Christmas Starts With Thanksgiving

As a child, I remember coming to the Christmas season and making a long list of gift ideas for my parents to buy for me to wrap and put under the tree. I had this sense of wanting the latest and the greatest. I can remember a couple times not getting exactly what I asked for and feeling let down. My junior year in high school, I decided that I wanted a new game system. Everyone was getting the original Playstation and I figured I needed one as well. My parents, in their wisdom, did not get me what I wanted because it wasn't a need. The reason was because my Sega Genesis was only a couple years old.

When Christmas comes, it's all to easy to consider the things that we don't have and then have a strong desire to receive those things. For many people, a good Christmas hinges on whether or not those gifts are received. If Christmas comes and goes and the gifts on our list aren't received, there can be a feeling of discouragement and being let down. Many people will stress out over this. People allow desires to turn into needs and wants and if "Santa" doesn't come through, then the world seems to come crashing down.

A great way to defeat the Christmas blues is to celebrate Thanksgiving. And I don't mean to sit around and eat turkey and watch football, I mean to really celebrate Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving should bring us to a place of reflection. It creates space in our life to consider all that God has done in our lives to bring provision. God, in His goodness, is our supply and provider, and as we read in the book of James, "every good and perfect gift comes from Him." Thanksgiving is a time to offer thanks to God for His many blessings.

At the heart of Thanksgiving is the character trait of being content. Contentment means to be in a state of peace and happiness that comes through satisfaction. When we come to that place, we will be thankful for who God is as the Giver and what God has done for us through His gifts. If we have a relationship with Jesus and the basic necessities of life, we have all we need. Contentment leads us to a place of not looking at what we don't have but instead looking at what we do.

Paul writes about being content as recorded in Scripture. Philippians 4:11-12 he says, "I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want." Then Paul also says in 1 Timothy 6:6-8, "But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing we will be content with that."

Paul nailed it! He came to the place in his life of being totally content. This was incredible for Paul because he had been through so much by being imprisoned, persecuted and famished. He realized that the grass would always be greener somewhere else, that his deck of cards wasn't as good as someone else's deck, but He realized that God gave him exactly what he needed. He was completely satisfied with what God provided.

Contentment leads to thanksgiving. Thanksgiving leads to a satisfying Christmas. Let's not get caught up in all the shopping and skip over Thanksgiving, as our culture is promoting. May each of us learn the secret of being content. Jesus is the author of true contentment as Paul says in Philippians 4:13, "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength."

From my family to yours, Happy Thanksgiving!

The Overwhelming Grace of God

Lately, God has been hitting me upside the head with a deeper understanding of His grace. It has been overwhelming. Last week I wrapped up a teaching series in our youth ministry on grace. As I reflect on the four weeks of study and prep, I realize how utterly blessed I am to have such a gift.

I define grace as "undeserved favor". Undeserved because there is nothing that we do to earn it, it is simply given. Favor because it is a demonstrated delight or blessing. Ultimately God is the giver of grace. Then, I also believe that followers of Christ have the ability to extend grace to those who need it.

I have been the benefit of grace many times in my life. Let me share. The most significant time happened the day that I decided to follow Jesus. When I was eight years old, for the first time in my life, I acknowledged the reality of sin that separated me from God. I discovered that I couldn't deal with my sin on my own but that I needed Jesus. I discovered the life changing message that Jesus died and rose to give me pardon of my sins and ultimately new life, eternal life. Wow! Jesus did that for me. That is grace! Throughout my life, every time I have repented of sin and received the forgiveness of Jesus, I have done so because of the grace of God. Romans 3:23 is clear in that I deserve death because of my sins. However, this verse is just as clear that Jesus gave us a gift in eternal life. Grace. I received what I didn't deserve.

The second biggest moment of my life when I received grace happened when I was in middle school. I will spare you all the details, but I found myself answering questions in a police station. I had done something inappropriate and therefore had people who wanted to press charges against me. I remember that night sitting in the den of our house, across from my Dad, as we talked about the personal and spiritual consequences for my poor decision. We ended our time together by kneeling shoulder to shoulder as I asked Jesus to forgive and cleanse my heart. I received the grace of Jesus. Then we prayed and asked for wisdom about what to do. As you can imagine, I had a hard time concentrating in class the following day at school. I was having continuous thoughts of what would happen to me if I went to court over this. I would be punished and need to serve time. I would also need to mention what I did on every job application in the future. Yikes. That afternoon, when I was dismissed from school, God led me to stop by the home of the offended to apologize. I remember being terribly nervous, but at the same time, I was relying on God to give me the words to say. The man of the house opened the door, and then I mustered the best words that I could come up with in the moment to say that I was sorry for what I had done. Then he returned with words that I will never forget, "I forgive you." Whew, what a weight lifted! I totally didn't deserve that! That night, I received a phone call from the police station that my charges had been dropped. Through this experience I had so many burdens lifted. Grace.

