Today is my sixteenth wedding anniversary and I was thinking about how much I appreciate my wife and what she means to me. She is on a missions trip with our church right now so we will not be able to celebrate tonight together. Someone asked me how I was doing with my wife being gone for sixteen days and I told them that I love it when she leaves. They looked at me kind of funny and then I explained to them why I felt this way. When my wife leaves out of town, I use that time to reflect on what she means to me and not what she does for me. (although it sure would be nice if my clothes washed themselves and hot cooked meals were on the table every night when she’s gone) 🙂
It is always easy to quantify what someone means to you when they are not around if they do a lot for you but its not so easy to really ask yourself why you are married to the person you are with especially on an anniversary when you are not with your spouse. The statement “why you are married” seems to always be used when you are mad at the other person or evaluating the pain they caused you because of a negative situation. You think of what life would be like without them or the responsibility of having them in your life. I want to challenge you to not look at the statement “why am I married to…” as a negative but to start to see it as a positive. Why am I married to Yolanda? She completes me, she laughs at even my stupid jokes, she thinks of me first but loves God more than me, she knows who she is and what her role is in our family and the most important one, she doesn’t hold grudges when she has a right to sometimes when we argue. I love my wife because she makes me WANT to love her and lead our family in a Godly direction that is considerate of her feelings.
I encourage you to make your own list of “why’s” about your spouse today and not just think of what they do FOR you but who they are TO you. Needless to say, I am having a wonderful Anniversary day without my wife…but I will be glad when she gets home on Tuesday. 🙂
Some things I learned from my current Techno Time-Out
I have been on a 30 day fast of my iphone, music and PS3. People have asked me why take away these three things and you are still on Twitter, Facebook, read your Kindle etc. I felt that these were the three biggest distractions from me listening to God. I had one of those “if you want something to change in your life then do something different” moments so I decided to do something drastic for me.
I think the hardest thing for me to be without has been my music. I love listening to all kinds of music and at all volumes (although, loud in my truck is my favorite) Music, I have learned, also gets my mind focused when I am doing graphics on my Mac. It wasn’t until I was without my music these past weeks that I realized this fact. l also recognized how much time I was spending on my phone. I have 7 pages of apps and lots of games and distractions but need to curtail these things to a reasonable level and not always have to be checking my Facebook, Twitter or the condition of my Zombie Farm!
This blog was actually motivated out of a breakthrough I felt I had in my fast this morning. I was praying and reading my Bible and God told me that the reason why I, Brian, need “techno time-outs” is that I can get so wrapped up in what I am doing with the gadgets in my life that I forget to just simply sit back and listen to what the Holy Spirit is telling me. I am not saying that any of the gadgets I have are evil in themselves, but I do think they have the potential to steal my time and mess up the priority of Christ in my life. I also had God share with me that it was important for my future that I learn to listen to God in the midst of life. I am a pastor so I am bombarded with the issues of people almost on a daily basis but this was much deeper and broader than just ministry. I am not sure completely what it means but I got the message loud and clear. I preached in DC last week that if I was only known as a funny guy, the iphone/Tech geek, etc. and people didn’t know that Christ was number one to me, then I failed. I don’t want to fail in this life so I will do what I need to do to make sure I am tuned in to the best of my abilities to the Holy Spirit and what he says to me
This weekend is not about a Fluffy Rabbit
Well there is no time like the present to get my blog going again. Its Easter weekend and I am struck by the importance of this weekend more than ever in my relationship with Jesus. What an amazing time to reflect on the sacrifice and total power over death with the celebration of Easter. I want to encourage you to really take some time this weekend and seek God for what He has for you. This is not to “give him a list of things you need from him” but to ask Him what he has for you for the rest of 2010. As a pastor I am always inundated with people seeking to get as much as they can from God and give as little as necessary. I have talked about this before but I really believe that when we seek God for what he wants to give us instead of what we can get from him it will change our perspective on life. When Jesus died on a cross, which is the celebration of Good Friday, and came back from the dead on Easter Sunday he gave us everything we need in eternity and in this life. He gave us a reason for getting up in the morning and living a life that can change the world around us. I want to honor the sacrifice he made with living a life that people will want to emulate. None of us are perfect but we have the ability to have the perfection of Christ operating inside of us if we will only ask to be in control of our lives. Have a great Easter weekend and never forget that this weekend is not about a fluffy hopping easter bunny or candy or lunch after a religious time together on Sunday. Its about the sacrifice Christ made for all of us and the example that we need to follow which is to die to self and let Christ shine BRIGHT through us.
