New Year's Resolutions

Successful New Year's Resolutions always involve two things: Passion and Accountability. You have to want to do something, and you have to have someone or something that wags a finger in your direction when you lose sight of your goal. It also helps if you can brag a little through social media . . . “Hey, look at me, I accomplished this . . .” Of course, there’s risk with going public . . .especially if you backslide. The person whose says, “Hey, I lost 30 pounds” on social media looks foolish when they gain back 50.

My mother’s mom was a Middle School teacher for 36 years. To keep her mind sharp, she resolved to do two things: She kept a daily journal of the day’s weather and important sports’ scores – like the daily Braves' score. She also worked a daily crossword puzzle. She also quit smoking. She lived to be 92. She left us with more than 500 small wire bound, steno notebooks. In early August 1998, at 87, she wrote of one day, “Hot.” The next day, she wrote, “Still very hot.” The next day, she wrote, “Hot as hell.”

While I respected and respect in memorial my grandmother's resolutions, her approach was short-sighted and not a Biblical approach to life management or what I call "life stewardship." You see, the best resolutions for us - as believers - are those that help us live longer and live better, maximizing our opportunities for sharing the gospel and making disciples. If I lose weight just for me, well, that's sinful. But, if I lose weight as part of a strategy to improve my quality of life to better serve others, well, that's using Resolutions as part of spiritual growth.

The Bible does not promote or denounce our little habit of New Year’s Resolutions. To the Lord, there’s no difference in Dec. 31 or Jan. 1. But, Scripture does promote taking care of ourselves while we are on this Earth. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 : Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to  yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body."

The No. 1 resolution every year is to lose weight or get in physical shape. The reason most people is because they do it for themselves rather than as preparation of themselves to serve others. Also, people want quick results with minimal effort. That never happens.

Since the 8th grade, when I was a chubby-cheeked teenager, I've battled a weight problem. I love to cook, I love to eat my cooking. I also love ice cream. In 2011, I went to the doctor for a routine office visit and my blood pressure was surprisingly high. So high, in fact, that my doctor put me on blood pressure medicine - a pretty high dosage. My youngest brother, whose is also overweight, has been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. In December 2013, weighing the most I've ever weighed and eye-balling another increased waist size, I bemoaned my physical condition. My oldest son said, "Dad, if you don't do anything to change, you are just going to get heavier and probably die sooner. You think that's what God wants from you?"

As a believer, I'm not afraid of death, but I am afraid of not finishing well. I want to finish this life well. So, in January 2013, I resolved to eat better and exercise daily, starting with just a 20-minute daily walk around the neighborhood. Quickly, it became something I wanted to do. I joined a gym with an accountability partner. I bought a $5 annual membership to the church gym for the days I didn't go to the more formal gym. On my walks, I learned that I could worship while walking. I listened to faith music, listened to sermons and prayed as I walked 20, 30, 40, and then 60 minutes a day.

In July, I went for my annual physical. I was a little bummed at the scale weight - I had expected to lose more weight. But, my doctor showed me the more important numbers like cholesterol and blood sugar and heart rate. All of those were the best they had been in 22 years. No kidding. My cholesterol fell through the floor. He told me what my gym partner had been telling me - don't be consumed by the scale. Be consumed by new energy and better blood / sugar numbers.

In the past two years, Vicki and I have been faced with dementia. We have walked this journey with Vicki's mama. In 2012, I was convicted about spending far too much time in front of the television and computer screens, and not enough time reading and learning. The best way to keep your body in shape is to exercise it; the best way to keep your mind in shape is to exercise. And, so, I resolved to read 25 books per year and 200 by 2019 - when I turn 60. I read at bedtime and have found no problem in reading 25 books per year.

I go to bed at 10 p.m. and I read at least one chapter or up to 30 minutes. Going to bed earlier, I've found I get up earlier - usually wake up without an alarm clock by 5:30 or 6. There's something to that "early to bed and early to rise" maxim because I do feel better all the way around. As for accountability, well, Vicki's an avid reader and we talk about the books we read.

Again, and I stress this, taking care of yourself is about being in "shape" for ministry - not to brag on Facebook, impress people at the beach, or impress the person in the mirror. In fact, Paul writes in 1 Timothy 4:8, “For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.” Godliness is the end goal of all resolutions to improve self. Anything else is likely to fail.

Closing thoughts:

• Make sure your motivation to improve self is for Kingdom service.
• Read Scripture and Pray about how God can use you.
• Don't be discouraged if you slip while on the road to improving your self. Don't use slipping as an excuse, but as motivation to get back on track.
• Expect God to use you. He will. He can. God can use you where you aren't capable of serving alone. In that, life becomes a real adventure!

The Change Up

God gave me a lesson to teach this week, but then He hijacked that lesson and replaced it with another.

Reading this week from the book of Romans - written by Paul - I came across the familiar verse of Romans 12:2-3: "Don't copy the behavior and customs of the world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then, you will know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect." I understand the larger context of that verse, but it spoke to me differently this time: "Change the way you think, Scott, change up the way you are living. Let God use that to transform you."

I came away from Christmas this year somewhat sick at my stomach.

Every year, we go to bed late on Christmas Eve and get up early on Christmas morning. Then, we rush through our family time so that we can pack up and get on the road to Atlanta. We must be at my parents’ house by 4:30 or 5 because at 5:30 we sit down to a meal of prime rib, Aunt Lou’s rice, green beans cooked in fat back, some kind of strawberry salad, Sister Shubert’s frozen dinner rolls, and chocolate layer cake for dessert. Then, we descend into the great room – all 21 of us – for a marathon of opening gifts most of which everyone knows will be exchanged so receipts are included inside the gift. Then, we watch a little television and go to bed. The next day, Christmas is over, and we all begin to drift back to our homes, and my parents are generally glad to see us leave, taking the chaos of the Christmas celebration with us. Each year, it is a mind-numbing exercise in routine. Over and over, year after year, it is the same scene in the same drama of our lives. And, because it’s monotonous, going-through-motions, the same old same old, we begin to get lethargic with Christmas and with family. Our celebration, unintentionally, becomes stagnant. Christmas becomes more about the “doing just to get it over with” rather than “celebrating family through Christmas.” It's time for a change up.

