True Integrity

Integrity is defined by dictionary.com as: adherence to moral and ethical principles; soundness of moral character; honesty.

This world is all but devoid of integrity. Sadly, adults in the church are no different. In a research article that I read this weekend, 51% of the 25-55 year-old Christians surveyed, admitted to lying at least once in the past week. Worse yet, a staggering 67% of the 16-24 year-olds, professing a relationship with Christ, admitted to recent lying. The most common excuse- they didn't want to hurt another person's feelings.

As I've read the Scripture I have found references about lying. One in particular is Colossians 3:9, "Don't lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old sinful nature and all its wicked deeds."

He didn't pad it with: "unless it hurts somebody's feelings" or "unless it a harmless white lie" or "unless it's against a cold, large corporation"... it's very simple, lying is wicked. No excuses, no exceptions, no justifications. Lying is wicked.

Be careful, Satan is sneaky. He will lead you to believe that integrity isn't that big of a deal. But God's word is plain, lying is wicked. All lying, including: "How do these shoes look?", "Does this dress make me look fat?", "Santa Clause is bringing presents!", "The Company will never know!", "The IRS will never find out!" 

God places high value on integrity because the bottom line is...

LYING IS WICKED!

God's Sense of Humor

Fall has been so busy that I've not had time to blog! Sometimes blogging slips down my priority list. 
God's way of doing things is amazing and sometimes comical. At times, I've been worried, and later looked back to laugh. God is truly in control. But. I continue to be thick-headed and forget. I fret over things, He comes through... AGAIN, and the cycle repeats.
All of that to comment on my recent recollection of life experiences that have formed who I am.
Of late, my ministry efforts have taken a certain "business world" flair. Tasks and decisions that are not so much taught in Bible college. It has been faith-building to realize God's hand at work in my life, forming me for-such-a-time-as-this. 
Occasionally, I deal with remorse about the hiatus I took from God, only to see how He used that time to build within me, abilities for a later date. Romans 8:28 comes to mind. He was able to take a messed up saga, a time when my back was turned to Him, and create usefulness. WOW! 
The bottom line is...
God uses our past to create HIS future. 

Road trips

Traveling has always been fun for me, especially if I'm driving.
The first real road trip that I set out on was to Florida following high school graduation. I shared that trip with my best friend, Tom. We were gonna sleep on the beach and fish and just hang out. It was an unforgettable experience. We still talk about it and that happened in 1983!
I had never been to New York City. So, on another occasion, I set out for the Big Apple. Allen was my partner on this excursion. We went to Time Square, Central Park and checked out the Statue of Liberty. I still have a picture of Lady Liberty with the Twin Towers in the background. I wouldn't trade that trip for money.
A phone call resulted in yet another trip with my buddy, Josh. "Hey, I need to go out to Durango, CO to pick up a truck. Do you want to go and drive it back?" My response, "SURE!" We drove that Thursday night until noon the next day. Picked up the truck, had it serviced and headed back at 3:30 that afternoon. Drove all night and got back on Saturday... without sleeping. It was a blast!
Theresa and I went to Titusville, FL over this past Labor Day weekend. Left Thursday after work and drove all night. Surprised her friend that didn't know we were coming and enjoyed the weekend with their family. Fueled up and drove the return trip on Sunday night. We had a ball!
The significance of these trips isn't the destination, the vehicle or even the reason for travel. The trips were all about the companions. The conversations when you are road tripping are amazing. I look back at these trips and so many others and realize that God has blessed my life with SO many incredible friends. I'm blown away.
The bottom line is...
the road trip of life is all about the people along the way.

Expected Comfort

Lately, people have repeatedly said the words: "Unbearably hot". It IS hot, but unbearably? No. A friend who is working in the Middle East was recently home. When he left there, the temperature was 132. So, I can safely say our 109 high yesterday is bearable though certainly uncomfortable.
Comfort is something that we have come to expect. I'm writing this from a car dealership waiting room where it is cool, they have nice furniture, cable TV, coffee, restrooms are all immediately available. A far-cry from sitting on a stack of tires next to the desk in a garage. As would have been the expectation during most of the 20th century.
When they walk into the church facilities, what do folks expect? Is there a difference in expectations between a follower of Christ and an atheist? Statistics tell us that 80% of atheists will attend church on a given Sunday, if invited. 
How important is personal comfort? People have different comfort needs. Who gets to be comfortable? Is it exclusive to facilities? What about an "uncomfortable message"? 
In 1 Corinthians 9, the Apostle Paul wrote, "I want to bring the weak to Christ. Yes, I try to find common ground with everyone, doing everything I can to save some. I do everything to share the Good News and share in its blessing."
Do the followers of Christ understand this God-given, Pauline principle? Do we care about the unsaved to the degree of discomfort in our facilities, music style, and programming?
As a church leader, I'm challenged by Paul to "step out of my comfort zone". I dislike that phrase because it overused and seldom achieved. But it is accurate.
The bottom line is: Christ did not call us to a life of comfort, rather sacrifice.  

