A Final Plea

TODAY is the last day of Camp Coldwater's effort to raise $5,000 to drill a well.  I know I have a lot of people who can read this blog and I'm asking you to help.  I won't do it often.  I don't expect it.  But, I am hopeful.  We need $995 as of 2:15 pm on Wednesday. 


I have been at Uplift since Saturday with our church youth group and taught classes Tuesday and Wednesday to 150 or so kids both days.  We are driving back today and I can't wait to sleep in my bed again.  It's not that I mind a twin bed, I've just had enough of it!


What an incredible experience with incredible young people.  I'm encouraged about what the future will hold with these kids I get to be around.  Some may talk about their tattoos and piercings and crazy hair-do's and whatever else but when you are around them long enough to peer into what God is looking at, their hearts, I believe you will find hope. 


Grace and peace to you.

On The Road Again

THANK YOU to the folks who are helping Camp Coldwater sponsor a water well for people who are suffering in this world without clean water.  I hope the Lord covers you in his blessings for helping those who are not in a position to help themselves.  Know that Jesus is speaking to you in Matthew 25:40 because of your selflessness.  If you haven't helped, there are just a few days remaining.  Please support this great cause at mycharitywater.org/campcoldwater.


In Christ Alone may be the most powerful song I have ever listened to.  I have yet to hear it or sing it that I don't have to pause to wipe tears of joy from my eyes.  (Yes, I'm an emotional kind of guy.  What about it?)  I hope you will be reminded of the power of Jesus Christ as you listen.



Grace and peace to you.

God's Provision

We will return to our regular programming, God's Provision, in just a moment.  First, please listen to this announcement from our sponsor, Camp Coldwater.  "Bad water = bad health, even death.  Please help.  Donate to Charity:Water through the Camp Coldwater link to the right and help give the gift of health and help save lives.  Thank you."


One of the chapters in my book (it's still in my head) comparing my walk with that of the Israelites is my take on God's provision.  He gives me everything I need.  When I need it.  Pretty simple, huh?  Of course, I want what he gives me plus a few other things and when he gives me some of those things I want a few more things.  Pretty goofy, huh?


A year ago at this time, I was going through some of the darkest days of my life.  I was questioning God and not sure I really trusted him.  My prayers had not been answered and my fears had become reality.  I felt alone and empty and felt like all the bad stuff I had done had finally caused God to give up on me.


I was wrong, of course.  What I have learned is that God went to the shed to get his hammer and chisel knowing I was ready for some work to be done on me.  That might not make sense until you watch this video: God's Chisel  by the Skit Guys (see more of their great work at www.skitguys.com).

It's a year later and a time that could be filled with sadness but God has provided again.  I'm traveling to Searcy, Arkansas with our church youth group for Uplift and will be presenting lessons on two days about faith and salvation.  It hit me a day or two ago that God has taken a time I could choose to run a myriad of negative emotions and fill those days with thoughts and ideas about faith and salvation.

Tell me he isn't giving me my daily bread.

I look forward to posting some things from Uplift in the coming weeks but in my absence next week, I plan to have links to several songs that spoke to me in dark days and helped me lift up my eyes to see Jesus at work and helped me open my heart to what God has in store for me.  I hope they may speak to someone else as loudly and forcefully as God spoke to me through them.

I believe that God is sovereign and he does and will always provide all that I need.  All I need to do is be still and be content in his provision.

Grace and peace to you.

I'm Talking To You

Usually my blog is written to myself.  Things I'm thinking that I need to "think" out loud so I can see it and chew on it.  Today, it's written to you.

See the picture to the right?  The baby bottle filled with dirty water?  Kids are dying because of filthy water and you have the opportunity to do something about it.  I've got the link to Camp Coldwater's Charity:Water page where you can give money to help children (and adults) get clean drinking water.  What's stopping you from donating?  Today? 

