Just thinking again.....

I'm up at 4 again this morning. I really love the early mornings before anything or anyone else is up. It's so quiet! It's the one time in my day when noise and people do not distract me. It's a time when I can read the bible and think a little. This morning, as I read in Proverbs 16, I came across a phrase I have seen many times before, but never stopped to investigate, so this morning I stopped and looked.

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The phrase is "an abomination to the Lord." I see it a number of times in Proverbs, but until this morning never took a serious look. So, I started with the dictionary. Here's the word I needed clarity on- abomination- a·bom·i·na·tion (ə-bŏm'ə-nā'shən) n., Abhorrence; disgust. A cause of abhorrence or disgust. American Heritage Dictionary

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Ok, that's a good start. Now I have the meaning I needed to clarify the verses, and here they are...there are 11 of them in Proverbs-

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Pro 3:32 For the devious are an abomination to the LORD; But He is intimate with the upright.

Pro 6:16 There are six things which the LORD hates, Yes, seven which are an abomination to Him: (the list follows this phrase in chapter 6....make sure you know what the 7 things are.)

Pro 11:1 A false balance is an abomination to the LORD, But a just weight is His delight.

Pro 11:20 The perverse in heart are an abomination to the LORD, But the blameless in their walk are His delight.

Pro 12:22 Lying lips are an abomination to the LORD, But those who deal faithfully are His delight.

Pro 15:8 The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD, But the prayer of the upright is His delight.

Pro 15:9 The way of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD, But He loves one who pursues righteousness.

Pro 15:26 Evil plans are an abomination to the LORD, But pleasant words are pure.

Pro 16:5 Everyone who is proud in heart is an abomination to the LORD; Assuredly, he will not be unpunished.

Pro 17:15 He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous, Both of them alike are an abomination to the LORD.

Pro 20:23 Differing weights are an abomination to the LORD, And a false scale is not good.

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There's the list. Now, what to do with it? I've read it over several times, and I see some basic things. 1. God hates those who hurt others. That's repeated in several ways in these verses, 2. God hates "fakers"....the proud, the liar, the deceiver..., 3. God hates pride, and 4. God hates the rebellious heart.

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I think I will spend some more time going over these verses, but it helps to put them all together like this, and see what really "bothers" God. So, the thought of the day is this- Try to avoid these things, God doesn't like them and they will get you in trouble.

Feeling like Solomon

I counseled a couple last night that presented me with a dilemma much like the one Solomon faced with the two women and the baby (1 Kings 3:16-28). This couple came to me to resolve their dispute, and here it is- she's a Christian, he's a Muslim, they are married with two children.....each of them wants to raise the children in THEIR faith! She wants to raise them Christian, he wants to raise them Muslim. How's that for a problem?

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I complimented him on being willing to come to a Christian pastor for advice (in fact the Koran tells Muslims to do that when they have questions) but the issues are difficult and eternally serious.

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As always I prayed, "Lord, HELP! What do I say to this couple? How do I direct them so both will work towards the right end?"

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Before I tell you what I said, what would you tell them? How would you counsel them?

Thankful

Thanksgiving is next week here in America. It's a unique holiday to our country. A time to say "thank you" to God for all he has provided. This is a really interesting holiday in our culture in recent years. Thanksgiving has become a time for food and football. It's also the weekend to begin Christmas shopping. Thanking God for his blessings? It's just the prayer for the food, if one is offered at all. The truth is that many in our culture would pray Bart Simpson's prayer, "Lord, thanks for nothing. We bought all this stuff ourselves."

Personally, I know that all I have comes from God's gracious hand, but I wonder how many in our culture think the same way I do. I would guess that many look at this as just an extended holiday weekend....a great time for family, food and football.

To be thankful to God for anything there must be an admission that he provided it. If it's true that God is the provider then all that I have came from him. As one who is grateful for something I didn't earn or deserve I do want to say "thank you" to the giver. This Thanksgiving I plan to take some personal time and talk to my God and provider to just say "thank you" for all he has done. We are so blessed.....thank you Lord.

"Cultivate the thankful Spirit! It will be to you a perpetual feast."

-John R. MacDuff (1818-1895)

Packaged religion

I am reading a lot about investigations into "ministries" and "ministers" who are taking advantage of the gifts given to their ministries. I'm not surprised. It's not a new problem. It's just a new version of the old snake oil salesmen of past years.

Men and women who promise miracles to those who "buy" their product, but after they leave town those who have given their money for the "miracle product" find out that they are no better off, and the promises were a lie.

