A few days ago we had a special service at MLC. There was some light food and incredible music. Shawn then talked about the importance of being thankful to God for all that He has done in our lives. He even ran around the room with a mic. letting folks in the audience share what they're most thankful for.
I'll be honest, I was an emotional wreck through it all. Anyone watching might have even said that I was uncomfortable or out of place. I didn't have the nerve to take the mic.
You see, these past several days someone very close to me has been seriously, life-threateningly ill. (You'll understand if, for privacy reasons, I don't give too many personal details.)
This is someone whom I've known all my life and with whom I've trusted my life on countless occasions; a person who is one of my oldest and best friends. Like all friendships we've had our ups and downs. But while the forging of a friendship is sometimes painful the final result is stronger for it.
My friend was helicoptered to the hospital with a major organ in the final stages of failure. Even a half-hour delay would have meant death. The next several days were stress-filled for everyone involved as the doctors worked to stabilize their patient to the point where a transplant operation would be survivable. As the days clicked by my friend's strength increased due to the skill of the doctors and nurses boosted by the prayers of so many close friends.
Just as things got about as good as they could we got the call: "They think they have a donor." How many times has God delivered at exactly the right time? Too soon and the patient wouldn't have the strength. Too late and the patient wouldn't make it. Exactly the right time.
So, tonight, I am thankful to God for always being right on time in fulfilling His promise to us, His children, that he will take care of us and fulfill His plan for our lives. I am thankful to God for the amazing medical advances and the skill of the medical staff -- the earthly hands of the Almighty Healer. I am thankful to God for giving me the strength to face this time and for the close friends and family who support me. I am thankful to God for being with my life-long friend and providing the courage, strength and determination to endure.
And, though I will never know their name, I am thankful to the anonymous donor who in Christ-like generosity and charity donated their organ so that this special person in my life can have another chance. Lord, I ask you to bless their family and though they're mourning the loss of a loved-one give them comfort in the knowledge that their loss has given the gift of life to another.
Thank You
Sunday, December 9, 2007
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Safe Online Shopping
Wow... I'm *really* on the finances bandwagon lately...
I do over 95% of my shopping online. If I have to walk into a brick-and-mortar store to buy something then I probably don't bother. It would totally rock if could order online at Home Depot like I do a Fry's. Sixteen two-by-fours drop-shipped to my driveway with free shipping!? Dude! I am ON IT!
But, you gotta be safe. Check out this article on the 12 Angry Men blog.
If you are shopping online you've gotta be using ShopSafe. If your credit card company doesn't offer it then drop 'em like a six-day old raw egg and get another. With ShopSafe you set an expiration date (always go with the lowest possible) and a credit limit (always choose just a little bit over the final cost) for your temporary number. What's more, the temporary number they give you is only valid at that merchant. So you're protected three ways: (a) the card will expire quickly and be useless for fraudsters, (b) the limit is nearly all used up by your purchase and (c) if somebody else gets 'hold of it they can't use it anywhere else. If you're going brick-and-mortar you could even print out your temporary numbers for the places you plan to shop and take 'em with you.
If you are absolutely opposed to ShopSafe or just can't part with your current card company then use PayPal or Google Checkout. This holiday season (and evermore) use these guys to keep your credit card number out of the hands of the vendors!
The whole idea behind these three services is that your actual credit card data is not sent to the vendor. Instead, they act as a middleman for the transaction. If the vendor's systems aren't secure or the vendor is unscrupulous then you've got an extra layer of protection in place.
There's bad people out there folks. It really stinks that we have to suffer because of that but it's the human condition. The Garden, the apple & all that... Protect yourself when you're out there in that digital mall just as you would in any other rough neighborhood.
I do over 95% of my shopping online. If I have to walk into a brick-and-mortar store to buy something then I probably don't bother. It would totally rock if could order online at Home Depot like I do a Fry's. Sixteen two-by-fours drop-shipped to my driveway with free shipping!? Dude! I am ON IT!
But, you gotta be safe. Check out this article on the 12 Angry Men blog.
If you are shopping online you've gotta be using ShopSafe. If your credit card company doesn't offer it then drop 'em like a six-day old raw egg and get another. With ShopSafe you set an expiration date (always go with the lowest possible) and a credit limit (always choose just a little bit over the final cost) for your temporary number. What's more, the temporary number they give you is only valid at that merchant. So you're protected three ways: (a) the card will expire quickly and be useless for fraudsters, (b) the limit is nearly all used up by your purchase and (c) if somebody else gets 'hold of it they can't use it anywhere else. If you're going brick-and-mortar you could even print out your temporary numbers for the places you plan to shop and take 'em with you.
