Today officially marks my two-year anniversary in Nashville, Tennessee. Part of me reads that sentence and can’t believe its been two years, and the other part of me can’t believe its ONLY been two years. Sometimes I wonder about the journey God has me on. Sometimes I feel like the Israelites heading for the Promised Land, for 40 years. All heading and never arriving. I can only imagine the complaining and whining that was heard during those 40 years, because I know the complaining and whining I hear coming from my camp. I just finished reading Michael Kelley’s post for today and it was weird reading the thoughts that were in my mind.
Looking back at my time in seminary, then my time at InQuest and now here with LifeWay, it has been a long journey. There have been ups and there have been downs. I have seen God do amazing things and I have seen myself whine and complain shortly after. I have seen God teach and use me in ways that seemed unthinkable and I’ve seen me put Him on the back burner and forge ahead on my own. One thing I do know for sure is that the days walking with Him are days I treasure, and forging ahead on my own never works. You’d think I would have learned that lesson well enough by now not to make the same bad choices, but it still happens.
I loved a line from Michael’s post today, “God is just as concerned about who we’re becoming as where we’re going.” Those are wise words I believe. Our journey can take us many directions, but one thing is certain, they should always be towards Him. That is the prayer I am praying right now for my life. I don’t want the times spent working alone anymore. I simply want to follow and move with Him. I don’t know what that means really, but I am trusting Him with that. I am simply desiring to focus on becoming more like Him and let Him worry about what’s ahead. I want to focus on time WITH Him. It has become very easy recently to allow other things to invade my life and eat up my time. It shouldn’t happen, but it does. When you aren’t constantly checking those areas in your life, it is amazing how quickly you can get off track. Well, the time has come to right the ship.
Where has your past two years taken you? What does your journey look like? More importantly, what do you look like?
One more reason I will be voting for Obama, he plans on adding more states to our country. Seriously, when did we get 58 states? I agree that we need some change in Washington, but maybe he is taking things too far!
I am not sure if you have noticed lately, but there is this small sporting event going on right now called the Olympics. It is sort of a big thing. Normally I am not one to really complain, but DirecTV is killing me. My HD has been out for almost a month. Honestly it is more annoying than anything, but the fact that I am paying for a service I am not receiving really bothers me. Not to mention the fact that all my shows that were preset to record were obviously lost because they were set to record in HD. Then comes the problem that my daughter is used to having Dora and Diego on demand and now all the recorded episodes do not work. In the grand scheme of life, this is merely a gnat. But when a gnat is buzzing around your face long enough you want it squashed. Maybe, just maybe the “friendly” people at DirecTV will get this HD thing figured out and I will not be charged for it. Doubtful that will happen but what would happen if I just refused payment. I could use their excuse, “We have our engineers working on it,” and say, “Yes I have received your bill and I realize there is a problem but I will have my wife look into it. You may or may not get your money.” I doubt that would go over too well. Maybe the answer is simple and I just need to cancel my service and save that money each month. I could probably put it to better use. especially now since I am not getting what I am paying for anyway.
Do you know who Josh Hamilton is, besides my new hero? Well you should. Last night I watched one of the most amazing displays of God given ability I have ever seen. Watching Jordan fly through the air and battle through sickness and any other force that came against him to win was memorable even as a child. Watching Tiger just knowing his victory will be the outcome still baffles me. With both of those as examples, they still fall short to Josh Hamilton. For Josh’s story, read this article.
Last night during the Homerun Derby, I saw someone living the life we all are supposed to be living. I saw a man doing what God had created him to do, all the while acknowledging Christ’s influence on his life. God created Josh to play baseball and to honor Him through that ability. On the biggest stage in America last night, Josh did that. Watch ESPN today, hear what they have to say. Last night, they were bewildered by what Josh could do and was doing. Each swing of the bat a miracle in itself. In almost a cartoonish fashion, the cracks of the bat louder and the ball flying higher and farther. Professional athletes in awe. Regular men, like me, mesmerized. 28 home-runs later, the New York crowd some 50,000 strong chanting his name. From nights spent sleeping next to crackheads to a night in Yankee Stadium no one will ever forget.
To hear a man like that, doing something no one else has ever done, say, “I just want to thank Christ and I hope that everything I do will continue to bring glory to Him.” That is not the abused God nod so many people like to do. Josh, at every given opportunity, used the stage to tell people about Jesus. With every question he exampled a life saved and hope restored. He is a man worth watching. A man to put in front of your teenage boys. A man using the gift he has and unashamedly blaming it all on Christ.
