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Posted in Formation, Grace, Motivational on July 21, 2015| 2 Comments »

This Sunday we will wrap up our teaching series on the “I Am” sayings of Jesus found in the Gospel of John.  These sayings help us have a better understanding of who Jesus is and who he should be to us.  He tells us throughout the book that he is life and truth; he is bread and light; and he is the true way to a relationship with God.

His final “I Am” saying comes in chapter 15 where he says, “I am the vine and you are the branches.”  He goes on to say that if we stay connected to him, if we remain, if we abide, then we will be able to produce the kind of fruit that will let others know we are his disciples – which pleases God.  But if we try and go it alone, apart from Jesus, we will dry up to nothing and become of no use.

As I read his words, I am confronted with the inescapable truth that this relationship is a daily endeavor.  Yes, there is a distinct point in time when we each reach a point in our lives that we make a heart commitment to submitting to Jesus and his leadership of our lives.  But the actual “abiding” is a daily choice.

Are you making it a point to abide – to remain – to be at home – to stay connected with Jesus on a daily basis?

Focus some attention on Jesus today.

Be blessed.

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Followers In the Way

Posted in Formation, Hope on July 16, 2015| 1 Comment »

Jesus is the Way.  We see references throughout the New Testament to the way.  In John 14, Jesus makes an emphatic statement that he is the way, the truth and the life.  His believers are often called followers in the way.

As I think back on my journey, I think I have mostly interpreted this concept of the way as a doorway or opening.  In John 10, Jesus referred to himself as the gate.  The idea is that no one gets to God except through him and his sacrifice.  This concept is reinforced in John 14:6 when Jesus makes his statement about being the way, the truth and the life by his following statement, “no one comes to the Father except through me.”  So understanding Jesus as the portal or entry point to the Father is certainly part of what he is telling us.

But I have come to see more.  Not only is Jesus the portal through which we must pass to get to God, he is also the path we must follow.  It is one thing to stand in a parking lot and tell a person how to get to a particular location across town – go down that way three blocks and turn right at the light; then go through two more lights and turn right at the water tower and go straight for 1/2 a mile and you will be there.

God didn’t just give us directions, he sent his son to escort us and show us the way.  Jesus’ teachings are the path we are to follow – the true way to the Father.

God, help me to grow in my passion and desire to be a follower in the Way today!

May that be your prayer too!

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Living Resurrected

Posted in Formation, Grace, Hope on July 8, 2015| Leave a Comment »

This past Sunday, I had the opportunity to preach from John 11 where Jesus stated that he is the resurrection and the life.  The scene was the raising of his friend Lazarus from the dead, but Jesus used this miracle as an illustration of a universal truth about himself.  The physical resurrection he offered to Lazarus, he also offers to all who will believe.

But before we can be resurrected, we must first die.  While Jesus was teaching that we would all be resurrected at some point from a physical death, he was teaching a deeper truth.  He was teaching us that the life he offers is a new life – a resurrected life.  But in order to receive that life, we must first die to ourselves.

in order to live a resurrected life, we have to first die to our own desires, our own drives, our own egos.  We must fully submit our lives to Jesus and his will for us.  And then through that submission, live for him each and every day – following his teaching and plan for us.  This is a daily commitment.  It is not a one time decision and then go and live the way we want.  

The bigger issue at work here is the distinction between seeing Jesus as Savior and Jesus as Lord.  The truth is, he is unequivocally both.  But we have a real tendency to focus on Jesus as Savior and put less emphasis on Jesus as Lord.  Yes he saves us, but he must also be the Lord of our lives.  If our faith in the risen savior does not result in a resurrected, transformed lifestyle, then James 2 would call into question whether or not it is legitimate faith.

Jesus offers a new life.

Are you living that resurrected life today?

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So What Do You Think of Yourself?

Posted in Formation, Hope, Motivational on July 1, 2015| 1 Comment »

As I opened my browser this morning, I focused in on the verse of the day on Bible Gateway.  The verse was Romans 12:3 which says, “For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.”