And, stagnation in one area of our life begins to infect every corner of our lives. Our days, our months, our years all begin to look like one another. Did you celebrate Valentine’s Day the same old way as last year? Flowers, card, candy, dinner out, sex? Maybe all the pieces were there, but how different would it be say if you had sex first? Then, you ate the candy together in bed. At least it would be different. What? Not without alcohol? Well, maybe a little champagne breakfast is just what you and yours need on a Valentine’s Day. And, this year, on a Thursday! Now, that's changing it up!

Stagnation and lethargy are suffocating the human experience. Vicki and I were in Washington DC this past weekend. I was the speaker at a church communication clinic,and we decided to turn the trip into a Valentine's getaway. On Friday, she wanted to visit the national Holocaust Museum. I had been there before, and so I let Vicki tour at her own pace. I went to the various “reflection” areas just to think and pray and listen to the testimonies of the Holocaust survivors. A message kept coming through to me, “count every single day as precious – count every single day as an opportunity to really live it. Don’t let your life become complacent. Don’t let your life become lethargic and stagnant.”

Change things up. Keep your life fresh. Value your relationships.

• Every day with your spouse should be like your first date with your spouse. 
• Every day with your children should be like the first day you held them.
• Every day with your Savior should be like the day you first confessed Jesus as your Savior.

The problem is that life calls us to conformity. It's easy (lazy, I say) to just get into routines and schedules and habits, walking like zombies through life and leaving a wake of complacency, lethargy and stagnation. We do the same things the same way - year after year after year - and then we moan from our death beds, "Where did my life go?" I will tell  you this, more and more I am an advocate of "change for the sake of change." Let's just do things differently. And, see if we can't experience a revival of God in our lives because of it.

Perhaps the most sad thing of all is when we let our faith – our precious faith – slip into stagnation. It is so easy for our faith lives and our practice of faith to be no different in 2013 than it was in 2012, 2011, 2010, and 2009. And, I laugh when I hear people say, “I will be a better believer when my children are grown because I will have more time for church and faith.” Great for you - not so good for your children. And, the most unchurched group of people in America? Empty-nesters, who no longer feel the pressure to have their children at church. Stagnation today will be even greater tomorrow. It's a cancer.

You and I need a new enthusiasm.
We need a new enthusiasm over our faith. We need a new enthusiasm over time with Scripture, prayer, the gathering of believers, and the service toward others.
We need a new enthusiasm over our spouses.
We need a new enthusiasm over our children, parents and siblings.
We need a new enthusiasm over the family calendar.
We need a new enthusiasm over our friends, and the finding of new friends in faith.
We need a new enthusiasm over evangelism and telling others about Jesus.
We need a new enthusiasm over this precious life we have been given.

I pray every day that you and I can be part of a revival in Lexington, SC. Not that we necessarily lead it, but that we just have opportunity to be a part  of it. I want to see men and women, husbands and wives, say, I’m going to love Jesus deeply and my life – my priorities, my calendar and even my bank account – will show it. I'm going to change things up.

I’m going to open the Bible every day. I’m going to pray every day – even if I just close my eyes and sit quietly. I’m going to stun my wife by sitting beside her on the sofa and holding her hand – not toward the goal of seeing her naked, but just because I love her. I’m going to go on walks with my children – individually – so I can hear their voices, and I’m not going to be a dream-killer when they share the dreams of their hearts. For no reason whatsoever, I am going to call my parents and siblings and just say, "I love you and I appreciate you."

I decided in December that I would change things up by adding weekly exercise to my calendar. My med-school son pushed me further. "You can't work out 2-3 days a week, dad, and then go eat Rush's chili cheeseburgers. Count your calories, watch  your salt and what your fat. But, mostly, dad, do something every day - walk 20 minutes every day. Do something to get your heart rate going."

I've gotten to where I look forward to the daily walk of 60 minutes or more. I use the time to pray or to listen to Scripture on my iPod, or just listen to a good book - usually fiction or a biography - on tape. I feel better because of the walk. I've met some good people who have encouraged me and whom I have encouraged. I sleep better because of the exercise, and because I sleep better my days are more rested and focused. I'm getting more work done in less time. I'm more patient and sympathetic because I'm more rested and feel better. One hour of walking every day has changed a lot of different places of my life. That one hour has shaken me out of a lethargy that beset me in the final quarter of 2012.

Change something. Let God shake open your life like shaking out a bed sheet on a nice Spring morning. What can God do with me and you if we just change some things to live today differently from this day last year and from yesterday? Revival begins with me and you. We need to change things up.

Expecting God To Reveal Himself

Ask God to forgive your sin (selfishness) against Him, clearing out the decay that comes between your daily walk with God through faith in Jesus.

Expect God to reveal Himself to you - in big and small ways, through things you see, words you hear, and people who cross your life. Sometimes God will reveal Himself through your ministry to others; sometimes God will reveal Himself in the way you are encouraged. Sometimes you will need to look in the rear view mirror of your day and see how God revealed Himself.

In Exodus 7:1-13, God comes to Moses, who is living in the desert. He instructs Moses to go to Pharaoh, whom God has made stubborn. Pharaoh loves having more than 600,000 slaves to build his empire, and he is not about to free them. Freeing them would all but destroy the Egyptian economy. God tells Moses to go see Pharaoh and a supreme leader of the world to release the Jews from captivity. God tells Moses that Pharaoh will refuse to listen to Moses, opening the door for God to "multiply my miraculous signs and wonders in the land of Egypt. I will crush Egypt with a series of disasters after which I will lead the fores of Israel out of Egypt."

