While spending some time alone with God yesterday, I felt the need to confess feelings of apathy I’ve been experiencing in certain parts of my life lately. As I was praying, I sensed the need to locate some Scripture which could serve as a challenge for restoration and revival in my personal connection with God, so I randomly opened up the Bible and it fell to Psalm 80. Here is what I read,

“Restore us, O God; cause Your face to shine, and we shall be saved! O Lord God of hosts, How long will You be angry against the prayer of Your people? You have fed them with the bread of tears, and given them tears to drink in great measure. You have made us a strife to our neighbors, and our enemies laugh among themselves. Restore us, O God of hosts; cause Your face to shine, and we shall be saved!” (Psalm 80:3-7)

Even though this passage was most likely written as a prayer for the nation of Israel to repent of their apostasy and be restored to God, I am convinced that this principle is still applicable today. There are times when all of us become distracted or even blinded by apathy and need God to restore our hearts to the time when we first fell in love with Him. When I “randomly” opened up the Bible today, I believe God knew exactly what I needed and I’m now praying that He will restore me each day.

Several years ago we had guests at our home for a weekend, which usually means an adjustment in our daily habits. I’m not talking about bad habits but normal, everyday things you can only do around your own family. Since our house is two levels (and also includes a basement), most of the adjustment only takes place on the ground-level floor. Normal activity resumes on the second floor where it is immediate family only. There is one slight connection between the ground level and the second floor by way of the stairs so that if you stand at the very bottom of our stairs, you can see straight into the upstairs bathroom if the door is open.

On Sunday morning, I got up early to take a shower and upon finishing I exited the bathroom with just shorts and no shirt on; however, as soon as I exited, I noticed that the female guest in our home was about to make her way up the stairs to the bathroom because she thought I was already done. Unfortunately, she saw me without my shirt on and I was extremely embarrassed. Although some guys may not think this is a big deal, I did because I’m not one who enjoys mowing the lawn with his shirt off or playing a basketball game where the teams are divided by shirts and skins. It’s just not me…it makes me feel as if someone has seen a part of me that was not meant for them to see. Now that you know my true feelings, I’m sure this will put to rest all the rumors flying about me being the shirtless model plastered on the wall of Abercrombie & Fitch!

Setting aside the physical aspect of this thought, I believe many of us can identify with the mental, emotional, and spiritual aspects. When someone catches an unauthorized view of a particular area of our life, we often retreat in shame. No one enjoys being exposed because of a weakness, a seemingly uncontrollable addiction, or an area of extreme vulnerability. Through years of experience, many have become experts at covering up these undesirable parts without realizing that “the eyes of the Lord are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good” (Proverbs 15:3). This means that God sees you – all of you…but He loves You anyway. Paul writes that God demonstrated His love toward us, that even though we were sinners, Christ still died for us (Romans 5:8).

I really enjoy writing. Since my journey in blogging began on April 17, 2007, I have published nearly 600 posts which mainly center on two topics: Bible Commentary and Real Life Stories. The Bible Commentary section of this blog started as a challenge to myself about being more consistent in studying God’s word and also developing something for my own kids to be able to use one day in their own journey through the Bible. This personal study of the Bible has been an exciting part of my spiritual growth over the past few years and hopefully into the future. My goal is to finish my thoughts on the New Testament by the beginning of 2010 and then start my trek through the Old Testament, which I’m certain will take several years.

The second part of my blogging adventure began on March 8, 2008, when I created a new dimension to my blog by incorporating random thoughts and real life stories with spiritual applications. This usually turns into an attempt to view everyday life with a sense of humor while providing a chance for personal reflection.

Considering all the reasons I write, there is one particular truth that I hope you do not miss. Thousands of years ago God created people to be like Him and have a relationship with Him (Genesis 1:27); however, the first two human beings were deceived by a fallen angel, Lucifer, and their disobedience brought sin into the world (Genesis 3:1-13; Romans 5:12). God had already warned Adam that breaking His commandment would result in death (Genesis 2:16-17), but Adam ignored the consequence for sin and chose his own way. Because God loved man (John 3:16), His prized creation, He immediately promised them a future deliverer who would conquer sin and death (Genesis 3:15). Thousands of years later God sent His only Son, Jesus, who was born of the virgin Mary to become this deliverer from sin and death through sacrificing His own life on the cross (Matthew 1:18-25). Since death is the only way to pay for sin, man now has two possibilities to pay this penalty: either man can pay for his own sins through physical death and eternity in hell (Revelation 20:11-15) or he can repent of sin and receive by faith that Jesus’ death was in place of his own and that His resurrection guaranteed eternal life in heaven (Romans 10:9-10; 2 Corinthians 5:21).

Jesus is why I blog. He has provided new and eternal life to all who repent of sin and believe in Him; therefore, I use my words to hopefully point people to the benefits of living life God’s way.

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!

When I was young, I loved building tunnels and forts in the living room of my house. Typically, I would attach cardboard boxes together (end to end) along with some tables and chairs with blankets draped over them. After creating this monstrosity, my two brothers and I would spend hours crawling through our carefully constructed tunnels and hiding out in our impenetrable fort…or so we thought it was impenetrable. When I arrived home from work yesterday, my two children had built one of these huge forts in the middle of our living room using the kitchen table, an end table, sheets from their bed, and pillows from our couch. All night they peeked in and out of the fort taking pride in the security and sense of protection the bed sheet walls provided. I remember those days. Life was easy, carefree, and lived without fear, except for the monsters under my bed.

