"Is Old School Bible Relevant Today?" INTRO

I recently gave in.  I couldn’t continue to go forward working with the older version of my phone.  It was running slow, some things were not loading right, and it seemed that it wouldn't hold a charge  long after hours on the charger.  I was fed up...  See, I am basically very loyal, so when I get a phone, I intend to take care of it,  and keep it for a long time, regardless to how many new versions show up each year.  Since I only use it for the basic things that it is intended for, I don’t crave all the bells and whistles, however, I have found that even when I use it for the basics, eventually it will lose it’s power to perform at it's best.  

Some might say my loyalty is also seen in my trust in the word of God.  See I have been saved since 1980 and the same word that kept me then, keeps me now. The same word that held hope for me then, holds hope for me now.  I am loyal to it, and it is loyal to me!  I will admit, things have really changed quite a bit, not just with technology, but with people.  Our thoughts, how we handle things, and what we expect out of life is on a new level.  All the advances in this world often leave those of us in the church feeling left out, almost antiquated.  We still have the same bible, the same ten commandments, we still have 66 books and still have the same disciples. Yes we can download our bibles online now and even see all the versions on one page, but the guidelines and content is still the same.  There are NO CUTTING EDGE UPGRADES.  But I am sure of this, in my experience the word of God is strong, well and still applicable for today!  Our problem is that we don't know it. 

A SEARCH FOR RELEVANCE

IN PLANS

"God has a great plan for your life!"  Today telling someone that God has a plan  does not always go over good- it did when people had no clue or plan of their own.  Today even  children have started businesses and excel- a teen can be drafted out of high school to play sports, and many have skipped college to pursue dreams successfully. Following a traditional road seems slow and unnecessary, especially when social media allows us to be seen and flaunt our gifts outside our stomping grounds.  Opportunity is there to get paid for your unusual talent, gift or even for posting a video of someone eating!  We have so many ways that we can decide what we want to do, so the question is asked... "Is the word of God and His plans relevant today?"   We are more likely to have our own plans today, and some may feel God’s plan does not fit in with theirs.

IN LOVING ENEMIES

When we talk about loving our neighbors, is that relevant in a time that people kill randomly?  Today your neighbor may shoot you for looking at them wrong, then claim they were ‘in fear for their life”, and as we have seen in the past, they may get off.  It makes NO sense to love people who use us and intentionally try to kill others.  Surely God expects us to arm ourselves and protect our lives and our families!  Is the word of God irrelevant in telling us to "love our enemies"?

BELIEVING THE BEST

In a time of watching people do completely STUPID things, like licking food, urinating on store shelves and laying on produce in our local grocery stores, how can we have patience and as the bible says “Believe the best”?  When we see the decline in basic human decency towards each other, or see how people may regard animals more than humans, it is hard to believe in mankind.  When our political atmosphere forgets that we are all immigrants and every person deserves to pursue a good life; when money alone determines your value in the justice system or in your ability to be educated in order to be productive in this world, we can really have a hard time believing the best in people,  or the system, and may even have difficulty believing the best  for our future.  Yet, the word of God tells us to do that.  Does that really fit today?

TIME FOR AN UPGRADE

As a Christian, it might seem that the bible that we loved so much is now out of date, and only worked for our parents and grandparents,  it may seem that it no longer has enough power to keep us in this day and time.   Is it time for an upgrade?  And if we were going to upgrade, where do we get it from?  I will say YES!  We need an upgrade, but this upgrade is not to change the word of God, but to change us, how we perceive it and to be encouraged to follow a living, loving God. 

In the next few blogs, we will examine various areas that we need to upgrade our thinking.   Just so you know… THE BIBLE IS EXTREMELY RELEVANT!  Why would God make a human who could build a device that is smarter than Him?   God’s word has some automatic upgrades, we just stopped receiving them.  We stopped when we figured it was out of date or when we thought that who God is and was, was suitable for our grandparents, but we are a different generation.   The bible says that the word of God is LIVING.  Which means it adjusts as needed to the environment and sudden needs without losing it’s base. It has it’s own data base.  Which means whenever you are disconnected from help, from information, from power… God’s word is ever present, ready to connect you to the promises in His word, and His will for your life.   

Join us on the next few blogs when we deal with the relevance of the Word of God for today!