God told Moses: (a) Go to Egypt; (b) Do what I tell you to do; (c) Know that I will do exactly what I say I will do; (d) No human force can stop me; and (e) Expect it to happen.

Moses reaction (Exodus 3:11) was to doubt Himself and, in reality, doubt God. Moses was 80 years old. He was returning to Egypt, where he had committed murder. Moses sinned because he doubted God. Throughout chapter 4, Moses wrestled with God, offering excuses which God dissolved. In the end, Moses surrendered "self" to God plans, and God allowed Aaron to travel with Moses.

Imagine these two men standing in front of almighty Pharaoh. In a test-drive, God had revealed his miracles to them, but this was showtime. Exodus 7:10:  “So Moses and Aaron went to see Pharaoh, and they performed miracles just as the Lord had told them. Aaron threw down his staff before Pharaoh and the court, and it became a snake. Then Pharaoh called in his wise men and magicians, and they did the same thing with their secret arts. Their staffs became snakes, too! But, then Aaron’s snake swallowed up their snakes.”

There are no forces more powerful than Almighty God. He speaks to common people just like me and you, calls us to work that only He can do, puts events in our lives that only He can calendar, and crosses our lives with people that only He can send. We must recognize that God can do things we can't understand and we must expect it, and be ready to act.

In Jeremiah 29:13, the people of Judah are in Babylonian captivity, and God says to them, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” That chills me to the core. You and I are captives to this sinful world – God says we will find peace, joy, love, hope, patience, courage and wisdom when we seek Him with all you heart – when we completely turn from the worship of the world – we will find a sweet spot with Him. He says, "I will show up." But, we must turn from the worship of the world and then seek God.

I've started to pray with an expectation that God will reveal Himself.

It begins with shaking loose the sour spots of my life, confessing that my actions and attitudes (even when some are rationalized as good), are sins against God. And, once I've made that confession, I have an expectation that God will reveal Himself to me. Most of the time, these revelations can just be a reminder of God's goodness in my life through a memory, or an encouraging word, or someone He sends my way. Most of these revelations aren't "big events," but small expressions of His love that my otherwise busyness would cause me to miss completely.

God is all around us. 

God is living in us.

God never sleeps.

If we can't daily see God at work, what does that say about us?

I believe God wants to reveal Himself every day and all the time. I believe He wants to encourage us, and remind us of His greatness. I believe He is calling us to be on mission with Him.

Last week, I went "home" to Georgia. I had not been since May. I love to stand in my mama's front yard, in the fall, with the wind rushing through those hardwoods and leaves falling all around. It's one of my favorite things to do and I wanted to experience it. My dad is having back surgery after Thanksgiving, and my visit also allowed me to go to his pre-op appointments with him.

As I drove to Atlanta, I prayed. I confessed my sins against the Lord, and then I prayed, “Lord, this is going to be such a busy trip; I pray that you teach me through others, that you allow me to minister as necessary, and that you reveal yourself to all of us.”

On Friday morning, my dad and I got up at 5:30 a.m. to make an 8 a.m. doctor’s appoint – 15 miles from their home. On the way to the doctor's office, traveling in the dark, drinking coffee, my dad began to pour out how proud he is of me. This is the serious side of my dad. He is a lover, and he loves to encourage the ones that he loves, especially when he has them one-on-one. I just listened as God spoke through Him, encouraging me to continue loving Vicki and the boys.

God showed up.

During the pre-op visit at the doctor's office, the nurse remarked that dad's blood pressure was a little high. As we got to the hospital for the pre-op testing, his blood pressure had gone higher still. As we sat in a small room, I asked him, “Daddy, are you nervous about this surgery?” He said, “Not nervous, but I do wish I didn’t need to have it.” Then, he really began to tell me just how the pain is – in his back, legs and feet. It is the byproduct of scar tissue from back surgery 50 years ago.

Soon, a nurse case worker came in – Elizabeth. Around her neck, she wore a cross. I know many people wear crosses for secular reasons, but there was something special about this nurse. There was a sincerity to her voice, a calming in her nature, and a wonderful "bedside" manner. As she talked to my dad, his desire to entertain the nurses with funny stories began to subside. He grew calmer. Elizabeth began fingering the cross on her neck. I believe she sensed my dad's nervousness about the surgery. As we talked, and as she worked the cross, I had this feeling that she was working to communicate with us without having to say the words.

Finally, she turned the conversation to Christmas. And, she stepped into unknown waters, telling us how she respected all religions, but that she much preferred "Merry Christmas" over "Happy Holidays." And, we agreed. And, that opened the door for her to say, "You know, Mr. Vaughan, you don’t have to worry about this surgery, right?” God was so powerfully there at that moment. She said, “You can be nervous, but don’t worry. Faith will see that everything works out the way it should.” It was probably risky for her to do that, but it was so wonderfully orchestrated by Almighty God.

God showed up. God revealed Himself to me. 

Moses was nervous, scared, inadequate and felling very out of control. God provided Aaron, and as Moses responded to God over self, God provided the strength and courage for Moses to move forward on mission.

God showed up.

This Thanksgiving week, and on into the Christmas holidays, you and I will be around a lot of people – family and friends, and strangers in Wal-Mart. Let me encourage you to turn from whatever selfishness is between you and God, and then pray that God will reveal Himself to you – in conversations, chance encounters, and quiet time with family. It may be that you are needed to minister to someone; it may be that God will encourage you through others. But, don’t miss the opportunity each day to see and hear from Almighty God, who loves each of us so much. 

God is all around us. Expect to see Him at work.

Childlike Faith

Acceptance, Faith and Trust.

This past week I was in Denver, leading a clinic for pastors from five states – Colorado to California.

