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Archive for the ‘Formation’ Category

Do You Need God?

Posted in Church, Community, Formation on May 11, 2011| Leave a Comment »

You may have heard about the “Awakenings” from many years ago.  They were unrelated movements in the 1800’s and early 1900’s, where God’s spirit began to move and people were changed – in fact, entire societies were changed.  I have had a question rolling around in my mind over the past few weeks relating to the idea of awakening:  “Can it still happen today?”

I believe the answer to that question is yes.  God is still God and God is still in the transforming business.  So what is the problem?

I would say that the problem is not with God, it is with us.  The reality is that transformation is happening in our day and time, but not here in America.  There are countless stories of God’s movement in areas south of the equator.  God is at work in miraculous ways in other parts of the world – so why not here?

I believe the answer is very simple.  In our self-centered culture, we have grown to believe that we can do things on our own.  The idea of “self-made man” has been so prevalent in our society for so long that we think we don’t need God anymore.  Well, we might say we need God – we pray for God to make things go our way.  But do we really believe that we need God?

This Sunday, we will be talking about this idea.  My prayer is that God will begin an awakening here, this week, in me.  If you are around Littlefield on Sunday, stop by the church about 10:45 and we’ll see what God does.

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Children and Spiritual Progression

Posted in Family, Formation on May 10, 2011| Leave a Comment »

This past Sunday, part of the message I gave to our church family was one of the importance of training our children on spiritual matters.

Most parents realize and believe it is their responsibility to make sure their children are trained spiritually, but few actually take steps to do anything about it.  The majority of parents leave this task to the church.  The church is responsible to help and to partner with the parents, but if the sole source of spiritual influence is the church, then our children are in trouble.

Parents, it is time to be more involved personally with the spiritual progression of your children.  I know this is intimidating but start small.  Make sure to pray with them – and let them see you praying and reading in your own personal time with God.  Read scripture with them and discuss it.  Anyone can do it – it just takes time . . . quality time.

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Chaos In Boxes

Posted in Formation, Hope on May 3, 2011| 2 Comments »

This is what the office looked like yesterday when I arrived.  Unfortunately, it is also what it looked like when I left at the end of the day!  

But today – today, all those books are going on a shelf!

One of the things this process has reminded me of is that even though I have learned through the years to juggle multiple things at one time, I don’t function well in utter chaos.  I need some sense of order to stand on while facing the chaos.

Do you ever feel like your life is in utter chaos?  The house is a wreck, the kids won’t listen, your job is stressful – there is nothing stable in your life on which to rest – does that sound like your life sometimes?  Does it sound like your life today?

This moving stuff has caused me to remember that regardless of what is going on around me, I have to make time to slow down and spend time with God.  I have to make time to sit and be still – to be silent before God.

So today, if you feel like your life is spinning out of control – stop what you’re doing and read this.

God is in control!  Take a deep breath – you can do this with God’s help.

Now, where can I find a place to sit so that I can follow my own advice!

Be blessed!

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Rise Up

Posted in Formation, Hope on April 25, 2011| Leave a Comment »

He is risen indeed.  Yesterday was Easter Sunday – a day we celebrate as Jesus followers as the day Jesus rose from the dead, conquering death.  Through the years, many traditions have been added to Easter.  Don’t get me wrong, I love the whole Easter egg hunt and bunny thing.  In fact, there are remnants of it still alive in our home; even with my kids being older – they still get candy and small gifts on Easter Sunday.  But now, instead of having to go look for it, we just put it in a sack and have it ready for them first thing Sunday morning.

Sometimes, the true message of Easter can get lost.  I heard a story this past week about a church here in our area that had a time during their morning service in which the children came to the front of the auditorium for a “children’s sermon.”  During that time, the pastor asked the question, “What is the meaning of Easter.”  Now, I have done my share of children’s sermons and one thing I know is that if you ask a question, you have to be prepared for anything.  One little boy’s hand shot up and so the pastor asked, “What do you think?”  The little boy said, “This is the day we remember when Jesus killed the Easter bunny and spread his blood on the doorpost.”

I have no idea how the pastor handled that situation, but I am going to guess that it took some time to regain composure and move forward in the service.  Obviously, this little boy had combined several stories into one.  As humorous as that story is for us, the message is clear.  Often, the true meaning of Easter is lost in the season.

Regardless of how we choose to celebrate the season, we can never forget the real meaning – resurrection!  Jesus defeated sin and death.  He died the day before the Sabbath and was buried.  But on the day after the Sabbath, he came back to life.  He was dead – but now he lives!  That is the significance of Easter.

Today, I want to challenge you to rise up as well.  If you are a follower in the Way, then you know that your life is being transformed by the renewing of your mind.  God is at work in you.  You are equipped to serve in ways that only you can serve.  It is time to rise up and make a difference.  Rise up and show those around you the difference that Jesus has made in your life.

Be a blessing today!

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Good Friday Thought

Posted in Formation on April 22, 2011| Leave a Comment »

Today – we consider the cross!

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Silence In the Midst of Noise

Posted in Formation on April 19, 2011| 2 Comments »

I am in the midst of taking advantage of a gift.  Kristi has given me the gift of two days away for a personal retreat – just me, my computer, a couple of legal pads, my Bible and a stack of blank file folders.  I have come to a Christian camp out in the middle of nowhere.  It sits down in a canyon where there is no cell service.  Believe it or not, there is wireless internet but it makes dial up look crazy fast – which isn’t a bad thing – it has kept me focused on the reason for my being here.

