7holycrap funny thoughts, Life Lessons

An Owl Pooped on me this Weekend

IMG_7703You read it and are seeing it correctly, a Barn Owl pooped on me this weekend. It was like an explosion of turd all over my jacket and shorts while I was birding with Yolanda this weekend. In life, there are times when we are hit with an unexpected “crap-storm” of problems that come in all different shapes and sizes. The question is how will we respond? At first I was in shock because I had never been pooped on by a bird, not to mention a giant owl! Then I was trying to calculate what just happened to me from standing in a  tree grove, to a giant awesome owl flying over my head to having the sensation of drying bird poop all over me. Isn’t that just like life sometimes? We are hit with crap and try to assess the situation the best we can but it is sometimes hard to put all the pieces together. I walked up to my wife and her friend Nora and said, “I found the bird” while revealing my turd-laden jacket and shorts from behind a tree. As they started to laugh at me, I calmly walked back to my car, got some water on a rag and started wiping off as much excrement as I could so we could continue looking for birds that day.

The moral to this little story is a question; what are you going to do in your life when you get “crapped on?” Are you going to sit and cry and whine that you smell like turd? Are you going to try to get vengeance on the one who did the “pooping?” The owl, who was my aggressor, was LONG GONE by the time I got my bearings and realized what happened. I could have spent my entire day looking for that stupid bird and ruining the rest of my time with Yolanda and Nora, with a HIGH probability of not finding the culprit. Or are you going to wipe it off and keep going? Be encouraged today that things will happen to you that need to be brushed/wiped off and for you to keep going in life. Don’t let something as simple as the “crap” of someone else ruin your day and give them control over your mind and emotions.

Praying for you this week and have a splendid day!

7holycrap Uncategorized

Fire Wave Vision…Sweet Baby Jesus

firewave2I wanted to share a vision I had on a run last week. I was considering whether I should share it or not but felt like it would encourage people. I don’t get a lot of visions so when I do see something like this I know it is important for me and possibly important for others to hear.

God was showing me a wave on a beach with it crashing down and pushing the shoreline. Then it was a wave of fire that was rolling on the ground and burning up things. I saw people who were tangled in old dead weeds that represented past hurts and scars that were keeping them from freedom of movement and making them extremely uncomfortable. The greater problem was that they didn’t even realize they were immobilized by these roots. The fire wave rolled around the base of the people and burned away the old weeds which gave them ability to walk in freedom.
Then my vision shifted to a dark forest that didn’t even have any moonlight with people wandering around and lost. The wave of fire was bringing light and helping people find their way over to the wave for warmth from the cold.
I felt like God told me that when followers of Christ pray for “more fire” that they should not consider the DESTRUCTION fire brings but the warmth and light it gives to people in darkness. The fire of God is a freeing agent for people as well as a warming and guiding light for those who are lost and don’t even realize it. God was showing me that my new position in Christian television needs to be based on the LOVE of God that is a hot fire which has the ability to free, warm and direct people who are in darkness. He also shared with me that the more I pray, the greater the size and scope of the wave which equates to an ability for more people to be helped.

As I type these words, I am reminded of the verse in Hebrews 12:29 that says “for our God is a consuming fire.”
A fire that that refines and burns away hurts to give mobility that would never have happened without it.
A fire that gives ability to see into the darkness around that is so prevalent in the world today.
A fire that provides warmth to keep people from the freezing cold that steals joy.

Have a great week and, as always, praying for you today to feel the warming love of God in your heart and bring healing to areas of you life that you may not even realize need it.

7holycrap Jesus thoughts

Darkness in our World versus the Light of Christ

hope_in_DarknessIf there is anything NOT to do first thing in the morning anymore is watching/reading the news of the darkness rising in our world. With all of the ISIS news, especially about Christian’s being persecuted, it can become sad with a feeling of helplessness. Then today I was looking through and cleaning up notes on my phone and ran across my grandma’s graveside service I did a few years ago. I scrolled down and noticed a line that I felt God gave me while preparing back then and I wanted to share a few thoughts with you.