There was a Target across the street from the hotel, and so it naturally hypnotized me into going inside and spending about $35. As I was waiting in the checkout line, the lady in front of me pointed to a little boy – about five or so – sitting alone on a bench. She said, “I have been watching him for several minutes, and I’m not sure there’s an adult with him.” This got my attention, the clerk’s attention, and the attention of a few others. A store manager was called. As I checked out, I drifted closer to the adults who gathered around the little boy.

The kind store manager was asking him his name, asking if he was lost, and the little boy sat there perfectly calm. He simply said, “I’m waiting on my dad; he said he would be right back.” Is he in the store? Is he in the restroom? Where is your dad? The little boy said, “I don’t know where he is, but he said he will be right back and for me to wait.” And, so he was patiently waiting. So trusting of his dad, I believe he would have been whistling, too, had his dad asked him to whistle while waiting.

Just as the manager was about to call the police, the little boy’s dad arrived. Obviously, he met a lynch mob with two dozen scolding eyes, a few tough questions, and reminders that this is not a safe world.

Most of the people left that quick scene thinking about the lunacy of the dad. I left thinking about the faith of the little boy. His words made an impression on me: “I’m waiting on my dad; he said he would be right back.”

Faith is action without understanding. 

That’s what the little boy had – faith in his dad. To his core, he knew his dad would be back. He didn't know where his dad went or his dad's motivation, but he trusted what he didn't know and what his dad had told him. He had faith. The world around the little boy didn't share his faith, but the boy knew all was well because he knew his dad. And, he trusted his dad. And, he had faith in his dad. And, while the scene did not make sense to all of us – to the little boy it all made perfect sense, especially when the dad showed up.

This is a metaphor for our relationship with God made possible by faith in Jesus. 

Like the little boy, we say, "Lord, I don’t understand everything in The Bible, I can’t see you when I pray or hear your audible respond to my prayers, and it blows my mind to think that a feeble-minded human like me can communicate with you as the sovereign Lord of the Universe. And, yet, you tell me that you love me, and I have faith that you do.You tell me not to be afraid of yesterday, today and tomorrow because you will be with me until the end of the age, and I faith that you are there. You tell me that you have a plan for me, and I can believe that you do. My questions about life often outnumber the answers, Lord, but you tell me to wait on you and everything will become clear, and so I have faith in that, too."

That's exactly how each of us approaches the Lord. Right? No, we don't. Few of us are consistent in that childlike approach.

Something happens between childhood and adulthood. We are born totally dependent on others and so we develop faith that our needs will be met, we will be protected and we will be loved. We don't fully understand where and how it comes from, but we have faith that it is provided. But, as we age and mature, we become more self-reliant and independent. The world teaches and forces us to do so. We realize that we can do better for ourselves than others can do for us. We are hurt by the fickle nature of humanity. We lose faith in people, and that causes us to lose faith in God. We bring God down to our human level and ask human questions like, "Why did you let this happen?" or "Where were you?" We forget that God is supernatural; we are not. Our childhood faith is replaced by a jaded, adulthood faith.

As a little boy, before age 10, I was feeling conviction of the Holy Spirit to commit my life to Jesus. I could not escape it. Every chapter of my life – family, friends, church – everything was pointing me back to Jesus, and knowing Him as my Savior. But, I was scared; I was hesitant. The public profession, the baptism – it all paralyzed me.

Each summer, our family attended a few evening services at the Holbrook Campmeeting, which was a United Methodist event but attended by a lot of Baptists and Pentecostals. Services three times each day culminated in that evening service in the center of a circle of cabins. Services were conducted in an outdoor arbor with sawdust floor, old wooden pews, and funeral home fans because there was no air conditioning.

I can’t remember the name of the preacher on that hot summer night, but I remember the Scripture that he preached – Luke 18:15-17: “One day some parents brought their little children to Jesus so he could touch them and bless them, but the disciples told the parents not to bother Jesus. Then Jesus called for the children and said to the disciples, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I assure you anyone who doesn’t have their kind of faith will never get into the Kingdom of God.”

As the preacher finished, I just went to pieces. I thought God Almighty was about the punish my parents for my failure and nervousness about publicly acknowledging Jesus. My mama helped me understand that I had missed the message; that despite all of my fear and questions, I needed to simply let go and accept the salvation from sin offered through Jesus. Childlike faith - stepping into Jesus with lots of questions.

The faith of a child. Accepting the helplessness of the world, and the reality that God reigns over all of it. Faith that many of my questions will not be answered until I get to heaven, but I will trust completely in God's provision through Scripture. And, like a little boy in Target, I will have a quiet confidence that someone much larger and greater than me - God - is in control.

I am honored and humbled that people come to me with questions, for prayer, and with concerns over the problems of this world. And, what I try to do is reach in beyond the problem to the question of childlike faith. Where are you with Jesus? Do you believe in what Scripture tell us - not to worry, focus on others, and trust in Jesus? So many times, we as believers, focus on the problems and the root of our problem is a lack of childlike faith. If we had a child's faith, the swirl around us would not sting as badly because we would know - to the core of our being - that God is in control and all things work to His glory. 

Where are you? Please don't delay conversations about your faith journey or taking that journey to the next level. God has something He wants you to do and it's something that only you can do. And, He is waiting on you to step up with a childlike faith - not understanding and not knowing - to advance His Kingdom on Earth.

Confidence in God's power

I was born in that era when doctors gave injections to children rather than worrying over pills that might or might not be taken. And, I've had this lifelong bronchial - sinus thing that caused me to see a doctor a lot when I was a boy. And, the resulting injection of antibiotics was always administered in my butt cheek.

It was humiliating, especially when I got to the age of 7 or 8. It wasn't cool to drop your pants in front of a nurse you might see at church on Sunday. Forced to take a painful injection in the butt added insult to injury.

In the timeline of my life, one particular visit was in 1967. I was almost 8 years old. For months, I had protested receiving the injection in my rear-end, and my mama had assured me that 7 was the magic year in which I could switch from an injection in my hip to an injection in my arm. Thank the Lord.

