Maintaining the Lawn

When Tami and I returned from our trip to South Bend a little over a week ago we were greeted by two days of rain here in the Dallas area. It’s such a rare thing to find it raining in Texas during the summer months. I was thankful for the rain, but the problem I faced was a lawn that hadn’t been cut in over a week. It rained Sunday, Monday, and even on and off on Tuesday. My schedule didn’t allow me the opportunity to get out on Wednesday or Thursday to mow, so when Friday came I knew I had no choice. The good news is the lawn looks great—because of the heat and rain it is in the best shape I’ve seen this far into summer. The bad news is the lawn looks great—because of perfect growing conditions it is exploding with healthy growth. A project that normally would take less than an hour turned into a three-hour project because the grass had grown so much.

Have you ever realized the importance of the daily maintenance of your spiritual life? While it may not seem like a lot because you’re only spending a few minutes in the Bible, or just a short time in prayer, those moments are required to keep your spiritual life vibrant and alive. What I’ve discovered is the world is constantly telling me to live a life that doesn’t line up with the values I desire for my life. I hear every possible reason why I should be able to do whatever I want as long as I’m not hurting anyone else, but that just doesn’t work if I’m going to be complete in Christ. My life, left unattended, will see out of control growth that requires a lot of hard work to get back in balance. I’m thankful today because my yard is back in balance and looking good. I’m also thankful that because of the time I spent in prayer and Bible study my spiritual life is in balance with God’s plan for me. That doesn’t mean an unwanted weed will never pop up or some other issue will never appear, but they are easily removed or corrected because the rest of my life is in order.

We are all in this together and I encourage you to take the time to allow your life to be cultivated daily by the Holy Spirit. Not only will you be blessed but so will everyone who comes across your path. 

Steps to Spiritual Growth...Baby Style

One of the biggest things I’ve discovered is that people can get discouraged and even want to give up in growing spiritually because they feel like all they do is fail. I was thrilled by the testimony of a young woman who shared with me this last week. She shared how over the past few weeks she has felt more spiritually alive in Christ than ever before. She was glowing with the presence of God in her life and expressing how she had such a hunger to learn so much more. She told me that for the first time she truly felt a relationship with God, which she had never experienced, and she wished everyone could experience the same thing. I was amazed as I sat listening to her share and wondered why so many in the family of God never experience this or the other things that God has planned for their lives. Then I was reminded of what is happening in our family right now.

As you know, we have a beautiful 8-month-old granddaughter who brings joy to our lives every day. Brynley is at the stage of her life where she is ready to crawl. She wants to move forward, but just as any child struggles in figuring it out, she will rock back and forth over and over again. If she’d only realize that picking up one of her hands and moving it forward could be followed up by her other arm and legs. The interesting thing is that soon she will be crawling, and then she’ll be banging her head into something and it will hurt. Or maybe she’ll crawl on a rough surface and scratch up her knees, or here in Texas the surface may be too hot and it’ll burn. As wonderful and painful as some of these experiences may be, they are all part of the development of a baby into a child. Not long after the crawling will be the walking, and is there anything more fearful than watching a child that’s learning to walk? They’re all over the place and so unbalanced, but with time, just as learning to crawl will come, so will walking without looking so unbalanced.

Learning to “Walk in the Spirit” on a daily basis can be so much like the experiences happening in Brynley’s life right now. I have those days when I know what I want to be in God and what I desire to have Him do in my life, but I’m just rocking back and forth because it’s so hard to pick up my hand in faith and move it forward. At times my hand doesn’t come up because I don’t get it yet, but then there are the times when I’m just afraid to release my stability and trust God.

One last thing that I’ve learned: just because I strive to walk daily under the anointing of God doesn’t mean that I don’t make mistakes. I often mess things up and have to regroup and get back to where God wants me to be. God’s not looking for perfection from your life but rather a person hungry and obedient who desires to be everything God has created him or her to be.

