Those Nights

Are you going through a tough time in your life? Is a dear realtionship under attack? Most likely. Satan is on the move, he is on the attack. His number one desire for Christians is that there would be chaos in relationships. Be strong and stand firm. Know God's Word and hold on to it. Put on the full armor of God...the belt of truth...the breastplate of righteousness...your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel...the shield of faith...the helmet of salvation...and the sword of the Spirit that is the Word of God. Hold tight dear brothers and sisters. Don't be discouraged. I ask that you would pray for me and if anyone needs prayer...I am here for you as well. Let this song be an encouragement to those who need it.

Those Nights by Skillet

I remember when
We used to laugh
About nothing at all.
It was better than going mad
From trying to solve all the problems we're going through.
Forget 'em all.
Cause on those nights, we would stand and never fall!
Together, we faced it all.
Remember when we'd...

Stay up late and we'd talk all night
In a dark room lit by the t.v. light.
Through all the hard times in my life,
Those nights kept me alive.

We'd listen to the radio play all night;
Didn't want to go home to another fight.
Through all the hard times in my life,
Those nights kept me alive.

I remember when
We used to drive
Anywhere but here,
As long as we'd forget our lives.
We were so young and confused that we didn't know
To laugh or cry!
Those nights were ours,
They will live and never die.
Together, we'd stand forever.
Remember when we'd...

Stay up late and we'd talk all night
In a dark room lit by the t.v. light.
Through all the hard times in my life,
Those nights kept me alive.

[ Skillet Lyrics are found on www.songlyrics.com ]
We'd listen to the radio play all night;
Didn't want to go home to another fight.
Through all the hard times in my life,
Those nights kept me alive.

Those nights belong to us.
There's nothing wrong with us!
Those nights belong to us...

I remember when
We used to laugh...
And now I wish those nights would last.

Stay up late and we'd talk all night
In a dark room lit by the t.v. light.
Through all the hard times in my life,
Those nights kept me alive.

We'd listen to the radio play all night;
Didn't want to go home to another fight.
Through all the hard times in my life,
Those nights kept me alive.

Stay up late and we'd talk all night
In a dark room lit by the t.v. light.
Through all the hard times in my life,
Those nights kept me alive.

We'd listen to the radio play all night;
Didn't want to go home to another fight.
Through all the hard times in my life,
Those nights kept me alive!

Those nights belong to us!
There's nothing wrong...

Going Through the Motions?

Going through the motions? We’ve all been there. Some days I wake up and just can’t shake the fog of the morning. I feel like the whole day is a waste because all I have managed to do is go through the motions. Heck, how many of you have driven from one place to the other and upon arrival, you just can’t remember how you got there? Come on, admit it. It’s happened to you at least once. Or how about when tragedy strikes and it takes everything you’ve got to pull yourself together. You are just going through the motions, but really it’s all just a blur because your heart and your head are somewhere else. And that’s just basically the summary of going through the motions, isn’t it? We go through the motions because are head and our heart are somewhere else. That can be a good thing, but it can also be a bad thing.

Going through the motions also happens in our Christian walk, and that’s a dangerous thing to do. Going through the motions is the same as checking off the boxes in our lives. Quiet time? Check! Make sure you show your face at the weekly Bible study? Check! Be seen at church on Sunday? Check check! What is it all, but a waste if your heart isn’t in it? That quiet time spent with God each day is meant to be a time where it is just you and God. It can be a time of prayer, reading, worshipping, or any combination of these. It isn’t the act, however, of having a quiet time that God wants; it’s a right heart and mind that God requires. You can go to that Bible study each week and put on your mask. No one will ever get deep with you and you will never allow people to truly reach out to you if you just go through the motions. And let me tell you, God doesn’t bless that. There’s a reason why Paul spent so much time preaching and writing about the Body of Christ as well as unity within the Body. Don’t waste your time by just showing your face at the Bible study, get real with God and get real with the other believers. Don’t go through the motions.

Even the Pharisee’s went through the motions. When it came to going to church (synagogue) they took the front row and the best seats in the house to show that they were there. Jesus blasts them in Luke 11:43 “Woe to you Pharisees, because you love the most important seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces.” It may seem harsh that Jesus was telling these men, these men of God (supposedly), “woe to you.” You see, God requires a right heart and He blesses that, but He is disgusted with those who simply go through the motions. Revelation 3:16 “So because you are lukewarm – neither hot nor cold – I am about to spit you out of my mouth.” When we are going through the motions we are nothing more than lukewarm Christians. We just go through the motions, but without the right heart and mind to back it up. It might seem harsh, but I do believe that God looks at those, who are simply going through the motions, in this light.