I'm averaging over 30 page views a day.  If those 30 people donated $10 the goal would almost be met.  So here's the deal.  If you read this and haven't donated yet (I think 2 of my regular readers have prompted a donation), go to mycharitywater.org/campcoldwater today and give $10 or more and I'll cover the remaining balance to reach the $5,000 goal.  I know who some of you are so don't disappoint me.  When you donate, put "wayoutwise" in the comments so I'll know my peeps aren't cheapskates. 

You can prevent someone from dying from germs/disease/infection that comes from dirty water. 

Grace and peace to you.

The Fine Line

It seems so often in life there is a fine line between so many things.  I've often tried to find the line and see how close I could get to it before crossing and there have been many times I've blatantly stepped across it without much concern for where my path was headed.  Maybe the things I think are co-existing on a fine line really have a chasm separating them and I just can't see it...but it's the way I see it at the moment.


Yesterday, I was reminded that there is a fine line between using the word of God to build up and strengthen and using the word of God to be the judge of another person's heart and actions.  I was handed a Bible and asked to read a scripture by someone who doesn't know me or my heart or my burning desire to know God better.  I was handed the Bible and asked to read the scripture because this man thought it would convict me of something he thinks I'm very wrong about and that he wanted to call me out, in his own way, to come around to his way of thinking.  Now, I'm completely open that he may be right and I may be wrong in the sense that it is something I will pray about and ask for God's direction, but today I don't feel I am crossing any lines with God.  I'm also open to the fact that he is convicted by what he believes and in that sense I appreciate he would share his concern for me.  On the other hand, I do not appreciate how it was done or the fact that he doesn't appear to want to know anything about me and my thoughts on the matter. 

The most telling part of the morning to me was this - as soon as I knew he was there, I knew he would confront me and I immediately prayed that God would simply hold my tongue and I would remain silent.  I didn't want to get in a verbal battle and I didn't want to go into collision mode (meaning I would collide with him like a jet propelled madman as I'm apt to do at times), I just wanted to be silent and let God work in that moment, whether on him or on me.  I had the strength of restraint that came from something greater than me and in that moment I was confident I was turning my heart and mind over to God. 

I know the day will come when this man will approach me again to share his views and I believe I will be fully prepared to answer him with what I am convicted God is revealing to me and in that space, I'll pray that God speaks to us both to know him better, to hear his desire for our lives and to live in either agreement or disagreement with the knowledge that each of us will seek God to furthest reaches of our being. 

Grace and peace to you.

The Story of the Loving Father

If you know me, you know I love the story of the loving father (often called the story of the prodigal son) because I believe it's my story.  Jon Acuff wrote a great blog about this story and I want to send you to his thoughts today.  I think it's a story that can never be read enough.


Jon Acuff's Blog - The Prodigal Story


Grace and peace to you.

Sports Wrap-up

The Mavs win!  The Mavs win! 


You can thank me later.  I picked the opposing team in every series and the reverse psychology worked.  Dirk has made me a believer and I'm happy for several of the Mavs who get the rings.  I still think picking up Tyson Chandler was the best move the Mavs have made in awhile.  JJ Berea is my favorite NBA little man.  JJ is lights out.  I don't know how he gets it done but he does.  Rick Carlisle deserves some apologies but I doubt he wants them.  He did some good coaching this year. 

LeBron is 0-2 in championship series.  I wish he could have won in Cleveland.  I'll keep hoping they don't get close in Miami. 


Read this article.  Yes, it's about the Angels but it's good stuff.


Langdon Story

I'm headed east today for a funeral.  I'm sure it will be sad but I trust it will also be a celebration for a life well-lived and for addition to the ranks in heaven.  Join me in a prayer of peace and comfort for the Knight family today.

Why the Rangers Are Cool

It's Friday so how about nothing too heavy today?  Works for me.


I subscribe to the Newberg Report which is a daily email update on the Rangers.  I got this email earlier this week about the Rangers 2nd pick in the 1st round, Zach Cone, and a college teammate of Cone's who was injured in a collision with Cone on the playing field.

