).
I have found in my life that when I have trusted my Father and have committed myself to His “uncompromising righteousness” He has blessed me. In addition my prayers have been less about what I “need or want” Him to do but more about how I can position myself to receive a “larger portion” of Him. Meaning that when I begin to focus on allowing Him to shape me, in many cases what I thought I wanted or needed seems to have a reduced significance in light of my desire to become more like Him.
Just like I advise my son to prepare Himself and to be faithful for “Bike Day”, I am persuaded that I too must position myself for the blessings and provisions available from my Father by preparing myself through practicing a lifestyle of obedience.
Are you prepared for your “Bike Day”?
Be Blessed and Be a Blessing,
B
Monday, July 27, 2009
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Almighty Answers
Have you been praying and praying for strength, wisdom, a financial breakthrough, a door to be opened, for something in your life to change for the better, for your family to love one another more deeply, for forgiveness, for peace, for hope…etc? Many of us spend time praying for these and other things, not realizing that God has answered our prayers, but His answers did not come in the form of the manner that we thought they would.
Recently my wife and I watched Evan Almighty for a 2nd or 3rd time. I forgot just how hilarious this movie was. In the movie Evan (a modern day Noah type) is charged with building an Ark. Throughout the movie, Noah has conversations with “God” who is played by Morgan Freeman. During one on the conversations, “God” talked to Evan about how “He” answers prayers. He basically said that humans make prayer requests and think that God is confined to answering those requests in a manner that they desire Him to. We pray for strength and think that God is going to give us some “magic spinach” (like Popeye) and all of the sudden we will be strong. We ask for courage and we think that we are going go to sleep being the “cowardly lion” and wake up the next day as the “King of the Forrest”.
In general, God doesn’t operate that way. What God does is give us opportunities to demonstrate the abilities or qualities of character that we seek. In doing so, He allows us to see His faithfulness as He “pulls” those attributes out of us. For example:
*We ask for financial blessings…God answers by giving us opportunities to be good stewards of what we have now, so that He can confirm that He can trust us with more.
*We ask for strength…God answers by putting us in situations were we must demonstrate ability beyond what we think are capable of, so that we can testify of His might.
*We ask that God helps us to be more loving…God answers us by giving us opportunities to love the lovely and the “unlovely”.
*We ask for salvation for our family/friends…God presents us with opportunities to bear witness of His delivering power and to walk (live) and talk before them so that they will be drawn to Him through us.
I truly believe that as we pay more attention to our circumstances and as we allow God’s Word to serve as the scope that we examine our lives (and especially our circumstances) through, we are sure to find that God has already answered many of our prayer requests, but we have not taken the time to receive His answers.
Praying to God is not like rubbing a genie lamp and making a wish when the genie appears. It is much deeper than that. It is a time to have a two-way communication with our Creator and to ask for insight and guidance so that we can see ourselves and our situations through His eyes. God is not forced to answer us How, When, Where, etc we want Him to. We just need to live in expectation of an answer.
God hears our prayers…but do we hear His answers????
Be Blessed and Be a Blessing,
B
Recently my wife and I watched Evan Almighty for a 2nd or 3rd time. I forgot just how hilarious this movie was. In the movie Evan (a modern day Noah type) is charged with building an Ark. Throughout the movie, Noah has conversations with “God” who is played by Morgan Freeman. During one on the conversations, “God” talked to Evan about how “He” answers prayers. He basically said that humans make prayer requests and think that God is confined to answering those requests in a manner that they desire Him to. We pray for strength and think that God is going to give us some “magic spinach” (like Popeye) and all of the sudden we will be strong. We ask for courage and we think that we are going go to sleep being the “cowardly lion” and wake up the next day as the “King of the Forrest”.
In general, God doesn’t operate that way. What God does is give us opportunities to demonstrate the abilities or qualities of character that we seek. In doing so, He allows us to see His faithfulness as He “pulls” those attributes out of us. For example:
*We ask for financial blessings…God answers by giving us opportunities to be good stewards of what we have now, so that He can confirm that He can trust us with more.
*We ask for strength…God answers by putting us in situations were we must demonstrate ability beyond what we think are capable of, so that we can testify of His might.
*We ask that God helps us to be more loving…God answers us by giving us opportunities to love the lovely and the “unlovely”.
