Overcoming Evil...with Attitude.

In reading some Scripture this morning I came across this passage in Romans chapter 12 verse 21 that says: “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” As I pondered that verse I couldn’t help but think about how difficult that might be. That isn’t the natural tendency or progression. Usually, when something evil or bad happens, we begin focusing all our energies and attention on what has hurt us or the evil that has been pushed upon us. Oftentimes this leads to discouragement, depression, or frustration and anger!

Sometimes our path in life takes unexpected turns here and there, dragging us through the forest of fear or the Grand Canyon of confusion. We run into people and circumstances that represent the “dark side” of life and leave us with more questions than answers for God as we travel along this journey called life. Most of us have heard the phrase, “life happens and then you die.” Not a Pulitzer Prize winning appraisal by any means, but there is some truth to it. “Life is what you make it,” I’ve heard plenty of folks say. But sometimes we feel as though we are caught in the mud hole of life and getting out is going to be one messy adventure!

That’s why attitude is such a powerful force in our lives and allows us to rise above so many things. However, I must admit, there are many days when my attitude is less than stellar – and at times it down right stinks! So welcome to life. The good. The bad. And yes, the ugly. Bad breath and bad hair days come and go, yet the sun will still come up and the alarm clock will still sound as a reminder that work awaits and another day begs us to make a difference….somehow.

What difference are you making in your world? At home, work, or around town running errands at your favorites stores. When people recognize you what do they think? Are you uplifting and quick to make a positive impact in the lives of those you run into, or have you allowed evil to ruin yet another day? It’s often easier said than done, but with God’s grace, we can forget “what is behind” and reach “forward to what lies ahead” (Philippians 3:13).  Today is a new day…a day to make a difference…a day to rise above the clouds of life with a positive attitude…and soar!

Downtime!

If your summer is like most folks’ summer you were busy! It seems like we all try to cram in the most fun in the least amount of time – especially when you have family. School is out for only so much time and with our eldest heading off to college (yes, he’s already there), we wanted to spend some quality time all together before school forced us all to go our separate ways.

So we headed to southern Colorado. We enjoyed a tranquil setting to say the least; with a plethora of picturesque photo opportunities at almost every turn of the road. No television, no Internet, and not much cell phone activity either – just a lot of time practicing our social skills. Taking hikes and drives through the mountains and trying to catch our breath at 8000 plus feet of elevation. Barely staving off altitude sickness (since we went from around 700 feet above sea level to over 8000 in one day instead of the 3 or 4 days recommendedJ), but having a blast.

It is interesting how much our fast-paced world impacts our lives; it normally takes 2-3 days for me to just “relax,” but after I do the feeling is immensely pleasurable. We usually don’t even realize the need for solitude and relaxation in our lives, but when we finally get a taste of it, we can’t imagine how we’ve done without it for so long.

So too our spiritual lives. We often get busy with living life and trying to do the best we can for our families, the organizations we enjoy, and sometimes even the spiritual side of life. Then, when we finally have that divine encounter, or “God moment” as a few folks call it, we suddenly realize that we have been missing something important. Whether you have been raised in church your whole life or feel like God isn’t a big part of your life, those moments when God seems so near cause us to realize there’s more to life than just “keeping up with the Jones.”

The Scriptures do tell us that God really cares about us; so much so that he allowed his only son, Jesus Christ, to pay a high price for our debts (John 3:16). Even though we did not ask him to do it, God allowed his son to die on a cross for us so that you and I might have an opportunity to know God as he longs for us to know him. The neat thing about God though, is that he never forces anyone to follow him—it’s always our decision. And if we do make that decision to connect with God on a deeper level—the free gift of that relationship provided for by the death of his son—is ours.

You may not be able to sneak away to southern Colorado for some downtime, but I pray today that you’ll be able to break away for a few moments and seriously consider the value of what a deeper relationship with God could do for you. I know he can’t wait to hear from you!

Thankful!

Since my hiatus from blogging we’ve given final exams at seminary and Bible school (much to my students dismay), taken a trip to Europe, a mission trip to Namibia, Africa, a ministry trip to Texas that included seeing family, and now getting ready for some meetings back home in Springfield. I can tell you this…it’s awesome sleeping my own bed!

Since our oldest is getting ready to head to college we wanted to really spend some quality family time together and have a blast. So I put my doctorate studies and everything else on hold and jumped in head first for a summer full of fun. I must admit, we have definitely had a blast but I’m ready for summer to be over! And a 16 hour plane ride across the Atlantic Ocean (to Africa and back) is not my idea of relaxation. But the time together has been priceless, and the mission work had an impact on everyone’s lives. What an enriching experience!

Over the course of the summer, the moments of thanking God for the blessing of a great family seem to come more frequently. I often reflect back on all the days of sowing into our children’s lives and secretly praying that they’ll still want to come and visit mom and dad even when they have moved out of the house and have families of their own. I’m overwhelmed at times by the shear realization of how blessed I am.