"Decluttering Your Life"

Clutter is not fun. Just because you keep your house clean, does not mean you won't deal with clutter on occasion. Clutter happens often in clean houses because of moving quickly, busyness and tight schedules. It can also be compounded due to more than one person living in the same space. I am a strong advocate of "Everything has a place, and everything in its place" but that does not mean it always happens.

IDENTIFYING THE CLUTTER

Prior to writing this blog, I was caught a glimpse of my mail area. It looks kind of bad to me. There is opened mail that needs to be shredded, some that still needs to be opened, filed, or paid and junk mail that I need to identify as such and so on. If you stopped by my house right now, you might think it is in pretty good order, but the last week or so has been busy on PURPOSE. I have neglected to attend to those small things that life brings, and this little pile of clutter shows it.

The funny thing about clutter, it mainly bothers you when you realize that it has grown, and something is about to happen that will expose it to others. Maybe you have a special event, or company is coming over. Now suddenly you have to deal with a pile of things that might be important and some that could be thrown away all in the same pile with limited time to sort. it is hard to figure out where to move it out sight way when you don't have time. Honestly, it is always easier to sort quickly in moments when these things come to your attention, instead of trying to find stuff in a box or bag you threw it all in for a moment. If you are in shared space with others it can be difficult. I am one who believes all the shared space should have a rule of cleanness. If your room or personal space gets clutter, that is reflective of you, not the house. So, holding everyone responsible for their own area can help.

DECLUTTER!

Often big things get the attention and the little things don't complain until they become big. They say the 'squeaky wheel' gets the grease, and that may be true, but that doesn't mean that the silent things don't need it. Some of those things might be simply going through your mail, cleaning your closet, getting rid of things you no longer use. It may look like pulling weeds, checking your bank statements for errors, or cleaning under your bed. It might also be taking time with your children in an unusual way, simple conversations with your spouse that don't include kids or bills and of course it should also include time and attention for you. So it is in our natural house, so it is in our spiritual houses. Life can leave clutter in our mind, our emotions, and in our spiritual man.

My message today is simple. Make time to attend to the little things in your life and deal with the clutter. Make habits to quickly handle things that present themselves from day to day. If you get that junk mail, look at it, make a decision and toss it in the recycle.... it won't be there tomorrow cluttering up the things that are important. If you have things that need to be filed away, put them in a pile and do it once you are done. If we do these little jobs as they present themselves, we will have less issues with constant clutter. So, enjoy your day, and if you are one who has too much going on- handle it! Take time to observe what needs to be done and do it, little by little. If we fail to contain and sift through our clutter, it will be a unwanted eyesore at the most inopportune times.

So, take time this week to declutter your house, declutter your life and declutter your mind!

The Nevertheless Challenge!

NEVERTHELESS…Most of us have heard a message or read the scripture about Jesus’ time in the Garden of Gethsemane.  It accounts for the final prayer before His trial and crucifixion.   Jesus is tired from lack of sleep, He has been left alone by His disciples, and He fully understands what comes next.  In the midst of His time with God, the bible says :

“And going a little farther He fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from Me; NEVERTHELESS, not as I will, but as you will.”  Matthew 26:39

I have heard some of the most profound messages around this passage.  The moment when you know something bad is about to happen, but you give over to what God’s will includes instead of what you prefer.  It may be seen in giving the last of something that you know you cannot replace, knowing that you just might lose in the end.  It may be seen with family members that are about to pass away and it is hard to let go.  Learning to allow for what we know is inevitable is a true life lesson we should embrace.  It is not easy, but it says- "Lord, I trust You anyway." 

Another NEVERTHELESS life lesson is found in Luke 5:5

“Simon answered, "Master, we've worked hard all night and haven't caught anything. But NEVERTHELESS because you say so, I will let down the nets." 

This account was a little different.  It didn’t have to do with a pending trauma, but with being told to do the opposite of something that they had expertise in.  As fishermen, they knew their best efforts had not been fruitful thus far.  This ‘nevertheless’ can teach us a  quite a bit. Sometimes God has us doing things that simply does not make sense;  we don’t understand WHY we need to forgive someone who has shown they are not changing, we don’t know WHY we are still working on our business idea when the trends have changed, WHY are we trying to make this company successful when they have shown you there is no future in it.  This nevertheless reminds us that God holds the end of things we only have a glimpse of, it also reminds us that obedience is key when serving a God who requires it!

