Do You Play it Safe?

I just spent some quality time with Dr. Hany. Dr. Hany is visiting our church/country with Dr. Blake Wood who is our missionary in the middle east.

Dr. Hany is a brilliant person and specializes in the human character and personality. So I asked him to give me his insights on me as well as our staff. Wow! He started describing people where his only contact was a 1/2 hour staff meeting he attended and he was right on the money for each person! I would love to go into more detail about his descriptions of each us but that would take way too long.

However, one thing we talked about was people who like to "Play it safe." Some personality types hate to take chances. They only try things they know they can succeed at. I can relate to this because I have a tendency to do this. As Dr. Hany was describing me he said, "You need to be more connected to God."

Hmm, a person I hardly know has enough insight to my personality to tell me something that insightful! I've been cooking on that statement now for about 24 hours. Do I "play it safe too much?" If I had more faith and a stronger connection to God would I live more on the edge of life?

I can tell you one thing for sure. Being involved at NewPointe has definitely helped me to move closer to the edge. Since coming to NewPointe I have been moved out of the safe zone to:

• Meet new people. With 2000 people here you don't know everyone. So you have to continually meet new people and make new friends. It is refreshing!
• Volunteer and Serve in areas where I had no experience
• Lead efforts where I totally had to rely on God to get me through
• Try new things
• Challenge my thinking on traditions
• Be transparent with my small group
• Be more concerned about people without Christ than my own personal preferences

God wants us to live on the edge and trust Him. Jesus definitely didn't play it safe! He was full of passion and desire to do the will of his Father. He said he would rather spit out of his mouth than for us to be "lukewarm."

Where are you "playing it safe":

• Afraid to talk to your spouse about something that's been bothering you?
• Worried about leading a ministry at your church because you "can't do it"?
• Changing jobs to something you enjoy or can spend more time with your family because it will pay less?
• Inviting a friend to church because they might not like it?
• Volunteering because it will take too much effort?
• Not being honest with yourself about your true feelings?
• Afraid to confront a friend because they might not like you afterwards?

Life is too short to "Play it Safe". The stronger our connection to God the freer we become to take chances, put our fears aside, and live on the edge!

I love a good rush from a thrilling adventure (i.e. white water rafting, helicopter ride, roller coaster, high dive!) However, I've never received a "rush" from playing it safe.

Let's stop playing it safe for God and get connected so we can live on the edge without fear!!!

Are you Religious or Righteous?

There seems to be a lot of talk lately in the church world about being "Religious" verses "Righteous". Maybe it has always been there, but it feels like some of the newer progressive churches are pushing the issue.

I started thinking about some of the comments I have heard in my past from the church where I grew up. Below are some that I could remember:

• “I can’t believe that church next door. They will take any one!”
• “I’ve been to church every Sunday morning, Sunday night, and Wednesday night for 10 weeks straight. Wow! I’m really feeling good about myself.”
• “I’m not doing that. That’s the pastor’s job! That’s why we pay him.”
• “I can’t believe that person wore shorts to church. That just shows where he is at spiritually.”
• “We had a gay couple in our church last week. Somebody is going to have to do something about this.”
• “Our church is really doing well. We have a lot of money in our savings account.”
• “Its too bad if it’s dark in the sanctuary. My grandpa donated those light fixtures 60 years ago and we are not replacing them.”
• “How dare those new people sit in my pew. I’ve been sitting there for years. Everyone knows that’s my seat.”
• I can't believe the new pastor didn't play "Just as I am" during communion today. We always play "Just as I am" for communion.

Have you ever heard comments similar to these? Well I have a secret to share with you and I hope you don't hold this against me. Those comments I listed above all came from one person and that person was ME!

In a way I'm ashamed that I ever thought that way. But from another angle I really didn't know any better. I was growing up in a "Religious" setting. As I grew in my spiritual maturity and gained experience in other areas (i.e. college, work, friends) I started to realize how absolutely wrong my thinking had been. I started to realize that I was being religious where I cared more about traditions and how things affected me than I did about lost souls (righteous). I was inward focused.

I now attend a church called NewPointe. Another thing I did that I really am not proud of (they say confession is good for the soul!) is before I started attending NewPointe (at that time it was Sugarcreek Free Methodist Church) I asked Pastor Dwight a question. I said, "So I hear you guys will take any one." I kind of said it with a chip on my shoulder like I was going to nail him on that one. I'll never forget his response. He looked at me in amazement and said, "And that is a bad thing?".

