Tired Of This Album

Music has always been a huge part of my life.  I remember as a kid my dad played 8-tracks and records of all kinds of music in the house.  The radio was always on in the mornings while we were getting ready to go to work and school.  I grew to like music probably more than my dad does and grew to recognize my God-given talents because of it.

One of my favorite things to do was to explore new music and learn about new genres.  When I was a kid in the 80's I was really into Michael Jackson and 80's rock.  In middle school I was a weird kid because I liked Jazz music.  Then there was this really dark period of my life where I fell in love with country music for about a year.  I came through that struggle with God's help.  After that I went the opposite extreme and all through high school I listened almost exclusively to hardcore rap.  I even dressed like the guys I saw in the music videos.  Can you imagine me like that?  I college I really got into blues and back into jazz.  Not most of my time is focused on modern christian music that spans all kinds of genres.

I'm sure a lot of you reading this have gone through changes in musical interest over the years.  You get a brand new album and listen to it until you're just sick of it then  you move on to the next.  We wend to lost interest in music pretty quickly.  Just look at how the top 10 on the billboard changes.

If I were God I think dealing with people who have the same struggles dan in and day out would get old to me.  But I'm thankful I'm not God and God isn't like that.

Psalm 86:15 says "But You, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.  

I'm so thankful God doesn't treat us like an album He's tired of.  I'm so thankful He has grace when we come to Him over and over again with the same struggles and failures.  We sound like a broken record or a one track album but God is always there listening and being the Good Father that He is. What's also so awesome is He sits and listens to us exactly the way we are and if we're followers of Christ God sees the tune of Jesus.  Not only does He listen but he proved how much He loves us by Jesus dying on the cross.  His death paid the price for our sins.  God loves to listen to the album of your life but He doesn't want you to have the same tune your entire life, He loves you so much he wants to change your tune too.

The Facebook Facade

I took an inventory of my social media accounts accounts a few weeks ago.  I tallied Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat (never use it), a blog I regularly write in, and 2 blogs I haven't touched in years.  It also got me thinking about, what I'm going to call, the Facebook facade.  

Most everyone I know has a Facebook.  I also think that one of the main purposes behind people having a Facebook is for them to look and feel awesome.  Sure, it's for connecting with people and sharing memories with others like we have never been able to before but let's face it.  You want people you went to high-school with to think your life is perfect and you have life all figured out.  I'm guilty of it and so are you...don't lie.  We want people to see the best of us at all times.

We don't, however, like for people to see the worst in us, the deep and dark places of our heart.  What would happen if Facebook changed it's terms and conditions to where you had to post every nitty-gritty and flawed detail of your life along with the good stuff.  We would all close our accounts and never return to social media again.  Why?  Because we're afraid of rejection.  We believe if people intimately know us, the real us, they would never want to speak with us again.  So we put up this facade on our Facebook and in public so people see the us we want them to see.

Romans 5:8-11English Standard Version (ESV)

8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. 11 More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

When Jesus died on the cross for our sins He knew us intimately.  Jesus, the eternal, perfect God intimately knows the deepest darkest corners of your heart that you have never shown to another person.  He knows all your sin, your embarrassments, all your shame, and all your secrets.  Yet, He still died for us.  He still accepted and cared for us enough that our God willingly laid down His life so we could be reconciled to Him.

When we accept Jesus, believe in who He said He was, and make Him Lord of our life He forgives every deep dark corner of our hearts.  He washes us clean and no longer sees a soul covered in wretchedness but God sees Jesus, He sees a perfect son or daughter.   Remember that as you go about your week.  God knows you intimately, scary intimately, but still in His great grace He loves you more that you can imagine.  Remember that this week and walk in confidence that the Creator of the universe knows and loves you.

