New Experiences

New experiences—that’s one of the fun things about life. I remember the first time I traveled to Colorado to see the Rocky Mountains and the first time I went to see the ocean. There are some very special firsts in my life, and then, as with all of us, there are those firsts that I didn’t enjoy so much. The first time I went on a simulation ride I got so nauseous that I broke into a cold sweat praying I would make it to the end. Or there was the time I was pulled over to receive my first speeding ticket. I was in another state and a young college kid. They wouldn’t let me leave until I paid my bill, and I had very little cash…what a mess.

Now Tami and I get to share the joy of experiencing firsts with our granddaughter Brynley. Last weekend we went with Brynley to a pumpkin patch in our area. They had it all: petting zoo, barrel-pulled tractor ride, hay maze, and many other activities. To see the joy in her eyes was such an amazing experience. Those firsts—feeding the cows and goats, walking through pumpkins, her first ride in a barrel—made every moment precious and will always bring a smile to my face.

In the same light I get to see God do some amazing things in people’s lives, such as first-time experiences that bring a smile to their faces and joy into their lives. The first time someone experiences the true joy of knowing that their sins are forgiven. Understanding how awesome the love of God is and that it’s there for them. Experiencing the joy of worshiping the only one worthy of our worship. Discovering new spiritual truths that help them grow stronger in their faith. Each and every one of these events is special, and I’m so blessed that I can see them happen in many lives. I know that we all have people in our lives who question the reality of the God we serve and may even try to discourage us from following Him, but once you personally experience His presence in your life there is no way you can deny it.

I'm Still Learning

Have you ever had one of those days where God teaches you a lesson when you’re not even looking? Well, I had one of those moments recently, and those moments are so special because they are a reminder of how blessed I am. I woke up that morning expecting it to be another normal day—you know, the kind where you get up, get ready, go to work, go to the gym, come home and eat dinner, and then relax until bedtime. In the midst of my normal day God brought across my path a situation that opened my eyes to the realities of those who surround me every day.

It’s funny how God brings along this type of day when you are in the midst of worrying about things you have no control over. These are the days when you try everything possible to gain control, which only leads to stress. Worse, it causes you to forget how great the God we serve is and to lose sight of why we are here. We are here to bless others with the love of Christ that lives inside of us. I’m not going to share the details of what happened because to me that is not important, but instead I’m going to share what God taught me that day.

First, don’t judge others based on what you think they should be. There are times in my life—not very often, but it happens—when I am quick to judge somebody else because I feel like they should be doing or progressing more than they are in their walk with God. This is unfair because God did not appoint me to be the judge of anybody but myself. Second, I don’t know why God made all of us so different, but he did. What is simple and takes no effort on my part may be very difficult for someone else to accomplish. Don’t judge others based off of your skills and abilities but instead try to understand where they are coming from. Tami will often call me when she is driving someplace and needs my help to get there. I know she’s been there before, so I want to ask: why is it so hard? That is the wrong attitude and leads to frustration and stress. Instead, I need to understand that God created Tami the way she is (directionally challenged), and I need to accept this and help bring peace to her life, not make it worse. Last of all, God will take each of us with our weaknesses and help us grow through them if we step out in faith. There are a lot of things in life that I’m not very good at, but that is not the issue. The issue is: what am I going to do to get better in those areas? Now, for many of them I have no desire to get better because they don’t really serve a purpose in the life God is calling me to live. But there are also those areas where God is wanting me to grow, and I need to face the challenges and become stronger in those areas of my life.

God has an amazing plan for your life and for your family. That plan will only be achieved when you understand that you have to face your limitations and insecurities and trust that by faith God will help you become strong in your weaknesses. Paul spoke about this in 2 Corinthians 12:9 where it says, “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.” 

Another Chance To Be A Blessing in Mexico

I am excited as I sit in a hotel room in El Paso, Texas.  Tomorrow morning we go into Juarez for our annual home building week.  Throughout the day today I’ve found myself reflecting over the past seven years and the trips we’ve taken each year.  When we began back in 2007, we had a team of seven that built a home for a young couple with two small children.  I laugh now because none of us had any real experience at building a home, but with the help of our Casas team leader we not only built a great home but it’s still looking great seven years later. Little did we know how that first trip would lead to where this outreach is today.

