Folding Laundry, Sorting Socks, and Reflection

-I love it that most of the time my wife is the one who folds the laundry. 

In our house my wife is usually the one who folds the laundry.  It's not because we divvy up the chores that way but because, like a lot of men, I do not have adequate folding skills.  A few days ago I decided to try my best and fold the laundry.  Like a lot of men when we do "extra" things we like for our wives to notice...like we were doing them a favor.  Well, my wife noticed and she then said "I appreciate your effort honey" before she began to refold my attempt.

Now, there is one chore I don't mind and I don't mess up that often, sorting socks.  It's pretty straight

forward and there's not really a lot of skill involved.  Now, if you're one of those weird people who fold your socks instead of rolling them I don't understand you at all.  But I match them up, roll them up, then stick them in the drawer they belong in.

So what does sorting socks have to do with communion?  If you read in 1st Corinthians chapter 11 we are  commanded to reflect and examine ourselves before taking communion and reflecting on the sacrifice of Christ.  Doing laundry has a purpose, to clean clothes.  Communion also has a purpose, to examine ourselves and remember Christ's death.

When sorting socks we have to match them up.  What in our lives doesn't match up with God's priorities, what things are out of alignment?  Do you have a lack of concern for the lost?  Are you making poor financial choices?  Perhaps you have put religious tradition or cultural relevancy over the truth of scripture.

When sorting socks we also need to discard those socks that have holes in them.  These socks aren't good for anything and can't serve the purpose they were created for.  We also need to reflect  and ask God to reveal to us the things in our lives we need to discard.  Perhaps there are some toxic relationships that need to go, or self-serving worship where you only worship when you're comfortable and refuse to worship if you don't like the style or song, or perhaps you need to get rid of lust, addictions, gluttony, hatred, etc. and replace it with new things that God has for you

Laundry is also not a one time deal and if you have a toddler, like we do, it's almost a daily chore.  1st John 1:9 reads if we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  Like laundry reflection and confession aren't one time deals either and we may need to daily confess to God.  Take some time to reflect upon your lives.  Is there some piece of it wich is contrary to God's will?  Then bring it to Jesus, ask Him to set it in order for you

Soap cleanses our laundry, our socks.  The blood of Jesus cleanses our souls.  Remember that as you go about your week

Spelling Test Fail, Sass, and Consequences

I failed a spelling test, had to not play BB

When I was a kid I failed a spelling test. My dad was pretty upset with me for it and said I would not be able to play baseball for a week.  I was so excited!  I hated playing baseball!  Not only did I not like playing I was horrible at it.  I didn't like the thought of a hard object flying through the air for my head.  All the kids who lack the necessary talent to play are always put in right field and pray no one hits the ball over there....that's where they put me.  I enjoyed spinning in circles, daydreaming, and building things out of grass more than I liked baseball.  Occasionally I would work on my fake karate moves which were super impressive in my mind.

Then the bad news came, I still had to go to the game.  I had to sit in the bleachers and watch my team play baseball.  I still to this day can't sit and enjoy a game of baseball, it's just too slow.

During the game we went up to the concession stand to get some dinner.  I always got the same thing which was a chicken sandwich with nothing on it.  A bun and a chicken patty stuck right between the two was perfect.  The guy who usually worked the stand called it a naked chicken sandwich and when I walked up he said "Hey Tim, you want your usual naked chicken sandwich".  Sure I did, but I decided I wanted to have a little sass.  So, my reply to the man was "Yeah, I want my "nekkid"(remember I'm from Alabama) chicken sandwich" I then sassily turned to my dad and said, "N-E-K-K-I-D, nekkid!" There wasn't any amount of crying out to Jesus I could have done to have saved me from the whoopin' I received.  I had to live with the consequence of my actions.

1 John 1:9 reads  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 

God does cleanse us, He forgives us, and He loves us unconditionally!  However, many people confuse God's grace and believe God will give us a pass on sin!  That's a big misunderstanding about God's grace!  God is also a good father and like any good father would do God doesn't give us a pass on sin.  When we sin we usually have to live with the consequences.  When we sin we have to learn from it, we have to be refined by it.  Perhaps we sinned against another person and irreparably broken trust with that person or we abuse drugs, alcohol, or food and to irreparable damage to our bodies or we harbor hate and resentment towards another person which numbs us to future empathy with others.  Also other people's sin may have consequences on our lives.  A person lies or gossips about us and our reputation is tarnished for a lifetime, someone physically abuses us, or we are judged whether we are to be respected by our dress or looks. 

While we are promised present suffering this life, not suffering brought on us by God but always

brought on by sin, we also have a present and future hope.  Sometimes God does deliver us from the consequences of sin and sometimes God allows us to suffer through those consequences all the while carrying our burden for us.  We know we have a God who works out all things for our good!  We also have a future hope!  When we pass this life we will pass before God and be welcomed through the gates of heaven or Jesus will one day return and set everything right right here on earth!

All this hope is made possible because Jesus paid our penalty with His death and gave us the hope because of His resurrection!  God doesn't give us a pass on sin and we will probably suffer the present consequences but as believers we have a present and future hope!  Think about that this week we as you go about your week and strive to live for God's glory alone!