*We ask for salvation for our family/friends…God presents us with opportunities to bear witness of His delivering power and to walk (live) and talk before them so that they will be drawn to Him through us.
I truly believe that as we pay more attention to our circumstances and as we allow God’s Word to serve as the scope that we examine our lives (and especially our circumstances) through, we are sure to find that God has already answered many of our prayer requests, but we have not taken the time to receive His answers.
Praying to God is not like rubbing a genie lamp and making a wish when the genie appears. It is much deeper than that. It is a time to have a two-way communication with our Creator and to ask for insight and guidance so that we can see ourselves and our situations through His eyes. God is not forced to answer us How, When, Where, etc we want Him to. We just need to live in expectation of an answer.
God hears our prayers…but do we hear His answers????
Be Blessed and Be a Blessing,
B
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Open House
A few weeks ago, my wife and I had the pleasure of spending the weekend together in Washington DC. Other than dropping by to go to a concert at Constitution Hall or a play at the Warner Theatre, I really had experienced DC since the days of elementary school field trips to DC. Being born and raised in B-More we were taught at very young age to despise DC (just kidding).
During our recent trip, we were able to truly “meet” DC. We traveled on foot, on the Metro and by cab, [since a friend of the family volunteered to both drop us off at our hotel (that Friday) and to pick us up (on that Sunday) so that we could relax and avoid some of the outrageous parking fees]. Throughout the weekend, we visited some of the museums that we remembered exploring as kids, walked through the Mall, ‘refueled” (one of us did literally…and it wasn’t the writer of this piece) at Ben’s Chili Bowl and experienced some fine dining along with the nightlife that is DC,
As a gesture of appreciation, we invited the friend of the family that took us to DC to join us for dinner on Friday. As we dined, at the Utopia Bar and Grill we conversed about many different subjects. One topic that we discussed was my wife’s desire to replace our black leather furniture that is in our basement “family room” (which we hardly use). While the furniture does not show its age, it is over 12 years old and my wife said that when we replace it she wanted to go with something a little more comfortable and “cushy” like the furniture in our family room on the main floor. I agreed. I want some nice comfortable furniture just like what I already have upstairs.
After listening, the friend, who is gifted in the area of interior design, chimed in. She said something that I found intriguing. She asked about what the “function” of the downstairs family room will be. She suggested something that had a “lounge” feel or a place of totally relaxation which would address a need that is not being met by any other room in the house. She said that if we are not currently using the family-room in the basement, just replacing the furniture is not going to draw us to use that room any more than we do now. In essence she said that every room needs a function and has to meet a need or else it is essentially useless and will become an afterthought.
This conversation made me look at myself in a new light. In 1 Corinthians 12:12-27, Paul talks about believers being like the Body of Christ…each one working together with a different function, but with a single purpose, which is to carry out the will of the “Head of the Body” (which is Christ). Our primary goals are to bring glory to God and to expand the kingdom.
Similarly, we are also like rooms in a house. We each have a function and when we operate outside of what we are called to do we either create chaos or we become useless because we are trying to merely duplicate the “need meeting” function that is being carried out by someone else (just like my basement “family room” which was a mere copy of my main floor family room”). What would you think if you visited someone’s house and they had a washer machine in the kitchen where an oven and range was supposed to be and a bedroom set in the dining room instead of a table and chairs?
I believe that people who have not yet decided to follow Christ are like homebuyers who in the market to buy the “house”. They are checking out the “house”, inspecting the “rooms” (the believers) and making sure that the house is going to enhance their life experience. Some buyers are sold immediately by just checking out one room…for some it’s the kitchen…other it is the master bedroom. Some people have to be “sold” on every room before they are “sold” on the “house” as a whole. Most if not all people would be completely turned off if at the “Open House” the whole house was in disarray or if what was advertised as a 25 room house was a house with 24 bathrooms and one kitchen.
The point is this. What room are you? What is your function and are you carrying it out or have you diminished your value and your “selling” points because you are trying to be a “room” that you were not designed to be? God is the ultimate interior designer. He designed you for a purpose and you play a vital role in attracting those who are in the market for a “home”. What will you do differently today to be a part of the process of making sure that the buyer “closes the deal”?
It’s Open House.
