Ankle Weights

Have you ever tried to run with ankle weights on? You know what I’m talking about, right? Little weights that you strap to your ankle just above your shoe, that are designed to build your leg muscles. They are supposed to tone up the muscles in your leg (especially the ones right around the knee.) 

  Anyway, I don’t like to run simply for the sake of running. Give me a ball and some people who want to play some kind of game and I’ll still run all day. But to run just for the sake of running is absolutely NO FUN for this guy. So, when I see someone running, just for the sake of it, I consider then committed and more disciplined than I. However, when I see someone running with ankle weights on, I don’t think they’re committed… I think they SHOULD BE committed…to a crazy person home… because running is hard enough without all that extra weight!

Seriously, it should be a sin to run with extra weight on your legs!

So, this morning I was reading “The Word for You Today” Daily Devotional. It had a great little write up called “Running the Race”. It said that in Greece, there’s a place tourists seldom visit.  The writer of Hebrews may have had in mind when he wrote, “lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and… run with endurance.”  It’s where the Isthmian games, a forerunner to the Olympics, were held: a place where athletes were hailed as heroes. 

To develop muscle they trained with weights strapped to their legs, but on the day of the race they stripped off anything that wasn’t essential. There’s a lesson here.  We think what we're clinging to is important. If we didn’t, letting go wouldn’t be a struggle; we’d simply set it down.  

The Christian life is a race that starts the day you accepted Christ and ends when you meet him face to face.  In order to cross the finish line as a winner you must eliminate:

1.  Anything that slows you down. In other words, set down anything that hinders your spiritual progress. In and of itself it may not be wrong, but it becomes a weight when it stops you from living for God to the fullest.

2.  Anything that causes you to stumble short of the finish line.  You must constantly monitor the level of your commitment to Christ, the growth of your faith, your home life, your relationships, your integrity, your work ethic, your thought life and your habits.  Make up your mind to stay focused on the prize.  Great athletes who won received a garland that eventually withered, but you will “receive the crown of Glory that will never fade” (1 Peter 5:4 NIV).  Isn’t that worth running the race for?

I would say that it is! And I’m also glad to know that the writer of Hebrews in on my side about the whole ankle weight thing… 

What weight is hindering you? Post a comment below and I’ll be praying for you!

Take a bath...

OK, It's bible bath time... Let's look at the story of Ruth. Bath time happens in Ruth 3:3.


Here's the context; Naomi tells Ruth it's time to plan for her future. She needs to go find Boaz and get the ball rolling on making him her husband. As verse 3 begins, Naomi gives Ruth a "to-do" list before she can go get on with her life. The first thing she tells her to do is to "take a bath".


That got me thinking... what exactly was she washing off? Sure she had plenty of dirt on her from being out in the field but, like most of us, she had some things from her past she needed to clean up as well.


Think about it... according to the story, Ruth had lost her father-in-law, her brother-in-law, and her own husband. Just two short chapters ago she was a hurting woman saying these words to her mother-in-law, "Don't urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the LORD deal with me, be it ever so severely, if anything but death separates you and me." The story tells us that when Naomi heard how serious Ruth was about this, she allowed her to come with her. But, as we read we learn that Naomi never stopped considering Ruth's future.


When they get to Bethlehem, Ruth feels compelled to provide for Naomi. She tries to take hold of the situation. She heads out to try to pick up scraps in a field behind the workers so they can eat. Can you imagine what that must have been like for Ruth? She was owning all the pressure of feeding and providing for herself AND Naomi.


Ruth's life was pretty much a mess. But Naomi was still looking forward toward Ruth's future while Ruth was scrambling around trying to survive one day at a time. Then Naomi goes to work to clean up this young girl's life. She says,"My daughter, should I not try to find a home for you, where you will be well provided for?  Is not Boaz, with whose servant girls you have been, a kinsman of ours? Tonight he will be winnowing barley on the threshing floor." (Ruth 3:1-2)


Naomi pretty much says, "Hey Ruth... seriously, you're a wonderful young woman. I won't be around forever. It's time I help you move on with you life. Boaz is your future. God has provided him for you and he is right around the corner. It's time let God give you a fresh start." Then she says, "Now go take a bath...".