I don’t want you to lose hope or feel condemned now. Romans 8:1-2 “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.” Understand this brothers and sisters; God doesn’t want you to go through the motions, but once you open up your heart to God and to His word you stop going through the motions. There is a passion that sweeps over you. Too many people decide that it’s too difficult to shake off the fog. Is it hard work, yes, but as my dad has told me and my Heavenly Father has shown me, ALL things that are good and honorable take hard work. There will be blood, sweat, and tears, but it is worth the sacrifice. Philippians 4:8 “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” If anything is worth doing, it’s worth doing right. Set your minds on these things and stop going through the motions.

Finally, going through the motions cheats you. It cheats others on the best of you. When going through the motions you miss out on the fullness of life. My biggest fear is to get to the end of my life and I am full of regret. I don’t want to live life wondering what would be different if I had given it my all. I choose to live with a passion, with a God blessed and Biblically based passion. When it is all said and done I want to hear “Well done good and faithful one!” If I live my life just going through the motions I stand to lose everything. And as stated before what is it all, but a waste if your heart isn’t in it? Today and every day, make a conscious decision to NOT go through the motions. Live in communion with Jesus Christ. Seek out a walk in the Garden like our father Adam once did with God. You will lose it all if you go through the motions, but you will leave a legacy of joy, peace, and honor when you seek God and His will with all your heart. God’s will never goes against His word. So spend time daily in the Word and let the love of Christ wash over you.

I would like to share with you a song that I heard on the radio today. It blew me away. I believe it’s the very first time I heard it and it served as my inspiration to write this today. The name of the song is “The Motions” and it is by Matthew West.

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=VLJF9vaIJ_0

Here are the lyrics to this incredible song:

This might hurt
It’s not safe
But I know that I’ve gotta make a change
I don’t care
If I break
At least I’ll be feeling something
‘Cause just ok
Is not enough
Help me fight through the nothingness of life

I don’t wanna go through the motions
I don’t wanna go one more day
Without Your all consuming passion inside of me
I don’t wanna spend my whole life asking
What if I had given everything?
Instead of going through the motions

No regrets
Not this time
I’m gonna let my heart defeat my mind
Let Your love
Make me whole
I think I’m finally feeling something

Take me all the way
Take me all the way
Take me all the way

What Can You Give?

I month ago I had the opportunity to attend a great church in the Dallas area, Southlake to be exact. The sermon that particular morning was on stewardship. Ok, I know about half the people reading this already cringed…don’t worry…I’m not going to ask for your money. Back to the point, the sermon was done very well. It got me to thinking about the “things” in my life that I consider my own. Then a flood of answers came swooshing by…money, time, possessions, job, etc… I do in fact possess these items, but I don’t own them. God has blessed me with the money, time, possessions, and job that I have, but I do not own them. God owns them, but He has made us stewards of what is His. What does this mean for us? Well, I am glad you asked…

In Matthew 25:14-30, Jesus gives us an idea of what stewardship is.
“Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them. To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more. So also, the one with the two talents gained two more. But the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master's money.”

“After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. The man who had received the five talents brought the other five. 'Master,' he said, 'you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.'”

"His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!'”

"The man with the two talents also came. 'Master,' he said, 'you entrusted me with two talents; see, I have gained two more.'”

"His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!’”

"Then the man who had received the one talent came. 'Master,' he said, 'I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.'”

"His master replied, 'You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.”

"'Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents. For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'”

So we now have a clear idea what the Bible says about stewardship, but how can we apply this? We need to be willing to give our time, our money, possibly our possessions, and be willing to offer our job to God. I know this may sound crazy, but bear with me. I’m not saying “Give it all up, sell it all, quit your job, and then go do God’s work.” I am saying, however, that we need to have a hear t that realizes what we have is not our own.

For me, giving money is easy, but its giving of my time that’s difficult. For you it may be different, but God wants us to have a giving heart and many times He calls you to give in the very area that is difficult for you to give in. So we have to change out heart. That’s not an easy thing to do, but when we do manage to do it God’s response is “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!” Seek God out in this. It may take God breaking you and that’s ok. Rejoice in your brokenness. I think we’d all prefer to not be broken, but if that’s what it takes then that’s what God will do. He wants a cheerful giver.

Understand that when you are faithful in your giving, and you do so with the right heart, God will bless that. On top of the blessings you receive, and I am not talking about monetary blessings although it may be monetary, God will bless how we give. He takes our gift and multiplies it. That’s one of the wonderful things about God. He took seven loaves and a few small fish and fed four thousand people. God CAN take a small amount of time, money, or whatever and turn that into a huge surplus. I recently volunteered some time with the Red Cross during the Ike cleanup. My job was a rather menial task. I was to clean huge plastic containers that held food. Many of them contained the spilled remains of the lunch. As I cleaned these containers it dawned on me, sure what I was doing wasn’t great and glorious, but I was serving a purpose. On that particular day it was estimated that between 15,000 and 20,000 people were served meals. Wow… When I left the Red Cross area that day I wept. I realized that even though I was “merely” a cleaner, I had a part in helping bring hope and food to people in need. I still get choked up. You see, God is bigger than our little minds can conceive. He WILL take what you give and multiply.