This realization comes as I sadly see others who have not fared so well. Family feuds, separations, and tragedy have marred the lives of far too many people. And even when I see (and sometimes experience) the hardships of life, I realize that God’s grace helps us through those times. As the apostle Paul wrote to the Romans in the book of Romans chapter 8, verse 28 “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

God has been working in my life through all the good and not-so-good times of my life. Through successes, failures, disappointments, and tragedy, God has always been there for me – and He wants you to know that He’ll be there for you if you let Him. Can you imagine…the God of the universe in your corner ready to help you at a moment’s notice? That’s just downright radical!

Are you in the zone?

While vacationing in Germany with my family we happened to ride the wonderful transit system that Germany enjoys. I knew the trains were very punctual and efficient since I had been stationed in Germany while in the Army many years ago (over 20), but knew I needed a little refresher course prior to hopping on. I visited with our hotel clerk and she shared the specifics of the automated ticket machines and the different "zones" you needed to specify when purchasing your ticket.

My German was rusty at best but I managed to understand enough to actually get us on the right train at the right time! So off I went to purchase our tickets. I had to enlist the services of a local patronage but finally got everything ready for the train. During this time I noticed that those folks who ride the train every day for work or leisure had no problem with the system and went through the necessary motions as though it was all second nature. I was reminded of places we had traveled to in ministry, like Washington, D.C., where people ride the subways everyday. They know the right trains to get on and what signs to look for - they know which "zone" they need to travel in - the blue line, red line, yellow line, green line. Whichever system of "zones" a community uses, the people gain an understanding of how it works.

As a minister, I began to think about spiritual "zones." I used to be in the "far from God" zone long ago and have seen others in a multitude of zones (since we all like to stereotype folks and place them in categories). I've seen the "religious" zone where everyone goes through the religious motions of doing what they think is right even when their heart isn't, as well as the Jesus fanatic zone and cynic zone. We've got the atheist zone, the deistic zone, the secular zone, and the relativism zone.

But I think there is a zone we all can experience and that's the Jesus zone (yeah, a bit corny but you understand what I mean I hope). Connecting with a God who cares about each of us through His son Jesus Christ doesn't mean we have to disconnect from reality. The Scriptures tell us that we are "fearfully and wonderfully made" (Psalms 139:14). We can enter the work place or wherever God has placed us so that we can make a difference by our example. If we are fearfully and wonderfully made then we should realize that God only wants the very best for each of us.

I realize that bad things do happen to great people and that we do not live in a perfect world, but God truly does care about each and every one of us and longs to be a part of our world--but we have to let Him in. We have to choose whether we will willingly enter into his "zone" and allow Him to have leadership and Lordship of our lives. That's a daily challenge and may be why Jesus said that we had to pick up our cross daily. So what zone are you in? Every day is an opportunity to connect with God....will today be your day? I hope so!

Succes or Failure

As I boarded the small airplane on my way back home, I had the luck of being in seat “1B.” I wondered whether I would have a seatmate or have the whole section to myself, and I did not have to wait long until a nice young lady indicated that she would be occupying the seat next to me. I began to think of all the things I could say and the questions I could use to stir the conversation toward spiritual matters. After all, I had just finished reading a great book on apologetics and questioning evangelism—newly dubbed “conversational evangelism,” and was ready to engage. Sadly, the young lady began perusing her secular magazines and even when I tried asking interesting questions the conversation floundered.

After our small talk the stewardess brought beverages around and I settled in for some quality work time. I planned on typing up notes for a paper deadline and in the midst of getting everything situated I spilled some ice out of my cup. So I not only witnessed a conversation fissile, but I had now spilled some ice on my new-found, not-so-friendly seatmate’s feet. Luckily, the ice seemed to have landed on the floor of the airplane.

Toward the end of the flight as we started our final approach my new acquaintance discovered, much to my dismay, that apparently one piece of ice found its way into her open purse. I felt about three inches tall and apologized profusely; offering to get the stewardess’ personal supply of napkins if needed. The young lady brushed off the enormity of the situation, sharing that it was not a “big deal,” which obviously did not make me feel any better. I felt absolutely miserable with the results of my honest efforts at displaying proper airplane etiquette, and now to a much lesser degree, any evangelism opportunities that I had totally botched.

The reason I share this incident stems from our tendency as Christians to see evangelism as either success or failure. Success when gospel presentations culminate in prayers of salvation, and failure with anything less. But perhaps, as with my disastrous airplane flight, I merely needed to model Christianity at this stage in my seatmate’s spiritual journey. In the end God has called each of us to scatter seeds of faith, hope, and God’s love: allowing Him to take care of anything else that might be needed. Understanding the gospel obviously helps Christians share their faith when opportunities arise, but oftentimes demonstrating God’s love may be the most “successful” witness we can provide.

Big Decisions

Today I'm sitting in a hotel in Fayetteville, AR as my son goes through interviews for scholarships at a distinguished university here. I'm reminded of all the things that go through your mind when big decisions need to be made. Choosing the right educational institution where you'll spend the next four years of your life, and a little bit of money, in order to fulfill life's calling can be a major ordeal. Those kinds of decisions are never easy, but one of the greatest comforts through it all is that God cares enough about us to help us in the decision-making process.

