Day of Thanks, 11.30.08

Today, I am thankful for:

1. Thanksgiving break - Thanksgiving break was really nice. I got to go home and see my family. Then, we all went to Brunswick to be with my grandmother for a little while. My brother and I went fishing with my dad, and we just had an all around good time. I wish it wasn't over, but all good times must come to an end. Thank you, God, for allowing me to have a few days away from LaGrange with my family. Thank you for time with my family and allowing me to see my grandmother again.

2. Rain - We've gotten a lot of much-needed rain here these past couple of days. Although it has been kind of dreary weather, the rain has been really nice. Thank you, God, for rain. Thank you for replenishing the earth and giving us the water that we need. Thanks for controlling the weather and taking care of all our needs.

3. Safe travel - In accordance with the first two things I mentioned, I was on the road a lot during some pretty bad driving conditions. On Saturday, I drove about 5 hours in the rain without any real trouble, despite the fact that it was kind of hard to see. Thank you, God, for giving me safe passages to and from my destinations over these past few days. I traveled quite a good bit, and you kept me safe even in stormy weather. Thank you for watching out for me.

4. Youth service - Tonight we had a youth-led service at church. Some of my youth took part in the service by leading music, taking up the offering, etc. I was especially excited about Joey getting up and sharing a Scripture passage and what it reminded him of. He did a great job, and had a great lesson. The service went very well over all. Thank you, God, for a church that is willing to allow the youth to take part in the service. Thank you for a youth group that has grown a lot over these past few months. Thanks for calling students to minister as much as anyone else.

5. A bed - I slept on a couch the past four days while traveling around with my family. It wasn't too terrible, but it was really hard to get a good night's rest. Plus, sleeping on the couch in the living room meant that I didn't get to sleep in at all. That was OK, though. I didn't mind too much. However, I am really excited to get a good night's rest in my bed tonight. Thank you, God, for a bed. I know that not everyone in the world has one. Thank you for giving me that luxury, and may I never take something that simple for granted anymore. Thank you for sleep and for rest.

Thank you, God, for these blessings, both significant and trivial. You are God, and you are good.

Psalm Saturday: Psalm 4

Psalm 4

Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness!
You have given me relief when I was in distress.
Be Gracious to me and hear my prayer!

O men, how long shall my honor be turned to shame?
How long will you love vain words and seek after lies?
Selah.
But know that the Lord has set apart the godly for himself;
the Lord hears when I call to him.

Be angry and do not sin;
ponder in your own hearts on your beds, and be silent.
Offer right sacrifices, and put your trust in the Lord.

There are many who say, "Who will show us some good?
Lift up the light of your face upon us, O Lord!"
You have put more joy in my heart
than they have when their grain and wine abound.

In peace I will both lie down and sleep;
for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.
__________________________


Do you remember when you talked about correlations in math class? You know, how when one thing increases or decreases, something else increases or decreases in proportion to it? For example, if x = y, then as x increases by 4 (x + 4), then y would increase by 4 as well (y + 4). So, x + 4 = y + 4. Remember? Yeah, I know, you hate math, but you at least know what I'm talking about now.

Throughout this Psalm, there seems to be a direct correlation between righteousness and peace. From the very beginning, David asks God to answer his distress call on account of the fact that David has been righteous, and this theme prevails throughout the Psalm.

David also notes the fact that people who do not seek after righteousness will not attain peace. Men turn honor into shame, love vain words, and seek after lies. As a result, even when "their grain and wine abound," David says that their joy and peace are not complete, because they are not from God.

David, however, finds peace even in the midst of difficult situations. Even when he cries out to God for help, he is able to lie down and sleep at night, because he knows that only the Lord can bring peace.

For us, if we expect to find true peace and fulfillment in life, it can only come in the form of righteousness. We would do well to put our trust in the Lord instead of men and the things of this world. Otherwise, we'll never be truly satisfied. Why?

Righteousness = Peace. How's that for a math equation?

On Black Friday

Today is Black Friday, so named because it is the day on which most retailers hope to begin earning their profit for the year. The name always reminds me of the Black Plague, though. It is the Friday of death, the day that people kill each other over DVD players and Hannah Montana toys.

I personally think it's stupid, people camping out all night long so that they can be the first one to buy the latest, greatest item. It really shows how consumer-minded our culture is. It's cutthroat. People literally get trampled every year, getting run over by shopping carts and psychotic people. Talk about a story for the kids...."Well you see, I was grabbing the last Tickle-Me-Elmo when this old lady whipped around the corner on her motorized scooter, ran me over, and took my doll! That's where I got this awesome scar......"

Nonsense.

While I am tempted to continue to rant about how America has gotten way too excited about buying stuff, I'm not going to post about our greedy nature today. Instead, I'd like to make a different comparison. On Black Friday, people will do whatever it takes to get that item that they so desire. Whether it's camping out all night at the front door of the store, getting up at 3:00 a.m., or locking themselves in the store dressing room so that they can already be inside when the doors open, people go to all kinds of extremes to attain a Christmas gift.

Why aren't we willing to be as extreme in our faith towards Christ? We want only as much Jesus as is comfortable and easy. We don't want to have to work or do anything out of the ordinary to achieve a strong relationship with him. We want to be served our Jesus nice and easy, with a side salad and a glass of sweet tea, thank you.

It doesn't work like that. Jesus said that if we are to be his disciples, we must leave everything behind and die to ourselves before we can follow him. There's nothing easy and comfortable about that. That's extreme! And if we can go to such extremes to buy a frivolous toy or electronic item, we should be willing to do whatever it takes to get closer to Christ.

After all, he's the greatest Christmas gift there ever was.

On Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving to you!

I hope you're enjoying the holiday and time with family. I really am. I don't get to see all of my family very much, and I'm relishing the opportunity.

I'm also relishing the food. We always have a great spread on Thanksgiving Day. My mom is a great cook, and she, my grandmother (when she's able), and my aunt always do a wonderful job cooking up food for Thanksgiving. I always eat more than I need and less than I'd like, if that makes sense to you.

In the midst of all this feasting and merriment, though, a somber thought always hits me. There are a whole lot of families across this world who are not able to celebrate Thanksgiving like us. More specifically, there are thousands of poor people who would be happy just to eat a slice of bread on Thanksgiving Day.

Now I'm not trying to throw a guilt trip on you after you just finished eating your giant Thanksgiving meal; however, I am trying to tell you what I think God wants us to hear. Yes, we can enjoy a good meal, hang out with family, and relax for a couple of days. Yes, there is a time for feasting and for joy. But at the same time, we must bear in mind that not everyone has the luxury of carving up a big turkey for Thanksgiving. There are poor people everywhere who are forgotten on this day of celebration. They sit there and starve while we gorge ourselves as gluttons.

There's something wrong here. It's not Thanksgiving. There's nothing wrong with a holiday for giving thanks. It's not family. There's nothing wrong with spending time with those we love. It's not a feast. There's nothing wrong with having a lot of food for a lot of people.

It's our selfish nature. We drown ourselves in stuff we don't need while people starve. That's consumerism. That's America. That's what Thanksgiving has turned into.

So let's change things up. Instead of sitting around eating more than you ever needed, look for an opportunity to help someone today. Or even if it isn't today, look for someone in need tomorrow. There are broken, hungry people everywhere, and we as God's people have been called to help the poor.

Let's help them. Let's turn this day of gluttony into a day of giving. Let's turn a holiday of gorging into a holy day of showing love to one another. Let's turn a day of want into a day of meeting needs.

Let's make it a true day of thanks AND giving.

On Posting Absentee

I must confess, I am writing this post a day early. It is really Tuesday, not Wednesday. On Wednesday, I will be in Brunswick at my grandmother's house, which has no internet access. So, thanks to the marvel that is technology, I'm writing this post early and scheduling it to be posted tomorrow at 12:30 p.m. We'll see if it works correctly or not.

