25 to Life - Peter: The "rock" of denial

Lately, since our 16 month old has learned to walk, run, climb, and jump, we have spent an enormous amount of time, removing him, redirecting him, keeping him in check.  One of the cutest things I think I've seen him do is help unload the dishwasher.  He'll pick up the clean plates, bowls, & etc. (we do take the knives out before in case you were worried) and hand them to me one at a time until we have them all put away.  It's adorable to watch him want to help and do his very best at it, but the problem occurs once we are attempting to load the dirty dishes in.  He doesn't understand that they need to be ran and cleaned before he can take them out, but he does it anyway, and we have to stop him from helping at that point because he just doesn't fully understand.  Although our little boy is determined to be helpful and to please us, he doesn't quite get that he is creating more work and issues in his trying to help.

I used to sometimes fear that I may get that way with my faith.  Although my intentions were good, I just didn't really understand what God's plan was, and in those moments, it was next to impossible for me to witness or share the good news of our spiritual freedom through Jesus Christ. Once that would set in, then came the fear of being ridiculed for it, and following close was the denial, because it was easier to avoid the situation by not claiming my faith, than it was to face my fears.  Peter had a similar issue.

A successful co-owner of a prominent fishing business, Simon, whom Jesus would later call Peter, was one of Jesus' early followers.  Having a leaders heart and being such an extrovert eventually made Peter the "head" spokesperson for the twelve disciples.  Peter could've been accused of being somewhat out of control, and although his intentions we're good, he sometimes had a knack for flubbing everything up, especially when it came to matters of extreme faith.

Matthew 14:24-31 Meanwhile, the boat was far out to sea when the wind came up against them and they were battered by the waves. At about four o’clock in the morning, Jesus came toward them walking on the water. They were scared out of their wits. “A ghost!” they said, crying out in terror.  But Jesus was quick to comfort them. “Courage, it’s me. Don’t be afraid.”  Peter, suddenly bold, said, “Master, if it’s really you, call me to come to you on the water."  He said, “Come ahead.”  Jumping out of the boat, Peter walked on the water to Jesus. But when he looked down at the waves churning beneath his feet, he lost his nerve and started to sink. He cried, “Master, save me!”  Jesus didn’t hesitate. He reached down and grabbed his hand. Then he said, “Faint-heart, what got into you"?

Through all of the things that Peter did while following Jesus, he never faltered on his faith, that is. until the night Jesus was betrayed and arrested.  At that point his fear set in and he denied ever knowing Jesus at all.  Even through all of that, Jesus still told Peter that he was the rock on which he build the church.  It goes without saying that Jesus must have had his hands full with Peter.  Yet He still gave him love and responsibility in return. Even though he outright denied knowing Jesus three times when accused, Peter still managed to  become what Jesus was looking for.  He he became the rock on which the future of the Christ following church was established. 

For all of this, where do you think we stand?  If you are breathing then you're qualified!  That's all, Jesus never asked any of His disciples for a resume.  He never required them to have any minimum of years experience to be accepted.  All He asked was that they listened, loved, had faith, and stayed obedient.  That's it, nothing more.  I love knowing that when I accepted Jesus into my heart and life, He accepted me in his, and placed me before the throne of God.  Even though I may be rough around the edges, I know that I am good enough for Jesus and never have to worry about anything because I know that He has and always will take care of me.

25 to Life - Abraham: A father like no other

What is faith? 

It is the confident assurance that something we want is going to happen. It is the certainty that what we hope for is waiting for us, even though we cannot see it up ahead.  Men of God in days of old were famous for their faith.

Hebrews 11:1-2(TLB)

Dad's, how much do you love your children?  Certainly if the situation were to arise you would do just as I would and die for them in an instant, no questions asked right?  Here's the million dollar question though.  How much do you love God?  (Queue dramatic organ music)  Without question, once again I'm sure you would be like me and say something like unconditionally, or something along those lines.  But what if loving God meant losing your child?  Even worse, what if loving God meant you having to sacrifice your own child?  I mean taking their lives in your hands and ending it.  Sounds pretty harsh right?

I have two boys one 16 years old and the other 16 months old. YEAH take that in for a second, one on his way out and one just getting in.  As a dad I would do anything for my sons, including sacrificing my own life to save theirs.  They are right there at the top of the priority list.  I couldn't possibly imagine being asked to end either one of their lives to prove my faith and trust in God.  Now don't get me wrong my teenager is just that a TEENAGER, so there have been plenty of the "I brought you into this world, and I can take you out" speeches in times of mental inadequacies on his part.  But to actually have to take his life especially after not having him in my life for so long, that's a tough row to hoe, and I'm not sure I could handle it.