Update from Nepal – Day 3
I really think I will be a different person after this trip to Nepal. Its like I have been immersed in a world of sights and sounds that are challenging me and what I have always known. I have only been out of the country 4 times in my life and nothing even close to what I am experiencing here. I know that there are things I am learning about selflessness and thinking about people who are not only less fortunate that I am but who have challenges beyond my comprehension. We drive the streets of Kathmandu and I see row after row of people just standing around with nothing to do. No hope, no drive to make a positive difference in the world around them because of so much spiritual oppression but also possibly a lack of a will to change the situation. At the orphanage, we see such hope in eyes and a desire to move past the lifestyles of the other people around them and a chance to escape the trappings of living in a third world country. I have such a great burden in my heart for these people and know that I must do everything I can to see these orphans and this orphanage be a useful tool to getting kids off of the streets and becoming constructive members of society. I talk with Emmanuel and Hannah (the couple running the orphanage) and realize all the things they have given up to answer the call to come and help these kids from probably dying on the streets. I don’t feel like I have time to feel sorry for them or to beat myself mentally because of the many things I have back in the states. I only have time to provide as much prayer and emotional as well as financial support that I can to make a difference in their lives that will last long after I return home the end of this week. Please continue to pray for wisdom and direction for me and Yolanda as we are here and I am changing my perspective on life from the inside out.
We saw the orphans today
Today we got to see the orphans and it was great. We toured the orphanage today and talked about some of the immediate needs including a solar panel so they will have power during the power outages. The said in a couple of weeks they are going to be without power for up to 20 HOURS a day! Dang we have it easy in the states. Our dollar goes so far here too. $1 is worth 75 rupies here and we are really praying about how to help them. I will be helping people be able to connect to CTN (my father in laws TV ministry) to be able to give and support the work they are doing here. I know that I am getting a better perspective on money and the comforts of living in the USA and Yolanda and I will be increasing the amount we give each month to support the orphanage. Please continue to pray for us on the trip. So much to do and so little amount of time.
Update from Nepal
Well, we made it to Nepal!! It is definitely a different world here. As I type this, I am worried that the power will go out (it has been doing blackouts all morning) 🙂 We had a good time in Hong Kong on our 2 day layover. We had a city tour and then went to Hong Kong Disney for a day. It rained all day, but it was so much fun. We got into Kathmandu last night around 11:30p. It was very interesting driving through the streets with no lines and everyone everywhere. There has been a lot of unstable activity in the past few days but we believe that God is in control and ordering our steps. We are going to meet with the kids from the orphanage in a few hours and I am excited. I cannot explain yet what I am feeling while staying here. I know Yolanda and I are here to encourage and to pray over the country while we are here and to be Jesus’ hands a feet.
More fun news to come!!
Nothing like being Thank-FULL
I want my life to be “full” of “thanks.” Thankfulness is a key factor in moving out of difficult situations in life. Thankfulness says something about your life especially when you are a follower of Christ. The most important thing thankfulness does is admit that God is in control and you are not. You are not saying you enjoy pain, but that you trust God enough to say thanks for the opportunity to learn something about yourself that has the potential to make you a better person. Pain, sickness and generally things that feel harmful in life can be seen as one of two things; OPPOSITION you can fight or OPPORTUNITY you can embrace. Thankfulness focuses your thoughts and attitude on being grateful and is a key ingredient in God seeing that you are ready for a change in life. True thankfulness is not being thankful to try and manipulate the situation to get what you want, it’s taking an inventory and appreciating the things in life that help make you the person you need to be. I want to be a thankful person in all situations so people will want to be around me, listen to me and be changed by how I feel about a relationship with Christ. People who complain and are not thankful in life repel others and make a reputation for themselves that is generally negative and not good. When I was really sick with my eye I didn’t know how to be truly thankful for possibly going blind, losing my job and becoming a huge burden on my wife. I really believe this was because I didn’t know the difference between being thankful FOR pain and being thankful IN pain. Thankful FOR pain is not what God asks from us but he does want us to learn to be thankful IN pain. Keeping our eyes on Jesus and not worried about the circumstances that cause us discomfort. On this thanksgiving day don’t just say you are thankful, but really take an inventory of your life, thank the people who have helped you in life and thank God for the oppositions you have in life that can become your greatest opportunities to become stronger in every way.
Evaluation and Correction in life
If you follow me on facebook, I posted a thought that I know was God inspired; The depth that you are willing to be corrected is the height you will be able to grow. I am coming up on a year since I started feeling better after being sick for about 4 years and I feel it is time to evaluate where I am now compared to when i got sick. It has been interesting to reflect back on being sick now that I feel better. At the time, I could not see anything positive in my sickness and what I was going through but now I know that God allowed those things to happen to me so that I would improve my walk with him. The problem is that as I look back and evaluate what I went through, there are some areas that I feel like I have made great strides and some ways I feel like the pastor hiding behind his title and not being a man of God first. Let me give you a couple of examples. I know that I have learned a new level of empathy for people finding it difficult to follow God because of what I went through. I had always been the “do these 3 things” kind of pastor and would have no patience with people who couldnt find the strength to follow God and do what he says. Then when I got sick, I was in a place of not really even liking God. I thought God was mean, cruel, unjust, hateful and wanted to see me suffer just for the sake of suffering. So when I look back at my poor attitude I know it was for me to have patience when working with people who feel trapped in their circumstances and not able to do those “3 simple things” to make their lives better. On the other hand, I feel like i dont really read my Bible more or spend more time with him than before I got sick. The extent of my prayers when I was sick was just wanting him to change my situation because it hurt and not that I really wanted to spend time with him. I am the busiest I have been in my entire life and i find it hard to really spend quality time with God. I still read my Bible and pray, but it is so hard to have quality time with him because I am so busy. I know this sounds like I am being hard on myself, but I dont want to have to relearn anything that God was trying to teach me with my eye situation.