I think many of us are just like Ruth. We've had some rough times in our past. Things have not gone our way. And right now, maybe you are clinging to anything familiar that will allow you to hang on to whatever you had. But, as you do that, you are also clinging on to the pain, the hurt, all the bad memories, and every other fear that you associate with that time of your life. You need to move on. I challenge you today to listen to good old Naomi, and "Take a bath." Let Jesus Christ clean up all the pain or regret from your past and look forward to a Christ centered future. Let him wash off all of the dirt from the work you've been trying to do to provide for yourself and you just accept what God has put in front of you. Your new life is waiting for you.


Isaiah 43:18-19 says, "Forget the former things... I am doing a new thing... I am making a way."


That's God's promise for you. Place your hope in him. Go jump in the tub, clean up, and start fresh...


But seriously, don't take all day in there... your sister needs to blow dry her hair!

"Fighting Naked"

Have you ever wondered what you would do if someone tried to mug you or pick a fight with you in a street or a parking lot? I have. I've thought about it. I've actually got a fool proof plan to ensure my safety.

I'm getting naked.

You see, I'm betting that the mugger or assailant really wouldn't want to wrestle or grapple with a naked dude because I know that I would never want to wrestle or grapple with a naked dude. Seriously, it's gross. Even if I won, I'd feel like a loser. So, my #1 rule in a fight is to get naked. You may think It's crazy, or weird, but that's my plan.

Well, that is... if it's a physical fight. If it's a spiritual fight, I have to do something else entirely.

Today I began working on a new message series called, "I Am Sin". The plan is to personify sin, understand the enemy, and deal with it as we are taught in Ephesians 6. So, I was re-reading Ephesians 6 and came to verse 13 where it says, "Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm." That got me thinking...

This is a linear statement, right? It says, "Then".

"THEN after the battle you will be standing firm". It sure sounds like to me that the full armor of God is a prerequisite to being able to stand. Now, I realize that this may seem a little elementary to some of you reading this, but I want to make sure we understand exactly what the implication of this scripture really is to Christians today.

This scripture implies that if you're not standing, you've been knocked down. It implies that if you've been knocked down, you didn't have the armor on. It implies that if you didn't have the armor on, it's a YOU problem.

"Therefore, put on EVERY PIECE of God's armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. THEN after the battle you will be STANDING firm."

Why does it seem that the devil is beating up on you all the time? Why does it seem like you never quite get to where God wants you to be? Why do you feel like you keep getting knocked down? Could it be because we can't follow instructions? We aren't wearing every piece of God's armor are we? WE ARE FIGHTING NAKED!

Fighting naked doesn't work when the enemy is shooting fiery arrows! (Eph 6:16)

So let's get you clothed. Let's put the armor on. Here's the whole list:

"Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God."

Find the part(s) of the armor that your life has been missing. Put it on. Put on EVERY PIECE. THEN you will stand. God has given you everything you need. Just follow the directions and stop fighting naked...

Seriously, stop it... it's a little weird.

"I Think therefore I am ... Lazy"

When Rene Descartes penned the words, "Je pense donc je suis" (translated to English: "I think therefore I am.) in 1637, he was making a philosophical statement. Almost 400 years later, I'd like to try to use his famous line to describe the average American Christian. Here it goes...

"I think therefore I am... lazy."

I'm not trying to be mean. I'm as guilty as the next guy. Just follow me here and see if you might agree.

I think "good ideas" may be the biggest detriment to Christianity in America. I know that's a pretty bold statement, but let me explain my line of reasoning for a second...

As America has moved away from the "blue collar", work with our hands, get dirty to get the job done culture, to a "white collar", work with our heads, work smarter not harder kind of work ethic; we have neglected the potential impact that cultural shift would have on our spiritual lives. What I mean is this, today many Americans will go to work, sit in some meeting and be rewarded (possibly given a raise or promoted) for a really good... IDEA. Not just any idea, but an idea that someone else will actually have to implement and do. An idea in which their hands will never actually get dirty, they will not sweat a drop, and they will receive no other internal gratification other than the bragging rights to the "idea".

I spent the first 8 years of my adult life in sales and sales management. I was an "idea guy". I was pretty good at it. My ability to think of ways to better how we do things allowed my family to earn a nice income for several years. But the truth is, all that brain work made me soft. I thought of things and other people tried them. I never had to commit so much to anything that I'd have to actually think about, and choose to make it happen all on my own. That leads me back to my opening statement. good ideas may be the biggest detriment to Christianity in America.