Be Blessed and Be a Blessing,
B
During our recent trip, we were able to truly “meet” DC. We traveled on foot, on the Metro and by cab, [since a friend of the family volunteered to both drop us off at our hotel (that Friday) and to pick us up (on that Sunday) so that we could relax and avoid some of the outrageous parking fees]. Throughout the weekend, we visited some of the museums that we remembered exploring as kids, walked through the Mall, ‘refueled” (one of us did literally…and it wasn’t the writer of this piece) at Ben’s Chili Bowl and experienced some fine dining along with the nightlife that is DC,
As a gesture of appreciation, we invited the friend of the family that took us to DC to join us for dinner on Friday. As we dined, at the Utopia Bar and Grill we conversed about many different subjects. One topic that we discussed was my wife’s desire to replace our black leather furniture that is in our basement “family room” (which we hardly use). While the furniture does not show its age, it is over 12 years old and my wife said that when we replace it she wanted to go with something a little more comfortable and “cushy” like the furniture in our family room on the main floor. I agreed. I want some nice comfortable furniture just like what I already have upstairs.
After listening, the friend, who is gifted in the area of interior design, chimed in. She said something that I found intriguing. She asked about what the “function” of the downstairs family room will be. She suggested something that had a “lounge” feel or a place of totally relaxation which would address a need that is not being met by any other room in the house. She said that if we are not currently using the family-room in the basement, just replacing the furniture is not going to draw us to use that room any more than we do now. In essence she said that every room needs a function and has to meet a need or else it is essentially useless and will become an afterthought.
This conversation made me look at myself in a new light. In 1 Corinthians 12:12-27, Paul talks about believers being like the Body of Christ…each one working together with a different function, but with a single purpose, which is to carry out the will of the “Head of the Body” (which is Christ). Our primary goals are to bring glory to God and to expand the kingdom.
Similarly, we are also like rooms in a house. We each have a function and when we operate outside of what we are called to do we either create chaos or we become useless because we are trying to merely duplicate the “need meeting” function that is being carried out by someone else (just like my basement “family room” which was a mere copy of my main floor family room”). What would you think if you visited someone’s house and they had a washer machine in the kitchen where an oven and range was supposed to be and a bedroom set in the dining room instead of a table and chairs?
I believe that people who have not yet decided to follow Christ are like homebuyers who in the market to buy the “house”. They are checking out the “house”, inspecting the “rooms” (the believers) and making sure that the house is going to enhance their life experience. Some buyers are sold immediately by just checking out one room…for some it’s the kitchen…other it is the master bedroom. Some people have to be “sold” on every room before they are “sold” on the “house” as a whole. Most if not all people would be completely turned off if at the “Open House” the whole house was in disarray or if what was advertised as a 25 room house was a house with 24 bathrooms and one kitchen.
The point is this. What room are you? What is your function and are you carrying it out or have you diminished your value and your “selling” points because you are trying to be a “room” that you were not designed to be? God is the ultimate interior designer. He designed you for a purpose and you play a vital role in attracting those who are in the market for a “home”. What will you do differently today to be a part of the process of making sure that the buyer “closes the deal”?
It’s Open House.
Be Blessed and Be a Blessing,
B
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Bluetooth
One feature that I optioned for in my latest vehicle is a Bluetooth integrated radio that would allow me to receive and to make call in a safe “handsfree” manner. It is a very convenient function as it has built in caller ID and is voice activated. Whenever my vehicle is on and my phone is in range, the car automatically connects to the phone as indicated by a symbol (which resembles a phone) that appears on the central display of the dashboard. This “icon” is a reminder to me that 1… I have my phone and 2…the system is working properly. I have come to trust and rely on my “Bluetooth Radio”.
My reliance on this technology, came in handy last week as I was leaving for work. Like most people, my phone (smartphone/”celly”/lifeline/”text machine”..etc) is an essential part of my wardrobe. It is a way for me to stay connected to family, friends, co-workers and the rest of the world in general, so you can imagine the “mini-panic attack” I had when as I was sitting in my car going through my mental checklist of tasks that I needed to do or items that I needed to take with me for the day, and I could not locate my phone. All I had on my hip was an empty phone case.