From that point forward I started tipping my personal scale away from focusing on me (i.e. being religious) to focusing on the lost (i.e. becoming righteous through God).

Now I work at NewPointe and often hear comments from people who are having trouble accepting the outward focus of our church. Some of these are:

• I don't like the music, its too loud or fast.
• I wish we sang more hymns
• I would rather Dwight pick a passage in the Bible and preach from that rather than a topic
• I miss having Sunday school.
• It bothers me that we don't have a steeple on our church building

Its hard sometimes to not get defensive (and believe me, we always want to hear and consider people's comments. ) Instead I need to realize that everyone is at a different stage in their journey and I can understand how they might truly feel this way.

Dwight's last message was about getting people across the bridge from their lost life without Christ to new life with Christ. The bridge needs to have "slats" in place so that it is easy to traverse. The "slats" are designed for lost people - not saved people. So a lot of what we do at NewPointe is designed to be a "slat". It helps us to be outwardly focused. It is not about us. It is about the lost people who need to find Christ on the other side of the bridge.

So in my life I am trying to become more concerned about others than myself. Here are some Bible references to being righteous:

• If you really want to be righteous, you can be – Matthew 5:6, ‘Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness are blest because they will be satisfied.’
• God wants us to be righteous - Proverbs 15:9 -The LORD detests the way of the wicked but he loves those who pursue righteousness.
• If you flaunt your righteousness, you won’t receive a reward – Matthew 6:1 ‘Be careful not to do righteous things in front of men so they can see what you are doing. Otherwise, you won’t have a reward with your Father in heaven.’
• Righteousness involves an outward focus – Matthew 6:33, ‘[If you] put the Kingdom and righteousness in first place, then all these [other] things will be given to you.
• Actions not Knowledge make you righteous – Matthew 11:19, ‘Wisdom is proven righteous by the things it does.’
• A righteous person has faith in God and His promises – Romans 3:28. ‘We believe that a man is called righteous due to his faith, so he doesn’t have to follow the Law.’
• To be counted as righteous, you can’t be immoral or continue in a sinful course – Romans 6:12-14 ‘As the result, don’t allow sin to rule your mortal bodies and don’t obey its desires. Nor should you offer your body parts as unrighteous weapons of sin. Rather, offer yourselves to God as someone who has been raised from the dead, and [offer] your body parts to God as weapons of righteousness. So, sin must not be your master, because you aren’t under Law, but under [God’s] kindness.’
  
  

Don't Get Uprooted!

I recently read the following proverb,

"The righteous will never be uprooted, but the wicked will not remain in the land."
Proverbs 10:30, New International Version

I love these types of verses. As I look through some of my favorite verses (i.e. "life verses") a lot of them have to do with persevering (Heb 12:1), staying firm (Ps 37:23-24), pressing on (Php 3:14), and keeping an eternal perspective (Col 3:1-2).

So what does this say about me? It says that I see life as hard, challenging, and deceiving. Basically, life ain't easy (I'm sure you agree).

So when I read this verse, "The righteous will never be uprooted...", it is very encouraging for me.

I had to think of a project my brother-in-law, Tom, and I did this summer. We had a couple of dead trees in our yard and we went out to remove them. First we tried just yanking them out with a chain and gator. Even though they were dead and fairly small, they didn't budge. So we started digging around the base and yanked it again with the gator, but it sill wouldn't move. We then got a pick and spud bar and really started attacking the root system. Wow! What a job. It was hot and muggy and several times we simply keeled over on the grass and took a break because it was such hard work. (We must have looked near death because people would laugh when they drove by.)

That tree was deeply rooted and it was really, really, really hard work to uproot it.

So now I think about a promise that God gives us that the "righteous" (not the "religious") will NEVER be uprooted. Why does He give us this promise? Because life is HARD and things are going to come at us to make us want to give-in or alter our approach. There is no doubt that life is full of chains yanking us, shovels digging us, spud bars prying us, and heavy picks slamming away at our root system.

But, we have a promise that we can NEVER be uprooted. So we continue to persevere, we continue to run the race, we continue to stand firm in our faith all while looking towards our eternal rewards in heaven.