It's kind of neat that you can do that. I was kind of worrying about what I'd do for my blog the next few days. I could take a break, but if I did that, I was afraid that I'd have a hard time restarting once I got back. Secondly, I knew that if I didn't post during Thanksgiving holidays, all of my readers would hate me (ok, not really, but still--I have you in mind!). Thirdly, I figured that in all of the spare time you'll have during your Thanksgiving holidays, you might want a little reading material. So, here you are.

Now, you may be asking, how in the world are you going to find a God-moment in this? Well, as a good friend of mine used to say all the time: I'm glad you asked.

Unlike me, God never goes on a vacation. He never takes sick days. He never asks for time off. Consequently, he's always there to speak to us. We never get a voicemail message when we call for him. We never get an automatic response when we send him a message. He never has to post absentee. He is always there waiting to hear from us and speak to us.

Moreover, God always has the right message for us at the right time. Right now, I'm posting something that's on my heart a day early so that it can reach you tomorrow. God, however, fulfills today's needs today. He doesn't have to schedule or plan ahead for when he won't be there, because God will never be in that situation. He always knows exactly what's on your heart, and if you seek him, he speaks the exact truth to you that you need to hear at that point in time. Isn't that wonderful?

So, here's tomorrow's message today. Or is it today's message from yesterday? Who knows.

But with God, there's no debate. He's speaking to you right now, and he's giving you what you need for today.

On Going Home

I get to go home tonight for Thanksgiving. I'm very, very, very excited. It's been a long time since I've seen my family, and an even longer time since I've been home. I can't wait until I can go tonight.

Unfortunately, I can't leave right now. I've got class this evening, and then I have to work a couple of basketball games. Alas, welcome to the world of work. If I just had school, I could dump out of class early and hit the road to head home, but I have a job which requires that I work two basketball games tonight.

I don't mind working. I actually like my job with the college athletic department. It's just that I'm really ready to get home, and my job is keeping me here. Nevertheless, the job gives me money, pays the bills, and allows for me to take free classes at the college (not for long...but more on that later). So, it's kind of a necessity. I can't just up and go home whenever I want, otherwise I'd have no job and no money to pay for my gas.

So, I can't go home...yet. I will as soon as I finish up with work, though. You better believe that as soon as the final buzzer sounds in that 8:00 basketball game, I'll be heading out the door and hitting the road.

Spending eternity with God is kind of the same way. Whenever we have a relationship with the Lord, there is a strong desire just to leave everything behind here and skip ahead to be with him in heaven. As Paul put it in Philippians, "to die is gain," because we get to be with the Lord, finally in union with the our Creator and Savior.

But we can't go home....yet. We still have a job to do. If our only purpose was to know him as Lord and Savior, why doesn't he just take us up there as soon as we accept him? I think it's because he has a task for us. Not only are we to know him. We are to make him known.

Jesus said the greatest commandment was to love God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength. The second greatest commandment followed shortly thereafter: to love our neighbor as ourselves. Yes, we need to love God. Yes, we should desire to be as close to him as possible. However, he has placed us here on earth, and we are to live here as long as he wants us to. While we're here, we can't just sit around doing nothing waiting on him to come back. We have to work for him, bearing fruit, and sharing love to those that are around us.

So, I can't go home...yet. There is still work to do, in more ways than one.

On Feline Jealousy

We got ourselves a new kitten the other day. His name is Corporal Nobby Nobbs, or “Nobby” for short. He is the cutest little black cat I’ve ever seen, and to top it off, he has no tail. That is correct—a cat with no tail. In our opinion, he looks a like a little bear running around with pointy ears. For pictures of Nobby, please see Katie’s blog.

The cat is crazy. What he lacks in a tail, he definitely makes up for in spunk and excitement. He jumps around like a little rabbit, except for the fact that rabbits don’t usually bite and scratch you with pointy teeth and claws. Nevertheless, he’s not bad. He actually curled up in my lap and slept on a couple of separate occasions yesterday. He would just look at me with his tired little eyes and doze off. It was precious. We really like him.

One individual in our household, though, does not share our love and appreciation of our new furry friend. Our other cat, Mrs. Reynolds (whom I have dubbed “Duds”) hates Nobby with a passion. She warily watches the little kitten wherever he goes and growls and hisses at him if Nobby gets too close. What’s worse, her anger toward the kitten has spread towards us, and she refuses to allow us near her. Anytime I approach her or attempt to pet her, Mrs. Reynolds growls like a rabid tiger and swats at me. She is quite ferocious. Hopefully, though, with time, she will get over it and accept our new family addition.

In watching how Mrs. Reynolds treats the kitten, I am reminded of the fact that our God is a jealous God. Just like Mrs. can't stand to see us show affection towards Nobby, it breaks God’s heart when we turn from him and show affection towards other “gods.” In Mrs. Reynolds’ mind, there is not room in our house for more than one cat, and she has already staked her claim to that position. No one else may intrude upon that. God is the same way. He demands that we love him only and allow no room for anything or anyone else to steal our affections.

There is a difference between Mrs. Reynolds and God, though. Mrs. will eventually get over her jealousy of Nobby and her anger toward us. At some point in the near future, although she may not like him, she will tolerate Nobby as long as we don’t ignore her. Then, after a few months, I’m sure they’ll be fine with one another for the most part. God, on the other hand, will never tolerate our affection towards anything else. He will never get over his jealousy, and he is completely justified in that. God will not settle for us showing some affection to him and the rest towards something else. He wants all of us, and he deserves all of us.

We’re not going to get rid of Nobby, and Mrs. Reynolds better hurry up and realize that. However, we as people, need to get rid of anything that steals our live and attention away from the God who deserves it all.

Our God is jealous, and there will never be room for another god, no matter how cute it may be.

Day of Thanks, 11.23.08

Today, I am thankful for:

1. Thanksgiving holidays - I am really excited about getting to go home Tuesday night and spend several days with my family. It has been a really long time since I've seen all of them at one time. Plus, Chuck and Noelle are coming, too, so that will be even better. I will also get to visit my grandmother down in Brunswick for several days. I can't wait. Thank you, God, for a short break in my usual schedule to be able to go down and visit with my family. Thanks for giving me a good family and the transportation means by which to visit them in a few days.

2. Our new kitten - We have a new kitten at the house. Our first cat (Mrs. Reynolds) is not too thrilled about our new little companion, but hopefully she'll get over it soon enough. The new kitten is tiny, black, and has no tail. According to Katie, he looks like a cross between a bat and a bear--an interesting mix, yet quite accurate. This little fuzzball is quite funny though, and brings joy to our hearts. For more on our kitten, I refer you to Katie's blog. Thank you, God, for our cats. Even though they are quite trivial, they do bring joy. Thank you for the simple pleasures in life.

3. Sleep - This weekend was super busy for me. I worked over 20 hours between Friday and Saturday. I was mentally and physically exhausted. Thankfully, I was able to get a good night's rest last night, and I will be refreshed for the next couple of days. Thank you, God, for giving us rest when we need it. You rested on the 7th day and give us chances to rest as well.

4. Fishing trip - Whenever my family goes down to Brunswick (which we'll do for Thanksgiving), me, my brother, and my dad always go fishing out in the rivers down there. It's always fun. I really enjoy hanging out with my dad and brother, and the opportunity to get out in nature always reminds me of the presence of God. Not to mention, I really enjoy fishing (and eating what we catch). Thank you, God, for Brunswick and the opportunity to enjoy some days on the river. May I always be reminded of your presence there.

5. My truck - While it may not get the best gas mileage in the world, I have a very reliable source of vehicular transportation in my truck. Not to mention, I (and several of my friends) have gotten a lot of use out of having a truck. I've had it for over 4 years now, and it hasn't broken down on me yet, nor have I had any real problems with it. I'm looking forward to driving it down to see my family in a couple of days. Thank you, God, for giving me my truck. Thanks for allowing me to be able to drive and get where I need to go.