I began to backtrack…mentally and physically. The bedroom, the kitchen, the family room….my “Text-Machine” was nowhere to be found. As I was giving up hope, a still voice told me to go back to the car and just go to work. I listened and to my delight, as I started the car, the Bluetooth phone connection icon appeared in my dash. “What a relief!!!” I thought, “Now I know that my phone is in the car.” Unfortunately, that was just the beginning of the saga. I spent the next 10 minutes looking in the car for the phone, but I came up empty. I decided that I had to move on with my day and that I had to rest assure that the phone was somewhere in the car and that I would eventually find it.
This experience seemed to be linked to a recent Bible study that I was a part of. The study focused on how we should not let the unexplainable get in the way of our acceptance of the undeniable. In other words, there are things that we can’t explain (and may never be able to explain), but there are also undeniable truths that we must accept and live our lives by.
This is sooooo true as it relates to our relationship with God and His will for our lives. I can not explain all the mysteries of God. Why He does what He does. What He is going to do down to the smallest of decisions. I can’t explain it (if I could then I would be God). I can however rest on the undeniable power that I have personally experienced through my undeniable relationship with Him. I can attest to His delivering power and His unconditional Love. I can’t explain all the “why’s” but their reality is undeniable.
I fight each day to not let what I don’t know, hinder my faith. For if I knew it all, there would be no need for Faith. Just as in my experience with my “lost” phone, while I could not explain exactly where my phone was, I had an “undeniable” indicator that my phone was there, so I didn’t allow my life to come to a complete and permanent standstill as a result of the “unexplainable” (not knowing exactly where the phone was).
I have a new appreciation for Hebrews 11:1:
1NOW FAITH is the assurance (the confirmation, [a]the title deed) of the things [we] hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses].
What unexplainable truth or reality is preventing you from accepting the undeniable truths of God and His will for you? What detail are you so focused on that it has caused you to lose sight of the “big picture”? What will it take to move you from dwelling in the realm of the unexplainable into living a life confident in the undeniable?
Is your spiritual “Bluthtooth” connected or are you out of range?
Be Blessed and Be a Blessing,
B
My reliance on this technology, came in handy last week as I was leaving for work. Like most people, my phone (smartphone/”celly”/lifeline/”text machine”..etc) is an essential part of my wardrobe. It is a way for me to stay connected to family, friends, co-workers and the rest of the world in general, so you can imagine the “mini-panic attack” I had when as I was sitting in my car going through my mental checklist of tasks that I needed to do or items that I needed to take with me for the day, and I could not locate my phone. All I had on my hip was an empty phone case.
I began to backtrack…mentally and physically. The bedroom, the kitchen, the family room….my “Text-Machine” was nowhere to be found. As I was giving up hope, a still voice told me to go back to the car and just go to work. I listened and to my delight, as I started the car, the Bluetooth phone connection icon appeared in my dash. “What a relief!!!” I thought, “Now I know that my phone is in the car.” Unfortunately, that was just the beginning of the saga. I spent the next 10 minutes looking in the car for the phone, but I came up empty. I decided that I had to move on with my day and that I had to rest assure that the phone was somewhere in the car and that I would eventually find it.
This experience seemed to be linked to a recent Bible study that I was a part of. The study focused on how we should not let the unexplainable get in the way of our acceptance of the undeniable. In other words, there are things that we can’t explain (and may never be able to explain), but there are also undeniable truths that we must accept and live our lives by.
This is sooooo true as it relates to our relationship with God and His will for our lives. I can not explain all the mysteries of God. Why He does what He does. What He is going to do down to the smallest of decisions. I can’t explain it (if I could then I would be God). I can however rest on the undeniable power that I have personally experienced through my undeniable relationship with Him. I can attest to His delivering power and His unconditional Love. I can’t explain all the “why’s” but their reality is undeniable.
I fight each day to not let what I don’t know, hinder my faith. For if I knew it all, there would be no need for Faith. Just as in my experience with my “lost” phone, while I could not explain exactly where my phone was, I had an “undeniable” indicator that my phone was there, so I didn’t allow my life to come to a complete and permanent standstill as a result of the “unexplainable” (not knowing exactly where the phone was).
I have a new appreciation for Hebrews 11:1:
1NOW FAITH is the assurance (the confirmation, [a]the title deed) of the things [we] hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses].