So if you need encouragement in this area, print out the above verses and display them somewhere you will see them often. Our God never said it would be easy, but He does promise it will be possible!!!

I'll Take Hank

As many of you know by now, last night Barry Bonds broke one of baseball's most heralded individual records - Career Home Runs. This record was formerly held by Hank Aaron at 755. Bonds now owns it at 756.

You also know that this entire record chase by Bonds has been tainted with his supposed use of steroids. Everyone knows he used the performance-enhancing drugs. Bonds won't even deny it.

I don't follow San Francisco baseball, but I just happened to turn to a TV channel while on vacation and saw Bonds hit #755 to tie the record. I was amazed at what I saw. While some people were jumping up and down and celebrating, most were simply stoic. There were even some people who were booing (enough that you could hear it easily from the crowd). Commissioner Bud Selig looked like he had just swallowed a lemon!

What a difference from when Hank Aaron broke Babe Ruth's record. The picture above shows fans actually running the bases with him in sheer joy and happiness. It was an exciting moment for not only avid baseball fans, but all of America. I was just a kid when it happened, but I still remember it.

Baseball, America's favorite pastime, has been tarnished because of one individual who chose a shortcut to success.

Many times I'm tempted to take a short-cut because the short-term reward seems so appealing. But I try not to because I've learned it is not fulfilling in the long run. When I do, I often feel guilty afterwards knowing I actually cheated myself by cutting corners, stretching the truth, or manipulating the circumstances in my favor. I've learned you never get anything for free. And when something looks too good to be true -- it is!

Honesty and hard work ALWAYS pay off.

If I could choose between Hank Aaron or Barry Bonds to be on my team I pick Hank every time.

There is one thing in which to take solace. Bonds won't hold the record long. There's a dude in NY named A-Rod who just became the youngest player to reach 500 career home runs. He will soon overtake Bonds and hopefully this whole disaster will be quickly forgotten (asterisk or no asterisk)!

God the Creator!

How any one could spend 1 hour in the Smoky Mountain National Park and not believe a divine creator is responsible for the splendor of nature is totally beyond me!

My family is currently on vacation in the Great Smokey Mountains. As I’m sure many of you can attest from personal experience, it is absolutely beautiful here. I’ve included some pictures for you to see what I’m talking about.

First, my wife is absolutely the best in planning a vacation. She does hours of research on the Internet to ensure we do just the right things at just the right places. For example, the cabin we are renting is UNBELIEVABLE! It has 4 floors with each having a balcony or picture windows facing nothing but mountains. We use walkie-talkies to communicate between levels (can you say stairs, stairs, and more stairs!). The bottom level has a huge movie theatre with stadium seating. Jeff and Braden have been watching movies and playing guitar hero in grandiose style.

The first day we went hiking on an “easy” trail to see Laurel Falls. The path was paved and it was about a 3 mile roundtrip hike. We came back thinking it was a pretty falls and a nice hike but we wanted something a bit more exciting.

So the following day we got up early to beat the crowd and the heat and hiked up to see the Rainbow Falls. This hike was listed as “strenuous” in the guide. Half way up we reclassified it from “strenuous” to “dang hard!” The path was muddy, rocky, crooked, and very steep. It was 5.2 miles round trip but it seemed a lot longer. The elevation change was almost 2000’ It took us almost 3 hours to reach the top (we took lots of breaks J).

However, when we reached the top it was all worth it. There was an 80’ water falls. The sign warned of “dangerous rocks” but the boys and I couldn’t resist. We soon found a way to traverse the mighty rocks and found ourselves standing behind the falls. Wow! It was so unbelievable. You could follow a single drop from way up top and then catch it in your hand.

When we got to the bottom we were exhausted (my fellow Protein Shakers will be glad to know I got in over 17,000 steps in that one hike!)

Today we went white water rafting. It was enjoyable (Becky chickened out!) No one got launched from the raft.

Becky and Jeff have been doing a lot of cooking in our cabin. However, last night we found a great brewery that had ½ off burgers. They were very good.

Tonight Braden and Jeff want to go bungee jumping. Maybe I’ll have some more pictures of that and the remainder of our vacation in my next blog.

All throughout this trip I cannot help but praise God continually! I love nature!!! Our God is so creative. Everywhere you look there is an awesome sight – a testament to His handy work. God’s creation is FANTASTIC!