I read the verse over several times and the words that kept jumping out at me were “sober judgement.”  Paul reminds us that we should have a healthy self-view.  We should not think too highly of ourselves.  Of course, scripture is clear that when we come to an authentic relationship with Jesus, we are a new creation – we are worth something.  So scripture does not suggest that we are pitiful, worthless individuals.  But we also have to be cautious not to begin to think too much of ourselves.

The reason these words “sober judgement” spoke to me this morning is because the key to healthy self-worth is not in telling yourself you are something you are not, nor is it beating yourself up over your faults.  The key to healthy self-worth is being completely honest and real with yourself and the Father.  God already knows everything about us – in fact, God knows us better than we know ourselves.  Sober judgement is having a view of ourselves that is not influenced by what others might think or what we want them to think.

Sober judgement is being real, transparent and open with ourselves and knowing that regardless of where we find ourselves on this day, God loves us!

You are loved today!

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Where Is Your Faith?

Posted in Formation, Hope on June 22, 2015| Leave a Comment »

If you have tuned into any news source lately, you have been inundated with bad news.  From flooding rivers and loss of life to a shooting in a church in Charleston, we are faced with the reminder that we live in a fallen world.  In fact, if we are not cautious, we may even begin to question our foundation – our belief system.  We have to have a rational structure by which to process things.  When things don’t fit into our system, we are faced with a dilemma.  We must either alter the way we think about things or throw out our belief system all together.

This dilemma stretches our faith.  In fact, it actually forces us to assess where our faith is placed.  If our hope is founded on being able to rationally process all information that comes to us then our faith is not in God but rather our own ability to think – our intellect.

Some things defy reason.  As much as we desire to have the ability to put everything in a box, we can’t.  We need to have a faith bigger than our own understanding.  In fact, that is really the definition of faith – confidence in things we hope for and assurance in things we can’t see (Hebrews 11:1).

Thomas Merton gives us a wonderful perspective on understanding faith in New Seeds of Contemplation. He says:

Faith gives a dimension of simplicity and depth to all our apprehensions and to all our experience. What is this dimension of depth? It is the incorporation of the unknown and the unconscious into our daily life. Faith brings together the known and the unknown so that they overlap; or rather, so we are aware of their overlapping. Actually, our whole life is a mystery of which very little comes to our conscious understanding. But when we accept only what we can consciously rationalize, our life is actually reduced to the most pitiful limitations, though we may think quite otherwise.

What Merton is saying is that there is more to this existence than what we can see with our physical eyes. In fact, what we can understand from a human standpoint is but a fraction of real existence. Faith is an active acceptance of this fact.

So today, in the face of all the turmoil the world offers, remember that God is still on the throne.  Know that there is so much more going on than you can see and God is in control.

Take heart!

Have faith!

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A Lesson From the Bugs On My Windshield

Posted in Community, Formation on February 18, 2015| Leave a Comment »

Yesterday, driving back from visiting folks in the hospital in Lubbock, I noticed my windshield was a bit dirty.  Now normally, this would not even catch my attention.  In fact, one of the things that drives my wife crazy is to get in my car and have to look through the windshield.  I am notorious for not ever cleaning my windshield.  Now if you live in this area, you know this time of year we begin to catch all kinds of bugs with our windshields out on the highway.  So it is not hard to understand why a windshield might need to be cleaned from time to time.

While the truth may lie more on the side of laziness, I choose to believe that the reason I don’t ever clean my windshield is because I have trained myself to see the bigger picture and not be distracted by the dots on my windshield.

I think there is a life-lesson here.  The reality is, life is always going to be full of distraction.  We may set out to be disciplined and focus time with the Father but distractions pop up constantly.  Technology has not helped in this regard – we are never really disconnected.  Our lifestyle is designed for distraction.  So if we are going to grow through this journey toward becoming the image of Christ, we have got to learn to see the bigger picture and not become distracted by the little things that try to pull our attention away from what matters.

It takes commitment and discipline to create space in our lives for the Spirit to work.  It also takes a willingness to do our best to clear distractions and to create that space.