Thank you, God, for these blessings, both significant and trivial. You are God, and you are good.

Psalm Saturday: Psalm 3

Psalm 3

O Lord, how many are my foes!
Many are rising against me;
many are saying of my soul,
there is no salvation for him in God.
Selah

But you, O Lord, are a shield about me,
my glory, and the lifter of my head.
I cried aloud to the Lord,
and he answered me from his holy hill.
Selah

I lay down and slept;
I woke again, for the Lord sustained me.
I will not be afraid of many thousands of people
who have set themselves against me all around

Arise, O Lord!
Save me, O my God!
For you strike all my enemies on the cheek;
you break the teeth of the wicked.

Salvation belongs to the Lord;
your blessing be on your people! Selah.
________________________


David wrote this Psalm regarding the time he spent as a fugitive hiding from his son Absolom who usurped David's throne. David was fleeing. He was on the run. He was scared. His life was falling apart around him.

I have felt like this many times. While I may not be pursued by physical enemies, I often run around worried and stressed out about everything. My response should be like that of David--to wait upon the Lord for peace, comfort, and protection.

David did not question God in this Psalm. He remains steadfast in his faith that God will protect him and offer salvation even though everyone doubts the Lord's power to save. However, David is sure that the Lord will take care of him, so much so that he was able to lay down and get a good night's rest because the Lord sustained him.

We are reminded that salvation belongs to no one else but the Lord. It is only he that can bring deliverance. Salvation is found in nothing else. Though we try to save ourselves in many ways, salvation t cannot come in the form of any other mean.

The Lord protected David in his time of trouble, and he will take care of me in mine. May I stop worrying and trust in him in the good times and the bad.

And when my does fall apart around me, I can trust like David did that God is a shield about me, and I can lift up my head in praise.

On Being Too Busy

So, I have 30 minutes left to post this before my deadline for today. It's late, I'm tired, and this will be pretty short. Sorry for the tardiness.

Today was non-stop for me, from 7:30 this morning until now, and it's almost midnight. I put in a 14 hour workday at the college. No kidding. It wasn't too bad. I did statistician stuff, painted an office, and worked a basketball tournament. It wasn't bad, but it was busy, so much so that I never got a chance to sit down and blog for today until now.

I'm really glad God doesn't get like this. He's busy controlling the universe, making sure the days turn into night, controlling the ebb and flow of the ocean's tides, and instructing the beating rythyms of our hearts. He is the Creator and Sustainer of ALL life--everything, and he oversees all of these things to perfection.

Yet, in the midst of all the things that God does, he finds a place for us. He never gets too busy to sit and hear our prayers or speak sweet words of refreshment to our hearts. There is always a place in front of the throne of God for us as people, because God loves us.

Thank you, God, for loving us and being faithful even though you are far busier than we could ever be.

May we always make time to worship and adore you.

On Photographs of Ourselves

Have you ever looked at a picture of yourself and thought, "Wow, that completely does not look like me." Well, I had one of those moments today.

I was getting ready this morning, fumbling around with some clothes on top of my dresser, when I knocked over some pictures. As I picked up the fallen portraits and put them back on the dresser, I began to look at some of them. One of the pictures was of me standing there with a friend of mine at IMPACT, a summer camp I work at every year. As I looked at the photo, I was repulsed by the image of myself. I looked weird, my smile was bad, I looked ugly--it was totally unrealistic. OK, so I fit all of those descriptions, but the picture still didn't really look like me at all.

It was kind of irritating, looking at a portrait of myself and realizing that I hated it. I didn't feel that it was an adequate representation of me. It made me look completely different. It was not a true depiction of who I really am.

I think that God feels the same way sometimes. We sit here on earth and paint our little pictures of God, making him look how we want. I'm not talking about the painting of Jesus that's in your Sunday School classroom or a mural on a church wall in Europe. I'm talking about how we as people take God's characteristics and narrow them down or twist them around until we make God look nothing like he really is.

How do we do that? We make God into a God of prosperity, seeking blessings and wealth. We make him into a God of war, asking for protection and victory on the battlefield (and on the football field). We make him into a God of the comfort, wanting encouragement and a sugar-coated Gospel. We make him into a God of popularity, trying to make our faith something "cool" or "modern." God is not any of these, or at least he's not just one of these.

In Exodus 20, God gave Moses the second Commandment, saying, "You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the LORD your God am a jealous God." Now, you might be sitting there thinking that you've never carved a wooden statue or made a golden calf, so you're OK. However, when we make God into what we think he is or what want from him, we are making a god (little "g") that is false. It is not a true representation of what God is, and we begin falling into the sin of idolatry.

God is so much bigger than we can ever fathom. Why do we try to fit him into a box that we create? We can't do it! It's time that we begin to see God for all he is, for all of his characteristics, even the ones that we don't particularly like.

I'm tired of little gods. God is, too. So let's stop making them.

On Running Over Bambi

I was driving back from Columbus late this morning and saw a dead deer on the side of the road. This, unfortunately, is an all-too-common sight in Georgia. After driving the entire distance home, I counted a total of 6 deer that had been hit by cars in a span of 45 miles. Talk about controlling the deer population. Forget hunting season. Just hop in your car!

I hit a deer once. It was not fun. I was actually on my way to church when this happened (yes, church. I'm convinced the deer was satanic). I passed a field on my left, and the next thing I know, here comes Bambi bounding across the highway right into my car. That's right, the deer kind of hit me. It happened so quickly, but the deer came across and hit the front left side of my car. The timing was so perfect that she stuck her head out right in front of my face. She was kind of cute. Then her head hit the windshield, and she wasn't so pretty anymore. My windshield exploded into millions of tiny pieces of glass, she ripped my side mirror off, and the deer went careening across the highway before being run over by 2 more cars. Now that's a bad day for Bambi.

I was pretty shaken up by the ordeal. I wasn't really hurt, just a little scratched from some glass. My car looked horrible, though, so I just walked the 1/2 mile distance to the church to call someone (I didn't have a cell phone yet. I was 17. Now elementary school kids have them...). The car got stuck in the shop for a couple of weeks before it was fixed, all thanks to a stupid deer.

When you compare the size of a deer to a car, they don't look that big. However, when you see the aftermath of a vehicle that hits one, you start realizing just how much impact the beast can have.

As people, we have the same potential. We may think that we're only one person and that we can't do very much, but we can make an impact larger than we realize. Acts 17:6 describes the members of the early church as having "turned the world upside down." They were only a few people, and this was their impact! They made a huge difference just by living out the commands that God had given them.

I'm pretty sure that deer wasn't looking to run into a car that day. She was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. For us as Christians, we don't have to go around searching for opportunities to make an impact, either. Instead, if we are following the Lord closely and living out a life of faith, these opportunities will come, just like a car going 50 mph down the highway.

So be careful on the roads these days. Watch out for deer. But even more, watch the Lord and be ready to make an impact when he gives you the chance. You have more potential than you could ever imagine.

If you don't believe me, just ask Bambi.

On Off-Duty Cops

This morning I got up early and went to eat breakfast with a couple of my youth at Chick-Fil-A. We had a good time hanging out, talking about various things and looking at God’s Word together. The food was also really good. You can’t really go wrong with Chick-Fil-A. For some reason, one of my guys (I won’t say your name, Travis) ordered a peppermint chocolate chip milkshake at 7:00 a.m., not to mention the fact that it was about 30 degrees outside. About 15 minutes later, he started wishing he’d had a warm chicken biscuit…

As we were sitting there, we noticed a policeman over in the corner, enjoying a meal after he had obviously worked a night shift. Travis proceeded to make the statement that he could pull out a gun and do a lot of damage before the cop could do anything, since the policeman was sitting there eating (Let me clarify that Travis did not have a gun, nor would he ever do anything of the sort. He often makes quite outlandish statements for some strange reason, such as the time he told me he would put me in I.C.U., kidnap me, put me in his basement, and make me preach to him. Precisely. But back to the cop…).

