Anxious For Nothing & Controlling Everything

It’s Monday…again. Doesn’t it seem like Mondays come around every 7 days or so? Like, EVERY week there’s a Monday. Can’t escape it. It’s inevitable. It’s going to happen. Monday’s going to sneak in when you least expect it or want it.

No. Not really.

Reality is we all KNOW when Monday is coming. We know that when we lie down Sunday night, when we awake in the morning, it’s going to be Monday. I don’t know about you, but I start running through my to-do list as I fall asleep…the things I NEED to do or at least THINK I need to do. Sometimes I fall asleep before making it halfway down the list. Other times I become so overwhelmed, so stressed, so anxious, that I cannot fall asleep until I’ve gone over the list a hundred times and then start thinking about all the OTHER stuff I need to do as well.

Be anxious for what?

The Bible says be anxious for nothing. My brain says control everything. Notice one is capitalized. Notice one has authority. My brain is rebellious…it’s not bothered by grammar or proper nouns.

The problem is I go to bed thinking about MY plans for the day or week and I neglect to ask God about HIS plans. God, what would You have me do this week? God, what do You have in store for me? God, how can I best HONOR You, GLORIFY You, make Your name FAMOUS? Instead, dialogue with God, my conversation with Him, becomes nothing more than praying a wish list.

God, want to see a rainbow, and a unicorn, and world peace, and…and…and…and…and…

Today, I prayed for help in getting OUT OF THE WAY. Today, I prayed for LESS OF ME. Today, I prayed for His GUIDANCE, His LEAD, His WAY.

What else is there to pray for when ALL I’LL EVER NEED I’ve already found in Jesus?

Are you praying for more STUFF or more of HIM?

Portions Of Trust & Sections Of Control

I had the privilege of spending the morning with my daughter this morning. Just us two…and like a hundred other dads and kids. We attended an event at her school known as “Donuts & Dads.” It was good to see her in HER element, around HER friends.

While in the van (yes, I drive a man-van…you might call it a mini-van…tom-ay-to/ tom-ah-to) she looks at the clock and says, “Will it be 7:30 when we get there?” I responded like any good parent would, “Why?” Then she said something that floored me, “Because I don’t want to get there and have to wait.” Mind you, it was 7:26 when she asked. Yes people, for those of you who struggle with keeping time, that’s a difference of 4 minutes. She didn’t want to wait 4 minutes. 4 minutes!

I wonder how many of us are struggling with a “4 minute” wait.
I wonder how many of us are searching for a QUICKER way, a DETOUR.
I wonder how many of us are RECALCULATING (GPS anyone?).
I wonder how many of us are stressed out.
I wonder how many of us are ready to give up.
I wonder how many of us are feeling left out, forgotten, left behind.
I wonder how many of us are desperate for PEACE.

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:6-7 NKJV

The Bible tells us to be anxious for NOTHING. Read that again. Say it aloud. Read it again. Be anxious for NOTHING. The text goes on to say in EVERYTHING by PRAYER and SUPPLICATION, with THANKSGIVING, tell God, let Him know and you’ll find PEACE.

Why?

We hand it over to Him.
We release our sense of control.
We allow God to do His thing.
We find peace knowing He’s got it.
We find peace knowing He’ll handle it.

You trust Him enough for your salvation, you trust Him enough for rescue you from the brink of death and destruction…why not trust Him for your EVERYTHING?

Overcoming The Giants Of Life

For the past few weeks here at New Life we’ve been going through the series “Overcoming Life’s Giants.” We’ve talked about what it means to OVERCOME the giants of fear, the almost life, and even gratitude (isn’t CRAZY that gratitude, a grateful heart, can be a giant?). Our pastors, our shepherds, our leaders have a desire to see our church, our people, us, you, me, set FREE from our struggles—to no longer be OVERWHELMED by the world, but to OVERCOME it! That gets me EXCITED! That gets me PUMPED!