Throughout Scripture we see God giving grace and people receiving His grace. One of my favorite grace texts is in 1 Timothy 1 when Paul shares his experience in being overwhelmed by God's grace. Verse 13 says, "The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus." Paul knew the grace of God. He, a persecutor of Christians, met Jesus in a significant way. Then, through the grace of God, Paul was used to reach so many for Jesus. Grace.

The fact that any of us are able to sin and survive the wrath of God is total grace. God's grace says that no matter what you have done, Jesus is sufficient. Be careful to not take God's grace for granted. It is not a licence to sin. God's grace is incentive to walk in freedom. If Jesus has set you free, you are free indeed. Jesus wants to meet you wherever you are today.

May the grace of God overwhelm you as it has me.

A Dangerous Little Prayer

I was reading Philemon this morning. Yes, Philemon is a part of the inspired word of God and yes, it is possible for the Holy Spirit to draw you into it's verses. Smile. The average Bible reader will quickly read from Titus to Hebrews. This morning as I was reading this book, one of the shortest in the Bible, and the Lord stopped me in my tracks as I read verse 6. Paul prays a dangerous little prayer as recorded here. The NIV reads, "I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith." In this context, Paul is writing this to and sharing his prayer for Philemon, Apphia and Acrhippus. Paul is praying that they will share with pre-believers what Jesus has done for them through His death and resurrection. However, this morning it was as if the Lord was telling me through a mega-phone, "Fred, that one is for you to pray for yourself."

Over the years I have been a seasonal evangelist. I will go through spurts of being on mission with Jesus as being His witness, and then I will have weeks where I will go without even speaking the name of Jesus in public. I have trained countless students in how to share their faith and I have led countless people to Christ, but I sometimes go weeks without sharing my faith. Yes, I have admitted here that even as a pastor, I have not been faithful in being consistent salt and light. That needs to change.

Friends, let's face it, our world is a wreck. There are signs everywhere that match up with what Scripture tells us are the last days before Jesus comes back. Whenever we consider end times prophecy, it should always fuel our efforts to reach our neighbor for Christ. There are people all around us who are not ready for the return of Christ. I am asking the Lord to give me urgency in my witness where God has planted me.

I want to be active in sharing my faith. There are too many excuses that I come up with for not being active. I need to surrender my pride. I also need to realize that being turned down by someone who doesn't want to hear about Jesus is better than not saying anything at all. Life should never be too busy to stop and share the love of Jesus with someone.

I am relying on God to empower my witness. May I develop a burning desire to see people cross from death to life. I may not have the gift of evangelism, but I do have a mandate from Jesus to go into all the world and make disciples. As I seek to reach my neighbors, may the Lord give discernment, tenacity and boldness. May I see through the eyes of Jesus as I encounter people every day. May God motivate each of us to reach a lost world for Jesus as the time of His second coming gets closer.

The Anointed Quarter

I recently returned from ten days in Nassau, Bahamas with twenty-two teenagers and four adults. One of the benefits of a missions trip is that you are focused on watching God work. After all, isn't that one of the main reasons you would go to another country in the first place? You want to be the hands and feet of Jesus and be used by Him and to see Him work up close.

My heart was ready for this trip. This was the best missions trip that I have ever led and even better than that, this was the best missions trip I have ever been a part of. This was mostly due in part because I spent countless hours allowing Jesus to prepare my heart for service. I also led a group, our missions team, who had done the same. These teens and adults were ready. We stepped off the plane in Nassau, primed and ready to see the hand of God. God did not disappoint.

While in Nassau, I personally recorded eight direct answers to prayer. We witnessed healings, salvations and miracles. I don't have time to share details about each experience, but I want to share one with you in this post. It has become known as the anointed quarter.

The day we arrived in Nassau, I went grocery shopping with two of our youth coaches while the rest of our group settled into our church accommodations. We shopped for over an hour and filled four shopping carts with food. It took probably twenty minutes for the cashier to scan everything into her computer. Our total came to $950. I didn’t think anything of the payment because I had already gone down to our bank in town to let them know I would need to use the card on our missions trip to Nassau. Well, she scanned my card and it didn’t go through. I said, try it again. Nothing. Then I gave her my two personal credit cards, still nothing. Denied. I thought, oh great, how are we going to pay for this?

While my youth coaches waited with our four shopping carts inside the store, I went to find my friend, the youth pastor of the church where we were serving. I found him outside another store with a couple buddies. I explained the situation to him. He allowed me to borrow his phone to call my credit card company back in the United States. I couldn’t make the call from my phone because it would have cost me a small fortune in roaming charges. When the phone call connected I was put on hold for five minutes before a representative got on the phone. Well, as soon as I start giving her my information, my friend's phone battery died. Oh great! 

In light of this, we were reminded of God's sovereignty, so, we stopped and prayed and asked God to take over. Then my friend gives me a quarter to use the pay-phone outside the grocery store. I was able to get through and find out that the wait was now seven minutes to get through to an agent. Well, the problem was that for every quarter you put in, you only get about thirty seconds of phone time to the United States. My friend had three quarters in his pocket and then sent his friends to find more. Two minutes into the phone call, my friend put a quarter in that added time and then popped out of the bottom of the phone, as if to return the quarter to us. He used the same quarter ten times, each time accumulating time. We had an anointed quarter. 

