Light Friday Hit List 12/4/09

What a week it has been! Not everything has gone according to plan (big surprise) so we haven’t closed on our old house yet, but we’re getting there.  We will be completely out of there by tonight.  We are A.) Excited B.) Stressed C.) Relieved D.) A little nutty or E.) All of the above.  If you chose E, then congratulations!  You have won! (my respect)

Thank you to all the people who have done so much to help us from packers and movers to cooks and babysitters. Thanks to everyone who tossed up a prayer that we might retain our sanity.  It’s so good to be a part of a caring community and family (here in Juneau and online). We love and appreciate you all so much.

As part of the reward, I offer an incredible list of favorite blog posts and other treasures from this week.  The rest will be promptly distributed once you get to heaven. You are welcome, now please—enjoy!

Favorite Funny Video—Death Metal Bowser’s Castle Theme (for a kid who grew up with this, it’s totally amazing)

See more funny videos and Music Videos at Today's Big Thing.

Favorite Tweet—@funnyoneliners When life hands you melons, that means life is probably dyslexic. RT @gneicco

Favorite Explanation—One Another from Convergence

Favorite Start-the-Holidays—Hope of the Unknown from Faith Barista

Favorite Encouragement—Direction Determines Destination from Shooting the Breeze

Favorite for Leaders but Applies to Everyone—Why am I Frustrated by Perry Noble

I hope you are blessed, thankful, and encouraged this weekend to continue pursuing the best God has for us individually and corporately.  Here is your random pic for the week (if you can't tell, it's a rabbit—it's gets more disturbing the longer you look at it):

If you have a favorite link from the week or want to talk about one of these picks, then please let me hear from you in the comments (I’m not a mind reader—neither is my wife; she’s told me many times). 

Blessings!

The Right That Remains Silent

On Tuesday, I participated in an event where bloggers all write on a specific topic (a blog carnival for the uninitiated).  This bi-weekly excursion was this time centered on grief (click here to read some great entries).  People beautifully and masterfully examined the angles and shed Christ’s light on this basic human experience.

One of the very first I read (even though he was #28 on the list) was Matt’s post on Becoming Last.  Instead of simply exploring the definition of grief, he made it practical by sharing about a family he knows who is grieving and understandably shaken due to the ongoing illness of their baby, Madison.

Matt asked us to do 3 things: pray for them, go to their site (at CaringBridge) to leave a note of encouragement, and consider giving to help defray medical costs.

I prayed right then and there and headed over to the site.  Feeling good about the good I was doing, I read a little about what was going on, found a guestbook where you can leave a comment, and clicked the button to add my note. 

It asked me to enter my email address. I was a little leery, but I did. Then it took me to a registration page.

Huh? I thought. Oh no! I didn’t know I’d have to take the time to register.  I have to give my personal info? What if this organization sends me all kinds of stuff? Do I want to mess with the hassle? I thought this was going to be an in-and-out sort of deal. Nobody will care or even know that you didn’t leave a comment.

I’m sorry to say that I almost closed out the window and did nothing.  I just stared at the page until finally I had to give myself a good talking to.

Why are you hesitating? You know this family would appreciate the encouragement. You know it’s not going to take you that long… What is your problem?

Turns out I’m selfish.  The problem wasn’t leaving a comment or not.  It was that I was ready to do it until an extra step was introduced that made it seem “too difficult.”  How often do we determine to do something good for someone but give up or talk ourselves out of it because we think it will cost us too much?

Maybe it’s time, maybe it’s money, maybe it’s our own comfort…

I’m not pretending this is some deep, dark confession or that it’s the worst thing I’ve done in the past month, day, or probably even hour.  That’s not my point.  I felt the conviction of the Holy Spirit over the reality that I was willing to give up because I’m busy, to not do the good my Father would do for a hurting family over something so ridiculously trivial.

One of those verses that scares me and challenges me is James 4:17, “Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins.”  Did someone just punch you in the gut and suck all the air out of the room? Just me? Okay.

