Press On

Philippians 3:12-14

I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

 

1 Corinthians 9:24-27

24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. 25 Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. 26 Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. 27 No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

 

 

A little over a year ago I took up bike riding.  The first day out we rode 8½ miles and I threw up at the end.  Last Saturday Stu and I rode 100 miles.  Here are a few observations about the experience and some spiritual parallels:

 

We tend to over-estimate what we can accomplish in the short term, and under-estimate what we can do over time.  That first time out I wasn’t really ready for 8½ miles—I never imagined at the time that a year later I would do 100.  Most of us can accomplish more for the kingdom of Christ than we think we can—it’ll just take longer than a week.  In order to do great things you have to do little things for a long time.

 

The body is an amazing thing.  Push it and ask it to do more and it rises to the challenge.  It gets stronger and works more efficiently, drops the fat and adds muscle.  Your spiritual man is the same way.  Challenge him to do greater things and the indwelling Holy Spirit makes him able.

 

Everything is better in community.  We need positive peer pressure and companionship.  Whether it’s riding bikes or winning the nations to Christ—you shouldn’t attempt it alone. 

 

Achieving the goal is the motivation.  Last Saturday at mile 93 our friend, Dan, was in agony.  He was riding with new shoes and his feet were killing him.  Did he finish the ride?  You bet!  No matter how much he was hurting, stopping with only 7 miles left was not an option.  I hope you can envision crossing the finish line into the joy of your Master, and that it is real to you.   Finish strong!

 

Press on.

 

 

Brian

 

What are you going to do?

Hey Guys,
I’m freshly returned from conducting a retreat with several other Dog Soldiers in Kansas City. To watch men connect with God and see God work out the things in their lives that are particular to each man…… it’s just stunning. Which leads me to my first topic today, and that is that next Tuesday morning, Oct. 4^th, this year’s group of Dog Soldiers will start. I have several great guys signed up and excited to get started, and yes there is room for several more. Let me know if you are interested by replying to this email.

Now far some thoughts. I was reading an article in National Geographic’s Adventure magazine titled “How to Survive Anything” and it was more about the mental condition that you need to be able to survive a disaster be it man-made, natural, or an adventure gone awry. Do the next right thing was some good advice, rather than worrying about anything else that can go wrong. Then I came to one that said to take control. The author pointed out that Illinois has 50% more tornados than Alabama, yet far fewer people died in those tornados than in Alabama. An Ivy league school did a study on this and came to the conclusion that it was the people in Alabama’s belief in God that did them in. That they believed that there was nothing they could do about anything, so they didn’t do what they could to protect themselves from a natural disaster like that and the people in Illinois would do what they could control.

Interesting. Where is the line between God’s sovereignty and our choice? Theologians will probably argue this one until the rapture, but I would like to offer some thoughts on the idea of choice.

If you will go and pull the word choice out of the Bible, you will see two interesting ideas. One, God chooses things, us, Jerusalem, His plan; and we get to choose who we will give our hearts to. God and his ways, or ways that are not of God. Most of what you see in the old testament of God getting ticked off is because of us choosing something besides Him. He is like a jealous lover in this regard.

Proverbs, in particular, asks us to choose wisdom, over and over again.

So, why this in an email to men? Because your choices are what makes you a man. Or not. Every day you will have choices of what to do with your time, temptation, your reactions, what to do with your money, loving your wife or not, the list goes on and on. Being a good man involves choosing the right, or God-led choice every time, regardless of the pain, or personal cost involved. This is where courage and faith go hand in hand.

Here's to knowing that God has our back in the choices He wants us to make.

Have a great week men.

Alex

Gumption

Gumption:  boldness of enterprise; initiative or aggressiveness; guts; spunk; get-up-and-go

John, Jordan and I were sitting in my office the other day thinking great thoughts (for this is what paid religious professionals do) and discussing the finer points of gumption.  As always, we came up with more questions than answers:  Is a person born with gumption or is gumptacity developed and learned? If a person is naturally gumptous can they teach others to be the same?  How is gumptocity measured?  If Paul  (himself a veritable gumptuoso) were writing today would gumption be listed as one of the fruits of the Spirit, or would it be a spiritual gift? Did Forrest Gump’s name inspire gumptiousness in him?

All these questions notwithstanding, we know that gumption is a good thing.  Gumption is what made Abraham leave his family and people to go to a land God would show him.  Gumption brought Moses before Pharaoh.  It compelled David to attack Goliath.  It helped Jeremiah boldly proclaim unpopular truth.  Gumption is what the early church prayed for when the foundations of their building shook.

It’s what made my friend Greg, an out-of-work business analyst, deliver pizza to make ends meet.  It’s what enables a widower to stay involved in church and other activities when he’d rather hold his wife’s picture and cry.  It’s the thing that makes a business owner keep moving when things are looking bad.  It’s what carries the college student through to graduation.  It enables parents to never stop praying for their children.  It moves a person from the couch across the finish line of a marathon.

Get gumption.

Gumptitiously Yours,
Brian

How to Go to Church

Going to church is kind of like CPR—if it works there’s no wrong way to do it.  However, there are methods which, if followed, will increase the effectiveness of CPR.  Those who save the most lives with CPR follow a certain procedure.  It’s the same with going to church—those who benefit the most and who have the most influence in the lives of others on Sunday morning approach the event with a great deal of intentionality and purpose.

Here are a few tips to maximize your Sunday morning worship with the body of Christ:

1.    Church starts Saturday night—when you’re asleep.  If you’re still going strong after midnight chances are your time with the church won’t be what it could be if you get a good night’s sleep.  Go to bed!!!