I can only describe this as an act of God. My friend told me he has never seen a quarter do that in a pay-phone ever before. Praise the Lord! I ended up getting through to my credit card company, and we only had to add a few more quarters to enable me to finish my phone call. The friendly agent on the other end freed up my credit card for purchases in Nassau and my credit card was accepted for the groceries.

Through this experience, God reminded me that He is in complete control no matter what the circumstance. When my credit card didn't go through, I was already thinking ahead to the possibilities of not making that purchase to feed our team for the week or considering other ways to make the purchase. The right thing to do was what we ended up doing and that was to stop and pray. All I needed to do was to trust God. When we prayed, we invited the God of the universe into our situation. He had complete control all along. He delivered a timely miracle that I will never forget.

Matthew 6:33 says, "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added unto you."

A Tribute To My Dad

I'm probably writing this because I'm not able to talk with my Dad on this Father's Day. He is serving the Lord, by mentoring Christians in prayer, on the other side of the world. My Dad is my hero. Let me explain.

Growing up as a pastor's kid, my Dad had many demands on his time. He had sermons to prepare and preach, elder meetings to attend, visits to the hospital, counseling appointments, outside speaking engagements and countless other church needs that pulled for his attention. Even with all of this, he prioritized time with his family. Not only did he prioritize time with us, but he told and showed us that we (his family) were the most important people in his life.

My Dad led me to our Heavenly Father. From as far back as I can remember, my Dad taught our family the Bible and had us praying for specific requests. I can remember learning Psalm 1 in the third grade. Our family was on summer vacation in Maine. My Dad and I went fishing by canoe out in a lake and parked at a secluded island. It was there that we opened God's Word and memorized it together. I learned from watching my Dad get excited about the Word. I remember my Dad introducing the little red book of prayer to our family at supper time. We recorded the prayers we prayed and then went back and recorded how we saw the Lord work. God used this practice to grow my faith as we logged many answers to prayer. My Dad modeled a consistent love for Jesus.

My Dad spent time with me. I never felt as if my Dad was too busy for me. I loved the time my Dad spent playing sports with me. I remember as a kid, Dad taught me how to run about 10 different patterns as wide receiver in football while he played quarterback. Guess who would take over the neighborhood football games? You got that right. Dad and I connected for more touchdowns than Montana and Rice. I pitched a couple seasons in little league baseball and guess who was my catcher when I practiced? There were several baseball games that I started the game thinking that my Dad was in a meeting at church, and then I would look over to the stands and see him sitting there. He showed up and was there for me. As a young adult, I began to get into golf. Up until this point, we couldn't stand golf. I started to really enjoy the sport. Instead of boycotting my new interest, my Dad saw it as an opportunity to spend time with his son. He signed up for swing lessons to become a better golfer. Since then, we have golfed together on more courses than I can count, playing golf in Scotland, Hawaii, Utah, Michigan and in other states where we have lived. Golf has been a platform for us to share life together.

My Dad loves my Mom. This was the best example for me as a child. Little did I know how important it was for my Dad to love my Mom as much as he did. I realize now why that was so important. He was showing me what marriage looked like. He modeled commitment, devotion and sacrifice in leading and loving my Mom.

My Dad is a source of wisdom. God has given my Dad much discernment. This has been a blessing for me especially since leaving home. Whenever I have faced and prayed through decisions, I have always enjoyed hearing my Dad's perspective. He knows how to cut away the fat and get to the heart of the issue. I trust his advice because I know it comes out of his deep relationship with God.

Dad, thank you for leading me. Thank you for spending time with me. Thank you for being my mentor, golf buddy, coach and friend.  I am the Dad that I am today partly because of your example and the rest because of God's work in me. I love you Dad.

The List

Last Friday night, I took my oldest son down to a Twins game against the Astros. It is a major occasion for us to watch the Twins because it takes three hours to drive from our house to the parking lot at the stadium. The reason we were excited to see the Astros play was because a friend of our family is one of their starting pitchers.

Shortly after finding our seats in left field, Allan and I realized this wasn't going to be just another professional baseball game, as if we needed another excuse to get excited about being there. During batting practice, our friend, Collin McHugh was walking with several other pitchers to left field to shag balls hit out there. When I recognized him, I yelled his name to get his attention. He looked over and I called out my name. So he ran over to talk briefly as I leaned over the center field wall to say hi. I told him, I wish I could get down (to the warning track) to talk to him. It was a little awkward with so many fans watching and wondering what our connection was. He told me that he would put my name on the family list so that Allan and I could make our way down to the locker room after the game. Then he left to retrieve fly balls.

Allan and I looked at each other in disbelief. Did he just say he was writing us on the family list? Were we going to be able to go down to the player's tunnel? I thought to myself, I wonder how many fans here tonight would love to have their name written on this family list? Allan and I for a brief moment looked at each other with a smile and realized we weren't dreaming. Shortly after we came to the realization that we heard him right, Collin caught a fly ball in the outfield and tossed it up to us. What a thrill!