I was referencing Psalms 23 and the verse that says “…even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear NO evil” and I shared the statement, “don’t STAY in the valley of the shadow of death. Walk THROUGH it.”

Today, maybe you are in a “valley of the shadow of death” that looks familiar and a place you will never be able to leave. Some people feel it’s necessary to “set up shop” in a valley of death in life and leverage that environment while learning to exist IN that valley. Maybe your “valley of death” is the loss of a loved one or maybe it is a plan that you had formulated for your life that just didn’t work out quite the way you had hoped. The verse in Psalms does not say “…even though I LIVE in a valley of the shadow of death….”. The Bible has been given to us to bring encouragement, direction and correction which is all for our good. There is so much truth and wisdom in the Bible if we will only open it up, read it and then APPLY it to our lives. Only then can we see the Word’s full power on display for others to see. The darkness in this world is only increasing and the “light” that followers of Christ are able to bring in valleys of darkness have never been more important than they are right now! We also need to not be so consumed with our own “darkness” personally that we forget to provide prayer cover for those in areas of the world who are dealing with a darkness that many of us will never understand. When we continue to WALK with God’s help THROUGH darkness and pray for others and the darkness they encounter, we have a strategy for success!

Have a great rest of the week and know that I’m praying and believing the best for you.

7holycrap Life Lessons

Proximity Doesn’t make you a Follower of Christ

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I have a really cool metal relief picture of the last supper hanging in my office and counted the number of disciples around Jesus. There are 12 in the picture which includes Judas. In prayer this morning, I was reminded of Judas who betrayed Jesus. I was thinking of how he spent some of the best and closest time with Jesus but still betrayed him for money. I think Judas is a great lesson for those who choose to follow Christ. We can look at Judas and his actions and think, “how in the world would anyone who spent that kind of time with Jesus, chose to betray him and for MONEY non the less?” Proximity to Christ is not what helps us to know his heart. Proximity only can be religiously going to church on a regular basis or even religiously giving your tithes every paycheck or just trying to live a “good life” without really getting to know God. Jesus doesn’t want us to just hang around him. He wants us to really listen, learn and then apply his teaching through the Bible and with the help of the Holy Spirit. That was the key difference with Judas and the other disciples; his focus. There are numerous times in the Bible where ALL of the disciples didn’t understand what the heck Jesus was saying. Eleven disciples were hungry to understand and focused on what Jesus was saying and doing but Judas, on the other hand, was dealing with and keeping his focus on the finances of the group. We need to be careful not to quickly judge Judas and his mistakes before we examine our own lives and make sure that we are not making some of the same fundamental mistakes he did. Maybe we are living a life in proximity to Jesus instead of really pressing in to know his heart and do his will. Attending church, giving tithes and offerings and being a positive influence on society are all important, but if your body is close to “religion” and your heart is far from the “relationship” to Jesus, there is a fundamental problem. I am praying for you today for you to have a fusion of the things you DO for Jesus and who you ARE with him. To truly be a follower of Christ, both are desperately needed.

7holycrap Life Lessons

I Just Threw Away my Dex Phone Book

My new Dex phone book was delivered yesterday. It was like Christmas with the excitement of waiting for that sucker. Of course, I am kidding. Yolanda and I ALWAYS take it and put it into the recycle bin because we have so many other ways to access the information in a big, clunky out of date book.

The phone book that was delivered to my house, by someone, had to have a team of sales people selling ad space, a planning/design team who had to put all the copy together, the factory that produced the paper, the printers that made all the copies, the binding of the books together, the team of people to box them up, the trucks to deliver them to people who would distribute them and that is not to mention the plastic bags that everything was in…and I just took it and threw it in the recycle bin. Now, unless you are a “Power Team” member (said for all you old skool churchies who know what I am talking about) the phone book, paper version, has become pretty much obsolete.