If you are absolutely opposed to ShopSafe or just can't part with your current card company then use PayPal or Google Checkout. This holiday season (and evermore) use these guys to keep your credit card number out of the hands of the vendors!
The whole idea behind these three services is that your actual credit card data is not sent to the vendor. Instead, they act as a middleman for the transaction. If the vendor's systems aren't secure or the vendor is unscrupulous then you've got an extra layer of protection in place.
There's bad people out there folks. It really stinks that we have to suffer because of that but it's the human condition. The Garden, the apple & all that... Protect yourself when you're out there in that digital mall just as you would in any other rough neighborhood.
Monday, November 19, 2007
If you spend it... track it...
On Casey's blog this morning was one of the simplest and most helpful financial tips you'll ever read: Don't buy it if you can't afford it.
That just gets right to the point doesn't it? Like all good tips it's also just plain common sense. Unfortunately, common sense isn't always very common.
I hope this is just the first of many upcoming Monday tips from Casey. We all need a common sense reminder from time to time and what better time than Mondays?
Without being presumptuous, I'd like to add my own tip (or four) to Casey's. These are things that have helped us over the years, maybe somebody else will find them useful as well.
1. Be completely transparent with your spouse (and even your kids) about your spending.
Never, ever, ever (!) spend money that your spouse doesn't know about. OK, so trips to the grocery or for gas are just a part of living and we can expect those. But for anything out of the ordinary your spouse should know before-hand. Whether it's a pile of computer parts or a new pair of shoes it's just plain polite to let your spouse know that you're about to relocate some funds.
2. It's not "my" money, it's "our" money.
We have never, ever had separate accounts. I know this is a popular thing for lots of couples: "his money" / "her money". I've even known couples that alternate paying the utilities from separate accounts. I don't get this at all. When a man and a woman are married they become one. That doesn't say "they become one -- except for their money." (And, actually, it's God's money... He's just letting us keep track of it for a while.)
3. If you spend it -- track it.
We've done this for our entire relationship. We've used paper & pencil, Quicken, spreadsheets... you name it. The only thing we don't track is the cash in our pocket. We get our "allowance" every week and use it for our lunches. Everything else, though, is tracked to the penny. The checking account is cross-balanced between the bank's website, Quicken's register and my projection spreadsheet. Likewise for the credit card. We triple-check every six-pence going in our out of our pockets.
4. Forecast the future.
I rambled on about this in my last post so I won't go into the details here. The gist of it is that you should have a rough idea today of what your cash-flow will look like 12 months from now. You simply cannot make wise purchasing decisions unless you know how they are going to affect your future.
OK, that's it for my top tips. I feel like I'm jumping on the financial bandwagon here with my friend's Casey & Brad but this is important stuff. More couples argue about money than any single other thing. Guess what? We do to -- about once a year... There's a reason my first two points are about communication; if you communicate about your finances then you're a lot less likely to argue about 'em.
That just gets right to the point doesn't it? Like all good tips it's also just plain common sense. Unfortunately, common sense isn't always very common.
I hope this is just the first of many upcoming Monday tips from Casey. We all need a common sense reminder from time to time and what better time than Mondays?
Without being presumptuous, I'd like to add my own tip (or four) to Casey's. These are things that have helped us over the years, maybe somebody else will find them useful as well.
1. Be completely transparent with your spouse (and even your kids) about your spending.
Never, ever, ever (!) spend money that your spouse doesn't know about. OK, so trips to the grocery or for gas are just a part of living and we can expect those. But for anything out of the ordinary your spouse should know before-hand. Whether it's a pile of computer parts or a new pair of shoes it's just plain polite to let your spouse know that you're about to relocate some funds.
2. It's not "my" money, it's "our" money.
We have never, ever had separate accounts. I know this is a popular thing for lots of couples: "his money" / "her money". I've even known couples that alternate paying the utilities from separate accounts. I don't get this at all. When a man and a woman are married they become one. That doesn't say "they become one -- except for their money." (And, actually, it's God's money... He's just letting us keep track of it for a while.)
