I would tell you a Bible Study is a great way to minister to the people around you and something crucial that the local church should be inspire their folks to be a part of. If you are thinking about starting a study, I would encourage you to watch through this short series and let it stir your mental juices as you consider gathering folks around the Word of God.

I see that my last post was just before the pandemic hit. And if I am being honest, I was never really consistent with typing out blog posts. Heck, when we were self-supported missionaries, Carla and I never even wrote a single support letter; rather we made videos.
And that's what I have been doing- almost every weekday. I started making Daily Devotionals as a blessing to my church as a way to stay connected during our initial "shelter in place" order. After the first several weeks, the Lord inspired me to continue, and so I have. We just read one chapter a day with no particular order in mind. From time to time, I will post some of my videos or playlists here for posterity sake. If they are an encouragement to you, I suggest subscribing to my Pastor Jason Ritz Youtube Channel.
Here's the latest:
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    Directly after Christmas last year, I set off to attempt something that I have only done once in 30 years of knowing Jesus... Read the Bible before Easter (essentially, in 90 days). There isn't anything mystical in accomplishing this, though it really isn't a small feat. In the past I have encouraged people to read whole books of the Bible in one sitting, especially their favorite book. This however, isn't something I would recommend as someone's normal mode of interacting with Scripture. Though doing it once every five years or so, should prove fruitful! 
    Don't get me wrong... It takes about the first week and a half to start really seeing and enjoying the benefits of such a commitment. For reference, it is roughly 13 chapters a day; which, for me, is about an hour's worth of reading. Again, not a small effort. When we take in large swaths of scripture, we make connections that aren't normally made. People, places, allegorical imagery all come to light that most people generally miss when only reading a chapter or two at a time. 
     The point of this post is really to encourage myself, and those who feel like they might want to do something like this in the future by handing down some wisdom,  some hints, and tidbits that might help you push through and complete the effort. I've attached several lists below that will correlate with some of my points. Consider the following when attempting to read the entire Bible in 90 days.
  1) Get a list that works for you. I great resource I stumbled on was biblereadingplangenerator.com There you are able to customize your list pretty well. There is no reason to reinvent the wheel here. Plenty of lists are readily accessible on the internet. What I do encourage you to do is to make the list your own. I always copy the list into Word and edit it a bit to make sense to me. One of those ways is to add or subtract 1 chapter to or from a day when the beginning or ending of a book is dangling within the list. This way my mind feels some sort of accomplishment knowing that I read the entirety of the book and didn't leave the last chapter of the book for tomorrow just because a list told me to. 
   2) Be graceful with yourself. Life happens and you'll miss a day or two. Try and make up for it somehow, rather than beating yourself up over it. AND be comfortable with making things up at some point in the 90 days, rather than the next day. Some readings are simply shorter than others. Maybe use an audio Bible to make up for lost time in the car, read on your lunch break, etc. Just keep track of where you are and where you should be. Over time, catching up a day or two isn't at all that difficult or insurmountable as it may seem at first. Just commit during these 3 months, that when you have some extra free time, you'll be willing to spend 15-30 mins of it doing some extra reading... And bingo bango bongo, you've caught up.
    3) Read in a way that makes the most sense for you. Use familiar versions and audio Bibles, have multiple times of reading in a day. This last is my personal favorite. I sit down willing to commit at least a half an hour in the morning while all is still relatively still. Then in the early evening, I have committed to spend another 30 minutes. 7 weeks in, I am surprised at how often I have simply found myself pushing through to the 45 morning minute mark to wrap up for the day. OR how about setting an alarm on your phone to chime every hour and you spend the minute or two reading 1 chapter at the top of every hour. Be creative. You might surprise yourself with what you come up with.
    4) Try to talk a buddy into doing it with you. Accountability is always a good motivator.
    5) My biggest piece of advice I really just happened onto. I suggested to the small group that has been reading with me since Christmas, that we should start in the New Testament instead of the Old since we were in the Christmas season. Everyone thought this was a good idea and we proceeded. This was a game changer for me! You may have heard that it takes 21 days to develop a habit. Reading this much Bible is equivalent to exercise and we all know how easy it is to develop THAT habit in our lives. When one starts reading the Bible in 90 days and begins at Genesis, that real tentative time (the 14-21 day mark) you will be in Leviticus and Numbers. Lots of lists and who begat who's, etc. Very repetitive, and frankly it can be sort of dry. Personally, I struggle reading through this section of Scripture. CONVERSELY, if you start in the New Testament, you will finish reading Revelation as week 3 ends and push on to the Old Testament. By the time you hit that same place in Numbers, you are roughly a month and a half in and staring down the half way point just on the horizon! I wasn't about to give up all that time and effort at that point and pushed through. My guess is that maybe the same would be true for you. Seriously, GAME. CHANGER.
    I hope you choose to invest your time in reading the Word. If reading the whole thing in 90 days seems a little much for you, try reading just the New Testament or the Old Testament in 90 days. I've attached those lists too. They are also ordered Chronologically rather than Canonically to help me get a better sense for when things take place, but remember... Make the list your own.
​   I didn't mention it before, but there is another benefit that I find in reading scripture this way. Along with forcing a certain sense of regularity and consistency in my schedule, it does the same for my spiritual walk as well. And that should be the aim of any time spent with the Lord. Being more consistently in step with the Spirit.

It's been 4 weeks since that New Year's Resolution of yours to get more out of your time in the Bible. Like most, you've probably already let this promise to yourself, and to God, drop by the wayside. Let me spur you on! You can make more of your time with God. Let His word richly encapsulate your heart and mind. Pick those efforts back up and be self-disciplined (after all, it is a spiritual fruit). That's the difficult part about spiritually based resolutions, often times it is actually 2 resolutions in 1~ whatever it is that you are wanting to develop into your life AND developing the self-discipline to do it. Remember, our strength comes from the Lord. Take heart! Don't quit; don't give in! Be victorious for His glory!
   And at the risk of writing something we have all heard 100 times and we already know, spending time in the word of God shouldn't be something we need to psych ourselves up to do. It should just be a given. Yes, we all can do better at it (even you and I). That is where the thrust of my point comes from this morning. Sometimes we set the bar too low. With no real challenge, we grow bored or inconvenienced by the whole thing. When we set an unrealistically easy goal of "Reading the Bible more,"  we are really only admitting to ourselves that we aren't doing that which we know we need to do, rather than digging in deep for something more. When we expect more from our time with God, the Holy Spirit is able to develop our character much more than we could have ever imagined.
   By now you may have hit the "boring parts" of the Old Testament  and that's why you gave up on reading through the Bible this year, or your quiet time has dissolved into just praying (if you have a time alone with God at all). But was "finally reading through the Bible" really the reason you set out to read through it in the first place? Wasn't the real impetus more about getting closer with God and having a deeper understanding who He is? Sure, some portion of your desire maybe had something to do with finally cracking the gold leaf edging on some portions of scripture you've never opened before, but hopefully that was merely secondary... an added bonus of time spent with the Lord. Push through! Pick it back up and focus on who He is. Confess the trappings of old that still ensnare your frail humanity today. Figure out the unique connections that point to Jesus throughout all of scripture. 
   Personally, I am trying harder this year to memorize verses of the Bible. It's been one of those things that I merely dabble in and each year my efforts seem to fall short of my original intentions, which only serves to highlight my own idleness. Hopefully this year, God will grant me the self-discipline to see things through.
   May He do the same for you in all the ways that you want to honor Him this year.