We Care Because We're Adopted

Tyce has been doing something really cute over the past few weeks.  When he feels like he needs security he comes up to me, reaches up, and says "hold you" in the sweetest voice possible.  I then pick him up and he feels secure and safe.  He had his needs met with security or affection...or maybe even some mischief.  He does this because he knows I'm his dad and when he has a need I'll do whatever I can to meet it.  It's the same with God.

7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. 9 Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? 11 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!

What do you think of when you hear the word Father?  For some of you it may mean warm memories, laughter, wisdom, and support.  For some of you the word father may bring up feelings of hurt, abandonment, or abuse.  Some of you may be resistant to connection with God as father.  Even the best example of a father here on Earth can't compare to our Heavenly father.  God is perfect in every way and He is the perfect Father.


In Galations 4 we read that we're adopted.  If you are a follower of Jesus Christ you are a child of God.  Once you were an orphan.  Once you were separated from your Heavenly Father but now you are one of His children!  You now have an eternal family. Because of this, because you have been adopted and redeemed, you pass along your care for the orphan and make sure that Earthly orphans experience the love of God through you.

We were adopted because of what Jesus did for us on the cross.  When he died on the cross He reconciled us with God and by His grace gave us the ability to because adopted into the family of God.  Let's never forget that.  We care for orphans, we care for the fatherless, because were were once Fatherless and orphaned.  Praise God for that this week and be intentional of finding ways to live out James 1:27 which says religion that is pure is to care for the widow and the orphan.  How can you have pure religion this week?

Babies and Alarm Clocks

When our son, Tyce, was an infant my wife and I would take shifts being up with him.  One thing I didn't realize was how often an infant eats.  In my ignorance of a first time parent I knew that a newborn needed to eat about every 2 hours and I thought "Great! I'll sleep two hours at a time, wake up, and feed him again".  That's not how it worked out.  It took about 30 minutes to feed him, then came the burping, then the diaper change, and then finally we got to lay him back down.  20 minutes later he was crying again.

I'm telling you, this kid could wail when he needed something!  When Tyce got older we moved him into his own crib in his own room.  One morning I had to get up early for something but totally missed waking up in time because I slept through my alarm.  I was so used to how loud my son's cry was the noise of my alarm didn't have an effect on me!  

Hebrews 3:7-11:

7 So, as the Holy Spirit says:

“Today, if you hear his voice,

8     do not harden your hearts

as you did in the rebellion,

    during the time of testing in the wilderness,

9 where your ancestors tested and tried me,

    though for forty years they saw what I did.

10 That is why I was angry with that generation;

    I said, ‘Their hearts are always going astray,

    and they have not known my ways.’

11 So I declared on oath in my anger,

    ‘They shall never enter my rest.’ ”[b]

There is a lot of noise in our world.  There is a lot of noise trying to compete with God’s voice.  Many of us may be struggling with waking up and doing what God needs us to do because we have let all the noise drown Him out.  Maybe right now in this moment of reflection you’re having a hard time connected with the sacredness of this moment because all of the issues in your life are trying to get your attention

Take time and quiet your mind, heart, and soul.  Make this moment for what it is, connection with the creator of the universe

Radio Football Expectations

This past week we were down in Alabama and had to drive back on Saturday during the Alabama
football game.  Reflecting back I've never had to listen to a game on the radio because I've always watched it on television.  Listening to the game is a totally different experience.  Here's what I heard: "Henry gets the handoff, spins away from a tackle, jukes left past a defender, runs through another tackle, LUNGES FORWARD!"  At that point I was getting excited.  My expectation from all that running was a gain of at least 10.  Then the announcer said, "gain of about a yard".  What!  After all that talking and excitement the running back only went forward for about 3 feet.  That wasn't anywhere close to my expectation.

We can have wrong expectations about God and who He is too.  We can get caught in the trap to think we can buy God off by our goodness.  Maybe we think God is a slot-machine where when we do some good works we get to put a "good token" in the slot machine and pull the lever hoping something good will come out or we think of God as our cosmic mac-daddy who if we behave good enough will fulfill all of our greatest desires.  Maybe some of us even think we're not good enough for God to love us.