My ADHD, the wall of TV's, and God's eternal attention

Something I'm very open about, but people may not know about me, is I have ADHD.  I've dealt with ADHD my entire life.  ADHD stands for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and I have combined type.  I was one of the lucky ones who did not grow out of it.  Many people may be surprised that I'm so open to reveal this because mental health is still somewhat taboo in the church, however, it doesn't need to be.  It's a reality the Church needs to acknowledge and embrace with grace.

A friend of mine recently asked me to describe what ADHD is like.  Like a lot of people he pictured a 7 year old in the second grade who was unable to sit still in a desk for 6 hours a day and is disruptive to his class.  That's not what ADHD is at all.  That kid needs some P.E. and an opportunity to go outside and run around.  He probably needs some discipline too!  Many times we diagnose a kid with high energy with ADHD because we expect them to act like adults and they're not.  

So, I came up with this analogy:

It's like walking into Best Buy and going up to their wall of TVs.  Every TV is on the same picture because they want you to compare the picture quality.  Imagine walking up to the TV wall and there are 100 televisions.  Now let's change 30 random televisions to 30 different channels.  70 of the TV's will be on the same picture and 30 of the televisions will be on 30 different channels.  31 channels in all. Now your job is to watch them all at the same time.  I know this isn't a super scientific description and an expert in the field may disagree with it but that's the best I got

So, like a lot of things it got me thinking about God.  A lot of people think God doesn't notice them.  They think God has too many other people to concern Himself with or they or their problems are too insignificant for God to pay attention to.  But that's not who God is!  God sees every person in the world with perfect clarity at every moment and intimately knows every detail of their being.  

Romans 5:8-11 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.

"God shows His love" is in present tense while "we were still sinners" is in past tense.  I love this!  God is eternal, He is not constrained by time and space.  This is a big concept to wrap our minds around but stay with me here.  Since God is not subject to time and space and is eternal it means He cannot run out of time or must choose to spend His time on more important matters.  He is eternal which leads us  to the conclusion He has an eternity to spend being concerned for you!  He has an eternity to spend being concerned for me!  He has an eternity to spend being concerned for your neighbor, your best friend, your worst enemy, your second grade teacher, etc.!

While Jesus was on the cross and having the burden of sin placed upon Him He was thinking of you.  He ultimately died for the glory of God of course but in that moment our eternal God was hanging on the cross.  As He hung I believe He was thinking of you, me, and everyone else stretching back from the beginning of creation until the end when He comes to fully redeem creation.  He was paying for the sin of every person.  Our eternal God showed His eternal grace for all mankind.  As follower of Christ we were personally eternally reconciled in that moment no matter how insignificant we feel.

Spend this week reflecting on that fact.  You are not insignificant to God.  God is personally and intimately concerned for you with love unfailing.  He extends unfailing grace and mercy.  Make sure to tell someone about it this week to!  Let them know how much God specifically is concerned for them and how much He loves them.

Speeding, Guilt, and Grace

I hit a major milestone in my life this week.  I got my first speeding ticket.  My wife was so excited about me getting my first speeding ticket she sent out a public service announcement to inform all of Facebook world about it.  When I went into the church office that day I was greeted by our church staff making siren sounds and giving me a hard time about it.  If I had to be a judge our children's minister, Chris Cunningham, makes the most realistic siren sound.

Before the officer came to my window I had several excuses running through my head: "I was following behind a row of cars, they were all going the same speed, I was going with the flow with everyone else."  "I did see the sign but really didn't think it was serious since 200 yards right up the road the speed goes up 20 mph."  "I drive a Toyota Yaris, I didn't think my car could actually go that fast."  Really I didn't have an excuse though, I knew how fast I was going and was guilty.

The same goes when we stand before God.  We can use excuses like "I was just doing what everyone else was doing." or "I knew exactly what Jesus said but I didn't take it seriously." or "I really didn't think I was all that bad of a person."  But the fact is we'll know we're guilty.  In the presence of a holy God our sin will be exposed for what it is.

Romans 3:23 reads For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God,.  There's no distinction, we can't compare our level of badness or sin with another except God.  We won't have an excuse because God is the standard for perfection and He has clearly communicated that.  

But just like the late Billy Mays became famous for saying, and that’s not all.  If you look again at the verse above I intentionally left the comma at the end of the sentence, it wasn't a typo.  Yes, every person in the world, all of you reading this blog post is sinful and broken but God has placed a comma there.  The story continues.  Romans 3:24 reads and are justified by His grace has a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.  Wow, let that sink in a moment!

God is just and He is a righteous judge.  When we stand before Him the sentence is death.  Satan stands as the accuser and all of the evidence is available to convict us.  But we have an advocate if we have accepted Jesus Christ and surrendered our life to Him.  How I wish I could stand before the Judge with my $170 fine for speeding and announce "Jesus it all" to get out of having to pay that fine but I must live with the present consequences of my sin.  Amen.  On the day you and I stand before God we'll get to do just that except we won't be the ones talking.  It will be Jesus, our advocate, who will approach the bench and show the proof He has already paid our penalty with His life by showing the scars on his hands, side, and feet.  We will then walk into heaven and enjoy eternity with our Creator God completely reconciled to Him.   His justice will be satisfied

As you go about your week take time to pause and reflect to remember Jesus is our advocate who paid our guilty sentence with His life.  The eternal God stepped down from heaven because of His great love for us and His desire for reconciliation with His precious creation.  Jesus paid it ALL.  ALL to Him I owe.