There’s a passion, a burning desire to BE the church, to REACH the oppressed, to TEACH the willing, to SEND the obedient. I’m not perfect, in fact I’m far from it, but I know that my Jesus is working in me and through me, washing away the filth of my past and making room for himself so that he can FILL ME UP! He’s loosening the shackles…no, he’s already LOOSENED the shackles; it’s a matter of whether or not I’ll take my hands and feet out from them.

He’s already done the work.
He’s already made a way.
It’s up to me to follow.
It’s up to you to follow.

The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is upon me, for the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted and to proclaim that captives will be released and prisoners will be freed.
Isaiah 61:1 NLT

These words, taken from the book of Isaiah, are spoken once more later in the Bible, spoken not from the mouth of a prophet, but from the author himself…Jesus (Luke 4:18-19). Jesus didn’t shed his blood to save a few, to rescue some, to redeem a handful. He died, he sacrificed himself on the cross to SAVE THE WORLD!

Jesus came to BRING GOOD NEWS TO THE POOR.
Jesus came to COMFORT THE BROKENHEARTED.
Jesus came to PROCLAIM THAT CAPTIVES WILL BE RELEASED.
Jesus came so the PRISONERS WOULD BE FREED.

We ARE the poor. We ARE the brokenhearted. We ARE the captives. We ARE the prisoners. Yet there’s GOOD NEWS…in Christ, we are SET FREE! We can stop searching. We can stop looking. We can stop hunting. We fool ourselves into thinking peace and comfort and rest can be found in a bottle of pills or alcohol or relationships or work (the list seriously goes on and on), but we look to no avail because we look in the wrong places. Until we turn our eyes to Jesus, peace will continue to escape us.

New Life, how are you doing? I pray you’re eating this series up. I pray our church is set free. I pray our church finds rest.

Will you OVERCOME or be OVERWHELMED?

Hiding Beneath The Blanket Of Expectancy

Life is short.
Yesterday I was child.
Today I am a father.
Tomorrow I will breathe my last.
Life is short.

Gratitude is one of those things that can easily escape your grasp. You wake up in the same house. Wear the same clothes. Eat the same food. Drive the same car. Work at the same job. Live with the same people. Life becomes less than ordinary, it becomes expected, it becomes routine. Gratitude can be difficult to find. It hides amongst the normalcy of life. It lies hidden beneath a thick blanket of expectancy.

It’s typically not until something CHANGES that we remember it was ever there to begin with. It’s typically not until someone LEAVES that we remember how much we loved them, appreciated them, miss them.

Gratitude is that shirt you find on the clearance rack at T.J.Maxx. You had to HUNT for it. You had to LOOK for it. It had to be FOUND.

But you do not know what will happen tomorrow! Your life is like a mist. You can see it for a short time, but then it goes away.
James 4:14 NCV
 

The Bible tells us that we don’t know what will happen tomorrow; in fact, Jesus himself told us to not be anxious about tomorrow (Matthew 6:34). Our life is short. We see it for a short time and then POOF…it’s gone…we’re gone…you’re gone…I’m gone.

Don’t get caught up in worries about your past or what might happen in your future. Don’t get caught up with what you once had or what you don’t have. Focus on WHERE you are. Focus on WHAT you have. Focus on WHO you are. You have RIGHT NOW!

The question is, what will you do with the TIME YOU HAVE?

Unraveling The Lion Within

I’m not ashamed of the One who saved my soul.
This fire inside of me is burning for Your name.
I’m not ashamed.

When you think of ALL that God has done FOR you, when you think of ALL that God has done THROUGH you, when you think of ALL that God is GOING TO DO in you, around you, for you, through you…how does that make you feel? Does it stir any emotions? Does it make you want to get up and shout? Does it make you want to climb to the highest rooftop or mountaintop and declare FREEDOM to the world? Does it make you want to share it with others, give HOPE to a lost world?

He’s saved me. He’s rescued me. He’s given me hope. He’s given me a new beginning.

What has He done for you?

Will you be FREE enough to tell the world or will you remain ashamed of the One who saved your soul?

Watch this video, I hope it gets you PUMPED, I hope it gets you EXCITED!