I have come to pray and plan.  In two weeks, I will begin my journey as senior pastor at First Baptist Church in Littlefield.  I am looking forward to getting started and have come to pray and think through God’s direction for the church and my leadership there.  Monday was very productive and I pray today will be as well.

Last night, I took an hour to sit on the porch of the cabin and look at the stars. It was a beautiful west Texas evening with a clear sky and a very pleasant temperature.  The canyon walls were silhouetted by the stars and the random security lights scattered through out the camp.  It was very peaceful and reflective.  The only thing I would change would have been the constant roar of a motor that ran continuously just out of sight in a field above the canyon wall.  The more I sat and meditated on God’s beautiful creation, the more frustrated I became with the incessant rumble of the motor.

But it finally dawned on me that we live in a world that is full of noise.  We are surrounded by it.  We can’t escape – not even in a remote area such as the camp in the bottom of the canyon.  I became even more aware of the need that each of us have to shut out the rat race – even if just for a brief time every day – and spend time alone with God.  Being able to silence the world around us may not be likely, but we can silence ourselves in the midst of it and listen for God.  Silence is a very important spiritual practice – one that leads to inner peace and communion with God.

How do you practice silence in your spiritual walk?

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Life Marker Decision

Posted in Formation, Hope on April 18, 2011| Leave a Comment »

Tomorrow night, I have the opportunity to speak at a banquet honoring graduating seniors from an area high school.  I am planning on sharing that this is a life marker in their lives similar to a mile marker along the highway – a marker showing progress and accomplishment.  All of us pass life markers through the course of our lives – first words, first steps, first day at school, getting a driver’s license, first date – many, many life markers.  It is a huge step for them.

For some, this could mean a new chapter in their lives.  Unfortunately, for some, it may mean nothing more than more of the same – a continuation of life as usual.  The choice is really up to them.  That is the significance of this particular life marker – no longer will they have anyone standing over them, making decisions for them – this one is on them.  They can choose to do life as usual, or they can take hold of this opportunity to become the person God intended.

As I prepared this talk, I began to ask myself some of the same questions.  Questions like, what am I doing today to become more like Jesus – to be more of the person God intended?  Do I have the drive to relentlessly pursue God’s plan for my life?

How about you?

There is good news!  It is never too late!  Grab hold of the opportunity afforded by a new day!  Go make a difference!

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Friendly Reminder From a Friend

Posted in Formation on April 14, 2011| Leave a Comment »

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to catch up with one of my seminary professors and long-time friend.  I told her about our upcoming transition into a new pastoral position.  She was very excited and encouraging.  She left me with this advice – not new information, but something we all need to be reminded of occasionally.  She said, “Never neglect your time alone with God.”

Now, you may be thinking – “You’re a pastor, how could you ever neglect your time with God?”  But the reality is that pastors are no different than anyone else.  Time is short, life is moving at the speed of light and it is easy to allow devotion time to become squeezed into a corner of our day and forgotten.  Or, more typically, preparation for teaching from the Bible becomes a replacement for a true spiritual encounter with the Father.

As I said, this is not new information for me, but it sure helps to hear it and be reminded from time to time of the importance of developing a meaningful relationship with God.

How about you?  Need a little reminder today of just how important it is to spend time alone with God?

Well, there you go!

Be blessed today!

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God Made THIS Day!

Posted in Formation, Motivational on April 13, 2011| 1 Comment »

Psalm 118:4 says, “This is the day which the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.”

Think about that for just a minute.  This day – today – right now, God made this day.  It is typical for us to think of God creating the world and all that is in it, and that time began when God spoke it into existence – all one linear progression.  The danger is when we start viewing our lives as a bunch of days running together in a meaningless blur – living for the weekend, or holding out until that next vacation.  We are reminded in this verse that God is present now and made this day to be special.

The possibilities are endless!  What are you going to do today to rejoice?  What about your life today will be considered praise to God?  How will you live today so that God is pleased?

It is all up to you.  You can choose to do nothing special with this day – OR – you can decide right now to make your life matter, make it count.

What will you do?

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The Heart of Worship

Posted in Formation on April 12, 2011| Leave a Comment »

Today, I was reading this in John 2.  So now, I am thinking about worship.  What is true worship?  Why did Jesus make such a scene in the temple courts?  Was it the mess that the animals were making of God’s house?  Was it the profiteering of the merchants?

I think it was something deeper – something more fundamental.  I think Jesus’ actions cut more to the heart of the problem.

Worship is a matter of the heart.  It must be authentic and real.  At the very core of worship is a realization of who we are in comparison to God.  This realization should produce in us a desire to give ourselves to our Creator – to submit our desires to God’s – in a word:  sacrifice.

In the early days of the Israelite worship system, God instructed the people to offer something of worth and value as a symbol of their love and devotion.  But it was never really about sacrificing animals – it was about submission.  Psalm 51 teaches that the pure heart is what God desires – not the sacrificing of animals.

But what Jesus encountered in the temple courts was a lucrative business that enabled people to purchase submission and sacrifice.  As is typical with human nature, what God intended as worship had become something else – something twisted.  No longer did a person have to feel submission and devotion to God.  One could simply pay the system and feel his duty had been done.

Now, I realize that there were authentic worshippers in Jesus’ day.  But this particular instance in scripture shows us that Jesus was concerned about the system that had been established and how it had the potential to remove people from true worship.

So what about us – what about today?  Are we any different?  When we set aside time to worship, are we truly seeking to submit and see ourselves in relation to God?  Or has worship become more about us – more about a sense of going through the motions because people are watching and it is what “good” people do?

God is looking for a pure heart – one that loves and submits.  That is the heart of worship.

Is that your heart today?

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