2 Timothy 3:14 talks about how the Bible is good for “teaching, rebuking and correcting”. That verse can often times hurt because even though teaching doesnt feel too bad, I cant remember a time where rebuking or correcting felt good. Even though those things dont feel good, they are important for our development as a person of effectiveness in this world. If I say I am a lover of Jesus, then I need to be praying and reading my Bible to know His will for my life. If I am not evaluating my life and putting myself in a place of correction by Christ then I can never be as effective as Jesus needs me to be. If you think about it, life is made up of correction. When you drive your car you are always correcting to stay on the road and obey the laws of driving. Get up from your seat and walk across the room. Your body has just made amazing and calculated corrections to stay upright and moving forward. The list could go on, but you get my point. The “walk” with Jesus is no different. If I want to go where he needs me to go then I need to be corrected and be able to follow his lead. I am commiting to do the things I need to do to be the man of God I want to be to the people around me. Not just because I am afraid of getting sick again, but because I know it is the best thing for me and my part in this world.
I am not a Christian anymore…
I am not a Christian anymore. Maybe that sounds odd for a pastor to say something like this, but I had a type of epiphany this morning in my prayer time. I was reviewing and thinking about the meaning of the word “Christian” to people who dont know Christ as their best friend and savior. I am tired of R&B artists dropping F bombs and talking about inappropriate things in their music and then thanking God when they accept some award for a song or video they did. I am tired of celebrities saying they are Christians on national television or wearing Christian t shirts and cursing and not living a witnessing life around others. I am not saying that being a follower of Christ is being perfect, but it is following ONLY Christ and recognizing the sacrifices Jesus has made for my sins. I really dont want people around me who are not Christians to look at me and see perfection because that is not what Christianity is about. It is about loving all people with the love of Christ, constantly becoming more patient when I drive, or talking to God so much that I dont react to a situation but I step back, think about what I am doing and make sure it lines up with the Word of God and considering what Jesus would do in that situation. I want to be known as a follower of Christ. Not a man of perfection, but a human who follows a God that I know has my best interests in mind no matter what I go through. That he is ordering my steps even though, at times, it feels like I am not able to take those steps. I dont want people around me who are pre-believers to think that I take into account confucious’ positive sayings, or motivational speakers/life coaches helpful words for living a more successful life. Being a follower of Christ is treating my wife with respect and love, being patient/loving with people around me and honoring those in authority over me as much as it is praying nice prayers and reading the Word of God on a daily basis. God make me a complete person in the Fruits of the Spirit as much as the Gifts of the Spirit that I have in my life.
The health care plan and Gods possible future for Christians
I was talking with a guy on my airplane flight home about the health care plan that is being proposed for the US by President Obama. He said that he actually voted for Obama but had “voters regret” with some of the choices the president has made in recent days concerning the health care of America. We were talking about the “prioritization” of health needs that would be in the current version of the health bill which led me to share with him about my eye condition I had and that I would have probably lost my eye if I was “prioritized” under the national health care being proposed. I am a firm believer that there must be some sort of reform in healthcare because of the wicked medical bills my wife and I have endured for the past 5 years and the crushing blow of getting sick and especially the doctors not knowing what was causing my sickness. After I settled into my seat for the remainder of my flight I felt like I had a moment with God sharing something with me. Please hear me; I DO NOT want the current health care bill to pass, but what an amazing opportunity for the church of Christ and Christians to pray for people and their healing if something like the proposed plan would go through. I believe the Bible when it talks about future events that need to happen before Jesus comes again but I think we have a hard time believing it would be in our lifetime. Can you imagine it? The healthcare bill goes through, people are denied care from their doctors because of some government regulation in place so all they have is having a Bible believing person ready to pray for them and Expect them to be healed. Talk about amazing testimonies from all around America! They would be on CNN, MSNBC, FOX, local, national and even probably world news. I really feel like God put this thought in my mind because of an incease of trust I need to have with God and nothing else. As a Christian I need to do my part to let my voice be heard when I disagree with decisions my government chooses, but at the same time, I don’t want to stand in the way of God having a greater plan for us and this country than we could even imagine, dream or think. I only pray that God increases our faith to a point that if we as Christians are called on to lift those kinds of prayers that we will not let the United States of America down. That may just be the hour of thier greatest need. I am now not praying for the healthcare bill to fail, but for God to have his way in this country. Are you with me?
Holy Crap 