TEST - Are you Ready?

In my math class today, we have a test. I would venture to say there are four types of students -

• the students who know the material without a need to study
• the students who studied - they accepted the material, they understand the material and they put it into practice.
• the students who wait until the last minute (aka when the test starts) to start telling me what they don't understand
• and the students who simply don't care or just don't know.

So, of course, I got to thinking. Aren't there four types of people in this world as well?

• There are the folks who accept Jesus and live a so-so life neither striving to please Him nor striving to make Him mad.... they are just going with the flow,
• There are the extreme Christians - those who love Jesus, accepted Jesus and strive to serve Him everyday, the Christians we should all strive to be. Those who are prepared for anything and are ready to serve the Lord.
• There are the people who, at the end of there life, begin to make excuses... when its too late - what? I didn't know it was the end. What? I thought I had more time? What? You told me this already? Those with an opportunity to ask, to serve, to accept - an opportunity they wasted.
• And, there are those who don't know or just don't care.

The question is - if there was a test - if Jesus came back - what category would you fall in?
In Matthew 22:44, we learn, to be ready. "So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him." Don't wait to the last minute! Don't be someone who just doesn't care! Accept, study and prepare... for the end is near.





"Come all you who are thirsty, come to the waters..." Isaiah 55:1

Tic, Tac, Toe....

Three in a row.

Order is important. In childhood games, order matters - who goes first creates inevitable conflict. Or, tic, tac, toe cannot be won without a specific order - 3 in a row. The order of your meals must matter, as we refer to the first as breakfast, the second as lunch and the third as supper. And, even the order you get ready in the morning counts - you can't put on your underwear after your pants - can you?!?! Yes, order matters. It permeates our being. It helps us keep the peace and remain somewhat sane throughout the day.

I cannot help but think some of us are overly involved in order and others of us need a little more order in our lives. I am a firm believer that order helps establish patterns, ground rules, and helps one accomplish more faster.

Upon examining our Savior's life, I am even more convinced that order is important. When feeding the 5000, Jesus illustrated his orderliness - his ability to plan, and his overall idea of the bigger picture.

You see, before food even became an issue, Jesus wanted to know, "where shall we buy bread for all these people to eat?" (John 6:5). He anticipated the needs around him and planned accordingly. Then, once food was found, Jesus demanded, "have the people sit down." He had a plan, an orderly plan, one that allowed him to see all and to manage the crowd around him. And, finally, when everyone was done eating, he gathered the leftovers in an orderly manner - he commanded the disciples to "gather the pieces that are leftover. Let nothing be wasted." Jesus even had a clean up plan!

He didn't wait, haphazardly to meet the needs of those around Him - He knew the needs, He created a plan and He implemented it. Don't you think we are to do the same?

Without order, our good intentions remain just that - good intentions. But, order helps us to establish and carry out those intentions. Rather than run around like crazy headless chickens, we need to stop, take a few minutes, and establish a plan. Of course, like Jesus, we need to save some room for orderly flexibility. After all, sometimes a noon day message develops into a meal for 5000!

"Come all you who are thirsty, come to the waters..." Isaiah 55:1

Guns, Noise, and Jesus.

So, its been awhile since I blogged. I think I took a hiatus, unintentionally, of course, but a hiatus none the less. I needed some time to think... I guess. Either that or I forgot to blog, most likely the later.

I don't know if you've ever shot a gun, but its loud. There is absolutely no way to completely stiffle the noise. Of course, you can wear ear muffs - those crazy looking things that make you look like Mikey or Minny Mouse. Or, you can wear the ear plugs - the ones you must stuff into your ear hole and hope they don't fall out at an in-opertune time. There is still the sound, of course... its just a little quieter. And, yes, with those really loud guns, you still have the jump or flinch that occurs. Or, you could silence the weapon with a supressor. Of course, even then, you hear the gun breaking the sound barrier - a slight noise, but a noise non the less. Either way, there is still a noise. There is no way to have a completely silence a gun. Its inevidable - pull the trigger and noise will come.

So, my question is - why can't our faith be more like a gun? Let me explain. You can't silence a gun. No silence - always noise. So, why can't we as Christians boast an inability to silence. Why can't we boldly proclaim the faith, whether through words, our lives, our actions, or ourselves... to the point where no attempt to stiffle our sound can tun us out?!?!

In Romans 1:16, Paul boldly proclaims he is "not ashamed of the Gospel." He is not ashamed to shout God's glory from the rooftops - so, why are we? In Philiipians 1: 26-27a, we learn that, even when we don't share God's word audibly, we need to share God's word with those around us through our lives. Our "joy in Christ Jesus will overflow" into our lives so that "whatever happens, [we] conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ." We need to be like the gun - in which we are constantly proclaiming God's word... to the point where we cannot be tuned out.