When it was all over last night, the story was Josh Hamilton, even though he did not even win the whole thing. It seems kinda fitting to me that God stole the show and did it His way. If I had written the story Josh would have hit 10 HR’s in the final and walked off a champion, but in God’s story Josh already was. I love God’s story so much more than mine!
Watch this clip and see something amazing. Listen to the crowd as he hits ball after ball into the bleachers.
The Beast from the Sea. 666. The Antichrist. The Rider on the White Horse. That’s right – get ready for a series in Revelation. Though it might appear we saved our Revelation study for the summer months because the attendance is lower than at any other time, it’s not true – I promise! I do know that studying Revelation can be a daunting task but do not pass up this study in favor of a book study or something else just yet. While this study is not going to walk through the whole book (Revelation in four weeks?), we are going to hit a few hot areas throughout this book. The deal with the title is that we wanted to explore the end times(eschatology) and see what the Bible teaches and compare it with what we see around us presented by pop culture. On your drive to work alone you may run across one or all of the sayings we chose as lesson titles. I assure none were made up by us, they are all actual bumper stickers or billboards or slogans. The idea being that every day pop culture tries to teach us about the end times and often gets pieces of it right, but they miss so much of the story. So this month, fasten your seat-belt, ok I admit that was cheesy but I couldn’t help it, and lets take a look at what the Bible says about the end times.
This week we’re going to take a closer look at Jesus. Of all the titles this month, this one bothers me the most and also expresses how so many people truly feel. Guess what? Jesus is absolutely not the copilot. In our culture we’ve relegated Him to that seat, the seat where we ask Him to take over so we can take a bathroom break or grab a cup of coffee. Or maybe if things are going bad we may ask for a bit of help, but overall, we are OK if He just sits there until we need Him. It’s this view of Christ I don’t understand. If He is not THE pilot, we are all in trouble. The fact that He allows us into the cockpit at all is truly amazing. I remember my first time on a plane and the pilot letting me see the inside of the cockpit and then giving me those cheap plastic wings. I felt privileged that the pilot had let me in to see what the others were not allowed to see. How crazy would it have been for me to say, OK Capt. Bob, thanks for the tour. I think I can handle it now. I’ll let you know if I need anything. But how often do we see that taking place in our lives and in the lives of other Christians around us. I could teach a whole lesson just on the title alone!
These verses in Revelation show the glory and majesty of Christ. They depict thousands and thousands of thousands bowing before His throne worshiping Him. They reveal Him to be the only One worthy to open the scrolls and turn us, Christ followers, into royalty. He is the One who created the universe. He is the One who died and rose again, and He is the One who allows us to have life. Where in there did we get the idea that He would be OK with the copilot’s seat? I can only truthfully speak for myself, but as I survey the state of the church around the country, I don’t think I am wrong in this. We need to take our relationship with Christ very seriously. It is not a casual fling, a summer romance, or a childhood friend type relationship. It is the Creator and createe (I just made that word up), the King and the servant, the Father and the child type relationship. The imagery of Him being worshiped by “every creature in heaven, on earth, under the earth, on the sea, and everything in them” truly boggles my mind. And to think He, the One worshiped by everything, wants to know and relate to me—that’s a very humbling thought. It is even more humbling when I think of all the times I relegated Him to the passenger’s seat. This week just focus on the idea of Him being who these verses describe, because He is. It’s time we started responding accordingly. It may begin with a bowed knee and a quiet prayer, or it may be a beautiful song sung along with the countless choir in heaven. I’m not sure what the response will look like for you, I just know this lesson has definitely reminded me of who He really is and who I am, and I don’t want to fly the plane anymore!
I was reading Michael Kelley’s blog this morning, trying to get going here in the office, and his morning thought got me thinking, “What are different ways we disguise our judging?” For me I think I call it people watching. On those days when I am trying to survive the mall, one of my favorite things to do is watch people. I am always intrigued by the people I see around me. I try to figure out how they are connected to the people they are with and whether or not they realize how ridiculous they look. Things like, “Is she his daughter or his newest trophy?” “How in the world did he end up dating her?” or “Does that little nerd realize wearing shorts down to his ankles and his hat kicked to the side have absolutely no way of making him cooler or earning him any street cred?” “Does she know those knee high furry boots look silly when its 95 outside?”
