move

Yes… I revamped the look of my blog again! Few reasons why…

1. I was tired of the old design.
2. This design is just a mod of an old design. Classic, yet refined.
3. Easier on the eyes. White backgrounds make for a more readable blog. So read it!
4. I figured it was time to add a short bio so this site never looks unoccupied.
5. Needed to get my hands dirty in web design again and this was a good warm-up.

Let me know what you think.

“… it was the Lord who decided to crush him and make him suffer.The Lord made his life a penalty offering, but he will still see his descendants and live a long life. He will complete the things the Lord wants him to do. After his soul suffers many things, he will see life and be satisfied. My good servant will make many people right with God; he will carry away their sins.” Isaiah 53:10-12

“Let us look only to Jesus, the One who began our faith and who makes it perfect. He suffered death on the cross. But he accepted the shame as if it were nothing because of the joy that God put before him. And now he is sitting at the right side of God’s throne.” Hebrews 12:2

Thank you Jesus for how you take joy in making us right with God. You satisfy our souls and the price of our salvation everyday. You still sit at the right side of God’s throne praying for us. I pray today is a day of salvation and change in the lives of people in our church and in our city. You carried away my sins! I praise you, Lord! Today, help me to offer your hope to others.

1. Spain beaten by United States
2. “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up.” James 4:10
3. Prying my sticky bottom off this chair! (The A/C is broken at the office…)

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.

Yeah… Don’t even lean on it. It’s amazing how I’ll look at life through my own filter – even when I think I’m looking at it like God sees it. We always have the option to trust in what we see, what we’ve deduced, how we interpret – a situation, the Word of God, the rebuke we just received from a friend… we have all the devices to make the call. And much of the time, whether we realize it or not – even when we’re asking God for wisdom, we still lean a certain direction. We know it’s God’s will we want, but we’ve got a hunch on what that might be. Hunches are fine. Let them become fodder for your prayers and offerings you lay on the altar along with all your hopes and dreams.

Resist the temptation to lean your way. If you lean, you’re likely to fall. Instead, stand straight and be ready. God will speak and you’ll need to respond.

I used to read the story of the Tower of Babel (Genesis 11:1-9) and think God was just being insecure. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Because of His love for humanity and His will to be reconciled with everyone (then and now), He confused the speech of the entire world. Why? As incredible as it would have been to build a tower reaching the heavens, the disappointment would set in at the top where you could see even higher heights.

Where we desire to be… Where we were created to reach will never be attained with brick and mortar or great skill. We may build and it may be incredible but we will be no closer to our home than if we never began to build.

And so the Lord thwarted the plans of humanity. But their frustration was not without purpose. Confused and unable to conquer the world we realize there is so much more. We realize God is here… on the ground… and He’s all we need to reach for.

See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled; that no one is sexually immoral or unholy like Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal. For you know that afterward, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no chance to repent, though he sought it with tears. | Hebrews 12:15-17

Yes, you can fail to obtain the grace of God. The author of Hebrews gives two major ways to do it:

[1] The root of bitterness springing up and causing trouble… this is when we let our hurts, disagreements, and sin we won’t deal with desensitize us and make our hearts stubborn. We stop learning, growing, giving, and receiving. We just stay there as we are. No change. No desire to change. Angry at anyone or anything wanting to help us or correct us (especially the Word of God).

[2] Sexual immorality and unholiness… this one can often be a product of the first one. Esau (see Genesis 25:34) was a man led by his instincts and passions – to the point where he would give EVERYTHING for NEXT TO NOTHING. We do this all the time when we risk losing (or never gaining) our purity and shuck off everything we’ve done to grasp a holy life because of what we want so badly in a moment.

Esau eventually wanted what he gave up but he couldn’t obtain it – even though he sought it with tears. Remember this: what we give up and relinquish because of our immediate passions is rarely (actually never) regained by the same kind of passion. We have to change – only the Holy Spirit and our obedience can lead us there.

“… our enemies heard that we knew about their plans and that God had ruined their plans. So we all went back to the wall, each to his own work. From that day on, half my people worked on the wall. The other half was ready with spears, shields, bows, and armor. The officers stood in back of the people of Judah who were building the wall. Those who carried materials did their work with one hand and carried a weapon with the other. Each builder wore his sword at his side as he worked. The man who blew the trumpet to warn the people stayed next to me.” Nehemiah 4:15-18 (NCV)

Many of us are losing the battle against sin, death, hopelessness, depression, and apathy:

1. We never work.
2. We neglect to keep watch on own lives.
3. We fail to look out for each other.
4. We aren’t paying attention for when it’s time to fight.

