Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

God has put some circumstances in my life, again, that have brought on some new thinking and a different focus, again. He seems to keep doing that and it's never easy... but it is my own fault for resisting His nudgings. I am not going to go into the details of those circumstances because, frankly, they are unimportant to the point
and a little personal.

What God laid on my heart and then my wife sort of said almost the same thing the next morning was that if you are steeped in pop-culture and fill your head with new releases in the theater, current releases of your favorite secular music artists, keep up with and work to see your favorite TV shows, and generally fill your mind with all these things of the world... You are probably missing some growth opportunities, if not most growth opportunities. Your mind is occupied with the world and not God. How important is pop-culture to us? Billions of dollars are spent on entertainment of the movie/music/TV varieties. That's how important.

What is the chief end of man? Why are we here? To glorify God and do His will. He gives each of us a purpose. We are alive because God wants us to be. If He wants us to be, then He has a purpose for us. Am I fulfilling that purpose?

I am not a huge TV person. We just don't watch that much. I have some shows I watch with guys at work and we talk about them. Same with movies, we talk about those, too. I do love movies. Probably my favorite form of entertainment. I also like music. I also have always loved Stephen King books. I have every Stephen King audio book in my collection. And I am not going to condemn any of those forms of entertainment, that's not my point. But my issue here is that I listened to secular music in the car, and I like some good alternative rock-and-roll which is typically not very godly these days. If not music then I was listening to a Stephen King audiobook or some other secular audiobook. I also focus on what movies are out and the TV shows that we do watch I spend energy making sure we have them recorded to watch at work and that time is spent doing that. But how much time and energy do I spend on/with/for God? I do bible study with the kids in the morning and spend time reading (a little) on my own but for the most part I am spending most of the time and energy on things that aren't glorifying to God or giving me an opportunity to grow. Very little.

So, I felt the need (i.e. nudge) to refocus a little. I removed the music from my portable device as well as all audiobooks. I am only listening to teaching by John MacArthur during my commute (he's fantastic) and I am completely committed to having a better attitude and those easy little things we do every day without thinking about them that aren't really glorifying to God or even obedient to God... I am just as committed to being aware and conscious and purposeful about my actions. That attitude/actions part sort of was a side effect, honestly. That didn't start as a conscious choice but actually came about from the first part. I just ended up winning the little battles against myself a little easier that cause the bad attitudes and disobedient actions.

This has only been the past few days, but I promise you I feel a difference in my heart. There is a very intense peace about it. I have not ever really felt it like this before. I think for the first time in my life I am finally letting go of my selfish desires/lusts of the flesh that we all fight... the ones I didn't really want to let go of (oh, this one isn't so bad. I'll just hang on a little bit to it) and God has blessed me with a peace about it to show me I should have let go a long time ago. Again, I am not saying that entertainment is bad. I am saying that putting entertainment higher than God is bad. I mean, that's a no-brainer... but it's also VERY easy to do.

There are times I am very sad and regretful about missed opportunities and wasted time in my life. I've made some really bad choices along the way. Thank God for His mercy and His grace. But I think if I dwell on that regret, I'll never get past it because as life goes on and I grow, there will always be something to look back on and regret. Instead, I just want to move forward now. I am actually kind of excited to keep moving forward. But I guess that's a whole other post.

Wow, she's gorgeous.

Just found this picture on my wife's blog actually and was stunned at how gorgeous this little girl is. Maybe I am biased because she's mine... but I don't think that's it.

Adam & Eve

I just finished going through a bible study with the kids from John MacArthur called Before Abraham which details some of the major events in Genesis before Abraham. Of course, the first event would be Adam and Eve and the creation of everything. Also, I am reading a book right now titled Family Man, Family Leader by Philip Lancaster which is about biblical fatherhood. Both of these have discussed Adam and Eve and both have said the same thing about something that had escaped me before. Not sure how I have not heard or thought this before (maybe I have and just forgot?).

Adam was created first, of course. He was given the command to eat from all the trees of the garden except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Note that God didn't tell Adam what NOT to eat. He told him what he could eat. This command was given before Eve was even created. That is interesting in the idea that Adam had the responsibility of teaching Eve of God's command once Eve was created.

God says that it is not good for man to be alone. In my mind, this is where woman was created, but that is not correct. God first brings all the animals to Adam so he could see them and name them. An establishment of his dominion of the animals and... and here's the part I've never seen before... to show Adam that there was not a suitable mate for him in existence, that it would take a new and special creation to fill that role. Then God created Eve and Adam knew she was exactly what he needed. A brilliant bit of teaching from God.

In the Family Man, Family Leader book, this is discussed in the context of Biblical headship and the order and hierarchy of God's creation. Something that fragmentation of the family from industrialization and feminism has really injured in our modern culture. Just the mention of headship or submission causes a negative reaction. That's most likely because we've lost the biblical definition of headship and submission. Jesus himself submitted to God the Father, the ultimate "head." The savior of the world was in submission. That doesn't mean he is less than the Father, or somehow weaker or diminished or worth less. No, it means there is an order to things by God's nature.

