I am reminded everyday of the influence, I have on my child. Oliver is only two, and the amount of characteristics and mannerisms he has picked up from just watching me is unbelievable. He truly is a child in the likeness of me. A key word in all that I have said is character. As parents, we must ask ourselves, what type of character do we hope of our children. And, as Christian parents, we have an even larger role in making sure our children develop Christ Like character.
As Christians, we must model our lives through the life image of our God and His son Jesus Christ. One night after meeting with our Freshwater small group, I read Matthew 12: 33-35 and God inspired me as a parent. Through Jesus Christ's words, we are reminded as Christian parents just how much of an influence we will have on our children. Matthew 12:33-35 "Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit..." Good people bring good things out of the good stored up in them, and evil people bring evil things out of the evil stored up in them. I am reminded of something James, my homeless friend, told me one lunch time. He said that his grandma told him once, "You live wicked, you die wicked." Although striking, it is very simple and true. We should model ourselves as Jesus Christ, and we will influence our children into making good fruit of themselves, but also influence them to influence good fruit of their children, neighbors, friends, and even their "enemies."
Dear heavenly Father,
Your love and image is special among us as Christians. You have provided a perfect model in Your son Jesus Christ. Fill our spirit with Your sons image, and that we are excited to live out that image in our daily lives. Help us to drive towards influencing our Children to provide good fruit. Help us to look beyond the fact that doing good should not be for selfish reasons to earn a spot in heaven, but influence others in their daily lives.
Through thought, word, and deed I will be You Lord God and Your son Jesus Christ
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Enlightenment for Myself
Matthew 4:4 4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
I have spent a greater part of my life wondering how my words, my faith journey, and my positive actions were perceived by others. When I received praise, it was for me in my heart. Like I was providing words of wisdom from my life. Like I hold all of the answers. I know God has blessed me to be a faithful servent and deciple, the problem is, I have been trying to take all the credit for the words and deeds I do on God's behalf. All my thoughts, all my words, and all my deeds should be reflective of how Jesus Christ lived. That when something should happen that God has done through me that warrants a celebration, it is not I who receive the praise by name, but Jesus Christ and God our Father alone.
Dear heavenly Father, You have opened up new doors for me and established relationships that have helped me to look deep within myself. I ask that you continue to walk with me in Spirit, drive my heart to make passion filled bridges, and spread the word and good deeds of You Lord Jesus Christ.
Through thought, word, and deed I will be You Lord God and Your son Jesus Christ. AMEN!
I have spent a greater part of my life wondering how my words, my faith journey, and my positive actions were perceived by others. When I received praise, it was for me in my heart. Like I was providing words of wisdom from my life. Like I hold all of the answers. I know God has blessed me to be a faithful servent and deciple, the problem is, I have been trying to take all the credit for the words and deeds I do on God's behalf. All my thoughts, all my words, and all my deeds should be reflective of how Jesus Christ lived. That when something should happen that God has done through me that warrants a celebration, it is not I who receive the praise by name, but Jesus Christ and God our Father alone.
Dear heavenly Father, You have opened up new doors for me and established relationships that have helped me to look deep within myself. I ask that you continue to walk with me in Spirit, drive my heart to make passion filled bridges, and spread the word and good deeds of You Lord Jesus Christ.
Through thought, word, and deed I will be You Lord God and Your son Jesus Christ. AMEN!
Monday, November 15, 2010
Just Do It; Living Out Your Faith
Nike has a saying, Just Do It. As Christians, when it comes to living out our Faith, we should use this way of thinking. The following is my story of taking a week to Just Do It.
Chuck, James, and Doug, seemingly uninteresting names. What makes these people special is, they are now people that live in my heart and memory, because God compelled me to meet with them. Chuck, James, and Doug are all homeless people. All of them have homelessness in common, but have very different stories.
My wife, child, and I were attending church a little over two weeks ago, and the message at Freshwater has been about Living Out Your Faith. Do not just give God your lip service, get out and LIVE your faith. When listening to this message, I had a unique experience with the Holy Spirit. God spoke a message to my heart that morning, telling me it is time to live out my faith in a different way.
