Happy Memorial Day

Happy Memorial Day, Everyone!

This is a very meaningful day for my family and me. I have many friends and family members who have, or are, serving in the US Military. In fact, as I sit in my "man cave," I cannot help but see the US flag presented to our family during my maternal grandfather's burial for serving in the Navy during WWII. It is a cherished piece of national and family history, and I know there are many many more like it adorning living rooms, offices, etc. throughout this great land of ours. And even if you do not necessarily agree with all of this country's politics and policies, the brave men and women who have and are sacrificing so much are worthy of our pause.

Memorial Day, like any of our holidays, seems to be better known for the things we do as opposed to the reason we celebrate. It has become synonymous with the end of the school year, time off from work, vacations, grilling, baseball, swimming, etc., but its meaning is so much deeper. I do not think there's anything wrong with enjoying our freedom and liberty on days like today; in fact, this is precisely why those who gave their lives served in the first place! There are a few things we can do, however, to get the most out of this day, and I want to offer these mere suggestions as a way to truly enjoy Memorial Day.

1) Remember: Remember why we have this day to begin with. While we are enjoying our time away from the monotony of everyday life, there are people who awake this morning with a void in their lives as a result of the loss of a loved one who paid the ultimate sacrifice. While you remember your freedom, remember those to whom this day is a reminder of loss.

2) Pause & Pray: Remember to pause and pray to thank God for those who heeded the call to serve. This can be done before getting out of the bed, before the cookout, or while kneeling at your bedside tonight. The bottom line, though, is to pause and remember that sacrifice is an extremely biblical concept, and even God paid it all in Jesus to secure our freedom and way of eternal life.

3) Display: Remember to find a way to display your patriotism, pride, and/or need. I was in a neighborhood the other day that draped small American flags over the mailboxes, as an example. I myself am wearing red, white, and blue today. I also am wearing one of my favorite cross necklaces near my heart to remind me that Jesus paid it all, too, for my freedom and liberation from sin and death.

4) CELEBRATE: Not everything has to be solemn, and I think it's critically important to remember to CELEBRATE!!! After all, like I said previously, we need to celebrate the freedom we enjoy because these brave men and women paid it all, or are currently in harm's way to protect and preserve our freedom. Even with God, we have been granted liberation from the sting of death and are called to enjoy His love and creation. Memorial Day celebrations provide unique opportunities to do that with friends and family, too, so let's celebrate the sacrifice as well as the fun we can enjoy as a result!

Whatever your day has in store for you, I hope it is blessed for you and yours. I, myself, will be remembering those who served (like both my grandfathers, great uncle, and childhood best friend among others); pausing and praying several times today, especially before I devour the burger I'm gonna grill; displaying my pride and faith; and celebrating the freedom that has been secured at such a great price. These freedoms and blessings are first and foremost in my mind today, and I'm going to remember all that was given to make it possible. Will you join me?

Happy Memorial Day!

Happy Easter!

I am reminded this Easter morning of a hymn that I sang in the church where I grew up each and every Easter Sunday. It is not in the setlist for worship at The Lighthouse this morning, but I guarantee it will most likely be the song I sing the most through out the day. Here are the lines from the first verse and chorus of "He Lives"*:

I serve a risen Saviour,
He's in the world today;
I know that He is living,
Whatever foes might say;
I see His hand of mercy,
I hear His voice of cheer,
And just the time I need Him
He's always near.

Chorus:

He lives, He lives, Christ Jesus lives today!
He walks with me and He talks with me
Along life's narrow way.
He lives, He live, salvation to impart!
You ask me how I know He lives:
He lives within my heart.

I pray you have an A-mazing Easter with your loved ones today. I know I'm especially excited this year, because directly following the conclusion of worship today, Tiffany, Ethan, and I will join our ENTIRE family on my dad's side in Cordele, GA for Easter dinner. To the best of my recollection, it will be the first Easter dinner I will have ever had with my paternal grandmother. While we're down there, Easter baskets will be opened, eggs will be hunted, and the things that make Easter fun will be celebrated. But my prayer is that while we all enjoy family and some play time, that we remember that this day is as special as it is for one reason, and one reason only: He Lives!

Happy Easter!

*He Lives was written by Alfred Ackley, 1933

BE the Doodle

Tiffany and I were watching FOX News earlier today while enjoying our morning coffee. During the newscast, they made the observation that the web search giant, Google, did not have a reference to Good Friday in the “doodle” on their homepage. The Google Doodle is the name given to the drawings incorporated in the Google name as a heading for their search page. Despite Google’s practice of honoring birthdays of significant people and major holidays with their doodles, they decided it was best to glance over Good Friday in deference to the 205th anniversary of Hans Christian Anderson’s birth. I’m not kidding.