2.       Simple math saves day!  If church starts at 10:45, what time will Johnny have to wake up, shower, eat breakfast, get dressed, get the kids ready, get everyone in the car, make the drive, check the kids into children’s ministry, and ride the shuttle to the club to be there 5 minutes early?  This is not a difficult problem—a few simple calculations can change your life.

3.       Remember—it’s not about you.  The beautiful paradox is that when we make churchnot about us, we receive a greater blessing.  But if we enter into worship with a consumer mentality, and concerned that we get our needs met, we’re missing something.  Often on Sunday morning I see my friend, Richard, just standing in the gym looking around.  I know what he’s up to.  He’s talking to God, asking who it is he needs to connect with, to pray for, to encourage.  Richard enters worship with a heart to serve, not to be served.  Let’s all do that!

4.       Fully engage, and allow others to do the same.  When you walk through the doors, let your thoughts fly to the throne of Christ.  If someone is on the stage, focus and allow yourself to be led by them in worship.

We have precious little time together on Sunday mornings.  Let’s make every minute count.

Brian

Country Music

Preaching Country Music

I was listening to a newer country song the other day that was talking about the voices that the singer hears in his head all the time. Words from his grandfather to not drink too much, Mom telling him to tithe, and other significant people in his past and the advice that they gave him all the time.

So, my question to you is what voices do you hear in your head? It’s all well and great to get nostalgic about things you remember loved ones telling you, but where do those OTHER voices come from? The ones that tell you that you are dumb, an idiot, a screw up? Where do they come from and what do you do with the message of those voices? You really need an answer to those questions in your life, if you intend on being the man you want to be.

Rom. 8:1 tells us that there is no commendation for those who are in Christ. So, the voice of God is never condemning. If you hear a voice telling you how sorry you are, that’s not God. Which leads me to another new country song that I love by Miranda Lambert.

The chorus goes like this:

'Cause I heard Jesus, He drank wine / And I bet we'd get along just fine / He could calm a storm and heal the blind / And I bet He'd understand a heart like mine /

I just love the thought of there not being anything Jesus can’t accomplish and the inner workings of my being aren’t any surprise or problem for Him! He understands. Don’t believe me, just ask Him. Ask Him which of those voices are His and what you need to do about it.

Strength for the Battle to you guys!

Alex

Arrows in Flight

Psalms 127:3-4
Sons are a heritage from the Lord,
children a reward from him.
Like arrows in the hands of a warrior
are sons born in one's youth.

Last week Leslie and I turned the page and began another chapter in life.  We are now in the “empty nest” stage of life.  The last two kids moved out in the same week.  In a sense we are excited about what lies ahead.  We expect it to be a time of productivity in our work and a lot more flexibility in our free time.  We expect it to be a “we-haven’t-lost-our-children-we’ve-gained-a-bathroom” kind of experience.  I know there will be a lot of positives in this stage.

At the same time I can’t help but wonder how I’ve done as a dad.  Are they ready?  Can they handle independence?  Will they live unselfishly?  Will they continue to grow in Christ?  Will they be a blessing to those around them?

As I reflect on the past 23 years and 5 months of child-rearing, I know there are things I could have done better as a dad.  But something Jim said in a talk a couple of months ago has given me great comfort and hope—“Prayer trumps bad parenting!”  If there is anything that Leslie and I have done correctly, it is that we have been consistent in praying for and with our kids.  In the past week our intercession for the kids has only intensified.

The arrows are loosed and are in flight.  Will they hit the target?  Not if it all depends on my skills as a parent.  But I am confident that he who began a good work in them will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus (Philippians 1:6).

A Poser, Me.....????

Hey men,
So a few weeks ago, I gave you a story from John Shore about a man posing. Posing, you might have asked, "what is that and how does it pertain to me?” “ I don’t keep my knowledge sources from my son.” Well, posing is just a term for the things we do to cover up our insecurities, doubts, and fears. Oh yes, fears. The original poser? Adam. “I heard your voice and I was afraid” (remember that was right after he didn’t kill the snake in the garden).
So, you think you aren’t scared of anything? I did for years, and if you looked at my life you would have thought maybe not. But the truth was that there were LOTS of situations that I avoided just because I wasn’t sure how they would turn out. Posers (us) usually only fight battles they (we) know they (we) can win, and when they (we) get into one that they (we) are not sure of, they (we) usually do much damage to their (our) heart and the hearts of others around them (us).
Where does it come from? Adam? Our sinful nature? Part of modern religion would like for you to believe that it is our fallen nature and that there is not much you can do about it (you know, the whole man is depraved thing). My experience has been otherwise, though our nature does have something to do with it. Most of our posing has its roots in our getting our heart broken at some point in our life. Unmet expectations or awful actions of our parents, friends, authority figures (all of which are posers too, you know), all have an effect on our hearts and lead us into protective actions and we call that posing. It can go so far and so deep that we think it is our God-given personality. Really??? God would give us something we hate about ourselves? No wonder He gets such a bad rap in this world.
So what does Jesus have to say about this?

I have come to heal the broken hearted
And set the captive free.

When Jesus announced His mission on this earth, that is the scripture he used. Out of all the messianic prophecies He could have chosen, He used that one. Is it true then, can you be whole-hearted? Can you be the man you have always wanted to be? Strong, faithful, loving, respected? Can your wife be grateful for how well you love her? Can your kids be radiant with affirmation etc, etc? You bet.
Well, I’m ready to sign on the dotted line, close the deal, what do I need to do?
It’s pretty easy, actually, it just requires child like faith that God is really for you, that scripture is true, there is no condemnation for those in Christ, and then to take your hearts deep thirst for affirmation to Jesus, instead of other people (or wherever you take it to, that just happens to be one of our biggest fears). To be free of the fear of what others think, now that’s freedom indeed.

Here’s to the Real you!
Alex