The past couple of weeks have been very draining for my family. My father's illness took a turn for the worse last week. Sadly, the ICU turned to hospice and on Friday he passed. It was grueling to watch my Dad slowly die. It was difficult to see the pain on my families faces as we waited for God's time. I am thankful my father was saved. This makes his dying easier to deal with, however, there never seems to be a good time to lose a family member. One thing I have learned in this experience is the Lord is always prepared to teach me, especially when times are tough.
From trials comes opportunity to grow. Dealing with death makes us appreciate life. We clearly have no guaranty of tomorrow. I have realized as Christians we need a sense of urgency. The world around us is dying. My family is blessed that my father trusted Christ. Many around us will only hear the gospel if we share. I recently heard a great message preached about being a fisher of men, not only through specific out reaches, but as a lifestyle.
Another thing I learned is that life is about relationships. First and foremost is obviously our relationship with Christ. What about the human relationships? We put so much focus on goals and career. Meanwhile, we put others on the back burner. The death of my father has taught me I need to value these relationships more. I clearly need to be a better son and brother. While I know my primary responsibilities will always begin with my wife and kids, I need to make time for others as well.
I am thankful God cares enough to put a premium on our relationship. If I would follow his example I would have the perfect blueprint to guide me. We all need to display a Christ-like kindness. I am sad to see my Dad pass away, but I am grateful he is in heaven. His pain is no more and his tears are gone. I hope to honor him in how I live the remainder of my life.
Showing posts with label encouragement. Show all posts
Showing posts with label encouragement. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Paralysis By Analysis
Did you ever know someone who constantly out thinks the room? I have worked with people who were brilliant, but often their brain kept them from accomplishing goals. We can always find reasons to not act. We can always talk ourselves out of moving forward.
Golf is a very interesting game to me. Seems like most years when spring arrives I look forward to at least making it to the driving range. Without fail, I am eventually hitting at least a few decent shots my first day out. Then something happens almost like clock work. I start thinking of adjustments to improve my game. I begin to change my stance, how I grip the club, and how I swing. I become tense and have a million thoughts going through my head as I attempt to hit the ball. Thus begins the downhill spiral of my golf game for the year. Many call this paralysis by analysis.
We often do this with issues in life that are way more important. We wait for the stars to align before we act. Some want to be advanced in their career before having children. You will never arrive at the "perfect time" for children. I can't imagine having missed a house full of happiness waiting for the "perfect time".
Non-believers will want to straighten out their life before coming to Christ. In reality they need Christ to do the straightening. As Christians, we need to look for opportunities to serve God right where we are. We don't need to wait until our children are grown to serve more. Just as we shouldn't do less once we are retired. The sad fact remains, that while we find ourselves people are dying and going to Hell every single day. Our purpose on this earth is to be doers of the Word.
Golf is a very interesting game to me. Seems like most years when spring arrives I look forward to at least making it to the driving range. Without fail, I am eventually hitting at least a few decent shots my first day out. Then something happens almost like clock work. I start thinking of adjustments to improve my game. I begin to change my stance, how I grip the club, and how I swing. I become tense and have a million thoughts going through my head as I attempt to hit the ball. Thus begins the downhill spiral of my golf game for the year. Many call this paralysis by analysis.
We often do this with issues in life that are way more important. We wait for the stars to align before we act. Some want to be advanced in their career before having children. You will never arrive at the "perfect time" for children. I can't imagine having missed a house full of happiness waiting for the "perfect time".
Non-believers will want to straighten out their life before coming to Christ. In reality they need Christ to do the straightening. As Christians, we need to look for opportunities to serve God right where we are. We don't need to wait until our children are grown to serve more. Just as we shouldn't do less once we are retired. The sad fact remains, that while we find ourselves people are dying and going to Hell every single day. Our purpose on this earth is to be doers of the Word.
Monday, March 5, 2012
Keep It Simple
I have never been accused of being the smartest person in the room. I don't think God planned for me to perform brain surgery. Knowing this, I try to keep things in the simplest form. I can still hear drill sergeants screaming "keep it simple stupid!" I am not equipped to understand what takes place to make my IPad function. Thankfully my wife can help me out. I am just grateful I can turn it on and check my email. I can already tell my kids will one day be smarter than me. Some think they already are.
Most of us find ways to complicate the things in our life. Our problems usually have a simple root cause and a simple solution. Just consider salvation. Very few Christians receive Christ the first time they hear the gospel. What could be simpler? It only requires acknowledgement and faith. Just as if someone is standing there holding a gift and all you have to do is take it. So simple, yet we find ways to make it complicated. We have trouble believing we can have something so wonderful without deserving or earning it.