3. If you spend it -- track it.
We've done this for our entire relationship. We've used paper & pencil, Quicken, spreadsheets... you name it. The only thing we don't track is the cash in our pocket. We get our "allowance" every week and use it for our lunches. Everything else, though, is tracked to the penny. The checking account is cross-balanced between the bank's website, Quicken's register and my projection spreadsheet. Likewise for the credit card. We triple-check every six-pence going in our out of our pockets.
4. Forecast the future.
I rambled on about this in my last post so I won't go into the details here. The gist of it is that you should have a rough idea today of what your cash-flow will look like 12 months from now. You simply cannot make wise purchasing decisions unless you know how they are going to affect your future.
OK, that's it for my top tips. I feel like I'm jumping on the financial bandwagon here with my friend's Casey & Brad but this is important stuff. More couples argue about money than any single other thing. Guess what? We do to -- about once a year... There's a reason my first two points are about communication; if you communicate about your finances then you're a lot less likely to argue about 'em.
Thursday, November 15, 2007
I'm Back!
Hey all, it's been way too long since I dropped in to write a bit. Nothing sinister or unpleasant, things have just been busy. I know, I know, that's a lame excuse but it really is the truth. Most days I can grab 30 minutes here & there for some recreational surfing but I rarely have the time to write.
So what's been going on? Well, Mountain Lake has been it's usual crazy self. Those of you who attend know what I'm talking about! Growth groups have started back and I find myself leading a whole new group of people. It's a larger group that I'm accustomed to so that'll take some adjusting on my part. They're great folks though and it'll be exciting as we all grow together.
MLC just wrapped up a series on finances called Becoming the Boss of Our Bling. The pastors spent three weeks talking about different aspects of finances: faithful giving, the danger of defining ourselves through our stuff, and how to evaluate our financial status.
Like every series at MLC it was relevant to our day to day lives. We've always tried to keep control of our finances but it's all too easy to let our finances take control of us! Check out Casey Graham's blog for some cool stuff. Casey really has some great ideas on getting things in order and he's plugged into a whole pile of like-minded people.
So, sorry to disappoint, I don't have any deep insightful thoughts tonight -- not that I'm under any illusion that I ever did have any deep insightful thoughts. I've got a few things bubbling around in my head so if I can grab a chunk of time soon I promise to post one or two before the end of the year.
Oh... wait... there is something I want to add on the topic of finances...
This is, like, so 1980's but my primary financial management tool is ... wait for it ... a spreadsheet. Yes, I use Quicken to pay my bills and manage my accounts and it's really great for that. But, honestly, it's forecasting and tracking just aren't that good for me. It could be because it's a canned application and doesn't give me any way to really customize things -- no, changing the categories of a report is not customization! Not that a spreadsheet is as malleable as a Java file in an IDE but it does give me a chance to manipulate my financial data in ways that I want rather than in ways the Quicken programmers decided.
So what's in my high-tech late-80's era spreadsheets? Well, I have two currently. The one I've used for many years is a projection tool. I have a tab per month and on each tab I track everything coming in and going out. Regular, recurring payments are scheduled and each month's value comes from the preceding history (and gets updated with real values when they roll around). It's more than I can describe in words but the point is that at any time during the year I can look at any tab (or the handy-dandy graph on the 13th tab) and see what my cash-flow will look like at that point in time. Of course the projection can't predict things like a broken washing machine or whatnot but it does a good job at covering 80% of the situation. That gives us enough information at a glance to know whether or not it'll be smart to remodel the kitchen. We may have enough money this month to get started but if the project says we're in the red three months out then getting started is a Bad Idea. If you're not using some method -- even pencil and paper -- to project your future cash-flow situation then you really have no idea how today's spending is going to impact tomorrow's opportunities.
My second spreadsheet is only a couple of months old. On this one I track our credit card expenses. If our credit card company was enlightened and would let me download transactions into Quicken daily I probably could live without the spreadsheet. Alas, they don't -- apparently they think it is sufficient to only show me the data on the web. So... a daily cut-and-paste into my spreadsheet lets me have a daily view into what we've spent. That in itself would be useful but where it really helps is to throw that up against a weekly budget value that rolls up into a billing-cycle budget value. I don't care how much we spend on food or movies -- I only care that we stay in the budget amount each week. This works surprisingly well. If we do really good or really bad one week then we adjust it into the next week as appropriate. If we're having bad weeks at the beginning of the month the we know that dinner & a movie isn't on the todo list at the end of the month. C'est la vie. Since we started doing this we've cut our monthly credit card bill to somewhere between two-thirds and three-quarters of its previous average. The tool is just a means to an end though; as with the projection spreadsheet, the real value is in raising our awareness of where things stand.