3 Things I Was Reminded Of This Weekend

This weekend I was blessed with the opportunity to spend a few days with the people of First Corinthian Baptist Church in Harlem, New York. It was an AMAZING time of worshiping the Lord, making new friends, laughing, crying, cheering, clapping, learning, and, most of all, SERVING.

I had the privilege of walking the streets of Harlem spreading the grace, mercy, forgiveness, and hope of new life found in Jesus. I had the privilege of sharing stories of freedom from hurts, habits, and hang-ups through a relationship with Jesus. I had the privilege of pointing people to welcoming arms of Celebrate Recovery. I had the privilege to be WITH PEOPLE!

Some people, make that ALL people, need to be reminded maybe even informed of just how much God LOVES them. I’m amazed by how few KNOW or BELIEVE that God loves them. I know self-professed Christians who struggle acknowledging God’s love for them. It’s EASY to see how God can love someone ELSE. We can become so entangled in guilt and shame, so mixed up in our past that we are blinded to the possibility of being loved by God or anybody else.

Here’s what I was reminded of this weekend:

#1 People Matter To God—It’s true! You cannot argue this point. He created us in His image. He created us in His likeness. He rescued us from the bondage of slavery. He broke us free from the clutches of captivity. He redeemed us from the pits of hell. That’s right! God sent His son Jesus Christ to die on a cross in order to reconcile our broken relationship. He loved us enough to DIE FOR US! People matter to God! You matter to God! And here’s the difficult part that some of you will struggle to say, “I matter to God,” (say it like 3-4 times…maybe SHOUT it!). Read John 3:16; Romans 5:8; Ephesians 2:4-10

#2 I Belong To Jesus, Not The Other Way Around—7 years ago God reached His hand down and saved me from myself. He called me His son. He adopted me into His family. He gave me a new beginning. He gave me hope. He GAVE. I RECEIVED. Many of us today fail to realize it is a GIFT that we’ve received from God, not something we’ve earned…freely given…freely received. I cannot box it up. I cannot store it away. I cannot put it up on a shelf to gather dust. I must SHARE IT. I must SHARE the Good News of Jesus Christ. I must SHARE the hope of a new beginning, a fresh start, a better way of life. God says in His word that for those who are faithful with little He will give MUCH and I want ALL THE BLESSING I CAN GET! If you don’t want yours, I’ll take it too! Read Matthew 25, Luke 16:10-11, Galatians 4:1-7

#3 Found People Find People—When God invades your life, SAVES you, REDEEMS you, RESCUES you…you can’t help but want to tell the world about it! You can’t help but want to tell everyone you know, every family member, every friend, every co-worker, everybody you pass in the street that God LOVES them and wants to give them NEW LIFE. I love my kids, but it pales in comparison to the love of God and it’s that indescribable love that will ultimately change this world. Let someone know. Tell someone about Jesus. Share your story.

How Are You Doing Today?

How are you doing today? How are you feeling? I’m not asking for a churchy answer, I’m not asking for an answer that’s hidden behind a mask, I’m not asking for you to be fake…I want to know how you’re doing.

Mark Batterson, Pastor of National Community Church in Washington, DC, came up with a prayer maxim that I instantly fell in love with: PRAY like it depends on God and WORK like it depends on you. That’s AWESOME! I believe that sums up following Jesus. I believe that sums up the walk we take in faith, our spiritual journey, our recovery.

How are you doing today?

I think many of us do the opposite. I think many of us PRAY but doubt God will answer and don’t WORK because we fear it’ll do no good. I think that’s why many of us find ourselves struggling with the same crap that we were facing a year ago, two years ago, ten years ago. Our minds, our souls, our hearts, are all clouded and concealed by fear, shame, guilt, and worry. We’ve become too comfortable smiling, waving, and pretending like everything’s OK. We’ve become accustomed to ACTING and forgot what it means to be REAL. We’ve learned to live in the bushes like Adam.

How are you doing today?

I have followed your commands, which keep me from following cruel and evil people. My steps have stayed on your path; I have not wavered from following you. I am praying to you because I know you will answer, O God. Bend down and listen as I pray.
Psalm 17:4-6 NLT

God loves us. God loves you. He wants to bless you. He wants to grow you. He wants to see you succeed at everything you do. God wants to work His miracles THROUGH you, change the world THROUGH you, save lives THROUGH you. That’s His heart—to save the world, to save YOU.