"Come all you who are thirsty, come to the waters..." Isaiah 55:1

To Have and to Hold

• Approximately 2.3 million Americans wed each year. This is roughly 6200 weddings a day!
• The top wedding ceremony spot in the world is Istanbul Turkey reigning in about 166,000 weddings a year!
• Las Vegas is the next best wedding spot - hosting 114,00 weddings each year.
• $72 billion each year is spent on U.S. weddings - an average of more than $20,000 per wedding!

And, the funny thing is - we, as Americans, often focus so greatly upon the wedding - we forget to focus upon the actual marriage. There are magazines dedicated to the dress, the reception, the destination, even the honeymoon... but where are the magazines dedicated to the life that comes next?

If you think about it - salvation with Christ is like a wedding. In fact, we, the church, are often referred to as the Bride of Christ. In Revelation 19:7, we read "Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready."

Think about it - salvation is like saying your wedding vows. It takes mere minutes, words with feeling behind them. And, wa-la - a marriage takes place. Then, the relationship begins. Just as a couple moves from one stage to another, so does your relationship with God. You go from casual acquaintance to Jesus as your Lord, King and Savior. Just as your marriage relationship will likely fail to thrive if you fail to listen, enlist reasonable demands, and constantly bark orders and demands at your spouse - the same is true for your relationship with God. Once saved, you cannot simply bark orders at God, supply Him a list of prayer demands and expect Him to succumb to your every whim. Your relationship will not thrive. Instead, your relationship with God needs to be a two way street. One in which you listen, adapt, and spend time with God. One in which you put His needs above your own. Allow His thoughts to become your thoughts and His dreams to become your dreams. Yes, anyone can get married, but not everyone can have the best relationship. And, yes, anyone can be saved... but the relationship following salvation makes all the difference in the world.

Redneck Style - NASCAR... Enough Said.

As you may notice, the blog has been lacking on the weekends lately. This is due to eventful weekends, limited computer access, and lack of sleep. You see, this past weekend, we celebrated Labor Day Redneck Style - At the NASCAR race at Atlanta Motor Speedway. No, I am not a fan. We had a chance to go and figured - why not see what the fuss is about? So, we piled into our friend Alan's diesel truck and headed to the race to experience the chaos. I must admit, I've never experienced anything quite like NASCAR... nor have I ever seen as many half naked people wearing jean shorts... but that discussion is for another day.

Believe it or not, NASCAR taught me several things about God.

First and foremost, A NASCAR race is kinda like a personal relationship with God. It is difficult to fully explain and is best understood first hand. Similarly, there is no way to explain the tar smell, the loud noise, the interesting folks, and the unique energy that creates a NASCAR race - even TV doesn't do it justice - you simply have to experience the event on your own. Just like, it doesn't matter how hard I try to relay my personal relationship with Jesus, I can never quite explain it - you will never fully comprehend it... unless you have your own. In the words of Paul, "Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed....Whoever will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved" (Romans 10:11,13). All I can tell you is - a relationship with God is awesome - you won't be disappointed if you have one! Or, to use the words of Joel Goddard, a singer and songwriter, "you tell me what strawberries taste like and I'll tell you what my Jesus is like; all you can say is - 'take a bite!'." Its hard to explain God, but man is the experience worthwhile.

Secondly, NASCAR illustrates sin quite well. As I was watching the race, I found myself zeroing in on one car and watching it go round and round. I couldn't tear my eyes off that one car... it made me dizzy, sick even... and, although I knew it wasn't good for me - I kept watching as the car went round and round, but yet, went nowhere. You see, the car was like sin - easily entangling me, catching my fancy. Just like that car captured my attention, so does sin. We zero in on one sin in particular and find ourselves continuing in its path, getting nowhere. We get sick, dizzy, and ruin our relationship with God. Although the sin isn't good for us, we keep at it thinking eventually it will take us somewhere that matters - yet, we continue going round and round... getting no closer to God. As you know, it is very easy to get caught up in sin. In Psalm 78:32 we learn, "In spite of all this, they kept on sinning; in spite of his wonders, they did not believe." The people in this verse continued to travel around the sin racetrack instead of breaking free to the finish line. Hebrews 12:1 warns us of this entangling sin when it states, "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us." Its easy to get trapped - we need to be alert. Don't get stuck riding in circles. Be aware and cut off the sin so you can move forward. And, be alert, even Christians get caught up in the endless cycle of sin. 2 Peter 2:20 tells us, "If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning." You see, the open road is quite different from the race track - an unencumbered relationship with God is a wonderful experience. And, once you know what a true relationship with God is, the dizzier and more disappointed you will become while chasing sin round and round while getting nowhere.