What unexplainable truth or reality is preventing you from accepting the undeniable truths of God and His will for you? What detail are you so focused on that it has caused you to lose sight of the “big picture”? What will it take to move you from dwelling in the realm of the unexplainable into living a life confident in the undeniable?
Is your spiritual “Bluthtooth” connected or are you out of range?
Be Blessed and Be a Blessing,
B
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Graduation Preparation
It is that season once again….Graduation season. Many of the Class of 2009 have walked across the stage already. Those who have not are preparing to walk across the stage, preparing their kids to walk across the stage or probably know someone who is participating in a graduation ceremony. Graduations are glorious times. They signify achievement and serve as landmarks in life as the graduate and the people who supported the graduate through the educational process celebrate and recognize the sacrifices that went into making the achievement possible.
Graduations are culminating events that mark the achievement of a goal that in most cases was set in years prior. Graduations are a time to reflect on a journey to pursue excellence that began as a dream. The dream began to take shape and to materialize as the graduate carefully navigated the road to reach a destination called “goal” or “success”.
In order to pursue excellence or to obtain a goal, sacrifices must be made. Clear goals and plans are the filters in which we must run our thoughts, actions, opportunities and priorities through in order to make sense of things and to “purify” or align our decisions with our pursuit of excellence. This filtering process makes the right decisions easier to make because if we are faced with two alternatives our “filtration system” will assist us in eliminating or delaying the alternative that is least aligned with our goals.
There is a potential downside to graduations. Complacency is often the sister of achievement. Too often, we achieve our goals and we stop dreaming. We stop planning for the next goal. We get arrogant and start reading and believing our own press and begin to deceive ourselves into thinking that we have “made it” and that we success is a direct result of our own “greatness”. There is something about reaching a goal that sometimes causes us to let our guard down and to sometimes forget the significance of the struggle to seek success.
In order to gain something that is important to us we must forgo something that is insignificant as compared to that “something” that we want to achieve.
In our pursuit of excellence in life, we sometimes forget about what our #1 goal should be. That goal should be a deeper relationship with God as demonstrated though our relationships with others and the selfless drive to embody the very essence of Love.
Paul summed it up so beautifully:
Philippians 3:7-8 (Amplified Bible)
7But whatever former things I had that might have been gains to me, I have come to consider as [[a]one combined] loss for Christ's sake.
8Yes, furthermore, I count everything as loss compared to the possession of the priceless privilege (the overwhelming preciousness, the surpassing worth, and supreme advantage) of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord and of progressively becoming more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him [of perceiving and recognizing and understanding Him more fully and clearly]. For His sake I have lost everything and consider it all to be mere rubbish (refuse, dregs), in order that I may win (gain) Christ (the Anointed One),
If our desire is to know God, we must be willing to discount the value of everything else when comparing it to becoming more intimate with Him. All that we accomplished on “our own”, all the material things that we have worked so hard to pursue and all the relationships that we have put 1st are all mere “rubbish” as we measure them against the knowledge of God through Christ.
We must be willing to lose and “loose” things in order to “gain” a deeper understanding of God. Just as a student who is on the journey toward graduation, sacrifices must be made in order to achieve the dream or goal. The challenge is found in letting go in order to gain.
What in your life is preventing you from obtaining a deeper understanding of God? What or who are you afraid to lose or “loose”? Has your personal success diminished your perceived need for ultimate reliance on God? What spiritual goals do you need to set in your life?
One day your name will be called…are you preparing to walk across the stage?
Be Blessed,
B
Graduations are culminating events that mark the achievement of a goal that in most cases was set in years prior. Graduations are a time to reflect on a journey to pursue excellence that began as a dream. The dream began to take shape and to materialize as the graduate carefully navigated the road to reach a destination called “goal” or “success”.
In order to pursue excellence or to obtain a goal, sacrifices must be made. Clear goals and plans are the filters in which we must run our thoughts, actions, opportunities and priorities through in order to make sense of things and to “purify” or align our decisions with our pursuit of excellence. This filtering process makes the right decisions easier to make because if we are faced with two alternatives our “filtration system” will assist us in eliminating or delaying the alternative that is least aligned with our goals.
