KENosis

Patient

I am preparing for a missions trip to Haiti this summer, a trip that my wife Ashley and I are excited, nervous, and counting on God to do amazing things through our team and for the people of Haiti!

As we prepare for the trip emotionally and spiritually, along with our team, we are also challenged to prepare ourselves physically.  Over the past few weeks I have found myself in the doctor's office for various shots in preparation for the trip. 

I find it no coincidence that everyone in the room is called a patient, and I also find my patience being tested as I wait to see the doctor. I scheduled an appointment, I arrived on time, actually early, I checked in, and sat in a room for 45 minutes waiting for the doctor.

With all the extra time on my hands waiting on the doctor, God hit me with something.  How many times do I get frustrated waiting on God?  I expect God to show up on my time instead of His time. I schedule my time with him, I show up on time, sometimes early, check in, and wonder why He doesn't show up in the time that I thought He would or the way I expected Him to.

If you find yourself anything like me, we may both need to learn a little more patience, we may also need to remember that God has His own time schedule and will do all He can to help us, if we are willing to wait on His timing!

OMG

I find it discomforting when I read tweets, or facebook posts with the tag OMG.  We have taken words meant as a cry out to God and made them into a tag or song lyrics with a club beat.  This makes me 'smh' (that's shake my head for the older generation).

Let's look at some original text. Psalm 63:1 O God, You are my God; I shall seek You earnestly;
My soul thirsts for You, my flesh yearns for You, In a dry and weary land where there is no water.

As I read this verse, I now use every OMG tweet, facebook or song tag to remind me how desperately I need God, and how impossible life is without Him. 

It may seem that I have things together, it may seem in your life that things are working as they should, however with the ups of life there are inevitably downs. Let us look at David's life, who wrote the 63 Psalm, we see the highest of highs and lowest of lows. As a young man he conquered Goliath, and then was chased into the desert fleeing for his life from the king; only to become king and then fall subject to lust and sin in his life.  Now that is a roller coaster life!

But, through it all, we see that David cried out to God, 'Oh God, You are my God; I shall seek you earnestly.' Are you seeking after God in the good times and tough times, are you earnestly seeking  Him?  It's my challenge to change my mindset and cry out to Him. I pray you remember Psalm 63 the next time you see OMG.

It's Not Easy

When it comes to relationships, they are all about communication. Unfortunately there are down times in communication. Sometimes we expect to hear from the other person and don't hear anything. Sometimes what communication you do get is not what you expected at all, good or bad. Other times, it feels like you are the only one doing all the communicating and when you do get an answer it's not in the timing you wanted. Now that I have laid the groundwork, don't think about applying what you just read to your friendships, your dating or marriage relationships, family relationships, or even working relationships. Re-read the opening paragraph and think about your communication with God. He's always there, He's always listening even when communication doesn't seem to be going the way you think it should. The key is to keep communicating, keep seeking, because He will show you how much He loves you. It may not be the way you want it to be, but it will be what is absolutely best for you. How much have you really communicated with Him lately? Maybe it's time to come out of the "down time". Need a place to start? www.youversion.com and check out reading plans.

Psalm 32

I was convicted in sharing too much of my own words and not enough of God's.  As God continues to speak through His Word to me, my prayer is that you experience it in a new light as well. Enjoy the fact that God blesses you, forgives you, loves you, and speaks to you through His Word. Are you listening?

 ¹ Blessed is the one
   whose transgressions are forgiven,
   whose sins are covered.
² Blessed is the one
   whose sin the LORD does not count against them
   and in whose spirit is no deceit.

 ³ When I kept silent,
   my bones wasted away
   through my groaning all day long.
⁴ For day and night
   your hand was heavy on me;
my strength was sapped
   as in the heat of summer.

 ⁵ Then I acknowledged my sin to you
   and did not cover up my iniquity.
I said, “I will confess
   my transgressions to the LORD.”
And you forgave
   the guilt of my sin.

 ⁶ Therefore let all the faithful pray to you
   while you may be found;
surely the rising of the mighty waters
   will not reach them.
⁷ You are my hiding place;
   you will protect me from trouble
   and surround me with songs of deliverance.

 ⁸ I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
   I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.
⁹ Do not be like the horse or the mule,
   which have no understanding
but must be controlled by bit and bridle
   or they will not come to you.
¹⁰ Many are the woes of the wicked,
   but the LORD’s unfailing love
   surrounds the one who trusts in him.

 ¹¹ Rejoice in the LORD and be glad, you righteous;
   sing, all you who are upright in heart!

What If Isn't Is What It Is?

Think of all the times you have been hurt in relationships.  Whether a friend talked bad about you behind your back, or a boyfriend/girlfriend cheated on you, a parent maybe never really caring about you, or not caring the way you wanted them to.

At one time or another, we have all been in some kind of a relationship that has let us down, has not lived up to expectation.  What if all the things that those relationships left us wanting, actually pointed us to something we needed all along.

All the things that frustrate us, all the shortfalls of previous relationships, all the times we've been hurt, all the isn'ts actually point us to the only IS.

"I AM". God tells us in Exodus 3:14 that He IS.  Well, what is He?  I beleive He is all that isn't in our lives. He represents all the things we are looking for, all the things that have fallen short, He makes up the diffference.