It’s amazing how the Christmas season displays (and sometimes celebrates) rampant selfishness yet points us to ultimate selflessness.  A miracle is seen in a Father giving His Son, a Son surrendering everything for the redemption plan.

I’m too tired. I’m too busy. I’m too important. I’m too strapped… The next time I try to back out of showing God’s love and goodness and try to use one of these or another excuse, I hope I remember Madison, her family, and the Father who wants to do them good.

If you’re feeling condemnation, that’s not what I’m after, or God for that matter.  I know I’ve got a way to go and I’m humbled to have people in my life who do seem to jump at the chance to do good whenever they can. I’m choosing to learn from them and follow that example.

I want to be that generous person who doesn’t hesitate, gives until it hurts, and shows off God’s grace and mercy in my life.  I don’t believe I’m there, but His word keeps working inside me and I know I’m changing (even if it’s slowly).

How about you? Have you backed down because it seemed too hard to help? Do you feel challenged as I do to let nothing stop me from doing good and showing God’s love?

Love 'em or Leave 'em? Christmas Movie Clichés

I have been pretty serious around here lately so I thought I’d snap way the other direction for you and do a fun/funny post. Whiplash yet?

We all know that the Christmas movies they put out year after year are the same ideas repackaged to seem new.  Come to think of it, that's Hollywood's Modus Operandi for all of the year, but don't get me off my point.  There are many inescapable clichés that have emerged over and over (especially in the TV movie genre) so I thought it might be fun to examine some of them.

Put on your lab coat, grab your clipboard, and put on your protective eye wear.  We are now researchers diving deep into the existential psychoses of the seasonal Christmas movie.  No, not really.  I found this great list on the subject from a site called uberfluff.com in a section called The Lazy Screenwriter’s Guide to Formulaic Magic.

If you want to write a great Christmas movie (or just know how to spot one), this is where you start:

• Fun movies about Santa should always feature nice, middle class families in single-family homes.  Little boys and girls who live in the ghetto have an unfortunate tendency to ask Santa for things like food and heat, which test audiences find to be a real downer.
• However, poor little boys and girls are permitted to be part of movies where someone needs to learn, "the real meaning of Christmas."  Of course, once the protaganist has learned that Christmas is all about love/giving/family/etc., it is best if the unfortunate child who taught that lesson gets adopted by someone rich, dies, turns out to have been an angel, or otherwise disappears so that the main character can enjoy a nice Christmas dinner without any lingering classist guilt.
• It is impossible to put up Christmas lights without experiencing a hilarious physical injury.
• People who deny the existence of Santa are mean and nasty souls (who usually wear cheap grey suits), and will inevitably get their comeuppance. 
• The world can always use a new twist on Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol.  The 40,000,000 different versions currently in existence have only scratched the surface of that classic.  Hey, what about a Rastafarian Scrooge?  Imagine the possibilities with the Marley character.
• You know what would be totally awesome?  If we could get nine more movies with Tim Allen playing Santa Claus and making puns on the word "clause."  Yeah, that will never get old.
• Big family gatherings are always full of colorful and eccentric characters who do witty and entertaining things, even when they're supposed to be "annoying."  Even the arguments are funny.  No one has arguments over whether the curtains in grandma's old house were brown or tan, nor are there any extended conversations about how long it took everyone to drive there.
• Unless the movie is the actual story of Jesus, you must avoid mentioning Jesus in a regular Christmas movie, since you don't want to come off too "religious" and possibly depress the international box office potential.  However, you may use angels, unspecified miracles, and Santa to suggest the presence of divine intervention.  If you absolutely must include God or Jesus in a modern movie, try to cast a minority or woman in the role--not only will you get to demonstrate how enlightened you are, but you might also get to hang out with Morgan Freeman.

The one I would add would be when everything looks like it’s crashing and burning, but then the snow begins to fall which makes everyone love each other again—somehow—magically. Lesson to be learned: snow is like nature's Prozac. Years of counseling couldn't bring a family together, but by golly, get some white flakes falling and all is forgiven and dandy! Come to think of it, this could be very useful.  How about if we could just get it to snow in Iran. Nuclear crisis...averted!