Are you following His commands?
Have your steps stayed on His path?
Is your faith wavering?
Do you believe He’ll answer your prayers?
How are you doing today?

You don’t have to hide in the bushes any longer. You don’t have to live in fear and shame any longer. You don’t have to hold on to the pain of your past any longer. You don’t have to pretend any longer. He’ll give you strength. He’ll give you courage. He’ll give you forgiveness. He’ll give you grace. He’ll give you mercy. He’ll give you hope. He’ll give you a new life. He’ll give you a new identity. He’ll give you a new name.

Walk in His ways. Follow His lead. Pray and He’ll answer. Pray like it depends on God and work like it depends on you.

So, how are you doing today?

Exchanging Pajamas For Hugs And Kisses

I love my kids. Each day they are a reminder of how blessed I am AND how messed up I am. I believe God speaks to me through my kids more than anything else. Kids are definitely a GIFT.

This morning I’m praying, I’m reading from the book of Judges, I’m attempting to get my heart right, to connect with God and start my day off right…all the while my kids are sorta getting ready for school. Food’s on the table. Planners are signed. I’ve done MY part (so I tell myself), now it’s up to the kids.

So, here I am, praying, occasionally peeking at the clock, periodically yelling upstairs to spur my kids along and OF COURSE getting frustrated. Legit frustration? I think so, but I’m good at lying to myself. I have certain expectations for my kids in the morning (I wrote about it here in case you missed it). I expect them to wake up, get dressed, come downstairs, eat, brush their teeth, etc. etc. I expect. I demand. I push. I do anything BUT lead and encourage.

What I came to realize this morning is that my relationship with God is much the same. God knows what’s best for me. He sees the absolutely best route I could possibly take in my life and He even attempts to guide me along it, but I do my own thing, make my own decisions, make mistakes, ignore His advice. Sound familiar? I realize this as I call for my oldest for the 8th, 9th, and 10th times to come downstairs…

THEN he comes downstairs wearing pajama shorts…um, son, you’re going to want to change your clothes. Putting on pants then takes another 10 minutes (I’m thinking it should’ve taken 2 minutes tops). Then he comes downstairs without socks on. He’s moving in the DIRECTION I have in mind for him, it’s just not how I imagined it. He’s going WHERE I want him to go, it’s just intermingled with detours and in his time. Ultimately, he gets to the table to eat, fully dressed, ready to go.

He’s where I want him to be. I should be happy, right? I should tell him “good job,” right? Yes, but I don’t. I point out all the things he did wrong or “wrong” according to my expectations. Instead of seeing my son where he is, as he is, I’m still stuck back when he wasn’t quite listening, wasn’t quite doing WHAT I wanted, HOW I wanted, WHEN I wanted. I need some lessons in parenting from my Father in heaven.

Who is a God like You, pardoning iniquity and passing over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He does not retain His anger forever, Because He delights in mercy. He will again have compassion on us, and will subdue our iniquities. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.
Micah 7:18-19 NKJV

God does not retain His anger forever.
God delights in mercy.
God has compassion on us.
God will cast ALL our sins into the depths of the sea.

I need to no longer dwell in frustration. I need to delight in mercy and compassion. I need to cast ALL shortcomings far FAR away and learn to celebrate where my kids ARE (no longer focusing on how they got there or how long it took).

What’s God saying to you?

Leading Our Children, No Longer Pushing Them

Reading Judges 2 & 3 this morning I was struck by a thought I couldn’t escape. Ever have an idea, a notion come to mind that you KNOW applies to you, yet you scurry to find some way to direct it at everyone ELSE? Like, God wants to teach you something, pass on some new revelation in your life, but in your stubbornness, in your denial, you KNOW it’s for someone ELSE? That was my morning.

I have a tendency to grow frustrated with my children. Sometimes I just want to grab them and shake them and ask, “What are you thinking?”…wait, that didn’t quite capture the essence of the moment, let me try this, “WHAT ARE YOU THINKING?!?” That’s better.