Who is Jesus to you? This is life’s most fundamental question; one who’s answer should dictate your decisions and actions.
   But I want to be crystal clear. Acknowledging Jesus does not equate to having faith in Him.  When confronted by someone who asks you about Christianity and you respond that you “believe” in Jesus but that response is simply some knee jerk reaction to some long forgotten childhood upbringing and not a byproduct of having “a daily walk” with Him, you are just acknowledging Him. If you simply ask others to pray for this person you know or that situation you are aware of, but your life bears no fruit of actually believing that He can make a difference in YOUR life, then you are simply acknowledging Him. It’s the spiritual equivalent to the “nod of acknowledgement” done by high-school boys walking up and down the hallway. And this is a dangerous place to be. You need to prepare yourself.
   Matthew 7:21-23  “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’  And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’
   **See also Rev. 3:14-22
  Many might respond by saying that this statement is based in fear, and God is love and love drives out fear; a sentiment derived from 1 John 4:18. And you would be correct, though misguided and I would say you’ve missed the larger point John was making. Even simply reading the rest of the verses around it (and the small book as a whole), you would see that this love is in the context of abiding in Christ- a faithful trusting, a leaning your entire being on and in Him day to day. At this point you should also continue reading the first few verses of 1 John 5 and come to grips with the correlation of those who love Him are those who follow His commandments.
    The “fear” some are trying so hard to dismiss easily is the same sort of thing that we can think about in a marriage. Saying I love Carla doesn’t give me the opportunity to sin or live unfaithfully day-to-day. If I say I love my wife and cheat on her, sleep around with other women, go behind her back and flirt with everyone, and I don’t have any fear… I would be a fool. That’s an extreme example, but the same applies if I were to tone it down some. If I say I love my wife but when we meet someone new, I introduce her by saying, “Oh! Her? Oh she’s just my wife,” and I have no fear… Again, I’m a fool. A certain fear of only acknowledgement rather than being devoted to my wife helps remind me of what love looks like, what abiding looks like.
    Acknowledging Jesus is not confession. It isn’t commitment. It isn’t submitting to His Lordship in your life. It certainly isn’t a faith that saves. Come ask me questions about how to turn the corner in your spiritual life and gain fervor for having an actual relationship with the One True God. Admit that you are a sinner. Believe that God sent Jesus to pay for your sins. Commit your life to Him. Whether you see this as the Easiest Hard Decision you’ll ever have to make or the Hardest Easy Decision you’ll ever have to make, make today be the day you answer life’s most fundamental question.

Many of you, by now, have heard my humbling story from my time doing some disaster relief in Nepal. It centers on how everyone does everything in flip flops. Walking up a mountain for 4 hours with 40-60 pounds strapped to your head and back, well then... You should be wearing flip flops. Clearing broken glass, building rubble, and debris? Clearly flip flops are your footwear of choice. It's not that there aren't shoes there; most choose the simplicity of a thin piece of rubber between two toes and under their feet to get things done.
   I equate this to how we Christians, here in America, tend to tackle any problem. We tend to throw money at an issue and/or claim that we "need" this bit of equipment or that essential training before we can do something of value for the Kingdom of God. In all actuality, most of this is just encumbrance, things that get in the way of the Spirit doing something amazing in your midst. All we really need is a pair of spiritual flip flops.  
   The real trick is figuring out what those things are that the Holy Spirit has gifted us with. They are going to be different for everyone and certainly won't look the same from one person to the next. Over the past few weeks, I've been trying to think about what two "flip-flops" I wear. How has God uniquely knit me for His service? First, there is the desire to serve people at their point of need. Coming to the rescue, helping them in times of trouble, being side by side in ministry that may not necessarily be my own. Secondly, would be the desire to share the gospel/disciple through friendship. Meeting people and engaging them with the Word and how it can impact their lives. 
  If you had to strip away everything you think you "need" for ministry, what would you be left with? What, other than a relationship with the Almighty, Provider, Counselor, <insert descriptor here>, would you say is the core of who you are and how you operate in ministry if nothing else gets in the way? Is it time for you to lay some things aside in an effort to become unencumbered and allow the purity of the gospel to shine through in your ministry and your life?


Romans 12:4-8 4 For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5 so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. 6 We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your[a] faith; 7 if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; 8 if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead,[b] do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.

Fencing is one of those sports that you quickly realize where you are "on the food chain." You either get crushed by the person you're fencing (or you're the one doing the crushing) or you hold your own and come away with either a close win or loss. It's also one of those sports where it is easy to get into the rut of fencing the same people over and over. This sort of unchallenging engagement doesn't force you to learn anything new which only perpetuates where you are on that food chain. On the other hand, when you have bouts consistently against people who are better than you (who might crush you), that's when innovation is sparked, something clicks, and you can start to hold your own at a higher level of fencing. 
   Timothy had one of those moments last night. Trying to take himself seriously, he stepped out onto the fencing strip against several opponents. Two of them he clearly outclassed, but then he faced off the person at the club who is by far the best fencer in his age bracket. She's been fencing for 5 years and several of those with private lessons from a world renown coach, she's rated far above Tim, she's fenced all over the country and (if I'm not mistaken) some international tournaments as well with many medals and trophies to show for it. Though Timothy is notably regarded as ridiculously good for his 9 months of three-hours-a-week experience, she really should have devoured him AND his saber for dinner and then called for seconds. 
   But something clicked and Tim was able to show how much untapped potential he has. In the end, the score had Tim losing the bout 11-15, BUT there were easily 3 points that his blade missed her by a hair's breadth and she in turn only hit him with that same hair's breadth; and there was a point or two that could have gone either way. There were also more than a handful of times where other people in the crowd watching hooped, hollered, and OOoohhh!!-ed right along with me (I even jumped out of my seat a time or two) as Tim scored some fantastic points. After the bout, this gal who never really gave Timothy the time of day, started smiling and talking with him with a new found respect for him and his abilities. The score may have indicated that he lost, but he came away the winner last night.
   Spiritually speaking, how have you dipped into your untapped potential lately? Have you challenged yourself in some regard or has complacency and dusty routine dictated your lack of growth? The Bible is very clear that the Holy Spirit grants us particular spiritual gifts. But what we do with them is clearly up to us. It's sort of like Timothy and his fencing. Sure, I can get him the gear he needs and drive him to the club. He can even go through the motions of doing warm ups and fencing people. But it is only when we decide to take on a real challenge that the power of the potential within us... the Holy Spirit, will shine through. What in your spiritual life needs to happen for you to take the next step in living out a maximal faith?
Romans 12:6-8 We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.

