Math Problems

Are you good at math? I happen to hate it! Yes, that's right. You heard me. Math hurts my brain. I would rather write a book than perform a couple hours of math problems! At the same time, I encourage my children to excel in it. Why? Because it's a necessary and important skill to have in life. If you think about it, math is everywhere!

While I dislike math, there is one type that I am working hard to get better at. It's found in 2 Peter 1:5-7. It says, "For this very reason, make every effort to add  to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love."

Sounds easy, right? Not exactly. But it is possible with God's help. I've heard a lot of people talk about how this spiritual addition takes place over the years. Some believe that much of it has to do with how many church services a person attends a week or how many hours they spend in prayer. Others believe it has to do with how many Bible verses a person has memorized or how long they have served in a particular ministry.

While all of these things are noble and good, I believe that the opportunities to "add" to our faith occur in the every day ordinary moments of our lives. In a sense, we are performing math problems all day!

We have a chance to add self-control to our lives when we see that special item in the store that we know we can't afford but would love to buy! We have a chance to add brotherly kindness to our lives when we take a person out for lunch who needs some encouragement. We have a chance to add perseverance to our lives when we are waiting on God to answer our prayer for something he has promised us (Boy, am I living this one right now!!!).

We add to our faith by choosing God's way in the decisions (big and small) of our lives. As we do this, our faith becomes stronger and God is glorified. That's good math in God's eyes...and it doesn't even require a calculator!

The Fear of Man

I ran across this blog post today by Jamie Munson. Great words of wisdom...enjoy!

We often care about other people’s opinion more than we care about God’s opinion. We worry about our status among fellow humans because we fail to grasp our identity in Jesus. When we fear man, we’re vulnerable. (I addressed this issue recently in a sermon about The Parable of the Sower—how fear of man keeps us from bearing fruit in our lives.)
“The fear of man lays a snare,” the Bible says, “but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe” (Proverbs 29:25). Here are eight consequences—snares—that can result from fear of man:

1. Idolatry. When we care about what man thinks more than what God thinks, we turn people into idols that we worship—seeking to please them in order to earn their approval or respect.
2. Ineffectiveness. When we fear man we neglect God’s calling for us and we lose focus on executing the tasks in front of us because we’re too preoccupied with what others are thinking.
3. Lack of love. When we’re overly concerned with “getting it right,” we turn people into projects to accomplish. We withhold our compassion and grow reserved and calculating in our pursuit of people.
4. Fakeness. If you’re overly motivated by the opinions of others, you won’t act like yourself. You’ll be a chameleon, adapting yourself to any situation for the sole purpose of fitting in.
5. Apathy. Fear man and you’ll quit taking risks because of the potential for embarrassment in failure. If an endeavor is unlikely to succeed, you’ll never take the chance. In other words, you’ll never do much of anything.
6. Dishonesty. It’s tough to speak truth into someone’s life because the truth can be painful. If we fear somebody’s response, however, necessary words will remain unsaid because we care more about ourselves (being liked) than we do about the person (seeing Jesus work in their life). This negligence always creates more long-term damage than the hurt it avoids in the present.
7. Isolation. Fear of man won’t let you delegate anything because others might not do a good job (or they might do a better job), which could reflect poorly on your performance and reputation. Fear of man compels you to control everything—even if that means going it alone.
8. Decision Paralysis. When we live out of fear rather than out of the convictions God has given us, we spin in circles unable to move forward.

I invite you to join me in respecting and honoring others and submitting to authority, but also in repenting of our fear of man. Fear and worship are reserved for God. In the end, only his opinion counts.

3D Vision

My family took a trip to Discovery Place today. For those of you not from the Charlotte area, Discovery Place is a interactive science museum for kids. One of their current exhibits is a 3D IMAX theater. We watched 2 movies. One was about sea turtles and the other one was about sharks.

It was so neat to see my kids experience 3D for the first time! Zachary loved it! At first, Trevor was scared. He kept taking his glasses off! Kyrsten, on the other hand, was just plain wigged out by it all. As long as Kyrsten kept her glasses off, however; she wasn't scared at all. The fish seemed far away from her.

It's really amazing how a little pair of glasses can change the dynamics of the screen. This whole phenomenon got me thinking about how I read my Bible. Now, I know what your thinking. What on earth does a 3D fish movie have to do with your Bible reading. Actually...not much! It's just the weird way my mind works.

Study the scriptures and you will see that the Holy Spirit has a way of illuminating His truth to us. Have you ever had a verse just about jump out at you. Perhaps you've read it many times, but on a particular occasion it hits you square between the eyes. That's illumination! In a sense, God's spirit gives us eyes to see something in a way we've never seen it before. It comes alive! It's 3D!

