Revived By Revival

Revival.  We as Christians hear the word and are automatically taken to a week-long church meeting.  Or maybe you experienced a tent revival meeting like I did as a kid.  It was hot and the preaching was loud.  The memories are often good, especially if someone trusts Jesus or commits to turning their life around.  But what is revival really?

If You Plant Something, Water It.

Its pretty sad to watch a once beautiful lawn slowly turn brown and die.  Or whenever someone spends hundreds of dollars on a flowerbed only to see the plants wilt and become crusty (I really did just say crusty didn't I?).  It's seems like such a waste, doesn't it?  And it could have easily been avoided.

Staying Connected: A Kite Story

I took my girls kite flying today.  It was a lot of fun. The wind was just strong enough to send the kite into the sky and let the girls hang on without pulling them off their feet.  

Fences Equal Freedom

Containing kids used to be easy when they were too weak to open the gate in the backyard. Now it's too easy for them to escape.

Don't Touch Me!

If you have kids you've heard it. If you were a kid you've said it. "Don't touch me!" is the gold standard for unofficial tattling in the sibling kingdom.

Nowadays I can walk into a bathroom at a store without opening a door, the toilet flushes itself, the water at the sink automatically comes on, the soap falls in my hand, and air dries me off. And I didn't push any buttons. Or levers. We are being programmed not to touch things for health's sake. And it's working (they even make a special garden hose now to drink out of, geez).

Where Are You Going?

I've got a running app on my phone.  I like it.  I use it when I run.  I also used it the other day when I mowed.  I was curious as to how far I traveled while pushing that self-propelled mowing beast around my yard.  The stats are in the picture below.  You can tell me what you think the path looks like, but I think it looks like a rabbit wearing glasses.  

Botox and Ping Pong

I love new things.  New cars have a new car smell.  New shoes have a new shoe smell.  There is something great about opening a box of unused things that make us feel good.

Think About These Things

1,440 Minutes in a day.  Subtract the 480 minutes (8 hours) you sleep every night (who gets that much?) and you get 960 minutes of wakefulness.  That is 16 hours that you have your eyes open, doing stuff.  16 hours of getting ready, getting kids ready, working, showering, driving, mowing, exercising (you get the point).

I Always Feel Like, Somebody's Watching Me

Sometimes it's good to be a little paranoid.  You know, when you feel like people around you are looking at you like they know you or when they want to eavesdrop on what you are saying to others?  I'll give you an example from this week.

Afraid To Fall?

I went on a walk with my two year old son this morning.  The weather was perfect, and since my other two kids were in school he and I had some father-son time.  It won't be long until he is too old to be seen walking around with me, you know? (sniff!)

As we went along the gravel road behind the houses in our neighborhood ('hood if you're street) I noticed something.  My son falls down.  A lot! (And not because I pushed him.  Come on people!)  Whether it was a clump of grass or a rock or just himself, every so often, down he'd go!

Keep It Clean People

You've really have to see this.  It's the latest in viral videos.  There is no music or CGI (computer generated imagery). It's 43 seconds of a frog on a bench.  And it's clean!  At the time of this posting it has had over 7 million views! Simple yet entertaining. 

It's amazing what people find fascinating.  Usually it's a car crash or a "racy" video.  But for that many people to watch a simple video of a frog chillin' is pretty cool. Funny videos are everywhere, but "be careful little eyes what you see" is a saying we should all adhere to.  

When you post content online, it's forever.  It just takes one retweet or a share of a status, or a screen capture on an iphone to ruin your reputation.  Before you post something, think about your audience.  They will judge you based on what you say.  

Do you kiss your mother with that mouth? 

 I remember that saying growing up and it has stuck with me.  This applies also when you write things online as well, because in the mind of the reader, it's your voice actually saying the words.  And you really don't know what little kid is looking over your shoulder or the shoulder of the reader, taking in what you have posted.

Thank you for reading this and I hope it encourages you to keep it clean, light, and "G" rated from now on. 