How about you? Any Christmas movie clichés you want to give a lump of coal to (i.e., ban for the future)? Or do you like a little cheese with your beef log when it comes to your holiday entertainment? 


State your case/air your grievances in the comments!

Grieving and Forgiveness

This post is part of a blog carnival where everyone writes on one word, this time: grief.  Thanks to Peter Pollock and Bridget Chumbley and be sure to check out the entries. I am sure they will be insightful and rich (as they always are).

In yesterday’s entry I talked about forgiveness and specifically what unforgiveness will do to our spiritual lives.  It’s like a cancer that eats at us and that bitterness becomes uncontrollable even if it seemed nonthreatening at first.

When I started thinking about grief, I kept being drawn back to this area of forgiveness because there are several things God keeps making very real to me.

Sometimes we get duped into thinking that if we can manage to forget the pain of the past or the hurt of other people then we’ll be fine.  God is very good at getting to the bottom of things.  He’s not content with us being “all right” because He offers absolute healing.  The price He paid was so we could overcome! That healing is most often a process, but not facing grief doesn’t make it go away.

We may think it’s too painful to deal with, but what kind of pain do we open ourselves up to when we get bitter and harbor the hurts.  Perhaps on our own, it is too painful, but we are not alone.

Grieving in God is not meant to be forever.  Psalm 30:5 says, “…His anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.”

Remember the story of Joseph.  Since he was a guy like us, I am certain he had to grieve in the process of forgiveness.  Waking up every day a slave who was betrayed by his own brothers, missing his father and mother and home, not knowing how things would turn, eventually going to prison wrongfully—there was much to grieve and plenty to forgive.  His "night" of weeping lasted a long time, but God's plan and word was working the entire time.  Rejoicing and joy did come.

What Joseph understood and I want to understand more deeply is that if God is bigger than my circumstances, I have to forgive.

If I were to paraphrase, this is what Joseph told his brothers when he revealed himself and then saved the entire family from death.  Genesis 45 breaks it down so clearly when Joseph says, “And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you… it was not you who sent me here, but God.”

Wait a minute! I thought my difficulties and hardships were because people are jerks and they were out to hurt me and destroy me.  You mean God can use all of this and fold it into His plan?

Joseph faced up to the despicable things done to him and chose to walk out forgiveness.  Why? Because again, if God is bigger and greater than my present circumstances and situation, then there is no other choice than to grieve the loss and then forgive.

That’s what God does every single day and why Jesus told us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us that we may be sons of our Father in heaven (Matt. 5:44-45).  Every hurt, bit of suffering (large or small), pain, wrong committed, false judgment, curse, whatever—He is more than able.

Our God is indeed bigger than anything you are currently facing and whatever or whoever has caused it.  Open your eyes wide, grieve what was lost, then let forgiveness unlock a door of joy and peace like never before.

The Unforgiveness Epidemic

Yesterday at Breakthrough Church, I spoke about the power and necessity of forgiveness while also underscoring the destructive elements of bitterness and unforgiveness.

I’m certain I’m not the first to compare unforgiveness to a cancer in our body, but I was surprised at some of the things I learned as I looked into it.  This insidious weapon can only gain a place if deny access to the Holy Spirit.

I’ll say here as I did yesterday, that I in no way intend to demean what people have gone through in the battle against cancer.  I have had loved ones with the disease, and some of the details I found brought a startling correlation to how bitterness works in our lives.

First off, cancer is a type of disease in which mutated cells (i.e., cancer cells) in our body starts increasing very quickly which can harm the healthy cells and can be dangerous to our lives when it becomes uncontrollable.

