When in Doubt, Do.

Each time I speak or write, I take time the next day to reflect on the message I've delivered. In hopes that the next time I'll be better. No matter how fancy it sounds or how excitedly it is delivered, it's the same 2000 year old message. We are hopelessly lost without Jesus. In the back of every speaker's mind, who loves and fears God, is the hope the Holy Spirit moves people and not their delivery, or personality. There's always a doubt a little too much of the flesh got out in your message. It's sort of chaotic. I'm not sure it should be any different. I've come to trust that doubt as the only sign of my sincerity. 

Beyond my sincerity, is the call I received from Him. I only know of two things each God calls people to and from. He calls us to Himself and life and away from sin and death. These reflection moments have taught me my doubts are not an excuse for not continuing but a reason to continue to "press on".  We are "saved by grace through faith."and "faith without works is dead." God might call us to a different location or vocation but it won't be a vacation.There's a lot of things yet to do.

We shouldn't let doubt stifle the spirit.

God does gives us "a peace that  surpasses all understanding". It comes from the fact  while we have no power to change things, He can change anything. He can and does use anything or anyone to do it. Even us.

 Pray God will use us to change lives by engaging and impacting the community.  Share how God helps you overcome doubts in the comments below .

 

Spiritual Lessons From Shark Week

   Shark week. Every year it roles around just in time for beach baptism. I can hardly wait for two of my favorite things. I recollect several lobby conversations with Kevin Childs when the two overlapped. He had no problem telling me Chris Fallows of Air Jaws was "bat crap crazy". After finding out I had been shark cage diving with Fallows, Kevin had no problem telling me I was. Shark cage diving remains one of the most memorable events of my life.

    Rising out of South Africa's False Bay is Seal Island. It's nothing more than a rock with about 60,000 seals. 30 yards from shore is known as "the ring of death" where white sharks take seals.  Though gruesome, many of the predations are spectacular displays of great whites performing acrobatic full body breaches. It's truely an awesome experience that less than one hundredth of one percent of the population have ever had. It's also filled with symbolic lessons for believers .

     Safety is nothing more than an illusion. Dive equipment isn't infallible. The steel cage that keeps divers comfortable offers no real protection from the 19 foot sharks. Shark have penetrated cages and even sank boats. The only safe place is the rock. Even there, the seals fight among themselves. Interestingly, only those seals that get separated from their group get attacked. Usually, in the shallow waters near the surface. The best defense against the predators is to dive long and stay deep. Older, more experienced seals, scarred from battles with Great Whites, will teach some of the young this life saving technique.

    Likewise, the only security a believer can have is found on the rock solid foundation Jesus Christ. We shouldn't just stay comfortable thinking we are playing it safe. We are called out of the cage. Our best defense comes from diving deep and long into His word. A word that promises trouble in this life and anything but safety in complacency. We may argue amongst ourselves but we are less likely to become prey if we stick together. So, do not leave your group! Our job is also to teach the next generation. Few will experience what we have. We'll have the scars to prove it. When the wounds heal, they will just be a reminder of how wonderful it was even though it was scary.

A Major Award

 If you have seen the "Christmas Story", you'll no doubt remember the lamp scenes. Perhaps you missed it, but hiding behind  the soft glow of "electric sex" gleaming in the window was what Ralph's father referred to as a major award. What is about awards? Why do some people need them so badly? I've won a few contest over the years but I've given up the Grammy. But I have known a fake friend or two who can still hope for an Academy award. Truth is, my house is void of any trophy, ribbon, or plaque. I have never been the best at anything. I'm not much on sucking up or shutting up. So, I am not up for any nice guy awards. Certainly as a Christain, I have never been as nice as I'd like to be. Ever notice those special people who never seem to be rewarded? Like those forgiving souls in the tough marriage, determined to make it work, inspite of the advice of friends and family.  Or dads, who work multiple jobs to stay one step ahead of bankruptcy, though everyone suggests the easy way out. Parents who never give up their kids. Especially, those people big enough to step out. Out of their comfort zone or out of the way.  How about those people, who stand in the way of the wolves in sheep's clothing. Even at the risk of being perceived judgmental, stupid or a host of other negatives adjectives, those wonderful people make the tough decisions, and do the hard tasks. They deserve an award. What they often get is opposition from the world and attacks from the devil.   Following Jesus means overcoming  fear of disappointment. It means obedience before acceptance. Emulating Christ is rewarding but never expect an award for it. Jesus writes His name on stained  hearts not stained glass.  Remember how the world awarded Him?

Decorating for Christmas

I love Christmas. There truly is something magical about it. More so than any other season, Christmas, makes us want to to transform the world into what we wish it was.  Doors are opened and food is offered freely to complete strangers. Decked out houses are cleaner, in preparation for parties and visitations.  Despite being busier than ever, people try to be nicer. Decorations are everywhere. Lights of all colors pierce the darkness making the world a brighter place. Then there is the Christmas tree. It's wrapped in lights, with specially placed ornaments in just the right spots to fill the "holes".No matter how perfect a tree looks, there are always holes to fill. Our lives have been decorated by Jesus. He has transformed us into lights. He uses us, by carefully placing us into lives to help fill the holes that only He can fill. No matter how perfect a life seems, there are always holes to fill. After salvation, as a part of worship and in spreading the gospel, our purpose may very well come down to simply decorating someone's life. Even if only briefly, make a difference. It's the best combat against depression I have found. No doubt the enemy will remind us of our failures. He'll tell us we should have come farther by now. He'll say you're not fit for decorating. God places his ornaments when and where he wants them. His decorations are always up, it's always our moment to shine.

