We recently committed “cell phone provider adultery” by leaving Verizon Wireless, whom we have been with almost a decade, and going with their bitter rival, AT&T. The first few months have been an adjustment – new phones, new customer service, and a whole new process to learn. One of the things we did not anticipate in our initial switch was that most of our family still has Verizon as their service provider, so we went over our minutes in our first month because we lost our free mobile to mobile minutes. On the last day of our billing cycle I checked our minute usage and we were already 50 minutes over, which would have incurred more than $20 in overage charges. Maybe that is not a problem for you, but I HATE paying overage charges for anything! On a whim, I contacted AT&T customer service and explained my dilemma and the gentleman was very kind in listening to my predicament. As I was talking, I was thinking, “This guy probably thinks I’m an idiot! There’s no way he is going to respond to my request.” To my surprise, the AT&T customer service representative understood and told me that he would add 200 minutes to my account and that if I didn’t use those extra minutes this month, they would roll over to next month.

I learned something through that process – asking must precede receiving. Without asking, you’ll never receive. Maybe the reason you have not yet received something is because you’ve never asked. “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened” (Matthew 7:7-8).

Like a good little nerd, I was reading the cover story in the October issue of National Geographic magazine. The article, simply entitled Redwoods: Super Trees, speaks about the value and beauty of redwood trees, which have the potential to be the tallest trees on earth. Although the article addresses issues such as saving the trees and other conservation efforts, the author also writes about a unique process in the forest between the older trees and the second generation trees called release. The writer, Joel K. Bourne, Jr., describes this phenomenon for the reader by saying, “With their high tolerance for shade and ability to sprout, some redwoods can sit almost dormant in the shade of their elders for decades. Yet as soon as a dominant tree falls or is cut down, breaking the canopy and allowing new light to enter the forest, the suppressed redwood springs up with new growth” (October 2009 issue, p. 38).

As soon as I read this statement I paused and re-read it again; it was one of those moments in which I felt as if God was providing a spiritual application to an earthly illustration. In my lifetime I have seen many “elders” and “dominant” leaders pass off the scene which has opened up the forest to many of the “suppressed” (I don’t mean this in a negative way) leaders. For many years, some of you have stood strong in the shadow of an elder who provided shade and protection, but now it is time for you to step into the light and “spring up with new growth.”

I believe Paul wrote some similar advice to those “suppressed” leaders who were getting ready to assume the place of their elders, “Don’t let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you teach, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity. Until I get there, focus on reading the Scriptures to the church, encouraging the believers, and teaching them. Do not neglect the spiritual gift you received through the prophecies spoken to you when the elders of the church laid their hands on you. Give your complete attention to these matters. Throw yourself into your tasks so that everyone will see your progress. Keep a close watch on yourself and on your teaching. Stay true to what is right, and God will save you and those who hear you (1 Timothy 4:12-16, NLT).

Are you ready to step into the light?

Here in Ohio we have trash stalkers, at least that is what I call them. Trash stalkers are people who spend their evenings/nights stealthily cruising through neighborhoods on the eve of trash day in hopes of finding treasure in someone else’s curbside junk. On more than one occasion, I have personally spoken to one of these stalkers because there must be an unwritten rule that if they get caught digging through your trash, they must ask for permission to assume ownership of it. They typically say something like, “Is it okay with you if I take this?” Since I have an insatiable desire for sarcasm, I am tempted to respond by saying, “No you can’t. That tricycle with only one wheel is going to be used for a lawn ornament.” In reality though, I usually panic when they stop at my house thinking that I possibly chucked something of unrecognizable value or maybe the mirror I am tossing out contains an original copy of the Declaration of Independence behind the glass. I really do not want to end up in national headlines as the idiot who threw away thousands of dollars in his trash because he was blind to an item’s true value.

After spending more than a decade investing in the lives of others, I’m convinced that many people are guilty of throwing away things which they no longer view as valuable, even though it still holds great value; although, I do realize that some repair may be needed to restore full value to certain things. Most of the time, something which was once valuable only became trash because of improper care.

Yesterday I took my two kids on a bike ride because, well, it is our new favorite thing to do and I believe they enjoying spending some time with me as much as I enjoy spending time with them. Now every day when I get home from work, both my son and daughter beg me to take another bike ride. So yesterday, instead of traveling the normal route around our neighborhood, I decided to take them on a new, exciting adventure in order to explore the unknown – the woods. Hoping there would be a decent bicycle path amongst the tall trees near our house, all three of us set out on an adventure; however, my children had no idea what I had planned. As we approached the deep, dark forest my seven and nine year old became a little concerned about entering a place where they had never been; in fact, they objected and made statements like, “I don’t want to go in there.” I assured them that there had been no recent snake attacks in our area, so we finally proceeded into the canopy of trees. After only traveling a short distance, the trail ended so we backtracked and took a side trail I had spotted several yards back, which ended up leading to another dead end. Determined to find a clear path, I led us along the edge of the trees until we had descended down a hill where we were met with yet another dead end. By this time, my kids were clearly frustrated with me and at one point, my daughter (who is always brutally honest) put her bike down on the ground and said, “I’m tired and I want to go home NOW!” I knew it was time to abandon my plan for discovery and exploration. Dejected and a little frustrated that my plan for exploring new paths had failed, we all pedaled home. Based on yesterday’s failure, I was certain that they would not want to embark on another bicycle journey; however, when I arrived home this evening, they asked if we were going on a bike ride.