Unworthy At the Kings Table

He had no business eating at the king’s table. His family background, physical infirmities, and utter helplessness should have barred him from such an honored place. But there he sat, day after day, like one of the king’s own sons.

Mephibosheth had experienced more than his share of physical and emotional pain. Second Samuel 4:4 briefly recounts the tragic accident that left him unable to walk on the very day he learned of the battle deaths of his father, Jonathan, and his grandfather, King Saul.

Now, years later, David ruled as king over all Israel. Second Samuel 9 tells us Mephibosheth was living an obscure life a safe distance from Jerusalem. The usual custom in the ancient Near East was for new kings to wipe out the entire family of the previous king to prevent any possible political comeback. It is likely that Mephibosheth was also aware of his grandfather’s attempts to kill David years before.

So when messengers from King David arrived at his house to escort him to the king, Mephibosheth probably expected the worst. What he found when he arrived, however, was a king who understood grace; a king anxious to keep a promise he had made to Jonathan, Mephibosheth’s father, many years before.

When Mephibosheth son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, came to David, he bowed down to pay him honor. David said, “Mephibosheth!” “At your service,” he replied. “Don’t be afraid,” David said to him, “for I will surely show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan. I will restore to you all the land that belonged to your grandfather Saul, and you will always eat at my table.” Mephibosheth bowed down and said, “What is your servant, that you should notice a dead dog like me?” (2 Samuel 9:6-8).

You and I share a lot in common with Mephibosheth. We are unworthy servants who do not deserve any special favors from God. We and members of our family have sometimes treated him like an enemy. Crippled by the sin in our life, we are spiritually like dead dogs.

Yet God’s invitation remains open for a seat at his table. Each week we are invited to rejoice with our King at his table of remembrance. Because of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, God takes us from the gutter of sin and seats us at his royal table, with a promise of an even greater banquet someday in Heaven (Revelation 19:9).

So today as we sit at this table like one of the King’s sons or daughters, let’s celebrate the grace and kindness that allows us to be here. Let’s bow before the King and humbly respond to him as Mephibosheth did to David, “Your servant.”

Proclaiming to whom?

Today I want to read out of the book of Revelation.  I'm not going to be talking about end-times stuff,
I'm going to be talking about current-times stuff.  I'm going to read the words of Jesus he gave to the apostle John while he was exiled to the island of Patmos for preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ

Revelation 3:14-20 And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: 'The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God's creation.  I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot.  Would that you were either cold or hot!  So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.  For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.  I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see.  Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent.  Behold, I stand at the door and knock.  If anyone hears  my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.

A little bit of history about the church at Laodicea was it was once a thriving, influential church!  But what happened?  This church sat back on it's laurels and forgot their purpose.  They believed they arrived at the pinnacle of doing church only to receive a rather stern rebuke directly from Jesus, the one whom the church was supposed to be all about.

During our coaching time with HGC we have already been given massive insight into our church through reading and studying.  One of the books we're going through as staff and leadership is Who Stole My Church by Gordon Macdonald.  This book is awesome for any church going through transition and I highly recommend this book to members of our congregation to read.  Here is an excerpt from the book.  This is a member of the church who was against change coming to the realization that the church doesn't belong to him: "We have our money and our sweat equity in it, but it's not ours.  Not ours--it belongs to Jesus.  Remember?  He died for it and all other congregations like it.  If we try to exert ownership and freeze the church into conditions that are comfortable for us, we're going to become hopelessly toxic and lose everything we tried to make happen"

Now what does this have to do with communion?  A LOT!  1st Corinthians 11:26 reads "For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes" 

So what are we proclaiming?  Our programs?  Our carpet color?  Our worship style?  Our lighting preferences?  A dress code?  NO!  we're proclaiming the death of Jesus Christ and the hope it brings!  The we need to think about who we're proclaiming it to?  Just ourselves?  Each other?  A building full of people who already know about Jesus?  Yes and no!  We need to proclaim and celebrate the good news together but if that's our only reason for doing it we're missing the other half of the equation.  We are also to proclaim to the lost the good new of Jesus Christ!  I hope our churches are full of people who need to hear the good news  when we take communion each week.  To learn about the body that was broken represented by the bread and the blood which was spilled represented by the juice all pointing to the one hope the world has-Jesus Christ.

Luke 19:10 says Jesus came to seek and save the lost.  He didn't come for a church building, and organ, or an electric guitar.  He came for the lost!  The western church has spend too much time proclaim to ourselves how good Jesus is and how good we are while outside the lost don't even hear a whisper of the good news.

Take some time this week to think of one person who needs to hear the gospel proclaimed.  Invited them to come.  Make a resolution to share this proclamation with those who need the hope of Jesus Christ.

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.