For the Texters!
In SMS (texting):
“dad@hvn, ur spshl. we want wot u want & urth2b like hvn. giv us food & 4giv r sins lyk we 4giv uvaz. don’t test us! save us! bcos we kno ur boss, ur tuf & ur cool 4 eva! ok?”
In english now:
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory. for ever and ever. Amen
Look Mom, No Hands!
You ever think it is strange, the thoughts and memories that run through your mind at the strangest places and times? I know I do. For me, one of those places is church. I don’t know if I am easily side tracked or bored or the pastor says something that triggers a thought, or perhaps it may even be God stirring up something.
This past Sunday was one of those days. The worship was good, and the pastor gave a good message from 1 Cor 15:3-10. Strange as it was though, as the pastor was speaking on abnormal births and such, my mind began to ponder some interesting stuff! So I thought, why not share it?
It started with a series of mental questions: 1.) Does God have an expectation that we will not fail? or 2.) Does He anticipate us failing? 3.) How does He handle it when we fail? 4.) Does God ever give up on us? Now I know some of you theologians and Bible scholars are foaming at the mouth with a myriad of Scriptures to start quoting to me and mind you, some of them even raced through my mind, but where my mind went next was a total shock and what seemed like a forgotten childhood memory.
As I have shared before, I grew up in rural East Texas. For the first half of my life (up into Jr. High) we lived in a small community called Leverett’s Chapel and lived at the end of an oil/dirt road (for those of you unfamiliar with an oil/dirt road it is basically a dirt road and then a large truck sprays an oil based solution on top of it. Over time this gets impacted and has a similar effect/look of an asphalt road, just not the quality. Anyway, this road ran behind the little school (500 total kids K-12th). So I walked to school everyday. I can remember walking and seeing many of the other kids ride their bikes to school. Seems like ages ago!
The day in my life that came to mind was the day I learned to ride my bicycle. I remember it was a green Schwinn! It was used and had a few scratches, but it was mine! I remember pushing it and running beside it down the road, but unsure about riding it. When my dad got home from work that day and saw me, I guess he figured it was time to start riding. So I remember him setting his aluminum hard had, coffee thermos and lunch box down in the yard and walking over and said “On you go”. He held the bike steady as I climbed on. Then he started the push the bike and run behind and then wham. I crashed! What happen? He let go! Why would he do that. I scraped my knee pretty good and it was a bit bloody. I even started to cry! My dad walked over and said, get up and lets try again. We walked the bike back to where we started and on again. As we lunged forward, I fell again! I can remember that process several times and then all of the sudden, i remember I was riding! What an exhilaration! Then, i thought, How do I stop. Wreck and crash again! Strangely enough though by the time the evening was over, I was riding like a pro. Mom watched on and winched at every wreck!
It wasnt long before I became quite the bicyclist and even began riding without using my hands! I remember the first time I tried that, I ended up all tangled up around the handlebars and had a severe road rash, but then I tried again and mastered it. I was so proud, I even had to have my mom watch me do it! Funny, mom’s don’t have the same appreciation for such grand skills!
So as my mind pondered these things, I came to some conclusions:
My Dad encouraged me to step out ride!
My Dad steadied me as I learned to balance!
My Dad pushed me when I was unsure if I could do it!
My Dad picked me up when I fell!
My Dad helped me back on the seat!
My Dad knew I could ride, even when I couldn’t!
Then that one verse rolled into my mind that summed it up for me and I hope today gives you a word of encouragement as well:
Matthew 7:9-11 “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 1f you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!”
Remember we are His image! All the best things about us are a reflection of Him. Think about how you love your children and all you would do for them!
Blessing.s on your day.
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Trooper Bob
Well, I want to wish all of you a Happy New Year. This is that time where we all take inventory of our lives. We look at what we did or did not accomplish last year and make resolutions to drive our focus for this new year. As I myself have begun my own personal inventory, I saw something that has created alarm in me. If you have been around me at all, you probably have noticed it as well. I will tell you what it is in a minute . . .
I have lived in Washington for over six years now and have met and got to know many people. One of those people shared a couple of years ago at a men’s retreat, kinda a personal story and It challenged me then and it is challenging me again today, not so much his story but the message it contained.
I want to apologize if I fail to acurately retell things precisely as Bob did, but I hope you get the sway of the message. Bob and his family had been going to the church awhile before we started and I am not really sure what he was doing professionally at the time we met, but over a little period, Bob transitioned his life, as a middle aged man who had worked several professions into the role of a Washington State Trooper. Bob began to notice after he became a trooper that people began to treat/talk to him differntly, alot around his role as a trooper. Bob was proud to be a trooper but one day realized that he was Trooper Bob. Somewhere along the way Bob the seasoned believer and man of faith was now recognized at church as trooper Bob.