I’m not sure where the shift occurred in my own life, but at some point the simple things formerly providing security and a sense of protection were forgotten and lost with each passing day. Instead of feeling safe, I often feel vulnerable. Rather than feeling protected, I feel exposed. Ever been in that place before? These words are for you…the vulnerable, the exposed, and the insecure.

God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, Even though the earth be removed, And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; Though its waters roar and be troubled, Though the mountains shake with its swelling (Psalm 46:1-3).

I’ve had several conversations with people this week who are hurting. As a pastor, I’m constantly hearing stories of people who are experiencing health problems, marital problems, financial problems, parenting problems, addiction problems, and all kinds of other problems. From time to time, I am able to offer a comforting word to those who are broken because I’m familiar with the circumstance, but more often than not, I have nothing. Don’t get me wrong, I know I’m supposed to say things such as “I’ll pray for you” or “God knows what you are going through” but I always feel like I should have more answers for the individual; after all, aren’t those who represent God privy to His ways?

If I am honest, hearing about some of the trials people are experiencing creates questions in my mind also. Why would God allow this person to die? Why would God permit this to happen in a person’s marriage? Why didn’t God put a stop to this atrocity before it happened? You see, Pastors are human beings too. We struggle with the same questions and doubts as you do. Please don’t misunderstand what I am saying. I don’t doubt God. I just don’t always understand His ways.

Previous Posts:
Why I’m Against Killing Ants
One Pastor’s Struggle
A Not So Friendly Encounter

“Welcome to McDonalds – may I take your order” thundered a voice over the intercom as I sat at the drive thru of our local fast food eatery. After providing what I thought was an articulate order, I found myself repeating it three times before myself and the drive thru attendant agreed on my order. She instructed me to pull forward to the first window, which should not be confused with the second window. The first window is where you pay and the second window is where you receive your food…so much for multi-tasking. Upon turning the corner, I found myself in a short line of cars where I finally was able to pay for my food before proceeding to the second window. I handed the nice, young high school kid my credit card which he quickly swiped and handed back to me; however, something happened in the exchange. When the card passed from his hand back to mine, it dropped to the ground. He mumbled an apology as I opened my door to retrieve the card from the ground. Much to surprise, my credit card had joined a whole pile of coins littering the ground outside the drive thru window. It seems as if the high school employee working the money window had slippery fingers and there were all kinds of coinage casualties that day. As I looked down at all of those coins scattered on the ground, I wondered why no one had taken the time to open their car door, reach down, and pick them up. My guess is that the penny, nickel, or dime did not seem worth that much.

Although most would be swift in picking up a dollar or five dollar bill, most would also be less likely to waste time picking up something they deemed as worthless. I’m pretty sure most of us are not in the position to judge who or what is valuable and who or what is not. I’m thankful God did not judge us by our value.

“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

When I got home from work today I had to mow my grass. I usually enjoy this point of home ownership, especially at the beginning of spring and during the first half of the summer. It is my tradition to do some thinking and listen to my mp3 player while mindlessly pushing my mower back and forth. I went to get my player out of my car. When I pulled the door handle I discovered it was locked. You are probably thinking I locked my keys in the car…wrong. Luckily my window was rolled down so I just reached in and flipped the lock and bingo…I threw open the door. As soon as I did, I was greeted by a continuous ear piercing beeping sound…it was my car alarm. I’ve got to be honest – I did not know I had a car alarm. I kind of freaked out because I am one of those people who think car alarms are annoying, especially when a person sets one off and is clueless as to how to shut them off. Today, I am that person. I started running around wondering, “How do I shut this stupid thing off?” My neighbor is now certain I am an idiot. He has finally confirmed what I have known about myself for many, many years! Talk about not knowing your own car. Let’s rewind to last week. I took my car for an oil change at one of those “fast food for cars” places. I drove into the bay and stayed in my car while they changed the oil. The first thing they asked me to do was pop the hood. I pulled on something that I thought was the hood release, but ended up busting off the cover to the fuse box. I quickly admit my ignorance to the attendant. I pulled out the car manual and looked up “trunk release.” I know…I am an idiot – hood release, not trunk release! Finally one of the guys came over, opened my door, and pressed a button below the cover I had just busted. The hood popped open. I’m sure all of those guys were laughing at me when I finally left. Needless to say, I will be finding a new place to show my face next time I get my oil changed. Have you ever felt like there were so many obvious things you were missing (like a car alarm or hood release)? I find myself feeling this way when it comes to understanding God. There are times when I discover something written in the Bible about Him and think, “I can’t believe I missed this before – it seems so obvious!” But then I remind myself that understanding God is a process, not an event. Each day is an opportunity to discover new things about God or how He relates in my life. When I think about it, many things are a process of discovery – marriage, parenting, a new job, relationships, and other things. What we love, we will continue to discover. If you love God, you will learn to cherish each new discovery about His character and ways. Understanding who He is will certainly open your eyes to more exciting discoveries.