Knowing we had the opportunity to go down to the locker room after the game meant we would not be leaving after the seventh or eighth inning to beat traffic or to get a head start on our journey home. What made this more difficult was the fact that the game started an hour and twenty minutes late due to a rain delay. However, there was no way we were leaving early. Allan and I even took a trip around the stadium to find the elevator that would send us down to the players tunnel just so we wouldn't get lost after the game.

The Astros got off to an early lead scoring a run in the third and fourth inning, then adding three more in the sixth. Then the Twins made it interesting at the end scoring four in the seventh and eighth. When the game was over, Allan and I quickly made our way to the elevator next to section one-twelve at Target Field. As we stood outside the elevator the operator asked us who we were. She wanted to make sure we were on the list. I introduced myself and told them what player we were with. She didn't have to look very far because there were only two names on the list. She says, wow, you would be the envy of most fans here tonight.

Two more Target Field employees and security guards checked to see who we were on our way down to the Astros locker room. Then we waited there and Collin came out with half the Astros' pitching staff. I introduced Collin to Allan and we talked and took pictures together. All of this was possible because our names were on that family list. What a special time I was able to have with my son.

As I drove home into the night and contemplated the events of the evening, and specifically being put on the player's family list, the Lord reminded me of the most important list that any of us will ever have our names on, the Lamb's book of Life. Revelation 21 talks about Heaven and verse 27 says, "Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life." The Lamb's book of life contains the names of those who have made a faith decision to believe and follow Jesus.

The Bible says in Acts 16:31, "Believe in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved." This is what needs to be done in order to have our names written on this most important list. My name is written there. Jesus is Lord of my life. When you make the decision to follow Jesus, your name is written there too and heaven awaits. When our names are written there, it not only gets you into heaven, but you will enjoy being in the presence of Jesus for all eternity. If your name is not written on the list you will be turned away and sent to the horrible alternative. Follow Jesus and join God's family list.

Idolatry in the Home

This last Sunday, I preached a message from Deuteronomy 6:4-9. In this text, Moses gives his farewell address to the people of Israel and is preparing the way for a transfer of leadership to Joshua. This is Moses' last chance to speak into the lives of those he has led for several decades. It is monumental what he says.

Moses challenges the people to love God and obey His commands. Then, he tells the people to teach these things to their children. Each of these admonitions are powerful. However, each of these are preceded by a crucial statement: "The Lord our God, the Lord is one." The reason Moses says this is because the Israelites had a history with idolatry. Idolatry is putting anything else in the place of the one true God.

In Exodus 32 we read of a sad situation when Moses was away from the Israelite camp and the Israelites began to grumble and complain because of his absence. Then, they turned to Aaron in their grumbling and said they wanted to erect a god to worship. They fell hard into idolatry. This was such a problem that God intentionally created a commandment against it. We read in Deuteronomy 5:8, "You shall not make for yourself an idol." In his farewell address, Moses wanted to remind the people to love the one true God.

In our American culture, we have allowed idolatry to creep into our lives and homes. Many who claim to have a relationship with God, sacrifice their walk and intimacy with Him to pursue other earthly attractions such as TV, music, internet, video games, food, sports, money, toys, etc. These are not bad in themselves, but they become bad as they take the place of God in our lives.

I have heard my Dad say from time to time, "Our children will run after the biggest god that they see." As parents we must rid our homes of idols. If we long to see our children walk with Jesus, we must clear the stage and allow Jesus to be the center of our homes. If our purpose, as parents, is to raise the next major league baseball player, then that will be at the center of our universe as a family. If that is the case then everything that we do will be to bow to the whims and wishes of the baseball gods.

However, if our goal is to produce followers of Jesus Christ in our homes, then we will develop a vision and execute a plan to lay a foundation for multi-generational faithfulness to the Lord. Jesus said in Matthew 6:24, "If anyone come after me, he must deny himself, take up his cross and follow me." If we are going to usher in the manifest presence of Christ in our homes, we must first deal with the idols, then we must schedule times of worship for our family to grow closer to Jesus. The sacrifices we will make to deny ourselves and our children the worldly distractions to focus on what matters most will result in eternal significance.  

What do you offer God?

Recently, I read again the account of Jesus feeding the five thousand men from John chapter 6. Now, I have read this passage numerous times and have heard it taught in different settings as well. One of the magnificent facets of God's Word is that no matter how many times you read it, there is always more to learn and understand. I had one of those experiences in reading this account as the application bomb went off in my heart as I read it again.

Here is a description of this account. Five thousand men were hungry. It wasn't just a Promise Keepers rally, there were woman and children there as well, but there is no record as to how many of them there actually were. It was late in the day and their stomachs were growling. Jesus didn't want to send them away and lose His audience. Jesus probably just assumed to keep them there so He could keep preaching. The disciples didn't have a clue what to do in order to feed this many people. They scratched their heads in mystery. Jesus sent them to find food. Andrew brought a young Jewish boy to Jesus who had five loaves of bread and two fish. Jesus then took what the boy offered and He gave thanks. Then the disciples facilitated a lunch for everyone in the crowd. The Bible says that "they all ate and were satisfied". They actually had leftovers when they were full.