So, on this particular visit in 1967, at almost 8 years old, I was confident that I would graduate from embarrassment to victory, and receive my injection of penicillin in the arm.

When we arrived at the doctor’s office, I was pleasantly surprised to see – in the waiting room – my Papa Paul – my mama’s daddy. He was there in his trademark white shirt and dark tie – a tall man who walked confidently and spoke authoritatively. To this day, I’m not sure why Papa Paul was at the doctor’s office that day.

But, on this day, I was so glad to see Papa Paul, and he was glad to see me. It gave me strength knowing he was there at the doctor's office, too. My mama began telling him about my ailment, and she continued telling him that I was anxious about getting a shot and mostly about pulling my pants down to receive the shot in the butt.They called him back to see the doctor ahead of me.

He was still back with the doctor when they called me, and mama and I began the slow walk back along the green and white tiled, sterile hallway to a room that smelled of antiseptic and cold metal. Dr. Jim made a quick assessment, told me I was going to get a shot, gave me a cherry Charms pop, and left the room. Soon, the nurse came into the room bearing the instrument of my humiliation. Okay, she said, pull your pants down.

I looked at my mama, and in slow motion, waited on her to rush to my defense. Finally, she half-heartedly said, “He would prefer to have the shot in his arm.” I was so disappointed; I expected my mama to be more forceful than that. And, the nurse dismissed her and said, “It will be better in his hip; pull your pants down son.” I took in a big breath of air, on the verge of tears, and then looked up.

My Papa Paul was standing in the door, and he said, “If that boy wants the shot in his arm, give him the shot in his arm.” For just a minute I thought my mama would protest, but the look the great man gave her reduced her to silence.The nurse looked at my Papa Paul. Tension hung in the air. I quickly buckled my pants and jerked my shirt over my head, thrusting my arm at her and looking away.

The nurse wanted to protest, but my Papa Paul just said, “Hurry up, I have other places to be.” I got my shot in the arm. I didn’t know my Papa Paul very well. He died within months of that experience, and it’s one of only a handful of memories that I can remember. But, I will never forget the swell of confidence that rushed through me, knowing that someone bigger, someone more powerful, someone with authority had stood in the door for me. For the first time in my life, I knew what it was like to know the confident power that comes from a support system.

That support system begins and ends with Almighty God, who is front of us and in our tomorrow, beside us and in our today, and behind us shielding us from the pain of yesterday.

"Jesus looked at them intently and said, "Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But, with God everything is possible." - Matthew 19:26.

God is not a human being. I once heard someone refer to a quarter moon as the "thumb nail of God." I've stared up at a quarter moon, imagining God's thumb nail as the moon and then grasping how God would literally fill the sky if that were true. And, then I remember that God is even larger and mightier and more sovereign than that.

God is heavy - not in a suffocating way - but in a thick and ever-present way. He doesn't sleep. He doesn't nap. He doesn't take a lunch break. He is everywhere in His fullness and all at the same time. He is all-knowing; he is even in the thoughts occurring in the deepest and darkness places of our minds. 

God is with us in our best and brightest moments. He is with us when we stumble and fall. And, He is with us when we are scared, lonely and worried over the future coming at us. God is powerful beyond our ability to comprehend it. Isaiah 40:22: "He sits enthroned above the circle of the Earth, and its people are like grasshoppers. He stretches out the heavens like a canopy, and spreads them out like a tent to live in."

Like a little boy, scared at the doctor's office over an injection and seeing his granddaddy there as powerful support, so is God there with us in everything. And, with God, everything is possible. Nothing that we face - as confident confessors of Jesus Christ - nothing that we face do we face alone. God is already in it, He is already with us, and He is already behind us. God's love, strength and power covers it.

Sure, I was still a sick little boy. I still had to go to the doctor's office. I still had to get a shot, but what an unbelievable feeling of confidence and peace to know someone big and forceful was in my corner. Over and over again, in Joshua 1, God says, "Be strong and courageous because I am with you!" And, in Isaiah 26:3-4, the prophet writes, "You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you! Trust in the Lord always, for the Lord God is the eternal Rock."

Still don't get it? Read Psalm 136. In 26 verses, the Psalmist writes over and over, "God's faithful love endures forever." In those words, I see and feel the God who resurrected his son, Jesus, who had died for all of our sinfulness. In those words, I sense the hammer of God's power, the stomping of His feet as he rushes to our aid, and the jerking away of Satan's confusion that surround us. God never fails us. He never will.

But, as I bump into the pain of life – my own, my family's, and so many others, the thing that people are often missing is the confidence that God is with them. They will ask, "Where is God? Why isn’t God here? Why can’t I feel Him? Why can’t I have that confidence that He is in this storm with me?"

God is there. God is asking a question, too. As you and I ask, "Where is God?" God is asking, "Scott, where are you?" God is asking, "Scott, why can't you plow your life into Scripture and know me better? Why are you so easily blown about by the storms of life? Why can’t you take more seriously your prayer life – and if you don’t understand prayer, get around people who can teach you? Why are on the fringe of faith with others? Why are you so easily led by people who don't confess Jesus?

"Where am I? I am everywhere. Where are you, Scott, in pursuing me?" God will not make us choose Him. We make the choice.

If you are in a measure of pain or you are ministering to someone in pain, I want to encourage you to pursue God. Study your Bible. From one who studies the Bible every week for Sunday School, I can tell you that the more time you spend in Scripture, the more you will lean your life on Scripture. And, the more you lean on Scripture, the more the power of prayer will be revealed to you. God will send other believers into your life for the good times and the hard times. Scripture helps me recognize when God is sending people on His behalf. But, the choice is up to each of us - pursue God or not. Trust God or not. Walk confidently with God or not.

The closer I draw to God, the more I will confidently feel His awesome power and His peace in life's storm.