With every year we found new men being drawn to our Juarez outreach and the trip increasing the love that we felt for each other.  But something else began changing during the second trip; it was no longer about the building of a home, but now we felt a bond to the communities where we were working.  A group of men felt compelled to make a Christmas run to take clothes, blankets, coats, and toys to give to the families of that community.  A 15-foot passenger van was packed from floor to ceiling with gifts to our Juarez family.  While driving to Juarez, the team received a call informing them of an orphanage in Anapra, Mexico with children who would not have a Christmas unless God provided a miracle.  Well, God did provide the miracle because not only were there plenty of donations for the original building, but the children at the orphanage in Anapra also had a wonderful Christmas.

The third build led to community outreaches where the men would do a cookout and offer candy and gifts for the families.  I remember that guys couldn’t wait for the day’s work to get done so we could start having fun with the families in the area.  Guys played soccer and baseball, wrestled with the kids, and offered smiles and a hand of friendship to the adults.  Even though most of us couldn’t speak any Spanish, we were building a special bond with these families.

It was on the fourth trip that the team leaders decided that we felt a strong pull to Anapra and were going to focus our ministry efforts on families in that city along with the orphanage there.  Every year since that decision was made, we have successfully built a home, had at least two community outreaches, made Christmas trips with gifts and clothes, and now make sure food is provided monthly for the children.  Every year the trip has taken place, and this year is the biggest ever with 25 men helping us.

Making the Most of Every Day

It’s amazing how we can get caught up worrying about the little obstacles that come along and forget how thankful we should be that we have so many amazing people in our lives. The second thought is that the clock of life doesn’t stop, so we should make the most of every moment. Too often I see people who live life worrying about things that they can’t control or wishing they had the life of someone else because they think it’d bring them happiness. And while these things are occupying their thoughts, life keeps ticking away. Don’t get caught in this cycle of deception but instead learn to enjoy the life God has blessed you with and make the most of every opportunity. I look at my life, and it’s amazing how quickly the years have gone by. I feel like I’ve only been married for a short time, but I have grown children, a son-in-law, and a beautiful granddaughter. As much as I wish I could slow down the clock of life, I know that I can’t, so I’m determined to make every day count.

How do you make every day count? Wake up and thank the Lord for a new day and new chances to glorify Him. Whatever you do, do it to the best of your ability because you are doing it unto the Lord. Find somebody that you can encourage and bless by showing the love of Christ. 

Special Moments

On Monday evening Tami and I were able to attend the Texas Rangers game against the Houston Astros. Earlier in the day I was not really excited about going to the game because I had been out for some work event every night for the previous week. I remember telling Tami that I just wanted to go home and curl up in my recliner and do nothing. Our six-year-old nephew, Jackson, and his dad were going to the game with us, though, so I knew once we got ourselves going it would be a fun evening. Jackson loves baseball and I could see the excitement in his eyes as we were getting ready to leave.

The Rangers played an amazing game and ended up winning 12-0 with Derek Holland pitching a complete game shut-out. As fun as it was to see that part of the game, the real highlight came from the Rangers’ Alex Rios. He plays right field for the Rangers, and last night he did something that only two other players have done this year in baseball. There have been 2,340 games played this year, and only three players have accomplished this great feat. Alex Rios hit for the cycle, which means that he hit a single, double, triple, and home run in the same game. So if I had backed out of going to the game that day I would have missed out on seeing something that very rarely happens in baseball.

That got me thinking about going to church. There are mornings that people wake up and they are tired because of a long week and they know how hectic the coming week is going to be. It’s not that they don’t want to be in church, but they are fighting fatigue and the busyness of life. Let me encourage you today by the lesson I learned while sitting at the baseball game. Once I got there I had a great time and enjoyed every minute of it. I was able to see a little boy who had the greatest night because he watched the Rangers win. In fact, not only did they win, but they won big. I had the opportunity for some quality friendship time, which always brings a smile to my face, and last of all I saw a feat that I’ve never seen in person at a baseball game before.