Until this morning, I think I thought this was just a way to pass the time stuck in the first layer of purgatory known as the mall. But now I am fairly sure it is simply judgement wearing one of those little fake noses with the mustache attached to it. So that thought got me thinking, I wonder what other sins disguise themselves as harmless critters, such as the wombat, when in fact they are deadly viscous creatures. Check my previous post about these critters.
What do you think? How have some sins inserted themselves into your life wearing a clever disguise? It seems tough enough to deal with the sins we recognize yet still fail to deal with properly without these disguised sins coming to light. It makes Christ’s death and His righteousness even greater and more necessary.
Well, I should have posted this about two days ago, but better late than never I guess. The half marathon was an absolute blast. As I stated earlier, my goal was to beat the Kenyan that ran in the Boston marathon. He ran his 26.2 miles in 2:07 and I ran my 13.1 in…2:05:27. Goal accomplished! There were many lessons I learned throughout the process of training and then running the race and I will list as many as I can remember and will probably be adding them for some time as they creep back into my memory.
1. Setting a goal and seeing it through is fun. I believe this may be the first time I have ever set a goal and stuck to it. This whole marathon thing was much more than simply running 13 miles. For me it represented setting my mind to something and seeing it through. Most things in life have come pretty easy for me and I have not had to work very hard for most of them. That is sad because I have not learned valuable lessons about perseverance and getting through the tough times. Doing this though, taught me a few of those lessons and it felt great.
2. Running is cheaper than therapy. That saying comes from a shirt I saw on race day, but thinking about it now it seems pretty true. Going on a 5 mile runs takes about 45 minutes or so and that is great time to process life. Having a two year old daughter, quiet times are not easy to come by. Between watching endless hours of Dora the Explorer and Go Diego Go, and then other shows after she goes to sleep, my mind stays pretty distracted. When I hit the road, those distractions disappear and God speaks as the pavement passes. I have truly enjoyed my time running around Mt. Juliet and spending those hours allowing God to just process life for me.
3. When we take the time to notice, God puts interesting people around us all the time. As I was sitting in traffic and missing the official start to the race, I was asking God to just let me get there before it was over. The race started at 7:00am and I hopped on a bus to take me to the starting line @ 7:15am. I sat next to a guy and we started talking about common interests like getting caught in traffic and being late for our starting times. I could have made small talk and then run off, but I ended up running the whole race with Brett, from Birmingham. It was great meeting a new person I must admit having someone to talk to during the 2 hours we were running was nice. Running that race alone would have been much more difficult.
4. Doing the little things pays off in the end. Being disciplined may not seem all fun and exciting, but is worth it. Having a training guide and using it to prepare for the race was key to my success. If I had stuck to the plan a little better, maybe my time could have even been faster. Kinda reminds me of my faith. While there is complete freedom in Christ, being disciplined helps prepare for the adventures ahead. I think I need to put as much effort into my walk as I did this run.
Thats all for now, I am sure to post more about the race later.
Way back in January I decided to run in the Music City Half Marathon. This stage of the journey comes to a close tomorrow as its finally time to hit the streets. Beginning at around 7:30am I will begin my trek toward 13.1 miles. My goal: anything under 2:07. Why that number you ask? That is what the gentleman from Kenya ran the Boston marathon in. There is something inside me that needs to beat him. And by beat, I mean not let him run 26 faster than I can run 13. For those of you who want to check on me while I run, you can go to www.cmmarathon.com and look around for the results button. I will be runner #18440. I hear they will be posting results during the race so people can track their progress. I am not sure if it will happen, but if you are totally bored tomorrow morning give it a shot. I will post my after race thoughts tomorrow afternoon. Right now I need to go eat some more carbs and go to sleep. Tomorrow is racing day!
There are times in our lives where events happen that change us forever. Moments when our heart softens and remains that way never returns to its former state. Like the moment I saw my wife walk through the doors of my church, the day of our wedding. The moment I saw a life enter the world and I became less Chad and more Macie’s father. Moments like when I realized Jesus had a plan for my life and I submitted to follow His leading.The time evil attacked our nation on 9/11. The day when evil invaded my home, shattered 100’s of lives and ended 32. It is this one that strikes home today, the one year anniversary.