The people at FOX really wanted to make this a big deal. It even got my dander up or a few minutes, but then I calmed down. Would I like it if Google made a big deal about one of the most significant days in the course of eternity? Sure! Is it sad how political correctness in our culture seems to be taking on the role of a religion? Absolutely! But in the end, will it make that big of a difference? Nope; not at all.

People have tried to quiet or ignore Jesus and His Movement ever since the days He walked the earth in His bodily form. The societal powers-that-be have always tried to squelch His message and downplay His significance. Yet, despite all their efforts, Jesus is STILL the most significant person who ever has – and ever will – live. While a Google Doodle would be a nice way to honor Him, it isn’t by any means the best way to shine light onto Jesus.

So if not a Google Doodle, then how might we best honor Jesus, you might ask? Well the answer is simple and as old as the Jesus Movement itself: use your life! The most profound witness for Jesus always has been, and always will be, the story of a transformed life. Though I don’t have any empirical evidence, my gut tells me that people seeking meaning in this life get turned off by our holy wars on political correctness. The real passion and power behind the Jesus Movement has always been the light and love shared with those in need. The shining light of Christianity has always been when Jesus’ followers engage the world by feeding the hungry, giving the thirsty something to drink, showing hospitality to complete strangers, taking care of the sick, and visiting the imprisoned, all in the name of Jesus. (Matthew 25.36-41) In other words, the tools of proclaiming God’s love in Jesus are in compassion and personal witness inspired by the power of God’s love for us in Jesus.

This does not let us off the hook for shouting Jesus’ love to creation, though…quite the contrary! But in a world that seeks to keep Jesus’ followers quiet for the sake of political correctness, the loudest way to proclaim Christ’s love is to live out loud and let your life be the doodle! Don’t count on Google to do your work for you while you go about passively doing your thang; let your living and loving actions speak as you serve, share, and shine for the Lord!

Since today is Good Friday, it’s the perfect time to start. Let God’s love for you overflow into your life so you can go into the world and proclaim the power and passion of Jesus. Have a great day and BE the Doodle!

Wake-Up Call

Does God ever wake you up in the morning with something on your heart? There are definite periods of time when I am awakened with scripture verses and/or certain songs burned into my consciousness. I never think of these as coincidences, because I believe God is always at work in our heart, mind, body, and spirit -- even when we sleep! Scour the scripture and see how many times God spoke to people in their sleep; it definitely happens. Perhaps this is because it's harder for us to tune Him out with television, radio, Twitter and Facebook, or any other distraction.

I was awakened this morning with Philippians 2.5 in my heart and head, "Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus..." I cannot tell you how many times I've read that verse, but the 'attitude' part really resonated with me. I know about bad attitudes; I've had them and know people who do, too. If we're to have the same attitude as Jesus, that has some serious implications for us, doesn't it?

This attitude adjustment can be summed up in four little words with eternal power: GOD is in control. If you're facing a tough time, GOD is in control. If you're in grief, GOD is in control. If things are going well for you right now, GOD is in control.

I am the kind of person who is guilty of thinking and believing that the sun rises and sets with me. I put way too much responsibility on myself and get burned out and worn out, but the fact of the matter is, GOD is in control. If Jesus, with all He had to do, had the attitude that GOD was in control and He would go and serve wherever and however God the Father chose, then why should I approach my own life any differently? Talk about a wake-up call for life!

Friends, GOD is in control! As Acts 17.28 says, "In Him we live and move and have our being." So may we take our hands of the reins and let God reign for once in our lives -- we're living, moving, and being with Him anyway! Let it be a wake-up call to let GOD be in control and adjust your attitude accordingly.

Have a great day!

Some Thoughts On Prayer, Life, & Change

I've been thinking about yesterday's talk more than usual. In the message, I talked about X-ponential Growth and what it means for us as God's children. In scientific terms, exponential growth is what happens at the molecular level as our cells divide and multiply to provide basic bodily functions like grow hair, replace skin, and repair muscle. All of this change going on within us isn't necessarily discernable at the time, but the results of it are. We know when we need to cut our hair, when we heal from a sunburn or small wound, and feel better after a workout. This change in the form of growth is just a part of life and who we are. God has designed us this way and takes great joy in watching us become the splendid creature He created. As we acknowledge that this growth process happens within us physically, we can also come to the awareness that it's happening spiritually as well.

God doesn't just download all the information we need to be Jesus followers at our conversion. No, we have a life-long process of learning and growing into the children of God we are created to be. It sure would be easier to have all the perspective in the world – especially when life doesn't go our way – but this learning process is designed to draw us closer to God and others in His family. As we live life with and for God through others, we see similarities and experience common ground we might otherwise not have known was there. We are to look at life through transformed eyes, though I'll be the first to declare this is rarely easy. This is why faith is known as the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things unseen (Hebrews 11.1); it requires us to look to God first as opposed to the things we decide are ,or are not, going our way. Friends, this requires a fundamental change in the way we live life, for we might think we're lost in the shadows, but because of God's love, the only shadow that is cast is that of the cross of Jesus Christ, guaranteeing God's victory and our salvation.