Today we begin the season of Lent.  For the next 40 days leading up to Easter, we are called to slow down and reduce distractions.  We are called to create space in our busy lives for the Spirit of God to work.  We are drawn to turn back to the God who loved us while we were still sinners – enough to sacrifice Jesus for us.

I challenged our church family this past Sunday to make a couple of practices a part of their Lenten observance this year.  The idea behind these practices is to help us reduce distraction, create space and turn back to God.  The first thing I have challenged them to do is to fast and pray – specifically on Tuesdays through the Lenten season.  We are going to have a time of prayer through the lunch hour here at the church each Tuesday and allow people to come and go in a reflective and contemplative setting.

The other discipline I have challenged our family to do is read through the Gospels over the next 40 days.  We have established a reading plan to help folks stay on track.

I challenge you to join us.  Set aside time – Tuesdays are when we will be doing it – to pray and fast.  Focus on God’s love for you – Jesus’ sacrifice of himself for you.  And spend time in God’s word.  If you would like to follow along with the reading plan we have set up for our family, the best way to get your hands on it is to download our app.  It’s totally free and available for your iPhone or Android or even your tablet.  Just go to the respective app store and search FBC Littlefield.  Once you have installed the app, you will notice several buttons at the bottom of the screen – swipe the page to the left and it will show more buttons (oh wow, look, you can listen to sermons and even see the Pastor’s blog – cool).  The button on the far right is titled 40 Days.  Click on that button and it will take you to the reading plan.  Simply click on the specific day and it will then take you to the text for the day in the YouVersion Bible app – – pretty simple.

However you choose to do it – I challenge you to spend time this Lenten season seeking God.  Spend time in prayer and spend time in God’s word.  By removing distractions and creating space, God can use your efforts to change your life.

Now I guess I need to go wash my windshield.

Be blessed this day!

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Take Time to Rest

Posted in Formation on February 11, 2015| Leave a Comment »

First Chimnea Fire of 2015

Last night I could not pass up the opportunity.  It was mid-50’s and no wind.  Shorts, flip flops and a fire in the chimnea.  As I sat and just relaxed by the fire and looked at the stars, I have to admit, I felt a little guilty.  There are so many things I could have been doing.

But as I sat there enjoying the moment, I was reminded that sometimes we just need a little time to chill out.  Watching the flames and listening to a little indie is good for the temperament and quite possibly the soul.  God was wrapped up in creating for 6 days and then rested.  What makes us think that we can go non-stop with no down time?

I read a great quote last week in an article discussing sabbath and rest.  The author quoted a pastor friend he knew as saying, “Satan doesn’t take a day off – neither should I.”  But then the author of the article commented that maybe we shouldn’t make Satan our role model.

In American culture, working non-stop with little or no rest has become a badge of honor.  We almost feel guilty to take an evening and not put in some work at home.  Technology has made it easy to work virtually anywhere and at any time.

When do we dis-connect and turn off?  When do we allow our brains to shut down?

God created us for work.  But we are also wired for rest.  We need both.  The reality is, we need rest in order to be more productive.  Our productivity suffers when we don’t take some time to regroup.

So I encourage you this week to find some time to slow down.  Just rest without feeling pressure to produce.

God can do some of his best work when we are not focused on anything in particular.

Be blessed.

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The Adventure of Life

Posted in Formation, Hope on February 10, 2015| Leave a Comment »

Curving Highway

The journey we are on is full of ups and downs, curves, speed bumps and forks in the road.  It is a true adventure in the boldest sense of the word.  We don’t always know where the journey will lead us.  In fact, the reality is, we will never know for sure where this road ends.  It all comes back to faith.  We trust that a life lived to honor God will in conclusion end with God.  I believe this to be true – so much so that I stake my very existence on it.

So we put one foot in front of the other and move forward – setting out daily on the adventure of a lifetime.  Will it be safe?  Maybe but probably not.  Will there be possible pain and struggle – most likely.

You may ask, wouldn’t it be more secure to pull over to the side of the road and stop?  Why risk the potential of pain and struggle?