So, what do you think - do you want to experience Christ first hand or live through the stories of others? Do you want to travel hundreds of miles to get nowhere or do you want to travel hundreds of miles closer to the Lord? You pick - NASCAR - a powerful illustration of a wonderful God.

"Come all you who are thirsty, come to the waters..." Isaiah 55:1

Pay Attention This is Important

I teach math. And, seeing as how I keep detention every week, I have an extra hour of "free" school time each Wednesday afternoon - during which, I accidentally stumbled upon the coolest calculator feature EVER! Not only is the feature cool, but it directly relates to our project (which is due next Friday).

So, of course, class today began with the cool calculator feature. And, as you can guess - there is always one student - one student who doesn't listen. One student who simply wastes his or her time... and as a result wastes your time. Instead of following along, he or she daydreams or talks... so, when everyone is done, he or she, of course, has questions. (I will admit - I've been that student... but regardless, that student's blatant disregard for instruction drives me crazy!)

Well, I am up at the board, showing off the calculator feature while everyone is emulating my every move. We are calculating it up. We are asking questions. And, we are done. Five minutes later, I hear a small voice in the back - "what did we just do? I wasn't paying attention - how do I do that?" And, here was my thought - you didn't listen to me so I don't want to listen to you. You didn't heed my instruction, so why do I want to help you in your time of need?!?? (Of course, I did help, but the thought was still there).

And, immediately, I remembered my devotional this morning - in Zechariah 7:11-13, we read, "But they refused to pay attention; stubbornly they turned their backs and stopped up their ears. They made their hearts as hard as flint and would not listen to the law or to the words that the Lord Almighty had sent by his Spirit through the earlier prophets. So, the Lord Almighty was very angry. 'When I called, they did not listen; so when they called, I would not listen.' says the Lord Almighty."

WOW! Talk about learning a lesson the hard way. God speaks to me often. And, sometimes, I simply act like that one student - I ignore Him - I'm too busy talking to my neighbor or completing some other task, or maybe I'm just dazed out... whatever the reason - I refuse to listen to the one who KNOWS. Instead, I choose to be uninformed. Then, later on, I realize - I need God's help. I cannot do this on my own! So, what do I do, I raise my hand and ask, "can you help me God?" And, he says, "nope... you should pay attention."

I don't know about you - but, I think I'll start paying attention from now on. I desire to hear from God and, quite honestly, I desire for Him to hear me. Why risk it? I do not want to miss anything. And, I'd hate to live life thinking, "If I'd only paid attention..."


"Come all you who are thirsty, come to the waters..." Isaiah 55:1

Asleep -

Have you ever done something you did not want to do? Or, maybe not done something you wanted to do? Like fall asleep during your devotional time or during church... or even during prayer time. You did not plan to fall asleep. Its not that you don't love God. Its not that God is not important or that you don't enjoy your devotional time. Its not that at all... for some, unexplainable reason - you drifted off only to find yourself awake moments later wondering if you offended God or if God really knows how important He is to you. You wonder why you cannot be there, truly be there, for the things you love. Why is it that we always let ourselves down, or let others down? Or, worse - why do we let God down?

You know, none of us are perfect. You may have been at the football game, paying close attention, but missed your son's play of the night because you went to the concession stand. Or, you may be deep in devotional thought when you begin thinking of your work schedule... leaving you to feel guilty for not focusing all your attention on God. Or, you may plan to call your best friend on his or her birthday... only to have the day slip by before you realize its gone. Does this make us bad people? No, I think it merely makes us human. Thankfully, God tells us in 2 Corinthians 12:9 that although we are weak - He is strong. Although we can never do everything perfectly, He will help us in our times of need. In fact, the verse reads, "But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me." I don't think that this verse means we should proudly proclaim our weaknesses to the world. I think rather it means our weakness, whatever it may be, can help us grow stronger with the Lord. And, we need to boldly enter the throne room of God by proclaiming our weakness, our imperfections, and ask that HE help us to conquer these issues.


Unfortunately, I constantly find myself doing things I do not want to do. My intentions are good. But, according to the old adage, "the road to hell is paved with good intentions." I need to realize, however, this life is not about me. Its not about what I thought, what I intended, or what I perceived. Its about others and mainly about God. And, if my good intentions and poor results have a chance to bring me closer to my Savior - I need to be on my knees begging for that chance. And, if I continually mess up - I can only do three things - say I'm sorry, beg for a fresh start, and pray God uses that instance to make me stronger in Him. After all, in the word, God promises He will.

"Come all you who are thirsty, come to the waters..." Isaiah 55:1