All of us are on the same boat.  Isaiah 64:6 basically says that the best we can offer God is with our good works is "filthy rags".  Now I don't want to down play exactly what that means.  In the original language written in the Bible the directly translation is a feminine/menstrual cloth.  Many may read that passage and may think the rags are a little dirty or dusty, maybe they're good for dusting.  But no, these rags are good for nothing, they're unclean, they are tainted, even disgusting.  These rags are good for nothing except to be thrown in the trash...they are worthless.

Now you may be offended by what I've written, however, I want you to really think about why you're offended maybe even let that feeling of being offended sink in.  Now I want you to really think about this.  How offended is God, who laid His life down and paid the price with His death, when we offer our good works, our filthy rags, as payment instead of accepting what has already been offered.

We follow God's commands and do good things because we love Him.  Because when Jesus paid the price for us we gave up our rights to ourselves.  We become slaves to Jesus Christ who is the best master anyone could ever serve!  Christ did that through his death.  He took all of our filthiness and made us clean to reconcile us to God with no strings attached.  Let's reflect and celebrate this this month.

Southern Phrases That Don't Make Sense

Growing up in Alabama we have a lot of interesting phrases.  One of those phrases is one people use
when they've been looking for something for a while and then finally find it.  When they find it they usually happily declare "It was in the last place I looked!"  Of course it was!  Why would you keep looking for it after you've already found it!?!  It's always in the last place you looked.

Matthew 7:7-8 Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you for everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and the one who knows it will be opened.

Many times we seek answers to issues in our lives.  We need guidance for our sins, our struggles, and all the things we need to overcome.  Many times we know that God's way for the situation will bring the best result, just like the rest of the passage reads, but in our pride we keep trying to find our own way out of a situation.  God's will has good things for us if we'll only acknowledge it and stop there instead of continuing to look for another way.

We also know that many people are trying to find the meaning of life.  People are looking who have never been to church or maybe only tried Jesus but have never truly experienced Him.  The meaning of life is Jesus.  Once you've found Him you can stop looking.  Jesus himself said "I am the way, the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me" John 14:6.

Jesus made a way because of what He did on the cross when He willingly laid down His life and took the sin of the entire world on His shoulders.   During this week remember what Jesus did for my sin and your sin.  He paid the price and penalty we were due.  When we find Jesus we know we can can stop looking and there's no other place we need to look.

Jesus, Pop-Tarts, and foolishness

During the summer between my freshman and sophomore year of college I interned at a church down in Louisiana.  I stayed there with the music minister and his family.  They had 5 kids total.  As you can imagine a family that size was always running out the door in the mornings.  Many mornings the kids would be grabbing their breakfast while running out the door.

Here's a little tidbit of info about me, my favorite pop tarts are the strawberry with no frosting.   Onemorning I had bought some and I popped them into the toaster.  Their oldest looked at me with a look of disgust and bewilderment while exclaiming, "What are you doing?!?"  "Getting my pop tart out of the toaster", I said.  To which he replied "That's the dumbest thing I've ever see in my entire life!"

When I really started to think about it he had never had a pop-tart from the toaster.  He was always getting his while running out the door.   Why would he take time to heat it up when pop-tarts when their purpose is to be eaten while running out the door.

1st Corinthians 1:18 The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction!  But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God.

To those who don't follow Jesus Christ our faith seems foolish.  We're to forgive others when we have every right to get revenge or hold a drudge.  When people are in need we rally to help them even if it's at the expense of our own comfort.  We count others as more significant than ourselves while we're in a culture where the messaged is it's all about me.

After I explained to him why I loved my pop-tarts from the toaster he decided to give it a try the next morning.  Interestingly enough my dumbest idea ever won him over and he put his pop-tarts in the toaster from then on.  Just like how that pop-tart wasn't complete without a toaster the world needs to discover that their lives are not complete without Jesus.  As believers we know that for a fact because we have experienced it.