My challenge daily, to myself and to you, is to take what God has given and use it to bring Glory to Him. I close by writing something that touched me deeply this morning. I finished Ephesians in my quiet time and the very end of the book stuck out at me.

Ephesians 6:21-24 “Tychicus, the dear brother and faithful servant in the Lord, will tell you everything, so that you also may know how I am and what I am doing. I am sending him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are, and that he may encourage you.
Peace to the brothers, and love with faith from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace to all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love.”

This particular section stuck out at me because Paul was writing this letter from prison. He was at a point where he didn’t know what was going to happen. His life may have been demanded from him right after sending this letter, but his concern was not of his life, it was encouraging the church at Ephesus and wishing them grace and peace. Paul knew what it meant to be a good steward. He was willing to lay down his life for the cause of Christ, but he realized that it wasn’t his life. God blessed him with life and Paul truly understood what it was to give. Ultimately Paul did lay down his life, but God has used that in ways that even Paul could have never imagined. So, again, my challenge to myself and to you is to bring glory to God by giving. It is all God’s anyway…

My Favorite Season

I look forward to fall every single year. Fall, to me, is the best season of all. Maybe its due to the oppressive Houston humidity and heat in the summer or maybe its the coming of all things pumpkin, but Autumn is my absolute season. I think, however, my sentiments for fall are deeper than an escape from heat or a chance to drink a Pumpkin Spice Latte. I believe that my love for the fall is something spiritual. You see, fall symbolizes change. It is symbolic of a time to retreat inside and prepare for the cold (unless you live in Southeast Texas) ahead. Nichole Nordeman puts is like this:

"And even when the trees have just surrendered
To the harvest time
Forfeiting their leaves in late September
And sending us inside
Still I notice You when change begins
And I am braced for colder winds
I will offer thanks for what has been and was to come
You are autumn."

When I read these lyrics I can't help but get choked up. Autumn is a time for reflection and thanksgiving. Its a time to turn our thoughts inward and refocus.

This fall has been no exception. In fact, I would say this fall has been the absolute toughest I have ever encountered. I would also venture to say that if you are alive and breathing, you might be able to say the same thing. September was still a new month when Ike barreled its way into Texas. Millions of people were affected. Homes were lost and suffering abounded. A few weeks later we watched as stock markets began to plummet. Fortunes and jobs were lost...and suffering abounded. We've seen wildfires begin again and have witnessed other disasters and hardships this fall. I don't think there is a person in this country or in the world who can't say they haven't been hit hard this fall.

Even history teaches us that the fall is a hard time. In 1857 the fall brought America a stock market panic. In 1929, Wall Street crashed and the Great Depression arrived. A more recent event, September 11th, 2001 the world watched as terrorists killed 2000 men, women, and children on American soil. In 2005, on the eve of the beginning of fall, Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans. This hurricane was followed by Rita. Autumn has not been kind, but autumn has brought change and growth.

One could sit back and bemoan the horrible things that happen in the fall, but I have good news...God has brought some good things to us in the fall. In 1857 a revival began in response to the falling stock market. This revival reached worldwide and began what would be known as the second great awakening in America. Out of the Great Depression, a nation emerged stronger. We would not break free of the economic crisis till World War 2 brought us out of that. We managed, however to grow as a nation and become stronger because of what we had been through. The tragedies of Sept 11th, Katrina, and Rita brought out the best in us as humans. I witnessed men and women working together to rebuild, restore, and renew. People flocked to church and hearts were turned back to Jesus.

I would also like to touch on my personal experience with this fall. I have encountered some harsh blows over the last six or so months. Most of this due to my lacking relationship with Jesus. I, at one time, had a dynamic and intimate relationship with God, but over the last few years I let monotony and distraction pull me away from Him. On September 6th, 2008 I left the prairie of Katy for the mountains of Colorado. It was there that God called to me again. He broke me, cut the distractions out, and met me at the point of my need. I not only drew closer to Him, but I had an encounter with God that will NEVER allow me to go back to what I had been. Its hard to explain, but what I can say is that I saw God. I left the mountains and came back to my life with high expectations for the changes to come. Of course, God had different plans. I thought my life would be worked out with a simple snap of the fingers, but God wasn't through growing me. Over the last few months I have had to face the man in the mirror. What I saw was a failed leader, an impatient, critical, cynical man. I can say though, that God is working in those areas of my life as well. If I could say I was impatient before my trip to Colorado I would have to say that I am far from it now. That's not me being proud that I did anything, no its not me, its God who has done a work in me. In addition to all this I have had the opportunity to grow through meeting and praying with Godly men. Iron sharpening iron...nothing better. I love the accountability that comes from meeting and praying with Godly men (or for you ladies Godly women) and I definitely now see the importance of it. This is how THE CHURCH started. We are the Body of Christ and we need to work together to help each other out. Through this I find myself laughing at things now that would have driven me insane in the past. Being critical and/or cynical are a thing of the past. I choose to embrace the joy that comes from knowing Jesus. On my failed leadership, well all I can say there is that I have to be patient. I will, some day, be able to prove myself once again to be a good leader. I know what God has done in me and He knows what I am capable of. Praise the Lord for changed lives.