Dr. Howard Hendrix writes, "Anybody can come up with a grandiose scheme for change. One person may say he wants to reach the world for Christ. Somebody else wants to deeply study each book of the bible over the next five years. Someone else plans to memorize 100 bible verses. Somebody else is going to become a Christ-like spouse. WONDERFUL! When are you going to begin? Because until you answer that, all you have is good intentions."

I believe it's hard to be a Christian in a culture that rewards you for intending to do something. Or even worse, for simply coming up with a good idea that we should all probably be doing to grow in our faith. It didn't work that way for those in the early church. Look at James 1:22 for a minute...

^"But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves."

It doesn't say, "I've got an idea, let's think about doing what God's word says..." or, "I think we all should intend to do what the bible says." Is it at least possible that the value we have placed on thinking has allowed us to justify good ideas as an end instead of a beginning? The world says, "It's the thought that counts..." But is it really? 

I'm doing my best to let this scripture help shape me. After all Romans 12:2 tells us to "not conform to the ways of the world." and James ends chapter 1 with the phrase "keep yourself from being polluted by the world". I don't want to be about good intentions. I want to be about good work. I don't want to be about ideas, I want to be about action.

God richly blessed me with the chance of a lifetime. I got to move to Cape Girardeau, MO to partner with great people that love God to start Vantage Point Church. The process changed my life. What started out as a good idea, became reality because of a whole lot of action by a whole lot of people.

So what about you? Do you have a "good idea" that you think God has placed on your heart? Have you been intending to do something for him for some time? If so I've got an IDEA for you...

Start doing!

Water, Candy, Gasoline, and Gorilla Suits...

Ok... I know how to change the world... we're going to need some supplies. Here we go:
 

*1,000 bottles of water
* a ton of candy bars
* about 6-8 gas pumps
*2-4 Gorilla suits

I know you may think that sounds like I'm making fun of MacGyver or something, but I can make a pretty good case that those ingredients can add up to world change. You see, over the last month we've been vamping up to the launch of Vantage Point Church at the Osage Center in Cape Girardeau, MO. God called the fine folks at First General Baptist Church to fund and execute this mission a few years back, and here we are today about to launch this ministry THIS SUNDAY (Sept. 12, 2010).

Long story short, we felt like God was telling us to let the area know we were here by serving them. So to promote our first message series "Guerrilla Love" we dressed up in gorilla costumes (It's a pun... funny right...) and bought $1,200.00 worth of gas for random unsuspecting patrons of the local AMERIMARKET gas station. The reaction was incredible. People could not believe that their gas was totally FREE! They were even more shocked when we asked for nothing in return.

Many of them asked why we would buy them a free tank of gas. Our standard reply was something like, "Well back in the day, Jesus showed his love for people by meeting their needs. We want to be like him, and it looks like you need some gas!" The best part is, it truly made these people's days. They left happier than when they pulled in. They experienced the Love of Jesus Christ at the gas pump. Many people told us they could get on board with a church that would take people's needs seriously and do this kind of thing. A few people even told us they'd be at church for our grand opening. But, everybody told us thank you... and they meant it.

We got pretty pumped up! So we took the gorilla suits on down to Southeast Missouri State University and handed out candy bars and bottles of water to students who were hurrying to class for 2 days. They students loved the candy, were refreshed by the water, and asked questions about our church. A few even entered into deep theological talks about Jesus and decided to come check out our grand opening. Most importantly though, those students got what they needed that day... a little taste of God's love for them.

I can't help but wonder what would happen if we all decided to go out tomorrow and help some complete stranger with something they need in the name of Jesus Christ. Isn't that what we are called to do anyway?

Matthew 25:34-40 says:

 ³⁴"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. ³⁵For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, ³⁶I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'
 ³⁷"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? ³⁸When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? ³⁹When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'
 ⁴⁰"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'

I'm a little bit embarrassed that I've not taken that passage as personally as I should have. After all, in our modern, media driven culture, we see people in need everyday. I don't know about you, but I've walked past or driven by plenty of needs that I probably could have met. Mostly because I was in a hurry, or wasn't paying attention. I don't think that's a very good excuse though. It's time for more from me... I know better. Come to think of it, you probably do too. Is it safe to say that you've not done very much to share the Love of Christ with the world?

You see, I think we've called ourselves Christians for years without really striving to live up to the word. I say we change that. Let's dare to show the love of Christ to our friends, our family, and even complete strangers. Let's ambush our towns with surprise attacks of love. Let's unleash Guerrilla Love on a lost and dying generation. Let's see lives changed... let's see the world changed! Are you with me?