You Don't Scare Me Anymore.

 

Not much scares me. On my trip to Africa, I walked, climbed, and crawled from the plains to the mountains, for a glimpse of the dangerous wildlife. Knowing parasitic insects, three of the worlds deadliest snakes, large charging animals, and many feared predators, lived where I was walking, climbing, and crawling. Never once was my faith stifled. I've ridden horses and even an ostrich. I've been cave diving. I have crawled into a shark cage to observe great whites up close. I have no fear of flying. My job involves working with live electrical circuits from time to time. I live in a house where the ratio of men to women is one to three. Public speaking, considered the number one fear, rated higher than fear of death, it's a piece of cake for me. Belief in an infallible God's perfect plan, affords one many freedoms. Yet, I dread every Halloween. I don't do scary movies. I don't do masks. (By the way, I am always packing, so you might want to pull that practical joke on someone else). Halloween, I literally hate it.
Even though I know the history behind Halloween, this isn't some attempt to condemn those who celebrate. I want people to have fun. I don't care what night it is.  However, I could actually see you put on a mask and it would still creep me out. Silly, I mean, all that stuff isn't real, right? While it might be true there are no monsters underneath my bed, our faith teaches the existence of demons is real. Over the years, studying the bible, I found the stories of Satan and his demons most disturbing. To be honest, it scared the crap out of me.' I guess, knowing those who worship demons count Halloween as their most sacred day made me a little nervous. Ephesians 6. reminds us our enemy supernatural.  Somehow, I keep forgetting, living inside of us is the supernatural creative power of the universe, the Holy Spirit. The same power that kicked Satan's butt out of heaven, kicked the door in at his house and stole his keys. I keep forgetting, all the verses that belittle our enemy. Like, greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world. 1 John 4:4 God has given is a spirit of power, love, and a sound mind instead of fear.2 Timothy 1:7 There's more, lots more. From time to time, when I get the wind knocked out of me, I look through the word for some ammunition to use against the evil one. Recently, while still shaking in my godly armor, I swung my sword when I came across a passage in Isaiah 14 :12-17 . It basically says, one day we will look at satan and wonder how we could have ever been afraid of him. Come to think of it, he does look a little puny when you compare him to how big God is.

Change

 For as long as I can remember, I have lived on Knotty Branch Road. Even before it was Knotty Branch Road. The United States Postal service changed my address three times on Route 2 before Knotty Branch got its name for some almost always invisible flowing body of water, supossedly behind my property. Now after forty years, you get used to things. You come to depend on them. Like the old house I grew up in. Or the forty foot plus magnolia tree that was in the front yard.

 My great grandfather built this home. It managed to survive four generations, four familys, Hurricanes Hazel and Hugo, and two close calls with tornadoes, despite the fact it wasn't engineered or inspected. But it was a cold house. So cold, the commode froze occasionally. Sometimes, we would all sleep on den floor by the gas heater. I could go on. Funny, I couldn't wait to get out of it but miss it so much now. But the yard was my stage. The magnolia tree was my favorite toy. Split in half, at the expense of my father's butt, had created the tree's huge twin trunks. I can almost smell the lemony aroma from the blossoms from the screen porch. It takes me back thirty four years, when a little boy will force himself to overcome his fear of heights by climbing to the top of that tree. Underneath, a brother and sister will bury treasure, in the form of a Snoppy piggy bank. That til this day, has yet to be discovered.  Magnolia cones make the best make-believe grenades, by the way. We barely scratched the surface of what all the leaves could be used for. Landmarks for 75 years or longer, the house and tree greeted me like two old familar souls until two weeks ago. Now, all that remain are the memories. They aren't all good memories, but some are wonderful. Watching the destruction of your original home is emotional.
 Like most of my emotional experiences, God shows up with His little lesson plans. This time, I was ready for Him. I was drawing the obvious parallels. "Material possessions are temporary. I know, Lord. Nothing here last forever. I know, Lord, you never know what you got till Yada, yada, yada.( NEVER yada,yada,yada Yahweh). "
 A week goes by, I still can't hardly recognize the road leading to my home.  Pondering how things will never be the same always exhaustes me. Then it hit me. I can't recognize my county, or my country anymore. Everything changes.  So this morning, in the spirit of change, (really to just avoid it) I decided to look down Knotty Branch the other direction, opposite of my old home. Just as I did, a  bald eagle landed in my yard! It's a rare sight. My first, and I could have missed it doing the same old thing.' It reminded me of Isaiah 41:10
"but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint."" By the way Clint, this is not and was not your home. And the only thing you should come to depend on is me." God always has the last word.
Change is inevitable, but I don't have to like it. Our God, however, never changes. Constantly, leading us. Constantly asking us to wait on Him, while he changes, us.