In early December, I had the opportunity to work for Samaritan's Purse and Operation Christmas Child (OCC), an organization that delivers shoeboxes full of toys and necessities to children in need of hope around the world. Many of you are familiar with those red cardboard shoe boxes and have been donating for several years. I helped out at one of the nine "Processing Centers" around the country. These Centers are the next step after the collection centers receive your boxes. Once there, each of the 8.5 million shoeboxes will be inspected before they are shipped overseas. With the experience I gained working at the Processing Center in Maryland, I wanted to give you a little bit of insight and some suggestions about how to pack your shoebox for next year.
Not all shoeboxes are created equal

1. Consider using the free boxes that OCC distributes. These are called "Go Boxes." This helps out in several ways, two of which are: A) They are lightweight and as we know, weight factors into getting things from one place to another. Whether its gas for the truck to get them from the collection center to the shipping yard or the mule that carries them to distribution points, weight is a factor. B) They are mathematically perfect for fitting into the larger cartons that they are packed in before shipping overseas. At the processing center, a "perfect carton" is a box with zero air in it due to odd ball shoebox shapes. You can get 23 OCC Go Boxes in a perfect carton which is 8 to 9 more than the average carton, which means less shipping containers, which in turn means less shipping costs.
2. For those of you with generous hearts and think, "I'm going to fill that BOOT box I have in the closet!" Stop and take an extra moment to consider not only the cartonizing and shipping of that box, but more importantly think of the situation at the other end at distribution. Certainly, you are making one child extremely happy, but you might be causing sadness or jealousy to the children sitting next to him who only gets a normal sized shoebox, which in turn may cause that one child you blessed to feel more awkward than blessed. Consider instead making 2 boxes and blessing 2 kids!
3. Many of us pack our boxes with those plastic containers which are roughly shaped like shoeboxes. Yes, these are great for keeping moisture out and are wonderful items in themselves as they might be a durable box for the child to use for something else, but please know three things. A) There is a potential for them to break. They get somewhat brittle when they endure the cold of collection centers, trucks, processing centers, more trucks, and shipping containers here north of the equator. And there is a lot of shifting, lifting, and dropping of cartons along the way. If they get damaged before the processing center, things are repacked in a new cardboard box at the Processing Center's Shoebox Hospital. B) Although they are somewhat shoebox size, they are more trapezoidal and actually cause quite a bit of empty space in each carton. C) If you do use them, consider wrapping the inside of them so kids can't see in. From what I understand, many if not most of the distribution centers hold an event when passing the shoeboxes out. As each child is given a box, they are told that they have to wait for everyone to get one before they can open it. Wrapping on the inside increases the excitement and anticipation during this short period of time and adds a whole lot of fun.

Packing your box

1. OCC provides a handy dandy list of what is good and what is inappropriate to put in your shoebox gift. Stick to it. No liquids, no chocolate that can melt, no camouflage shirts or hats, no weapon-type toys, no nail polish, no glass, etc. Things that you can consider that ARE appropriate: tools such as hammer and nails and wrenches, sewing supplies, scissors.
2. Consider packing for older children. It's easy to get wrapped up in the toys and pretty little socks and such, but preteens need some love too.
3. Put any envelopes, cards, and money on top. All envelopes are inspected for currency because any money found at the other end could endanger the child. This inspection includes personal cards and letters. They will be opened and inspected before going back into the shoebox, so consider not sealing shut those envelopes, that way the inspectors won't have to cut or rip them open. 
4. Put something about yourself in it! Like a picture, personal letter, favorite verse of scripture, something about the place where you live, etc. Over the several weeks I was at the Processing Center, I heard several testimonials from adults who were children that once received boxes long ago and how those personal touches and connections stood out to them as being tokens of love from real people who cared.
5. Worried that your box doesn't have enough in it? That's OK! Though they aren't in the business of filling up boxes that are completely empty, OCC has business partners that happily donate items for the inspection team to use to fill any empty space that might occur in a box.

Sealing your box

1. Just use a single rubber-band to hold the lid on from your drop-off point to the Processing Center. Each box will be opened and inspected, so anything more to keep the box closed just adds to the workload to the inspection team. It will be TAPED SHUT at the end of the inspection process.
2. Wrapping your shoebox is uber fun for the kids at the other end, just keep in mind two simple things. A) Don't wrap it in such a way that the wrapping paper completely seals the box. Again, it will be inspected, so it has to be opened. Inspectors try to respect the wrapping paper as best they can, but they will cut their way through it if they have to, to make sure all is right on the inside. B) Remember that TAPE that I mentioned a second ago? Big two inch wide white tape with the words Samaritan's Purse in big bold red letters emblazoned on it. Keep your efforts simple knowing that a portion of it will be taped over. Bows, ribbons, and such mostly get put inside the box during inspection to help with fitting shoe boxes into cartons.
3. If you have to sit on your box to close it or it looks like there is an inflated football in there when there is no football, it's too full! Gently full is the term OCC uses. We want gently full boxes, people. If when you push on the top it pops back up a fraction of a bit, then you're perfect. If instead it springs up back at you like a "snake in a can" gag gift, it's too full, and you should consider making a second box. Better yet, don't consider... just make a second box.
4. Make sure to put a label on it and mark the appropriate age and gender. Maybe consider printing off a "Follow Your Box Label," from their website so you can know what country your box wound up in.

Pray

1. Pray for all the workers and volunteers who do everything that needs to be done to get the shoe boxes to their destinations. They are real people, some of whom are going through some tough stuff of their own, and they themselves can use extra prayer during this time of year.
2. Pray for the ministers of the gospel that will bring the message of hope to the children receiving these gifts. Pray that the discipleship that comes from this ministry is fruitful and multiplies.
3. Continue to pray for the child who will receive your shoebox gift. Mid-November is usually when we drop off our shoeboxes at some drop off point before they travel to a collection center. It's easy for us in America to quickly put Christmas aside and out of minds once December is over (Here it is January 3rd and my family just packed up and put away all our decorations). But some of these shoeboxes will not get to their destinations until February or March. Continue to pray for the young recipients, that their hearts would be softened during this time. Pray that the Holy Spirit of God would woo them in the unique and powerful ways and speak hope into their hearts. 