I work in downtown Minneapolis. Everyday I walk past the homeless people holding up their signs, and everyday I walk past them just like everybody else. But, God told me it was time to reach out, it was time to move beyond lip service. God spoke to my heart saying, take My children out for lunch. God was speaking in my heart, "These people are not distractions I set out on the side of the road, these are My children just as you are.
Now, I may have a little bit of courage and outgoing personality, but this message from God was taking me out of my comfort zone. "God, you seriously want me to take these people out to lunch?" I set out Monday at noon with a little apprehension and fear, but after I closed my eyes and prayed to God to give me comfort, to open up my heart and give me strength, I was able to walk right up to Chuck and ask him,
"Have you had lunch yet?"
"No", said Chuck
"Do you want to have some lunch"
"...OK!"
"Let's go..."
And my Just Do It journey began...
The rest of the week was a whirlwind of God filling my heart with compassion and I brought one homeless person out to lunch everyday of the week. Besides Chuck, I also had the privilege to meet James and Doug. I will not get into the lives of these men, their stories and our relationship is now a bond between us.
My story is about living out your faith and seeing where it may take you. It has taken me into the lives of three very different homeless men.
When we were at the tail end of our lunch, Doug, who was a paraplegic and a heroin addict for 30 years, jerkily rolled his wheel chair backwards and looked at me. With a voice plagued with the shakes of years of doing drugs, Doug asked me, "Why the hell did you talk to me today?" I looked into his eyes and told him that God led me to him that day. The sad part for me is, Doug asked a question that speaks volumes about what is missing in our "American Christian" lives. He was genuinely surprised that I showed interest in him as a person. I, who was suppost to have been living out my faith by showing love, grace and forgiveness to all of God's children, had finally reached out to Doug after actually living out my faith. Until I spent time to sit down with a few people downtown, I didn't realize how much, as Christians, we are not doing a great job as a whole doing what we speak. We talk the talk of showing love, grace and forgiveness, but we rarely walk the walk, or contradict ourselves based on personal comfort and wealth.
Dear Heavenly Father,
I ask that you speak through my heart daily. I ask that Your Spirit helps me to live out my Christian faith and values. Help me to live out my lip services. I no longer want to just talk the talk, but walk the walk of a deciple of Jesus Christ. Help mt to love, forgive, and show grace to ALL of Your children.
Through thought word and deed, I will be You Lord God and Your Son Jesus Christ...AMEN!
Chuck, James, and Doug, seemingly uninteresting names. What makes these people special is, they are now people that live in my heart and memory, because God compelled me to meet with them. Chuck, James, and Doug are all homeless people. All of them have homelessness in common, but have very different stories.
My wife, child, and I were attending church a little over two weeks ago, and the message at Freshwater has been about Living Out Your Faith. Do not just give God your lip service, get out and LIVE your faith. When listening to this message, I had a unique experience with the Holy Spirit. God spoke a message to my heart that morning, telling me it is time to live out my faith in a different way.
I work in downtown Minneapolis. Everyday I walk past the homeless people holding up their signs, and everyday I walk past them just like everybody else. But, God told me it was time to reach out, it was time to move beyond lip service. God spoke to my heart saying, take My children out for lunch. God was speaking in my heart, "These people are not distractions I set out on the side of the road, these are My children just as you are.
Now, I may have a little bit of courage and outgoing personality, but this message from God was taking me out of my comfort zone. "God, you seriously want me to take these people out to lunch?" I set out Monday at noon with a little apprehension and fear, but after I closed my eyes and prayed to God to give me comfort, to open up my heart and give me strength, I was able to walk right up to Chuck and ask him,
"Have you had lunch yet?"
"No", said Chuck
"Do you want to have some lunch"
"...OK!"
"Let's go..."
And my Just Do It journey began...
The rest of the week was a whirlwind of God filling my heart with compassion and I brought one homeless person out to lunch everyday of the week. Besides Chuck, I also had the privilege to meet James and Doug. I will not get into the lives of these men, their stories and our relationship is now a bond between us.
