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.

Ants were not meant to live in homes, especially mine; but for some reason, ants enjoy the comfy confines of our household. Every single year, usually around this time, we spot those tiny little insects roaming the kitchen and bathroom floor as if they owned the place and although they seem to be oblivious to our presence, we always notice them. I must be honest. I step on the ants. I’m sorry if you are offended by my inhumane actions, but I do. Sometimes I even do the squash and twist to make sure they are dead. The frustrating thing is that even though I’ve put countless ants to death, they keep coming back. I cannot get rid of them. My non-scientific reasoning for failing to exterminate the ants is that I have yet to discover where they are entering; in reality, I could continue killing ants all day long without ever completely eliminating them. I guess my time would be better spent in finding the unguarded source.

Sound familiar? Many people will spend much time and energy trying to correct unwanted behavior (killing ants) instead of facing the real source of their actions. The wise writer of Proverbs says, “Above all else, guard your heart, for it affects everything you do” (Proverbs 4:23). When a person’s heart is not guarded by truth and righteousness, wrong behavior will be repeated. Do you ever wonder why you keep looking at porn, continue rising up in anger, or run from the things God wants you to do? And is the real answer found in purity software (which I’m not against), counting to 10 and taking a deep breath, or making deals with God?

Maybe it’s time for you to quit killing ants and begin protecting the place where they are entering.

In case you missed it, read yesterday’s post entitled “One Pastor’s Struggle.”

It appeared to be just another normal day at the park until my six, almost seven, year-old daughter decided to swing on the swings at the park by our home. From a very young age, she has always enjoyed spending time kicking her little legs back and forth to gain more height and speed on our little swing set in the backyard; however, the swing behind our house is nothing in comparison to the local park’s mammoth swings. Talk about speed and height! Lexi had just begun to enjoy the adrenaline rush experienced alongside swinging at breakneck speeds and unimaginable heights when this unassuming and oblivious boy walked right into her swinging path. Although I didn’t get to see the initial impact, I quickly turned my head when I heard the desperate screams of a mother. Upon seeing her rush to the side of her son, who was now lying on the ground in front of Lexi’s flight path, I immediately knew that she had blasted this poor little guy and sent him face down in the dirt.

Even though I felt bad for the kid, I thought he should have paid closer attention to the path he was walking. Potential danger always awaits the unassuming.

“Ponder the path of your feet, And let all your ways be established. Do not turn to the right or the left; Remove your foot from evil” (Proverbs 4:26-27).

Right before I left the office this afternoon, my cell phone started ringing and the caller ID revealed that it was my wife. However, when I answered the phone it was not my wife on the other end but rather my six-year old daughter. Usually whenever she calls, the conversation begins with her saying “Dad, I want to tell you something.” I have come to expect some kind of story about an event which happened at school or maybe an attempt to get her brother in trouble for something he did. It was neither of these. Instead she shyly informed me that she got a magnet put up on the board today at school. I’m sure you have no idea what that means so let me explain. Getting a magnet (with your name on it) stuck to the board is equal to getting your name written on it; in other words, she got in trouble. Lexi is no stranger to impropriety, but this is the first time she has received punishment in the classroom. Apparently she was talking to someone, a boy as I later found out, while the teacher was talking. The boy to whom she was talking was the same little twerp who gave her his phone number a few months ago with all the numbers written backwards. When we asked Lexi about her reaction to putting the magnet on the board, she confessed that she cried. If only she could have seen past the moment to the potential aftereffects.

People tend to get themselves into trouble when they cannot see beyond the immediate action to the possible consequences which lurk around the corner. We really do live in a “fun now, think later” culture where individuals indulge in whatever they believe will make them happy and deal with the aftermath at a future time. After all, isn’t that what spelled the demise of Adam and Eve? Instead of heeding the warning of God, the first human beings embraced instant gratification ultimately throwing the entire human race into sin (Romans 5:12). Was it worth it?

Is it worth it?

Many moons ago, I used to be quite a bit skinner than I am now. Over the last several months I have come across some “old pictures” and willingly admit that there has been a definite change in my weight. I always laugh it off and chalk it up to getting older and my fast-paced lifestyle. If I can be transparent for a minute, I really would like to shed a few of those extra pounds because I know that maintaining a healthy weight will contribute to my overall quality of life. There have even been a couple times over the last several years that I have actually taken steps to lose weight; however, each time I find myself slipping right back into bad habits. So, I decided to contact Richard Simmons and he has agreed to be my personal trainer for the next six months. Just kidding. I know you would have been jealous. I’ve asked myself over and over, “why can’t I change this evident problem?” Each time I arrive at numerous conclusions about my repeated failures. First, I have deceived myself into thinking I am fine especially when I compare myself to others. Secondly, I believe I can handle things on my own without the help of others. Last, I know I will just fail again. These excuses are deja vu because they are the same ones we use concerning spiritual transformation. We think everything is fine the way it is. We don’t want to admit our helplessness to God or even enlist others to support us in our spiritual journey. We quit trying to change because we are certain of looming failure right around the corner. What causes us to buy into these lies? Wrong thinking. If God’s Word shapes our thinking, we will stop comparing ourselves to others and God will be our example for living. God’s Word will then expose our helplessness and drive us to our knees in prayer. This recognition will also cause us to be transparent with others and ask for their accountability in our daily attitudes and actions. The last lie is a little more complicated to defeat because failure is a constant struggle for the follower of Christ. Although failure is inevitable, we should never give up or retreat. We must be brave enough to face these struggles head on and depend on God to provide the strength for us to endure. Maybe you have quit trying to change because of so many failed attempts. Pick up the pieces and start again. The writer in Proverbs reminds us that “a righteous man may fall seven times and rise again…” (Proverbs 24:16).