Last summer, my son was introduced to the sport of fencing. He had a great time and learned a bunch. It was one of the first things that he tried that made him realize he still had a lot to learn. This summer he was able to get into a once a week class which helped to round out his beginner skills. He enjoyed it so much we decided to enroll him in a week long camp at the same facility which started while his weekly class was wrapping up. All this fencing has only fueled his desire to learn and do more. By this point in time, he had even decided which weapon he enjoyed most and wanted to concentrate more on. As he has progressed through the camp, his coach has taken an interest in Tim and he thinks Tim could go far in the sport. It's one of those opportunities that Carla and I can't let slip by. We talked it over as a family and Tim recognized the need for discipline to continue in a sport that will require quite a bit of finagling by the family as a whole to maintain (schedule-wise and financially). He understands that some weeks will simply require more effort than others because his emotions won't always be consistent. That certain weeks, he will simply need to power through when things aren't going so well. With summer ending and school about to start up, things will only get more congested in terms of time, but in the end, we all think it will be worth it for him to pursue what God is doing in this tightly knit circle of the fencing community. 
Disciplines are great things for us to work on as Christians, frankly because (like fencing) there are so many. One of the books I like to recommend to people is Donald S. Whitney's Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life. This short book is a wonderful treasure trove of ways we can stretch our faith for the purpose of developing Godliness in our lives. Obviously, things like Bible intake and prayer are in there- and these chapters aren't some simple overview of age old traditions, but rather they help to make us really see and understand why we are doing these things and why we should be doing these things. There are also other disciplines that Whitney explores such as journaling, fasting, and one especially poignant for this day and age- silence and solitude (written back in 1991: two or three years before the internet became popular and roughly 10 years before cell phones started landing in everyone's pocket). The book itself isn't very long and reading it would definitely come under the heading of one of the disciplines he lists- Learning for the Purposes of Godliness. No matter where you are in your walk with the Lord, I suggest you take a look at this fantastic book.
And as you look at your own schedule for the upcoming fall season no matter what stage of life you are in, may you too endeavor to not just add some new thing or hobby or sport into your routine, but also a commitment to a more spiritually disciplined life.

**PS. On a lighthearted note, raising a son always comes with the reminders to "not hit others", at least in the early years.  Carla and I do find it odd that we have gotten to the place now with Tim entering fencing where we are OK with sticking a sabre in our son's hand and telling him to go out and hit another kid in the head/torso with it. Not only that, but we find ourselves sitting next to the parents of the aforementioned kid and we can both talk, laugh, smile, and cheer as their child does the same to Tim.
***PSS. Tim came home from camp today and told me how fencing is the safest sport there is. I neglected to tell him that yesterday his coach related a story to me of how he and one of his students once both drew blood at the same time while they were warming up for a competition. SHHHhhhh! Don't tell him.

Over the years, there have been several things that have stuck in my mind from the pages of God's word. One of them is the word fervent. It is used several places in the NASB translation, and I am always blessed when I see it used in the lives of people. 
    It's a concept I think we can always use a little more of in our lives. The intended idea of fervent in the Greek is one of stretching out to a maximum limit and an intention that is without ceasing. The ultimate example of this can be found in Luke 22:44, "And being in agony He (Jesus) was praying very fervently; and His sweat became like drops of blood, falling down upon the ground." Let me ask you... when was the last time any of us prayed so fervently that we even perspired, let alone sweat so profusely that it dripped to the ground like blood running off our heads?!?
   Fervent comes up only a few other places in the New Testament and one of them is in my favorite passage in the Bible: Romans 12:9-21. Verse 11 says, "not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord;" The thought here is to be continually seeking to serve God from a place of perpetual/constant growth in the spirit. And let us not forget that the context for this verse is serving others in love.
   Which brings me to my last reference today. 1 Peter 1:22, " Since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls for a sincere love of the brethren, fervently love one another from the heart, for you have been born again not of a seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God. (verse 23 added for emphasis)" Love is one of our greatest assets and we should desire to use it maximally in every facet of our day.
   May we be a people who seek to live out our fervent spiritual life - seeking ways to live it out maximally, rather than figuring out what the minimum is that we could get away with and still be considered righteous. May we be a people who stretch out and fervently love others as Jesus did on the cross. 

Grace, Opportunity, Dignity

It’s that time of year again. Those days where you reflect on New Year’s resolutions that you’ve already long forgotten. Maybe you simply shrug your shoulders at some. Maybe you actually feel a little disappointed in yourself. Some probably even warrant laughing at yourself, “How could you possibly be so silly as to think you could…” On the other hand, some aren’t (or shouldn’t) be cast off so easily.

Many Christians resolve to read their Bibles more. Many only follow through for a short time, and then “life” gets in the way, or at least that’s the excuse we use. But I would contend that this spiritual discipline is one that should be hard pressed for. Be sacrifical with your time. Make the effort to actually move forward and read God’s Word.

Allow me to issue you a challenge. At the date of this post (February 3rd) there are 76 days until Easter and there are 27 books in the New Testament. Try reading the entire New Testament before Easter Sunday. This might be a change for many of you who may only read 3 or 4 chapters during the occasional sitting. Coincidentally, there are 260 chapters in the New Testament making for a daily regimen of 3.5 chapters a day for the next 76 days, but that’s not what I’m suggesting in this post. Read on faithful reader…

My challenge to you is to read whole books of the New Testament in a single sitting. I understand this flies in the face of many Bible study advocates and I can already hear their laments, “How much will you be missing if you read that much at one sitting?” And my rebuttal is two fold. While certainly, this isn’t how you would always want to study the Word, 1) I would argue that most people, who aren’t especially apt to read more than 3 or 4 chapters a day, when they actually sit down long enough for some quiet time, can hardly remember what happened in chapter 2 of a book like Acts, and how it may or may not impact the events they read in chapter 28 a week and a half later. This leads me to my second fold… 2) Reading whole books in one sitting can illuminate familiar material in new ways. Books, that we’ve studied in the past with small groups or through some sermon series that took months, take on a whole new light and perspective when we can read them beginning to end (as they were intended to be read). Themes and important points come to the surface that may have eluded us, even through prior meticulous study.

I hope to encourage you to actually follow through with this, but I do have some closing tips/suggestions/whatevers to make your time not only easier to manage, but also help it be more than just checking off a box.

A) Read in a version that is easy to read, but that isn’t your "normal" version. This way it forces you to actually read what is there and the language itself will be new. I would suggest the NIV or ESV. If you already use both of those, try the NASB.

B) I know I am talking about reading whole books in one sitting, but longer books are long. Don’t feel bad about splitting up the reading some, but don’t take longer than 3 sittings with any one particular book.

C) As good as a study of reading one gospel after another can be, this probably isn’t the time for that challenge. My suggestion would be to read a gospel and then read 3 or 4 other books before going on to another gospel, just so you don’t feel like you’ve read the same thing over and over.

D) Take the extra time to think of the answers to these following questions on a grand scale (Maybe meditate on them throughout your day)

1. What does this book teach me about who God is?
   
2. What does this book teach me about who man is, or my sinful nature?
   
3. Is there a sin to avoid?
   
4. Is there a command to follow?
   
5. How does God expect my spiritual life to flourish from the reading of this book?
   
   

E) It’s okay to miss a day. Get back to it the next day. Realistically, you can probably do the whole New Testament in less than 40 days (17 of the 27 books are six chapters or less and 4 of those are only one chapter!), but the heart of what I am encouraging you to do IS NOT about the math and how much you need to read and when you will likely wrap up and how much to make up after missing a day, etc. It’s about generating a love for time spent with God in His Word. Take the time. Enjoy spending it at His feet. Cultivate this spiritual discipline to the point where doing it is the norm and not doing it feels like you left your wallet at home.