Here is what hit me as I read this: No one knew what to do except Jesus. He simply asked the disciples to do what they could to find food. All that was available was a Jewish boy's lunch. When Jesus took seriously the boy's offering (lunch), I could imagine the disciples snickering at Him. I mean, how could such a small meal feed such a large crowd? In the eyes of the world, it was a joke. But with Jesus, it was potential for a miracle.

The beauty of the Jewish boy is that he offered all he had. Yes it wasn't a lot, but he offered everything. The principle that I learned is that God takes what we offer and multiplies it. The disciples represent our own human flesh. We may think that what we have to offer the Lord in terms of our gifts, talents and abilities isn't all that great, however, in the hands of a miracle worker, God can use us mightily for His honor and glory.

I have seen this principle in my own life. Since I was young, I always sensed the Lord calling me into ministry. One fear I had almost derailed my calling. Growing up, I always had a fear of public speaking. I would watch my Dad do it week after week as a pastor of our church and in other settings, and I saw him as being a great communicator. I never felt that I had what he had, if you know what I mean. I was actually terrified of speaking in public. 

I remember as a senior in high school considering my calling and being afraid to declare a ministry major in college because of my fear of getting up in front of a group to say something. This fear was crippling my ability to follow the call of God.

As I started college, I declared as a business administration major. I figured, I could easily go into business and not have to do much up front communicating. After all, I was better in small groups and one-on-one. Every time I considered getting up in front of a group, I would literally get sick to my stomach. I thought, there is no way I am cut out to be a pastor.

During my freshman year in college, the Lord spoke to me about my calling through a guest speaker we had in a chapel service. He challenged us to not allow anything to keep us from the calling God has on our lives. He pointed out how Moses, when called by God, looked at his inadequacies and questioned God's call. But God commanded Him to trust His power and His provision. That day, I went to the registrars office and changed my major to youth ministry. God told me that He was going to give me the strength to overcome my fear.

Overcoming the fear of public speaking has not been an easy road. I remember the first time I stood before my public speaking class as a sophomore in college and with fear and trembling delivered a seven minute speech in front of my professor and my critiquing classmates. God gave me strength and I made an A in that class. Every time I have spoken since, the Lord has given me everything I have needed to become a better communicator.

I have heard it said that God will equip those He calls. I have seen this true in my life. God can make impossible situations a possibility. God can take what we offer, or what we "bring to the table", and multiply what we bring and make it better. All that is required is our willingness to step out and make an offering. He won't bless and multiply if we are holding back and not stepping out for His use.

In closing, I want to ask you, what do you offer God? Are you allowing Him to use you at your full potential. Matthew 11:12 says, "God's kingdom is advancing and forceful people are taking hold of it." As followers of Christ, we are called to be missional. Being missional means to have a heart for and to be proactive in living the gospel before our neighbors with the intentions of leading them to faith in Jesus Christ. This can be done by getting involved in local church ministry, sharing Jesus with your neighbors, or living out your faith before your co-workers and classmates. I pray that each of us will offer God what He has given us. Bring to God what you have and watch to see what He will do to multiply your offering.

The Giver of Life

It's only appropriate that on the first day of Spring, we consider and think about new life. The day after I posted my most recent article to this blog, I found myself in the delivery room preparing myself to see life. You may recall, my last post was about death. Death is not of the Lord. Jesus conquered death by raising from the death. John 10:10 says that Jesus came "that we may have life." Psalm 36:9 says that God is "the giver of life". I was about to see my son for the first time.

There is no way to prepare yourself for the birth of a child. For nine months, the anticipation builds. For some moms, pregnancy is a breeze, for others it is long and at times uncomfortable. For the uncomfortable, the delivery can't come soon enough. You can anticipate the arrival, but until your baby is born, there is no way to put yourself in that moment. With each of my children, at the moment they were born, the presence of God was very real. It was as if time stood still. It was if God was yelling at me: "I love life and I love you". Because, in that moment, I saw the power and creativity of God. Psalm 139 speaks to this, "You knit me together in my mother's womb. I am fearfully and wonderfully made." God is the designer and author of life. 

We had a great experience in the labor and delivery wing of the hospital. Those nurses love babies. They treated us as if we were family. They treated my newborn son as if he was their own child. I wish every pro-abortionist could spend the day shadowing one of those nursers. I have a feeling they would reconsider their position on life. Life is not for anyone to have the right to take. Life is of value. Each of us are created in God's image. Each one has value and should be given opportunity to live.

As I experienced the birth of a child for the fourth time, I was reminded of what Jesus said in John 3 when He said, "You must be born again." Everyone is originally born with a sinful nature and is separated from God. In order to be brought into a right relationship with Him, we must place our trust in Jesus and receive all that He died and rose to give us. At the moment we trust Jesus to be our Savior, we are "born again". Jesus gives us new life. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, "If anyone is in Christ, He is a new creation, the old is gone, and the new is here!" Praise the Lord. May God bless you with new life. May you walk daily in the abundance the Christ brings as you yield yourself to Him.

