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I can’t decide which I love more, coffee or coffeeshops.

Like so many others I find it easier to get work done hiding in public, so, when deadlines are pressing I find a comfy, over stuffed chair in the corner of a coffeeshop, plug in, tune out, start sipping and get stuff done.

No staff members ringing through on my extension, no random drop by visits and most beneficially, no giant stacks of other things begging to be done and competing for my attention. Just a caffeine driven focus!

Where I live in Hutchinson there a few options when choosing your coffeeshop bunker, but the deciding factors for defining my home base are:

1. the coffee
2. the wifi
3. the the plug ins
4. the chairs

I know what you’re thinking. “He has far too much time on his hands if he has the opportunity to come up with a punch list for choosing a coffeeshop.”

Well, I have two responses to you (one snotty, the other legit): first, if you have time to read this then don’t say I have too much time (snotty), second, don’t worry there is a spiritual perspective on this (legit).

It all started when I sat down here at this non-descript, nationally known coffee shop where this article was produced. Next to my usual chair, I noticed a new plug-in. And, I noticed it’s awesomeness: 2 USB charging ports built in!

I have to be honest, my first thoughts were, “This place rocks… they must care about me and my Apple products.”

Right or wrong, this ‘establishment’ just jumped a little higher on the list when making my workspace decision. But, don’t forget… it’s still about the coffee. The only reason they are still in the running is because the coffee is worth the price.

So, if you asked me Continue reading “It’s both…”

Reprinted from The Hutch News
The Lord’s ‘firefight’ is our hope
Friday, August 24, 2012 09:41:09 PM
By Andy Addis

Here’s an understatement: This was a hot summer.

You know you’ve endured some blistering days when you are thankful for 90-plus degrees. But the heat did more than take its toll on summer fun. The wildfires of 2012 will leave their mark for quite some time, not only on the land, but on our lives.

I was glued to the television watching the fires encroach on some of my favorite places to visit in Colorado, and more than once I prayed for the firefighters putting themselves in harm’s way.

Those are some amazing heroes, and I am in awe of the innumerable ways they can battle a fire. Long gone are the days of the singular hope put in a hydrant and a hose. Direct and indirect attack, venting, aerial drops, isolations are all in the arsenal of the modern firefighter. But my favorite is the back-burn.

It’s a technique that has been around for a long time. Basically, the firefighters will determine the movement and direction of the fire. Then, selecting an area in its path, they start their own fire.

It seems a little crazy, but the result is that this controlled fire consumes all the fuel and leaves nothing for the wildfire. When the out-of-control blaze gets to that spot, there’s nothing to burn.

Brilliant!

I love this technique because it reminds me so much of what Jesus did for us. Sin is a curse upon every human being. God’s wrath is just and right, and we “sinners” deserve the full weight of it.

But Christ came not as just another man, but as the Son of God in the form of man. He died on the cross for us as a willing act of obedience to God and a gift of grace to us. He became a substitutionary sacrifice on our behalf, and when He did, He absorbed the full wrath of God, shielding us.

Basically, He “back-burned” an escape route for us.

Romans 5: 8-11: “God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by His blood, much more shall we be saved by Him from the wrath of God. For if, while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by His life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.”

When Jesus died for us on the cross, the fire of God’s wrath fell and consumed Him in our place. And the top of Calvary’s hill, scorched with the fire of God’s judgement, is now a safe place for us to stand.

Because of what He did, we can stand securely at the foot of the cross because there is nothing left to burn.

The following is a guest post from a good friend and fellow laborer in our faith community: CrossPoint Church.

Ryan Wray just returned from the mission field in Africa after three weeks of service, and offered this to me as a ‘thought.’

I thought it was valuable enough I should share with you. Yes, I did get his permission!

Thanks a ton, my friend.

__________________________________________________

I’m not sure if it’s our DNA or if it’s just the way we are wired, but as humans we love completing things. It’s such a great feeling when we put our minds to something and then finish it.

