Archive for April, 2010

I Just Needed One

Posted: April 28, 2010 in Life
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You may or may not be a football fan. You might care less about the latest NFL draft.  However, fan or not, it is difficult to ignore the Tim Tebow story.

Tebow was born on August 14, 1987 to missionary parents in the Philippines. While pregnant with him, his mother contracted a life-threatening infection.  The drugs used to save her caused him to be separated from the placenta while in the womb.  The Doctors expected a stillbirth and recommended an abortion to save her life.  She chose to go full term and Tim was born.

He flourished in High School football, even as a home-schooler.  He was allowed to play on a local public high school team (amid some controversy), in which he was selected the High School Player of the Year for the state of Florida: twice. 

He is best known as the College Quarterback for the Florida Gators, for which he was a Heisman winner and a part of two Championship winning teams.

Many football experts say he was one of the greatest college players to ever play the game.  But these same experts declare, “…he will never make it in the NFL, because he is not a pro-style QuarterBack…He has a bad throwing motion…he runs too much…”

When the Denver Broncos made a controversial decision to take him in the first round of the NFL draft, the critics were quick to voice their disapproval.

But there was something very powerful in Tebow’s response when a reporter reminded him of all of his critics; of how many people did not believe in him; of how many coaches did not embrace his style; of how many teams did not like him.

Tim’s answer was simple: “I don’t need all of the teams to like me, I just needed one”

What a powerful statement.

It’s easy in life to be obsessed with fitting in; always worried about what other people think of us.  But all we really need to worry about is what The One thinks about us. 

Matthew 6:34

34 “Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.

Win or lose, I think Tim Tebow is going to be just fine.  God help us to quit worrying about what “they” think about us and just live for The One that matters most.

What do you do?

Posted: April 20, 2010 in Life
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So…what do you do? 

How many times have you heard this question?

It seems the question of choice when meeting new people or even connecting with an old acquaintance.  It seems to be the question by which many judge or measure the worth of a person.  How you answer that question gives a glimpse of who you are; how much you make; how you live; your place in this world.

But if what I do is my job; should that define who I am?

As a full time Minister I have been thinking about the question.  And I have been thinking about my answer. It has caused me to pause and re-evaluate my response.  So go ahead…ask me…ask me what I do.

Me…What do I do?

Primarily, I do three things: I follow, I love and I protect.

First, I am a follower of Jesus Christ. This is what I do; this is who I am.

Second, I am a husband – a lover of my wife. This is what I do; this is who I am.

Third, I am a father – a protector of my children. This is what I do; this is who I am.

And then, in my spare time…I am a Minister.  And I love what I do, because it is who I am.

So, let me ask you this question…

What do you do? 

Little Teachers

Posted: April 14, 2010 in Family, Life
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Have you ever experienced this?  You are in the middle of a conversation.  And honestly, you are not really listening.  Then, something is said that pulls you back into the moment, grabs your attention, and impacts your life.

I’ve had those conversations.  In fact, I had one just the other day.  I was talking to two people about their schooling.  They were sharing the good and bad of their educational experiences.  One of them shared about a day that was particularly memorable. The other person listened intently, and then she said something that took me from being a casual listener to being fully engaged in the conversation.  She said, “Aww…Kindergarten, that was the best year of my life.”

I laughed as I looked at my sincere little second grade daughter talking to her little brother about the “good old days”.

Admittedly, I learn a lot from listening to my children.  My seven year old daughter looking at kindergarten as the good old days spoke to me…after I quit laughing.  She made me think about what really matters.  She caused me to take personal inventory of my priorities.  And she made me want to be a kid again.

Sometimes, we as adults can take ourselves too seriously. 

Jesus said,

Unless you accept God’s kingdom in the simplicity of a child, you’ll never get in. Mark 10:15

God help us to look at life as little children lest we miss the best He has for us.

Chocolate Broccoli

Posted: April 6, 2010 in Life, Uncategorized
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You know… I love God.  And I appreciate the world He has made and all He has done for me. But, sometimes I wonder why God does things the way He does. Am I the only one?

I get to thinking about what I would do differently if I was Him.  Now please…don’t get me wrong.  I do not want His job.  I’m just daydreaming; thinking out loud.

So, what would I do differently? Well, the first thing I would do is make everything taste like chocolate.  Now wouldn’t that be something?!  Broccoli would taste like chocolate. Brussel sprouts would taste like chocolate; liver would taste like chocolate. Everything would taste like chocolate!

But, if everything tasted like chocolate, then what would chocolate taste like?  Well, of course it would taste like chocolate.  The problem being, I would not really know what chocolate tasted like, because everything tasted the same.  Chocolate would no longer be the sweet treat for which I and so many others crave.  It would no longer be a child’s reward for finishing his dinner; or the special treat given on holidays and special occasions.  Chocolate would no longer be known as chocolate because everything was chocolate.

You know, sometimes I wonder why there is evil in the world?  Why do bad things happen?  It’s kind of like me as a kid asking, “Why in the world is there brussel sprouts and broccoli?”  (Now, you may like brussel sprouts and broccoli, but I’m not a big fan.)

As much as I do not like pain, suffering, disease, hard times, hate, meanness, and evil – the reality is: if these things did not exist, I would not know what love, healing, kindness, compassion, and good were. 

Without darkness, I would never see the light. 

That’s why I don’t think there’s any comparison between the present hard times and the coming good times. The created world itself can hardly wait for what’s coming next. Romans 8:18-19

I think I’ll just let God keep being who He is and I’ll just keep eating my broccoli; because nothing else makes me appreciate a good piece of chocolate like enduring a plate full of the green stuff.

Easter…What’s the Big Deal?

Posted: April 1, 2010 in Seasonal
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Easter.  “What’s the big deal?” you may ask. “Beyond bunnies, eggs, and chocolate – is there something deeper that would really impact my life?  There is the whole thing about Jesus.  He died on a cross; he was buried for three days; he came back to life.  But what does that have to do with me?”

 Have you ever experienced the loss of something you loved: A relationship gone bad; loss of a job; the death of a dream; or maybe…the loss of someone you cared for more than anything else? 

 Loss in any form is painful.  Even for God.  That may seem bold for me to declare, but I believe it’s true.  Why else would God sacrifice his own Son, unless the relationship He desires with us meant everything to Him?

 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8

 The celebration of Easter is no big deal without the recognition of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Why?  Because the process of the death, burial and Resurrection of Jesus was God’s way of restoring what was most important to Him; namely…you and me.

Easter may just be a holiday for many.  But the Resurrection…that was the final act of a three part play in which God said, “I made you, I love you, and I want you back.”

 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. John 3:16-17