I look forward to the day my son is born again!

Here I am with my new son, Isaac David, moments after his birth.  
He was born March 14 @ 7:33am. He weighed 7lbs 5oz and was 19 1/2".

Obsession With Death

As a youth pastor, being around teens, I have seen a heightened obsession with death. I see students who clothe themselves in all black. There are bands who have become popular with teens who's main agenda is death. There are TV shows that focus on death and one that has become popular is The Walking Dead. I have counseled numerous teens over the years who claim they have considered ending their life early. This obsession with death makes me sad because it is not of the Lord.

We have become desensitized to death because it has become so prevalent in culture. I read recently that the average teen will observe 50,000 murders take place, by the time they graduate from high school, through various media channels (*). This happens through watching the news, TV programs, video games, movies, music videos, and the list goes on. Death has crept into society and people have become immune to violence.

Those who are obsessed with death need to be cautious in their pursuits. What many people don't realize is that something that may seem so innocent can play right into the devil's hand. If a person is exposed to and is obsessed with death, then that can be a conduit for the terrible influence of the enemy upon a person's life. All the enemy needs is a foothold and then you will open yourself up to all kinds of problems that will cause major separation between a person and their Creator, God. The more a person is exposed to death and violence, it will lead them to places that are far from God. 

Humanity is of value. God has made every human being with a special design. Genesis 1:27 says that each of us were "created in the image of God". There is no one on the face of this earth who was created or born a mistake. Psalm 139:14 says that we are "fearfully and wonderfully made". God holds us in high esteem and has given us life, and offers abundant life, through Jesus Christ. There is no need to linger in death because Jesus offers life. Jesus says in John 14:6, "I am the way, the truth and the LIFE." Jesus is Life!

Sanctity of life should be championed by all. We must guard our hearts and our minds and be transformed through the washing of the Word of God and the power of the Holy Spirit. May we be careful to guard ourselves from lingering in death. May God give us life through Jesus, and as Jesus lives His life through us, may we bring life to dead places.


(*) Footnote:  www.parentstv.org 

The Importance of Integrity

I have learned many lessons in my life. One thing that has been clear to me as I have sat and listened to countless stories of heartache and pain, is that it is so important to be a person of integrity. Integrity will either make or break a person. I want to be a man of integrity because I believe God calls us to that.

If you do a Google search on the word integrity, you will read things like: the quality of being honest, having strong moral principles or moral uprightness. I believe integrity to be the way someone is when no one is watching. If you are one way in public but are different in private, no one will trust you. Integrity is when your public life matches up with your private life.

As you read through the Bible, we come to understand the importance of telling and living the truth. In the book of Proverbs 6, we read a list of what the Lord hates. Each example that is listed in this passage has to do with integrity. The reason for this is because truth is one of God's attributes. He is the Truth. Jesus said in John 14:6, "I am the way, the truth and the life." God and dishonesty do not operate in the same room. Also, we read in John 8:44 that the devil, is the "father of all lies".  Therefore, if a person is living in dishonesty, they are in a sense giving birth to death and giving ground to the enemy. If a person is not walking in integrity, then they are probably not walking with the Lord.

Integrity is something that takes a person a lifetime to achieve, but only takes a moment to destroy. Integrity is built over a lifetime of living in and walking with the truth. It is claiming what David said in Psalm 101:2, "I will walk in my house with a blameless heart."  God desires for us to be the same person in public and in private.

Imagine with me. Imagine if I were to fall into a sin that would severely damage my reputation as a follower of Christ, as a husband and dad and as a leader in the church. The affects of one fleeting moment would have a ripple affect that would throw away years of service and integrity. It would take me a long time to rebuild the trust of my family, friends and our community.  It would be as if I were to take a pillow outside on a windy day, cut it in half and let the feathers blow all over town. Then, go out later and try to gather up all the feathers to put my pillow back together. There is no way. The damage would already be done.

In conclusion, how does a person walk in integrity and avoid driving in a ditch? It takes tenacity. It takes the power of the Holy Spirit at work in a person's life. It also takes accountability. It is important to have people in your life who will ask you the tough questions. People who love you enough to point out your blind spots. Even in this setting of accountability, honesty is the key. If you can't be honest with yourself and close friends, then you will surely wind up in a place of failure. In a world that is becoming increasingly dishonest, may our lives be marked with the Truth. May our private lives match our public, to the honor and glory of God.

The Best Thing You Can Do For Your Children

I am not claiming to have it all together when it comes to raising children. I have been a Dad for 11 years and have four children. I do, however, believe my parents had it all together when they raised me. After all, my Dad wrote a book on parenting. Smile.

I can imagine, based on the title of this blog, you are probably expecting answers such as: Love your children unconditionally. Love your spouse. Spend quality time with your children. Buy nice things for your children. Take your children to church. Maybe you would even come up with a deeply profound and significant idea like lead your children in Bible study. These are all good ideas, but it is not what I feel is the most significant practice you will incorporate as a parent.

