Smooth out the edges

So after working in a church for a while you realize there are a whole mess of well…crazy people out there! You know the kind of people that who after they come around you, you have to ask Jesus for a little more patience. You might say to me, you don’t even know about the people I have to deal with in a day, week, or month, but I can guarantee that we all have those who get under our skin.

Kerry Shook in “One Month to Live” called these people sandpaper people, because they are rough to deal with but they can help smooth out the edges in our own lives. And do you want to know a secret, we are sandpaper people, we all drive someone in this world a little crazy. You never thought of that have you? Think about the person who really drives you up a wall, and then think about the fact that you do that to someone else. It’s comforting isn’t it?

 “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, 

which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”

Ephesians 2:10 

(Who is a sandpaper person in your life presently? How do you usually relate to them?)

An easy way to help understand others is to identify how they bug you. What part of their personality do you struggle with? Then think about how that person was raised, the life they have lived. This could be the explanation for how they behave. We have to realize that no one is normal, there is no such thing as normal, God has made us all unique. We should not try and pick someone apart when we all have our own problems we have to deal with.

"And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, 

but do not consider the plank in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, 

‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye?"

Matthew 7:3-4 

God puts people in our life sometimes to help smooth us out and to try to help us be transformed from what we were to become more like Jesus.

Portions quoted other than scripture came from "One Month to Live" by Pastor Kerry & Chris Shook, to buy click http://www.onemonthtolive.com/

True Values

“Trust in the Lord and do good;

dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.

Take delight in the Lord,

and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Commit your way to the Lord;

trust in him and he will do this”

Psalm 37:3-5

Ever wonder why so many times we wait till we have a major issue in our life before we let God catch our attention? We get off track and start on a path to a collision and don’t know how to apply the brakes. Many times it start when our time is crunched, we get overbooked and feel overwhelmed because we know we don’t have enough time. Many times we think we can just manage our life better to solve the problem, but have you ever thought that maybe we are spending time of things that really are not important?

(“When was the last time you experienced a life collision,

a season or experience in which you found yourself coming apart at the seams?”)

We think our schedule is overbooked because we have to many things to do in a day, it may just be we need to reevaluate our lives based on our values not what we would like to get done. Many times we say our health, spouse, or children are important to us, but does our schedule and time spent line up with this belief? Other times we need to seek God’s point of view and ask “Is what I am spending time on what you want me to spend time on?” Our values are based off of what we truly believe is important. Do you work late when your kids have games or plays you should be at? Do you feel it is more important to sleep in on a Sunday rather than show up to worship God with the church your part of? No matter what you think you hold near you true test of what you value will be tied to what you spend time doing.

Take time today to ask God if the things you value and the things He values line up.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart

and lean not on your own understanding;

in all your ways submit to him,

and he will make your paths straight.”

Proverbs 3:5-6


Portions quoted other than scripture came from "One Month to Live" by Pastor Kerry & Chris Shook, to buy click http://www.onemonthtolive.com/

How Deep is Your Love

“He who cannot forgive others

Destroys the bridge over which he himself must pass.”

-George Herbert

So growing up in Southern Delaware many people who did not grow up in the area often ask about the beach, and to their surprise I inform them that I don’t visit it very often. Not too big on the sand or the fact that I can’t see what’s in the water with me. But, whenever I go somewhere tropical, I am always fascinated by those who snorkel and scuba dive. There is a whole other world in the ocean to explore.

Did you know that most people who scuba dive can only go around 130 feet deep? That may sound deep however consider the ocean at its deepest is around 7 miles deep!

We often like to treat God and his love for us the same way as we do the water at the beach, splashing around on the surface. We don’t like to realize our sin never goes away unless we really dive into the love of God.

“(If you only had one month to live, what would you ask forgiveness for? From whom? Whom would you need to forgive?)”

Why do we need to forgive? Well…because Christ commands those who follow him to do so, if you follow Jesus, forgiveness is not an option. (Colossians 3:13) If we try to live without forging others we won’t survive, we just turn into bitter ungrateful people.

“(How have you experienced bitterness in your life?)”