There’s just something about seeing a zero balance, or a paid in full, or a completed stamp that just gives us a wonderful feeling. I know for me, being a procrastinator, that seeing something finished is a huge achievement.

This last Friday, I could start to feel something in my body that I knew was probably some sort of illness. My wife was ill two days prior and I knew it was probably just my turn.

Sure enough, from Friday afternoon until Sunday morning I had some sort of bug. I knew it was over Sunday morning because when I woke up, my entire upper torso had broken out in a rash.

This wonderful phenomenon called anaphylactic shock is something that happens to my body at the end of every illness I get.

I have no idea why it does it or what it is doing, but is a sign of completion.

I think that many Christians have this same feeling with their spiritual walk. Once we accept Christ, it is finished. He has died for our sins and now that we let Him into our lives, He will take care of everything and we can sit back and enjoy life.

The hard part is done, right? All we have to do is believe, and our lives will be complete!

You and I can get a chuckle out of this mind set. If we heard somebody say this, we would probably chuckle, then pause to ask, “Are you serious?”

I still consider myself a young believer. In the short three years since I accepted Christ, been baptized, and continue to grow my relationship with Christ, I have yet to find a place in scripture that says, “since you’ve gone”. If we continually look for goal lines or finish lines, I think we’re going to be greatly disappointed.

Instead, I am daily reminded of scripture that says “As you go…” So, how do we know where we are suppose to go? How are we supposed to know what to do?

I think it’s easy to take this from scripture and think “as you go” is a representation of missions. But, missions where? Missions how? Where do I go? How do I get there? How do I know what Christ is calling me to do?

One of my favorite scriptures is Matthew 5:16:

“In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”

What does it mean to let your light shine before others, and how does this apply to my walk with Christ?

When I arrived in Togo, Africa, a few weeks ago, one of the first things they told us was to make sure we carry a flashlight at all times when walking at night.

I was fine with this until they told us why. The statement following was, “Because of the large number of black and green mambas, you may want to pay a little bit better attention to where you’re stepping.”

This just took my three week stay to a whole ‘nutha level! I hate snakes so much, that when I see one I just about throw up all over myself! So, for the next three weeks, everywhere I went from sundown to sun up, I carried my flashlight with me.

Now, when I say to carry it, what I really mean is I tried to light up the entire campsite with my one little flashlight because the last thing I wanted to see was a snake. If there was a snake anywhere within a 100 foot radius of me, I wanted to know it!!

This seemed like a fantastic idea until the third night I was there. I was walking with a group of nationals and Americans headed back to camp from visiting a family when my sporadic pivoting of a flashlight was abruptly interrupted by some words from the nationals that can be translated in French, Moba, or English all the same.

As I was shining my light everywhere around me, I almost stepped on a green mamba that was right in front of me. I quickly realized that the light does me no good unless I shine it at the path in front of me.

This was one of those “ah ha” moments because as a young Christian, many times I don’t know what path to take. I’m excited for this new relationship with Christ, but do I really pay attention to where He is calling me to go? Am I trying to follow a path that I think He wants me to go? Or, am my truly being led by the Holy Spirit in a direction that is going to be a light that shines before others?

I can’t be sure that I know the answer to this, but one thing I do know, is that whatever path Christ puts me on, it only has one finish line and that is the Kingdom.

I picture myself continuing to walk a path that may have a fork in the road, but each one of those paths starts off with a sign that says “As You Go…”

So how is your attitude?

Don’t answer too quickly, I’ve learned that our understanding of our own attitudes is much like embezzling. If an embezzler gets caught and you ask him how much he took, the number he honestly believes is about half of what it was.

It’s much the same with our attitudes, however bad we may believe our own attitude is, you should probably double it. We give ourselves a little too much slack.

Philippians chapter 2 says that we should have the same attitude as that of Christ Jesus. Okay, now I’m just meddling, right? Seriously, who can have an attitude like?

It’s a pretty high standard, but it is what it is. So, where do we go from here?