Now, Jesus is eternally more significant than pop-tarts.  His message far more life changing than putting a pastry in a toaster.  Let's remember that today.  Let's remember the death that makes life complete.  Let's remember the One who willingly laid his life down on the cross for our sins to reconcile us to God.  Take some time to pause and reflect on the life changing gospel of Jesus Christ

About Football Rivalry and Jesus

Football season is officially underway.  I see a lot of you celebrating the fact that football season is
here all over your social media walls.

As many of you know I'm from Alabama and in Alabama there's football season and then the boring stuff in-between football season.

In Alabama is, what I think to be, the greatest rivalry in college football.  The rivalry is between Alabama and Auburn.  Being in Alabama you get to pick one or the other, I think they put it on your voter registration card.  The teams and fan base love to hate each other.

I grew up and still am an Alabama fan.  I inherited that from my Dad.  When I was little my dad was the kind of guy who prepared to watch football.  He was dressed in Alabama gear, had his snacks ready, and passionately coached the team from the comfort of his living room.  If the Alabama and Auburn game were on he would be especially passionate about it.  I come by it honestly

There is also a great rivalry between life and death in our world.  Sin offers condemnation and death while Jesus Christ offers forgiveness and life.   Just like we inherit the love of certain teams from our parents we also inherit our sin-nature from our parents.  The people who come before us are fallen and therefore we are fallen.  We are sinful.

The world is passionate about sin, surrounding us with it and calling it good.  Sin leads to death.  But God is passionate too, He longs to be the One who surrounds us and He alone leads to life.

John 3:16-17  16 “For God so loved the world,[i] that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

God is so passionate about you He made a way through Jesus because God wants you by His side.  He did that through the payment of death for sin when Jesus Christ willingly gave his life for payment of our sins.  Jesus defeated death, sin, and the grave!  The rivalry is over for those who follow Christ.

Remember His body that was broken for you, His blood that was spilled for you, and His death that paid the cost for our sin

About That New Music

I want to start out with two letters written to the church regarding music.

"I am no music scholar, but I feel I know appropriate church music when I hear it.  Last Sunday's new music - if you can call it that - sounded like a sentimental love ballad one would expect to hear crooned in a public house.  If you insist on exposing us to rubbish like this - in God's house! - don't be surprised if many of the faithful look for a new place to worship.  The music we grew up with is all we need"

Here's another one:

"What is wrong with the inspiring music with which we grew up?  When I go to church, it is to worship God, not to be distracted with learning one of these new hymns.  Last Sunday's was particularly unnerving.  The tune was un-singable and the new harmonies were quite distorting.  Myself and the faithful few who remain will look for a different congregation if this debauchery of music continues in God's house"

Thee letters sound like something people could write today but they are in fact not from people in our current culture.  The first letter was written because they disagreed with the introduction of hymns in their church in 1764.  The second letter was written in 1890 as a response to the introduction of What a Friend We Have In Jesus.

While in college I took a course on the History of Christian Worship.  As I worked my way through the class I was floored at the division caused in churches every few generations over preferences in how to worship God.  This isn't just a modern phenomenon with our modern "worship wars".  In fact, if you were to take a journey all the way back to the first and second century you would witness major disagreement and division between Jewish and Greek Christians regarding worship.

Phillipians 2:1-11 So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, 2 complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. 3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,[a] 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant,[b] being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Every few generations a major shift happens in the church culture.  There is major change.  Churches who do not understand or refuse to understand the shift and change to be relevant to culture ultimately decline and die.  No one understood this more than the apostle Paul who wrote the passage we just read from.  In all his travels we see the method he approached different cultures with changed dramatically as he travelled around the roman empire.  Our church needs to learn from his example.  Our church needs to consider others before ourselves and do what it takes!