Blacksburg, Virginia. To me, a little slice of heaven. A place I called home for four years, and I place I would return in a heartbeat. It’s a place hard to describe to others because unless you have lived there, you can’t grasp the meaning of Hokie Pride. I did not even know it existed until I made my first trip to see if it was where my college journey was going to lead. I walked away after that weekend knowing for sure it was where God wanted me. I have heard the question more times than I can count, “What is a Hokie.” The best thing I can come up with to say is, “I am.” My wife is. And through many years of dilligent prayer, my daughter will be too!
Watching the events 365 days ago take place on my beloved campus seemed all too surreal, like watching a bad movie. I just remember thinking, “That can’t really be happening at Tech.” The images showing the drill field occupied by police and media instead of carefree students, just didn’t fit. Students screaming and crying instead of laughing and cheering. Seeing students gathering a thousand strong singing Amazing Grace and holding candles instead of dancing to Enter Sandman and cheering our team, just didn’t fit. Seeing evil attempt to destroy something I love so much was painful. BUT, as often as evil has tried, its terror comes to an end. It is not the evil we remember today, it is the victory. The pain is still there and for the families it will always be there. For the friends the pain will always be a reminder. But the stories I will always remember are about the ones who faced evil and rose against it. The students that survived and helped lead others to safety. Liviu Librescu, who survived one monster only to stand up to another one while his students escaped. Stories about other schools coming together to help during a difficult time. Students and families returning to the only place of refuge during a storm like that, the loving arms of Jesus.
I have read countless blogs of students describing their last year and how all the good things that have come from this dark moment. I saw a stadium filled with Wahoos offer their support. One student in particular made a quilt for a victim’s mom and will give it to her today. Hearing of the stories coming out of the BCM at Tech and one of my favorite people on the earth, Darrel Cook reminds me that God is faithful even during the darkest of storms. Yesterday I spent a few minutes praying again for the families and friends of the 32. Below is a list of their names and I would ask you to do the same.
As I look around the “Christian” landscape today, I see many very strange things. One of them is a form of Christianity I don’t find as I read the Bible. In the Bible, I see men either following God or not. Certainly men were not perfect, but in cases of personal failures you’ll find repentance and reconciliation. As I look around today, I see people claiming to follow Christ, but their lives show nothing to back up their claim. I am not talking about earning salvation, but I am talking about having fruit. I am talking about obedience to God’s Word. I am talking about living a kind of faith that matters. I am talking about following after a loving God who demands our devotion. I guess when I look around I seem to find many people who want salvation without lordship and entrance to heaven without devotion. I’m afraid that many who call themselves Christians are going to be painfully awakened to hear the words, “Depart from Me, I never knew you.” It is scary and very distressing to me.
A few tough questions I wrestled with this week:
Can I be a follower of Christ and not be devoted to His leadership?
What is devotion and what does it look like?
Can I be devoted without being obedient?
Is devotion legalistic?
Does a life devoted to following Christ look different than the life of a non-Christian?
These questions cause me a lot of concern, both personally and corporately. As I examine my own heart, what level of devotion does my life show? As I look around the church today, what level of devotion do I see being preached and lived? Our faith is not a faith of showing up on Sundays and placing a check mark in that box. Our faith is one of radical devotion to a radical God—the type of God who would miraculously give you a child, and then ask you to offer that child as a sacrifice, the type of God who would offer His only Son to reconcile sinful humanity to Himself, and the type of God who would offer you salvation and freedom and only require acceptance of that gift.
I have to think that acceptance of His gift will result in a life that displays true devotion to Him. As I look through the passages this week, I see an example of true devotion; one night, God tells Abraham to take Isaac, his only son, and offer him as a sacrifice. The next morning Abraham takes Isaac and heads out for the mountains. Wait! Did Abraham know what God was asking? What about the promise God made to Abraham and the miracle that Isaac was? Why didn’t he consult other people to get their opinion on what God had said? Why didn’t they call a committee meeting to see what other meaning God must have had? Why didn’t he do something more along those lines? The answer: He trusted God and lived a life fully devoted to Him. The answer does not make sense. The action does not make sense. But he obeys anyway. I can’t fathom making that decision, but he seems to not even pause. God told him to do something, so there was no other option.
Several thoughts I learn through this passage:(if you want to read the rest, and I know you do, click here to go to the Threads site where you will find the other half.)