I replied to Travis' initial statement/terroristic-threat that the cop was off-duty and that he might not even have his gun with him. Travis then pointed out that a cop is never really off-duty because he can still be harmed and is still responsible for the safety of the people around him. Thankfully the cop didn’t hear any of this conversation. Otherwise, he might have jumped up and tasered us all due to this talk of shooting guns at a policeman in the middle of Chick-Fil-A. Nevertheless, Travis made a good point.

Just because a police officer isn’t carrying a weapon doesn’t mean he’s not a police officer. If he changes clothes, he’s still a police officer. If he drives in a vehicle other than his patrol car, he is still a police officer. It is not the vehicle, the weapon, or the uniform that make an individual an officer of the law. Instead, it is the oath to protect citizens and uphold the law that denotes the position of a cop, and as a result, they are never really off-duty.

As Christians, we are the same way. Just because we’re not wearing our church clothes doesn’t mean we’re not a Christian anymore. If we aren’t using God’s Word, which is sharper than a double-edged sword, it doesn’t take away our responsibility to evangelize or live a righteous life. As Christians, we can never really be off duty because it is not a job—it is a covenant. We can’t just walk out of church on Sunday morning and clock out until next week. We still have the responsibility to perform the commands that God has given to us, regardless of where we go or what we’re doing.

1 Peter 3:15 says, “in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you.” We can never drop our guard. We must always be ready at school, at home, at work, or at the store.

And you’ve got to be ready at Chick-Fil-A at 7:00 a.m. when you’re eating a peppermint chocolate chip milkshake.

Thanks, Travis.

On Fixing the Toilet

My toilet has been messed up as of late. I actually discovered that it was not working correctly on Saturday when my friend came over and had a more-than-slightly embarrassing bathroom visit (but that is another story in itself.....). It turns out that my toilet fills itself up with hot water after every flush. Yep, hot water. Only the best for me and Spider-Man (please see On Peter Parker and the Bathroom).

So, you ask, why worry about the toilet in the first place? Well, running hot water to a toilet isn't exactly a very efficient use of energy (although it does keep the toilet seat nice and warm....). Since it costs money to heat the water, we're in fact literally flushing money down the toilet.

So, we called the plumber to come and take a look at it. He was your typical plumber, in all aspects of the word (let's just say that he did not even have to bend over for the familiar plumber-related phrase to be realized...). He took a look at the toilet and said we had a bad valve, so he replaced it. But, that didn't fix the problem. In fact, he said, the problem did not lie with the toilet itself. The water lines had somehow gotten crossed, and the hot water line was running to the toilet instead of the cold one. Not a good thing.

You see, for all you non-plumbers out there, you can't just fix the problem right then and there. There are two options. We either have to 1. crawl under the house to see if we can get to the lines or 2. bust open the wall to get to the lines. Let's hope option 1 works, but we'll have to wait and see.

Through this ordeal, I was reminded of a couple of things. First of all, I like my bathroom a lot (again I refer you to On Peter Parker and the Bathroom). Secondly, and more importantly, God works a lot like a plumber does.

I have no clue when it comes to plumbing. I can flush a toilet. I can clean a toilet. I can even fix a chain on a toilet, but that's about it. When my toilet fills up with hot water and there's a broken valve in the mix, I have no clue what in the world to do. I'm in above my head, and that's when the plumber comes in.

Sometimes in life, we get into some "hot water," so to speak. We can't fix the problems that we get ourselves into. We may think we know what's going on, but when our lives start to fall apart, we realize how helpless we really are. We are in above our heads, and that's when God comes in...or at least that's when we let him in.

You see, in fact, God has been standing there all along, always present and always in control. We just try to take care of our own situations too much and never give him the chance to work. And more times than not, we end up in as big of a mess as if we'd tried to fix our own toilet (pun intended).

I'm thankful that God is always there for me. I'm thankful that he wants to be involved in our lives and takes care of us in our times of need.

I'm also thankful for the plumber who took care of my bathroom problem today.

I just wish he'd worn a belt....

Day of Thanks, 11.16.08

Yesterday was nonstop for me from the moment I woke up until late last night, so yesterday's "Day of Thanks" post got pushed back until today, when I could finish it. Later today, I will also publish Monday's post.

Today, I am thankful for:

1. Friends. I got to see a couple of friends of mine over the weekend whom I hadn't really hung out with for awhile. Also, I went to a house party for some other friends of mine and had a great evening meeting some new people and enjoying good company. Overall, it was the most social weekend I've had in a very long time. I thoroughly enjoyed making new friends and rekindling old friendships. Thank you, God, for friends. Thanks for giving the human heart a desire for companionship, and thanks for meeting that need. And thank you, that above all, you are also my friend, the one who sticks closer than a brother.

2. Church music. I led some musical worship on Sunday night at my church. I always enjoy getting to lead people to God's throne, through song, and our church is starting to use some contemporary music in our services. Thank you, God, for giving me musical abilities and for allowing me to lead people in worship through song. Thank you for making music and for calling us to sing.

3. A place to stay. I live with some good friends of mine here in town, and to be honest, I feel like I'm ripping them off because my rent is so cheap. If it wasn't for them, I wouldn't have been able to stay in LaGrange and continue my ministry at the church and in the community. Money was tight, and I had no place to stay, but these guys came through for me. And, to top it all off, I really enjoy hanging out with them as well (and Katie is quite the cook, too....). Thank you, God, for Nate and Katie. Thanks for providing me a place to live while I am in LaGrange. Thank you for their friendship and generosity. May you bless them and their home.

4. My jobs. I work two part time jobs, one as an assistant sports information director at my college alma mater, and the other as a youth minister at my church. Both jobs demand a lot of time. I work 7 days a week most weeks, and my schedule is often quite hectic. Nevertheless, I have jobs and a source of income, however small it may be. There are many people right now who have no job or means of sustenance. Thank you, God, for providing employment for me. Thanks for giving me jobs that I enjoy. May I never complain about how much I work, how hard it is, or how bad the days might be. You have created mankind to work. Thank you for providing for me.

5. A short commute. Every day I can walk to my job at the college and bike to class in the evenings. It saves me money, it's more relaxing than driving, it's healthier for me, and it's more sustainable for the environment. Thank you, God, for allowing me to live close enough to my school where I can walk or bike to work and class. Thank you for helping me to save a little money. Thank you also for the time I am able to spend with you while I travel. It is truly enjoyable.

Thank you, God, for these blessings, both significant and trivial. You are God, and you are good.

Psalm Saturday: Psalm 2

Psalm 2

Why do the nations rage
and the peoples plot in vain?
The kings of the earth set themselves,
and the rulers take counsel together,
against the Lord and against his Anointed, saying,
“Let us burst their bonds apart
and cast away their cords from us.”

He who sits in the heavens laughs;
the Lord holds them in derision.
Then he will speak to them in his wrath,
and terrify them in his fury, saying,
“As for me, I have set my King
on Zion, my holy hill.”

I will tell of the decree: The Lord said to me, “You are my Son;
today I have begotten you.
Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage,
and the ends of the earth your possession.
You shall break them with a rod of iron
and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.”

Now therefore, O kings, be wise;
be warned, O rulers of the earth.
Serve the Lord with fear,
and rejoice with trembling.
Kiss the Son,
lest he be angry, and you perish in the way,
for his wrath is quickly kindled.
Blessed are all who take refuge in him.
__________________________


We live in a crazy world. The first verse of this Psalm describes earth’s current condition perfectly: a collection of nations that rage against each other. Leaders of nations plan and plot for their own gains and personal ambitions. Countries and peoples vie over territory, oil, or other resources. Warfare is everywhere. Strife and discord are the headlines of news sources all over the world. What do we do?