Has the person who is your leader (a boss, teacher, parent, or pastor) led your business, classmates, family, or church to several dead ends? If so, maybe he or she needs you to ask to go on another bike ride.

My front yard was starting to look like a jungle so I figured it was time to bust out the old push mower, even though it had not been a week since I last mowed. I filled it with some gas, pulled the cord, and began cutting stripes into the front yard when suddenly something fell from the sky and hit me in the head and then in the back. Great! Over-sized drops of rain were falling at unusual speeds making each drop feel like it was piercing through my skin. I didn’t want to leave my grass half finished (what would the neighbors think?) so I continued on in the rain (which eventually stopped) until the job was completed.

Far too many people run for cover when the rain begins to fall leaving things half finished. It may be time for you to, once again, pull the cord and finish what you started.

Not too long ago I began reading Luke’s account of the life and ministry of Jesus Christ and I have not been able to shake some truths I gleaned from the first chapter (Luke 1:5-25, 57-64). A couple named Zacharias (a priest) and Elizabeth were elderly, but felt unfulfilled in their lives because they had never been blessed with a child. It appears that they had prayed for years (1:13) that God would answer their request, but year after year God was silent and no answer was in sight. All hope seemed to be lost for this couple whom Luke describes as “righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless” (1:6). The question of fairness comes into view here because why wouldn’t God answer the desperate prayers of two people who were doing everything right? Little did they know that God was already at work…just not on their timeframe.

God sends an angel to Zacharias in order to reveal that he and Elizabeth were going to be parents, but Zacharias has a hard time believing that a man his age was going to be able to…well, you know. The angel gives Zacharias a sign, which also doubles as a consequence for his disbelief, and he cannot speak until John (the Baptist) is born. In my opinion, Zacharias prayed for God to answer without being fully convinced that He would respond.

When the same angel later appears to Mary, the mother of Jesus and relative of Elizabeth, he reveals to her that Elizabeth is pregnant and will soon give birth. Luke documents the angel’s words to Mary, “Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren. For with God nothing will be impossible” (1:36). Our God specializes in making the impossible possible for those who are righteous and walking in His ways.

Maybe you’re tired of asking? Maybe you are convinced that God is not listening? But maybe tomorrow or the next day is the day God will arrive and make what once seemed impossible a reality.

You can hear more of my unfiltered thoughts on this story at the Summit this coming Sunday at 10:15am!

Okay. So there are no vampires in this story, but there is a bat. Yesterday, several staff members, including myself, were walking through one of the hallways on the second level of our church (main campus) when all of the sudden our senior pastor stopped and inquired about an object hanging where the wall and ceiling meet. I had walked through the same hallway yesterday and noticed, what I supposed to be, a wire or wires hanging from the ceiling. “That’s a bat!” our senior pastor said. At first, I thought he was seeing things (he is getting older) so I decided to turn on more lights in the hallway. Sure enough, he was right! There hanging from the ceiling in our church was a bat. Although it was a nice call by the pastor, our attention quickly turned to removing this vampire bat from the church building; after all, I’m sure we would get some e-mail complaints if we left it there for Sunday worship.

My first thought was, “The only way to get this bat out of the church is to whack it on the head and kill it.” Don’t get me wrong. I love mammals, but not in confined spaces where there is a risk of me getting bitten. After a few minutes of searching around the custodial closets, we located a broom handle and I was elected to wield it, but the pastor reminded me, “You’ve only got one shot and if you miss, that thing is going to be flying all over the place.” Thank you for that voice of reason. The pastor and another unnamed staff member who works with our middle school students stood at a far distance so they could see the outcome. I’m certain they were rooting for me to miss so they could, as the pastor said, “see me scream like a girl and run.”

As I nervously approached the bat with my weapon of choice, I began thinking about what I would do if I missed. I mentally planned for failure. Many people never try anything because they have already convinced themselves that they will fail. Countless plans, movements, ministries, businesses, and dreams have never been realized because they never escaped from the mind. What would you be willing to try if failure wasn’t an option?

Postscript: Custodians arrived. Bat was removed safely. PETA is happy.

“Can I go outside?” my seven year old daughter asked as I sat relaxing in the family room at our home. She loves the swing set in our backyard and spends lots of time swinging on the swings. “Sure. That’s fine with me,” I said as she quickly slipped on her flip flops and dashed into the backyard. A few minutes later, my wife came downstairs after waking up from her Sunday afternoon nap and sat with me in the family room. Before I knew it, my daughter was opening the sliding glass door wanting us to watch her new trick on the swing. Her trick was adventurous. After proving that she could use the rope swing to increase her speed on the regular swing, my wife and I continued hanging out in the family room…until the sliding glass door opened once again, but this time my daughter was crying. “What happened?” we asked. She proceeded to tell us (through the tears) that she had fallen off the swing and now her wrist was hurting. Since my daughter is a thrill seeker as well as accident prone, we took her to the local emergency care center where the x-rays revealed a broken radius (the lateral bone of the forearm). This is the second bone my daughter has broken this year and she just got her last cast off six weeks ago! Also, in keeping with her last broken bone, which she broke on my wife’s birthday, Lexi broke this bone on my birthday. I wonder what she will do for Christmas this year?

Today, when we were waiting in the doctor’s office I told my wife, “None of this would have happened if I would have told her that she couldn’t go outside.” Have you ever had one of those moments where you’ve questioned a better outcome if you would have made a different decision? I know I have. Unfortunately, no matter how bad you question your decision, it is already a part of your past.

Instead of attempting to change the past, fight to reclaim the future.