OK, so not a very spiritual post but rethinking the Bling series gave me the idea. My spreadsheets work for me and I make no promise that they're anything other than noise to anyone else but... if you're interested post a comment and I'll figure out a way to make 'em available.
Peace to all.
So what's been going on? Well, Mountain Lake has been it's usual crazy self. Those of you who attend know what I'm talking about! Growth groups have started back and I find myself leading a whole new group of people. It's a larger group that I'm accustomed to so that'll take some adjusting on my part. They're great folks though and it'll be exciting as we all grow together.
MLC just wrapped up a series on finances called Becoming the Boss of Our Bling. The pastors spent three weeks talking about different aspects of finances: faithful giving, the danger of defining ourselves through our stuff, and how to evaluate our financial status.
Like every series at MLC it was relevant to our day to day lives. We've always tried to keep control of our finances but it's all too easy to let our finances take control of us! Check out Casey Graham's blog for some cool stuff. Casey really has some great ideas on getting things in order and he's plugged into a whole pile of like-minded people.
So, sorry to disappoint, I don't have any deep insightful thoughts tonight -- not that I'm under any illusion that I ever did have any deep insightful thoughts. I've got a few things bubbling around in my head so if I can grab a chunk of time soon I promise to post one or two before the end of the year.
Oh... wait... there is something I want to add on the topic of finances...
This is, like, so 1980's but my primary financial management tool is ... wait for it ... a spreadsheet. Yes, I use Quicken to pay my bills and manage my accounts and it's really great for that. But, honestly, it's forecasting and tracking just aren't that good for me. It could be because it's a canned application and doesn't give me any way to really customize things -- no, changing the categories of a report is not customization! Not that a spreadsheet is as malleable as a Java file in an IDE but it does give me a chance to manipulate my financial data in ways that I want rather than in ways the Quicken programmers decided.
So what's in my high-tech late-80's era spreadsheets? Well, I have two currently. The one I've used for many years is a projection tool. I have a tab per month and on each tab I track everything coming in and going out. Regular, recurring payments are scheduled and each month's value comes from the preceding history (and gets updated with real values when they roll around). It's more than I can describe in words but the point is that at any time during the year I can look at any tab (or the handy-dandy graph on the 13th tab) and see what my cash-flow will look like at that point in time. Of course the projection can't predict things like a broken washing machine or whatnot but it does a good job at covering 80% of the situation. That gives us enough information at a glance to know whether or not it'll be smart to remodel the kitchen. We may have enough money this month to get started but if the project says we're in the red three months out then getting started is a Bad Idea. If you're not using some method -- even pencil and paper -- to project your future cash-flow situation then you really have no idea how today's spending is going to impact tomorrow's opportunities.
My second spreadsheet is only a couple of months old. On this one I track our credit card expenses. If our credit card company was enlightened and would let me download transactions into Quicken daily I probably could live without the spreadsheet. Alas, they don't -- apparently they think it is sufficient to only show me the data on the web. So... a daily cut-and-paste into my spreadsheet lets me have a daily view into what we've spent. That in itself would be useful but where it really helps is to throw that up against a weekly budget value that rolls up into a billing-cycle budget value. I don't care how much we spend on food or movies -- I only care that we stay in the budget amount each week. This works surprisingly well. If we do really good or really bad one week then we adjust it into the next week as appropriate. If we're having bad weeks at the beginning of the month the we know that dinner & a movie isn't on the todo list at the end of the month. C'est la vie. Since we started doing this we've cut our monthly credit card bill to somewhere between two-thirds and three-quarters of its previous average. The tool is just a means to an end though; as with the projection spreadsheet, the real value is in raising our awareness of where things stand.
OK, so not a very spiritual post but rethinking the Bling series gave me the idea. My spreadsheets work for me and I make no promise that they're anything other than noise to anyone else but... if you're interested post a comment and I'll figure out a way to make 'em available.
Peace to all.
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Litmus
In Casey's leadership notes this week he talks about training himself to be more Godly. He gives some examples from his own life of things one can do to become more like Christ. He wraps it up with a series of words, a litmus test, for how he is growing as a believer:
Wow. Casey is setting a pretty high standard here. I mean, that's a ten-foot high jump at least!