My story is about living out your faith and seeing where it may take you. It has taken me into the lives of three very different homeless men.
When we were at the tail end of our lunch, Doug, who was a paraplegic and a heroin addict for 30 years, jerkily rolled his wheel chair backwards and looked at me. With a voice plagued with the shakes of years of doing drugs, Doug asked me, "Why the hell did you talk to me today?" I looked into his eyes and told him that God led me to him that day. The sad part for me is, Doug asked a question that speaks volumes about what is missing in our "American Christian" lives. He was genuinely surprised that I showed interest in him as a person. I, who was suppost to have been living out my faith by showing love, grace and forgiveness to all of God's children, had finally reached out to Doug after actually living out my faith. Until I spent time to sit down with a few people downtown, I didn't realize how much, as Christians, we are not doing a great job as a whole doing what we speak. We talk the talk of showing love, grace and forgiveness, but we rarely walk the walk, or contradict ourselves based on personal comfort and wealth.
Dear Heavenly Father,
I ask that you speak through my heart daily. I ask that Your Spirit helps me to live out my Christian faith and values. Help me to live out my lip services. I no longer want to just talk the talk, but walk the walk of a deciple of Jesus Christ. Help mt to love, forgive, and show grace to ALL of Your children.
Through thought word and deed, I will be You Lord God and Your Son Jesus Christ...AMEN!
Friday, October 22, 2010
Comfortable Christian
What does it mean to be comfortable? Comfortable is defined on Dictionary.com as: 1. producing or affording physical comfort, support, or ease 2. being in a state of physical or mental comfort; contended and undisturbed 3. more than adequate or sufficient. To be comfortable, I always think of surrounding myself with things that are familiar to me. I try not to introduce anything new or put myself in a situation where I might not fit the status quo.
What does it then mean to be a Comfortable Christian? In reading Francis Chan's book, Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God, a Comfortable Christian could be described as a Lukewarm Christian. A Lukewarm Christian or Comfortable Christian praises God, reads their Bible, and goes to church in ways that have become halfhearted. As a Comfortable Christian, you surround yourself or only take part in things that are familiar to you. Put yourself in situations that you know are not going to ruffle feathers or put a strain on your already hectic schedule.
When thinking of the word comfortable, I was reminded of a story a friend at work told me once. It was a cold day in Minnesota, which already zaps you of any energy you may have. It had been a long day at work, and my friend was both physically and mentally exhausted. When my friend got on the bus, he went and sat in his favorite spot. In the winter, it was the back seat where the engine warms the seat and adds the extra bit of warmth that the struggling heaters cannot produce. His ride was only a forty-five minute ride, so he put his feet up on the seat in front of him, laid his head back, and got as comfortable and cozy as he could in his favorite spot. After a while, my friend stirred from his sleep and took a quick look around. To his surprise, he had been so comfortable and resting so well, he had missed his stop. When he woke up, he was not over twelve miles away from his stop and still headed in the wrong direction. He had missed out on his opportunity to be at home, and now had to wait until the bus made its way back towards his bus stop.
I was reminded of this story as I contemplated the word Comfortable. I realized that I have moved from a God thirsty and stoked Christian in the past few years to a Comfortable Christian. I used to seek out ways to learn the History, Context, and Historical People surrounding the Word of God. I used to get excited to sit down and imagine talking with Jesus Christ in prayer. Feeling his hands placed on my shoulders as I confessed my faith, sins, and temptations to God and His son. I evolved into surrounding myself with familiarity to the point that things that were new and fresh ended up being comfortable. I stopped reading the Word of God as aggressively, because I already was moved and new enough to be a Christian, I had become comfortable with where I was in my faith. My faith in the past few years can be reflected in my friend's story. I now seek out only those things that are not going to stress me, and only do what I think is enough.