Try reading Colossians followed by Philemon today. How are they related? Hint: it has to do with the people. How does a better understanding of Colossians inform how you read Philemon?

My family and I are unashamed Phineas and Ferb fans. And I am always partial to the Heinz Doofenshmirtz storyline. Maybe it is his whimsical style of trying to take over the world or maybe there is some evil scientist element within me that is always trying to think of ways to take over something. I've even already have plans for a costume complete with a working "-inator" for this year whenever the need arises. Anyway, below is a series of Facebook posts that started off simply enough, but escalated quickly. Why post these here? Just because it was too silly and sometimes I crack myself up (even if I am the only one in the room).

Feeling very Heinz Doofenshmirtz-y this morning. ***sits down to draw up plans for a Squidgeemcdiggit-inator 
'MUAHAHAHAHAHA 

Ahh Perry the Platypus... What a remarkable entrance. And by that I mean totally MARKABLE! See, I thought you would land here as you crashed through the sliding glass door. Look, I even drew in your fancy 3 point stance. And now I have you in my traaAAaap.

BEHOLD!!! My Squidgeemcdiggit-inator! You see Perry the Platypus, just the other day I was talking with this grocery bagger guy at the check out line. You know the type... plays tetris with your groceries to get them in the bags, but this guy isn't very good at it and only puts like 3 things in each bag and tries to make up for it by being overtly friendly and talkative in hopes that you won't notice. Well, he was using these 5 dollar words, when a 10 cent word would do. You know, words that sound like real words but no one knows what they are... Like they got that Word-a-day calendar for Christmas and have been memorizing it since then so they would sound more intelligent than they really are. I hate those guys! So I created THIS... The Squidgeemcdiggit-Inator! It causes people to make up words and use them over and over in conversation! Soon everyone will be using words that no one will understand, and in the ensuing communication break down and chaos I will take over the Northern Virginia, DC, Maryland AREA! It's sort of like the tri-state area, but only larger.

And now my semi-aquatic egg laying mammal of action friend, I only need to point the Squidgeemcdiggit-inator out of sliding glass door, you so conveniently broke on your way in. Seriously, next time just knock or something. And then I pull this lever and I will shoot green bolts of linguistic confoundity all over the place AND the internet. Social media will be agasp with all the confusing words from people during the day!

***points the Squidgeemcdiggit-inator out the sliding glass door. 
AND NOW, I will just put this on an automatic random firing pattern... 
***pulls lever
PEW PEW PEW...
and now Perry the Platypus, I am off to the dentist. Good oral hygiene is an essential quality of a tyrannical ruler. And I need a haircut. You can never go too far with personal grooming. Have fun trying to escape from that elaborate necktie trap I have you ensconced within.
***leaves the room

Oh, hello Perry the Platypus. I forgot you were even here. I see you are still stuck in those neckties. That one is particularly obnoxious. It's the Eldritch Knot. I don't know what connection it has with H.P. Lovecraft, but it makes you look like Cthuhlu with your fingers all stuck around your chin like that. 
***PEW PEW PEW out the broke glass door.
AHh, I see that my Squidgeemcdiggit-inator is still functioning properly. 
***An android steps into the room
What is it Virgil? ...
No, you may not invite your squidgeemcdiggit robot cousin Norm over.
No, I don't care if he needs your technique of making Cheeseballs.
What do you mean he is on the phone? Just tell him then! 
NO NO He can't come over. 
Tell him to tell Heinz I say, "Hello, and that I love that Youtube thing he's been doing. 
Perry, do you need to tell Heinz anything?
Is that noise even a word? OH WAIT A SECOND... has my -inator worked on you too??? MUAHAHAHAHAHA

***PEW PEW PEW
Hey Perry the Platypus, it's really cold outside. How about I make us some nice warm macaroni and cheese? Perry the Platypus? Hey... Where did you g-
***WHACK, PUNCH, KICK
Hey cut that out... OW! Stop that!
***Doobie Doobie Doo Ba Doobie Doobie Doo
Seriously! OW. Your foot is in my face!
***A thrown fedora sails through the air
NONONO Not the self destruct button!
***BOOOOOOM!
Curse you Perry the Platypus!
***Agent P
Ahh Squidgeemcdiggit.

There you have it... if you've read this far and are wondering who is this guy, read some of the other posts to get a better picture. A more serious post is on it's way; I just wanted to share this one while the giggles were still in the air.

I knew it had been a while, but man, those months went by quick. 
Anyway, being in a new year and all, I was simultaneously cleaning up some files, making lists, envisioning the upcoming year, and I stumbled upon a blog post I never finished that sort of coincided with my planning for the new year. 
  "My wife and I are reading A.W. Tozer's Pursuit of God and it's got me thinking about how we approach Bible study. He really tries to get the reader to think beyond simply having a correct understanding of God and move to a place of deeper driving desire to be closer in relationship with Him. This prompts me to adjust how I tend to teach in Bible study. 4 questions to 5..."
  Poorly written, I know (that's why it stayed in the draft folder so long) but it still resonates with me. See, I am encouraging the church I pastor and my family and friends to read the New Testament by Easter. Not really a tremendous feat of academia by any stretch of the imagination, but you would be surprised how many evangelical, Bible toting Christians out there have never read the New Testament to completion (let alone the whole Bible). Along with directing them towards this goal, I am sure to mention to let The Holy Spirit enlighten the reading, and I also usually give 4 questions to help facilitate the study of The Word to help those who merely read it and move on with their day. 
  1) What did I learn about God from the passage, 2) What did I learn about man or myself, 3) Is there a sin to avoid, and 4) Is there a commandment to follow. These questions help guide the reading into a thoughtful inquiring time that is sure to help enrich time spent with The Lord; though in retrospect they are quite antiseptic, clinical, admittedly... a little dry. I still stand by them though and encourage you to ask these same questions during your time in God's Word. But I think, thanks to Tozer, I will start adding a 5th question.
   5) How does God expect your relationship with Him to flourish because of these verses?
   This, I think, should be a natural expectation even before we open the pages and set our eyes on the first words. That we are excited at the possibility of an ever deepening trust, understanding, love, reverence, etc. due to the time we are spending with Him. I know that this last bit is worded awkwardly, but how can you put your finger on what an all powerful God can do? It will be a different kind of excitement for different people at different times. The point is, that a byproduct of our time spent with God should be a desire for deeper commitment toward Him in whatever way The Spirit directs us.
  May 2014 bring you exponentially closer to Him who created and redeemed you. Read your Bible. Try getting the whole story of Christ in before Easter. His Birth, His Early Church, and His Return.

Luke 10:41-42 But the Lord answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.”