Remember these things the next time you are struggling with going to church because of everything happening in life. You are going to worship the God who loves you and has a plan for your life. You are going to be with people who love you and want to encourage you in your spiritual journey. You are going to hear the Word preached in a way that will challenge and inspire you to keep pressing on. And you will see God do things in the lives of people that only He can do.

Looking for Love

The Bible teaches us in I John 4:8 that we are to show love to those we come into contact with on a daily basis. In fact, it says that if we don’t show love, then we can’t know who God is because God is love. I’m blessed in my life because I see that verse displayed on a daily basis. I never cease to be amazed by the outpouring of love I see from people around me through actions, words, emails, and many other ways. They serve as a constant reminder of how I am to respond to others because Christ is my Savior. 

We have three dogs, and each of these dogs has its own way of showing that it loves you. Duke will just come and lay on my lap when I’m sitting down and relaxing at the end of the day. He is content to just lay there because he wants to be with me. Lilly is the one you find ready to play if you show any inkling that you want some activity. She will chase down anything you throw, get in the pool, or just follow you wherever you go inside the house. Tula is the funny one because she gets in bed and wants to have contact while sleeping. I’m not into that contact stuff because it gets too hot, but if you move to get her off of you she will readjust to get close to you again. I’m really blessed because she likes that contact with Tami much more than with me! All three of these dogs love us and are so excited just to have us around. It doesn’t matter if we’ve had a rough day, if we forgot to put food in their bowls before going to work, or even if we scolded them for doing something they shouldn’t have done. The moment we call them or show an interest in them, they are right there by our sides because they want us to love on them.

That’s how we as the church are to react to each other and to the world. We should ask ourselves: What can I do today to show God’s love? That’s what we’re commanded to do as a part of His family. Who are the people that I can offer to help, send an encouraging word, or maybe forgive because they’ve hurt me? This is not the easy way; if we did it the easy way, we would walk away from relationships or look for ways to hurt those who have hurt us. Let’s not follow the way we’d do it, but let’s follow the pattern set by Christ.

How Could I Not Remember?

Last month, Tami and I went to spend a few days with family in Arizona. One afternoon, while we were outside in the pool enjoying the 108-degree day, I was eating a snack and felt a part of a tooth chip off. I was surprised and started getting depressed thinking that this must be what happens as a person gets older. You’re having a good time laughing and eating a snack one minute, then a part of your tooth chips off the next. I told Tami what had happened and started worrying about eating. The good news is that I didn’t stop eating but enjoyed every meal and snack I ate while gone, but I knew that I needed to get to the dentist as soon as we returned home to get the problem fixed.

Last week I went to the dentist to go through the normal cleaning and find out about my chipped tooth. As the dental hygienist was putting on my bib, one of the more humiliating things about going to the dentist, I explained to her about my tooth that had a chip in it. She began looking at my records and noticed that I’d had a problem back in 2008 with the same thing happening. I was shocked because I didn’t remember that event, but she assured me it was right there in my records. In fact, she said it was tooth number 24, and when she asked me to point to the tooth, sure enough—it was the same tooth. She told me that it had been chipped and they filled it so this was nothing new. I sat in that chair during the rest of my appointment trying to remember the day I had a chip on that tooth repaired at the dentist office, and here I sit a week later with no recollection of that event ever happening in my life.

Thinking about that incident it felt like the Holy Spirit was trying to teach me a lesson about God’s forgiveness. So often we can get caught in the trap of letting past failures or sins hinder us from moving on with God. We become fearful that God will bring up the sin again as a reminder that He has something on us if we don’t walk the line. Yet, the Bible promises us that when God forgives us of our sins and failures, they are totally gone from His memory. I don’t know about you, but that’s hard for me to imagine because I remember a lot of my sins and failures. Then the Holy Spirit spoke to my heart and assured me that just as I couldn’t remember ever chipping and having that tooth filled five years ago, God doesn’t remember any past sins or failures even from yesterday if I live under the forgiving power of Jesus Christ. We are reassured of this by the promise that, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (I John 1:9). 

Don’t allow your past to dictate what God wants to do with your life in the future. Just as I couldn’t remember a chipped tooth, we all need to remember that when God forgives, He forgets.