To have this transparency in my faith laid out before me today scares me. As a loving witness to what God can do and as an active disciple of Jesus Christ, I have become a Comfortable Christian in thinking that I already know more than the next person, so I will be ok. It scares me that if I continue to stay to be a Comfortable Christian, like my friend on the bus, I might miss the most important stop of my life. It is time as a Christian that I become less comfortable, otherwise I might fall asleep and miss out on the opportunity to get off at the right spot. Unlike my friend that had the benefit of taking the bus until it came back around to his bus stop, as a Christian, I have only one opportunity and one chance to get off where I need to...Heaven with God and His son Jesus Christ.
Dear Heavenly Father, Help me to become less comfortable as a Christian. Inspire your word in me and help me to get off my earthly pedestal and look to you for guidance in my faith. I humble myself in front of your feet, and ask you to speak through my heart once again.
Through thought, word, and deed, I will be You God and Your son Jesus Christ...AMEN
What does it then mean to be a Comfortable Christian? In reading Francis Chan's book, Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God, a Comfortable Christian could be described as a Lukewarm Christian. A Lukewarm Christian or Comfortable Christian praises God, reads their Bible, and goes to church in ways that have become halfhearted. As a Comfortable Christian, you surround yourself or only take part in things that are familiar to you. Put yourself in situations that you know are not going to ruffle feathers or put a strain on your already hectic schedule.
When thinking of the word comfortable, I was reminded of a story a friend at work told me once. It was a cold day in Minnesota, which already zaps you of any energy you may have. It had been a long day at work, and my friend was both physically and mentally exhausted. When my friend got on the bus, he went and sat in his favorite spot. In the winter, it was the back seat where the engine warms the seat and adds the extra bit of warmth that the struggling heaters cannot produce. His ride was only a forty-five minute ride, so he put his feet up on the seat in front of him, laid his head back, and got as comfortable and cozy as he could in his favorite spot. After a while, my friend stirred from his sleep and took a quick look around. To his surprise, he had been so comfortable and resting so well, he had missed his stop. When he woke up, he was not over twelve miles away from his stop and still headed in the wrong direction. He had missed out on his opportunity to be at home, and now had to wait until the bus made its way back towards his bus stop.
I was reminded of this story as I contemplated the word Comfortable. I realized that I have moved from a God thirsty and stoked Christian in the past few years to a Comfortable Christian. I used to seek out ways to learn the History, Context, and Historical People surrounding the Word of God. I used to get excited to sit down and imagine talking with Jesus Christ in prayer. Feeling his hands placed on my shoulders as I confessed my faith, sins, and temptations to God and His son. I evolved into surrounding myself with familiarity to the point that things that were new and fresh ended up being comfortable. I stopped reading the Word of God as aggressively, because I already was moved and new enough to be a Christian, I had become comfortable with where I was in my faith. My faith in the past few years can be reflected in my friend's story. I now seek out only those things that are not going to stress me, and only do what I think is enough.
To have this transparency in my faith laid out before me today scares me. As a loving witness to what God can do and as an active disciple of Jesus Christ, I have become a Comfortable Christian in thinking that I already know more than the next person, so I will be ok. It scares me that if I continue to stay to be a Comfortable Christian, like my friend on the bus, I might miss the most important stop of my life. It is time as a Christian that I become less comfortable, otherwise I might fall asleep and miss out on the opportunity to get off at the right spot. Unlike my friend that had the benefit of taking the bus until it came back around to his bus stop, as a Christian, I have only one opportunity and one chance to get off where I need to...Heaven with God and His son Jesus Christ.
Dear Heavenly Father, Help me to become less comfortable as a Christian. Inspire your word in me and help me to get off my earthly pedestal and look to you for guidance in my faith. I humble myself in front of your feet, and ask you to speak through my heart once again.
Through thought, word, and deed, I will be You God and Your son Jesus Christ...AMEN
Friday, October 1, 2010
Crazy Love is Back...