Blessed is the man who does 
1a) not WALK in the counsel of the wicked
2a) nor STAND in the path of sinners
3a) nor SIT in the seat of scoffers!
But his delight is in the law of the Lord
3b) and in His law he MEDITATES day and night
2b) he will be like a tree FIRMLY PLANTED by streams of water
1b) which YIELDS ITS FRUIT in its season
and its leaf does not wither; and in whatever he does, he prospers
{Psalm 1:1-3 Numbering is my own, for emphasis}
   I can't even tell you the number of times I have considered these verses. It is mostly because they have been the subject of some of my favorite songs in the past. But... as all things scriptural, the Lord will from time to time breathe new life into the Word, and what you thought you had a good grip on, merely turns out to be "only the leg of an elephant." The Lord did that to me this morning in my meditations. 
   Notice the poetic structure that is presented before us. This A-B-C-C-B-A pattern is known as Chiastic structure. But the pattern is not as important as the message. I've already got a sermon brewing (which I won't type out for you here. It's like a sermon writers dream... 3 interconnected points, all pointing to having an active faith, with object lesson examples baked right into the passages!!! It doesn't get much easier folks!)
   I digress. The point I was trying to make was about the freshness of the Word. I came to this passage again for the "millionth" time, because it came to me in the shower and my mind stopped on what meditation means for the Christian. As I did, wouldn't you know it, not only did it reveal some things that I had going on in my own heart, but it also brought me to a new understanding of these very familiar verses. What the first three actions imply and how they are connected with the next three. I love when the Lord does this for us. He shows us what not to do, but in the same breath points out the preferred righteous actions to emulate. 
   Please be praying for me in this "season" - that though the fruit of full-time ministry is dormant, my leaf has not withered; I am still full of life, the life everlasting; all thanks to the Living Water of Jesus Christ!

Last night, an atheist told me that the pope said  atheists can go to heaven if they do good deeds and that there was no longer a need to hold on to "the dogma" of believing in Christ. 
After pointing out the fallacies in this line of thinking, I spent the morning looking for the pope's words. Please understand that being a protestant and a Calvinist, the Catholic church and I differ on many theological issues, but this blog isn't for the purposes of airing out that dirty laundry. As a matter of fact, in these few paragraphs, I am setting some personal convictions aside for a moment to hopefully render a proper interpretation of what the pope had to say. 
  Now for the life of me, I couldn't find the Pope's message to read for myself, but what I did find was an overwhelming response to what the pope discussed- that atheists can also do good along with Catholics and that Christ has redeemed them too and that this was common ground for us to be working together. And that the Catholic church should not hold on to the dogma that only Catholics can do good in this world. The discussion has two basic points. 
   First, people are capable of doing good. Sometimes we evangelicals, and maybe Catholics, run all too quickly to the verse that says that our good works are as filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6). Remember, this scripture is first off a comparative set of words which juxtaposes our righteousness to the righteousness of The Lord. Secondly, this is poetic language which includes hyperbole to get its point across. There are plenty of people in the world today and we Christians certainly haven't cornered the market on doing good and/or right by people. I've covered this in other blogs... go back and read my opinions there.
  Secondly, the distinction between redemption and salvation comes into question. Now, the pope was speaking from Mark 9:33-49 where the apostles were trying to stop someone from doing miracles in the name of Jesus, all because that person wasn't part of their inner circle. Jesus rebukes them about this, but there is NO evidence to point to the fact that the person in question was an atheist. It was a lesson in directing those who are "more in the know about spiritual things" not to handcuff those of little faith. On the contrary, in Matthew 7:21-23 Jesus points out the importance of having faith and a personal relationship with Him. And that salvation IS NOT yours just because you do good deeds, even if they were in the name of Christ!
   Let's look to what the Bible has to say about this distinction of redemption and salvation...
Romans 3:23-25A 
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of His blood
Here we see the redemptive work of Christ on the cross and what it accomplished (John 3:16A For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son...). I'm guessing (and hoping) that this was the point that the pope was trying to drive home. That Christ has paid the penalty for EVERYONE'S sin, not just Catholics. The question of whether or not the theology behind this is all inclusive of everyone during all of time is a debate better left for another time. The point here, is that the pope was simply pointing out (hopefully) that sin is sin and that Christ has paid the price for ALL sin once and for all.
   But now let's clear up any confusion that may lead to the line of thinking that would bring someone to think that atheists go to heaven because of Christ's redemptive act and doing good things alone. Let's put these two and a half verses in the context of the verses around them. Look at how redemption was Christ's responsibility which has been achieved and the act of salvation is based in faith in Him.
Romans 3:21-26
But now apart from the law, the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of His blood--to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance He had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— He did it to demonstrate His righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.
   Though the price of our sins has been paid by Christ, this redemption only comes to the full fruition of salvation through faith in Christ alone. 
   Again, I couldn't find the pope's speech, but after seeing some of the quotes around the internet, it seems like our selfish desire to get away with as little as possible, with help from 140 characters and a news media that wants to be as inflammatory as possible, mistook the meaning of the words of this man to mean that everyone who does good deeds gets to go to heaven. I don't think this was his intention (if it was, then that will be one more thing we don't see eye to eye on). I trust the pope meant that redemption was available to everyone; that faith in Christ is CRUCIAL for salvation to an eternity in heaven rather than being damned to an eternity in hell; and that we might be able to meet, in this world, in the common ground of doing good to those around us; which in turn could potentially grant Christians the opportunity to earn the respect of atheists so the gospel could be heard; which in turn could possibly bring them to salvation by this redemptive work of Christ. 

{Chiasmus is the figure of speech in which two or more clauses are related to each other through a reversal of structures in order to make a larger point; that is, the clauses display inverted parallelism. The elements of simple chiasmus are often labelled in the form A B B A, where the letters correspond to grammar, words, or meaning. Here, instead of dealing with one of the many direct chiamus found in scripture, I have collected several scriptures and put them into the form of a chiamus to make a larger point.}

Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am.” –John 8:58

and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma. – Ephesians 5:2

About the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” – Matthew 27:46

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies; who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Just as it is written, “For Your sake we are being put to death all day long; We were considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. – Romans 8:31-39

Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. – Romans 12:1

Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?” Then I said, “Here am I. Send me!” – Isaiah 6:8