I’ve come to realize that I set unfair expectations on my children. I want little adults. In my busyness I neglect to realize they are still DEVELOPING, still FORMING personalities, still DISCOVERING what it means to be alive. It’s unrealistic and unfair. I’M unfair.

In these first few chapters of Judges we read about the Israelites, God’s people, His CHOSEN people, and how they continually turn AWAY from God, screw up, get in a bad way, and then cry out for His help. Immediately, I started to think of my kids. God’s getting angry, growing frustrated with their disobedience and I’m like, “That’s right!” Like, I’m getting angry WITH God and FOR God…and He’s like, you arrogant jerk, I’m speaking to YOU!

Ever get that feeling like God’s punched you in the gut or smacked you in the face?
It stings…
But it’s good.

Now here’s where it gets good. As I continue reading I come across a line that is repeated over and over again, the Lord raised up “judges” or a “deliverer.” God actually intervened, He stepped down into our world to make things right, to set us free (as if Egypt, the wilderness, & the Promised Land were not enough!). But each time He did this the Israelites rebelled and went back to their old ways. I’m like, “Idiots!” God’s like, “YOU’RE the idiot!”

Man…

So, here I am, sitting on my couch wrestling and fighting with God. I’m deflecting and denying my part, my shortcomings, my struggles. FINALLY, God just makes it clear as day, “You’re frustrated with your kids, they continually rebel against you, but I’ve raised you up as a deliverer FOR them, to LEAD them, to HELP them. As I have delivered you, deliver them. As I have loved you, love them. As I have showered you with grace, shower them with grace.” Wow!

I wonder how many of us, as parents, neglect to fully grasp the significance of our role as a PARENT, a GUARDIAN, a MOTHER, a FATHER, a DELIVERER. I wonder how many of us need to stop pointing our finger and start opening our arms. I wonder how many of us need to say “I love you” and stop saying “I’m sick and tired…”

Parents, let today be the day you assume your role as a DELIVERER and follow God’s lead to set your children FREE.

What The Heck Is Serenity?

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
Courage to change the things I can,
And wisdom to know the difference.

Yes.
Please.

I don’t know about you, but sometimes I don’t WANT to accept the fact that there are things I cannot change. I don’t WANT to trust God. I don’t WANT to rely on others. I WANT to control the situation. I WANT to control the individual. I WANT…I WANT…I WANT…

God, give me a heart that LOVES you, a mind that TRUSTS you, and eyes that SEE MY DESPERATE NEED for you.

This life isn’t about what I want. This life isn’t about me…period. The moment I confessed faith in Jesus, the moment I crossed over from death to life, is the moment I decided to live FOR him and he THROUGH me. He saved me from that which I was unable to escape—addiction, depression, anger, pain, bitterness, resentment—hurts, habits, and hang-ups.

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change…

There’s too much going on in this world to remain stuck in the ugly cycle of worry and anxiety. Quite frankly, I don’t have the time to NOT trust God. I don’t have the energy to NOT trust God. Jesus said, “For My yoke is easy and My burden is light,” (Matthew 11:30). I can’t argue with that!

Courage to change the things I can…

I’m not stuck. You’re not stuck. There’s always HOPE and that hope is found in Jesus Christ. THAT’S something you CAN change. You can step out in faith, believe in the cross, believe in the empty tomb, believe in the Savior who wants nothing more than to LOVE you and BLESS you.

And wisdom to know the difference…

Each day is a struggle. Each day is a fight. Each day is a wrestling match, like Jacob I try to grapple with God…except I’m not trying to get His blessing, I’m wrestling for CONTROL. I’m tired of fighting. I raise my white flag. I surrender!

God, give me wisdom.

How Strong Is The Love Of A Parent?

Any parents out there? Some of you just raised your hand all excited (yes, even while reading a blog). Others rolled your eyes. Your response is not important, I’m more interested in your LABEL: parent.  Here’s why…

Take a moment and reflect on the life of your child, or for those who put an extra effort into being fruitful and MULTIPLYING, children. I want you to remember the moment you discovered you were going to be a new father or a new mother. Remember the anxiety and the joy of those nine months. Remember your child’s first breath, first cry…the moment of ARRIVAL.