What about getting our prayers answered? God longs for a personal relationship and cares about the many details of our life. So why would he not answer our prayers? I believe in most situations there are a few possible reasons. First of all, perhaps it is something that would distance us from him. He cares for us and knows what is best for our growth. How many times have we wanted something so much only to realize later we were better off without. Maybe at times He is answering with a no. Secondly, God may want us to eliminate sin before he chooses to bless us. It is generally no mystery what specific sin is keeping us from the Lord's favor. Other times we don't ask with confidence. Our weak faith is evident when we don't display an attitude of expectation. He wants to answer our prayers, but He also wants recognition that we believe He can. We are instructed to come boldly before the throne of grace.
If we keep this simple approach in our life we can avoid a lot of heartache. Instead of settling for "woe is me", we should look for the simple answers in the form of absolute truth. Sometimes we act as if we are content being miserable. This is very sad. The Christian life is meant to be victorious. When we sit in our self-pity we are wasting valuable time. Time that we could be influencing others.
Most of us find ways to complicate the things in our life. Our problems usually have a simple root cause and a simple solution. Just consider salvation. Very few Christians receive Christ the first time they hear the gospel. What could be simpler? It only requires acknowledgement and faith. Just as if someone is standing there holding a gift and all you have to do is take it. So simple, yet we find ways to make it complicated. We have trouble believing we can have something so wonderful without deserving or earning it.
What about getting our prayers answered? God longs for a personal relationship and cares about the many details of our life. So why would he not answer our prayers? I believe in most situations there are a few possible reasons. First of all, perhaps it is something that would distance us from him. He cares for us and knows what is best for our growth. How many times have we wanted something so much only to realize later we were better off without. Maybe at times He is answering with a no. Secondly, God may want us to eliminate sin before he chooses to bless us. It is generally no mystery what specific sin is keeping us from the Lord's favor. Other times we don't ask with confidence. Our weak faith is evident when we don't display an attitude of expectation. He wants to answer our prayers, but He also wants recognition that we believe He can. We are instructed to come boldly before the throne of grace.
If we keep this simple approach in our life we can avoid a lot of heartache. Instead of settling for "woe is me", we should look for the simple answers in the form of absolute truth. Sometimes we act as if we are content being miserable. This is very sad. The Christian life is meant to be victorious. When we sit in our self-pity we are wasting valuable time. Time that we could be influencing others.
Saturday, March 3, 2012
Keep Moving
I believe every Christian knows their next step of spiritual growth. We don't know the details, but we have a general idea of what God expects next from us. He is just waiting on us to step out on faith and move forward. Maybe it's a commitment to reading our Bible more or progress in our prayer life. Perhaps it is sharing the gospel with others. No matter what the case, it is our responsibility to take that step.
If our children fail to develop physically it is cause for alarm. We expect our kids to be sitting up, walking, and talking within a specific time-frame. When these milestones are not met it often brings on panic and the need for investigation. The same panic should be present when we are standing still spiritually. This is true individually and as a family. I believe it all starts with knowing absolute truth. What does God expect the family to be? If we don't know truth to start with we cannot know how to step forward. The world today has a different idea about what is acceptable within the family. Fortunately, we can look to the Bible for truth. We can know with certainty we are to love God with all we have and to teach our children the same.
So where do we start? We can't focus on yesterday, we can only learn from it. Be mindful we can't always make big changes overnight. We can make the commitment and instantly start acting on that commitment. I believe progress is very important to God. He just wants you to trust him and keep moving, one foot in front of the other. If we are humble and pray with an attitude of expectation He will guide us. He just wants to be first in our life.
Whatever that next step is, it is time. It was time yesterday. We parents need to encourage our boys and girls to get in the habit of just continually saying yes to God. If we don't understand all His ways, just say yes. If the world disagrees, just say yes. If it is uncomfortable and seems difficult, just say yes. We should teach this and most importantly our children need to see it in our actions.
If our children fail to develop physically it is cause for alarm. We expect our kids to be sitting up, walking, and talking within a specific time-frame. When these milestones are not met it often brings on panic and the need for investigation. The same panic should be present when we are standing still spiritually. This is true individually and as a family. I believe it all starts with knowing absolute truth. What does God expect the family to be? If we don't know truth to start with we cannot know how to step forward. The world today has a different idea about what is acceptable within the family. Fortunately, we can look to the Bible for truth. We can know with certainty we are to love God with all we have and to teach our children the same.
So where do we start? We can't focus on yesterday, we can only learn from it. Be mindful we can't always make big changes overnight. We can make the commitment and instantly start acting on that commitment. I believe progress is very important to God. He just wants you to trust him and keep moving, one foot in front of the other. If we are humble and pray with an attitude of expectation He will guide us. He just wants to be first in our life.