Strange how that happens, how our lives can take on an identity and somehow we assume that identitiy and soon that becomes us and without such we dont have definition anymore. For me I noticed it probably a couple of months ago when I realized that some of my friends didnt really call anymore, and then hearing myself as I met new people, I realized why; I had become Divorced Dave, the dissallusioned dad, single sufferer! I found myself telling that story and thats what people began to know me as.
If you have every been their, you know it is a rut. It is hard to break free when you latch onto one of those identities. Perhaps part of it is a midlife crisis but I have come to realize without real definition, my life has become defined by my circumstances and not by who I am. How did that happen?
A story from scripture that I think is related is in the book of John, chapter 5. There was this man, who had been an invalid for over 38 years. And he sat at this pool with all the other people who were lame, paralyzed and blind. Jesus walked up to him one day and said, “Do you want to be healed?” Surprisingly the man did not answer yes, but began to make excuses as to why he was not healed. I like how Jesus responded, he said “Get up!”. Imagine, living 38 years as an invalid and then a man walks up, one who you do not even know and says “Get Up” and all of the sudden you can walk! No more excuses, No more invalid, No more who you thought you were! Identity has been changed!
Thats what I want this year! Break free of the identity I have allowed to wrap me and walk in who I really am! I hope that is your prayer for your life as well. You are more than what you have allowed yourself to be defined as: Alchoholic, Cheater, Liar, Workaholic, Selfish, Sinner. I challenge you to listen, is Jesus asking you today, DO YOU WANT TO BE HEALED?
I do!
Proverbs 22:1 A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold.
Myself
Enough about you, let me tell you a bit about myself! I like attention. I like to be in charge. I like people to praise me for my skills and accomplishments. I dont like to take crap from anyone! And I dont need anyone, other than to compliment me! I am extremely smart, smarter than most of the human population. I am handsome and any woman would be blessed to have me! I understand God better than most theologians.
I can see it now, some of you are thinking,”Thats not Buck, he’s not that way at all!”. Others are saying, “You nailed it! Thats him to a tee!”. Still others are saying, “I think some of those things are true and others are not!”
The truth is, that list is me! Those are some of the things I struggle with and have struggled with much of my life. They are some of the things that hinder my relationship with people and with God.
But on the flip side I also don’t like the spotlight. I like to remain annonymous and go unnoticed. I am very happy just following and serving. I like to praise people for their talent and accomplishments and often feel embarrassed when I get noticed and complimented. I need people. My life is vacant and lonely without human interaction and touch! I strugle with comprehension and often feel very lacking in my knowledge of life, the world and its wonderful Creator. I am not a very attractive man, and I would be blessed for the attention of woman. Understanding of the ways of God often elude me and require much thought and processing to lay hold of the simplist of truths.
You see that description is me as well. I often feel like I am struggling with two “Bucks”. That can be a real challenge for me, and for anyone who is connected to me. I think at times I am crazy, but then I find that I am not alone. In Romans 7:21-24 Paul says ” . . . Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. What a wretched man I am!”
Now I know many of you, and the truth is, we all struggle. And that can be a hard thing when we live in relationships. Not only in couple relationships, but even in friendships and acquaintences. We all desire to do good, but often don’t! For me personally one of the things that helps me is to keep in mind what Paul said in the book of Phillipians 2:5-11
In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Now let that soak in just a moment . . .In our relationships we are to become the servant! Now I want to deviate just a second here. There are some that teach that this means dying to yourself. And to a point I would agree. But that death only happened once. You see when we came to the knowledge of Christ and acceptance of Him and began the life persuit, the Bible says “Old things are passed away and all things become new” Thats it right there. We died! That very moment we were reborn! Just as Christ died once for all, our death was a one time event! Baptism signifies that!
Funeral’s are sad depressing events! Most of us walk around like that in our lives. Like we are at a daily funeral. Mourning the loss of ourselves. That can be a big hindrance in our relationships. You see it becomes hard to balance the concept of “life and life abundantly” with death and dieing. They are polor opposites. Yet we often live in death durges and wonder why our spiritual lives are so sickly and wretched.
So today, if you are a follower of Christ, you died that day. For me it was September 14th, 28 years ago. I died that day. But I was born that day as well! Celebrate your life, not your death. Live! Live in your relationships. Serve each other with joy and gladness.
Paul wraps up Romans 7 and into chapter 8 with this: ” Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful nature a slave to the law of sin. Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. ”
FREEDOM – embrace it and live it and share it together!