But there is one thing he never changed.  The message and truth of the gospel.  We can never change that either.  We need to understand and value the past while also moving forward and investing in the future.

We do need to realize there are thousands of people at home on Sunday mornings who don't have the saving knowledge of Jesus christ.  Thousands of people within just a few miles of our church who's eternal destination isn't with God.  We need to be relevant to them.  We need to not sit back and focus on the glory days or what we used to be.  What we used to be no long works within our culture.  We need new ways to reach the lost without compromising the message of hope offered by Jesus Christ.

We need to remember that Jesus Christ brought radical change to our world.  Change that many didn't agree with, change that brought out hostility, hate, and the worst in people.  God reconciled the world to Himself by the sacrifice of Jesus.  Jesus willingly laid down his life to change our connection with God forever.  Only through Jesus' death are we able to boldly and humbly come personally before the Father and offer up our worship, no matter the style.  Let's remember that this week.

Soggy House-shoes

It was winter in Alabama.  And I remember it because we had a sleet storm that year so it was all wet and sloshy with ice outside.  That night I, the big 9 year old geek that I was, was wearing my Superman P.J.s with the cape that velcroed to the back and a pair of really fuzzy gorilla horseshoes where I inserted each foot into the mouth of the beast.

During the night in question I was staying with my grandma because my dad was out of town.  Now something happened that night which was not to my liking, I can't remember what happened, so I announced I was leaving, I was moving out.  As soon as I finished saying those words my grandma leaped from her green corduroy lazy-boy, grabbed my little suitcase, and proceeded to pack my bag. I what seemed like less than 30 seconds I was strolling down the street in my superman p.j.s and my Gorilla house-shoes with a hastily packed suitcase in tow.

So much for my dramatic exit.  As the cold and slush quickly overtook those cheesy house-shoes I remember thinking I've made a terrible decision.  I had only walked to the end of the block where my aunt Mildred lived but my grandma had already called ahead and told her not to let me in.

My rebel spirit was broken.  So I turned and headed back to grandma's house.  I wondered things like did she already rent out my room, has she already gotten rid of my nintendo, will she call my dad.

Sure enough, my grandmas was standing at the front porch, smiling.  It's like she knew I would come back.  And then she came down to meet me and wrapped her arms around me, and helped me up the stairs into the house.  Where were my gorilla house-shoes?  She had to pick my up out of them because they were so heavy with the ice and slosh.  My grandma was glad this 5 minute rebel had come home.

In Hebrews 13:5 we read that God will never leave us nor forsake us.  In fact we find that phrase all throughout scripture.

Sometimes our heavenly Father will release us to our rebellion, too.  Knowing that our rebel heart will never be content until it i broken--He lets us walk away.  But even as we leave, He's waiting for our return.  And in the moment He sees us, He runs to greet us and welcomes us home.

He then invites us to share a meal at this table.  A little bit of bread, a tiny sip of juice, but it's God's forever remember to everyone who wanders--there is still a place for you.  To share in a holy meal with your brothers and sisters

So kick off those soggy house-shoes and upback that bag filled with reget and come take your place.  Because in the moment you take the first step toward Him, the Father will come running to meet you there

Batting a thousand

This past Thursday I went to a Cincinnati Reds game.  Every time a player would come up to bat their picture would come up on the board and display some stats about the player.  One such stat was batting average.   Bring from Alabama I didn't grow up caring too much about baseball so I wasn't sure how batting average was calculated.  Basically I learned it was the average of how successful a player was when he got up to bat.

The best batter on the Reds is a guy named Joey Votto and his batting average is 309.  The actual way it's written for the batting average is actually .309.  .309 equals 31percent.  So, what that tells me is when Joey Votto bats, the Reds best batter, he is only successful 31% of the time.  No wonder the Reds have a losing record!