Whatever that next step is, it is time. It was time yesterday. We parents need to encourage our boys and girls to get in the habit of just continually saying yes to God. If we don't understand all His ways, just say yes. If the world disagrees, just say yes. If it is uncomfortable and seems difficult, just say yes. We should teach this and most importantly our children need to see it in our actions.
Sunday, February 19, 2012
I Must Decrease
Most everyone is all about self these days. You don't have to look far in today's world to see this is evident. It's in the workplace, on social media, and sadly can be in our homes. This is not a Christ-like attitude. It is clearly not a trait a family leader should possess.
Some days it is almost comical to scroll down your Facebook page and see how many people are constantly taking photos of themselves. Posed in front of a mirror, snapping a pic with a smart phone as to say "Hey, look at me!"
On the job this can be a daily battle. Employees often go out of their way to make others look bad. They strive for career advancement at the expense of someone else. Often it is masked by good intentions such as "I'm just trying to provide for my family". However, when our attitude is not right we know it is not pleasing to God. Sometimes God won't allow Christians to move up the ladder at work. Strong believers often won't fit in and face persecution. Perhaps it is to keep us humble. Maybe a promotion would equal more time away from family. We may not always understand His ways, but the Lord always knows what is best for us.
In the home it is easy to be physically present and mentally absent. We can get caught up in the things we want to do. We want to relax after a stressful day with our mindless entertainment or on our computers. Fathers often put a priority on hobbies. We're quick to ration our valuable time between self interest.
The Bible instructs us to love our neighbor as ourself. We are also expected to be humble. There's so many principles in Gods word that points us to unselfishness. If we acknowledge we belong to Him it should be easier to get the focus away from self. John 3:30 tells us He must increase, but I must decrease. These are principles that seem so basic and simple, yet we struggle to apply them to our lives. Unfortunately, until we put God and others before ourselves we cannot be what He expects us to be.
Some days it is almost comical to scroll down your Facebook page and see how many people are constantly taking photos of themselves. Posed in front of a mirror, snapping a pic with a smart phone as to say "Hey, look at me!"
On the job this can be a daily battle. Employees often go out of their way to make others look bad. They strive for career advancement at the expense of someone else. Often it is masked by good intentions such as "I'm just trying to provide for my family". However, when our attitude is not right we know it is not pleasing to God. Sometimes God won't allow Christians to move up the ladder at work. Strong believers often won't fit in and face persecution. Perhaps it is to keep us humble. Maybe a promotion would equal more time away from family. We may not always understand His ways, but the Lord always knows what is best for us.
In the home it is easy to be physically present and mentally absent. We can get caught up in the things we want to do. We want to relax after a stressful day with our mindless entertainment or on our computers. Fathers often put a priority on hobbies. We're quick to ration our valuable time between self interest.
The Bible instructs us to love our neighbor as ourself. We are also expected to be humble. There's so many principles in Gods word that points us to unselfishness. If we acknowledge we belong to Him it should be easier to get the focus away from self. John 3:30 tells us He must increase, but I must decrease. These are principles that seem so basic and simple, yet we struggle to apply them to our lives. Unfortunately, until we put God and others before ourselves we cannot be what He expects us to be.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
It's Not A Checklist
My wife is the queen of lists. This is not surprising in a house with seven kids. There is packing, chore, grocery, and to do lists. Let's not forget the dreaded honey-do list. This one is never completed and always growing. They have become a necessary form of organization in our home.
Sometimes, as dads, we look at our role as a checklist of tasks. These tasks may include being a good husband, child disciplinarian, and financial provider. We might pay the bills, cut the grass, and make home repairs. We tell ourselves as long as we keep checking these items off we are okay. We are also similar in our approach to Christianity. We go to church, check. We read our Bible, check. We pray, check.
This is great behavior and is all things we need to fulfill, but we are called to be so much more. If our tunnel vision focuses only on the task at hand then we miss out on so much. A true, God honoring father is a dynamic individual. He is about the required tasks, but he is also about the relationships. He is in tune with the emotional concerns of his wife and children. He knows he cannot let them fail, because he is the leader. His family needs to know that he would die before letting Satan in the home. I admit that while I may accomplish some of the tasks, I still have a lot of growing to do in this area.
The big question is, where do we start? Cleary we can't change the past. We only have today forward. It starts with commitment and foundation. First we need to realize the need for us to improve is necessary. Not one of us has "arrived". Not until we are like Christ and that is not happening on this earth. A dad needs a humble spirit. It is only then when we are most easily molded into what we need to be. We have to know it is only through His power that we will ever be the spiritual leader needed by our family. We have to exercise obedience to God and remove the sin from our life that has stunted our growth. A great father also is a consistent man. He is willing to work hard and honor God day after day. This is when it gets hard. It is difficult to stay the course over time. I know dads who provided strong foundations for their kids for a long period of time, only to let their guard down in the tough teen years. It is difficult, but it is what is needed.