As I read through the Gospels, I often see how Jesus handled Himself, circumstances and other people. I try to take note of His attitude and behaviors. It’s how we find out what it’s like to have the attitude of Christ Jesus.

So, during my sabbatical I have been doing an inductive and slow study of the Gospel of Mark. I have discovered something. You guessed it, in the words of Hank Williams Junior, I need an attitude adjustment.

Although the attitude adjustments I’ve been offered throughout the book are too numerous to write in this article, let me share one simple observation from Mark chapter 14 verse 50.

Here is the setting: Jesus has spent the night praying in the garden of Gethsemane, who knows His mockery of a trial and crucifixion on the way. An army has come to arrest Him and Judas has just betrayed Him with a kiss.

Jesus notes that they could have arrested Him any day in the temple, but they waited until that night alone in the dark to bring an entire squadron after Him before He says…

“But let the Scriptures be fulfilled.” Mark 14:50

This may not sound like an overly impressive statement to you, but check out the attitude in this simple sentence.

But– this is a contradictory conjunction. It takes the direction of thought and changes it, and extends the conversation. If the sentence began with the word ‘and,’ it would be in agreement with everything prior to the statement. It does not. So, what does Jesus mean with that simple conjunction ‘but’? I believe He is saying, “Despite the hypocrisy of your actions, disregarding the sinfulness of your thoughts and speech, and with no regard to the injustice about to be done to me, I will allow this because obedience to my Heavenly Father is far more precious to Me than justice in this moment.” This is the attitude we are supposed to have.

Let – although it is a verb, it is a passive verb. Jesus is basically saying that He is willing to let go of His authority and control and submit to the will of God. He is willingly giving up on a desired outcome that would benefit Him, and yield Himself to God’s will, God’s word and the circumstances before Him if it pleases the Father. In other words, He’s choosing to not fight, let go of control and allow God to do what needs to be done in His life. This is the attitude we are supposed to have.

Be fulfilled– since we know that Jesus knew what was coming, and we know that what was ahead of Him was harder than anything you or I may ever face, this is quite a statement. In this statement Jesus is putting the priority on the plan, the plan God had. He is abandoning His desire for self-preservation, He is not bargaining for something different, He is simply saying that whatever God wants is what He wants to be fulfilled in His life no matter the cost. This is the attitude we are supposed to have.

So, let me ask you again, how’s your attitude? In just this simple sentence we see that Jesus’ attitude is a hard one to imitate.

The world is unfair but I will be obedient and faithful even if others seem to thrive in their injustice and sinfulness

I have fought for myself for years, but today I choose to let You control every decision and every direction. I choose to rest in submission to You.

I have made my daily endeavor to see my plan succeed, but my heart has changed and may Your plan and Your will be fulfilled in my life.

This is the attitude (or at least part of it) of Christ Jesus.

So, how is your attitude?

Human beings have an almost universal tendency. We put ourselves into the story.

Watching the news we wonder what it would be like to be the subject of that story, or we internally express thankfulness that, “It wasn’t about us.”

One of our favorite responses in conversation is, “Here is what I would do.”

When reading the Bible we generally pick one of the characters in each story to identify with, and that becomes the basis for the lesson we receive.

We are always putting ourselves in the story.

I recently reread a story I have studied, taught and preached on dozens of times, and I was blown away by new things God revealed.

Most shockingly, I wasn’t the character in the story I thought was, but I will save that for later.

Mark 14:3 And while he was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he was reclining at table, a woman came with an alabaster flask of ointment of pure nard, very costly, and she broke the flask and poured it over his head. 4 There were some who said to themselves indignantly, “Why was the ointment wasted like that? 5 For this ointment could have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor.” And they scolded her. 6 But Jesus said, “Leave her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. 7 For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you want, you can do good for them. But you will not always have me. 8 She has done what she could; she has anointed my body beforehand for burial. 9 And truly, I say to you, wherever the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in memory of her.”

There are three lessons that jumped out at me in my most recent reading of this passage.

