All Show, No Go

The other day I was following behind a car for awhile on my way to one place or another. As I was following it, I had opportunity to look at the car and one thing stuck out at me. They had a Jesus fish on the back of the car. I first thought it was cool, although uncommon around Norwalk. Then, as I looked further at the car, the owner had a bumper sticker that I found a tad bit offensive, though I’m not going to say more about it in order to not incriminate someone who just may be reading this.

At this point I was wondering who this person really is. Are they a Christian, as they tried to show they were, or are they more in line with the bumper sticker? Although I may never know who the car’s owner is, or what he really stands for, I did start to examine my own life and get something to take away from this event.

First off, it’s very easy to wear a garment, put up a sign, quote the bible on Facebook, or even have something on your car that expresses your faith to the world. However, it’s entirely different to live the life that you are professing to have. Remember that the world will see that quick glimpse of who you profess to be, but the long lasting impression will be from the way you actually live your life. the way you actually live your life.

Next time you do any of the above things to show the world what you believe, make sure that you are living that way too. The truth is out there for all to see, and you don’t want to be a “generic Christian”, which Pastor Bruce described very well this past Sunday. God bless.

Attention

As most of us already realize, the kids in school who get the most attention are either the kids with the very good grades, or those who get in trouble a lot. No matter how good the teacher is, that scenario plays out the majority of the time, especially with younger and younger kids. So, while those kids are getting the majority of the teacher's attention, what happens with the other children who are in the middle? They can feel left out, not loved, or not good enough, etc.

Thankfully God isn’t that way with us when it comes to our relationship with Him. You can be the most spirit filled pray-er, the person who falls back into old ways only to ask God for forgiveness time and time again, or the person who most of the time does their devotions, prayers, etc. Any and all of those people are not only loved by God, but constantly the focus of His love.

So, don’t worry about not being the best Christian that you know. Don’t worry also if you slip from time to time, as He still loves you as well. Instead, know that God loves you for who you are and is happy that you have a relationship with Him. Like any good relationship it takes work, and you should always be doing that. Know that He will love you the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow, and that He will always be there to give you all the attention that you desire.

The Cream Always Rises

I don’t know about you, but I watch a few reality TV shows. I watch America’s Got Talent, Top Chef, The Apprentice, Survivor, MasterChef, and Hell’s Kitchen, to name a few. The one thing I’ve noticed with a lot of these kinds of shows is the variety of different kinds of people on each show.

Last week America’s Got Talent had its finale. We watch this show as a family and we really enjoy it, so we’d watched this whole season and we really were excited for the finals. Yet, it’s what got the show to that point that was the most interesting to me. During the auditions you see tons of different acts; most of them are just horrible. Yet, there is always some outstanding undiscovered talent out there, and of course the act that somehow gets through to the next round. The judges see some acts and for some reason just push through some bad ones, probably to give them someone to make fun of later, right?

Well, as it always happens, by the time they got down to 20 or so acts, the cream had risen to the top. Sure, you still had your singers, magicians, dancers, and other variety acts. Still, by far they were the best in the competition, even though they were so different. They were all worthy of their place, and worked their way into these positions. No matter who won, it was going to be one of the best people from the auditions, be it the child opera singer, the too cool Mr. Grimm (who won it all), the Prince who supposedly is the next Lady GaGa, or one of the others who remained.

My question today is this: If God had a reality show and you were auditioning, would you rise to the top? Are you striving to make yourself better every week in order to remain in the running for the top prize? In shows like AGT the cream always rises to the top. Those people work hard every week in order to get better and better and seek out the votes of others. Are you worthy of other people’s votes? Are you improving yourself in order to get better as a Christian, or are you just coasting along hoping that you won’t be the one voted off?

I pray that you strive to make yourself a better Christian every day/week. Constant progress in your walk will allow you to stay in the competition and allow you to be the star that God has envisioned you to be.

Uncontrollable

In service on Sunday Pastor Bruce talked about men proposing to their girlfriends. I thought back to when I was going to propose, and man, was I nervous! Let me tell you our story.

I set up asking Traci for a few months. We were going to Europe as chaperones, as my dad (a French teacher in Port Clinton) takes a group over every other year. Before we left I had asked Traci’s dad for his approval. I had bought the ring and had arranged for my mom to hold it during the trip so I wouldn't lose it, and it wouldn't be seen if my bags were checked by security. I had even circled the date on the itinerary and arranged with my parents for pretty much everything I could plan ahead of time.

So, through all of that planning, there were still things I couldn’t control. First off, I couldn’t be 100% sure she’d say yes! I mean, I was aiming for the sky in asking such a wonderful woman to marry a guy like me. I also couldn’t control the environment we’d be in. 1998 was the year that France hosted the World Cup and there were crazy drunk people from tons of nationalities all over the place. Oh, and the weather. For some reason I can’t control the weather either.

Now it’s the day I had planned to ask Traci to marry me. We were in Paris (gotta go with the romantic city, right?) and it’s raining at the time we’re suppose to go up the Eiffel Tower. My dad knew what lengths I’d gone through to set this up, and as the group decided to go to the Eiffel Tower another day, he worked it so they would go up the tower with us, giving some crazy excuse to Traci which she said she believed. We arrived at the observation deck and my parents went to another area, leaving us alone. I took Traci over to look out the window , and as I pointed something out to her, I got the ring out and asked her then and there (still reminded that I didn’t kneel down – in my nervousness I forgot!) asked her to marry me. Now the moment of truth came, the biggest variable, if she’d say yes. Thanks to God’s grace, she said yes!!!