One thing we need to be mindful of is the days are continuing to get more evil. The world has changed so much even since the time when I was a child. The dangers of the world have instant access to our children through technology. Now more than ever us men need to dig in and take a stand. We can't afford to waste another day on the sideline.
Sometimes, as dads, we look at our role as a checklist of tasks. These tasks may include being a good husband, child disciplinarian, and financial provider. We might pay the bills, cut the grass, and make home repairs. We tell ourselves as long as we keep checking these items off we are okay. We are also similar in our approach to Christianity. We go to church, check. We read our Bible, check. We pray, check.
This is great behavior and is all things we need to fulfill, but we are called to be so much more. If our tunnel vision focuses only on the task at hand then we miss out on so much. A true, God honoring father is a dynamic individual. He is about the required tasks, but he is also about the relationships. He is in tune with the emotional concerns of his wife and children. He knows he cannot let them fail, because he is the leader. His family needs to know that he would die before letting Satan in the home. I admit that while I may accomplish some of the tasks, I still have a lot of growing to do in this area.
The big question is, where do we start? Cleary we can't change the past. We only have today forward. It starts with commitment and foundation. First we need to realize the need for us to improve is necessary. Not one of us has "arrived". Not until we are like Christ and that is not happening on this earth. A dad needs a humble spirit. It is only then when we are most easily molded into what we need to be. We have to know it is only through His power that we will ever be the spiritual leader needed by our family. We have to exercise obedience to God and remove the sin from our life that has stunted our growth. A great father also is a consistent man. He is willing to work hard and honor God day after day. This is when it gets hard. It is difficult to stay the course over time. I know dads who provided strong foundations for their kids for a long period of time, only to let their guard down in the tough teen years. It is difficult, but it is what is needed.
One thing we need to be mindful of is the days are continuing to get more evil. The world has changed so much even since the time when I was a child. The dangers of the world have instant access to our children through technology. Now more than ever us men need to dig in and take a stand. We can't afford to waste another day on the sideline.
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Offended Or Convicted
It seems like social media has changed society. We now have instant access with just a click of the mouse. The good, the bad, and the ugly traveling along the information super highway. Unfortunately it is another dangerous gateway attacking the innocence of our children, but that is another post for another day.
Whether it's Facebook or Twitter, no matter where you are, you can know that Mary had a turkey sandwich for lunch. As with most advances in technology there is always good and bad. I am thankful to keep up with old Army friends from all around the country. I am not thankful to read filthy words. As a Christian I don't appreciate foul language at all, especially in a public forum. Aside from my faith I also consider it unprofessional and lazy. It is a quick way to emphasize a point without having to think or use any creativity.
Many times I am very encouraged when reading status updates. When someone shares how they made it through a trial, became a daddy, or returned safely from Iraq it does my heart good. I want to encourage others that way, but mostly I want to honor and please God. This makes me wonder if I am striving to be Christ-like and my words offend others should they go unsaid? Does this mean someone is offended or convicted? Is there a difference?
The Bible speaks about whatsoever are honest, just, and pure. We are told to think on these things. If our words fall in this category we should share, but share with the right attitude. We are instructed to preach the truth with love. That is not always easy to do. With that being said, we should never be ashamed of sharing our values. We should also not be surprised when the "world" is unaccepting. We know we will suffer persecution. In terms of eternity it is a small price to pay.
Whether it's Facebook or Twitter, no matter where you are, you can know that Mary had a turkey sandwich for lunch. As with most advances in technology there is always good and bad. I am thankful to keep up with old Army friends from all around the country. I am not thankful to read filthy words. As a Christian I don't appreciate foul language at all, especially in a public forum. Aside from my faith I also consider it unprofessional and lazy. It is a quick way to emphasize a point without having to think or use any creativity.
Many times I am very encouraged when reading status updates. When someone shares how they made it through a trial, became a daddy, or returned safely from Iraq it does my heart good. I want to encourage others that way, but mostly I want to honor and please God. This makes me wonder if I am striving to be Christ-like and my words offend others should they go unsaid? Does this mean someone is offended or convicted? Is there a difference?
The Bible speaks about whatsoever are honest, just, and pure. We are told to think on these things. If our words fall in this category we should share, but share with the right attitude. We are instructed to preach the truth with love. That is not always easy to do. With that being said, we should never be ashamed of sharing our values. We should also not be surprised when the "world" is unaccepting. We know we will suffer persecution. In terms of eternity it is a small price to pay.
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