Recall this note from yesterday’s Newberg Report:

[Supplemental first-round pick Zach] Cone hit .363/.403/.627 for the Bulldogs in 2010, leading to pre-season All-America recognition and prompting BA’s Jim Callis to write a year ago that he profiled as a first-round pick this season and that he “[m]ight be the best athlete in the 2011 college crop.”  But he collided with fellow Bulldogs outfielder Jonathan Taylor as they converged on a looping line drive in March, leaving Taylor (who weighed 20 pounds less than the 200-lb. Cone) partially paralyzed with a neck injury after his head struck Cone’s hip.  He may not walk again. 

Texas just drafted Taylor in the 33^rd round (h/t Jason Cole of Lone Star Dugout).

I find this very, very, very cool.

Jamey

This is a good reason why I'm a Rangers fan; win, lose or draw.  I know it doesn't mean the Rangers organization has the heart of Jesus...or maybe it does.  Either way, it sounds like good people doing good stuff. I can't imagine being paralyzed and what that does to someone emotionally.  I can't imagine being the guy who ran into the guy who is now paralyzed.  I wonder if it slows him down on the field when he knows another player is chasing a ball.  I'm guessing there could be a strong bond between those two players now and maybe both getting drafted by the Rangers helps both of them heal and look forward to what can be. 

Go here for more on the story from the Rangers website: Rangers Draft Taylor


I think about my funeral a lot, probably too much, but it's mine so I can think about it all I want.  I've always hoped the things that were said about me had more to do with me loving God and doing his will than loving the Rangers or Longhorns or baseball or something of this world.  That said, I might not mind being mentioned as a Rangers fan after reading about their 33rd round draft choice.


I went to a memorial service for Jimmie Armes on Wednesday.  I didn't know Jimmie as well as I would have liked to but knew him well enough to know he was a good man, a sincere and compassionate man and based on what was said at his memorial service, a man who wanted to know God better every day of his life.  I'll miss seeing Jimmie, even as infrequently as I did, but he's someone who left a story of doing good and loving people for me and I will always appreciate him for that.  His wife, Marye Nella, is cut of the same cloth, a good woman with a loving heart and I am thankful to know her.  I hope she will find peace and comfort through the Lord with the loss of Jimmie.


Grace and peace to you.

Don't Be a Wiener

Anthony Wiener is the new poster boy for sexting and the question of how much/far is too much/far.  He followed all the typical paths; denial, blame, shifting responsibility and, finally, admitting what really happened.  I've walked some of that road he's on (no, not the sexting part) of finding a million reasons and excuses for doing something wrong and then wanting to take the position that it's not my fault.  I think Mr. Wiener will find that owning up to his wrongdoing and, I hope for him, making significant changes in his life will lead him to a better road.


I met with one of my counselors Tuesday.  It's been awhile since I've seen Jerry, a good, Godly man who has helped me get off the road of denial and blame and shifting responsibility and has helped me get on the path that God wants me to walk.  Oh, I've ventured off of it but I'm better equipped than ever to get back on God's path for me and to seek him more than seeking my own pleasure.  I went back to see him because I don't celebrate victories as well as I suffer defeats and I wanted to celebrate with him and share in what God has done through him in my life and to talk about areas where there are still some cracks that need to be fixed...because I want more victory celebrations.


I hope Mr. Wiener will learn what I'm learning.  With God, you're either all-in or you're walking the other way.  There's no "I sent lewd pictures but I didn't have a physical relationship with them" with God.  My heart is either set on the things of God or they are set on the things of Jeff.  I still have moments where I hurt for not learning that lesson years ago but all I have is today.  Will I live it for God or live it for Jeff?


I want to live it for God.  I am not my own.  I was bought at a price.  This day, I want to honor God with my body, with my actions, with my words, with my thoughts, with every fiber of my being.


Grace and peace to you.