But I love the way God showed Adam how he needed Eve and how nothing else could be what she was to him. That was pretty cool.

Mission of Motherhood

My wife, Becca, has moved her blog to a new address and given it a brand new face (I might've had something to do with that part). She's way better at this blogging thing than I am and way smarter, too. Head on over and give her a visit and see what she has to say.

http://www.MissionOfMotherhood.com

Echo

As a father I have, many times, heard my tone or the harsh words come out of my mouth only to totally regret it immediately after. Most of my life I have had a short fuse and it comes out with my kids too often. I mean, kids can be a bit... um... trying, I guess. If you ever wanted to work on your patience or the ever popular "long-suffering" then I supposed having a large family is the perfect thing for you. I remember my mom saying to my older brother one time something about God is helping you learn patience and he replied, "I didn't ask to learn patience."

Anyway... If I thought the regret of saying harsh things or saying things harshly was bad, now I hear the same words or tone echoed from my kids sometimes. That really hurts. I have passed on this short-tempered, unguarded tongue thing to my kids and it hurts my stomach when I think of that. I wonder, "Is it too late to fix it?" Well, I don't actually know. I have to fix it in myself first before it can be fixed in them. Something to think about and work on.

The world hates Christians... and we deserve it.

Christians have a problem. The world sees Christians in a very negative light. I know, scripture says that they will hate us because of Jesus but this is not because of Him. This is because of us. I have a couple of examples that will help to clarify what I am saying.

The movie Easy A has a group of Christians in it and they are portrayed as pompous, exclusive, not exactly all that smart, complaining, completely closed-minded, extremely fallible and weak but very hypocritical about it, bent on imposing beliefs on everyone around them and if everyone doesn't subscribe to those beliefs within an acceptable amount of time then they must be sent away because they aren't worthy to be around. Many Christians would be very offended by the way Christians are portrayed in the movie and would, very possibly, call them out for it and

maybe boycott the film and all the actors in it... which, by the way, would perpetuate the exact reasons they were seen that way in the movie to start with. See where I am going here?

Another example is GrinchAlert.com... a site put out there by a church in Dallas. This site is a place Christians can go to complain and call-out business and such who refuse to act Christian enough about Christmas. There was one posting there where the bank this particular person used did not have any Christmas decorations and were not planning to have any and the posting person was offended enough to say they were going to change banks because of it. Really?

Here is a shocking statement... not everyone is redeemed. There are more who aren't than are. I know that because scripture says that's how it is.

¹³ “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. ¹⁴ Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it."

Matthew 7: 13, 14 (New King James Version)

How can we expect the unredeemed to act redeemed or have the heart of the redeemed? We can't. We can't expect all businesses to be excited about Jesus or see Christmas as a holy day because they don't have it in them because they aren't redeemed. So is calling them out and refusing to do business with them going to save them? Um... no. It just makes Christians look exactly like the people they already think we are.

¹⁴ Do all things without complaining and disputing, ¹⁵ that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, ¹⁶ holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain.

Phillipians 2:14-16 (New King James Version)

Instead of trying to save everyone with the imposition of our (God's) will on them... we should love them. Paul tells us that by our character, by our love, by our actions as Christians will we affect people for Christ. We can make people want to be like us and want to love Christ by bearing good fruit and showing true, Christ-like character. They will be drawn to it.

¹ Remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities, to obey, to be ready for every good work, ² to speak evil of no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing all humility to all men. ³For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another. ⁴ But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, ⁵ not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, ⁶ whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, ⁷ that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
⁸ This is a faithful saying, and these things I want you to affirm constantly, that those who have believed in God should be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable to men.

⁹ But avoid foolish disputes, genealogies, contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and useless.

Titus 3:1-9 (New King James Version)

What I believe Paul is saying in the passage above is that our neighborhood, our workplace, the grocery store, the highway, etc. should all be better places because we are there. That people will be drawn to God BY THE GRACE OF GOD through your character and service, and not because of it. "Be ready for every good work," Paul says. "These things are good and profitable to men." That's what will bring people around and make them want to be a part of the body of Christ. Then in verse nine, Paul tells us that this sort of arguing and contentiousness and "strivings about the law" are "unprofitable and useless." We are not going to win souls by complaining about the phrase Happy Holidays or whether the business' Christmas tree is "Christian" enough for Jesus. We are starting to sound more like the ACLU than the beloved of Jesus Christ. Serve in love and "speak evil of no one." That's how we honor Christ this Christmas, with an attitude change to service in love.

I fail at this every day. I am a complainer. Not about Christmas decorations or phrases, but many other things in my daily routine. I judge people outside my idea of goodness and righteousness without even really being conscious of it. I forget to love the hard to love. I hate how people drive so selfishly here in the Dallas area and I totally forget to love many of them every commute. God forgive me. I guess this is my personal, spiritual project for the month...

to improve myself in this area and hopefully teach my kids the same so they can grow with me.

The Case for Siblings

A funny and true to life post over at Faith and Family:

http://www.faithandfamilylive.com/features/the_case_for_siblings