Beautiful.
Delicate.
Helpless.
Yours.

Recapture that feeling. Let it course through your body. Be filled with the joy of seeing NEW life for the first time. Your son. Your daughter.

Now, remember the moment you decided to follow Jesus, the moment you professed faith in the Savior King…at the same time don’t forget the joy, don’t forget your child (yes, I want you to juggle two memories and ALL the emotions that come with them). Take that feeling of joy, that desire to jump up and down and CELEBRATE, that need to call everyone you know and share the good news, and multiply it times an unfathomable number, something crazy like infinity, and you still won’t quite capture the vastness of God’s joy or the celebration that takes place in heaven at your SPIRITUAL BIRTH…your CROSSING OVER FROM DEATH TO LIFE (Luke 15)!

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
2 Corinthians 5:17 NKJV

God, the Father, looking down upon His son, His daughter, CELEBRATING your NEW life.

Beautiful.
Delicate.
Helpless.
His.

When Gratitude Replaces Frustration

What a crazy couple of days. First, there was all the EXCITEMENT surrounding Easter…death, burial, resurrection, salvation, everlasting life…BUT there was also the fact that my family went a little over 3 days without running water. No showers. No toilets. No brushing teeth. No coffee. It was scary and frustrating and sad and gross all at the same time. Ultimately, it was an opportunity to seat myself upon the throne of GRATITUDE.

Thank you, Jesus, for…

…food, shelter, clothing, health, family, love, AND water!

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I really can’t thank God ENOUGH for all that He has done for my family, for ME! As I turned on the facet and saw water again it made me think of the millions of people WITHOUT clean water each and every day. Here I went 3 days…there they’ve gone a lifetime. I was humbled. In that moment my frustration transformed into gratitude.

I live in abundance. Most of us live in abundance (though some may not want to admit or acknowledge it). I throw away food. I decide what to wear. I choose what room to sleep in. Abundance.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t believe abundance is wrong or evil, I absolutely believe the abundance I live in is from the OVERFLOW OF GOD’S BLESSINGS! I’ve heard it said that you can’t out give God and I believe that 100%! In fact, He says to test Him, to trust Him with your finances, and He’ll BLESS YOUR SOCKS OFF (Malachi 3:10)!

So, today I rejoice in the fact that I serve a God who is GREATER than my circumstance and is ABLE to bring me through it. In my frustration I wanted to control the situation. In my humility I trusted God would remedy the situation.

And He did.

Here are some red letters to fix your eyes upon this morning:

but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.
John 4:14 NKJV

Thank You, God, for Your SUFFICIENCY, for Your PROVISION, for Your Son. Thank You for saving me, for wrapping me up in Your grace, love, and forgiveness. Thank You for HOPE.

What’s on your GRATITUDE LIST?

No More Sneak Peeks

What’s up New Life? Easter is HERE! I’m pretty much excited OUT OF MY MIND for what God’s gonna do here at New Life this weekend! I believe we’re going to see an outpouring of people crossing over from death to LIFE! I believe we’re going to see marriages RESTORED! I believe we’re going to see families REUNITED! I believe we’re going to see REVIVAL break out in Berkeley County, West Virginia!

Do you want to see REVIVAL take place?

Here’s the deal…it starts with YOU! I believe many of us SAY we want to experience God’s presence, we SAY we want to experience His power, we SAY we want His promises fulfilled…yet we live like we don’t even know Him.

Our family has no clue.

Our friends are clueless.

Our neighbors have no idea.

The people closest to us don’t see a change within us because we haven’t changed. We don’t want to change. We just like the idea of going to heaven instead of hell and anything in between is for the crazy Jesus people.