 

Lesson one: offerings

We make offerings to the Lord on a regular basis, but there was Continue reading “Who are you in the story”

As a preacher and teacher I often use stories to illustrate principles and lessons. Rarely do I tell a story for the story’s sake.

I guess this is an exception.

I’m currently 2 1/2 weeks into a 6 week sabbatical. This time off has been on my radar for nearly a year. This fall marks 10 years pastoring our faith community in Hutchinson Kansas, and while the ride has been fantastic… It’s also been a little tiring.

Growing from a neighborhood church of about 160 people to a multi site with 10 campuses in 9 cities and attendance numbers that qualify us as a “mega-church,” the last 10 years have been stressing.

Not to mention, I’ve made some pretty dumb mistakes in those years adding to my own stress level. Even though my personal mantra is work smarter not harder, it doesn’t seem to always work out that way.

For example, for a couple years in a row I preached at least 50 of that year’s 52 weekends. And when you’re preaching 5 sermons each weekend, simple math shows that’s 250 messages delivered just on Saturdays and Sundays during one calendar year.

See… not that bright.

So, a six-week sabbatical has been a highly anticipated break for myself and my family.

Now, the story. Every single thing I have planned and looked forward to during this break has fallen through.

• A prayer retreat facility I had planned on visiting was closed by Colorado wildfires
• One of my good friends whom I was wanting to spend time with ended up going on mission to Russia
• A scheduled visit to a well-known pastor/author and multisite church authority was canceled due to a death in his family
• My mentor has been running nonstop up-and-down the eastern seaboard ministering and preaching

Please, don’t hear this as poor pitiful me. I understand that my issues are very small, simply calendar inconveniences compared to the awesome opportunities and difficult losses of these others. But, it has made me begin to ask the question, “God, do You have different plans for me?”

So, on-the-fly I scrapped my prayer retreat in the beautiful Colorado mountains stretching towards the heavens. Instead, I booked 3 nights at a Catholic Convent in Great Bend, Kansas.

I know, not really a lateral move. But, it’s all I had left.

So, I attempted to make the best of it. I spent some significant time and energy prior to the retreat searching the Scriptures, reading up and praying for my time in isolation with God.

I read a book called “Come Away With Me” about successful prayer retreats.

I created a list of things to do during my time away: write prayer letters, play my guitar in personal worship, prayer walk, and submerge myself in God’s word.

Most importantly, I felt that God confirmed a passage of Scripture to meditate on; it just kept coming up everywhere I turned.

A father brings his demon possessed boy to Jesus and asked Him to do something if He can help. Jesus responds, “If?” To which this father says:

Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24 ESV)

That settled it! Even though my plans had fallen through, I was sure God wanted to tell me something amazing. To strengthen my faith. To speak boldly to me. I was ready for God to show up!

The covenant was a beautiful place, not Colorado beautiful, but very nice. And the sisters there were not at all like we see in the movies… they were nice, too.

Although I hadn’t planned on doing it, I found myself joining them 3 times a day for prayer and services. As a lifelong Protestant, there was much I didn’t understand. Also, being the only man there (and probably the only one under 60), I stuck out like a sore thumb.

Sister Teresita, amongst others, smiled at me in the way they probably smile at all the preschoolers they teach how to walk through these services as she help me through the liturgy. I learned, grew and enjoyed the beauty of those reverent times.

In between services I prayed. I prayed. And then I changed things up a little, I prayed some more.

I prayer walked, prayed on my face, and prayed through Scripture. I studied the word, read old books and listened to great teachers.

I even took the advice of one of the prayer books I previously read, reminding me to “Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). I was encouraged to use an egg timer (I used an iPhone) set at 3 min. to just learn and be quiet.

Can I be honest with you… I was a little disappointed. It was all good, it was refreshing, it was godly.

It just wasn’t the big, booming, in-your-face, presence and glory of God experience I was anticipating.

The night before I left, my wife and youngest son drove to Great Bend to play at the water park and we scheduled dinner together. Sister Teresita found out my family was coming and asked if I would bring them by so she could give them a tour.