Decisions like college, jobs, marriage, children, and life changes are only a few of the challenging decisions that come our way. But we also have decisions to make in happy and prosperous times - how to be a good steward of the funds we're entrusted with, how to be a good spouse or parent, how to invest wisely so retirement will be something to look forward to, what will be the best house or vehicle that will keep its value? Taking care of aging loved ones (and that includes me!), picking the right city or neighborhood to move into, as well as what will strengthen our important relationships like family and marriage - yes, you have to work at great relationships!

The great thing about all those questions, and the plethora of other ones that I did not even mention, is that God loves being a part of the decision process. He loves getting involved with His creation on a day-to-day basis. Doesn't John 3:16 tell us that God "so loved the world," and if that's true then He loves hanging out with His creation. Can you imagine that God longs to hang out with you and be consulted about everyday decisions? In James chapter 1 verse 5, James says, "If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him."

Wow! Instead of the old expression "when in doubt throw it out" we can actually ask the Creator of the universe and He'll give us the wisdom we need to make the right decision! How cool is that?! So the next time you have audacious decisions rising up in your world, take a quick time out to check with God on how He feels about the matter. You may not hear an audible voice or see a hand appear out of nowhere and point you in a certain direction; but you just might run into some material on exactly the issue you're struggling with or meet up with an old acquaintance who is exactly the person you needed to talk to about that issue. You may have a door or opportunity slam shut or a deal that doesn't go through; but don't get mad - trust God and wait with expectancy on the better opportunity God has waiting for you just around the bend!

Happy Valentine's Day!

What a great day to celebrate the love of my life! We shared some small gifts with each other and ensured the kids felt like they were a part of the excitement by giving them a little candy as well. It's hard to believe Nancy and I have enjoyed all these years together (and we are looking forward to so many more!). God has been so gracious to our family and we are so thankful for all that we enjoy. Hard work and faith seem to play a large part of all that, although some would just mark that up as fate. Fate seems like such an empty word, and it appears that there is much, much more to life than just random fortunes to hand around wherever the proverbial winds of fate so choose to blow.

The Scriptures tell us that God has a plan for each and every one of us, and that we are "fearfully and wonderfully made" (Psalm 139 verse 14). It also shares in some versions of the Bible that our steps are "ordered." This can also be translated as making our steps "firm." I'm speaking of Psalm 37 verse 23 which says: "If the Lord delights in a man's way, he makes his steps firm" (NIV). Although there is plenty of "darkness" to go around and bad things do happen to good people, I don't believe that was God's original plan. Albeit, part of God's plan is to be involved with His creation and that would be you and me!

It's pretty cool that the God of all the universe actually cares about us individually. He cares about our day-to-day joys and struggles as well as our children, relationships, and decisions that loom ahead of us at times. He does all that because He loves us far more than we could ever love Him. And on this wonderful Valentine's Day, perhaps it's time to allow God's love to permeate each of our hearts, and renew them once again with a special kind of love that will not only bless our loved ones, but those people all around us who we come in contact with every day of our lives.

Flipped Off!

I was driving home the other day while chatting on my cell phone, and since I was entering a part of the city where construction was being done, I tried to be especially attentive. I was almost home and knew which lane I needed to be in so that I would not have to change lanes farther down the road. The lane I was in did not end but the lane on my right fed into my lane due to the construction.

I was just minding my own business and thinking about home when I noticed that the pickup truck next to me was not slowing down or speeding up to get around me. It suddenly dawned on me that he was apparently oblivious to the fact that he was the one who was supposed to yield as he tried to move into my lane! I wasn't in a hurry so I slowed down to let him in, even though we were both about even with each other. He moved over and I didn't think much about it, until I passed by him when he was slowing down to turn off. As I looked over at him he raised his middle finger and arm in an undignified gesture, which is known as getting "flipped off" if you are the recipient, or "flipping someone off" if you are the originator.

I must admit, many years ago when I was not a Christian, there were times when I initiated a gesture like that. And I wish I could tell you that, as a Christian, it did not bother me to be "flipped off" by that young man, but in actuality, it infuriated me! I was the one being nice and courteous, and all I got in return was a raised middle finger! By the time I reached the house I had settled down - plus my wife had encouraged me (over the phone) not to let it get to me .

As I drove home, I began to think about my situation in terms of evangelism...something an evangelist does on occasion. It seems that many Christians today who actually have the right motives and desire to help other people are often intimidated by the thought of possibly getting "the finger" of rejection when we try to help others (sorry for the word picture!). No one that I have ever encountered enjoys rejection - we all tend to shy away from it. But Jesus did share that the Holy Spirit of God would come to help empower us (Acts 1:8) with some boldness (not arrogance), which was meant to help us stand for the right - even in the face of wrong.

God's grace not only helps us as we do our best to live a life that brings glory to God, but His grace also allows those who do not know Him the opportunity to sense their need for a right relationship with God. God cares so much about all of us that he intentionally goes out of his way to help us face reality...a reality that reveals our need of Him. I'm sure glad that even though there may be times when we get the "finger" of rejection, God will always be there whenever we call upon Him to welcome us into His presence. What an awesome God!