Through the Ceiling With Your Dreams

As I sit here writing this post a moth is circling above me, alternating hitting the light and the fan.  It came in when my wife opened the door and instead of being free outside, it is stuck within our climate-controlled walls.

I have always hated moths.  They are just gross.  Whenever you catch one they leave some sort of weird dust on your hands.  That's not right!

I'm not afraid of them.  I could really care less if we have them or not.  I'm sure they serve some purpose in the world.  I mean when they are caterpillars they eat leaves, and then grow into a moth that moves pollen from flower to flower so that there can be more flowers with leaves for the moth caterpillar to eat. And on and on (now sing, "Circle of Life").

But how dumb do you have to be to only fly into light?  And it doesn't matter what light it is.  It could even be dangerous light, like a fire.  Or a bug zapper.  I guess that is where I appreciate moths.  Because when they fry in one of those babies, yee haw!

Sorry.

So what about your dream?  Is it taking off?  Do you feel like you are doing the necessary steps to make it a reality?  Or are you seemingly hitting the proverbial ceiling and getting nowhere? Are you like the moth that has flown into the wrong door and can't find your way back to freedom?

Here are some ways to get a dream going so that you will never have to look back:

1.  Pray.  Seek God about what He would have you do in regard to your dream.  Write it down!

2.  Brainstorm.  Some of my best ideas have come when I just started thinking and writing things down!


3.  Think big!  Don't let finances, or ability, or distance box you in.  If God wants it to happen it will!  My pastor tonight at church was talking about reaching the area around our church for Christ and he said something that stood out to me.  He said to not box in or limit what God can do.  That is what we do and it is a dream killer.  Stop it!

4.  Pray again.  When a plan comes together it is easy to remove God and rely on ourselves.  Stop it!  Remember that God orchestrated the dream, will supply all your needs, and is walking with you as you accomplish it.  He is in charge.  Let Him lead!

5.  Journal along the way.  Write down your successes and failures.  Later when you look back on this time you will want to see how the journey unfolded.

I do hope you will also let me in on it too.  I would love to see what your dream is and how God is helping you accomplish it.  God bless and stay out of the bug zappers!

Letting Students Lead: Our Experiment

One of the coolest things I have done the past two years in our student ministry is to let the leadership students (those who are going on our summer mission trip and super summer) lead a bible study on a Wednesday night.  It is a chance for them to see what it's like to prepare, plan, and process a bible study for others to hear.  An unintended but welcomed effect are other students who have volunteered to lead bible studies.

This year I had two students come up to me saying they wanted to lead.  One of them led last year, so I knew she would do a good job.  The other was relatively new to the group and so I was a little hesitant.  But the cool thing about our exchange was the way I could see a bible study develop; and a light of understanding unfold.

On the way to his house after our student meeting, the student began asking questions about the study.  His first, and my favorite, was "So how do I come up with a bible study?"  This is funny because he had already volunteered, and unless I helped him, it would be an interesting five to ten minutes of blank stares between him and us the audience.

Let me just say this, even though it may already be obvious:  Students want to do something.  I don't always know why, but it could range from a bunch of different things; a sense of belonging, wanting to be popular, wanting to make someone happy, or maybe God has laid something on their heart that they want to share with people.

In my conversation with the student we talked about the latter: That God may be dealing with him in a certain area or something in his quiet time and bible reading stood out to him.  My desire is for him to seek God in what the bible study should be about.  And then use stories from his life to make his points  relevant.

Sometimes it's important to talk about topics.  There are all kinds of things that we can take from the bible and apply to what we are going through at any moment.  Ultimately God knows every person who will be in the room when you begin speaking and He wants all of them to know and follow Him. So whenever you are leading from God's Word, first seek His Will in what He wants you to say, and then back it up with the bible.  Opinions are great for politics and sports teams, but God's Word stands on it's own.

So pray for our student ministry next Wednesday that God would speak through a willing, yet newbie bible study leader.

Snapshots On The Wall

On one of the walls in my office hangs several pictures in frames of a week-long camp in which I have participated the last six years.  It's called super summer and believe me, it's super! 