Now think about your life. How many times do we do the same things the same way “just because” and we waste time and resources that could be better used somewhere else? Maybe that is with trying to find peace in your heart and mind. You do the things that you have always done but don’t even know that there is an easier way to find that hope, peace and contentment in life. Jesus offers FULL ACCESS to all the things you are searching for in life if you will just ask. A conversation with Him doesn’t need to be like a big, clunky, out-of-date phone book. It just starts with a “search of information” about what He has to offer. In the Bible, there is a verse in Luke 11:9 that says that if you seek God that you WILL find him.

Maybe you are in a situation right now and you need peace that is above the crap you are in. It’s as simple as saying the name of “Jesus” and watching your situation change for the better. Praying for you today.

7holycrap Jesus thoughts

Some Old Books Contain Timeless Truths

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Anyone who works from an office and has a lot of books will realize something very interesting when you have to move to a new area; you will find books in your collection that are out of date. I have acquired not only books myself through the years but also a full library from my mother-in-law when she died which had ones she got from a pastor friend when he died.

I have always had more books than shelf space through the years and moving into my new office was no different. It was time for me to go through my books and pair down the ones that I was probably not going to use or read anymore. When I was working full time in church as a pastor I would get books from people like George Barna or whoever the “stat” guy/girl was who was talking about why people do what they do in relation to the church and God. I found all kinds of “how to” books on doing things to get people into church but the dates were from 1998, 2003 and a couple from 2010. The thing I realized when I was holding those books is that they were out of date and, in general, irrelevant at this time in history.

Then I came across 2 Bibles that had dates signed in them from 1910 and 1907. Two books that were almost 100 years old and still had relevant truth, timelessness teachings and powerful words to change lives and alter destinies. A book that I try to implement in my life everyday to the point that I have a question that I am going to ask myself starting in 2015. It is the simple statement, “will what I do/say right now give Jesus a good name?”

The teachings of the Bible have shaped me and molded me into the person I am today and will stay with me until I am no longer on this earth. Men through the ages have been known for many things but I want to only be known for living the truths of the Bible out in my life. That is the legacy I want to leave on this earth and to know that I bettered the lives of those I came in contact with from a life-giving, life-changing and life-empowering book, known only as the Bible.

7holycrap Life Lessons

Two Things to STOP and Two Things to START This New Year

1. Stop worrying about defending Jesus and Bible.
The Bible and Jesus have been around for far longer than you and I have even existed. The Word of God has been staving off attacks of all kinds for many many years. The Word has stood the test of time and continues to bring life and direction to all who heed its words. Jesus is in the business of defending YOU and not you worrying about how you are going to defend Him. He is not up in heaven nervous and biting his nails to the quick…so you shouldn’t either. It’s all about asking God for wisdom and to follow the verse in Matthew 10:16 for this new year; “…being wise as serpents and gentle as doves.”

2. Stop worrying about how to evangelize people and just start loving them!
There are so many things that are happening in today’s society contrary to the Word of God and its principles. The hard thing to realize is that many, if not all, of the things happening in our culture today were happening back in Bible times as well. Our CENTRAL focus in life should be how do we “out-LOVE” people around us who are screaming by their actions that they need someone to listen and show them Jesus. The key is when the opportunity comes and someone asks you “why are you being so nice to be?” or “why do you love me even when I can’t seem to love myself?” that you don’t say something like, “well, just because I am trying to make the world a better place.” You can say, “I follow Jesus in my life and he was the GREATEST example of love there ever was or will be. I am just trying to show the world what that love looks like through me in a healthy nonjudgmental way.” Just because you love someone doesn’t mean that you accept everything they do. Jesus loves YOU and he doesn’t always like the things You do either. People giving Jesus control of their lives will happen when you start SHOWING others what a healthy belief in God looks like coupled with loving others.