We submit to a higher power. Just as I mentioned last week in regards to the U.S. Presidential election, we must understand that God is the ultimate authority, and he is in control. The fourth verse of this Psalm describes how God sits and laughs at the futility of mankind’s governmental plans and aims. Why? Because they do not matter. In the grand scheme of eternity, they are trivial. There is only one king and one kingdom which are truly significant—Christ and his kingdom.

The earth is God’s property. He made it. He spoke words into the darkness and created everything. No man did that. No king could ever make that happen. We fight over what God already controls. It is ultimately futile when nations war against each other and ultimately rebel against God, because he is the true authority.

Psalm 2 ends with a dire warning to those in power and for people in general—bow or perish. We can stand against the authority of God, or we can submit to it. He does not force us to bow. Not yet, anyway. We are reminded by Scripture that one day every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord (Philippians 2:10-11). But at this moment in time, we are given the choice.

Personally, I choose to submit. I will bow before Christ and kiss his feet. I will serve him in humility, reverence, fear, and love. He is the King of Glory. He is worthy. And I will take my refuge in Him.

I pray that your decision is the same.

On Fair-Weather Fans

Tomorrow, my college alma mater will play for the conference championship in football. Let me say that again, LaGrange College will play for the football championship. Those of you who are LaGrange alums understand the significance of this event. If you are not from the LaGrange area or have no ideas concerning the LaGrange College football team, allow let me enlighten you.

LaGrange’s first year as a football team was in 2006. For the next two years, our team proceeded to go 0-20. That is correct. Completely defeated. Not one chalk mark in the win column.

This year, though, our team is 8-1 and undefeated in conference play. Talk about a turnaround. Tomorrow we will compete against Huntingdon College for the conference title in our NCAA Div. III conference. Needless to say, we’re excited.

We’re expecting to pack the stadium tomorrow. Without a doubt, it will be the highest attendance at any LaGrange College football game ever. It reminds me of the first game of the team’s history. The stands were packed, people were excited. Then we lost. And we lost again. And again. And when we didn’t win a game in our first 20, people didn’t come as much.

I remember going to the games over the past couple of years, and on a couple of occasions, I specifically remember being one of about 5 people in the student section at certain games. No exaggeration. I can literally say that I was there when no one else was.

But tomorrow, the situation will change. When you win, people want to come and see you. Fair-weather fans will come crawling out of the woodwork donning the red and black for LaGrange’s first championship opportunity. There is no doubt.

People are that way about everything. When things are good, people are all over the bandwagon. When popularity drops, profits dwindle, or rewards decrease, however, everyone seems to find something better to occupy their time. That includes relationships.

Whenever you go through a rough spell, you really find out who your friends are. When you’re popular, rich, funny, or cool, people like to hang around you. But when things turn southward, and you experience a trying period in life, it becomes quite clear that you didn’t have as many real friends as you think. Thank you, fair weather friends.

God is not like that. He is there when no one else is. When you fail, he’s there. When you lose, he’s there. When everything falls apart and everyone forsakes you, he is there. God is not swayed by the opinions of man. He is constant, unchanging, ever-true. His love never fails, even when life’s scoreboard shows you as being 0-20.

So go Panthers! Bring home the championship tomorrow. I’ll be there to support you, win or lose.

Just like God has been there for me.

On Shelob the Spider

We have a pet spider at our house. Ok, she’s not really our pet, but she’s been chilling out by our front door for the past several months. We call her Shelob, after the gargantuan man-eating Spider in J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings. If you could see her, you would understand why. She’s about as fat as my thumb.

She’s kind of like our guard dog, sitting by the front door waiting to pounce on any ill-intending stranger that walks up our front porch steps. It’d be a bad day for that thief when Shelob pounced on him. How would you like to have a giant spider sucking on your face with venomous fangs? That’s what I thought. Perhaps I can train her…

While she may not be a man-eater, she is quite a unique creature. She crawls out from behind the front porch light by our front door every night, right around sundown. She then proceeds to spin an intricate web (which is quite beautiful, I must say). After she finishes the construction, she sits down right in the middle and waits for food to come. And come it does. Flies, gnats, mosquitos, people…all get caught in her web. Then she eats them. When the sun comes up, she packs up shop and heads back behind the light, waiting for nightfall again.

When I watch Shelob, I think about what Peter said concerning Satan, “Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” Like Shelob, our enemy’s plan is to capture us and consume us. Their tactics are similar, as well. Just as Shelob spins her web and waits for her prey, Satan spins webs of deceit, lies, and greed, waiting for us to become entangled in a life of sin.

Yes, Shelob is beautiful. But she is also deadly. So is Satan. He is a master of deceit, the fallen angel who makes the evil things appear wonderful. And just as you begin to approach that beauty, you see the terrible monster lurking in the shadows.

I’ve never been one to blame a lot on Satan. I think people too easily pass their troubles off him without taking responsibility for their own actions. Nevertheless, Scripture reminds us on several occasions that he is a very real presence. Just like I don’t always see Shelob, I know she’s there. We may not see Satan or feel him, but he is there, waiting to consume us. That is his purpose. That is his desire.

So keep an eye out for Shelob. I’m trying to teach her to attack right now…

But keep an ever more watchful eye out for our spiritual enemy. He need’s no training or incentive to attack.

He already wants to consume you.

On the Light of the Moon

Tomorrow the moon will be full. Personally, I thought that it was full last night, but I never can really tell the difference between 29/30ths of the way full and all the way full. I'm glad somebody can.

The moon is kind of weird when you think about it. It's just this big giant ball of "moon rock," whatever that is (I'm not even going to try to explain the geology of the moon. Go read a book about it). The moon revolves around the earth in a consistent motion, hence the regular lunar cycles. Thankfully earth only has 1 of them. I'd probably be scared of them if we had 62 of them (like Jupiter).

Nevertheless, while I may not be a lunar expert, I do know one thing about the moon: it is not made of cheese. Ok, I do know another fact: it gives us light at night.

When I was a kid, I used to think that the moon was God's version of a giant nightlight (I mean, how else would all the ancient people find their way to the bathroom at night?). In other words, I thought it produced its own light, like a giant, round light bulb with a lot of craters in it (and a man who lived in inside). Now I realize, though, that my theory was incorrect. The moon does not produce its own luminosity. Instead, it merely reflects the light of the sun towards the earth. The phases of the moon (i.e. waning, waxing, full, new, etc.) and the intensity of the moon's light are determined by the moon's position in relation to the sun and the earth.

In Matthew 5, Jesus calls us the "light of the world." So, in a sense, we're kind of like the moon. Our job is to shine in the darkness of the world and give it light. We can help provide direction and hope for those in the darkness.

Yet, there is something we must consider. We cannot make our own "light." We cannot produce holiness. Our lives are inherently sinful and dark. Consequently, when Jesus gives us the command to light up the world, we can't do that ourselves. We have to have a source.

That source is Jesus. Just as the moon reflects the light of the Sun to a darkened world, so we as Christians must reflect the light of the Son to the world around us. And like the moon, the intensity of our brightness is determined not by how hard we try to shine, but by our orientation to Christ. We will not shine at our maximum potential unless we are fully aligned with the truth of God and his Word.

Enjoy the moon. Appreciate the light that God gives us to govern the night (see Genesis 1). And be reminded that we are called to shine in the night, too.

Be the moon. Reflect the Son.

On the County Line Cafe

My lunch today might make you envious. Fried chicken, homemade mashed potatoes, collard greens, cornbread....yummy.

I had lunch today at the County Line Cafe in Luthersville, a quaint little town south of Peachtree City. I went to lunch with a couple of older members from my church after a long morning at the Georgia Baptist Convention's annual conference (it was kind of like a big business meeting/worship service....but back to lunch). It might have been the most pleasant lunch experience I've had in awhile. Let me explain why.