I contend that prayer is the fundamental and most critical element as we begin to consider how we must change the way we view life. When we go to God in prayer, we look to get on the same page He's on. We might think it's to get God to do what we want, but it's really to find out what God wants us to do. When we approach prayer accordingly, then we'll find ourselves changed. The only problem is, this is rarely how we approach it – all too often we ask God to "give me," or "help me," when in reality, we need to ask God to "change me." As Paul said, we all will be changed (1 Corinthians 15.51), so let's make sure we're being changed into the image of God. And again, this shows the importance of prayer as we seek to conform to God's will as opposed to demanding that God conform to ours.

Here are some quotes on prayer and change that have been resonating within me the last several days:

- The function of prayer is not to influence God, but rather to change the nature of the one who prays. (Soren Kierkegaard)

- Be the change you want to see in the world. (Gandhi)

- Peace is not the absence of conflict, but the ability to cope with it. (Unknown)

My prayer as we enter this season of Lent is that we look to God in the midst of life's victories and defeats. To know that the only shadow we truly experience is the shadow of the cross, because our salvation has already been won! We need to Get on God's page and allow Him to steady our restless hearts. He loves us more than we can imagine and has more in store for us than we can conceive.

The Importance of Play

Playing is important. It's so important that even the United Nations High Commission for Human Rights declared that play is a basic human right for every child! You can click here to read a list of the benefits of play, presented through the University of Delaware. Suffice it to say, play isn’t just for passing time or keeping children occupied; no, it has a very specific design. Prolific Christian author, CS Lewis said something to the effect of since playing is so important, it must have been designed by God. I think this is true.

We’ve gotten away from play. In our hyperactive culture, we put more value on working hard and productivity. As a result, many of us have lost touch with our creative and fun-loving side. Remember the famous saying, “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.” Just look at Jack Nicholson’s character in, “The Shining.”

I think we need to recapture the importance and benefits of play for our sake, for God’s, as well as our task of bringing people into God’s family. Play is fun, it helps us relieve stress, and it even draws a crowd!

So I ask these questions, and please, let me know what you think:

• What do you think about the importance of playing?
• How can play change the way we worship God?
• How can play change the way we serve God?

Confessions from a Dad Who Is Trying

I am a dad who is trying to do the best job I can. Some days are better than others. Today was one of those days when I had a, "Oh, ok, I get it" moment.

I was helping Ethan get ready for school while we watched an episode from his favorite cartoon, "Pokémon." If you aren't familiar with Pokémon, there are like a bajillion different characters with a gazillion different attributes, powers, and abilities. I cannot overemphasize this fact: he knows them all. Literally. So while we were watching the show this morning, he wanted to tell me every last little minute detail about the characters highlighted in the program. But it was early and I wasn't in the mood. He wasn't really alert enough yet to frame a coherent thought without infinitely more pauses, "ums" and "uhs" than actual intelligible words. The result was I only heard a fraction of what he was saying. I was looking at him, only half-way listening, and trying to nod and offer verbal cues pretending that I was paying attention. That was when I noticed how totally passionate he was about this moment he was sharing with his dad. I felt guilty and then gave him my undivided attention, although I still cannot tell a Dragonite apart from a Rhyperior.

I felt convicted because I knew I needed to listen. Sharing this moment with me was meaningful to my son, even though it really didn't register in my pre-dawn malaise. He felt it important enough to share something that interests him so much and I was barely paying him a lick of attention. Then it hit me: how often do I, in my prayer time, stammer and stumble through my words while going on and on about things that might seem pretty insignificant in the grand scheme of things? Yet God loves me enough to sit and listen to each and every word with His divine ear tuned especially to the cares of my life; cares that might not mean a whole lot to anybody else and pale in comparison to the full purpose God has for me. But God loves the interaction. God loves it when we share what's going on in our lives, and the opportunity to relate to us in a very loving and personal way.

The Bible tells us over and over again that God loves us like a holy parent; but friends, that doesn't even begin to scratch the surface. In those moments we as parents might tune our little ones out, get frustrated with stories that go on and on and on and on, and not really try to figure out why things mean so much to our beloved about which we could honestly care less, God is really truly listening and showering us with His presence. God really truly cares about the things we care about. He always pays attention, listens to us intently, and enjoys sharing in the things that make us happy. Shouldn't that change the way we interact with others, especially those we love so dearly?

So I confess that there are times I really don't do that great of a job in listening to Ethan when he's talking about his love of Pokémon. But because I love him, he deserves the best out of me. I know there will be days in the not-too-distant-future when I'll long for these innocent conversations from his childhood. So my prayer today is that I can stop what I'm doing to show my son the attention he deserves, knowing full well that God is always there for me. Like I said, I'm a dad who is trying. May love shape us all after the image of God!