3. Start praying and asking God for opportunities to show true Christlike love in 2015.
It’s the age old adage; you don’t get what you don’t ask for. We need to realize that God is always speaking but sometimes we are not truly listening to what He has to say. When we ask God for his will to be done “on earth as it is in heaven” we are saying, “God, use me today to bring your love to a lost, hurt and dying world that is falling slowly out of love with itself and doesn’t even know it.”

4. Start believing for the impossible in your life.
When we go through problems in life, we can program ourselves to start believing or looking for the negative in situations. When we start believing for the impossible we open a door of opportunity for God to show up and show off to encourage our faith and lift the life of someone else. We need to start getting worse at unbelief and professionals at seeing the impossible and believing for something GREAT! I truly believe that 2015 will be a year where faith in the unseen will be needed more than ever and that God is looking for those who would see the “possible” in the “impossible.”

Have a great New Years and wonderful start to 2015!! See you next year!

7holycrap funny thoughts, Life Lessons

Resolutions, Resolve and Making Change Stick!

Today I had a revelation about my year coming up. I was driving back from skiing and was trying to think through a meeting that I had to make with a person and thought, “I can’t really do Tuesday’s because I have pastor’s meeting on that day.” The only issue is that I am no longer working for a church and don’t have that obligation each week anymore. Generally, for the past 20 years of my adult life, I have had a “pastor’s meeting” in some form or fashion every week. I know that now working in the television world that I will still have some kind of staff meeting, but it will be at a time I choose. I then called my wife, had a good laugh and continued to drive home. Then I was thinking about how many times we make decisions in life based on the familiar and not the truth. I was modifying my meeting time with something that didn’t even exist in my life anymore because my mind had been programmed to remember staff meetings every Tuesday.

Now think about something you want to change in your life this new year. It is not as simple as just deciding to do something different. Deciding to change is definitely a start, but not the deciding factor of whether your life is modified or not. There is going to need to be what I call “repeated disciplines” that you commit to in the process of your life each day. One of the BEST ways to shift thinking is to read the Bible. Even if it is not something necessarily spiritual, reading the Bible can have amazing effects in your life. I know many people think the Bible is just a dusty book of life suggestions, but it has been such an integral part of my life growing up and now as a person who tries to let Jesus be seen in everything I do.

I want to challenge you this new year to make reading the Bible a staple in your daily life if you are deciding to make some kind of positive change. You can start with the book of John which is such a great book about the love of Jesus and is a fairly easy read. I would read The New Living Translation or New International Readers Version instead of the good ol trusty King James which can be difficult to understand. Maybe you already read the Bible each day but you are reading it out of obligation only. Maybe that needs to be your “change” this year in that you pray and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal new truth to you before you read one word. I know that I always get more out of the Bible when I do that before I start to read.

Have a wonderful new year this week and do more than make resolutions that are filled with good intentions but lack a positive game plan for execution. Praying for you all!

7holycrap Life Lessons

Good Riddance to Moderate Christianity!

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The days of “moderate Christianity” are coming to close, and I say good riddance! I was talking with a couple of different people this past week about all of the “anti-Christmas” situations that have come up in the news. My favorite so far was a Fire Station in some town that had a “Merry Christmas” sign on it. An atheist group filed a complaint with the city so the fire department took their sign down, in compliance, and put up a new sign that read, “Happy Birthday Jesus, We Love You.” Each of these people I was talking to said that it was amazing to see the attack on Christ and Christianity in society and I said, “I think it’s great!” I said, “I think the opposition to Christ that is happening in America is good because it’s weeding out moderate Christians who only have a familiarity with Christ and not a real relationship.”