The J Word 6: Pace Yourself

As a recap, this summer we are studying Personal Evangelism – me (as a believer) telling someone else about my relationship with Jesus as directed by the Holy Spirit. Each and every believer is instructed by Jesus to do this (Matthew 28:19) – “Go, make disciples, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you.” Jesus is not suggesting we do this. Jesus is telling us to do this because (v. 18) “I have been given complete authority in heaven and on earth, therefore . . .”

What we’ve learned so far:

1. Be Social – we must be out and among people to tell some about Jesus.
2. Find Common Ground – when the Holy Spirit presents someone to us, we can find conversational common ground around family, hometown, hobbies and interests.
3. Spiritual Arousal – as we develop a conversation, we lean on the Holy Spirit for the opportunity to talk about faith, church, Scripture, prayer and, yes, Jesus. If we converse with people long enough, we’ll hear opportunity to move beyond hometowns and hobbies, and insert faith into the conversation. We don’t have to have the answers, we just have to Be Willing as followers of Jesus.

And, now we look at some Guidelines to Personal Evangelism. The first is this: Don’t Go Too Far, Too Fast.

In 1 Corinthians 3:1-2, Paul writes to the church at Corinth: “Dear brothers and sisters, when I was with you I couldn’t talk to you as I would to mature Christians. I had to talk as though you belong to this world or as though you were infants in the Christian life. I had to feed you with milk and not with solid food, because you couldn’t handle anything stronger. And you still aren’t ready, for you are still controlled by your own sinful desires. You are jealous of one another and quarrel with each other. Doesn’t that prove you are controlled by your own demons? You are acting like people who don’t belong to the Lord.”

In 1984, I was coaching a baseball team of boys ages 10-12. I was living in Statesboro, GA, serving as associate editor of the daily newspaper there. I had a good team, and I knew it. Jeff Yawn, Sean Sanders, Del Akins, Jonathan Stapleton, Jamie Sapp, and Chris Boyd were a few of the boys – now dads themselves – on that team. We won our division that year and I was able to coach All-Stars. But, the first day of practice, I was joined by two of the dads. While I gathered and completed all the necessary paperwork on the players, these two dads started practice. And, right off the bat, they put players at positions and started working on complicated cut-off plays between the outfielders and infielders. I watched in disbelief. I could tell the boys had no idea what these men were talking about, and the men were getting a little frustrated. So, here I am, 25, and I walk out to these two dads, and said something like, “We’re not doing that. We don’t need to teach them the entire game of baseball, we just need to teach them what they need to know at 10 and 12 to be competitive. Then, at the next level, someone can add to the foundation we’ve advanced.” And, so I called the boys in, apologized, and told them how we were going to it. We had so much fun that year, finished 15-5, and won our division championship. The lesson that I learned was this one: Sometimes, you can go too far, too fast – you have to meet people where they are, love and coach them right there, and nudge them on to the next level.

Each and every one of us is walking up a spiritual mountain. As new believers we are “born again” at the bottom of the mountain. Our climb up the mountain represents our spiritual growth. Spiritual growth occurs as we shed the priorities and wants and desires of this Earth, and replace them with the priorities of God to completely love Him, completely love and serve others, and make disciples. Up, up, up, we are called to climb. But, we can’t forget about those just starting out at the bottom of the mountain *or* those who don’t even know about the mountain! And, we can’t expect someone just starting a spiritual journey to suddenly join us where we might be. That’s like asking a first-grader to know Algebra, or feeding an infant a breakfast of steak, eggs and pancakes. No, we have to meet people where they are, listen and love them toward taking their own steps up the mountain of spiritual growth. One of the best testimonies we can give is to say, “Come on, friend, you can do it. I know what you are thinking and going through because I’ve been in that same place on this mountain.”

Even Jesus understood this. The backdrop of this Personal Evangelism study has been Jesus’ encounter with the woman at the well. When Jesus spoke to the woman at the well, John 4:13-16, he said to her, “People soon become thirsty again after drinking this well water. But, the water I give them takes away thirst altogether. It becomes a perpetual spring within them, giving them eternal life.” She says, “Please sir, give me some of that water! Then, I’ll never be thirsty again, and I won’t have to come here to haul water.” And, Jesus says, “Go and get your husband.” She says, “I have no husband.” Jesus says, “Right – you’ve had five of them and you aren’t married to the one you are with now.” You see, Jesus had the opportunity to move from the analogy of the living water to real faith conversations, but Jesus instead steps back and focuses the woman on her life and her life’s decisions. She had to confront her sinful (self-focused) choices, repent from them, and then embrace the living water of Jesus.

It’s easy to say, “I can’t do that” or “that’s not my comfort zone (to talk about faith with others)” but again – you and I, as believers, have no choice. If all authority has been given Jesus and He has instructed us to go and tell others, well, we must do it or we aren’t following Jesus ourselves. (That’s not good). When someone approaches me about faith or I have those common ground conversations, I never *plan* a strategy to talk about faith. I don’t go into those conversations with this calculated, strategic method of talking about Jesus. No, I just listen to the urging of the Holy Spirit as conversations unfold, and then I act on those urgings. My experience is that He will always provide the words and the direction and the answers that I need. And, sometimes the answer is “I don’t know, but let’s find out together.”

A Warning: While we are saying “don’t go too far, too fast” we can’t use that as a stalling tactic until we find the courage to talk to others about Jesus. No, this is not a method to let us off the hook or excuse our inadequacies. Because hovering over each day of our lives is an urgency to help people discover Jesus as Savior. People – men, women, teenagers – who die without confidently confessing Jesus as both Savior and Lord will spend an eternity separated from God. You and I need to bite down on that reality. We are not living a game. I know we are a culture of mercy and grace, and of second and third and fourth chances, but in this there is no second chance after death. All around us there are men, women and teenagers who have never heard a friend or family member talk about Jesus,  and there are people who wrongly believe a church ceremony standing only on its own merit secured their eternity. There are people attending church every Sunday who believe that good works secure their place in heaven. Most sadly, are those who have attend church all their lives, know all the answers, and carry a Bible yet have never confessed Jesus as their Savior. They want to confess Jesus, I know they do, but Satan has convinced them that they will be embarrassed by doing so as adults – especially living in the church as a believer for a long time. You and I must be Christian Soldiers in all of this confusion. We must share the gospel. We must balance the urgency of the hour with meeting people where they are, and helping them along. We must tell the world that we love Jesus, and be ready for Him to send people to us.        