But is it, really? In John 14:14 we read:
How do you judge your growth as a follower of Christ? Do you have a litmus-list of words by which you judge yourself? Something else? Have you asked Christ to help you with that? Have you asked him to put someone in your life who will hold you accountable?
I don't have a list of words. Instead, my wife is my litmus test. She holds me accountable and keeps me honest. Without her I likely wouldn't be writing these words. She holds me to a higher standard and encourages me to reach the ten-foot high jump. Christ put her in my life many years ago, even before I was a Christian. Even then He had a plan -- a vision -- for my life. I am grateful for that and I measure myself daily against that blessing.
- Love
- Joy
- Peace
- Patience
- Kindness
- Goodness
- Gentleness
- Self-Control
Wow. Casey is setting a pretty high standard here. I mean, that's a ten-foot high jump at least!
But is it, really? In John 14:14 we read:
- You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it. (NIV)
How do you judge your growth as a follower of Christ? Do you have a litmus-list of words by which you judge yourself? Something else? Have you asked Christ to help you with that? Have you asked him to put someone in your life who will hold you accountable?
I don't have a list of words. Instead, my wife is my litmus test. She holds me accountable and keeps me honest. Without her I likely wouldn't be writing these words. She holds me to a higher standard and encourages me to reach the ten-foot high jump. Christ put her in my life many years ago, even before I was a Christian. Even then He had a plan -- a vision -- for my life. I am grateful for that and I measure myself daily against that blessing.
Sunday, February 11, 2007
Slidell, LA
For the past few days we've been on the bayou country helping folks recover from hurricane Katrina. Yep, 18 months later and people are still digging out. We were clearing trees, hanging drywall, painting and doing any number of odds and ends.
The scene was somewhat surreal. On some streets things were as if there had never been a disaster. The next street over looked as it if it were the day after the storm. We met one family of eight still living in their FEMA trailer. Wow! Can you imagine how crowded that must be!?
We haven't seen Katrina or its aftermath in the news lately. Theentertainment industry news media have moved on to other things. It's all about the advertising after all and we're a fickle society. Our informants -- CNN, Fox News, whomever -- swing our attention too and fro never letting us dwell too long on any one event. On a slow news day somebody may glance back over their shoulder and comment: "Yep, still there..."
Have you had a Katrina in your life? A disaster of unpredictable magnitude that's left a swath of destruction in its wake? Have you moved on to other things? Turned away from the pain and suffering that still exists and distracted yourself with other things? It's still there you know. You can't really move on until you've rebuilt. With each day the disaster-torn foundations continue to rot and crumble beneath us while we pretend they don't.
We're human and the human condition pretty much stinks most of the time. How we deal with the stink is a measure of our character. Christ is our strength. He builds our character. Through him we can stare down our Katrinas and declare boldly that we will never give up and never give in.
I met some amazing people these last few days. Not a single one of them gave in or gave up. They persevered, rebuilt and carried on. Each one of them taught me something about being a Christian. Each one of them displayed to me the strength of Christ. Each one of them still praises God the Father and thanks Him daily for their blessings.
How will you meet your Katrina? I will meet mine with Christ by my side in bold defiance of the hurricane's destructive force.
The scene was somewhat surreal. On some streets things were as if there had never been a disaster. The next street over looked as it if it were the day after the storm. We met one family of eight still living in their FEMA trailer. Wow! Can you imagine how crowded that must be!?
We haven't seen Katrina or its aftermath in the news lately. The
Have you had a Katrina in your life? A disaster of unpredictable magnitude that's left a swath of destruction in its wake? Have you moved on to other things? Turned away from the pain and suffering that still exists and distracted yourself with other things? It's still there you know. You can't really move on until you've rebuilt. With each day the disaster-torn foundations continue to rot and crumble beneath us while we pretend they don't.
We're human and the human condition pretty much stinks most of the time. How we deal with the stink is a measure of our character. Christ is our strength. He builds our character. Through him we can stare down our Katrinas and declare boldly that we will never give up and never give in.
I met some amazing people these last few days. Not a single one of them gave in or gave up. They persevered, rebuilt and carried on. Each one of them taught me something about being a Christian. Each one of them displayed to me the strength of Christ. Each one of them still praises God the Father and thanks Him daily for their blessings.