My son wants to be a rock star, although I’m not sure he knows what that means. He really likes music a lot and sincerely loves singing in church and home. I’ve taken him with me on some youth events and he has seen people like Chris Tomlin, Hawk Nelson, and others perform. His grandfather and uncle purchased him an electric guitar and amp for his birthday, so hopefully we’ll get him started in lessons some time this fall. To go along with the image, he has been growing his hair long and has even developed a cool head flip to keep his hair out of his face. We knew we had to trim it up the other day when the bank teller at the drive thru apologized for not having suckers “for the girls in the backseat.” We laughed with and at him. He said a couple of kids at school were giving him a hard time about the hair flip, so I told him I’d beat them up. I was just kidding. I really would not beat up any little kids, but my wife probably would! As a parent of two kids, I can tell you that I would go to great lengths to defend my children. More than anything, I want to shield them from any harm which would come their way. On the other hand, I realize there is a balance in defending them. Bailing them out of every hardship and delivering them from every difficulty is not beneficial for them in the future. However, when it really counts, I know that I would do anything to defend them. Being a parent has taught me a little about how God must think about His children. Since we are created in the image of God, I suppose He placed in parents some of the same feelings He has about us. In reading the Scriptures I am very confident God will defend those who are His against the attacks of evil. I am certainly not saying that He always shields us from harm, but when it counts He steps in and comes to our defense (see Psalm 59). When our back is against the wall or when there seems to be no way of escape, God will be our defender. God loves His children and will do anything to keep them away from those who seek their harm.

Our garage has two windows similar to the ones in our home. The only difference is that they are much cheaper because they do not need to be double-paned or anything too fancy. Unlike the windows inside, the garage windows also get very dirty because they are exposed to the “elements.” Flies, bee, and other winged creatures often leave their mark or find their death on the sills of those windows. When I came home from work the other day, I heard this horrifyingly loud sound as well as the buzzing of wings. The sound was coming from one of those windows in the garage. Upon further examination I saw this huge bug-like thing continually banging its head on the window in an effort to fly himself (or herself) to freedom. As a human being I understand that a window is see-through and cannot be penetrated. Before you think you are superior to the insect world, I’m sure some of you reading have face planted into a screen door. You know who you are. I had to wonder what was going through the mind of that flying bug. For three days he was at my garage window. Freedom was right in front of his face, but he could never seem to experience it. He kept banging his head against the window in hopes that this time would be different than the last time.It is very frustrating when you can see freedom, but not experience it. It is very painful to keep ramming your head into the same old thing time and time again, but not be any closer than before. Have you ever felt like this? I have. This feeling usually comes when I am angry with myself for continuing to do that which I should not or ignoring my responsibility for doing what is right. The Apostle Paul felt the same way when writing to the Christians at Rome, “For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice” (Romans 7:19). Paul was not making excuses for his sin, but expressing frustration with his own inconsistency in choosing right. At times, I’m sure he felt as if he was returning to the patterns of his old life while at the same time desiring to receive freedom from the bondage of sin. This is where I live everyday. I know what God expects, but I struggle to free myself from the grips of sin. I’m not sure that there is an easy answer for this life. We will always struggle with sin in this life. True freedom will not be realized until Christ returns in the clouds to take those who are His. Until then we must rely on God’s forgiveness. John writes, “If we confess our sin He is faithful and just to forgive us our sin and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). The good news is that the mammoth, flying insect finally made it out of my garage (after 3 days) and flew to freedom. If he ever gets caught at the window again, I hope he remembers how he escaped.

It’s summertime and you know what that means…flies slipping through open doors in your house. I’m certain you know what I am talking about. You come home from a long, hard day at work, sit down in your favorite chair and read the newspaper. About the time you get comfortable, something begins buzzing around your head and distracts you from concentrating on the latest headlines. If you are like me, you make sure the flying insect is not a bee because there is a distinct protocol for handling a fly and a bee. A bee requires clearing everyone from the room and safely removing it without anyone having a heart attack. A fly usually involves everyone staying in the same room while laughing at you swatting dozens of times without any progress. We have already had several flies in our house, mostly because we have two kids who forget to close the door. When they discover an unidentified flying object in the airspace of our home, they always assume it is a bee. I am the official “fly-stalker” in our home. This title requires stealth and the ability to react at a moment’s notice. This past Saturday, I entered our home through the garage door and saw the fly buzzing around in the bathroom. I immediately went into stalking mode by first shutting the fly in the bathroom. Then I quickly located my weapon of choice—a fly swatter. My next step was to enter the bathroom where the fly was trapped and shut myself inside. I did all this without making a mistake. For a few minutes, I stood still in the bathroom so the fly got used to my presence. All the time I had my eye on the fly, just waiting for the right time to make the kill. It landed – big mistake – and I took one swat. Mission accomplished! My methodology for stalking that fly is identical to the way the devil preys on human beings in order to destroy their lives. Peter writes to warn his readers: “Be sober [think clearly], be vigilant [watchful]; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” He uses an illustration from the animal kingdom to describe how Satan watches and waits for the right time to bring destruction into the path of the unassuming. Although some people think sinning is fun and no big deal, Satan is just waiting for the right time to unleash the severe consequences for disobeying God’s commands. Rather than “throwing your hands up into the air” and giving into Satan’s advances, followers of Christ should remain watchful and understand their responsibility to guard their hearts and minds. Keep yourself from areas of temptation and faithfully pray for God’s help during times of testing (Matthew 5:13).