I have been living my life in a pretty predictable way the past few years. I picked up doing a blog about my Bible Journey around the time I found out that my wife was pregnant with my son Oliver. That was over 2 years ago. Since then, much has happened. By living predictable, I do not mean that I lost my faith in Christ, but that my actions as a Christians were very predictable in nature. I attended a group called Theology on Tap. I went to church...most Sundays. I prayed every day. As the two years moved forward, I noticed that my faith in Christ never wavered, but my passion for him did. Now, that doesn't mean if you struck up a conversation with me about my faith or Christianity as a whole, I wouldn't be passionate in my response to you, but I was becoming less passionate in my actual relationship with God. Although I was praying, my prayers became less and less. Although I was attending church, my want to be with other Christians became less and less.
My wife, Oliver, and I have since moved to a new church, closer to home, called Freshwater. We wanted to become active and participate right away, so we ended up signing up for a book study with other church members, on the book Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God by Francis Chan. Now, my bible journey is not about talking about my Christian church life, but in my journey through the bible. So, I will not go on and on about how great Freshwater is and about how much I love talking with our new friends, I'll just leave these comments to sum up my love for where our family has landed.
When I first picked up this book, and cannot say it stirred any feelings in me to start picking up my passion for the word of God right off the bat. There are many times I find myself reading books on other Christians theories and not being converted to a passion to pick up the book of God. I was walking up the stairs to work this morning, reading my book, yes, I walk up the stair and read my book at the same time. I figure, if I am reading about God while walking, he will protect me from harm ;) I made it to a part in the book that stirred something within me to start blogging about the word of God again. In Chapter 5, serving leftovers to a holy God, I read the following excerpts:
"..., I quoted several commentators who agreed with my point of view. But we all know that you can find quotes to support any view you want to take. You can even tweak word studies to help you in your effort. I'm not against scholarship, but I do believe there are times when we come to more accurate conclusions through simple reading."
"Pray. Then read the Gospels for yourself. Put this book down and pick up your Bible. My prayer for you is that you'll understand the Scriptures not as I see them, but as God intends them."
Where have I been, and what have I been doing? The time when I had the most passion for Christ was when I started this Bible Journey. I was not just listening to Dogma, Theology, church leaders, books, etc. I was listening to the voice of God. I was reading his word like I was reading it for the first time. Faith should be seen as through the eyes of a child.
I am here to start my journey again. To share it and walk with those that want to do it with me. Take a look at what I did in the past. Participate with me if you would like. Here starts the second journey of my time through the Bible with God.
God's peace love and understanding to all of you. Amen
My wife, Oliver, and I have since moved to a new church, closer to home, called Freshwater. We wanted to become active and participate right away, so we ended up signing up for a book study with other church members, on the book Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God by Francis Chan. Now, my bible journey is not about talking about my Christian church life, but in my journey through the bible. So, I will not go on and on about how great Freshwater is and about how much I love talking with our new friends, I'll just leave these comments to sum up my love for where our family has landed.
When I first picked up this book, and cannot say it stirred any feelings in me to start picking up my passion for the word of God right off the bat. There are many times I find myself reading books on other Christians theories and not being converted to a passion to pick up the book of God. I was walking up the stairs to work this morning, reading my book, yes, I walk up the stair and read my book at the same time. I figure, if I am reading about God while walking, he will protect me from harm ;) I made it to a part in the book that stirred something within me to start blogging about the word of God again. In Chapter 5, serving leftovers to a holy God, I read the following excerpts:
"..., I quoted several commentators who agreed with my point of view. But we all know that you can find quotes to support any view you want to take. You can even tweak word studies to help you in your effort. I'm not against scholarship, but I do believe there are times when we come to more accurate conclusions through simple reading."
"Pray. Then read the Gospels for yourself. Put this book down and pick up your Bible. My prayer for you is that you'll understand the Scriptures not as I see them, but as God intends them."
Where have I been, and what have I been doing? The time when I had the most passion for Christ was when I started this Bible Journey. I was not just listening to Dogma, Theology, church leaders, books, etc. I was listening to the voice of God. I was reading his word like I was reading it for the first time. Faith should be seen as through the eyes of a child.
I am here to start my journey again. To share it and walk with those that want to do it with me. Take a look at what I did in the past. Participate with me if you would like. Here starts the second journey of my time through the Bible with God.
God's peace love and understanding to all of you. Amen
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