Working for the Right Things

I have worked my tail off for the last 11 days, I mean really. I'm talking 16+ hour days, no days off and hustling constantly. I don't want kudos for that, you'll see why as I continue...
The fact that people are displaced, lost jobs, lost homes and all of their earthly possessions has thrust me into action. Now, I sit back and survey. And I make myself a little bit sick. It has caused me to realize how materialistic I really am. Without tornados, there are people all around me that are bound for eternal destruction. All of their eternal possessions are gone. My ministry does not reflect the tenacity that it should in light of that. I put people off, schedule things for next week, screen calls, etc. I have not done any of those things for the tornado victims. I have been running around like a wildman trying to take care of them. Don't get me wrong, I care immensely about their spiritual needs. I have shared the gospel with dozens of people in the wake of Jop511 (my nickname for Joplin EF-5 tornado in 2011). But I look back at my focus before Jop511. Did I care as intensely about those folk's need for Jesus as I am now caring for their need for water? My friend, Jeff, cut me a break on all this as I lamented about my carnality. He said, "Jesus met physical needs so that He would have the credibility to address spiritual needs." WHEW! Thanks, Jeff! I was about to condemn myself to Hell! :)
Sometimes Satan convinces us that we are bad. He has succeeded with me, recently. But God has taken that, and shown me that I need to be just as tenacious about the people I come in contact with and their need for the Lord, ALL THE TIME! Tornado, flood, hurricane, blue sky, rain, WHENEVER!
The bottom line is...
God has begun a new work in me that He is bound to finish!

Acts of God, Revisited

I am more certain than ever that God's power overwhelms Satan's aim at evil. 

EF-5 tornado, 8th on the recorded severity list, over a hundred twenty-five dead. Tragedy beyond comprehension. 

A night I'll never forget: Hauling people in the back of my pickup in wheelchairs bleeding and shivering to the hospital. Adam and I cutting the streets open to pass. Hauling a man to his children. Searching cars for victims. I did all that. Why? Because I'm a good guy like that. A "good ole boy" as it were. NO! FOR THE SAKE OF ALL THINGS HOLY, NO! 

I, if left to my own means, would have stayed at the house and watched on TV. So, why then? Why did I load up my chainsaw, go get big Adam and head into what looked and smelled like the depths of hell? Because Matt died some time back. He died and God took a selfish bulldozer and created something new. His power through the Holy Spirit enables me to work hard (16+ hours a day for the last 4 days). It's the prayers of righteous people who love the Lord and love me that fuel me on. 

Jesus loves people and wants me to do the same. I love CCC's purpose: Love God, Love Others, Serve The World because that is what Jesus did while He was here and continues to do through His church. 

I used to be willing to work hard and long so that I could enjoy the gain. I have a new focus, a gain that will last eternally. Now, I work hard and long because the bottom line is:

My life is an Act of God.

Acts of God

"Acts of God" is the term that insurance companies use to describe catastrophes such as those our recent mission team to Alabama witnessed. I have done disaster response to 3 of these "acts". Hurricanes in Florida, flood is nashville and now tornadoes in Alabama. The power that created these indescribable messes amazes me. 
I'm inclined to look at all of these through the lens of the spiritual. Some ask, "Why would God do this?" I've been through this thought process and here's where I ended up:
God created nature, the force behind the tornadoes, hurricanes and floods. Much the same, He created people (Adam and Eve). He created it all perfect. But for perfect love to exist it requires choice. Choice on the part of we as people. If He "made" us love Him, it wouldn't be love. It would be instinct or mechanical.  
Love requires a conscious effort on our part to choose to be in a relationship with God, or not. 
So, there it is. A perfect world. One rule from the Creator, "Don't eat this fruit or you'll die." All is well until Adam and Eve ate the fruit, tainting the relationship. They did indeed die. First spiritually and then physically. 
That spiritual death introduced something to the world, sin. Sin brought some bedfellows along: death, destruction, suffering and the like. 
Sin introduced a war amongst God's creation. A war culminating in everything becoming flawed, people and nature alike. 
Does God "act" through these things? Absolutely. But not in the way some might think. He doesn't act in the cause but rather the effect. It's God that causes unconcerned people to load up and go help those whom they've never met. It's God that causes people to give money to help those who are without homes. It's the force of God that causes the positive effects, the materialization of His love in places that might not otherwise have experienced it. 
The bottom line is... God is the peace after the storm.    