These new snake oil salesmen travel as "ministers" and promise great things "if you only have enough faith." The truth is that they have twisted the word of God and are making money at the expense of people who can ill afford giving it up. These "ministers" travel in private jets, drive expensive cars and indulge their desires thinking they are "serving God." The book of Jude talks about these people...it's not a new problem. These men and women are liars, cheats, and deceivers. Their lifestyles and promises have hurt the gospel message and confused millions. They promise wealth and health, but the only ones who seem benefited by their promises are themselves.

Personally, I am glad to see the investigations happen. These men who are lying about God and the gospel message need to be exposed. It's just a shame they claim to be speaking for God. But God will defend himself. His message will still be told, and lost men and women who need a savior will still come to him. For that I am glad. God will guard his gospel, and the snake oil salesmen of our day will be found out.

I just feel bad for all of those who have bought their "dehydrated water" and the promises they make. As God said to Jeremiah about the false prophets of his day, "I neither sent them nor spoke to them." And so it is today.

The balancing act

I see a real challenge in my life and the lives of those I know- how to balance all that we have going on and not fall. It's demanding- work, family, faith, rest.....the days fill up so quickly. To balance it all sure seems like a stretch at times. The pull from this....the draw from that. I HAVE TO be here, I HAVE TO do that, we SHOULD go there.

It's an amazing balancing act that demands the best from us. How to balance...that is the question. It demands some decisions- what's important to me? What do I value? What must I say "no" to? We simply can't say "yes" to all that pulls on us...so what to do?

One of my fellow pastors, Dave, describes it this way, "God doesn't invite us to live a balanced Christian life. What would that look like anyway? He invites us to give ourselves wholly to him, and let him lead and work in our lives." (The quote may not be exact, but I have the flavor of his thoughts.) I agree with Dave. A balanced life is not the goal. The goal is a life given wholly to God for his use and direction....then it's just a matter of "checking with the boss" on how to manage the rest.

Wandering in the desert

I have tried to write this piece a number of times now, and each time I have erased it all and started over. I can't seem to get it in the right words. Maybe I'm trying to be preachy or something. I don't know, but it just hasn't worked right. So let me try one more time.
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What I am thinking about is our tendency to wander away from God and his family...that's the thought I'm working on. It's been a problem in my life, and as I watch others I know it's a chronic problem in the community of faith. We go wandering so easily, but often don't realize that when we wander from the family of faith all that is out there is desert. It's as if the family of faith is positioned in an oasis somewhere, and if you leave it, whatever direction you go, all you find is desert. As I have wandered away from God over the years I have never found anything but desert out there. There are no other oasis' that do what God's family does, but I still see believers wandering out into the desert far too often. I just got a note from one of our wanderers this week, and she shared with me her desert experiences. She didn't find anything out there either.
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So, rather than write some preachy post that doesn't really accomplish what I want let me invite you to share your "wandering stories" and tell what you experienced. When you wandered from God and his family what did you find? As I watch many head off into the desert I would like to call out to them and tell them to come back, there is nothing out there, but I know they wouldn't believe me. They have to find out themselves. I just pray they can find their way back to the oasis......
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So, what's your "wandering story?"

A good post to read

My friend James has written a great post. I invite you to stop by his blog and read his recent post.

thank you

For all of you who have served this country through military service of any kind, thank you. It's been your sacrifice that has made this country a free and safe place. Even today men and women are serving and dying for this country. Thank you all!

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I love the regular trips many in our area take to the airport to greet the troops returning from Iraq and other places. They cheer them home, shake their hands and tell them thank you. So on behalf of my family I want to say thanks for all that you have done to make this country a safe place to live.

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It's a special day for me in another way, it's my birthday. Veteran's day parades have always been special to me because as a small child my dad would take me to the veteran's day parades and tell me, "son, they are marching to celebrate your birthday." For a while I believed him, and it made me feel very special. Now I know the special ones were marching by.

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I'm blessed to have the freedom I enjoy, but I know it was built on the lives of millions of men and women who were willing to die to keep it for us. We are blessed indeed.

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Thank you all!

Saturday's cartoon

Some days are like that

It's a matter of perspective

I deal with people all the time. That's my "job." Talking to them, counseling them, caring for them, listening to them. What I have found is that the way we view our lives and situations is a matter of perspective. I talk to happy people who have had a very difficult life, and others who are miserable who have had very easy lives.

Why the difference? I'm convinced from all the years of dealing with people that it is, in fact, a personal choice of how we want to view our lives. It's a matter of perspective. Will I view my life through my problems, my woes, my difficulties or will I look for the good in life, and be the optimist? One of the people I admire most in life is my wife. She has had some really bad things happen in her life, but she has chosen to look for the good, be positive, forgive, make the best of whatever comes her way.