To be honest with you, I knew Kathy wouldn’t be excited about it because after all day at the pool she wouldn’t feel presentable. I knew Nathan wouldn’t be excited about it because, well, he’s 11.

But when a sweet little 94-year-old nun who has been in the convent since she was a teenager asks you so sincerely… that’s what we did.

It was totally worth it, too. She did a great job and even kept Nathan’s attention for the hour plus walking tour.

There was a moment in her presentation in which she took us through the beautiful sanctuary. As we were walking, she was describing all the renovations she had witnessed through the years. In the foyer/hospitality area before you come into the worship area, there are large wooden screens that veil the view.

She paused us there and made note that most churches open right up so you can see the grandeur of the room, but not here. She said the screens were put in place to make it difficult to see for one reason.

Sister Teresita said, “The mystery unfolds gently.”

Hmmm, I thought it was an interesting phrase and I hung on it for a moment. But, it slipped away and we finished the tour.

The next day I attended morning prayers, hugged a few of the sisters and packed my stuff up in the truck.

It had been a good time, just not a great time. It had been restful, just not inspiring.

Part of the contract with myself for this sabbatical break had been to do extended devotional time each day, no matter what. So, before leaving the grounds of the Dominican sisters, I pulled up a spot in the garden and began to read and pray.

I filled out several pages in a journal, prayed a very peaceful prayer and then decided to read a chapter from a book I had started the night before.

Reading this book (True Spirituality by Francis Schaeffer), I was taken aback because some of the language sounded almost identical to language from another book I had read the week before.

It was telling me to be still and know who God was. It even suggested setting a timer and just learning to be quite.

“Okay, okay, okay God. I get it!”

I pulled out my iPhone/egg timer and set it for 3 min.

And, there in the garden I attempted to be still. Have you ever tried this?

Let me invite you inside my brain for this “be still” moment:

• all right, be still…
• Is that the mower, are they really mowing the grass right now?
• Shhhh, focus…
• How come I couldn’t hear traffic until now?
• Seriously, come on Addis.
• If the sprinklers are on over there, will they come on over here?
• Wow, I’m frustrating myself. I can’t even put myself in timeout.
• Do I need gas before I leave town?
• Dude! It’s confirmed… I have spiritual ADD

As I struggled through one of the longest three-minute periods of my life, I realized I didn’t just struggle with stillness, I couldn’t even focus on a single thought. My mind was bouncing back and forth and I kept asking God for direction and discipline.

Some of the thoughts, ideas and experiences I had walked through in the previous 3 days were floating through my mind. Including, the haunting words of Sister Teresita: “The mystery unfolds gently.”

As my mind rolled these words around I took them as a rebuke from the Lord.

“Yes Lord, Your revelation and Your speaking unfold gently. I’ve been disappointed this week because I’ve been asking for Your mystery to unfold with thunder. I’ve been asking for a sign, a voice, a miracle and You have said all along You prefer whispering. Sorry, I have tried to make You do what I wanted You to do. I accept the fact that You will simply unfold gently, whenever You want.”

I waited a moment, silently patting myself on the back for being so humble and contrite before God (that was sarcasm), but I felt no peace or affirmation from the Lord despite my confession.

The words rolled around again: “The mystery unfolds gently.”

Yes Lord, it unfolds gently… That’s what You wanted me to get, right?

Gently?

Unfolds?

Unfolds gently…?

Then, in a way I haven’t experienced in while, God redirected my thoughts and with almost an “aha” exasperation I mouthed the word “mystery.”

Exactly at that moment, my timer went off. Ironically, it was set on church bells.

That was it! Like a flood of peace and affirmation, that is where God wanted me to turn my heart.

It wasn’t that God would reveal Himself slowly, that I was pushing Him beyond the boundaries of gentleness. I was completely missing the point… If He is God then there must be mystery.

Things I cannot know, proof I must never see, trust of my hand reaching into the darkness to grab a hold of His.