Some incredible facts:

• I was shocked to find out that our body develops near about one million cancer cells per day and destroys them every day.  This draws our attention to the reality that we have to be on guard, living in thanks and praise, walking out forgiveness as we stay in fellowship with God.  Every day there are so many opportunities for us to exercise forgiveness or not, to effectively destroy bitterness. If our spiritual immune system is weak, we have a hard time fighting the cancer cells.
• Cancer may happen in any organ or part of the body like skin, breasts, lungs, blood and digestive organs. We have to remember this for ourselves and be on guard while also remembering that we are part of a larger body and community.  We not only affect ourselves, but the entire Body of Christ.
• Carcinogens (any agent used in the spread of the cancer—think asbestos, cigarette smoke) attack the cells and the healthy cells change to cancer cells.  We have to be careful what we take in to our spirit man.  Whether it’s from others, our own thoughts, or lies from the enemy of our souls—what we let in may attack at the cellular level.
• When I say attack the cells, I mean the very DNA of the cell.  So not only does cancer attack, but it destroys at the most fundamental level, our DNA.  Bitterness does the same.  We are brand new creations in Christ, our spiritual DNA is what He gave to us.  The unforgiveness works its way in and destroys that code then spreads and spreads.
• The cancer cells consume nutrients but do nothing.  Sounds like a clear picture of robbing to me.  I’m sure we can all testify that when we allow unforgiveness and hatred in, even when someone encourages us we feel numb.  These cells take up space and gobble up the life that is trying to establish connection to the Father. 

In our spiritual lives, the cancer of unforgiveness takes up valuable real estate that God has plans for.  He wants to imbue us with life, joy, peace, grace, and more; but with the other present, it’s just a black hole sucking up the goodness of God with no benefit.

I began by saying that these cancer cells harm healthy cells and become dangerous when they get uncontrollable.  I have to ask, are you entertaining or allowing unforgiveness to settle in?  If so, do you really believe you can keep it check by sheer force of will?  Maybe for a little while, but there comes a point where the dam breaks.

Ephesians 4:26-27,31: "In your anger do not sin": Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold... Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.”

I’m so glad to be a recipient of divine grace.  It may be a process, but I can walk out complete forgiveness for even the most horrible offenses because of what Jesus accomplished through His life and bearing my cross.  It’s time to recognize unforgiveness as we should, a cancerous enemy. It’s not something to be toyed with.

Is there something you need to let go of today, allowing God to do what you can’t?  It’s not only possible, it’s a necessity.  Forgiveness is life to us. 

If you'd like to listen to the entire message, The Unforgiveness Epidemic, just click here.

Light Friday Hit List: 11/27/09

I’m coming at you with a special Black Friday edition of the hit list.  Maybe this will shine a light on all those in the darkness of 4 AM madness sales (if being in line at a store is not madness, I don’t know what is).

After you awaken from your turkey-induced coma and however you decide to spend your day, I’ve compiled a list of great encouragement, challenge, humor, and stuff like that there.  Enjoy in good health!

• Funny—Lego Love Leads to Engagement from newslite.tv (bonus: alliterative title!)
• Tweet—@HappyCoupleXprt Relationship quote "Live in such a way that you would not be ashamed to sell your parrot to the town gossip." Will Rogers
• Idea—Giving Up (Christmas Change) by Heather of the EO
• Reminder—You Can’t Microwave It by Pete Wilson
• Kick-in-the-teeth—Charity, a spiritual discipline? from the  Neue blog
• Thanksgiving Post—Kai by Bridget Chumbley (very powerful, emotional post)

I hope you have a blessed weekend.  This will be the last one spent in our old house before we become nomads for a few weeks. Thankfully after that we go on a Christmas vacation with the family—so excited.  All in all I know God is up to wonderful things. 

This week’s random pic (which in no way is meant to mess with vegetarians—okay, maybe a little):

If you have a favorite link to share or want to comment on one of these, please do!  Conversation is not only welcomed, but appreciated.  I could add that to the list of things I’m thankful for.

Thanksgiving Is Here!

I happen to love Thanksgiving.  I’m blessed to be part of a loving family that loves to be together 93.6% of the time. I am thankful for this, all that God has provided and all He has called me to believe for.  Yes, I’m even thankful for the hard things that are producing great fruit in my life and drawing me closer to Him.