We must be diligently growing in our knowledge of the Word. This discipline, however, comes with a price. It becomes difficult to sit still when others do or approve of things that are sinful or even blasphemous which are so obviously spelled out in scripture. 
   My wife and I sat through a play last night, whose setting was the night before Martin Luther King Jr.'s murder. This scenario was used as a vehicle for blasphemy against the Word of God. It was all very "spiritual" and made allusions to God and the afterlife, but no truth was contained in the words. Why we never got up and simply walked out, I don't know. 
It was all very "christianized" but there was no Christ in it. Worse yet, it totally misrepresented the seriousness of sin and evil that we must continually struggle against, all the while the characters were sinning in the progression of the story line. And the nail in the coffin was its total disregard for Christ's work on the cross. Rather than that saving grace that redeems us from sin, the play presented this idea that after we die somehow we are sent back to Earth as angels to accomplish a task to earn that forgiveness! UGH!!! Hopefully you can see more than just two things wrong with that line of thinking. 
   And now for the topper... I would say that Carla and I, even at our age, were by far some of the youngest people in the room. At the very end, the actor portraying MLK Jr. addressed the audience and called out, "Can I get an Amen?" And he got it... TWICE! After it was over, many stood up and applauded cheering on this hour and half long blasphemous drivel with so called Christian-overtones. Where was the wisdom of elders in that place?!? Where were the Bible Scholars and Sunday School Teachers? (Probably at home with good sense enough not to be there in the first place)
  Many of you who know me, know that in that public spectacle called "the arts," it is my opinion that we need to "bring back the boo." All too often, due to social convention, we applaud those who shouldn't be applauded which only gives rise to those few who actually thought it was good, so they in turn give a standing ovation to something that really isn't worthy, which in turn only adds to the peer pressure of the moment for others to stand up because "that's just what you do" at things like this.
   I didn't applaud, I didn't stand. But that is my problem this morning. Pray for me today as I seek forgiveness from Christ, my Lord and Savior that I didn't stand up for Him in that moment. When that actor called for an amen, I so wanted to exhort (loudly), "Read the Bible and learn about the God you've been blaspheming for the past hour and a half!" But I didn't. I even got a second chance a moment later! The actor had the audacity to call out to the audience again, "I said, can I get an amen?!?" Again I failed. Social convention got the better of me. There are times however, where "proper etiquette" needs to be shunned. Last night was one of those times. As my brothers and sisters in Christ, I ask your forgiveness for not standing up for our Lord. He was persecuted and hung on a cross for me and I couldn't even say a single sentence to honor Him. May I never be silent again.
       Lord, forgive me. 

Romans 1:32 and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things {unrighteousness} are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them.

James 4:17 Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin.

So as most of you may know, I am an extrovert and socialite by nature. I gain energy from being with others and serving/fellowshipping alongside them. Without that, I tend to feel like our buddy here in the photo, the red panda. NOT having people to do life with tends to sap my energy. Thankfully, I belong to a big family- the Church (with a big "C"). There are brothers and sisters around almost every corner, and with just a little bit of effort we can be a blessing to each other. I was very blessed by a fellow brother who invited me out to breakfast this morning. He is a self-admitted introvert, but as I sat in his car he commiserated, "I know how it is to be the new guy." We had a great time of fellowship as we sat and discussed all sorts of things over some pancakes and french toast. 
For us extroverts, doing things like this can be second nature (if we stop long enough to pay attention to our surroundings and think of others). For introverts, I am told, this sort of thing represents a challenge and they must expend sweet sweet energy juices to do something like this. 
But think of the difference we can all make, if we take the time to relate to one another on a more personal level. Be that person today. Invite someone to do something. Instead of being the sponge that sucks up, be the sponge that is squeezed and pours out the grace of God over someone. 
1 Thessalonians 3:12 "and may the Lord cause you to increase and abound in love for one another, and for all people, just as we also do for you.

Terrible microphones and a move to another state has kept me busy for the past several weeks without any video either (I hope to correct this soon). We've moved to the D.C. area and are excited to see what The Lord has in store for us.
I've been here two weeks ahead of my family looking for a ministry to get involved in. It has been apparent how much of a social person I am. Without having several options of people to pour into, I have been considerably taken out of my element, and simply put... beside myself. Ministry is best served (in my opinion) within relationship, which I am having to start over from scratch in these new surroundings.
When starting from scratch, it is a great opportunity to reflect on past mistakes and reevaluate what is important to you. I want to be able to make the most of every moment, but today's trappings make it so easy to think of these things, but never get off the couch to put them into action (with the exception of your work life).
Please be praying for us as we seek out relationship, ministry, church, and ways to spend our time in service to The Lord.

<--- Cleans off dust from blog... "Cough Cough" Well hey howdy hey, it's the New Year! Sorry I've been silent for so long, but let me just start off by saying that I have a few things in the works that should start up this week or next that I think you may enjoy. <smirk> 
   And in saying that, let me get straight to the point. Have you ever become excited to do something (resolutions come to mind), but then let the process overrun your enthusiasm? Technology does that to me too often and it happened again last night. I was going to start a little private journal for myself and then proceeded to spend the next 2 hours trying to find an app that served my purposes! (I mean, REALLY?!? a simple notebook style app that lets me add a bunch of photos on a page, resize them, and type my text in on the page without having the most convoluted UI ever created by man, that will also save to the cloud? Is that too much to ask in this day and age? {side note: finally settled on SpringPad})
   Certainly, looking around to find the right process will save a bunch of time and frustration over the long haul. But this search for a process shouldn't become some monster of a thing that overpowers the actual task we have in mind. Technology and the internet comes with that allure built in: that there is something else out there, something better, something more effective, something that will fit our needs perfectly; if only we can find it: the perfect website/app/program- surely it must be out there. 
   Now, for us spiritually minded out there, we could totally leap into "The One who is the perfect fit for what you are searching for", but let's not over-spiritualize everything and try to stay on track, shall we?
   What I would like to emphasize is though deciding on a process should have a certain level of priority, it shouldn't supersede the priority of the actual outcome in mind. Have an honest look at what you are trying to accomplish and recognize how important having "just the right way of doing it" is really going to matter. In some instances, yes... it must be done in a precise way, but don't be tricked by past failures. "Oh, I tried it this way last time and didn't follow through so I better look for some other way of doing it." We need to be honest with ourselves, and try to figure out if it was a problem with the process, or really was it a problem with our perseverance {all you spiritually minded can add another sermon on persevering here}. 
   Certainly take the time, find the technology that will end up somewhere on the scale between "that'll work" and "that's the best thing since sliced bread!" Just set a certain amount of time in your mind and stop once you've spent that time. THEN proceed to get done whatever it is you set out to accomplish in the first place! {Ironically enough, after typing this I thought of another better option to my little private picture type of journal that I am already using, Pinterest. ***facepalm}
   And as a post-script: maybe, just maybe, that piece of technology... has nothing to do with a computer or smart phone at all! Now, I can hear some of you already, "Blasphemy!" I know, I know. You spent sooo much for your device, it's the newest thing, yadda yadda yadda. Sometimes, nothing beats the simplicity of a piece of paper and a pen. Just Sayin'
   And now, a quick note for what I am kicking around in my head. I think I might turn this into a Vlog instead! For those who don't know the difference between a blog and a vlog... the v stands for video. I know I may not be the prettiest face on the internet, but I think twice a week for a few minutes may not crack your screens too badly. We'll see how it goes. Be looking for it here, and on YouTube. 