Because it was baseball I decided to look up on my phone who the best batter in history was.  The all time world record batting average belongs to a guy named Ty Cobb.  I wasn't expecting perfection but I was expecting at least a .750 or something close.  But Ty Cobbs batting average is .367 which means the best batter in history was only successful 37% of the time!  That also means Ty Cobb failed 63% of the times he came up to bat.  Perfection in baseball is unobtainable.

It's the same way with our own righteousness, we can't be perfect.  We're called to try, just like every base ball player who steps up to the plate, but we won't come close.  Here's something to reflect on:

James 2:10 (ESV) For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it.

So we could try out best, give it our best shot, reach a .999 but if we fail at the .001 mark it's like the .999 doesn't even count.  In fact the best batting average we can have when it comes to life is 0.  We have no hope in ourselves, we can't even come close.  But here is the good news:

2nd Corinthians 5:21 (ESV) For our sake he made him (Jesus) to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

There's only one person in history who has batted a thousand or 1.000 is Jesus Christ.  Every time Jesus stepped up to the plate he got it right.  He lived a perfect life.  When Christ went to the cross he bore all of our horrible batting averages on himself.  He then replaced ours with his.  When God the Father looks at us he sees a thousand.  It's only by the death of Jesus Christ that it is made possible.  If you are a follower of Jesus Christ his righteousness is now our righteousness.  Let's remember and celebrate that fact this week.

Tax collectors, prostitutes, thieves, and murders..oh, my

Mark 2:13-17 (ESV) He went out again beside the sea, and all the crowd was coming to him, and he was teaching them.  And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Aphaeus sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, "Follow Me."  And he rose and followed him.  And as he reclined at the table at his house, many tax collectors and sinners were reclining with Jesus and his disciples,, for there were many who followed him.  And the scribes of the Pharisees, when they saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, said to his disciples, "Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?"  And when jesus heard it, he said tot hem, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.  I came not to call the righteous, but sinners"

Why was it such a scandal for Jesus to call a tax collector to follow Him and then have dinner at his house?  Well, the Jews of the day accused tax collectors of selling out to the Romans.  The tax collectors were seen as thieves, dishonest, and a traitorous group of people.  Jesus also sat at the same table as sinners.  He reclined and ate with thieves, murders, and prostitutes.  Why would Jesus eat with such scandalous people?

Jesus' answer is profound.  He didn't come for the people who have it all together!  If anyone was worthy of religious attention it was the pious Pharisees but it was the "sinners" Jesus was spending all His time with.  Here's some truth; Jesus didn't start His church with the pious religious, no, He started his church with sellouts, thieves, murders, prostitutes, and all manner of rejects.

He filled His Church full of people who wore some of the most scandalous people of society.  If you have never worn one of these labels mentioned I'm sure you have had other scandalous labels placed on you and if you don't believe you've ever had a label you may just be wearing the label of Pharisee. We all have labels.

Here's the good news though, here's the gospel.  When Jesus died and He paid the price of death for us He ripped those labels from our lives and replaced them.  We no longer have to carry the labels of society like addict, thief, liar, prostitute, loser, deadbeat, or any number of labels.  Jesus replaces those labels with loved, forgiven, accepted, cherished, and Mine.  Every follower of Christ gets these new labels.  We get these new labels no matter who we are or what we've done, yes, even us Pharisees who don't like those scandalous people in our churches.

Let's remember through communion and all during this week through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, our Lord, our King, and our God, we no longer labeled by this world but labeled by His great mercy and grace!

Up A Mountain

A few weeks ago I went on a family trip to Tennessee.  One of the days I and my wife's brother-in-law decided to go on a hike.  When we got there the trail we were looking forward to doing was closed so we ended up hiking one called Chimney Tops.  We were told we could get very similar views at the top of this trail.   This trail was a grand total of only 3.8 miles roundtrip so not very far in terms of hiking.  However, the total elevation climb...1487 feet.