How will you meet your Katrina? I will meet mine with Christ by my side in bold defiance of the hurricane's destructive force.
Saturday, January 27, 2007
Perfection
Can you feel it?
That deep down inside of you urge to do whatever it is you do (or happen to be doing right now or plan on doing soon) in the absolute most perfect way possible?
That nagging, gnawing, frustrating feeling that what you just did (or did a long time ago) could have been better?
I get that feeling a lot and I've gotta tell you it is really annoying. I never feel like I'm giving "it" my "all". I never feel like I'm running at 100%. I never feel like I'm worthy of even the simplest compliment because I know, deep down I could have done better.
Why is that?
I think it's because we live in an imperfect world. A world that is broken and bleeding. A world torn around the edges and down the middle. But, once upon a time, there was a perfect world. There was world just as God made it. Just as He intended. Sometimes I feel as if that world is just around the corner. I feel as if I could reach out and touch it if I could just align myself a few degrees and a slice of time askew from this world.
Somehow, somewhere, locked up in our DNA is the memory of that prior world and the knowledge of that other existence. We can somehow sense that its there. Just out of reach. Tantalizingly close. Infuriatingly far.
I think that's where our desire for perfection comes from. Knowing that perfection does exist. Knowing that we were made for perfection. Knowing that someday we will find perfection with our Father in Heaven. Desiring some small bit of that perfection in our mundane, ordinary and very imperfect lives.
I acknowledge the fact that I am imperfect but I don't accept it. Perfection is a journey, not a destination. I would rather be miserable going forward in the pursuit of perfection than happy, content and complacent going backward.
That deep down inside of you urge to do whatever it is you do (or happen to be doing right now or plan on doing soon) in the absolute most perfect way possible?
That nagging, gnawing, frustrating feeling that what you just did (or did a long time ago) could have been better?
I get that feeling a lot and I've gotta tell you it is really annoying. I never feel like I'm giving "it" my "all". I never feel like I'm running at 100%. I never feel like I'm worthy of even the simplest compliment because I know, deep down I could have done better.
Why is that?
I think it's because we live in an imperfect world. A world that is broken and bleeding. A world torn around the edges and down the middle. But, once upon a time, there was a perfect world. There was world just as God made it. Just as He intended. Sometimes I feel as if that world is just around the corner. I feel as if I could reach out and touch it if I could just align myself a few degrees and a slice of time askew from this world.
Somehow, somewhere, locked up in our DNA is the memory of that prior world and the knowledge of that other existence. We can somehow sense that its there. Just out of reach. Tantalizingly close. Infuriatingly far.
I think that's where our desire for perfection comes from. Knowing that perfection does exist. Knowing that we were made for perfection. Knowing that someday we will find perfection with our Father in Heaven. Desiring some small bit of that perfection in our mundane, ordinary and very imperfect lives.
I acknowledge the fact that I am imperfect but I don't accept it. Perfection is a journey, not a destination. I would rather be miserable going forward in the pursuit of perfection than happy, content and complacent going backward.
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
Consistency
This weekend our pastor stood up on stage and confessed a number of sins to us. (If you're not a Mountain Lake Church attender this may seem odd but we're currently doing a series called Pastor Confessions so you can see how it fits...) Many of the things he said resonated with me but one in particular stood out. I'll call it the sin of inconsistency.
What Shawn was talking about was being different people in different environments. I think this is a key point at which most of us screw up. Are you the same person at work that you are at home? The same at home that you are at church? What about when you're out with "the guys"?
You might argue that it is important to adapt your behavior a bit based on the crowd you're in. I would challenge that with a very blunt "why?" Why do we need to alter the way we act based on who is in the room with us? Do we act more polite at church because we're embarrassed to be the rude jerk we are elsewhere? Are we rude with our buddies at the tractor pull because that's what everyone else is doing?
C'mon! What gives? Lets be honest for a minute... Lets confess just a little bit of truth about ourselves... Aren't we altering the way we behave just so that we'll fit in? Even if we're acting "counter-culture" to the group we're in isn't it just to fit in with the counter-culture group we're trying to impress?
Well? Am I right?
Maybe I am and maybe I'm not but f we're changing our personalities based on the environment the way we change shirts then are we really being true to ourselves? Are we really being true to who God made us to be? I'm pretty sure He didn't make us to be behavioral chameleons!