   Lately, the Lord has been impressing upon my life the need for more character and dignity. Many would quickly lump the second in with the first, and maybe they might be right, but 1 Timothy 2:2 may make a case for a subtle distinction between the two.
"... so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity."
In my last post, I mentioned the dynamic of being lost among the throng of neighborly people who do right by others but have no functional knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ or who outright deny Him. Maybe this dignity piece is a way for us to stand out again. 
   Our culture seems sorely lacking this trait. Simply walking down the street or turning on the television is, or should be, more than enough to convince someone (if they were to be truly honest about what they saw and heard or maybe what they didn't see or hear). Interestingly enough, Mr. Rogers of television fame, got into the business because he did not approve of how the medium of television was being used at the time. He thought it was deplorable that throwing pies in other people's faces was considered "entertainment" for children. What would he think today???
   It's also interesting to see how this word "σεμνότης" (sem-no'-tās) has been translated through out the years- dignity, gravity, honesty, holiness, purity. Admittedly, this verse is a call for us to pray for our leaders so that we can live a dignified life and that definition maybe tied up in some relation of not being humiliated or used for sport in the Colosseum. But I believe Paul's meaning here carries over to our daily lives as well. You hardly hear of someone being "dignified" any more, or if you do, maybe your first thought is of someone who can't seem to loosen their shirt collar and have a little fun; or maybe it comes with some extra baggage like being snooty or having some holier-than-thou attitude mixed in somehow. 
   I think this is where the "tranquility" comes into play. How many of us can claim that tranquility and quietness typify our daily lives? Do we seek out a peaceful atmosphere to spend the majority of our time? Do we help or hinder creating this type of environment? Do we trust God enough to actually spend devoted time alone with Him in significant portions of our day? These things don't necessarily equate to dignity either, but the Word says there is some sort of connection. We must also trust the Lord enough to be guided by the Holy Spirit in active faith and seek to respond to situations in godliness (character) and dignity. I might even be willing to go so far as to say that dignity is, or should be, the vehicle with which we carry out godliness. Think about it for a second... what would love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control be without dignity? They would be coarse and, dare I say, have less (if any) impact.
   Don't get me wrong, I'm not calling for the end of humor or any such thing; after all, who doesn't love a good pie in the face gag {sorry about that time in Pittsburgh, Nichole}. But in connection with needing to significantly stand out (being seasoned properly with salt, a light to the world, etc.) I feel that this tranquility/dignity piece can go a long way in this day and age, and might just be a key to sustained impact with the people you minister to.

For those who don't follow me on Facebook, you might not know that after Day 19 in New Jersey (last Sunday), I began the two day trip home. After visiting with friends over night, I finally arrived home on Day 21 at 5pm (the Tuesday before Thanksgiving) and proceeded to prepare my home for my wonderful in-laws and the Thanksgiving holiday (along with squeezing in time with my wife and son). Now a week later, I have been able to snatch snippets of rest and to reflect on the time the Lord allowed me to have and the service He allowed me to be a part of in NJ. There are two things I would like to impart that I feel are relevant for us all. 
   First, I was entirely blessed by being a part of the efforts there, but more importantly- I was blessed by seeing God's faithfulness in action from beginning to end. Risk-taking, in part, is a great way to experience God's work in your life first hand. As Christians, we should be willing to jump into the unknown (within reason, and sometimes beyond reason) so we can give full testimony to those around us that God truly is in control of our lives and that we have relinquished our own selfish desires, foibles, and concerns in order to more fully trust Him and do what we feel the Holy Spirit is driving us to do.
    Second is for all of us who tend to fall back on the "live out my faith to draw people into asking why I am doing what I do" concept of evangelism. Let me put it bluntly... we MUST be more than this school of thought. There are plenty of nice people out there (there are roughly 7.1 Billion  people on the planet) many of whom do outstanding service to others, that look out for the emotional and physical needs of others, with no need for compensation or thanks, who also have no working knowledge of the gospel or even blatantly deny Christ. Those of us who think we can simply live a life of service that will draw people near to Christ... we are being lost amid the ever growing throng of people who do good because it is "the right thing to do", plain and simple. Don't get me wrong... Of the non-Christians, 0% will make it into heaven, even with all their great deeds. I just don't want us lumping non-Christians into some vilified category that makes them unpleasant to the people around them. Let's not fool ourselves, Christians do not have the patent on being nice, or being pleasing, or even being  a "blessing" to others (though we are the only ones who can give the only true blessing). 
   We MUST be more in order to clearly glorify our Lord, Jesus Christ, in every situation we are in. There is no cookie cutter quick fix answer to how we should change so we can standout. We must be willing to get dirty, work hard, and look to every corner of our existence to figure out how we can take the next step to furthering God's fame in all aspects of our lives. Louie Giglio said it best when he said that the gospel can be offensive, but we don't have to be. This isn't going to be easy to figure out, but where in the Bible does Christ promise easy? However, once we have prayed, thought about, and have been directed by the Holy Spirit about what the next steps to take are, then we must TAKE THAT RISK to follow through with them. That's when we will have something to talk about.
Romans 10:17 "So faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the message about Christ." (HCSB)

Well, day 15 has drawn to a close and I am going to say it was bitter sweet. For those who don't follow me on Facebook, I have transitioned to the Recovery unit (demolition and sanitation), having left inventory in Hammonton. I am serving on Long Beach Island in New Jersey. The devastation here is significant.
Boats piled up where they shouldn't be, homes uplifted and rammed into other homes, people displaced with no place to live, vacation homes left unchecked for two weeks and their owners thinking they can clean up in a weekend. Only one business is open on this 1x18 mile island- a 7-11, for anything else you need to leave and come back. Many homes have electricity back but most don't have gas or drinkable water. Along with sand, sea water, heating oil, and debris, the flood waters also had sewage in it. Then there is also the age of the homes to consider and the likelihood of asbestos in floor tiles and such.
That last example was the case on our first assignment today and we had to evacuate this 84 year old man's home. His disabled wife was upstairs, the cat was nowhere to be found, it was a mess.
Then there was the news that independent contractors had come on to the island in droves to take advantage of these poor people- charging ridiculous rates to get things cleaned up and rebuilt.
The topper was our second assignment of the day. After doing half of the work on her home, it became questionable whether or not this was her primary residence (we don't work on second homes). Some are taking advantage of our policies and Christian nature to manipulate the scenario to work in their favor.
So, after taking several showers, saying goodbye to some on our team, and getting a warm meal served by the Red Cross, the remainder of the men here settled into the church where we are staying (Grace Calvary) to relax and have some fellowship. Some even shared the gospel with folks we have met here.
I'm not sure I have a point in telling you all this other than to give you a glimpse of what it is like here, ask you to pray for diligence on my part, and to remind all of us that though vultures may circle, the hope of Christ endures.

Lots of little things happen when you are on a project this big. Forklifts that stall in the most inconvient places, having way too many green beans, needing to stop what you're doing in a moments notice, almost having a trailer repossessed with food still in it, forgetting your sweatshirt in your room, and getting a hole in your glove.
There have been many opportunities for my leadership skills to come into focus while I've been here. But most of all, I have been reminded about what Jesus had to say about leadership: "but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave; just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many." (Matthew 20:26-28 NASB)
Could you please continue to pray for me that I may continue to seek out being a servant to all. If you ever have a chance to serve in a leadership capacity, may you too be a servant leader. One who isn't afraid to get their hands dirty or get a hole in their glove.