I'm telling you, it was a struggle making up the side of that mountain.  Many prayers were said and crying out to God became the norm for about the last half mile.  Then, when we finally reach the end of the trail we actually have to climb up a steep rock face on our hands and knees to get the view we were looking for.  So, reluctantly we went up and when the sun started to shine into the valley below we had a gorgeous view, it was breath taking.  It was God's artwork on display.

We can all take a spiritual lesson from this journey.  When you examine every major religion, every world view, they all share a common theme.  You have to climb, claw, and scrape to get to god or the ultimate spiritual destination hoping that you're able to make it and never have a misstep or completely fail.  For that reason many people find Christianity scandalous.  You can be the absolute worst person in the world, a murderer, a thief, an adulterer, etc.  but the Holy Spirit interacts with your heart, convinces you of sin, you repent and follow Jesus then all of your sins are forgiven and you get to spend eternity in heaven.

Many people may look at that and proclaim "That's not Fair, where is the justice!?!"

Ephesians 2:8-10 (ESV) For by grace you have been saved through faith.  And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.  For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them

They're absolutely right in saying it's not fair. Here's why.  Jesus Christ, who was sinless and the only perfect One in the history of mankind paid the penalty for that sin.  Jesus Christ took the justice meant for us on Himself.    But God wasn't concerned about fairness!  What he did was extend grace by voluntarily putting his life in place of our own.  An eternal God had the finite sins of mankind put on the son and he died paying the penalty of death.

Contrary to what makes sense to us, God came down from the mountain.  He never expected us to make the journey up.  In His great grace he provided the payment of death for our sins.  He humbled himself to come down to our level, reveal to us who He is, plainly show us His will, and ultimately die on the cross for His glory and the forgiveness of our sins.

Aren't you glad you don't have to climb and struggle just hoping you make it to God...to see all the wonderful things He has for us.  Aren't you glad God has already made that journey to meet you right where you are.  Why don't we take time and reflect on that.  Let's be thankful we serve a great God who is full or grace!

Mine!

My son, Tyce, has learned a new word this week.  That word is "mine!".  We don't say that word around our house so I blame day care.

Everything now belongs to him apparently.

The T.V. remote, MINE!  The shoes I'm trying to put on, MINE!  The book I'm reading about ADHD, MINE!  The sharp knife I'm cutting chicken with, MINE!  His milk cup, MINE!  Okay, so that last one is his but we're also trying to teach him to ask nicely.

1st Corinthians 13:11(ESV) reads When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child.  When I became a name, I gave up childish ways.

There's a lot we can learn from the example my son has so graciously provided us with this week.

As followers of Christ I believe we frequently get caught in the "mine" trap.  We also live in a country and culture that emphasizes individual freedom, which makes it so easy to be "mine minded"  We look at out lives and we know God wants to do a work in us and has called us to live in a set apart way but we want to live life on our terms.  When we so that we stubbornly say, "mine!"

There are some other ways we fall in to the mine trap.  When we say we cannot worship to a particular style of music or we cannot worship because I didn't hear my favorite song we're claiming "mine".  Like the worship belongs to us.

We do that with our churches.  When our churches begin to change and the church we knew is reaching people we're unfamiliar with we can get caught up in mine.  Again, it's not ours to begin with.

Did you catch that?  It's not ours to begin with.

So whose is it?  Well, it's God's.  Our lives are God's, our church is God's, our worship is God's.

These things were bought with a price.  When Jesus died on the cross he paid the penalty we were supposed to pay.  The penalty of death.   Perhaps many of us need to take a moment and repent because even though we have been following Christ we've been trying to live life on our own terms.  Maybe we need to repent because we have made our church or our worship all about us than about Him.    As slaves to Christ we aren't allowed the freedom to be mine minded.

Let's stop and remember that this week.  Our lives belong to a just, gracious, loving, God who willingly laid down His life to pay the penalty for our sins so we could be reconciled to Him.