There is a potential downside to graduations. Complacency is often the sister of achievement. Too often, we achieve our goals and we stop dreaming. We stop planning for the next goal. We get arrogant and start reading and believing our own press and begin to deceive ourselves into thinking that we have “made it” and that we success is a direct result of our own “greatness”. There is something about reaching a goal that sometimes causes us to let our guard down and to sometimes forget the significance of the struggle to seek success.
In order to gain something that is important to us we must forgo something that is insignificant as compared to that “something” that we want to achieve.
In our pursuit of excellence in life, we sometimes forget about what our #1 goal should be. That goal should be a deeper relationship with God as demonstrated though our relationships with others and the selfless drive to embody the very essence of Love.
Paul summed it up so beautifully:
Philippians 3:7-8 (Amplified Bible)
7But whatever former things I had that might have been gains to me, I have come to consider as [[a]one combined] loss for Christ's sake.
8Yes, furthermore, I count everything as loss compared to the possession of the priceless privilege (the overwhelming preciousness, the surpassing worth, and supreme advantage) of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord and of progressively becoming more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him [of perceiving and recognizing and understanding Him more fully and clearly]. For His sake I have lost everything and consider it all to be mere rubbish (refuse, dregs), in order that I may win (gain) Christ (the Anointed One),
If our desire is to know God, we must be willing to discount the value of everything else when comparing it to becoming more intimate with Him. All that we accomplished on “our own”, all the material things that we have worked so hard to pursue and all the relationships that we have put 1st are all mere “rubbish” as we measure them against the knowledge of God through Christ.
We must be willing to lose and “loose” things in order to “gain” a deeper understanding of God. Just as a student who is on the journey toward graduation, sacrifices must be made in order to achieve the dream or goal. The challenge is found in letting go in order to gain.
What in your life is preventing you from obtaining a deeper understanding of God? What or who are you afraid to lose or “loose”? Has your personal success diminished your perceived need for ultimate reliance on God? What spiritual goals do you need to set in your life?
One day your name will be called…are you preparing to walk across the stage?
Be Blessed,
B
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Why to What
Since I was blessed to marry such an amazingly beautiful wife, it is no surprise that I am blessed to have two beautiful children. My kids like my wife are beautiful from the inside out. Recently as I entered church after dropping the wife and kids off at the front door (being the gentleman that my parents raised me to be), I was stopped by one of the members of my church. With a warm smile on her face she said, "Bryant you are blessed with such a beautiful family and that young lady of yours is the total package. She is gorgeous, has a loving heart, is smart and very talented. She is really growing up."
Truthfully though I don’t always want to admit it, my daughter is growing up right before my eyes. She is beginning to develop patterns that will help her to have a strong relationship with God and to be able to demonstrate that relationship by the way she treats and interacts with other people.
My little girl is definitely becoming a young lady. According to my wife, the other day some young men were drawn in by her attractiveness only to be snubbed when my wife announced to the “would be predators” that my daughter is only 11 years old. I guess the Lord saw fit to keep me from going to jail, since this event took place when I was not around J.
My daughter’s physical appearance is years beyond her actual age. It scares me to think that physically she has the ability at the age of 11 to conceive a child. I often think…GOD WHY ME?!?!?!? I have a long road ahead of me as it pertains to protecting her from people that will look at her from the outside 1st and not realize that her physical appearance is not a true reflection of where she is mentally and emotionally.
As children of God, we sometimes “look” older than we really are. We appear to have our lives together, to not be moved by the storms of uncertainty and to be able to conquer any adversaries that dare to cross our paths. We know how to talk the talk. From the outside it appears that we are “pros” at life. We are unshakeable and unbreakable…but…if people only knew (many times we don’t have a clue).
True maturity is being able to be transparent…transparent with God, with ourselves and with other people. True maturity is demonstrated through a “walk” that matches our”talk”.
I have found in my walk with God, the key to my maturation has revolved around a simple concept. The practice of moving from “Why to What”. In my early walk with the Lord I got so caught-up in the Why’s. Why is this happening God? Why did you allow this pain or hurt? Why didn’t you bless me in this area or that area? Why? Why? Why? I used my Why’s as an excuse to fail and I allowed the “Why’s” to impede my growth.
As I have matured, I have began to shift my focus to the “What’s”. What do you want me to learn from this God? What do you want me to do? What would you do in this circumstance? What decision would bring you glory? What is your perspective?