Jesus didn’t die on the cross for ME…he died on the cross for the glory of GOD, the Creator, the Everlasting, the Ever-present, the Father. It’s not about me. It’s never been about me. It’s all about God’s glory, God’s honor, God’s grace, God’s mercy, God’s love…I’m just the lucky one who gets to EXPERIENCE it! If we want to see REVIVAL breakout, we’ve gotta be a people who LIVE LIKE WE BELIEVE IT! We’ve gotta be a people who LIVE OUT OUR FAITH! We’ve gotta be a people who believe Jesus lives THROUGH US and we live FOR JESUS!

Read these words from John, one of Jesus’ disciples:

Peter therefore went out, and the other disciple, and were going to the tomb. So they both ran together, and the other disciple outran Peter and came to the tomb first. And he, stooping down and looking in, saw the linen cloths lying there; yet he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb; and he saw the linen cloths lying there,
John 20: 3-6 NKJV (emphasis mine)

Now, I got nothing against John, but this has ALWAYS bugged me. Running, sprinting (LOVE how he points out how he got there first) to the tomb, he STOPPED AT THE ENTRANCE and PEEKED IN. Peter, on the other hand, ran right in. What’s that? I don’t get it. I think this paints the perfect picture of how many of us live out our faith. We take a PEEK. We keep our DISTANCE. Granted, John did eventually go in, but too many of us stay outside…fear keeps us from going ALL IN!

I’d even go so far as to say many of us head to the entrance AND INSTEAD of looking inside we roll the stone back in place. We DON’T WANT to know. It’s safer to pray for his grace, love, and mercy and then walk away. We want his promises of salvation, but are unwilling to surrender our lives to him.

God, help us be a people that RUN TO YOU, TRUST IN YOU, LIVE FOR YOU!

I’m praying for God to wreck this place, to wreck ME…will you join me?

Escaping The Clutches Of Depression

Ever have those moments when you just can’t seem to grasp reality? You search and you search for something to grab a hold of, something familiar, and though you frantically search, you find nothing? Everything is different. Everyone seems to be against you. Nothing seems to go your way. Anxiety creeps in. Stress overwhelms. Frustration rises. Worry consumes. You want to scream. You want to shout. You want to cry. You want to escape…you want to just get away.

God seems distant.
His presence a fleeting memory.
His promises forgotten.
His power diminished.

Welcome to the world of DEPRESSION.

I’ve struggled with DEPRESSION for nearly half my life. Like many people I experience incredibly HIGH highs and horribly LOW lows. I feel like I’m on top of the world. I feel like I can conquer anything that comes before me. I feel defeated. I want to give up. I question my ability to be a loving husband, parent, friend, pastor…it’s sick…

BUT, I’m no longer STUCK!

Because I identify myself in Christ, because I no longer identify myself as depressed, I get knocked down, but I’m able to GET BACK UP. I know who LIVES in me. I know who IS all around me. I know who’s WORKING in me and through me.

Read these RED LETTER words:

No one, when he has lit a lamp, puts it in a secret place or under a basket, but on a lampstand, that those who come in may see the light. The lamp of the body is the eye. Therefore, when your eye is good, your whole body also is full of light. But when your eye is bad, your body also is full of darkness. Therefore take heed that the light which is in you is not darkness. If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, the whole body will be full of light, as when the bright shining of a lamp gives you light.
Luke 11:33-36 NKJV

I’ve come to realize that when I’m struggling, when the world seems to be crashing down on me, it’s a matter of PERSPECTIVE. Something’s up with my eyes. My sight is failing. My world goes dark. Where’s the light? I wonder why God has left me, when in reality it’s ME. My focus has shifted from Jesus to my problem. Instead of TRUSTING, I choose CONTROLLING. Go back and read the beginning to see what happens next…

Today, I find freedom in the shadow of a blood-stained cross.
Today, I find freedom in an empty tomb.
Today, I find freedom knowing my God is GREATER than my circumstance and He is ABLE to bring me through it.

Sometimes I just need to OPEN MY EYES.