So often, I just read the Bible without asking God to speak to me. I read it for information, not revelation. In a strange way, my 3D experience was a reminder to me to pray and ask God to speak to me before reading the scriptures each day.

I don't know how you read your Bible. Just a little reminder...whatever you do, make sure that you don't forget your special glasses. (1 Cor. 2:12-14)

The Game-Winning Hit!

To say that I am a proud dad right now is a huge understatement! Zachary had his league championship baseball game tonight. It was quite a game. Both teams played their hearts out to the very end. Zachary's team went down by one run in the last inning, but fought back during their last at bat.

That's when the magical moment came. With the bases loaded and 1 out, Zachary came to the plate. I really haven't been that nervous in a long time! After taking a few pitches, Zachary got a hold of one and lined it into the gap for a 3-RBI game-winning triple! The crowd went wild (including his dad who started jumping around  screaming like a chicken who just lost his head) and his team quickly rushed the field and jumped on top of him like you see in the major leagues. The final score was 7-5. It was one of those moments that will last in our memory for a long time.

The picture above is Zachary with his coach. Go Zachary!!!

What Controls You?

I was an avid Mets fan when I was growing up. My brother and I spent many hours listening to games on the radio (we didn't have a television). I knew every player and many of their stats. I still remember 1986 when they won the World Series against the Red Sox. Poor Bill Buckner...right through his legs!

While being a baseball fan brought a lot of enjoyment in my life, it also did something to me that wasn't healthy. It controlled my emotions. My family could tell right away whether the Mets had won or lost on any given day by seeing what kind of mood I was in. If the Mets beat the other team, I was happy as could be. If they didn't, I was a mess. I just couldn't get over it! Do you know anyone like this?

I eventually realized what was happening in my life and stopped following sports altogether for years...until the Chicago Bulls came along in the 90's and won title after title! Jordan sure was amazing to watch! Over the years, I've made progress and I am learning to guard myself against things that control my emotions.

It's important to remember that just about anything can reign over our emotions: our relationships, our performance at work, the stock market, a job loss, our children, etc. Here are a couple verses that have helped me along the way:

"You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you." Isaiah 26:3

"Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit." Ephesians 5:18

Don't let the devil use anything to consume your life and control your emotions. Instead, submit yourself to God, let him consume you, and you will live above your circumstances!

Apples and Trees

The other day, I was at the baseball field and I was reminded of a phrase my mom used to use when I was growing up. She used to say, "The apple doesn't fall far from the tree." One of the players on a team had gotten mad and stormed off the field declaring to everyone that he had quit. I wasn't really surprised by his behavior. His dad, one of the coaches, is known at the field for arguing with the umps and yelling at his players. I wonder where his son learned such behavior? Hmmm....

This incident was yet another reminder to me that, as leaders, we replicate who we are...whether we like it or not. As a leader, I must first examine my own life before pointing the finger at the team I am leading. I was reading a blog post today by Perry Noble (he's becoming one of my favorites), and he was writing to senior pastors leading their staff.

"If you want loyalty…then GIVE IT!  The leader that demands it but does not offer it often leaves a wake of abused and neglected staff members." To read his full post, click here.

Don't get me wrong, there are times when individuals go their own way. But in general, the speed of the leader determines the speed of the team.

The Measure of a True Worship Experience

I've had the privilege of visiting a lot of churches in the Charlotte area over the past 4 months or so. Throughout my journey, I've had numerous conversations with people about corporate worship. Interestingly, most of the topics discussed have been about style. Let's face it! Although worship is a spiritual act, we are humans and so often style can enhance or hinder our worship experience.

So what is the measure of a true worship experience? For all of the traditionalists...it's not how many hymns are sung. For all of the modernists...it's not if the worship leader wears jeans and plays the guitar. It's not how many people are on stage or if you like the worship leader's voice. It's not how long or how loud the people sing. It's not how many times you sing the songs (grew up in one of those churches!!!) and it has nothing to do with how programmed the service is. Spontaneity is not the measure of true worship and neither is the perfect line-up of songs. It has nothing to do with how well-executed the transitions are or if the music falls short or expectations.

A true worship experience can best be measured by the impact it has on the lives of its participants. True worship experiences bring you closer to God! They change you from the inside out and make you more like Jesus. They leave you in a position where you see the world more through Jesus' eyes than your own. Such times fill you with godly joy and peace and sometimes even conviction!

While I do think that issues of style are important for reaching particular cultures (more on that another time), it must NEVER be the measure of a true worship experience. One more thing...remember that your worship experience is affected by your willingness to reach out to God as well. God never forces anyone to worship Him!

Well, that's enough for now! I'd love to hear your thoughts or any issues you may be wrestling with.