It’s Friday night. We’ve all had a long week and would like nothing more than to kick back and chill this weekend. You could even say you deserve a break and not many would disagree with you. Life isn’t easy and the discipline and friction of the grind of life Monday thru Friday is enough to make me want nothing more (or less) than to vegetate in front of my MacBook and Hulu.com (don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with either of these things – but sometimes there’s something even more right to be doing)

We all should take a rest from time to time – it’s important to recharge – but we are never to take a day off from who we are. As stressful as our days may be and as many ways we “sacrificed” for the Lord this week – there are many in the Body of Christ who never get a day off. Stress is a real thing, but the power it has to take us out of commission is artificial. Be honest. Most of the things we are stressed about are unimportant, temporary things (like what we’ll wear or how people think about us) – but because we’re so caught up in the “game” of life, we’re lit with anxiety. We are energized and filled with life when we are consumed by the things that really matter (what God thinks about us, serving others, fighting for freedom).

Share in the troubles we have like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. A soldier wants to please the enlisting officer, so no one serving in the army wastes time with everyday matters.
2 Timothy 2:3-4

We are sons and daughters of God. We are friends of God. And… we are also soldiers. Soldiers are focused on one thing: battle. They rest and refocus like everyone else but just as a soldier home from war prays and constantly hopes for the safety of his comrads still on duty, we are called to remain available and attentive to what’s going on. Our friends are still in the fight. We can fight with them if we’re willing to continue to live holy and devoted to Jesus everyday.

“… our enemies heard that we knew about their plans and that God had ruined their plans. So we all went back to the wall, each to his own work. From that day on, half my people worked on the wall. The other half was ready with spears, shields, bows, and armor. The officers stood in back of the people of Judah who were building the wall. Those who carried materials did their work with one hand and carried a weapon with the other. Each builder wore his sword at his side as he worked. The man who blew the trumpet to warn the people stayed next to me.” Nehemiah 4:15-18 (NCV)

Many of us are losing the battle against sin, death, hopelessness, depression, and apathy:

1. We never work.
2. We neglect to keep watch on own lives.
3. We fail to look out for each other.
4. We aren’t paying attention for when it’s time to fight.

No one likes to have to look over their own shoulder. Sometimes, when I walk alone down the street here in the city I get a little weird. My mind runs away from me and I begin to wonder if someone’s following me, or if I’m about to be pick-pocketed or “jumped”. I start walking faster, looking everyone over, and making eye contact (the kind that says, “Hey! I’m a black belt in something! Watch out!”). I even watch the windows of the buildings I walk by so I can catch the reflection of anyone walking behind me (yeah, I said weird!).

But, when I walk with others I have no such fear or irrational paranoia. Sure, I probably need to get over myself and quit worrying – but it sure is nice when we can watch each other’s back. I believe this is one reason why so many of our friends are stuck in the same traps and cycles they’ve always had – we don’t care enough to do something about it.

I feel safe on the streets when you are walking with me because I know that if someone’s sneaking up behind me to harm me, you’ll say something. Many Christians, though, walk the streets of their own lives and have real dangers lurking close behind but no one, not even one of their so-called “friends” is willing to do or say anything for fear of offending. Remember this:

It’s better to offend your friend because you love them, than to say nothing because you don’t.

You have a sword (the Word of God) in your hand for a reason. You can fight for your friends. Fight in prayer, fight with real, tangible, unselfish acts of love. We’re in this together.

Today, we celebrated with our friends. We grilled “brunch” (eggs, pancakes, potatoes, hot dogs, bacon, and sausage) at the nearest beach and enjoyed time with our friends and family. Today is a day to recharge and refocus so this freedom we are blessed with can become a blessing for others. I’m very thankful for the freedom I have in this country and (much more) the freedom I have in Christ Jesus.

(Note: part four of “Defend yourself” is coming tomorrow. Hold your breath!)

“The real Son of God is at your side. He is beginning to turn you into the same kind of thing as Himself. He is beginning, so to speak, to ‘inject’ his kind of life and thought, His Zoë [life], into you; beginning to turn the tin soldier into a live man. The part of you that does not like it is the part that is still tin.”

C. S. Lewis