I Have to Be Strong

Tomorrow, we’ll begin a new series, Identity Theft. Did you know that you have an enemy who desires to steal your identity and mar your self-image. In John 8:44 the devil is described as a liar and the father of lies.

When we fail to believe what God says is true about us, we can never become all that God desires for us to be. A lie, when believed as a truth, will affect you and influence your life as if it were true.

I’ve believed a lot of lies about myself over the years. One of them, Gregg will be sharing about tomorrow. It’s the lie that I have to be strong. For some reason, I sometimes feel this great pressure to always be strong—that it’s wrong to show weakness and imperfection.

Whether it’s the pressure to be emotionally, professionally, or spiritually strong, God says that it’s not in our strength but in our weakness that His strength is made perfect in our lives.

When we’re strong, the tendency is to rely on our strength. It’s when we’re weak and broken that we look to God for His strength to work through us.

My strength is extremely limited; but God’s strength is unlimited. As I embrace my weakness and trust God, I find that His unlimited strength is more than enough to meet my every need.

The Perfect Combiniation

What a great combination! Hawaii Five-0 and the USC marching band!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJs2crKlZmU&feature=player_embedded#!

Watch Out for that Tree!

I have fond childhood memories of watching the cartoon, George of the Jungle. I can even remember the opening song, George, George, George of the jungle, strong as he can be. George! Watch out for that tree!

Just picked up Justin from the Health Room at school. Apparently, during recess he ran full speed into a tree. Thankfully, he’s all right. He has a nice red bump on the right side of his face and a small headache.

I couldn’t help but ask him, “How did you manage to run into a tree?” It’s not like they’re very hard to miss, right? Justin’s response, “I wasn’t watching where I was going.”

Justin’s response made me consider the series Gregg has been doing at church over the last several weeks, How to Wreck Your Life. No one sets out with determination to wreck their life and yet, it happens. We make little choices and take small steps in the wrong direction. Gradually, over time we find ourselves crashing head first into a tree.

The prophet Haggai strongly warned the Jewish people as he saw their lives and priorities straying from God and the purpose for which He created them. Haggai said, “Give careful thought to your ways.” Haggai 1:5,7) 

In my own words, “Watch out for that tree!”

What are You Doing?

Yesterday, I was reading in the book of Exodus about when Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, pays him a visit. After observing Moses and his interactions with the people throughout the day, Jethro asked Moses this question:

“What is this you are doing for the people? Why do you alone sit as judge, while all these people stand around you from morning till evening?” Exodus 18:14

Moses responded, “Because the people come to me to seek God’s will.” v.15

To which Jethro responded with a strong dose of fatherly wisdom that transformed the way Moses led God’s people,

“What you are doing is not good. You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone.” v.17-18

Moses was wearing himself out. He had taken a burden of responsibility that God never intended for him to carry alone. How often do I find myself doing the same thing? Saying “yes” because I think if “I don’t, it won’t”.

While God won’t give us more than we can handle, sometimes we take on more than we should. The reality is that when I do that, I only enable other people. I rob them of the opportunity to serve, to lead, to grow and to learn something new. 

Lessons in Missional Living from a 5-Year-Old and My Little Pony

Last Saturday marked the opening of soccer season. Our youngest daughter, Jessie, eagerly comes to the games, not to watch her brothers, but for the fellowship opportunities. In what our other children see as a just a game, Jessie sees potential—many of these soccer boys have little sisters.

Here’s how it usually goes down:

Jessie prepares irresistible girl fun. This includes, but is not limited to a variety of Polly Pockets and My Little Ponies. On occasion, she’s also been known to bring her own pink play tent (because nothing says party like a pink play tent). 

Jessie spies out the area and situates herself in close proximity to another little girl. Watching the girl out of the corner of her eye, Jessie begins to unpack her impossible to resist bag of fun. 

The other little girl begins to drool. She didn’t come prepared with fun and has to sit and watch the game while Jessie begins to thoroughly enjoy herself with her toys.

Jessie invites the other little girl to come and play with her. And for the rest of the season, Jessie has secured the friendship of every little girl on all of her brother’s sports teams.

She’s going on her third year of doing this and I’ve yet to see her plan fail to begin a friendship. What if we, as adults, learned to do the same?

Here’s what I’ve observed from my 5-year-old and her Little Ponies:

Be willing to travel outside your comfort zone. Or, as Bill Hybels would say, “Just Walk Across the Room”. It’s easy to stay within our circle of comfort relationally and never make the effort to venture out to build new friendships. When I’ve made the effort to do this at my children’s sporting events, I’ve been continually blessed to meet incredible people and have made some great friends too.

Make room for margin. Relationships happen in the margins of our lives, not when we’re rushing around with an overextended schedule. This one can be hard for me at times because I thrive on productivity and maximizing every moment. However, it’s when I slow down, and schedule time to pause that I am able to appreciate and build relationships.

Gotta run. Tonight’s sports schedule includes soccer, volleyball and football. Now if I can only remember where I put my Little Ponies!