I love the fall. This fall, in particular, has enabled me to retreat inside. I have been able to refocus my relationship with my Savior. God has reconciled me back to Himself. I can't help but weep when I see what He has done in my life. I can't say enough how thankful I am that He changed me. I can't say enough how thankful I am this fall. While my life still has things to be worked out, this may just be the best Thanksgiving of my life. I have a ton to be thankful of and it is because of what God did and continues to do in my life.

Let me encourage all those who read this, to take advantage of this time. Don't wait. Circle the wagons and retreat inside. Refocus your life. If you are a Christian, then reconcile with God. Don't hesitate. If you don't know Jesus as your savior, then take time this very minute and give your heart and your life to the only One who is worthy. Take time this fall to be thankful for what has been and what is to come...it is autumn.

Oh, and I want you all to know that I am also thankful for the Pumpkin Spice Latte.

Here I Am

I have been jamming to a new song from Downhere. The song is called “Here I Am” and it is, for me, a moving song. The chorus goes like this:

“Here I am, Lord send me,
All of my life, I make an offering,
Here I am, Lord send me,
Somehow my story, Is part of your plan,
Here I am”

Those words have been on my mind since the very first time I heard this song. In fact, the phrase “Here I am…” has always been a favorite of mine. One of my absolute favorite stories from the Bible is the story of Samuel’s calling. I touched upon this in the last blog. Check out 1 Samuel 3: 1-10. Basically, we have a young boy, Samuel, who is a Nazirite (promised to be so by his mother) and is in a sort of “training” with Eli. One night Samuel begins to hear a voice calling his name. He mistakenly believes that it is Eli who is calling him. Samuel does this three times (according to Scripture) and then finally Eli realizes that it is the Lord who is calling Samuel. He instructs Samuel to “lie down, and if he calls you, say, Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening.” The next time God calls to Samuel, Samuel replies “Speak, for your servant is listening.” I love that phrase. So does God! That should be our response to Him daily.

God’s desire for us is that we have a deep, intimate relationship with Him. To do so we cannot hide, we can’t drag our feet, and we can’t resist Him. Sure, we CAN do all these things, but we won’t reap the rewards in store for us. I am not talking monetary rewards. I am speaking about fullness in Him, a rich, long lasting relationship with Jesus Christ. That, to me, is worth more than all the riches this world has to offer. It is so hard, though, to put this into practice.

So many times I want to hide from God. It may be that I am living in sin, or possibly I am just too tired to converse with God. Maybe distractions have crept in and caused my attention to focus. Whatever it is, that isn’t what He wants from us. Too many times we think we can just go here or there and God won’t see us. New flash…God CAN see us. There is no distance too far that He can’t reach us. That’s a good thing. You see, God created us in His image. He wants to have a deep, intimate relationship with us. There is a longing there in us to connect with Him. God’s desire is to use us…to use me, to use you. Our story can be a part of His plan is we simply reply “Here I am Lord!”

I also believe that this ties into living an extraordinary life. When we make our lives an offering to the Lord, our relationship with Him grows. I won’t promise that you won’t be wounded. In fact, I will do the opposite…when you live life for God, when you live life in faithful vulnerability, you WILL be hurt. It may be someone you don’t know, but most likely it will be people close to you. Whether it’s intentional or not it will happen. Now don’t let this discourage you, but rather be encouraged by this. If you want extraordinary you have to be willing to open yourself up. You won’t achieve much if you live a guarded life with a hardened heart. Your life has to be an offering to the Lord. I think Theodore Roosevelt sums up the extraordinary life best when he says “Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in that grey twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat.” If we withhold ourselves from God we will live in that “grey twilight” rather than winning the “glorious triumphs” of life.

Again, when we live our lives as offerings to the Lord, we put ourselves out there. If hurt comes, and it will, then take that hurt and give it to the Lord. If we hold onto it we will grow bitter and angry. We need to let go of that. So, let’s make our lives offerings to the Lord. Let us respond to God’s calling with a hearty “HERE I AM!”