I’m thankful for our church and the vision God has given us to be breakthrough in our city.  I’m thankful for each individual that gives of themselves to see the love and light of Jesus shine all around, allowing Christ to be formed in them.

I’m thankful that God always provides.  He stops not only to take note of my circumstance, but to intervene on those areas I have surrendered to Him.  He leads and guides us.  Even with our housing situation, it’s been scary and there have been a few leaps of faith, but He has always caught us.

This leads me to my next thanks—I’m so grateful for a strong, godly wife.  Many don’t see or understand the depth of what is there, but I do and I couldn’t be more thankful.  Beautiful, brilliant, and a heart for God—I am a blessed man as are our children.

I could go on and on about being thankful because I really am, but can I encourage you to live and express it every day?  Would you go over to everydaytestimony.com and leave a short (or long) praise to God? It will not only cultivate thankfulness in your own life but bless others.  Do that then be sure to express it to those you love and care for as well.

“Count your blessings. Once you realize how valuable you are and how much you have going for you, the smiles will return, the sun will break out, the music will play, and you will finally be able to move forward the life that God intended for you with grace, strength, courage, and confidence.” –Og Mandino

For those who bargained for an all-serious post today, sorry—enjoy this youtube video, “The Turkey Song” (warning: it may be stuck in your head all day).

Have a blessed and wonderful Thanksgiving!

Let Me Help You with That

Yesterday I talked about how God knows you and places you where you are, even hard situations, so that you can trust and express His life and victory.  I also wrote about knowing yourself, strengths and weaknesses, can be a great asset. And pain does not equal a mistake.

Today, I want to take the encouragement a little further.

What happens when you try to fix a mistake that wasn’t a mistake? I’m not talking about getting away from things that you had no business doing or direction for.  I’m also not talking about sin, self-righteousness, hyporcrisy, or anything like that.

When there is pain in our lives, we first draw the conclusion that we’ve messed up—or at least I do.  My first thought is that I have done something wrong.  It’s not that God is punishing me so much as I believe the pain must be consequences of my actions.

I’ll draw you (as I have to draw myself) back to Hebrews 12 where the author tells us that we can endure all hardship as discipline.  Verse 11 goes on, “No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.”

If I back away from what God’s called me to do in big or small ways because I conclude pain=mistake, I miss something powerful God wanted to do, lessons He wanted me to learn, victory He wanted me to express.

As my wife and I were foster parents (who were also looking to adopt), we knew great pain and had to wrestle through whether we were doing the right thing for us, our son Noah, and even these kids coming into our home.  It seemed overwhelming dealing with all of it, and we had plenty of well-meaning people tell us that we needed to quit because we cared too deeply.

If we had concluded our pain meant we were on the wrong track and let go, we would not have the two beautiful children we adopted.  We had the conviction that God had shown us we were to do this.  Some days were horrible and some contained so much joy that we wanted to explode.

We touched lives and continue to touch our little ones’ lives.  We even plan on doing it again at some point.  This is not a commercial for foster-parenting (although if you pray and feel it’s an option for you, please find out more information.  Good, loving foster parents are very much needed).  This is one example out of hundreds or thousands—ministries, relationships, marriages, jobs—anything could apply.

What has God asked of you?  What are your dreams? You know, it’s that thing in the core of your being that won’t go away, won’t let you go. 

Don’t begin, hit a wall, and think it’s too hard or painful to continue.

Don’t try to fix a mistake that isn’t a mistake at all.  It’s simply God leading you to trust His greatness in the face of your insufficiency.  His grace is enabling you.  His Spirit is within you and upon you.  His power is being perfected in our weakness.

If you feel convicted as you read this and know you tried to fix something that was God, simply repent and turn it back to Him.  If you’re in the struggle right now and wanting to give up, hold tenaciously to His unchanging hand.

My thoughts and feeling when left un-submitted and un-surrendered  to Him become a hindrance and I want to put my hand into fixing it or run away completely.

What do you think? Is there anything you’re trying to fix right now that God is saying, “trust me”?