3 Things I Want To Share With You

What a morning! What a week! I’m PUMPED for this weekend! I can hardly contain my EXCITEMENT for EASTER! Each year, on this day, people who normally would drive PAST a church instead WALK THROUGH the front doors. I don’t care if it’s family tradition or spiritual curiosity, they are seeking after some semblance of truth and purpose…to be FULFILLED. Easter is one of the greatest opportunities we have to preach the gospel to the lost, to make a difference, to CELEBRATE NEW LIFE! If that doesn’t get you fired up you might wanna check and see if your heart is actually beating.


With that said, I hope you’re doing EVERYTHING you can do this week to prepare and ensure that Sunday is nothing shy of AWESOME. You don’t have to blow their minds with flashy lights and sweet guitar solos (though that DOES help and IS awesome). You just have to be obedient to what God wants you to do, what He’s called you to do, follow His lead. It doesn’t matter if it’s preaching on Sunday morning or teaching from the Celebrate Recovery Leadership Guide—you gotta let God do His thing.


Letting God do HIS thing means we…


#1 Rely on His Power. 2,000 years ago Jesus punched death in a face to assume his rightful position as King of kings and Lord of lords. You can’t save’em, but you CAN serve’em. Only He can save. Your job is to love people and share His word. Let God do the rest.


#2 Trust He Will Make All Things Right. Anyone know the rest?...if I surrender to His will. There’s that word again, SURRENDER. You gotta be willing to raise your white flag and follow God’s lead. You gotta be willing to surrender ALL and live FOR Him so He can live THROUGH you!


#3 Pray & Invite. You want to see your mother, your father, your brother, your sister, your neighbor, your co-worker, your WHOEVER find freedom through a relationship with Jesus Christ? Then DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT! Pray FOR them…then INVITE them!


You’re not alone. We’ve ALWAYS struggled to listen to God, to do what He asks, to be obedient. He straight up promised BLESSINGS, so much blessing that His people would be OVERTAKEN…CONSUMED…OVERWHELMED! He said listen to me and be BLESSED or live life on your own and be CURSED. All we had to do what listen and obey…for some reason we chose to try things on our own.


Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the Lord your God will set you high above all nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the Lord your God:
Deuteronomy 28:1-2 NKJV


This Easter, remember that God wants something FOR you, not FROM you. He wants to BLESS your socks off! He wants to LOVE YOU and lavish you with GRACE and MERCY!


What will you choose: BLESSING or CURSE?

Overcoming Life's Giants

Each and every one of us has, is, and will be (probably quite soon) facing GIANTS in our lives. What are giants? Hmmm…how to best put this…giants are insurmountable odds, overwhelming obstacles, impossible problems. Everyone’s giant is different, but our common ground is that WE ALL FACE GIANTS. We all have SOMETHING staring us down, casting a shadow of doubt and fear over us, pushing us out of the way, trapping us in place.

You’re NOT ALONE.
You DON'T HAVE TO FACE IT ALONE.

What is it? What lie is Satan feeding you? What is inhibiting your ability to TRUST in the One who CAN and WILL bring you through it?

Remember, you’re only as sick as your secrets. As long as you think you can do it on your own, as long as you believe you can handle it, as long as you convince yourself that you’re in control, that giant is going to smack you around and smile while doing it. That’s right…it’s going to smile while doing it. It’s going to mock you.

Twelve spies went out. Ten came back with fear and trembling. Two came back full of courage because they TRUSTED IN THE LORD (Numbers 13). If majority ruled they’d have missed out on the Promised Land, the fulfillment of God’s promises, and the overflow of His blessings. Heed the advice of those you trust, but ultimately you need to listen to God.

If He says it, DO IT.
If He promises it, YOU’LL GET IT.

How many times in your life have you missed out on God’s blessings simply because you refused to TRUST HE WOULD MAKE IT HAPPEN? How many times in your life have you turned your back on God’s promises simply because you COULDN’T SEE IT? How long will you choose to wander in the wilderness?

I’m reminded of a phrase used in recovery circles, “Let go and let God.” God, help us be a people who let go and let You make a way, let You lead the way, let You bring us through it. Stop trying to run AROUND the mountain and trust that God will take you THROUGH IT. Our God is great and mighty, what you see as an obstacle He sees as an opportunity. Run TO Him, stop running FROM Him.

What GIANTS are you facing right now?