I was thinking about some things the other day pertaining to my relationships, and a pending faith project.  I told God “Lord, you know what I need, you know what I want, and today I yield this all to you. I admit I have preferences, I have thoughts and ideas, but NEVERTHELESS… I want what You want.   I do this Lord, knowing that my thoughts are not like Yours, and I am truthfully kinda scared that You might mess me up with something unexpected… But I REALLY DO WANT WHAT YOU WANT!  So right now, I choose to choose Your way, and not mine.”

 THE CHALLENGE

Saying nevertheless can seem easy when we are juggling something bad that may happen anyway, but sometimes we are juggling something good and we really want it to go well.  Kind of like giving over to God when it comes to a relationship decision.  You know what you want, and if you are older like me, you know more about yourself and you have definite preferences.  But are you willing to trust God?  Can you look at all that is good in your life, all that is pending in your life, and all that you already have success in and say… ‘Lord, Nevertheless….. not what I want, but what You want’? 

I know it can be scary because faith like that can seem irresponsible to some and like a cop out to others.  But we are trusting that God knows WAY better than we do what will be successful, what will make us happy, what will bless the people we are called to reach and ultimately,  what will give Him glory.   I know that God loves me and knows me better than I know myself, so here it is…
Will you accept the challenge of trusting God?  I am going to try it, I accept the challenge! Will you?

Lord, I trust You!

I trust You with what I know, what I don't know and everything I prefer...  Lord, I realize that every time in life that I choose to say "nevertheless", Your response is NEVER  THE  LESS!  So thank You in advance for all that You are doing in my life!  I give You glory for it!

"Multitasking Drama!"

“How was your day?”  I am asked this quite often and, I literally have to stop a moment and think about my day.  It would seem easy to just say “Fine”  “Good” or “It’s going well”, but I often stop to think simply because my day is often in compartments.  Let me explain ...

HOME

I will never forget years ago when I delivered my first born, I was sitting in the hospital bed talking to her.  No one was there and we had this little bit of time together before everyone showed up to see her.   Our conversation (My Conversation) went a little like this:

“You know you are now no longer totally dependent on me right?  Once they cut that umbilical cord, you were separated from me and though I will care for you, you will never be totally dependent on me again.   Now it is my job to get you to be totally dependent on God because He will kick in and take care of you whether we are there or not.  Don’t worry ... I’m not kicking you out or anything, just letting you know that my job now is to get you to depend on Him.”

See when I am at home, I am at home.  I try to focus on who is there, what needs to be done and build up my household.  I try to finish work at work, and then go HOME.   Many of us mix the two so much that we don't really have the time to build a happy family.  I completely understand times that we work and do other things, being a business owner does not let you separate everything so cleanly.  But we can work harder to allow ourselves to put on a hat that says... I am home.

  

WORK

When I was  headed back to work after having my daughter, I was nervously dropping her off at Daycare and this was my conversation with God.   

“Lord, she is Yours.   I can’t be at work and get my job done worrying about her.  We took time and chose who we thought would be a great sitter, and so when I drive away from here and go to work, I need to be able to focus on work- that is what they pay me for.  So when she is home with me, I will do my job, and take care of her, but when she is away from me….  it is Your turn.”

It was a simple prayer, not meant to be disrespectful, but it helped me more than anything.  After that, I would remind myself of that prayer and not worry about my kids when I knew I had done my part.   That’s not always easy to do, it can be difficult to release what you love dearly and allow God to handle it, (as if we love more than He does.)   I encourage you to keep your work focused, do your job, build and conquer.  Understand that we really can’t do a good job worrying about everything that happens at home.  Now to be fair, we do know that sometimes home creeps into work and there are things that have to be handled, so handle them, be very present... then get back to work.  We can do that better when we realize work is not the enemy.  

  

A COMPILED LIFE

I have had the joys of talking to and helping many people over the years.  One thing that I noticed is that when people come to me with anxiety and feeling overwhelmed, it is because we tend to compile everything into this thing we call life.  We take things on all at once and after a while everything begins to look the same.  So if there is a challenge at home, it affects the job.  If the boss is on edge at work, we take that discomfort home.  If our relationships are having difficulty, we are short and difficult with others.  