Incomprensible love

John 3:16 says, "For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life."
I've watched The Passion of the Christ several times and my limited cerebral capacity doesn't get it, I just don't understand why. Why would He do it? Love of that magnitude escapes me.
I love my wife, I love my kids and I would like to think that I'd be willing to die for them but would I undergo the type of pain suffering and torture that Jesus did, on their behalf? Man, I don't know. Seriously, I doubt it. and I REALLY love them. It just doesn't compare. Compare, that's funny that I would even try to compare my love to the love of the Creator of the universe. 
That kind of love brings another passage in the Gospel of John into focus where Jesus says: “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me." (John14:6) He bought and paid for us on Good Friday.
Good Friday, what a crazy name for the day that Jesus showed His love for us. 
The bottom line is: It was Good alright, good for me and you.

True or False?

The Resurrection of Jesus brings about some assorted feelings. Living here in the Bible belt, lots of folks readily accept it as truth. Well, at least on the surface. 
It's easy to give lip-service to that around these parts. But, really, if a person truly believed that Jesus has resurrected from the dead, wouldn't that make it pretty easy to follow his teaching? I mean, if I believe that a semi truck is heavy, truly believe it, wouldn't I yield to it? 
The New Testament states over and over again that if we are in relationship with Jesus, obeying His teaching will be the result. In fact, He says that if we love Him that obedience assures us of eternal life but if we are disobedient, we are liars and are bound for Hell.
Truth, Obedience, Submission are equal bedfellows. 
Maybe we need to gauge our "faith" based on our obedience...


The bottom line is: 
Obeying the truth is pretty serious business. 

Lead!

I have been studying the book of Nehemiah. It's an account of Nehemiah's leadership role as the walls of Jerusalem were rebuilt. 

Nehemiah was met with opposition from foreigners. They lied about him and tried to lure him away from the task that God had given him. His workers had to be refocused half-way through as they were threatened by the same issues. The walls were completed in just 52 days and then they worshiped together.

In reading about Nehemiah, it makes me pray for my own leadership abilities. Nehemiah worked alongside his workers, unafraid of the dirty tasks. He was focused on what God had called him to. Nothing could stop him. I question my motives and work ethic, "Where and how do I lead?"

We all lead in some fashion. There are those who look to us for guidance, who follow our example. 

As a church leader, I want to be able to repeat the Apostle Paul's words to his followers, "Imitate me, as I imitate Christ." (1 Cor 11:1)

The bottom line is: lead those whom follow you, to Christ.

Taboo or not?

Today, I had a conversation about giving.

Some folks love to give. Others are stingy. It's got nothing to do with the person's location in the demographic cross section. There are affluent people who are stingy and miserable,  while some in poverty are filled with joy. The heart is the key. Self-ish or self-less

Within the church, it is one of those touchy subjects. I'm not sure why. The Bible talks a lot about money. That said, at a minimum it's ok to preach about and the reality is, it should probably come up more often.

Through the years, I have heard scores of testimonies about God's provision. How a person gave and God provided. That's just how He rolls. But the heart is still the key. Some give out of duty, others love to share their blessings. 

2 Corinthians 9:6-8 completely explains it. Give cheerfully and God will give all you need PLUS enough to HELP OTHERS. 

Man, I'm trying so hard to do that and the bottom line is: 

God is faithful so I GET  to help others.  

Challenges

Challenges in life come in many different forms. 
Sometimes we are challenged by circumstances that are beyond our control. Other challenges come as a result of decisions made. But the scope of challenges that I am currently facing are a direct result of God's presence at a recent conference.
This conference was directed at church leaders. There were 5000 of us there. It was exciting, almost electric. Then, it happened. A man began to say things that, to me, were as though God himself were speaking directly to me. I was challenged.
At first I began to make mental excuses as to why I should back down from the challenge. But the longer he spoke, the more I realized the need to accept this imposition. 
The challenge? Be a leader! Not a leader by title, a leader by example.  A leader willing to step out in faith to uncharted places. A leader willing to sacrifice. A leader willing to take criticism. A leader, a true leader. A leader like Jesus. Am I willing to go that far?
Because, the bottom line is:
the world crucified Jesus. 

Workers

I've just returned from a short-term trip to Honduras. It's all the same, "been there done that" several times before. This was my first trip with a team comprised of only adults. It gave me the freedom to look around and pay attention to some things I'd never really noticed. I had never noticed how symmetrical that banana bunches grow. I had never noticed how little TV the Hondurans watch. I had never noticed how few of them smoke. Little things that aren't such a big deal. But for the first time, I noticed one thing of great significance: I noticed that all of the people in the mission that I work with (Mision Caribe) have a certain tenacity and work ethic that is rarely found so widespread in any given organization. 

They all recognize the task at hand and press towards it. I never once heard "that's not my job". I never once heard, "Oh well, that's good enough." What I saw and heard was the best effort for the Kingdom. 

I'm not saying that they are perfect, just focused. That impressed me, alot.

In Matthew 9:37-38, Jesus told His disciples, "The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask Him to send more workers in to His fields." I will pray for workers.

The bottom line is, we need more workers like those at Mision Caribe. Pray.