Independence Day

Tomorrow, we will be celebrating the birthday of our wonderful nation, and every year it is a celebration of the freedom that our founding fathers imagined for an upstart country. As I reflect upon their wisdom and knowledge that led to the writing of the Declaration of Independence, I can’t help but be drawn to what is declared in the last paragraph. It says: “We, therefore, the Representatives of the United States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States.... And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the Protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.” Those who founded this country understood that there was a Supreme Judge of the world who would judge them for their actions. Everything they did was with the understanding that God was watching and they would someday give an account for what they were doing.

I love this great country and feel blessed to have been born an American citizen. I also understand that I will give an account for how I have lived my life. That is why I need to weigh every choice and decision I make knowing that I will be held accountable for those actions. When I was a young boy, I had in my life supreme authority. Yes, my mom and dad were that supreme authority, and I knew that my actions would be weighed and I would either be blessed for the choices I’d made or reap the punishment of those choices. I really liked the blessings but also came to understand that the punishment was not to harm me but to get my attention. It would point me back to the direction our family was going and I’d better stay in line with that direction. Thank goodness the punishments didn’t come along very often, but I am the man that was formed during those years of having parents who judged my actions.

As much as I love this great country, my heart grieves when I see those who have gotten away from what our founders intended for us to be. God is now a nuisance and people feel that as long as they are not hurting anyone else they should be permitted to do whatever pleases them. This is the kind of thinking that has led to the breakdown of the family, the killing of innocent children, and the idea that I shouldn’t have to work hard or be held accountable for what I am doing. What we need is a good dosage of God…through prayer, getting into the Bible, and worship we will see our hearts and attitudes change. Take a few moments and pray for our country today!

Working Out....when to do it and when to take a break

This morning, while Tami and I were getting ready for work, she asked me if I thought she could start working out again. For those that have not heard we were involved in a terrible car accident a little over a week ago and our SUV rolled over. Thank the Lord that none of us were seriously injured, but we had sore backs and necks along with a few other minor things. Tami knew that I had started back with my workouts on a limited basis and was ready to get back to the gym. I told her that your body will tell you when it’s ready. She was a little confused by my statement, so I had to explain my answer to her. I told her that you will probably be sore when working out, but if you start and your body really hurts then it’s telling you that now is not the time to do this. She thought about it for a minute and said, “My body is telling me it’s not ready yet!” LOL. So, I told her that she should wait another week and see how she is feeling!

As I was thinking about our conversation this morning, I couldn’t help but think about my spiritual journey and the things I go through. Most of my life has been an easy walk with the Lord where everybody likes me (who doesn’t?), everybody treats me with respect, and they pray for me and support me. During those times it just seems like everything falls into place and it’s so easy to be faithful and serve the Lord with all that I am.

Then there have been the times when a crisis has hit me. The loss of a job, death of a family member or close friend, unexpected debt, or maybe a health issue. These are the times that will test my spiritual fitness and strength. During the initial process it’s so hard to be upbeat, be in the Bible, pray, and maybe even go to church. Yet, unlike my physical body, which tells me to stop because I could do further damage, I need to understand that all of these things are a necessary part of my spiritual healing. Is it easy to do them? Of course not. But these are the systems that God has set in place for my own spiritual wellness. On Tuesday, when I went to the gym for the first time, I did my normal workout and was fine until the last 15 minutes. This is when I do my ab work and my back immediately said, “Stop!” I didn’t do my ab workout because I knew I could injure myself and then it could be months before I’m ready to work out. In the same way, when I hurt spiritually, I know that to neglect being in the Bible, praying, and going to church will only lengthen the time of my healing. It may not be easy and it works totally opposite of how I treat my physical body, but that is the way to find the peace that God has for you.

Enjoying Gifts....

There are a few times throughout the year when I receive gifts from family and friends. I always get excited as those times approach because I like gifts! I could go through the list of favorites but don’t want to bore you with the details. Gifts are usually something that brings value to my life, and by using it I might look better, smell better, or have an easier time with some of life’s tasks. Then there are the gifts that are just for fun. They don’t make me look better, make me smell better, or help me accomplish tasks easier; they are just for my entertainment. I can truly say that I love every type of gift.