We have to realize that bitterness often leads to anger and Ephesians 4:26-27 speaks of not letting the sun set while you are still angry because you can give the devil a foothold in your life for anger. Sometimes we get angry at God and some would say they don’t, but the great thing about God is he already knows about your anger, he can handle it.

Jesus prayed in Luke 23:34 “Father forgive them for they know not what they do,” this is where we get the power to forgive others. Jesus can take our sin, guilt, and shame and totally get rid of it, but only if we let him.

Portions quoted other than scripture came from "One Month to Live" by Pastor Kerry & Chris Shook, to buy click http://www.onemonthtolive.com/

Tick, tock

Tick tock, tick tock, Hook's afraid of an old crock. - a line summarized by Peter Pan when he confronts Captain Hook. We all know Hook to be the villain in the story. However if you think about it we know that we can be just like him from time to time. We all know that there's a point when we run out of time, you can buy it, you can't trade it, and you can't get anymore no matter how hard you try.

This is something that Captain Hook fights with trying to out run the crocodile and at the same time getting Peter Pan. Now at first look we think that Pan and Hook just don't like each other but Hook doesn't like Pan because in his words he doesn't show "good form." In other words Pan and the lost boys are wild and do whatever they like with little or no consequence, wile Hook always gets the bad end of the deal. I think we relate to Hook and Pan in different was at different times. We can't spend so much of our lives worrying about time that when we get old we wonder what happened, nor can we just go about doing any crazy thing we want just because we feel we can. Also we can't be so blind that we end up thinking we are just a good guy like Hook thought. That's right Hook would not have thought of himself as the villain he would tell you Pan was. Hook was educated businessman who lead his men through life. Pan did the same thing with his lost boys the key difference was that the boys never wanted to grow up and the men were not responsible enough to think things through clearly. 

Ephesians 5: 15-17 "Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise,making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is" 

I don't know if you have ever felt this way but I feel the older I get the faster the weeks, months, and years move. So I don't want to live afraid of time slipping away but take every opportunity that I get to live a life that in the end I would be happy how it was spent. Enjoy your friends and family wile you can, take nothing for granted.

We don't like No

What is necessary to change a person is 

to change his awareness of himself.

-Abraham Maslow

I don't know if anyone has ever told you no, but most of the time it is unpleasant. People in general don't like to be told no. In fact in writing this someone (a salesman) called me and because I did not want his services he hung up on me. Most would admit that wealthy people or people in charge really don't like being told no. How many wealthy people have gotten into trouble because someone told them no and they did not agree with it. 

Now what if I asked you if you were rich? You mite say that you don't consider yourself rich, but according to Andy Stanley's book "How to be Rich" if you make over $37,000 a year you are in the top 4% of the wealthiest people in the world. 

Crazy right!

It seems funny to consider that fact and yet still find it difficult to lead the kind of generous life Jesus called us to.

"Listen carefully to what I am saying—and be wary of the shrewd advice that tells you how to get ahead in the world on your own. Giving, not getting, is the way. Generosity begets generosity. Stinginess impoverishes"

 -Mark 4:24-25

We like to have stuff, acquire more things, build our wealth. None of this is inherently bad, we must use caution though so we don't become consumed by getting instead of giving. Stanley in his book compared it to our appetite, once it gets going it is hard to satisfy. For me it would be like trying to eat just one potato/Doritos chip and then stopping. I can do it, but boy it's hard, I am unable to find contentment because I want more. 

This idea of not being satisfied is why at many restaurants the waiter brings out the try of desserts instead of just showing you the menu, they are trying to arouse the want inside of you so that you are not content with just the meal. 

This is why our appetites are not good for making decisions, we want to increase everything to give a scene of happiness. But we must continue to passionately pursue to live the generous life God called us to. 

"Work at getting along with each other and with God. Otherwise you’ll never get so much as a glimpse of God. Make sure no one gets left out of God’s generosity. Keep a sharp eye out for weeds of bitter discontent. A thistle or two gone to seed can ruin a whole garden in no time. Watch out for the Esau syndrome: trading away God’s lifelong gift in order to satisfy a short-term appetite. You well know how Esau later regretted that impulsive act and wanted God’s blessing—but by then it was too late, tears or no tears."

-Hebrews 12:14-17

click for more information about Andy Stanley's book "How to be rich"