Never forget that your belief in anything will only have its personal value tested when it is opposed, and this includes being a follower of Christ. Jesus even mentions opposition in the Bible in Matthew 10:22 and also in Mark 13:13 where it says believers in Christ would not just be opposed but hated but that those who endured to the end would be saved. This was not only a forewarning of attacks but even a CONFIRMATION that they were living properly! It was also a word given for followers to make sure and count the cost of following after Jesus. I am not sure in today’s world of consumer Christianity that much cost counting is done before deciding to follow Christ, which makes me very sad. I am not saying this as a judgment but more of an observation of the society we live in and what people are willing to give up for Christ versus giving things up for self. If this wave of challenges concerning Christ and people who follow Jesus will help people get off the fence with their beliefs, I think it could actually be something amazing and good for the church. It can also be a good lesson for Christians to learn to lead with the love of Christ (shocker) instead of conjuring up a lecture ABOUT the love of Christ. Jesus’ words were ALWAYS followed up with action so if I say I am following Him, then my actions better line up in the same way. Have a wonderful holiday and Merry Christmas!

7holycrap Life Lessons

Keith Elder and His Impact on my Life

I was up hiking today and happened to check my Facebook and saw that a hero in the faith for me had passed and graduated to heaven. Keith Elder was such a larger than life person for me, literally and figuratively, when I was growing up in Montana in the Assemblies of God. I was heavily involved in my church and their Royal Ranger (Christian Boy Scouts) program as well as the youth group when I grew older. I can remember the first time I shook Keith’s hand. It was like I only had a wrist because his hand was so big that I couldn’t even see mine.

Growing up, there were three people in my life that helped me know and then “seal the deal” that I wanted to be a pastor. My 3rd grade Sunday School teacher Carol Davis, my youth pastor and best man at my wedding Lee Terry and Keith Elder. As I reflect on the impact of Keith in my life, it is interesting to see how God allowed me to interact with these three people at important times that formed me into the person I am today.

My greatest memories of Keith were in Hungry Horse Montana at Glacier Bible Camp every summer through my Junior High and Senior High years. It was always fun to see my dad and Keith hug whenever we would get to camp because they both had such big bellies! From Keith calling all of the kids at camp “suckas” to his super low voice when he was warning the girls and boys to stay out of each other areas of camp. His explanation of the “hand holding rule” at camp was always hysterical and epic. He would explain that you held the pinky on Monday, then two fingers on Tuesday and so on until you had bliss in your heart because on Friday, when you got to hold the whole hand. I remember sneaking out of our cabins at night when I was at camp. Keith had a “Big Bear” Polaris 4-wheeler (funny because that was his Royal Ranger FCF name and nickname) and we would know we were safe to goof around the camp until we heard the roar of that engine in the night driving to the guy’s area and we would either hide or run to our cabins. I have so many great memories of friends from Montana and our shenanigans.

One of the most impactful moments of my life, and something that would shape how I dealt with students through the years and deal with adults now, came in a staff chapel when I was attending summer camp as a counselor. There was someone asking Keith about how to deal with kids that were getting out of hand and causing problems and Keith said the most profound thing. He said, “Always remember that kids don’t cause problems, they reveal problems.” Then I remember him starting to cry in the way that only Keith could cry. He had tears absolutely streaming down his face and his voice would never ever break or even quiver. He would go on to explain that the camp was often the only time that kids acting out would have away from the dysfunction and often horror of living at home. I truly believe that Keith was a man with a heart that was larger than the physical size of his body. Seeing him love on kids and their lives being changed at camps were hallmark moments in my life and caused me to hunger to do the same for youth when I grew up and to help people see Jesus in me.

I can only hope that someday, when I am dead and gone, that people will not remember me for my love of technology or my laugh or my multi-colored socks. But they would remember that I loved people like Jesus and took the time to not only talk like Christ but actually act like him as well.  I pray for his wife Marlys and kids D’awn & Kent and their families mourning his loss on this earth, but I can also hear Keith at the pearly gates saying in his low-tone Fat Albert voice, “Hey, Hey, Hey…I’m finally home.”