So, what did I get out of this other than getting to spend the rest of my life with this great woman? That day it really hit me that I couldn’t be in control of everything. I had planned out just about everything I could, yet not everything went as planned. I didn’t plan for it to rain that day. I didn’t plan for the group not to go up the tower that day. I also couldn’t control what her answer would be. I had no back up plan if she said no, though I’m sure it would have put quite a damper on the rest of the trip. Yet, God worked out the details for everything to work out. We were still able to go up on the tower, and although the view wasn’t as great as normal, there were a lot less people around and we were able to just enjoy the moment. My parents could also be there and just enjoy the moment without having to worry about the students on the trip at that time. (Don’t worry, they were in good hands.)

In our lives, there will always be things we can’t control. Yet, through it all, God has a pretty good grasp on things. The problem is that sometimes we try to get in the way. We try to handle it all ourselves and keep Him out of it.

The next time you have something big to plan, pray for God to be in control and allow Him to manage it all for you. Sure, you’ll have work to do to prepare – but allowing Him to be in control will make it all run better than your control could ever do.

Health Inspection

The other day, as I was reading the paper, I came across the section recent health inspections of local establishments. There are schools, restaurants, gas stations, and many other places listed there. I’m always surprised with the number of times these places can be listed week after week. Then again, as I think about it, I realize that these are surprise inspections, and many times things can get easily missed in the day to day operation of such establishments.

Of course, this got me thinking about my life. What if God sent an angel down to do a surprise inspection of my life? What kind of stuff have I just kind of put to the side and let linger there because I just don’t have time to deal with it in the daily busyness that I call my life? Have I checked lately the amount of heat I put on my family in regard to the tasks that they need to complete daily? Is the cooler in my life the right temperature? Have I left something out too long that should have been thrown away a long time ago?

This week look at your life and start to prepare for an inspection. You never know when it’ll come and who will be doing it. Remember that our lives are on display for the whole world to see and examine. If we want to truly shine into the world for Jesus, we have to show to everyone that we’re ready for these inspections. Sure, we may have a dirty counter from time to time, but if we put in the work to keep up the maintenance and cleaning projects we’ll easily allow others to see Jesus in us.

Writing Again About The Church

So I’ve been thinking a lot lately about what makes up the church. I know that I’ve said it quite a few times up front when I've been Elder Of the Day at church. I also blogged about this in May, but yet god keeps talking to me about this subject. The church isn’t a building. The church isn’t the songs that are sung on Sunday morning, or programs run throughout the week. The church isn’t just the staff that makes the building run.

Instead, the church is all of the people that are a part of it. You are a part of the church, I am part of the church. Our sharing of our lives and experiences with one another is what makes us stronger as a unit. If you don’t get something out of the sermon or other teaching this week, does that mean that the church has nothing to offer you?

What if instead of trying to get something from the teachings you instead go and try to invest in the lives of those around you. Start with just one person you know on Sunday and just spend some time getting to know them better. Then week after week try that with another person, then another, etc. At that point you’ll be invested and truly working to make the church stronger. Through that you will probably find yourself being enriched as well.

So, as I say quite often, the church is more than just a building, programs, teachings, etc. We’re all a part of the church, and when we work on building a stronger foundation we’re able to grow and show the rest of the world how great it is to be a part of His church. If you want to expand the kingdom, work on the relationships you have with others around you at home, at work, at school, etc. You’ll find that you’re helping spread God’s love to everyone around you.

Start or End?

Well, it’s that time of year for just about everyone now. At least, everyone who has kids, or is a teacher. It’s school time again. As I’ve been thinking and planning for the school year to start I began to look at it two different ways. Let me explain.

First off, I saw the negative. I will miss the freedom that the summer gives for family time. There really isn’t much of a problem having the kids stay up late because they can sleep in the next day during the summer. We can throw the ball around all night after I get home from work and not worry about homework, or anything else for that matter. I also saw the money that it costs to get all the supplies, and all the time that it was going to take to make sure we were organized and ready to go. Then add onto that the school calendar of events, sports, etc. Wow, that is a lot of negatives!

Then I saw the positives. We get the family back onto a routine. I’m more of an organized person, so having a routine suits me better than not having one. I also enjoy some of the school events and watching my kids participate in them. It also means that my wife gets some sanity back, which is a bonus – added onto the fact that she’s teaching preschool this year and bringing in some extra cash, which can’t hurt! Oh, and there is my favorite – the house will not be a wreck every day when I get home! Yeah baby!

So, what kind of lesson can someone get out of school starting up? How about the fact that there are two sides to a coin, as they say. When any event happens, the majority of the time it will be an ending point of one thing, and the starting point of another. Sure, we’ll miss the last “season” of our life, but the new one brings a lot of positives as well. It’s all in the way that we approach these starting points that really shapes how we deal with them.

This week, since school starting effects everyone, even if you don’t have kids of your own in school, try to take a positive approach to the start of the school year. Yes, there will be adjustments that need to be made. Yes, it’ll be a roller coaster for awhile as we get adjusted. Yet, through it all this, like all things, happens for a reason. Embrace the change and make the best of it. Look to the positives and know that through the good and the bad, God will be with you as we enter another start of the school year.