God is a God who loves to give gifts. The ultimate gift was allowing His Son to die on the cross so we could have the gift of eternal life. That in and of itself is more than I could ever imagine receiving from God, but he didn’t stop with just that gift. When Jesus returned to heaven after his resurrection, the Holy Spirit was sent to give us power through the Gifts of the Holy Spirit. In Acts 2 we see the day of Pentecost, when the Gifts of the Holy Spirit are made available to us, the church. We need to understand that the Gifts of the Spirit are just that—a gift that I don’t have to do anything to receive. The Gifts of the Spirit are given to believers so that they can operate under the anointing and power of God. I believe it is God’s desire for every believer to live daily under the anointing and power of the Holy Spirit, but God will never force us to do it. Just as no one can force me to accept a gift, we need to understand that God will never force us to receive the Gifts of the Holy Spirit. My question is: why would you not want to receive everything God has given for your benefit?

Father's Who Make a Difference

I was blessed to have a dad who displayed his love in many ways. He worked several jobs to provide for our family and allow us as kids growing up to have our mom at home with us every day. In the midst of working all those jobs, he still had time to be home most evenings to sit down with us for family dinner, and he umpired at our little league park where we spent many an evening playing baseball. He taught us the importance of being in church by always making sure his family was at services and Sunday School each week. In fact, there were several years when he was my teacher, and I always enjoyed playing Bible Baseball and other fun games to learn the Bible.

My dad has a way of making us all laugh, even though he’s not as funny as he thinks he is. As kids, we grew up singing a song that he wrote, or tells us he wrote, and we would laugh all the time singing it. And I guess that he must have written it, because I’ve never heard it sung in any church on a Sunday morning. Guess no one ever taught him to copyright and publish his work. My dad taught me the importance of loving God and treating others with love and respect by serving any way necessary to advance the gospel message.

When I think about my life as a dad, I’m baffled by a God who would bless me with two amazingly wonderful children. And now that family has grown to include an unbelievable son-in-law along with a beautiful granddaughter. My desire is to be the same type of leader of my family that my dad was for our family. He did it the same way that his father taught him to lead his family when he was younger. And now I want to teach my son and son-in-law to do it the same way that was passed on to me. What the world needs today is for more men to stand up and be the dad God intends for them to be, leading their families closer to God and being servants showing God’s love to the world around them. Men who can bring joy and laughter to their families as well as create a life-long heritage that will pass from generation to generation. I was blessed to have that in my life and have a great example that I can pass on. If you were not blessed to have the heritage I had, you can create your own heritage. Rise up, dads, and show your family how to serve the Lord.

First Experiences

One of the fun things about life is first time experiences. We’ve all had them, and some bring a big smile to our faces while others make us cringe inside. Well, as new grandparents we are experiencing the joy of watching Brynley experience new things in her young life. This past weekend, when Tami and I got home after attending an open house, we were pleased to see Krystal, Justin, and Brynley enjoying our back yard. They thought it would be a fun day for Brynley to experience our pool for the first time. As they lowered her feet into the pool she began crying because it was a new experience she was not enjoying. I was in total agreement with Brynley because the water was way too cold for swimming. Unless it’s at mild bath tub temperature, it’s just too cold.

I knew what would do the trick and turned on the spa and heated the water to a refreshing 92 degrees. Once the water was at optimal temperature, Krystal took Brynley into the warm water and she had a blast—splashing, smiling, talking, and trying to get her mouth onto the fountain pipe. What a great first time experience. So in the span of an hour, Brynley had one first time experience that brought tears while the other brought a nice big smile.

That’s what life is for each of us. We all have experiences that bring us great joy, while we wish other experiences would just go away. As a part of our spiritual journey, the Lord will bring experiences into our lives that help us develop our faith. Some of those experiences will bring us to the place of saying, “I don’t like this!” Other experiences will bring a smile to our faces because they are so special. Both are needed in our development as believers, so don’t be fearful of first time experiences but instead be open-minded and ask the Lord: What are you wanting to teach me through this? I know I have so many things to learn, and I’m excited about first time experiences that are coming my way.