Happy, Happy, Happy

I'm borrowing from John Eldredge again.  I get emails from him and he often speaks to things that are on my mind and on my heart.  This is one of those emails.

I have people tell me from time to time, "you deserve to be happy" and it's something that just doesn't sit well with me.  For me, happiness is a fleeting thing.  I'm happy one moment, not so happy the next.  I'm happy and a problem pops, I'm happy and someone does something to me that hurts, one minute I'm happy and then I'm not so happy for a multitude of reasons.  Happiness comes quickly and it goes quickly.  Sometimes life is hard and it beats me down and if happiness is what I really seek, I'll be miserable.

As Good as It Gets?

If for all practical purposes we believe that this life is our best shot at happiness, if this is as good as it gets, we will live as desperate, demanding, and eventually despairing men and women. We will place on this world a burden it was never intended to bear. We will try to find a way to sneak back into the Garden and when that fails, as it always does, our heart fails as well. If truth be told, most of us live as though this life is our only hope.

In his wonderful book The Eclipse of Heaven, A. J. Conyers put it quite simply: "We live in a world no longer under heaven." All the crises of the human soul flow from there. All our addictions and depressions, the rage that simmers just beneath the surface of our Christian facade, and the deadness that characterizes so much of our lives has a common root: We think this is as good as it gets. Take away the hope of arrival and our journey becomes the Battan death march. The best human life is unspeakably sad. Even if we manage to escape some of the bigger tragedies (and few of us do), life rarely matches our expectations. When we do get a taste of what we really long for, it never lasts. Every vacation eventually comes to an end. Friends move away. Our careers don't quite pan out. Sadly, we feel guilty about our disappointment, as though we ought to be more grateful.

Of course we're disappointed-we're made for so much more. "He has also set eternity in the hearts" (Eccl. 3:11). Our longing for heaven whispers to us in our disappointments and screams through our agony. "If I find in myself desires which nothing in this world can satisfy," C. S. Lewis wrote, "the only logical explanation is that I was made for another world."

(The Sacred Romance , 179-80)

I know the people who tell me I deserve to be happy mean well and I don't set out to give them my outlook on things (because they'd likely think I'm loonier than they already do) and I appreciate their concern for me.  That said, I've also got some other friends who share their hopes for me in this way: Seek God.  Seek his favor.  Seek the peace that comes only from Him.  Seek joy from knowing Jesus' love.  Seek comfort from being a child of God.  Seek God.  Nothing more, nothing less.  I know today, more than ever, that seeking God and his ways for my life will lead me to something greater, more fulfilling, than happiness ever could.

Grace and peace to you.

BUSTED!

I got busted Sunday night.  Not the handcuffed, off-to-jail busted (at least not this time!) but the "why did you say that" kind of busted that reminds me so well that the moment I start thinking I'm doing so good, I go and do something I wish I didn't.  Now, the error of my ways was a bit of gossip I dropped into a conversation that 1) isn't something I really even care about and 2) was totally useless and inappropriate.  I had heard a 3rd or 4th hand story about someone famous a few days ago, the famous person came up in a conversation Sunday night, I spoke as if I was an authority on the subject and later, that friend asked why I said it if I really didn't know.


Good question.  It's why gossip is a bad thing.  It's why I detest those magazines hanging on the racks at Wal-Mart ready to give us all the dirt on someone.  And, the crazy thing is, I look at that stuff and think I'm above it.


The simple little reminder here is that I need to check what I say before I say it.  There's a reason James talks about the damage that can be done with the tongue.  There's a reason Paul tells the Corinthians that they are not their own, they were bought at a price and to honor God with their bodies (including their mouth).


A few years ago, that gentle reprimand might have brought forth some anger from inside me.  Sunday night, I was thankful for the reminder that I need to always be alert to the things I can say and do that do not honor God because that is what I want to be doing, honoring and glorifying him in all my ways.


Grace and peace to you.