What if all the isn't is actually what it is?  What it is, is HIM. All your isn'ts all the hurt, all the brokeness, is to point you to the only one that can fill the void left by all of those broken relationships. When God says, "I AM", you get to fill in the rest, because He is all you need Him to be and more!

God Is Great, Tears Are Good, People Are Crazy

God is GREAT!  I have to remind myself of this, and it helps me to say it outloud.  Go ahead say it outloud. Ok, now scream it! He is indeed great, but why do I lose sight of this fact? I think it's because of my tears.  The heartache, the bad times, the things I do not understand.

Tears, though, are good.  I think back on all the times I've cried. I'm not a big crier, but the times that I have been emotional it is because of the passion I have had for an individual, a ministry, a cause, or a difficult situation I have been in. But no matter the circumstance when I get through it and look back on it, I realize that those tears were good.  Those tears represent more than pain, the represent my dependence on God and the fact that He was there for me, even if I did not realize it.

Which makes me crazy.  All people are crazy really, but especially me. I am crazy because I know in my head what God wants- a relationship with me.  I know that He is great, I know that through my tears, He shows His love for me. I know all this, but I still act as if I don't know it. 

The definition of crazy is: senseless; impractical; totally unsound.  If I think that God has any other agenda other than to love me, then I am crazy.  The Bible tells us the God is Love, 1 John 4:8. I don't claim to have it all figured out, but what I do have faith in, is a God who knows I am not crazy, that tears are good, and that He truly is GREAT!

Important or More Important?

Priorities are always tough for me.  What is a good thing and what is a God thing?  What is important and what is more important?  What needs to get done and what can wait?

I believe the enemy uses these questions and others to distract and tempt us to do things that we want to do and not what God wants us to do. Honestly, I don't really have a problem with the bad things, with the obvious things I need to cut out.  My problems come with the good, the important, prioritizing.

I am reminded of Matthew 4 when Satan approaches Jesus and gives Him good options, giving Jesus the option to take what He wanted, but Jesus knew the difference between good for Him and Great for God!  Jesus- the best prioritizer ever!  He knew what to say yes to, what to say no to and when to say to Satan, "Worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only!"

There are so many things that are good, there are so many times that important things come accross my desk or into my life. It is my challenge to take those good things and maybe say no, because it opens the door for a God thing, which is better than any good or even great thing. It's a GOD THING and He can use that to bring more glory to His name than any good thing I can do alone.

Bells, Babies & Bawls

I have been in full time ministry for almost six years now, and really been in and around church all of my life.  I often wonder if I was born in a hospital or a pew.  With all of my interactions with people and also recently noticing celebrities ups and downs on shows like Extra and TMZ, I realized that no matter the background, the upbringing, or the geographical location people celebrate their most important moments in church.

Regardless of if someone has lived together for years before they get married, or if they followed dating biblically, both couples want to be married in a church.  Regardless of if a parent has made all the mistakes in the world in their own life, or if they have grown up in the church and been faithful week in and week out, both sets of parents want child dedication in a church.  No matter if someone has lived their life in ways that would glorify God or has turned their back completely on Him, a pastor usually says a few words at the funeral, and the church opens its doors.

We were made for relationship, more specifically we were made for relationship with God!  And no matter how far we run, no matter how many mistakes we make, no matter how many times we turn away, God is always there, and deep down, we know where we should be.  We should be in community, we should experience the love of Christ, we should be in church.

So, if you have grown up in church like me, or if you have done your own thing, God is there. He is waiting, and it may be at your wedding, it may be child dedication, or it may be at a funeral as someone close to you has passed on, but you will come back and He will be waiting with a community that will always take you back!

Right Around the Corner

I spent a lot of time on the road last week. I went back and forth to South Carolina and also to Greensboro, NC.  In my travels I realized there are so many times that I get focused on the road directly in front of me that I don't see what is down the road a little ways, or around the corner.

One of the keys to attentive driving is to focus ahead of your current position. If someone focuses all their attention at the front of the hood on the car, they are more likely to get in an accident.

I believe my spiritual life is often like driving.  I think I know what is best and what I should focus on, but I focus so hard on one or two things and I don't see what is coming around the corner.  It is important to not focus on what I think I should focus on, but what God wants me to focus on. 

He wants me to look past the hood, He wants me to see down the road. He knows what is coming around the corner, and He is looking to prepare me for whatever that is-good or bad.

Often times I fool myself into believing that I shouldn't look ahead, I shouldn't trust God, because I automatically assume that what is ahead is going to be bad.  If I were to not just "say" I believe what God has for me, but actually TRUST IN HIM that whatever comes down the road or around the corner, good or bad, it is in His plan to bring me closer to Him.

Believe in Him, trust in Him, look past your current circumstances. God knows what is around the corner, good and bad, and He will be your GPS, if you TRUST IN HIM!

Boring Bible

Leviticus is probably one of the books in the Bible most people don't even think of reading. I mean the name is not even really that appealing. But before we skip right over on to the Psalms or the New Testament let's remember that the entire Bible is from God, which means all of it is significant and all of it flows from beginning to end!

Jesus tells us in Matthew 22:37-39 “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. ³⁹ And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself." One of the most well known verses of the Bible, but remember the Word flows from beginning to end.

Leviticus 19:18, "Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD." Sound more familiar now?

I have been guilty of skimming through parts of the Bible that don't "appeal" to me. It is my challenge to read and learn from ALL that God has given, not just pieces. Maybe it's your challenge too!