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I found your name in the Bible

Human beings have a horrible tendency to skim.

If we think we know something, or we have already covered it, then we barely give it a glance because we have already “put the effort in.”

Why reinvent the wheel, right?

My eldest is a master at this. In fact, we have decided that his Indian name is “Running Water” because whatever he is involved in he will always flow to the path of least resistance. I guess this makes him a naturally green individual because he conserves energy like nobody’s business!

Hmmm, I think we used to call that lazy, but today he’s an eco-hero! Yeah, Noah.

I shouldn’t tease, he takes after his dad. I like to find the easy way out myself, but this mindset of skimming often puts me at a disadvantage.

  • It causes me to assume, which usually leads to missing something.
  • It causes me to skip steps, which often stutters the process.
  • It causes me to see with my mind, and I miss what the eyes can tell me.

For example, have you ever Continue reading “I found your name in the Bible”

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Where’s your happy button?

This is the time of year that I am usually giddy with anticipation. In fact, when I see Halloween decorations creeping out at Wal-Mart, feelings of joy start to gurgle up from deep down inside.

Nope.

You can cancel your plans for the letter explaining to me the evils of October 31st, that’s not what makes me gleeful. However, when you see the Trick O Treater gear clogging the aisles I do get a skip in my step because it means just one thing to me… The NBA season is almost here!

It’s the most wonderful time of the year….

For you ESPN addicts, you’ll be sure to note that owner/player talks may delay or even cancel this coming season.

Nope. Still not dismayed.

If the season starts late, or never even begins, I’ll be just fine. Why? Because

Continue reading “Where’s your happy button?”

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Finding God’s Will

One of the big questions I field as a pastor (year after year) is “What’s God’s will for my life?”

No matter where you go, or who you’re with, this is a huge issue for most. So, I hope this is helpful for you!

I gave this message just last week at a chapel service for Central Christian College in McPherson, Ks. I look forward to hearing from you on this post.

This teaching is based on Romans 12:1-2

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

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A Trajectory of Destruction

Have you ever heard of “hurry up sickness”?

 

Even if you haven’t heard of it, you have probably suffered from it. Don’t be confused, hurry up sickness is not busyness. Being busy might be a symptom, but most of us who are trying to make a difference in someone else’s life, our families life, or even our own life will be busy to some degree.

 

What i’m talking about is a schedule that leads to a behavior that causes a mindset which produces irritability, feelings of futility, difficulty in relationships and a general displeasure with things that should be fun and/or satisfying.

 

When busy turns your everyday into something like this, you have hurry up sickness. This has been the subject of my daily devotions in a journal thatI am working through recently. It’s been a challenge to hear words like slowdown, process, and “be in the moment you’re already in”.

 

Most of us seldom sit down long enough to enjoy the moments of our day. In fact, wherever we are at any given point on the timeline of our lives we are usually rushing to get on to the next point. So, during these devotional times I have been required to slow down, meditate and really try and let the Lord speak.

 

The Lords prayer which is so familiar to us is easy to skim over because we think we’ve already covered it. But, that seems to be the point. I was instructed to go over each line of that incredible prayer, chewing on each word and thought, journaling what the Lord was saying. I want to encourage you to do the exact same thing.

 

It might take you a half an hour, or an hour, or maybe even a weekend. But, one thing I know for sure… it will be worth it!

 

I don’t want this to influence your own experience, but let me share with you right out of my journal as an example of what I hope god will produce in your life. The following reflects my reflections of the Lord’s prayer back to God.

 

After you read this, scratch out your own time where you are alone and in relative quiet… read through the Lords prayer slowly (Matthew 6:9–13)… write down everything you think and feel.

 

There are no wrong answers, just the opportunity to spend some time with your Maker.

 

Our Father- I have never really known a father, but I desire that role for my own life more than all others. I believe a father to be Continue reading “A Trajectory of Destruction”

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Willing and Able

Here is where I have been all week…

In my personal devotions I have been studying meditation and discipline. The focus for this spiritual exercise has been on the Lord’s Prayer. Each day I have been guided to meditate/focus on a specific line from the prayer in Matthew 6:9-13.

Meditation is not sitting on the floor chanting ooga booga. It’s chewing on, centralizing your heart, continuing to return to a thought over and over again until it is ingrained within you.

Basically, it’s everything bad about worrying, but used for the forces of good. Yeah, that’s about it… meditation is positive worrying… if that’s even possible.