These were hard words from my God, but they were also beautiful.

Page after page I poured out in my journal. God had given me an answer to my question with a nonanswer.

My focus has been for God to show up, give me a new evidence, hand me some hard proof, but He chose to give me what I needed, not what I wanted.

I believe Lord, help my unbelief.

We love to categorize, quantify and expose. One of my favorite classes in seminary was systematic theology. By definition, theology means knowledge of God and systematic means to create a system… It is the compartmentalization and labeling of God.

He is too big for that. He’s too amazing to be completely understood. He is too massively infinite for our finite comprehension.

Does he reveal himself to us? Yes!

Does he interject himself into our reality? Yes!

Is he still the God of miracles in this day and age? Yes!

But, we must accept Him for who He is. He is God, there is no other. If we could completely understand Him, there is no way He could be God. And if we could completely outline Him, He would not be worthy to be our God.

But He is beyond our understanding, He is incalculable, He is mystery.

It will take a lifetime to get to know Him. And, when this life is over and we meet Him face-to-face we still won’t be able to comprehend Him fully.

We wouldn’t want to…

For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you and for those at Laodicea and for all who have not seen me face to face, that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. I say this in order that no one may delude you with plausible arguments. For though I am absent in body, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the firmness of your faith in Christ.

Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him,

(Colossians 2:1-6 ESV)

I don’t want to oversimplify this, but I think the best way to do “ministry” is to follow the example of Jesus.

I know, it’s kind of like throwing the God-card down during a heated debate (you know, when someone stops the conversation by saying, “God told me…”), but I really can’t think of a better way, so… GOD CARD!

If He gave us a model, guess we should use it. Just saying.

I think this is the passage that has the clearest outline of how we do ministry.

Mark 6:7 And he called the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. 8 He charged them to take nothing for their journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in their belts— 9 but to wear sandals and not put on two tunics. 10 And he said to them, “Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you depart from there. 11 And if any place will not receive you and they will not listen to you, when you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against them.” 12 So they went out and proclaimed that people should repent. 13 And they cast out many demons and anointed with oil many who were sick and healed them.

There is a whole mess of teaching points here in this passage and I’d love to talk on them all. Things like Jesus calling everybody before sending them out indicates that church and the gathering of the Saints is essential for the ministry.

Or, how about Jesus giving them authority? If we’re not seeing lives changed, brokenness healed and the devil run, then in whose authority are we really going out? There’s a scary thought, huh?

Or, how about that whole “shake the dust from your feet” kind of thing? I’ve heard that used in so many contexts, but here it’s quite clear. We’re not allowed to walk away from a ministry opportunity because we’re frustrated, or because they’re argumentative, or because it’s difficult in any way shape or form. The only out we seem to be given is if those we’re trying to reach flatly will not listen or pay attention.

So, we need to quit using the Scripture as an excuse to walk away simply because we’re frustrated with someone.

Again, this is a goldmine of ministry wisdom and potential, but I have one thing I want to focus my energy on this time.

“And he called the 12 and began to send them out two by two…”

You know, this is not an unusual pattern in Scripture. Paul and Silas, Paul and Timothy, Paul and Barnabas, Barnabas and John Mark, David and Jonathan, Moses and Aaron, the list could go on and on.

It doesn’t matter whether it’s Old or New Testament, it seems like God likes ministry to happen in partnership.

I find it interesting that in our current church culture ministry and devotional life are so individualistic and introspective.

I think there is a time to be alone, I think there is blessing in solitude, but in ministry it seems that almost always God has brothers and sisters standing together.

We currently train people to share their faith individually, to use their gifting as an individual, and to stand alone for the Lord no matter what circumstances you may have to endure.

I think those are all good things, but are we missing the mark?

Two by two, usually someone more spiritually mature along with someone who’s growing and excited. Together, they become a tandem effort that is supportive, mutually encouraging and doubly beneficial.