Then there are those people who insist that the world is against them. I think the difference is all a matter of perspective. How will you view things? It's your choice. That's the difference I see in older people...as soon as you meet them you can tell what they chose....it's now part of their face. Did they choose to finish well or finish poorly? You know the answer as soon as you meet them. What's amazing to me is that the people who are the happiest usually did not have an easy life, but they made a choice...they packaged the situations of their life in light of knowing that God was in charge and loved them.

How you view your life is revealed best by the adjectives you use. Those little defining words that tell us all your perspective. They are the defining words that reveal your perspective on life...is God good or not? From what I read in the bible our perspective on life is a choice. How will we package what is happening to us? How will we view God? How will we evaluate our experiences?

Listen for your adjectives. It will tell you a lot about how you view God. Is your life out of control or is God in charge? It's all about your understanding and belief about God and the world you live in. It's the difference between seeing a bottle of water or seeing diet water....it's a matter of perspective. So, listen for your adjectives today, and tell me what you find out about yourself.

Why does life have to be so hard?

I had coffee with a friend this morning. It was an interesting visit. In the course of the time together he asked, "Why does life have to be so hard?"

It was a sincere question based on his life and marriage. He and his wife have really had a tough time. He and I have spent countless hours over coffee talking and praying over his life and marriage.

Today, without thinking, I answered his question and responded, "Because some people insist on it."

We just sat there and looked at each other for a bit....and then it hit us both....that's true! There are times that life is hard because some people insist on it. They are miserable and want to make sure you are too. I have heard the expression "misery loves company," but I think this is more accurate, "misery creates company." When we are miserable no one is going to get away with a smile in our presence. If I'm suffering then everyone around me will join me or else!

I don't have a scripture for this, it's just an observation that I wanted to share with you. As I think about it I'm finding it is indeed true- why does life have to be so hard? Because some people insist on it.

I would love to hear your thoughts on this subject.

Eternity Practice

I have loved the passage in Revelation this song comes from for a long time. I am so excited to see this passage in Revelation 5:12-13 put to music. This is the praise every creature in heaven and earth will give to God and Jesus, the Lamb. Every creature....isn't that amazing? Those who believe in him of course, but even those who don't believe will worship him. Worthy is the Lamb....what a statement. If you have time today read Revelation 5 and look at the picture painted that sets the stage for this praise. It's the story of an event yet to happen, but I look forward to the day when we will be able to sing this praise in God's presence. Eternity practice? Yes indeed!

Celebrating holidays

Today, November 5th, is a holiday in Iran. It's "Death to America" Day.

I read the news clip on Al Jazeera and it made me stop for a moment. Being one of those who isn't in favor of such a holiday (I hope you understand my opposition to it) I wonder how a whole culture could come to such a place that they would celebrate the death and demise of another country and its people.

And, how would you celebrate such a day? Do you greet one another on this day with "Hello, death to America"? It's such an odd thing to celebrate. Do they exchange "Death to America" gifts? Do they say, "Happy Death to America Day!" It's just seems like a very strange and sad holiday to me.

So, let me counter this holiday with the creation of one of my own. On a day when others celebrate our demise I am going to pray for their salvation. Since holidays are so easy to establish I officially designate November 5th as "Pray for Iran" Day. From this day forward let it be so.

Happy "Pray for Iran" day!

20 minute sermons

It was my first church. I was a new pastor just getting started when on a Sunday morning an older gentleman came up to me. He said, "Pastor, I know you are new, so I wanted to tell you that I only come to church because my wife makes me. I don't like church, but in fairness to you I will give you 20 minutes to preach, then I'm going to sleep and I snore." Sure enough, he did! And the worse part- his wife made them sit on the front row!

Quickly I had to make some decisions. Try to preach through the snoring, or give a 20 minute sermon. I realized that I didn't have to preach everything in one week, they would be back next week. So this old gentleman helped me with a pastoral discipline I couldn't have gotten anywhere else...I learned to preach a sermon in 20 minutes. There were days that it was a race between he and I, but I made the adjustments, and learned a lot.

So, what's the point? I am preaching next Sunday at another church for a young pastor I have been mentoring. He calls me the "bishop of Flower Mound." We met this week to discuss the general topics, and then I asked, "how long do I have to speak?" He replied, "20 minutes." And I just smiled.....thanks to an old gentleman years ago who didn't want to be in church I can do a 20 minute sermon.