Now I am not encouraging you to be a rude jerk at church just because that's who you are with your buddies at the card game. Quite the opposite. If you're a rude jerk that's a character flaw and you probably need to work on that.
Rather, I am encouraging you towards a bit of self-reflection, introspection if you like, and some serious conversations with God about who you are and who He wants you to be. Why do you feel the need to change back and forth? Why can't you find one person that you like to be and stick with it?
Am I successfully doing this in my own life? Absolutely not. I'm just as identity challenged as the next person in line. But, like Shawn, I'm working on it and trying very hard to eliminate the sin of inconsistency. One of these days there will be exactly one of me. I look forward to meeting him.
What Shawn was talking about was being different people in different environments. I think this is a key point at which most of us screw up. Are you the same person at work that you are at home? The same at home that you are at church? What about when you're out with "the guys"?
You might argue that it is important to adapt your behavior a bit based on the crowd you're in. I would challenge that with a very blunt "why?" Why do we need to alter the way we act based on who is in the room with us? Do we act more polite at church because we're embarrassed to be the rude jerk we are elsewhere? Are we rude with our buddies at the tractor pull because that's what everyone else is doing?
C'mon! What gives? Lets be honest for a minute... Lets confess just a little bit of truth about ourselves... Aren't we altering the way we behave just so that we'll fit in? Even if we're acting "counter-culture" to the group we're in isn't it just to fit in with the counter-culture group we're trying to impress?
Well? Am I right?
Maybe I am and maybe I'm not but f we're changing our personalities based on the environment the way we change shirts then are we really being true to ourselves? Are we really being true to who God made us to be? I'm pretty sure He didn't make us to be behavioral chameleons!
Now I am not encouraging you to be a rude jerk at church just because that's who you are with your buddies at the card game. Quite the opposite. If you're a rude jerk that's a character flaw and you probably need to work on that.
Rather, I am encouraging you towards a bit of self-reflection, introspection if you like, and some serious conversations with God about who you are and who He wants you to be. Why do you feel the need to change back and forth? Why can't you find one person that you like to be and stick with it?
Am I successfully doing this in my own life? Absolutely not. I'm just as identity challenged as the next person in line. But, like Shawn, I'm working on it and trying very hard to eliminate the sin of inconsistency. One of these days there will be exactly one of me. I look forward to meeting him.
Friday, January 19, 2007
Title Track
Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (John 14:6 NIV)
Before I was a Christian I had a bit of trouble with this verse. "No one..." That seems a bit harsh, don't you think?
But as I began to learn more it began to make sense. You see... God is completely Holy. He cannot abide sin. Never mind being in the same room with it, He can't be in the same universe with it! But we humans are sinners. It's a fact. We all do Bad Things. How, then, can we go to Heaven, be in the presence of God, if God cannot tolerate the presence of our sin?
Well, He worked that out. He came to us in the flesh as Jesus Christ. He put aside His deity for a time to walk with us physically. To experience all that we experience. To be one of us. He died on the cross for us, for our sins. During that moment when He cried out "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Mat 27:46 NIV) He took on all our sins. Every one of us, for all time. And in that moment He made it possible for us to stand before our God in Heaven, forgiven and without sin.
So, when Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" it wasn't a harsh "you gotta be a part of the club" answer. It was simply a statement of fact. Only through Christ can we be forgiven and have our sin washed away so that we can someday stand - without sin - before God.
Before I was a Christian I had a bit of trouble with this verse. "No one..." That seems a bit harsh, don't you think?
But as I began to learn more it began to make sense. You see... God is completely Holy. He cannot abide sin. Never mind being in the same room with it, He can't be in the same universe with it! But we humans are sinners. It's a fact. We all do Bad Things. How, then, can we go to Heaven, be in the presence of God, if God cannot tolerate the presence of our sin?
Well, He worked that out. He came to us in the flesh as Jesus Christ. He put aside His deity for a time to walk with us physically. To experience all that we experience. To be one of us. He died on the cross for us, for our sins. During that moment when He cried out "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Mat 27:46 NIV) He took on all our sins. Every one of us, for all time. And in that moment He made it possible for us to stand before our God in Heaven, forgiven and without sin.
So, when Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" it wasn't a harsh "you gotta be a part of the club" answer. It was simply a statement of fact. Only through Christ can we be forgiven and have our sin washed away so that we can someday stand - without sin - before God.
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