Abraham was faced with that very circumstance, and not just that, but God also asks him to leave his home and everything he knows to travel to a land that God will show him.  That's kind of like being asked by a friend to pack all of your stuff because he has a new house for you, and when you ask where it is, he replies "I'll let you know when we get there".  I don't know about you, but I don't even think so.  As a matter of fact, I can't think of one person I know who would go along with such a wild plan.  But Abraham DID!  That itself is a testament to his faith and trust in God.  What sets Abraham apart is that he did just as God asked, without question.  

Genesis 12:4(KJV) So Abram departed, as the Lord had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran.

Abraham and his wife Sarah had no children, something in that era and culture that would get you shamed and ridiculed over.  Abraham however loved God and had faith that He would bless them with a child, and eventually He did.  Ta-da!  Welcome to the world baby Issac.  I commend Abraham's trust, faith, and love for God, but then it happened..........................................................

Genesis 22:2(MSG)  He said, “Take your dear son Isaac whom you love and go to the land of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains that I’ll point out to you.”

Yep, this is where I check out.  Not good old Abe though, noooooooooo.  This guy not only obeys God and gathered wood for a burnt offering, but had his son carry it up the mountain on his back.

Genesis 22:6(MSG) Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and gave it to Isaac his son to carry. He carried the flint and the knife. The two of them went off together.

That's like having a guy who is about to be facing the electric chair go and change the fuses first.  PLUM LOCO!  Abraham however did as he was told, and at the last minute...........................

Genesis 22:10-13(NIV)

10 Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. 11 But the angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!”

“Here I am,” he replied. 12 “Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.” 13 Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram[a] caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son.

Ask yourself this........Could I have done it?  Would I have done it?  It's not an easy pill to swallow.  Let's look at it like this, Abraham loved God so much that he was willing to sacrifice his only son to prove it.  

Oh yeah, then there's this........................................

God DID sacrifice His son, He DID watch from above as His son was condemned to death.  He DID all of that to show us how much faith, hope, and love He has for all of us, His children.

I would definitely say that through all of that, He is a father like no other.

God Bless!

25 to Life - Luke: It's not a REAL adventure unless there's a U-turn!

We have a saying in my family, mostly because I usually have either no idea where I'm going or because I am not paying attention to the side roads that I may or may not need to turn down.  It almost always comes out once I've realized that I have missed my turn or that I am heading the wrong direction.  "It's not a real adventure unless there's a U-turn".

When I was 12 years old I met the ultimate love of my life.  I'm talking bout that one in a million, person that God creates just for you.  Fast forward 5 years and we were giving birth to our now 16 year old son.  That was a blessing in itself.

Through a series of untimely events and a few people (which I have forgiven, because that's the rules right, you know seventy times seven and all that?) involving themselves where they weren't needed, the relationship became broken and then turned into distance and eventually dissipated into non-existence.  For the next 13 years I went without seeing my son, BAD move on my part.  Every day that passed was one more day further apart, until eventually I was convinced that I would never see or hear from him for the rest of my life.  I settled in to that thought and eventually accepted it, but my son and his mother never left my heart.  Deep down inside my heart I always had love and concern for them both, but I just knew that we would never meet again.

God however, had another plan in mind for me, her, him, US.  When our son was 13, with the help of God, my son and I came back in contact with each other, and his mother an I rekindled our once amazing love for each other, and we now have been living out our happily ever after with our TWO sons going on 3 years now.

God is in the business of turning peoples lives around for the better.  Take Luke for example, he was not an Israelite, which would make him the only author in the New Testament to not be one.  He was a Gentile, but a very open minded, and intellectual man.  The thing with Luke is that he like a lot of us, found himself in a comfort zone, and settled for the life that he was living, but God had another plan.  Luke never planned on participating in "the way", which is what they called Jesus' teachings.  He simply wanted to continue living his life the way that he always had.  But when God called on Luke and opened his heart to the love and peace that only He can deliver us, Luke made that U-turn and started his adventure.

What does this mean for us? No matter where we are in our faith walk,  never count out what God can do.  Never discredit the changes that He can make in our lives.  Make sure you pack a map, and pay attention to where the heck you're going because you always seem to get lost and......( sorry I digress, that's actually just for me).

So when you think that things are the way they are and will never change, look to God and ask, "what would you have me do for you?".  You never know when your U-turn is coming, and believe me when I say that making that U-turn could be the greatest decision you've ever made in your life.

From my family to yours,
God Bless!  

25 to Life - Moses: God's stuttering, stammering, blessing to the Hebrews.

Twenty-five to life is usually a phrase that we use when referring to criminals who have been judged and sentenced that very amount of time to prison.  In this instance, we are using twenty-five examples of Biblical men to compare and contrast against our lives to, in order to see that we become the great men of God that not only He wants us to be, but the one our families need us to be as well.  Over the next several days we will review each person individually, their story, and then discuss how their lives compare to ours (except for maybe Noah, but hey, maybe you have passed out naked on a beach once or twice in your lives and.........okay I'll include Noah.)