The restaurant was a tiny little nook in downtown Luthersville (which is about 10 buildings big). We didn't get there until about 2:15 or so, but the sign on the door said "OPEN," so we walked in. When we walked in a nice gentleman told us that he forgot to flip the sign on the door and that technically they were closed, but he said that he would "scrounge around in the kitchen and see if he couldn't cook us up some good grub." His wife then sat us down and took our orders. My older counterpart ordered a "nice glass of 'sweet' milk." I hadn't heard of "sweet" milk before, but it turns out it was just a regular glass of milk. Go figure. He said I wasn't old enough to understand...

Well, long story short, they proceeded to fix a wonderful, home-cooked meal just for us. Yes, it was a business, and yes, they needed to make money, but they didn't do it begrudgingly. The guy didn't spit in my mashed potatoes because we made him stay open (at least I think not...). They were genuinely compassionate and cared about meeting our needs, and bent over backwards just to feed us. Not to mention the fact that we had a nice conversation with them as they cleaned up the cafe. It was great (and it was cheap -- $5!).

As I sat there enjoying the great food and the good company, I thought about how Jesus lived. He was God. He could do whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted, and he didn't have to ask permission to do anything. But he didn't live life that way. He lived among the people, meeting them where they were and serving their needs as best as he could. Just like the family that served me lunch, he cared for total strangers. It didn't matter if he was tired, or busy, or frustrated. He always served those around him and ministered to them with a servant's heart.

He calls us to do the same. We are not the owners of our time. God merely lends us the years, months, days, hours, and minutes which we live. They are not truly our possessions, and we are not entitled to periods of relaxation just because we think we deserve them. While there is nothing wrong with taking a break every now and then (even Jesus rested), we shouldn't let relaxation keep us from meeting the needs of people around us...

Even if we've already turned our "open for business" sign off for the day.

On Granny's Yellow Cups

My grandmother (we called her Granny) passed away back in May. My grandfather died back in 2001, so she was the only grandparent left on my father's side of the family. As a result, upon her death, the family began to discuss what we were going to do with their possessions (thank God for a close extended family who didn't fight over these issues at all -- people can be so greedy!).

After my parents and aunts and uncles divided any items which were sentimental to them, they allowed all of the grandchildren to go through what was left and see if there were any particular objects which we wanted. I ended up with several things from my grandparents' house, including one of my Papa's WWII bayonets, a couple of his old wood-working tools, and their dining room table and chairs.

My favorite thing I got from my Granny's house, though, is a set of yellow cups.

These cups are nothing special. In fact, they are quite plain. They are small, little plastic cups that may hold 10-12 oz. of fluid. They're really old, and they are all faded and discolored. You can even detect a slight hint of the smell of my Granny's house when you pull one out (although, sadly enough, the smell has begun to fade away). They are not expensive, and honestly, are probably very cheap. Yet, despite the ordinary nature of these cups, I love them.

I love them not because of what they are but because of what they represent. Whenever I drink from those cups, I go back to memories of my childhood. I think of playing wiffle ball in their back yard, where Granny would toss the ball to us. I remember of eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches (with crunchy peanut butter). I think of putting together puzzles on the bedroom floor. I can still hear Papa's voice saying, "You're gonna itch, now," whenever we would roll in the grass. And during all of those situations, we drank from those yellow cups.

My mind then moves forward a few years to when I was a teenager. I remember sitting in the living room reading the newspaper clippings that Granny saved for me. I think about visiting for Mother's Day, eating apple cake and giving Granny flowers. I remember Papa putting on his old semi-pro baseball uniform and taking a picture with me in my all-star jersey. And during all those times, we drank from those yellow cups.

As I think about high school and college, I remember gathering at their house after Papa died. I remember weeping with the family there. I think about sitting in the living room with Granny as she began to grow old and feeble. I can still hear her sweet voice saying, "Now what did you say?" as she struggled to hear us. Then I remember sitting in the house after she died, reminiscing like I am doing now. And as the family gathered for a meal at her house during that time, I drank from one of those yellow cups.

Now, as I drink from those cups, I am reminded of Granny and Papa and their love. They loved us unconditionally. When we ran around the house and disobeyed them, even though I can still hear Papa's scolding voice, I knew they loved me. Whenever I had an event, game, or performance, they were always there. Although I didn't see them every day, I knew they loved me more than I'd ever know. And I was just one of their many grandchildren. Nevertheless, I was special.

And then I am reminded of God's love for us. He loves us with a bigger love than even my grandparent's had. When we run around this earth and disobey him, although it hurts him, he still loves us. Whenever we experience life's joys and life's difficult times, God is with us in all our circumstances. Although we can't see him physically, we can be assured that his love for us never fails. Even though we are just individuals among billions of people, God still loves each one of us. We are special in his eyes.

Thank you, God, for Granny and Papa. Thank you for their love. Thank you for your love for us.

And thank you for some simple yellow cups which remind me of all of this.

Day of Thanks, 11.09.08

Today, I am thankful for:

1. Health. I was just thinking this morning about how I haven't really gotten sick in awhile (which is unusual). Others are not so fortunate. My mother is battling some liver problems now. I have a friend with a broken back. Things could be a lot worse. Thank you, God, for health. May I use it for your glory, and when I am sick, may I never complain about my ailments. Instead, help me to trust in you.

2. The weather. The weather has been beautiful as of late. We got a nice rain on Friday. The leaves are changing and beginning to fall. It's warm enough during the day to enjoy the sunshine, while at night, it's cool enough to sit by a fire or turn the heater on in the car. Thank you, God, for controlling the weather, for giving us the exact circumstances we need, and for making the changing of the seasons so beautiful.

3. Falling gas prices. I passed by a station which had gas for $2.00 today. I plan to fill up this evening on my way back from church. I can't believe that less than 6 months ago gas was twice that expensive. My budget is already tight, and high gas prices hurt me, even as little as I drive. Thank you, God, for giving my wallet a break. Thanks for being in control of the economy and for taking care of my transportation needs. You like taking care of the little things, and for that, I'm thankful.

4. The opportunity to preach tonight. I get to preach during our evening service tonight at church. I teach every week during youth, but I always enjoy getting to bring God's Word to the entire church congregation whenever I am able. Thank you, God, for calling me to preach your Word. Thank you for Ronnie asking me to fill in for him tonight at church. Thank you that your Word is bigger than I can ever be. May you use what I say to bring you glory and to encourage and challenge the body of believers.

5. My computer. As much as I curse the thing for being old, slow, and rather cumbersome, I have a laptop. It allows me to do a lot of work here at the house, and it lets me do things at the church, like present our song lyrics in a sustainable manner (rather than killing trees). It allows me to have internet communication, where I can keep in touch with my friends via email, and it lets me do this blog. Thank you, God for this computer. May you bless it for your work, and may I never use it for any sinful thing. May I watch the amount of time I spend on it, and may I never make it into an idol. I do not want to worship the created things rather than my Creator.

Thank you, God, for these blessings, both significant and trivial. You are God, and you are good.

Psalm Saturday: Psalm 1

I’ve really enjoyed starting this blog and posting regularly. Thank you to everyone who reads it! I hope and pray that my experiences can encourage and challenge you in your walk with Christ. In structuring the blog, I’ve decided to make it a 7 day per week task. Monday through Friday will consist of the usual life-lessons from everyday experiences. From now on, Saturdays will now be known as “Psalm Saturdays,” where we will take a look at a Psalm (or part of one) and apply it to our daily lives. Sundays will now be “Days of Thanks” where I will make a short list of some of the things for which I’ve been particularly thankful that week. I’m making these changes as much for myself as for anyone, but I hope that these new weekend “additions” will encourage you to dive deeper into Scripture and to continually live a life of praise.

Follow Him.
- matt
______________________

Psalm 1

Blessed is the man
who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
but his delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on his law he meditates day and night.