Dream Sharing

It's scary sharing your dreams.  What if people laugh at you?  What if people talk about you behind your back?  What if people think you are crazy?  What if you are crazy?  Or...


What if they want to share in the dream, crazy or not?
Wednesday, I taught my last lesson out of Crazy Love at our workplace Bible study and my good friend Bart shared his dream of helping these guys we've met over in Denton.  As he shared, the interest level in what he discussed was evident and when he was done, everyone was offering to help in some way.

Sometimes our dreams seem wacky to the ways of the world but perfectly legitimate to people who want to be disciples of Christ.  Sometimes we are crazy for dreaming our dreams based on what the world/flesh tells us we should want or want to do but they seem so normal to God.


Normal to God.  Now that's a subject that I need to explore sometime.


Anyway, one of the favorite lines I ever heard Matt Chandler say in one of his sermon's was "how long do we have to study the playbook before we start running the plays?"  I know Bart's dream today is going to be reality soon...no longer a dream to think about but an action that is happening, that is revealing God to guys who are waiting to be loved, that is meeting physical, emotional and spiritual needs and hopefully, setting up some guys to find success in managing their physical life and success is growing in their spiritual walk.


Grace and peace to you.

The Lies We Are Told

I'm borrowing from John Eldredge again today.  He talks about a lie I have fallen for and still fall for from time to time but as I learn more and more about God's love for me, the lie is rapidly losing it's power over me. 

Subtle Attack?Looking for Agreements

The devil has more temptations than an actor has costumes for the stage. And one of his all-time favorite disguises is that of a lying spirit, to abuse your tender heart with the worst news he can deliver-that you do not really love Jesus Christ and that you are only pretending, you are only deceiving yourself. (William Gurnall)

Satan is called in Scripture the Father of Lies (John 8:44). His very first attack against the human race was to lie to Eve and Adam about God, and where life is to be found, and what the consequences of certain actions would and would not be. He is a master at this. He suggests to us-as he suggested to Adam and Eve-some sort of idea or inclination or impression, and what he is seeking is a sort of "agreement" on our part. He's hoping we'll buy into whatever he's saying, offering, insinuating. Our first parents bought into it, and look what disaster came of it. The Evil One is still lying to us, seeking our agreement every single day.

Your heart is good. Your heart matters to God. Those are the two hardest things to hang on to. I'm serious-try it. Try to hold this up for even a day. My heart is good. My heart matters to God. You will be amazed at how much accusation you live under. You have an argument with your daughter on the way to school; as you drive off, you have a nagging sense of, Well, you really blew that one. If your heart agrees-Yeah, I really did-without taking the issue to Jesus, then the Enemy will try to go for more. You're always blowing it with her. Another agreement is made. It's true. I'm such a lousy parent. Keep this up and your whole day is tanked in about five minutes. The Enemy will take any small victory he can get. It moves from You did a bad thing to You are bad. After a while it just becomes a cloud we live under, accept as normal.

(Waking the Dead , 152-53)

Lord, I thank you that your love has more power than anything else I will ever know.


Grace and peace to you.

Turn It Around LoMo

"If you don't want to follow me, don't follow me," he says with a shrug.

That's Logan Morrison's response to questions about his use of bad language, sexual jokes and innuendo and other comments he makes on his Twitter account.  He's a Florida Marlins baseball player who estimates his audience ranges from 15 years old and up.

I wonder what would happen if he used his Twitter account to say positive, wholesome statements.  He'd probably lose many of his 26,000 followers I suppose...or maybe he would gain more.  Either way, he takes a selfish approach to the social media opportunity.  I'll be one who doesn't follow him.
___________________________________________

Here's something good to follow.  Go to mycharitywater.org/campcoldwater and donate.  This is part of a project the youth group at our church in Decatur is doing this summer and they are wanting to raise $5,000 to help drill a water well somewhere in the world that doesn't have clean drinking water.




Grace and peace to you.