The enemy has a way of causing us to look at everything that is happening all at the same time.  This causes us to be overwhelmed, stressed and we can often feel hopeless.   I understand multitasking, and I know many can do it well, but we have to be careful when we allow the drama in our life to follow us EVERYWHERE!     

One of my parental sayings is this "There is a place for everything, and if everything is in it's place, the house is clean."  I believe that works in life as well.   See drama loves drama and if you are not careful, you end up with a drama buildup.   If the enemy can keep us Multitasking Drama, we lose because we never find the time to “be still and know He is God.” Put the drama in it's place, and stop letting it wander around. 

I encourage you to take a break!  Take time to think, time to pray, and time to enjoy your life.  We can learn  to do what we can do, and allow God to do  what we cannot.  We can’t fix everything, but we can keep things in their place and allow God to give us insight to fix them all… one at a time.

"Stressed? Walk It Off!"

I don’t know about you, but in my life I have had some stressful episodes.  I have been in situations that required me to think, regroup, release some things (or people), and to basically deal with my new norm, or my current distress. Everyone deals with life differently; some may go through episodes of crying, binge eating or even mental revenge drills… but for me, walking was my thing.

During some of the most challenging times, when I knew what the problem was, and other times when I didn’t know, I would walk.   I recall one time specifically, I was in my 20’s, unmarried, employed and basically doing okay.   Something happened, and to this day- I don’t know what it really was … but I got seriously depressed!  Since I couldn’t identify what the problem was, I had a hard time counseling myself out of that place.   So instead, I rented a car (mine had just stopped) and I drove over 2 hours to Galveston beach, just to walk.  On the way, I listened to encouraging music that made me cry it out, and when I arrived at the beach, though it was dark when I got there … I walked.

POWER WALKING

Walking during distress for me is like Power Walking.  There is a certain pace that I keep when I power walk.  I have my arms set as if running,  my focus is on the ground (to ensure I don’t stumble) and I focus on the path in front of me- where I am going.   Each step becomes deliverance, each step becomes a victory.  While I walk, if I know what the problem is, I talk myself through it.  I admit my wrong, I admit my naivety, I admit my attitude etc…   I also look at what has been done and what others may have contributed.  If I don't know what the problem is, I talk to God about His plans for me, I remind Him (and myself) about what His word has promised.  Then I sort things out in my mind, what I am scared of and what I need to do.  I talk to God and ask Him for direction.  Each step is purposeful and often full of emotion.  Somehow when I finish this walk, I find myself in a healthier place.  I may not have caused the issue to disappear, but I have confronted it on many levels and that alone feels good.  God has used these Power Walking moments to help me keep things in perspective.

WALK IT OFF

In life you will most certainly have days and situations that stress, and depress you.  You will be met with things you cannot change, but you have to live with it.  Learn how to walk.  See the enemy intends to keep us in an immobile state and wants us to not do the things God has placed in our hearts.  When we succumb to the hurt and the distress, we often stop walking.  We stop doing the things that are engrafted in our hearts.  We may stop taking chances, stop trusting, stop trying and stop living.  Our smile may be weaker but plastered, our energy and drive is lax.  Don’t allow life to drain you, get up and start walking!  The bible tells us in Psalms 23:4 that we can walk through the valley of the shadow of death, and not fear.  See the valley is low, death may seem certain… but in this instance you are still alive!  The death you see is only a shadow.  It does not harm you, it cannot touch you; it can only scare you.   But God said we can walk through it and not fear because He is with us!   If you keep walking, trust me – there is light in your steps!

If you are stressing over anything, get up, get busy and walk it off!   Walking may not solve all the issues, but it will keep you moving and motivated.  Keep your eyes open, watch your path and focus on your goal.  Sitting slows you down, it takes your motivation and often causes your muscles to lock.  By continuing to serve, continuing to move, continuing to do what God called you to do, you hold a pace that is doable until you can begin running again.   You are not made to sit in depression and hurt, get up, get God’s word and His perspective in you and and keep going!  Remember you will never walk alone, not even on a dark beach!  God always walking with you!