Every once in a while I will glance at the pictures and remember those summers.  

But sometimes, when I am in a particularly nostalgic mood, I will spend some extra time looking at those faces from years gone by.  I remember the times of worship, the excitement of the students who committed their lives to God, even the games we played as a group.  I remember sitting in a room with Team Leaders, who in just a few short hours, would begin to pour their hearts into students.

Each picture holds several dozen faces. Each entrusted to me by God to show them who He is in me.  Each one called by God to follow Him.  

It's just a snapshot.  One second in time.  One chance to make an impact.  Some of these people I will never see again.

Did I make an eternal impact with any of these people?  Did I say something that would draw them closer to God? Did I do something to draw them away from Him?  

33 Miles has a song called "One Life To Love" that I think applies here. Here is the complete video if you would like to watch it. This is the Chorus: 

You only get just one time around 
You only get one shot at this 
One chance, to find out 
The one thing that you don't wanna miss 
One day when it's all said and done 
I hope you see that it was enough, this 
One ride, one try, one life... 
To love............ 

You are going to impact the people around you in some way. You may only get one chance. Please point them to Jesus.

A World of Pure Imagination

Take a walk with me through your imagination.  Feel free to stop and ponder for as long as you'd like.

Imagine that it's dark.  Real dark.  So dark that you can't see if there is a monster standing only inches away from you.

Now imagine the monster.  It's probably a scary one, right?  Yellow eyes and sharp fangs?  It's probably not Elmo (You did know that Elmo is a monster, right?).  Don't be scared, it's your imagination.

Now imagine there is a light ahead of you.  How do you approach the light?  Do you run or do you cautiously approach, looking around for that imaginary monster?  What is around you?  Remember that the light will expose whatever it is that is near you.

What kind of room are you in?  Or are you outside?

When you get to the source of the light, what do you see?  Is it a bulb?  Or the sun?  Or something else? Are you alone?

Now relax.

What you have just done is think based on your your past experiences.  If you have had bad experiences with darkness, then you will think about those things.  Whatever your thoughts about light are will determine the source of that light.  My thoughts will probably be different than yours because I have had different experiences with each.

As you meet people and develop friendships with them, it's important to remember that we have all experienced life differently.  Walk with them, and let them see that you appreciate them even though you may not understand everything they have gone through.  And maybe they will do the same for you.

P.S. please comment about where your imagination took you.  I'm interested to hear about your experience!

Dumb Like A Frog

I went fishing the other day with some good friends. It's something I don't do often, so it's special when it happens. We began the day with a friendly contest to see who could catch the most fish (I'm a guy, and I'm competitive).

I Once Was Blind...

You know that moment when you agree to something and then regret it after it happens?  That was me yesterday when the eye doctor asked if I wanted to have my eyes dilated.   Its a process where the pupils are opened so that the doctor can see into your brain apparently.  

Hunger for The Hunger Games

I recently watched "The Hunger Games" with my wife after both of us read the book. I'm not going to spend this post talking about how much better the book is from the movie. That would be a looooong discussion that I'm sure will fuel lots of debate from both sides of the argument. Instead, I want to talk about the unbelievable HUNGER that people, both young and old, have for this book.

Life in Focus: A four year old's perspective

My daughter recently used the camera on my phone to practice her photography skills. I was pleasantly surprised to see the results of her work. Besides the occasional floor shot or partial finger on the lens (who hasn't done that) there were some pretty good ones. I saw the backyard, her backpack and some of my wife and I. It's a neat thing to see what is important to her. My favorite was the picture I posted in this blog. It's her frog Sally. She loves that thing. It's now in need of a trip to Washing Machine Pond if we can get it away from her.

What things are close to you? To a four year old it may be toys, family, and school, but to an adult is it that much different? Do you see the world through the eyes of a child or do you complicate things through the lens of a busy schedule or financial necessity.

Take some time this week praying that God would show you the things that need to be your top priorities. Remove those things that are more distraction than beneficial. My hope is that He would be first in your life. But that is between you and Him.