I don’t believe that God is too concerned with revealing the answers to our “Why’s”. I believe He wants to see “What” we are going to do. What are we going to do when we think we can get away with it? What are we going to do when we are in a position to help someone? What are we going to do when our money is tight, but there is a Kingdom need? What are we going to do when pain and hurt knock us off of our feet? What are we going to do when God doesn’t answer the “Why’s”? What are we going to do when our backs are against the wall and we can’t see our way through?
Wherever you find yourself on this journey called life, I challenge you to press toward the next level in your relationship with God by changing your “why’s” to “what’s” so that the image of maturity that you project to the world will match the level of spiritual maturity that you actually possess.
Let’s move from “Why” to What”.
Be Blessed,
B
Truthfully though I don’t always want to admit it, my daughter is growing up right before my eyes. She is beginning to develop patterns that will help her to have a strong relationship with God and to be able to demonstrate that relationship by the way she treats and interacts with other people.
My little girl is definitely becoming a young lady. According to my wife, the other day some young men were drawn in by her attractiveness only to be snubbed when my wife announced to the “would be predators” that my daughter is only 11 years old. I guess the Lord saw fit to keep me from going to jail, since this event took place when I was not around J.
My daughter’s physical appearance is years beyond her actual age. It scares me to think that physically she has the ability at the age of 11 to conceive a child. I often think…GOD WHY ME?!?!?!? I have a long road ahead of me as it pertains to protecting her from people that will look at her from the outside 1st and not realize that her physical appearance is not a true reflection of where she is mentally and emotionally.
As children of God, we sometimes “look” older than we really are. We appear to have our lives together, to not be moved by the storms of uncertainty and to be able to conquer any adversaries that dare to cross our paths. We know how to talk the talk. From the outside it appears that we are “pros” at life. We are unshakeable and unbreakable…but…if people only knew (many times we don’t have a clue).
True maturity is being able to be transparent…transparent with God, with ourselves and with other people. True maturity is demonstrated through a “walk” that matches our”talk”.
I have found in my walk with God, the key to my maturation has revolved around a simple concept. The practice of moving from “Why to What”. In my early walk with the Lord I got so caught-up in the Why’s. Why is this happening God? Why did you allow this pain or hurt? Why didn’t you bless me in this area or that area? Why? Why? Why? I used my Why’s as an excuse to fail and I allowed the “Why’s” to impede my growth.
As I have matured, I have began to shift my focus to the “What’s”. What do you want me to learn from this God? What do you want me to do? What would you do in this circumstance? What decision would bring you glory? What is your perspective?
I don’t believe that God is too concerned with revealing the answers to our “Why’s”. I believe He wants to see “What” we are going to do. What are we going to do when we think we can get away with it? What are we going to do when we are in a position to help someone? What are we going to do when our money is tight, but there is a Kingdom need? What are we going to do when pain and hurt knock us off of our feet? What are we going to do when God doesn’t answer the “Why’s”? What are we going to do when our backs are against the wall and we can’t see our way through?
Wherever you find yourself on this journey called life, I challenge you to press toward the next level in your relationship with God by changing your “why’s” to “what’s” so that the image of maturity that you project to the world will match the level of spiritual maturity that you actually possess.
Let’s move from “Why” to What”.
Be Blessed,
B
Thursday, April 30, 2009
What will be your legacy?
My wife and I recently endured the movie,” The Day the Earth Stood Still” (shout out to Redbox and “free rentals on Monday nights). To be brutally honest, I think the movie deserved each and every one of the “C” ratings that it received from most of the critics and movie fans that reviewed it. The movie told the story of how alien civilizations came to rid the Earth of Humanity due to the fact that we were not taking care of one the most precious resources in the cosmos…the planet Earth. The aliens took human form and lived among us, observing our behavior and after being provoked by our destructive behavior, they decided that it was time to pull the trigger and wipe us out.
One of the aliens had lived on Earth for roughly 70 years. After living “among us”, he gave a report to Keanu Reeves, who too was also an alien and who had set the plan in motion to kill us. In his report he talked about the destructive nature of mankind and how mankind knows the end result of its destructive behavior, but chooses to pursue this destructive behavior. Choosing to live in a false “reality” and ignoring the truth concerning the consequences of their actions. It was noted that these behavior patterns are passed down from generation to generation and bear the seeds of hatred, anger and death. In contrast, he was burdened by the fact that he had grown to love the humans for inside of them was the capacity to love and to unite in the face of annihilation. As a result of his human experience, the old man “alien” was willing to die with humanity as they were exterminated.