While every line from the prayer is worthy of daily focus, I have not been able to get around the first line. Even though I need to move on, I feel like God isn’t done with me as it relates to these 4 little words:

“Our Father in heaven…”

Here’s what meditation on this sentence fragment is revealing to me: my God is willing and able.

Our Father – As my Father I know He wants to Continue reading “Willing and Able”

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What does tertiary mean anyway?

After nine months of study and filling no less than six hand written journals, today I have completed a spiritual journey.

 

Long ago, I decided to study the book of Romans with more depth than I ever studied a single book. It’s been a blessed, frustrated, beautiful, agonizing endeavor (and, no, I am not being dramatic).

 

But, here, even on the last day as I pour through Paul’s concluding remarks, I am smacked in the face by a lesson I can’t wait to preach. So, let’s blog it!

 

In his 27 verse long conclusion (he sounds like some preachers, I know, I know, yuk yuk), Paul sends his greetings to 26 individuals, two families and three house churches. But, one greeting stands out in an amazing way!

 

Romans 16:22 I Tertius, who wrote this letter, greet you in the Lord.

 

Tertius was a scribe (a secretary if you will) who wrote down the letter as Paul dictated it. For this one brief verse he breaks form and speaks in the first person, to say “Hi” to all the believers in Rome.

 

This is so amazing because Romans is so amazingly Continue reading “What does tertiary mean anyway?”

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The best plan for your life, well, maybe

What if God’s plan for your life is not the best plan for your life?

 

For most of you reading this, that is an absolutely ludicrous question. But, let me ask you to suspend your theological questions for a moment and just ponder whether there is any way it  is possible that God’s plan for your life may not be the best plan.

 

I’m pretty sure at this point I’ve offended 50% of you, 25% of you have already unsubscribed from CrossEyedLife.com and the remaining 25% are praying for my soul. Let me ask you to just hang on, I promise I’ll make a point worth making.

 

For us to seriously ponder the question of whether or not it’s possible for God’s plan for our life to NOT be the best plan for our life, we must define a term or two.

 

When I use the word “best” we almost universally, as individual as we are, define it in the exact same way:

  • the best financial plan for me is to spend less and get more
  • the best time plan for me is to do less and play more
  • the best physical plan for me is to be healthier and suffer less
  • the best emotional plan for me is to be happy and less… everything else

 

I think you see the pattern here; we could go on and on defining what’s best for us in every arena of life based on a single standard:  what will benefit me the most?

 

That’s how we naturally and internally define “best.” The best answer, the best plan and the best Continue reading “The best plan for your life, well, maybe”

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ABCs of Devotion, complete download

A couple of weeks ago I posted a sample day of a new audio devotional project from PSALM 119. I’ve had a lot of requests to make this available. It’s actually a CD project that I offer when I speak at camp and other events. But, I am posting links to each day of the 21 for you in the CrossEyedLife Community.

You can click and listen right here, or right click and download to your desktop. Or, if you want to go big guns, you can download this zip file and get all 21 in a single download: click here

 

Here’s a suggested pattern for your daily time with God using the ABC’s:

  1. Pray and ask that God would speak to you and that you would hear clearly what He’s saying
  2. Read the passage for that day
  3. Listen to that day’s track
  4. Pray again and commit to God some point of application that you can take away from that days devotion

Each day in the 21 day audio devotional journey is available below: Continue reading “ABCs of Devotion, complete download”

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The Vacation Is Over

Just dropped the boys off for the first day of school… one of them a junior higher for the first time.

 

There was lots of crying, fretting and snot blowing before school, but I should be better by lunch.

 

I’ve been trying to imagine what this day is like for them, and I can visualize several things: trading items off their tray at lunch, bouncing legs under the desk trying to mask a little nervousness, and awkward conversations with kiddos they haven’t seen for three months.

 

I’m sure they are talking about teachers, the coming year and what they did over the summer. We (adults) do the same thing since they are just smaller, slightly less mature versions Continue reading “The Vacation Is Over”

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You call that worship?

The following video clip is a teaching/story I have been telling for years (12 to be exact), but I have never captured it on video.

A few nights ago I was asked to speak at the first ever CrossPoint Country worship/concert event. It was more than awesome and hope we can do it again soon.

It was the perfect time to share this thought and I hope it’s an encouragement to you.