Let’s just get logical for a moment, a unicycle may look like fun but you don’t want to go cross country on one of those. A bicycle is faster, easier to ride and covers a lot more ground quickly. If you have to choose one, the bicycle is the way to go.

So, let me encourage you believers out there. Whatever you do in ministry/life or for the Lord, let’s do it with two wheels on the ground.

You may have been a follower of Christ for a long time and been frustrated with your own understanding and maturity. Even though you have served for years and been connected to a church for as long as you can imagine, you seem to be growing so, so slowly.

I think the Bible teaches we need to partner up if we want to grow God’s way. As a pastor of 20 years I have seen this as the right prescription again and again.

Maybe you’re an older more mature believer, it’s essential that you bring somebody up behind you, strengthen somebody as you go along. Just remember to never do ministry alone.

If you’re making a visit take someone with you, if you’re reading a book read it with somebody else, if you’re stacking chairs in the fellowship hall don’t be a slacker grab someone and call them a fellow stacker.

Maybe you’re young in the faith and wanting to grow, then find a more mature believer and ask them to help raise you up. Let them stretch you with new ministry experiences, watch them and then model their behavior.

Don’t reinvent the wheel, but attach yourself to someone who’s already attached to the Lord and together you can move further and faster in your faith.

We live in a culture that is individualistic, pull yourself up by your bootstraps, and operates with an “I can do this all by myself” mentality.

But, as much as it is revered in society today, it’s simply not the Christian way.

We need mentors and we need to be mentors. Whether you are young in the faith and needing the stability of someone to walk before you to show you the way, or God has already put a few miles on you… just consider yourself a classic car, you’re valuable to somebody!

How do you find a mentor/mentee?

1. Start by making sure you were connected to a Godly, Bible believing church.
2. Then make sure you are committed to a small group for Bible study and living life      together?
3. Finally, allow someone into your life and pour your life into theirs.

You were never meant to do this alone, and God’s Kingdom was never meant to be populated by lone rangers. This is a team and we only have One Superstar.

So, from this moment forward let’s live the Christian Life the way God intended… no less than 2 x 2.

Remembering is a significant part of our faith. Remembering uses our past keep us from stumbling, refocuses us in the present, and gives us faith for the future.

Here is a roadside audio recording I offer as a moment to remember.

I offer it for two reasons. First, the thought behind this audio blog seemed simply profound to me. Second, I wanted to see if I could capture, edit, upload and post with nothing but an iPad and 3G… Oh, yeah.

Deuteronomy 4:9 Don’t forget anything of what you’ve seen. Don’t let your heart wander off. Stay vigilant as long as you live. Teach what you’ve seen and heard to your children and grandchildren.

Special Thanks The Hutchinson News for Publishing this article in February of 2012.

 

Welcome to the season of love!

February is the time for heart-shaped cards, cheesy pickup lines, stale candy and crowded restaurants filled with dating dreams.

Yet, far too often “love” leaves us anything but happy. We’re a culture of the depressed, detached and desperate.

I remember Sunday School teaching that we are supposed to love with “JOY” – JESUS first, OTHERS second, YOURSELF last.

So if we got the order right, we’d be all right.

So, how’s that working out for you?

Maybe the key to love isn’t putting God first.

Maybe it’s loving Him, only.

Genesis 29 contains one of the saddest love stories in human history. Let me compress the background for you:

* Jacob loved Rachel.

* Rachel loved Jacob.

* Leah was Rachel’s not-so-pretty older sister.

* Laban (Rachel and Leah’s dad) tricked Jacob into marrying Leah.

* Jacob decided to put up with his unwanted bride if he could marry her sister, too.

So here’s the love triangle: two sisters married to the same man, but the man only loves one of them. We’ve got more drama here than a high school cafeteria!

Leah was unloved, yet love Continue reading “Can you feel the love”

When was the last time you participated in productive waiting? Check out this 3 minute audio thought recorded while I was waiting for my turn…

Psalm 38:15 “But for you, O Lord, do I wait; it is you, O Lord my God, who will answer.”