This movie, while I give it two thumbs down, was connected to some of my recent experiences. One was last Friday when I hooked up with my best friend growing up who is now a Pastor (Shout out to Clay). He invited me to join him at a Basketball outreach where young men are invited to play ball at a school gym and in a drama-free, “free from profanity” environment and are also prayed for, ministered to and encouraged to become the men that God intends for them to be. As the night came to an end, Clay issued a challenge to the young men. Simply put, he asked them, “What will your legacy be?”
Far too many people leave the Earth and leave no legacy behind…They walk but leave no imprint on the sands of time. I am convinced that people who don’t leave a legacy are people who don’t maximize the opportunities presented by the Defining Moments of life.
In a recent Bible Study, the discussion leader defined Defining Moments as moments that require a decision on our part and after that decision is made (right or wrong) our lives are never the same. More importantly, a Defining Moment is a moment when you are confronted with a truth about life and you are invited to change the way you live as a result of that truth.
As with the challenges that faced both Humanity (in “The Day the Earth Stood Still”) and the young men (that I met last week at the Basketball Outreach), we are “met-head-on” with Defining Moments. I believe that life is lived between Defining Moments. Many times we don’t want to face the truth about ourselves, the truth about our relationships, the truth about our finances, the truth about God etc., but rest assure that denial and avoidance of the truth doesn’t make the truth less real.
What truth are you faced with today? What reality have you been in denial about? I urge you today to ask God to give you the wisdom to know how to deal with your Defining Moments and the strength to endure until He has made His Truth known to you.
In the face of your defining moment…what will be your legacy?
Be Blessed and Be a Blessing,
B
One of the aliens had lived on Earth for roughly 70 years. After living “among us”, he gave a report to Keanu Reeves, who too was also an alien and who had set the plan in motion to kill us. In his report he talked about the destructive nature of mankind and how mankind knows the end result of its destructive behavior, but chooses to pursue this destructive behavior. Choosing to live in a false “reality” and ignoring the truth concerning the consequences of their actions. It was noted that these behavior patterns are passed down from generation to generation and bear the seeds of hatred, anger and death. In contrast, he was burdened by the fact that he had grown to love the humans for inside of them was the capacity to love and to unite in the face of annihilation. As a result of his human experience, the old man “alien” was willing to die with humanity as they were exterminated.
This movie, while I give it two thumbs down, was connected to some of my recent experiences. One was last Friday when I hooked up with my best friend growing up who is now a Pastor (Shout out to Clay). He invited me to join him at a Basketball outreach where young men are invited to play ball at a school gym and in a drama-free, “free from profanity” environment and are also prayed for, ministered to and encouraged to become the men that God intends for them to be. As the night came to an end, Clay issued a challenge to the young men. Simply put, he asked them, “What will your legacy be?”
Far too many people leave the Earth and leave no legacy behind…They walk but leave no imprint on the sands of time. I am convinced that people who don’t leave a legacy are people who don’t maximize the opportunities presented by the Defining Moments of life.
In a recent Bible Study, the discussion leader defined Defining Moments as moments that require a decision on our part and after that decision is made (right or wrong) our lives are never the same. More importantly, a Defining Moment is a moment when you are confronted with a truth about life and you are invited to change the way you live as a result of that truth.
As with the challenges that faced both Humanity (in “The Day the Earth Stood Still”) and the young men (that I met last week at the Basketball Outreach), we are “met-head-on” with Defining Moments. I believe that life is lived between Defining Moments. Many times we don’t want to face the truth about ourselves, the truth about our relationships, the truth about our finances, the truth about God etc., but rest assure that denial and avoidance of the truth doesn’t make the truth less real.
What truth are you faced with today? What reality have you been in denial about? I urge you today to ask God to give you the wisdom to know how to deal with your Defining Moments and the strength to endure until He has made His Truth known to you.
In the face of your defining moment…what will be your legacy?
Be Blessed and Be a Blessing,
B
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