You could do that.  You could check out and pull over.  You could play it safe.  If you do, you might avoid some pain (although I think pain will come in other ways).  You might even avoid some struggles.  But you will also miss out on the joy of life that can only come in the living of it.

It’s about trust.  Who do you trust?  Yourself?  Your career?  Your friends?

The only trustworthy person I know is God.  Thomas Merton, in Thoughts In Solitude, offers a prayer that speaks to this trust.  He says, “And I know that . . . you will lead me by the right road, though I may know nothing about it.  Therefore, I will trust in you always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death.  I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone.”

That is my prayer this morning.  May it be yours as well.

Be blessed!

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Refuge In the Father

Posted in Formation, Hope on February 3, 2015| Leave a Comment »

I recently wrote about the hope we have through a relationship with Jesus – a living hope.  You can read that post here.

This morning during my prayer and reading time, I ran across this passage in Psalm 5 verses 11 and 12:

But let all who take refuge in you be glad;
    let them ever sing for joy.
Spread your protection over them,
    that those who love your name may rejoice in you.

 Surely, Lord, you bless the righteous;
    you surround them with your favor as with a shield.

The hope we have in Christ comes when we take refuge in the Father.  As I read these words this morning some thoughts came to mind – the first being I pray I can be found righteous and known for loving God.  The reality for most of us is that we love God a little.  So may we strive to love him more today.

But the second idea from the passage was one of nearness.  As I meditated on these words, the phrase that kept rolling over in my mind was, “spread your protection over them.”  The image here is that of a mother bird spreading her wings over her young.  There is a profound intimacy inherent in this image – God spreading protection over those who would draw near enough to benefit.

As life throws us curves and bumps in the road, we can choose to try and go it alone.  Or we can choose to take refuge in God.

How will you choose today?

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Like It or Not – We Need Each Other

Posted in Church, Community, Formation on January 29, 2015| Leave a Comment »

For those who may be reading my ramblings who are not familiar with my setting – I live and minister in America.  And not just America – I live and minister in the state of Texas.  And not just in the great state of Texas, but in the region of Texas we affectionately know as west Texas.  Just so that you can better grasp the environment, west does not just refer to the direction, it is a description.  Yes, we live in the western part of the state, but west Texas is more than just a direction – it is a mindset.  People do not live in west Texas for the beauty of the geography necessarily.  And the smell of feedlots and oil production aren’t a real draw either – unless you own the rights to one of those industries.

I have often mused that the only reason people settled in west Texas in the first place was because the wheels fell off their wagons during the migration to the west coast in the 1800’s and they simply decided to declare this unlikely plLocked armsace “home.”

So why do people live in west Texas?  The answer to that question would be as varied as the number of folks you ask.  But I think a common denominator to each response would be the people.  The people in our are of the state are – for the most part – genuine and friendly.  But another quality of Texans, dare I say Americans, is the attitude of individuality.  And west Texans seem to exemplify that attitude more so than many other folks I meet.  There is something of a frontier spirit – a boldness – an attitude that “I don’t need anyone else – I will make it on my own.”  And in our western mindset, we are conditioned to think of ourselves first.  “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you” has been modified to “Do unto others before they have a chance to do unto you.”  As genuine and friendly as we may be, we are selfish and self-centered at our core.

And so we live our lives looking out for ourselves.  But the Bible speaks of another way.  The Bible teaches that we really do need each other – that we were created and wired for relationships.  Life is not meant to be lived in solitude.  The old adage that no man is an island is not only true but Biblical.  God created us to not only enjoy being around others but to actually be dependent on others.

As an American living in west Texas, that cuts against the grain.  It is not how I am conditioned.  But when I get very honest with myself, I know, somewhere down deep inside, that it is true.  We all need each other.

Nowhere is this more obvious than in the church.  We were each created completely and utterly unique, just like everyone else.  We each have unique qualities, gifts and passions that, when used together, compliment each other and work to fulfill God’s kingdom objectives in a way that we could never do alone.

God created us for community for a purpose.

Regardless of where you live, this truth is relevant to you in your setting.  God created you to serve alongside other believers for the benefit of the kingdom.

Are you plugged into a larger community?

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