He is like a tree
planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season,
and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers.
The wicked are not so,
but are like chaff that the wind drives away

Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;
for the Lord knows the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish
____________________________


This Psalm gives us a great illustration related to everyday life. If you have a lawn or a garden, you know that water is essential for its prosperity. If you don’t water your plants, they die, and they produce no fruit. If you live in Georgia, you know what dry, dead plants look like in late July, early August.

God’s word compares us to such plants. The righteous man is like a tree planted by water. It is vibrant, lush, and fruit-bearing. It is a prosperous plant. The wicked man is like nature’s waste. It is dry, dead, and produces nothing worthy of eating. It is a useless and futile plant.

Which plant are we? Do we plant ourselves by the streams of God’s living water, being refreshed, renewed, and nourished by God’s Word, or do we distance ourselves from the Lord, doing things the way that we want to? Do we separate ourselves from the trappings of this world, or do we get caught up in the entangling weeds of sin, which choke us from the spiritual nourishment we need? Is our tree growing upward toward the Lord, soon to be in fellowship with Him, or are we satisfied with no growth whatsoever, receiving our rewards here on the earth?

God’s Word is very clear. He demands righteousness, and righteousness begins and ends with God. We start by feeding ourselves on God and His word, and we end up dwelling in those things forever. On the other hand, if we seek wickedness, that begins and ends with the world. We start by attempting to nourish ourselves on worldly pleasures and lusts, and we end up finding our home here forever, in separation from God and the divine.

I don’t know about you, but I’ve got a tree to go water.

On Waffle House Signs

I was driving home last night from Columbus along a very uninhabited stretch of I-185. I have traveled this highway too many times to count over the past several years, and it has become very familiar to me, particularly on the 3 hour drive back from visiting my parents in south Georgia. Traffic is never really bad, and it’s not that terrible of a ride. It’s just kind of long and tedious.

It was kind of late last night, just past 9:00 or so, and I was really ready just to get home. It had been a long day, I hadn’t eaten dinner yet, and I was pretty tired. David Platt was giving an excellent sermon through my iPod, though, so that made things a lot better. Nevertheless, I was ready to get to the house and eat my calzone that Katie made for me (and it was very good, by the way).

Just when I thought I couldn’t stand driving anymore, I saw it. There, in all its brightness and glory, towering high above the trees off in the distance was my sign of hope—a Waffle House sign. This, however, was no ordinary Waffle House sign. It signified my exit. It meant I was home.

I’ve gotten to the point now where I always look for this particular sign whenever I’m driving back from that direction. I can usually spot the sign about 2 miles away when I come over a hilltop. Every time I see it, it thrills my heart. I must admit, I usually speed up a little bit in my excitement (I guess that’s why they say most wrecks occur within 10 miles of your home…). I am almost home.

This phenomenon is not limited to me or this particular Waffle House, though. These towering signs are at exits all over the place, signaling drivers that there is a place to stop from long hours of driving and enjoy a nice All-Star breakfast special, or just a waffle and water (like I usually do). There’s nothing fancy about Waffle House. It’s just relatively cheap, the food tastes good, and it provides a very unique atmosphere of people in their most genuine form. And even if you don’t stop and eat there, they can symbolize the fact that you’ve reached your destination.

Thinking about this particular sign, I was reminded of Jesus’ words in Matthew 5:14-16, “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” That’s what Waffle House does. They set their bright, shining signs high up on the hillsides so that everyone can see them. They don’t put a little sign out front. The things are usually so large, it almost looks tacky. Why do they do that? It’s good advertising. People see the signs, they stop, and they eat a waffle. The signs are an obvious statement of what’s inside.

We should be the same way. We should be living our lives in such a way that people can’t help but see us and think, “Wow. God is in that person. I want some of that.” We should be standing tall, offering satisfaction for the spiritually hungry. We can be a light in the darkness to those who are lost. And to the weary traveler, our light is a symbol of home.

Thank you Waffle House for making good food, be it healthy or not. Thanks for providing a warm friendly atmosphere. Thanks for telling us that we’re home.

And thanks for reminding us that we should do the same things for the people around us.

On the Changing Color of Leaves

Fall is my favorite season of the year, hands down. It took a little while for autumn to develop here this year. It was hot, then it was warm, then we hit this crazy cold snap where it got below freezing all of a sudden. Now, though, the climate has stabilized a little. It’s mild in the day, cool at night, and overall just wonderful weather.

One of my favorite things about fall is when the leaves change color. I’ve loved this ever since childhood. I know this seems rather trite, but to me it’s the most beautiful time of the year. I love walking through woods or sitting by the lake this time of year. Even if I don’t have the time to do that, I just enjoy looking at the trees through the window as I drive around town or sit at my desk in my offices (yes, I have 2 – welcome to the world of part-time jobs).

In thinking about the chlorophyll pigments of the leaves, I realized why fall took so long to for them to mature into full color this year. They had to go through that first cold spell. As soon as we hit that really cold week, the leaves changed almost immediately. Now, we’re blessed with an awesome array of color and beauty.

Why does that happen? Why does it have to get really cold for the leaves to change? The answer – when the leaves change color, they are in fact dying. They cannot endure the winter and live. They produce the beautiful pigments only when their life begins fades away.

Our life is the same way. We ask God to bless us and bring us closer to him or use us in a mighty way, and it seems like nothing happens. Then all of a sudden, God places us in the middle of a trial or difficult situation. It is in these “cold snaps” of life, that God can really mold us and make us into the people he wants. Until we emerge from those hard times, we can’t live up to our full potential. Until we die to ourselves, God can’t shine through us.

This principle is present throughout Scripture. Job endured some of the most difficult circumstances any person has ever gone through, and he emerged at the end of that period closer to God and with more tangible blessings. Joseph went through a time of slavery and confusion and came out of that situation as the second in command of the most powerful empire on earth at the time. The best example of this is Jesus. He endured the pain and suffering of the cross, experienced death, and then rose again 3 days later in the glory of the resurrection. Now he’s seated at the right hand of God in heaven. In all of these situations, something had to die so that beauty could be fully experienced, whether it be possessions, pride, selfish ambitions, or the flesh itself. And when death occurred, God emerged in ultimate beauty.

The leaves are in full splendor now, because they’re dying. We can be full of glory too, if we die.

No it’s not easy, but death sure can be beautiful.

On Walking to Work

For the most part, I usually walk to work every day. I’ll drive if it’s raining, or if I have somewhere to be as soon as I get off work, but I try to walk if I can help it. I am fortunate in the respect that my job is only less than half a mile from my place of residence, and it only takes me about 5-7 minutes to walk there every day (this time is dependent upon several factors—Am I late? Is it cold? How many squirrels distract me during my walk? Did I forget something? How excited am I about work that day?...etc.). Either way, it’s not far at all.

It’s a nice walk, down a block through my neighborhood, through a nice little wooded area along a sidewalk, and then I’m there at work. There’s even a little bench by some steps in the wooded area in case I get winded from my arduous journey. The other day someone even left me an oatmeal cream pie (still in the wrapper, mind you) sitting on the bench. I decided to leave it for the next passerby.

I try to ride my bike sometimes as well, going to class in the evenings at the college. It’s about a mile away or so, if that, but I take the back streets so I can avoid traffic. This trip is a little tougher because of all the steep hills, but I get where I’m going in a reasonable time (although I’m pretty winded by the time I walk in the library).

I travel to these places without driving for a couple of reasons. First of all, it saves gas and money. That’s a no-brainer. Secondly, it’s healthy (unless I eat that oatmeal pie that’s sitting on the bench—I might grab it today). Thirdly, I really enjoy the trips. It allows me to slow down and appreciate nature and my surroundings more than if I was in my vehicle. And lastly, I think it’s what Jesus would do.

Now, before you start screaming “But I can’t walk where I need to go! It’s too far! I have to carry stuff in my car! I’m on a time crunch!” let me say that I understand. However, I think we miss out on a lot of things by traveling in our cars by ourselves all of the time. Yes it is necessary sometimes. I have to drive to the church everyday to work up there. But is it necessary all the time? Do you really have to drive everywhere you go?