My prayer is this:

1. If you are clinging to the world’s priorities, I want you to let go of that and lay your life down for Jesus. I want you to say, “I can’t do this life by myself, anymore. I’m tired of doing the same old thing all the time.” You and I must get right with Jesus so that we have a story to tell those who don’t know Him.
2. If you are committed to follow Jesus, I want you to get urgent about the people in your life. Do you love others enough to ensure they hear about Jesus. You can’t save them – all you can do is talk to them. Do you love them that much? Do you value you relationship with them more than you value their relationship with the Lord? You can talk to people about Jesus without being condescending or critical or ugly. Do you love them?
3. Can you take the time to meet people where they are in life, and help them take baby-steps toward faith? Can you build a relationship that involves a lot of time, a lot of prayer, a lot of conversations, a lot of your own self-reflection? Can you be patient, be authentic, be genuine, and love others toward a relationship with Jesus – regardless of how long it might take?

The J Word 5: Be Willing

By Chuck Cordovano -- Over the past month, we’ve discussed getting comfortable with Jesus; sharing our stories about Jesus with others, and encouraging others to talk about Jesus.  We should all develop our own concept of personal evangelism – how we share Jesus with others.  We’ve talked about two things we must do:

1.      Be Social – Jesus was social and Jesus called us to make disciples of others. 
In the 40 days after his crucifixion Jesus returned to the Apostles from time to time.  The Apostles kept asking him if the time had come for him to free Israel and restore his kingdom.  In Acts 1:7-8 Jesus says, “The Father alone has the authority to set those dates and times, and they are not for you to know. ⁸ But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” So, we too, are called by Jesus to witness – telling people about Him in our lives.

2.      Find Common Ground – Once we decide to be social, we have to find common ground with the people we are around to allow the Holy Spirit to move within us and find the opportunity to speak about Jesus.  In Acts 17: 16-33 Paul preaches to the Athenians.  It’s a great example of finding common ground with others in order to talk about Jesus.

I would add one more thing we must do to share Jesus with others . . . Be Willing.  We’re around other people, we’re working out, we’re on a business trip, we’re having lunch with a friend; we have to be willing to listen to the Holy Spirit and look for every opportunity to share Jesus with others.

Two weeks ago, Scott gave a convicted lesson on the Holy Spirit in each and every one of us.  Do you hear God’s voice inside you?  Do you feel you should do something, say something, help someone, and yet you don’t respond?

I do.  All the time. 

Many of you know I’m an alcoholic.  But, by the grace of God, I have not had a drink in more than 11 years.  Through my experiences and my struggle with alcohol I came to know Jesus.   One of the foundations of our class is the concept of having a faith story.  We have been urged to write our faith story and share it with our family, our friends, those un-churched; whoever the Holy Spirit nudges us to tell.  If you can’t tell someone your faith story and explain how Jesus has worked in your life, you may find it hard to witness to others.  If you need help with your faith story, ask, or go to the web site where we have a link that will help you understand how to tell your faith story.

I was blessed to be asked to share my faith story with the class a few years ago.  Although it was hard to stand up and tell a bunch of Baptists that I was a sinner and an alcoholic, it was the truth and admitting that truth to myself led me to Jesus.  I won’t go into that story with you today but I’m happy to share it with any of you.  Sharing it has given me the opportunity to help others.  I will say this:  Alcoholism is a disease of dishonesty.  Alcoholics are the biggest liars in the world.  Our inability to see what our illness does to those we love and the excuses we make to them result from the lies we tell to them and ourselves.

I have a beautiful wife and daughter who have never seen me drink and that is a blessing.  Unfortunately, I’m still a sinner.  I’ve seen so many people turn away from church because they believe we are hypocrites.  They also have been so beaten down by churches and religion in the past that they just figure they are going to hell anyway so . . .

Although we are sinners, although we are human and fail, we have to try to live and love others as Jesus would have us live and love.  We have to “live it.”  As much as I try to live a life of faith, I constantly fail. 

I do try and share my faith with others.  I look for opportunities.  Mention church on the tennis court and I’ll ask you what church you go to and tell you about mine.  If you don’t have a church home, I’ll invite you to LBC and the V Class.  I attend MOVERS, our men’s group that meets Saturday mornings.  We are always reading and discussing a book that relates to our Christian life.  So, when I travel I usually board a plane with a Christian book.  It opens opportunities to share with others. 

A few years ago, after we spent some time talking about the importance of our faith story, I was in Chicago with a client I had come to like very much.  We were on Michigan Avenue and across the street was Second Presbyterian Church, a beautiful church dedicated in 1874 known for its architecture and stained glass.  The Holy Spirit moved me to ask Rusty about his faith and tell him my faith story.  It turns out Rusty was troubled and had little faith in Jesus.  I urged him to find a church home and a Sunday School class and I told him I loved him.

Last year, another client, Eddie, spent almost two weeks in Lexington so we could work on a project.  Eddie is a wonderful young man in his 30s with a wife and two small children.  Eddie had never been to Waffle House.  So, I took him.  As he ate hash browns, scattered, smothered, covered, chunked, diced… with EVERYTHING on them I asked him where he went to church.  Although he was Christian, he didn’t go to church, and, being young, was confident he was in control of his life.  As an old alcoholic, I knew Eddie was not in control of anything and told him so.  Again, a chance to share my faith story, urge him to find a church home and Sunday school class, and to let him know I loved him.

