Doughnuts and Phones and Bikes, Oh My!

   The next best thing and the latest and greatest are much like doughnuts, sweet on the outside and empty in the middle. They leave you initially satisfied, then after 10-15 minutes passes, the feeling that accompanies eating fried dough cake covered in frosting settles in and makes you feel worse off than you started and finding the need for a nap.

    Much like doughnuts, when we desire anything more than God it will leave us with that same feeling. We run, we labor, we strive for the newest and more....but for what?  At times I catch myself sliding back into the mindset of looking for the next best thing or the next thing on my wish list. The bike, or music gear or phone, or technology that will "make my life just that much better." But the truth of the matter is more will never be enough, and as long as we feed the "cycle of more" as our greatest desire, it always continue

     The question that always brings me back in.... Is God my first desire, or am I placing a desire for other objects/people/opportunities above Him? There is only room for one first place. What prize am I running for?

 Colossians 3:2 “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.” 

Hebrews 12:1-3 “ Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart."

 So, what is all of your energy, time, and thoughts consumed with?

Living A Legacy Proverbs13:22 "A wise man leaves an inheritance for his children's children..."

It's Who You Are

    When asked how he created such amazing masterpieces, the infamous Renaissance sculptor Michelangelo was noted saying that he wasn’t making something out of nothing, but rather he was just chipping away the stone that surrounded the masterpiece inside.

   What is great about this walk as believers in Jesus Christ is that this life isn’t about trying to become something that we aren’t. This life is about uncovering who God has already made us to be. When we accept His gift of salvation, He fills us with everything we need to do what He is calling us to do and will call us to do.

 2 Corinthians 9:8 “And God is able to make all grace abound to you so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.” 

 Colossians 2:9-10 “For in Christ all the fullness of the Diety lives in bodily form, and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority.” 

   So keep digging and chipping away at it. God has made you to be a person that leaves a legacy, impacting lives and drawing others to know His love by the example you live. Start dreaming, asking that God would put dreams and visions in your heart to make an impact for His kingdom that is greater than you could ask or imagine. God has already equipped us with everything we need, and He is just waiting for us to ask how it should be used. When we do it will be greater than we could ask or imagine...that is the mark of God’s work.

 Ephesians 3:20 “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.”

Living A Legacy Proverbs 13:22 "A wise man leaves an inheritance for his children's chidren..."

Laboring in His energy

    For the impossible days or days where you feel tired and run down with nothing to give and everyone is relying on you, God promises us that when we turn to Him, all of our weaknesses are made strengths because He is filling in the gaps. Every gap, hole, and crack in our ability, skills, energy, patience, etc., is filled in with God’s infinitely great power. It oozes into every little crevice, nook and cranny and makes us whole. When we call to Him, He will answer. And where God is, there are no inadequacies. 

    2 Corinthians 12:9 “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”         
    Colossians 1:29 says “To this end I labor, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me.” 

    All of His energy that powerfully works in you! Put on that perspective, and see every weakness, grumpiness, impatience, fatigue, and to do list greater than our physical and emotional capacity, as an opportunity to experience the power of God’s Spirit that is within us!
Living a Legacy is what God has called us to do, and will daily enable us to do.
Boom!

 Proverbs 13:22 “A wise man leaves an inheritance for his childrens children...”

Goodbye complaining, hello poopy diapers!

   "Do everything without complaining or arguing" Phillipians 2:14

     Taking in recycling and changing poopy diapers are a couple of the unpopular chores at our house. I find that that the whole mood of our household and our marriage changes when I not only don't complain about the tasks at hand, but positively go after the less than desireable chores. 
        Last weekend we both came back from long runs and were tired and wanted to relax. I came up from taking shower and said, “I call taking in the recycling today! Better luck next time!” and later that day I called out, “I’ve got dibs on this poopy diaper.” Not only did it make Becky laugh, but I noticed it started a cycle of service in our household that carried throughout the weekend where we served each other out of joy. While the tasks are less than desireable we know that “we don’t labor in vain.”(1 Corinthians 15:58). When we "do everything without complaining” it blesses those around us, and it will even fill our hearts with joy from serving others. And when it comes to your wife, she is the most important ministry that you have, so let the habit start there and spread. 
       Here’s to being men that lead through service and whose purpose is to bless the lives of those who surround them. Hopefully I can remember to do this more often!

 Living A Legacy
 Proverbs 13:22 “A wise man leaves an inheritance for his childrens children...”

Sharpen Your Sword and Pass it Down - Temptation Part 3

To wrap up my 3 part series on scripture memory and fighting temptation, I thought I would share about a legacy my Dad has left me....