The best thing you can do for your children (insert drum roll) is for you to build your relationship with God. Taking your children to church is great, praying for your children is great, even leading your children in Bible study devotions is great, but nothing is more important in parenting than for Moms and Dads to have a personal devotion and quiet time that is fresh and alive. Because once you walk closely with Jesus, then all the other things you want to do for your children will fall into place. If you have yet to follow Jesus, that is where you want to start.  Give your heart to Him and receive the grace, forgiveness and freedom that He brings.

We learn this practice from Jesus Himself. One of my favorite verses in all of the New Testament is Mark 1:35. This is what we read there: "Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed." The reason I like it so much is because Jesus set the standard for us. If Jesus spent time with His Father in prayer, then surely we need to make this a daily practice.

My parents were a great example of this for me. They had a thriving walk with the Lord which flowed from their personal quiet time with Him. I found them morning after morning spending time at the feet of Jesus in private prayer and Scripture reading.

Here's the reason why this is so important: God has established a chain of command for the family. Paul explains this in Ephesians 5 & 6. First he points out that Christ is the head of marriage. Secondly, the husband is the head of the home. Wives are to submit to their husbands and husbands love their wives as Christ loves the church. In addition, Paul goes on at the beginning of chapter 6 to address children and remind them of the 5th commandment to honor and obey their parents. The chain of command we receive from God through Paul in Ephesians starts with God as the ultimate authority.  Parents are subject to the authority of God in their lives. Then, as parents grow in knowledge and understanding of God, children are subject to their parent's authority. This is why it is highly important for parents to have a thriving relationship with God.

If we, as parents, are not growing closer to God, we are growing away from Him. We will not be able to lead our children, the way God calls us to, if we do not have a relationship with God that is fully alive. If God is reviving our hearts as parents, then our children will be led closer to Jesus as well. We will never lead our children to places with Jesus where we haven't been ourselves. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 11:1, "Follow my example as I follow the example of Christ."

Here is the good news: growing in Christ and being the kinds of parents God calls us to be is not something we just need to develop on our own. Paul gives us the secret ingredient to a thriving quiet time and empowered parenting in Ephesians 6:18. He says, "Be filled with the Holy Spirit." The Holy Spirit is given to every follower of Jesus Christ at salvation. The Holy Spirit wants to fill us every day to take us to new places with Jesus so that we can parent our children well.

Journaling

I have recently started to journal. January 8 to be exact. At one point in my past, I journaled off and on, but it was never consistent. I would write a page and then miss a couple months. Like anything in life, in order to be good and to do it consistently, there needs to be discipline involved. Journaling takes time.  For me, it has become an important part of my quiet time with the Lord.

So, why have I all of a sudden taken up journaling? The main reason is that I feel God has led me into this. In addition, it was through a teaching I heard at a conference last December, where the speaker challenged everyone to take up a new discipline this next year to go deeper with Christ. In addition, my Dad has shared with me before, the inspiring reason for why he keeps a journal. He says, "If someone gave you $100, where are going to put it? (in your wallet) Then, if God gives you a word or message, do you have a place to put it?" Journaling allows a person to record these priceless deposits from the Lord.

There are basically three different areas that I write about in my journal:

1) Messages from God. These can be insights into His character or Scripture verses that jump out at me during my quiet time. These are any nuggets the Lord gives me that I don't want to forget.

2) Personal life details. As life unfolds, I want to record the highs and the lows. This will allow me to look back and see where I've been in order to recognize the faithfulness of God.

3) Prayers and Answers. As the Lord leads me to pray for specific needs, I write them down. Then, as I see the Lord work in response to these prayers, I go back and record what He has done.

My desire is to take the idea of a diary with a lock on it to a whole new level. I want to redeem the blank pages that my journal came with. By implementing this discipline, my life will be inspired by the faithfulness of God. Spiritual health is a result of incorporating good habits into your plan. Journaling is one that God is using to take my walk with God to a whole new level.

What has been your practice in journaling?  I would love to read your insights.

Lessons learned from watching my sister battle cancer

By way of background, I received a phone call last July from my Mom telling me that my sister, Andrea, had cancer.  I had never heard news of this magnitude, outside of finding out when three of my grandparents each passed away. My heart sunk. Of all things, I was on a service project at a cemetery. 

My mind began to race in a million directions. I thought of the seriousness of this disease and how difficult it would be for my sister. I was thinking of all the people I have known over the years who have had cancer. Some beat it and some didn't.

That night, I was able to talk with my sister for the first time following her diagnosis. I realized that this would not be your typical battle with cancer. All the worry that I had, the anxiety that I had laid at Jesus feet, was exchanged with peace and replaced with encouragement. Andrea was confident. I could hear the smile in her voice. It was obvious that God was at work in my sister's life.

Every phone call since that first one, for the last 6 months, have been similar. I have never heard my sister complain once. She has stayed positive through this entire fight. I had the opportunity to spend three special days with her over Christmas. I savored every moment. All of the feelings that she communicated over the phone were magnified in person. She literally radiated joy. She was at peace. She was totally content with her life and where the Lord was taking her.

As I have observed my sister's battle with cancer, I have learned three major lessons. There are others, but these are the biggies. These lessons have been learned from afar because she lives in Texas and I'm in Minnesota. These lessons have been learned over the phone, through Facetime, and in the few days we spent together in December.