A few months later, Eddie learned he had stomach and testicular cancer, and he and his wife had a new baby on the way.  I hope Eddie’s faith helped him get through the cancer.  He is in remission today, has a two month old baby, and a new house.  I hope my sharing with him helped him become closer to Jesus.  I thought of calling him and asking but decided the fact that we could talk about Jesus is enough for me.  The sharing is enough.  Being willing to share, being willing to listen for the Holy Spirit and to ACT is what’s important.

It’s the times I believe I hear the Holy Spirit and don’t act that affect me the most.  But, if I am social and looking for common ground with others and I’m willing to listen for the Holy Spirit’s quiet urging and, I try to live my life that way, I become closer to Jesus and help others do the same.

Life's Dark Valleys

In Psalm 23, David, on the run for his life and in a dark place personally, cries out, (v. 1) “The Lord is my shepherd; I have everything I need” and (v. 4) “Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me.” NLT.

We are guaranteed of walking through dark valleys in this life. They come relationally, they come financially, they come physically, and they come spiritually. Often, they intertwine with one another to be even darker. Financial pain can lead to relational pain, and often to physical pain. We can even begin to question faith through it all.

But, we see David’s reminder that the Lord is with us, and that is all we need in the dark valleys of our lives. And, David reminds us that we are walking *through* dark valleys – that there is an end to them. And, that as we walk through the valleys, we can do so without fear because God is close beside us . . . and He (and He alone) has the flashlight.

Here are six things to remember about your journey through the dark valleys:

• Dark valleys are guaranteed and they come to all of us. They are a byproduct of our sinful world, and none of us are immune to them. Some will be short, some long, some really bad, and some not so bad. A benefit of daily, personal spiritual growth through prayer, Bible study and the fellowship of believers is that we will be spiritually prepared for the dark valleys when they come.
• God is always with us as we walk through the darkness. For those who know Jesus, God is always with us. He will not abandon us. One way that God walks with us is through the fellowship of believers like our Sunday School class and church. Stay close to other believers; we are family – brothers and sisters in Christ.
•  God permits the dark valleys and uses them to shape us into what He wants us to do according to His purpose for us. Why in the world would a God who loves us allow dark valleys to occur? Because He uses those dark valleys to teach us, to break us, and to mold us into the people He needs us to be according to His purpose for us. The Bible is full of men and women who went through dark valleys to learn of God and to do great things for Him!
• We will stay in the dark valley as long as we resist God’s leading in our lives. God will use the dark valley until we are broken to His will for us. A dear friend of mine was a very successful banker, but was miserable in it. He finally came to a broken place, where he surrendered to God’s plan for Him. Today, he grooms and cares for small animals and has used that little business to share Jesus, minister to families, and help people immeasurably. He has never been more at peace.
• There is an end to the darkness, but that end may be eternity with Jesus. We are guaranteed eternity with Jesus, and so regardless of the dark valleys we face or the number of them that we face, ultimately we escape the darkness of this world completely.

6.      God wants us to share in the light what we learned in the darkness. Matthew 5:15-16 reminds us to let our light shine as a praise to our heavenly father. I would love for some of you to share – even briefly – on Sunday mornings about your dark valleys and the lessons of faith and hope you learned there. That could be a great testimony to others! I’ll bring the tissue.

Following The Crowd

At the very heart of Romans 12:1-8, is this verse (v. 2): “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of the world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is.”

Paul is reminding the believers in Rome, and all of us today, that we are to de-prioritize all that this world calls important – influence, possessions, titles, bank accounts – and become living “thank you” cards to Jesus.

Have you ever noticed that most introductions and conversations come around to, “Where do you live?” and “What do you do (for a living)?”
That’s a dangerous indictment of who and what we have become.
Why can’t our first questions be, “Where do you attend church?” and “Are you a believer?”

Do you see the difference in focus? Paul is warning us that it’s easy to slip into the former, where we are consumed with behavior and customs of the world, allowing them to identify us and become our identity to others.

Paul is saying, “Don’t be like that. Be different. Separate behavior and customs of the world with behavior and customs of faith . . . and choose faith as your priority!” And, in doing that, fall into the arms of God; let God transform you into the person He needs you to be according to His will for you. Don’t worry about what you need or don’t need to do; need or don’t need to change – let God transform you; giving you “fresh eyes” and a “fresh mind” to discern His will for you. It will be life-changing.  Paul writes that it will be “good and pleasing and perfect.”

But, the first step in this transformation is recognizing the behavior and customs of the world. We are often sucked into those through peer pressure. We want to please family and friends and co-workers and neighbors, and so we slip into a blind following of the herd. And, we slip into copying the behavior and customs of the world. And, our children see it and they follow that example. And, grandchildren will see it, and they will follow that example.

My life brushed against lots of pain this past week. Spouses in pain, parents in pain, and children in pain. In some cases, the pain is so old and so deep that it’s been “covered up” and “privatized.” I was reminded just how bound we are to the world and this whole notion of peer and world pressure. Everywhere I turned, I was reminded how easily we “cave in” to the world or “hide from truth” when it confronts us. God wants better for us. He wants us to shake those chains, and allow His transforming power into the believer He needs us to be.

Can I encourage you toward a peaceful week?
1. Lead your family – even if your children are grown – in a personal disconnect from what the world calls important, replacing worldly pursuits with loving and serving our Lord and others, in the name of the Lord. Be an example to the generations behind you.
2. Mark each day with Bible study and prayer.
3. Be diligent in turning to believers for counsel – give believers permission to tell you what you need to hear, and not what you want to here. You need to see our class as a great support group, ready to rush in for encouragement and accountability.
4. Discern, from the Holy Spirit, your spiritual giftedness. How have your been gifted, and what is God’s will for you in using those gifts to grow the Kingdom? Are you involved in Kingdom growth? How can you use your gifts of encouragement or hospitality – for example – to minister to fellow believers?