If you look at Jesus’ life, he did a lot of ministry when he was walking to or through different towns? Why? Because he could actually talk to people. Let us hypothesize for a moment. If Jesus were driving around in a nice car for instance, trying to get to the next town as quick as he could, would he have had the opportunity to heal as many people as he did? Probably not. Would he have been able to stop at the mountainside and give us the Sermon on the Mount? I don’t think so. See where I’m going? Jesus created opportunities for ministry because he interacted with people as he was travelling.

I understand that driving is necessary sometimes. Our cities, jobs, families, and churches are further apart than they were in Jesus’ day. However, we have alternatives. Consider carpooling. It’s a great way to build relationships with others. If you live in a large city, ride a bus or another form of public transportation system. There are hundreds of broken people in those places every day. And if at all possible, take your time and walk.

It’ll help you experience God and experience people.

On People and Presidents

I voted this morning. I have my little peach sticker to prove it. Honestly, the whole experience was rather intimidating. Who I voted for is not the subject of this post. Instead, I’d like to share some of my thoughts regarding my voting experience.

When I voted, I stood in line for 15 minutes (I was fortunate). I handed my little registration card to a woman who gave me a little yellow key-card. I then had a conversation with a woman about our local college football team for a couple of minutes. I got an angry look from the woman in charge when I didn’t immediately step up to the next vacant booth (I wasn’t sure if the machine was ready or not…after all, I didn’t want to be the guy that screwed up the election results by causing a machine breakdown). I stepped up to the machine and felt like everyone was watching me because there was no curtain like you always see on TV. And then I voted.

Standing there before that touch screen, I had an overwhelming sense of anxiety. After all, I was helping to determine who would run our country for the next four years. Sure, I voted in Georgia (which I think will be hard-pressed to swing from a “red” to a “blue” state—for better or for worse). Nevertheless, my vote counts.

Then I started thinking about stuff. In America, we think we have so much power and control over everything that goes on. We’ve been bred to believe that we are in the driver’s seat in all of the occurrences of the world. But we’re not. Not at all.

The Bible is very clear on the fact that God is ultimately in control of everything, including who rules a nation. Daniel 2:20-21 says, “Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, to whom belong wisdom and might. He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings….” God brought in the Medes and the Persians to overthrown the Babylonian Empire. He hardened the heart of Pharaoh against the people of Israel. If we take the Bible literally, God has done exactly what Daniel 2 says – establish governments.

I don’t want to get into a debate over free will, predestination, or whether or not our prayers mean anything if God’s already written things in stone. For that, I refer you to C.S. Lewis who argues that these things are irrelevant because God does not occupy time as we do; thus, he does not operate on our time table (Screwtape Letters).

We do, however, need to realize that God is ultimately in control. Regardless of how people vote, who gets in office next year, whether or not or our country goes bankrupt, or we get nuked by some other country—God is ultimately in control. He always has been. He always will be. He will never forsake us, and he will never let us go from the palm of his hand—even if we make stupid decisions.

And standing there in front of a voting booth, being reminded of that thought, it makes me feel a lot more comfortable.

On Homework

Some of my biggest fears in life have always concerned homework. Yeah, I was that guy who would always ask everyone else in the class if we had anything due five minutes before class began. It’s not like I could do anything about it if there was an assignment and I forgotten about it. I wouldn’t have time to complete it anyway (although I got pretty good at doing my French homework in less than 5 minutes….).

Forgetting to do homework wasn’t the only thing I stressed about, though. I was always afraid I was going to leave a project at home or lose a paper that was due. I remember a particular case of this phobia when I was in first grade. I had forgotten to get my spelling test signed by my parents, so I had to sit out five minutes for recess. I bawled. I was terrified. I was a horrible student. My career as the “good kid” in school was now done. All the teachers at school would view me as a horrible student now. I would never live up to my brother’s legacy as the perfect kid. Yep, I really thought that. I can still picture the moment in my head. Well, the teacher let me go to recess anyway. Either she felt sorry for me, she thought I had psychological problems, or she just got tired of me crying like a sissy. I’m not really sure, but I got to enjoy recess for the day, and all the cute girls in class felt sorry for me. It was great.

My fear of not doing my homework has always been significant. It makes me wonder, though, why I am not nearly as concerned about doing the tasks that God requires of me. No, God doesn’t give us grades or sit us out for recess, but he is extremely disappointed when we don’t do what he asks us to do. Our assignments aren’t that crazy. He doesn’t make us all write books or come up with these elaborate schemes to save the world. He simply gives us a few commands, most namely, to love him with all of our being and to love the people that are around us. That’s pretty much it. Yes, there are other things that go along with it, but if we do those two tasks, everything else will fall into place as well.

If we don’t do those assignments God doesn’t fail us in life, and God’s grace does cover our shortcomings. However, we will have to give an account before him one day of all the things we have done. Yes, our misdeeds and failures will be covered by the blood of Jesus, but they are still there. God requires holiness of us. He wants our love. He is a jealous God.

Today, I can’t find any of my assignments for tonight’s class. It’s stressing me out. I have to have this project done by 3:00 and I don’t even know what I’m supposed to do yet. Talk about being worried. But at the same time, right now I’m a lot more concerned about my spiritual assignments. Have I done what God wants me to do today?

I’m afraid I’ve got some homework to finish, in more ways than one.

On Peter Parker and the Bathroom

I have the sweetest bathroom in the whole world. Yep, not too many people can make that claim. I have this pretty awesome Spider-Man theme going, complete with a shower curtain, a large static-cling figure, a toothbrush cup, and even a miniature bubble gum machine—that’s right, in my bathroom. So every morning when I wake up, I go into the bathroom and there’s Spidey. Pretty awesome, huh? It always makes me feel safe when I’m in the shower.

So I was thinking about Spider-Man today (because of my bathroom and because I saw this cute little kid with an awesome Spider-Man costume last night for Halloween). I don’t want to start a discussion of the quality of the movies, but my favorite one of all of them still has to be the first one. One of my favorite scenes occurs when Uncle Ben drops Peter Parker off at the library and tells Peter that he is concerned about his actions lately. Uncle Ben then gives Peter a very sound piece of advice, “With great power comes great responsibility.” It takes Peter awhile to fully understand that message, but eventually Spider-Man emerges as the great hero who uses his abilities to help save New York from all kinds of bad guys and evil creatures.

I love that line, though, and I always flash back to that scene when I think of Spider-Man. “With great power comes great responsibility.” I believe that biblically speaking, we are given the same charge. Paul describes this in Galatians 5. He states that through Christ we are given access to spiritual freedom. We don’t have to worry about the consequences of our evil nature anymore. However, with such great freedom comes an easy excuse to sin. Sure, why not sin even more since God’s going to forgive us, right? We’ve been freed from the law, too, so all these rules and regulations shouldn’t apply to us anymore, and we can do whatever we want, right? I don’t think so. In Galatians 5: 13, Paul says this: “For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.” With great power comes great responsibility. With great freedom comes great responsibility, too. After all, isn’t that what Christ did for us? He had all that power and glory up in heaven, but used it to save us from sin. What great love.

What if Spider-Man had never used his power to help New York? The city would have succumbed to the Green Goblin, Sandman, or Venom. The world would be a worse place because of his laziness. What if Jesus had never used his power to save the world? We would have succumbed to our sinful nature, depravity, and separation from God. The world would be a much worse place because of his laziness. What if we never use our freedom to help those in need? The people around us could succumb to hopelessness, poverty, and starvation. The world would be a much worse place because of our laziness.

So, every morning when I look at my face in the mirror next to the Spider-Man static-cling, I’m reminded of how I need to spend my days. With great power comes great responsibility. With great freedom comes great responsibility.

Go get ‘em, Tiger.