Good!

You bring the candy bars... I've got the gorilla suits.

"To Prove or Not To Prove"

There was a little boy named Johnny who used to hang out at the local corner market. The owner didn't know what Johnny's problem was, but the boys would constantly tease him.They would always comment that he was two bricks shy of a load, or few fries short of a happy meal or something like that. To prove it, sometimes they would offer Johnny his choice between a nickel (5 cents) and a dime(10 cents) and Johnny would always take the nickel - they said, because it was bigger.

 One day after Johnny grabbed the nickel, the store owner took him aside and said, "Johnny, those boys are making fun of you. They think you don't know the dime is worth more than the nickel. Are you grabbing the nickel because it is bigger, or what? 

Slowly, Johnny turned toward the store owner and a big grin appeared on his face and he said,"Well, if I took the dime, they'd stop doing it, and so far I have saved $20.00!

Johnny is my kind of kid! He didn't have to prove anything... What about the rest of us?

I believe our modern culture has taught us to be defensive. We always feel like we have something to prove. Most of us, unlike little Johnny, lack the capacity to take harsh words from critics. The trouble is, we listen to critics, and begin to get distracted by wondering if what they are saying is right, or by attempting to "put them in their place" when we know they're wrong. That's what WE do... but how did Jesus handle critics?

At the cross, skeptics said, "If you're the son of God, come down from the cross." (Matt 27:14) His reaction? He refused to let their comments intimidate him or to change his plans. He didn't need their approval, he already had his father's approval! "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased" (Matt 3:17) 

Jesus didn't waste time answering His critics. "Jesus made no reply, not even a single charge - to the great amazement of the governor" (Matt 27:14). Jesus didn't respond to critics. Do you know what he did respond to? He responded to hunger. You may know the story. When the crowd had been with him all day he fed them... ALL 5,000 of them (plus women and children)! He responded to needs, he responded to seekers, he responded to the little children, but never to the critics. 

Jesus didn't focus on the past, he focused on the future. Think about it... his mother was pregnant with him before she was married. Only a few people knew the truth! Jesus grew up with this, but he didn't feel the need to explain his past to everyone.

Neither should you... Stop complaining about growing up poor, or limited education, or business failures, or about people who've let you down. Stop advertising your pain and meditating on your flaws. All of us are challenged in some way. "Remember you are not the former things, don't even consider your past. Behold, I will do a New Thing." (Isa 43:18-19) 

You don't have to prove a thing. God knows you and loves you. So keep taking the nickels and build up the life that God has planned for you.

"Seven Times"

In 1 Kings 18, Elijah the prophet told King Ahab that the drought in the land was over and the rains were coming.

"Then Elijah told his servant, 'Go up now, look toward the sea.' So he went and looked and said, 'There is nothing.' And seven times he said, 'Go again.' Then it came to pass the seventh time that he said, 'There is a cloud, as small as a man's hand, rising out of the sea!' So he said, 'Go up, say to Ahab, Prepare your chariot and go down before the rain stops you'... In the meantime... the sky became black...and there was heavy rain." (v.43-45)

Can you imagine what it must have been like to be Elijah's servant on this day? What would our attitude have been?

1st time..."Servant, Go up and look toward the sea"... "Sure Elijah! No Problem, anything for you!"

3rd time... "Get up and go again."... "Come on dude, I just sat down... oh alright."

5th time... "Get up and go again" ... (thinks... He's losing it. I've already told him there's nothing. And SERIOUSLY! We've been in a drought for ages!)

The 6th time some of us may have even had a few choice words for Elijah under our breath. Then the seventh time... Would you have seen it? Would you have seen that tiny little cloud?

What amazes me about the servant is that after he had looked so many times before, he was still searching hard enough that he was able to find "a cloud, as small as a man's hand". By the seventh time, most of us would've quickly scanned the sky and headed back with our same old report.

The persistence of the servant is a lesson we should all learn. He looked for God's promise, to the best of his ability, every time. Because of this, he saw a tiny little "hand-sized" blessing that was on the way. As it turned out, what looked like a tiny little "hand-sized" blessing ended up being heavy rain! I believe we should all be looking every day for the little miracles, that God sends our way. If we can't recognize them, we may miss the big ones that have an opporitunity to change our lives.

If you've been waiting on God to show up in your life, and to bring with him something you desperately need, then I challenge you to "Get up and go again." You're cloud my be forming right now...