The first lesson that I have learned from watching my sister is that strength isn't manufactured. There have been times in my life when I have needed strength. Strength to make a major decision. Strength to speak in public. Strength to endure a year and a half of living with parents with three small children. These are all well and good, however, it pales in comparison with having a terminal disease and undergoing the rigors of chemotherapy with a smile. A smile is the outer expression of an inner strength, peace and joy. This strength isn't something that she just musters up or pulls out of a hat. This strength comes from her relationship with our Savior, Jesus Christ. Isaiah 41:10 says, "Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." Andrea has always had a close relationship with Jesus. As far back as I can remember, I found Andrea in her room spending time with Jesus reading her Bible or praying. That time spent fueling the flame of her walk with God is reaping a harvest of righteousness and inner-strength that very few people in this world have. Jesus is living in Andrea and giving her strength.

Secondly, I have seen James 1:3 come to life. In a nutshell, this verse tells us that trials bring perseverance and perseverance brings faith. I have taught this verse many times, but have never understood it until this year. This is obviously a trial in Andrea's life. Cancer is not a walk in the park. The same can be said of chemo. Instead of Andrea going into depression or drowning in her sorrows and bad news, Andrea has done the opposite. She has asked the Lord to be glorified in her life through this battle. Her prayer since day one has been, "Lord, whatever you want to do in me, have your way." The Lord is our healer and we have been praying for that, but He is also our sanctifier and many times those two attributes go hand in hand. Andrea has had her faith built and has grown deeper in her love of Jesus through this season. God has taught me the value of enduring trial as a faith builder.

Thirdly, I have learned that nothing should come in between our relationship with Jesus. The verse that our family has rallied around during the last six months is Romans 8:38-39, "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." That is an incredible truth and has brought so much hope to our family. The flip side of that verse would be that we, as followers of Christ, should not allow anything to get in the way of our love for Him. There are many things that could create a wedge and drive us away. I have counseled people in ministry over the years who have allowed cancer to drive them away from the Lord. It has been incredible for me to observe my sister growing closer to Jesus even in the midst of this fight. She has not allowed this horrible disease to keep her from all that is hers through faith in Jesus Christ. I have been challenged to not allow my circumstances to stand in the way of pressing into Jesus.

I want to encourage you. If you find yourself in the midst of a fight, don't give up. God has a plan. Isaiah 55:8 says, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the Lord." God knew from the day Andrea was born that she would face this battle. This didn't catch Him by surprise. He has a perfect plan for Andrea and He has a perfect plan for you. Trust in Him. Our only hope in this world is Jesus Christ. Do you believe that?

Discipline

Discipline is the key to physical and spiritual vitality. Without discipline our physical weight would balloon. Without discipline our hearts would fall prey to the temptations of the world and we would fall away from God. Discipline is the way in which we are trained which in turn brings success. This training will often bring pain, but the pain is totally worth it.

Accepting discipline doesn't come naturally. I remember as a child, dreading the verdict of what my punishment would be for doing wrong. I recall thinking, "Wow, my parents are so mean, I will never treat my children this way." My parents would tell me that discipline was their way of loving me and teaching me lessons in life. At the time, I didn't understand.  I couldn't see past the pain that I was experiencing from the punishment inflicted.  

However, now I understand why my parents used discipline in my life. As a parent myself, I realize that my parents knew what I needed in order to develop maturity. They wanted me to grow. They wanted me to not just learn specific rights and wrongs, but to learn the value of respecting authority. They were using discipline to train me.

A parent's discipline is similar to the discipline that our Heavenly Father brings. Hebrews 12:9 says, "Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live! They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it."

The Lord brings correction for wrongdoing and the result in us is righteousness. If we fall into temptation and sin, we can expect the Lord will punish us. He punishes us for our own good. His purpose in punishment is to make us holy as He is holy. His punishment can be painful but it is profitable.

I have never been very disciplined in the areas of physical exercise and eating right. Recently the Lord has spoken to me about this area of my life. He is calling me to a deeper level of discipline. I must be willing to go the extra mile to make sure I take care of my body. It is not easy to avoid certain foods or to take smaller portions. It is not easy to incorporate exercise into a busy schedule. All of these practices can be painful, but they are totally worth it.

The most important area of life to be discipline in is our personal quiet time with the Lord. This takes effort to set aside all distractions, or to get out of bed early, and to be consistent in seeking the Lord daily. Jesus is our example in this. Luke 5:16 says, "But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed." If Jesus did it, we better do it.  If we're going to accomplish anything worth while in our day, we must be disciplined in spending time at the feet of Jesus. Martin Luther said, "I have so much to do that I shall spend the first three hours in prayer." If we are going to grow closer to Jesus, we must be vigilant and disciplined in spending time with Him.

God calls us to a high standard, just as parents should be calling their children to high standards. May we be disciplined. May the Lord empower us to be what God has called us to be. If you are struggling in an area of life, may God give you the strength to be more disciplined.  Discipline is totally worth it.