So let's get to it!   Ladies and gentleman, let's meet Moses, the God chosen stuttering confidence lacking, liberator of God's people, the Hebrews.

At  33 years of age, I have a 16 year old and a 16 month old, and I know that I am supposed to be the provider and the spiritual leader of my family, but sometimes I wonder what God was thinking when He decided to give me that position.  I don't always feel like, or sometimes a situation will occur that makes me question whether or not I'm good enough for the job.

When our 16 month old was a few months younger he had serious g.i. issues, which caused him to become extremely constipated, and I would have to administer a laxative to get his "juices flowing" so to speak.  One particular night, I gave him the medicine, waited for him to "handle his business", and then later as I'd done soooooo many times before, hopped in the shower holding him to give him a bath before bedtime.  This particular night the moon must have been in a weird cycle, or maybe the stars weren't aligned right, but whatever it was, it certainly turned out crappy for me, and I mean that in the truest sense of the word.  My son CRAPPED. ON. ME. IN. THE. SHOWER!  Now for you dads who haven't had the invigorating experience of your sweet, precious, cute, little baby just crapping all over you, your NOT missing anything.  IT WAS DISGUSTING!

Even as a baby, growing into toddler, there were times, and will almost certainly will be more, where I will be pooped on, peed on, threw up on......why do we do this again?  Sorry I digress, even through all of that we do not choose to stop holding or loving our children because, they are the most important to us. Whenever I think of the unconditional love I have for my kids, I'm reminded that God made me for this purpose and He knows me better than I do, and that He loves us as His children as well, and even though we might poop on Him, spit up on Him, question His decisions, or even turn our backs to Him, He never stops loving us unconditionally.

Take Moses for example.  He was appointed by God to liberate the Hebrews from their 400+ year long slavery to the Egyptians, and then to be their guide, governor, and spiritual leader.  Now that is a serious undertaking, especially considering Moses had trouble speaking because of his stuttering and stammering.  That's right, Moses couldn't speak properly, and felt that God had made a mistake in choosing him for the job.

Exodus 4:10-17The Message (MSG)  Moses raised another objection to God: “Master, please, I don’t talk well. I’ve never been good with words, neither before nor after you spoke to me. I stutter and stammer.”

When he expressed that to God, he was reassured that what he felt was a deal breaker, was no big deal to God and would be handled.  God reassured Moses, then provides someone to speak for him.  Problem solved right?  Time to move on?  WRONG!  Even after all that God had said and done, Moses still second guessed himself and questioned God for choosing him.

Exodus 5:22   New International Version (NIV)   Moses returned to the Lord and said, “Why, Lord, why have you brought trouble on this people? Is this why you sent me?

So what can we take away from this?  You and I aren't expected to be perfect.  God calls the broken and unqualified to serve Him.  If we were perfect there would be no need for His grace and mercy, but we're not.

Romans 3:23New King James Version (NKJV)  for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God

When you find yourself at the point in life where you are moving into that family leadership position, just remember that no one is perfect, everyone gets it wrong once in a while.  Just as long as you pray, and ask God for wisdom, He'll keep you pointed in the right direction.

Reflection questions 

1)  Is there anything about me that I feel disqualifies me from being a man of God?





2)  Have I asked God to give me knowledge, wisdom, and patience to become what He wants me to be?



















 

What is Getting In Your Faith?

Getting In Your Faith isn’t just a punny slogan to get and keep your attention.  It’s a real life, real world approach implementing Biblical thought and truth into our every day lives.  It’s meant to provoke conversation, inspire, and entertain all while bringing YOU, the reader, closer to God.  Living this wild life in this crazy world in itself is an adventure, never knowing what one day to the next will bring. 

I believe it was the great philosopher Forrest Gump that said “life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’ll get”.  That ladies and gentleman is one of the truest statements ever spoken. Sometimes we’re living the chocolate covered caramel, or turtle life, and things are just wonderful until we stop paying attention or get distracted and wind up tossing one of those nefarious chocolate covered lemony gelatinous goopy things in our mouths, to which I am sure are a great big joke to the chocolate makers, and then what?  We are stuck eating it and there’s not too much that can be done about it.  So what do we do when we’ve got a mouth full of “bad day” lemon candy?  We suck it up and swallow it because, let’s be honest, spitting it out is kinda gross.  To keep from doing that again I bet that we’ll reach for the chocolate guide that tells us where to find what we like, and how to avoid what we don’t.  

So what does all this excessive rambling mean?  In life, things aren’t always going to be great, but when we're in middle of a hard time, all we need to do is ask God to help us work through it, never ever give up, and look to the Bible to see how to avoid it the next time.  So sit back, relax, open your mind and your heart and ask God to start Getting In Your Faith!