   Growing up I heard many stories of my Dad when he was in his twenties and working on the railroad. I love hearing about how he and a friend he worked with would spend their time in the work trucks or in the railroad yard memorizing scriptures daily. The were hungry for the Word of God and to know it deep in their hearts. Through this they saw God’s Word come alive in their lives. And growing up the 80 or so most prominant verses that he memorized in that time were still on hand and ready to use. When discouraged or defeated or on top of the world and victorious, or needing wisdom for life’s big decisions, my Dad would share these with me and God would use the Scripture hidden in His heart to speak to me and bless me, guide me, and empower me twenty and thirty years after he had memorized these verses. You see, he has his sword ready, and is “Always prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.” 1 Peter 3:15

    One of the most meaningful gifts that my Dad ever gave me was a stack of blank business cards that had every one of those verses that he had memorized copied on them. As I come across them when I am reading the Bible or when I am memorizing them it ignites a fire in me, a spiritual legacy fueled by the power of the Holy Spirit.

    Growing up, I was fortunate to be shown the importance and power of having God’s word on hand and memorized. That is a legacy that was passed on to me, and one that I intend to pass on to my children's children.

Live A Legacy
Proverbs 13:22 " A good man leaves an inheritance for his children's children..."

Temptation part 2 - Jesus' temptation

Even Jesus had to fight off temptation! (account in Luke 4:1-13)
     Jesus proved faithful, and as the Savior of all He fought off satan’s temptation in a great time of weakness, walking through a desert fasting for 40 days. Through an understanding of God’s word and His character, and the power of the Holy Spirit...the same Holy Spirit we are filled with at the time we accept God’s love and salvation, Jesus resisted the devil and the devil fled from Him.

     You are filled with the Holy Spirit when you believe. (Eph. 1:13 “Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession- to the praise of his glory.”

 Because you are now a Son/Daughter of God you have authority over satan.
 James 4:7 “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”

 How to fight back:
1. Know who you are, and who God has called you to be. Jesus knew who he was and what he was called to. It’s harder to derail when your vision is clear and you know exactly what is and isn’t going to help you achieve that.
2. Hide God’s word in your heart. Jesus knew the Bible inside and out from when he studied at the temple as a boy, even when Satan tried to twist the meaning of scripture Jesus knew that wasn’t what fit the heart of Jesus and the true meaning of the scripture. Jesus had his sword ready (“...the Sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” Ephesians 6:17)

Keep your sword sharp and keep it ready.

Grab Your Sword

   The two greatest soldiers from opposing kingdoms come face to face in the heart of the battle field where the destiny of the two largest empires are at stake. As one draws his well trained gleaming sword from the sheath attached to his full suit of armor and stares into the eyes of his opponent, the contender looks into the shielded eyes of his opponent and says, “hey can you hold on a minute while I go get my sword?”
    Umm no! He wouldn’t get 5 feet before he is lopped into a few different pieces. You are thinking to yourself, “What kind of idiot would head into a battle without a sword and armor?” Well, in the battle we face to make the right decisions and avoid the lure of temptation in all of its forms, we often find ourselves empty handed on the battlefield.
   Ephesians 6:10 describes the armor of God, and refers to the Word of God as the Sword of the Spirit. But if we don’t have God’s Word hidden in our heart, we are no better off than the empty handed man on the battlefield ready to be dismembered. Being a man who lives a legacy means being ready for that war that is waging for your heart every day. Jesus already claimed victory over our temptations, addictions, and challenges when He made a public spectacle of His victory, our victory, over satan. he took it all away, nailing it to the cross.
   Colossians 2:15 "And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross."
   Stay tuned, In my next two posts I will discuss Jesus’ temptation in Luke Chapter 4:1-13, and see what we can learn from our Saviors steadfast heart in the midst of Satan’s attempt to derail the Savior of mankind through temptation.

Keep your sword sharp, and keep it ready.......

A "cue" to a Legacy...

This story is a perfect example of what it means to Live a Legacy that inspires generations after you are gone as Proverbs 13:22 eludes to, "A good man leaves an inheritance for his children's children..." This comes from a friend who is passing on the legacy he has been left. Well worth the read. Thanks Derek.

 "I met my grandpa on my mother's side when I was seven years old. He passed away three short years later. He wore a cowboy hat and didn't waste time with words. He was buried with a can of chewing tobacco in one breast pocket and a lottery ticket in the other. I remember being caught between ages and emotions at the funeral; shaking strangers' hands at the funeral home; passing around a luminator football with my best friend in the front lawn; remembering how cold his hand felt in the casket; crashing into a tear-stained sleep after the coffee & bars and the guests disappeared. I remember going through his apartment in Barnes City and being told that he would have wanted me to have his pool stick.

When I was first told that grandpa left me his pool stick, I kept wondering how I didn't know grandpa had toys for the swimming pool and why had he never given them to me before that. When mom handed me the wooden stick used to play the game of pool, admittedly, I was a little deflated.

I've come to know that my grandpa was much more complicated than my 10 year old mind could once comprehend. To me, he was the guy that I wondered why I didn't know until I was 7 who brought me things he found in roadside ditches and graciously ate sandwiches with the wrappers still on the cheese because he didn't want my mom to feel bad.

But he was so much more. He was the youngest of the Joneses, a poor Central-Texan family. His mother died when he was born and he was communally raised by different families in Travis County, one of which was my grandma's, with whom he later fell in love with, married, helped raise her two girls, as well as the two they had together.

My grandpa was never a drinker, but he frequented many bars. Not for the elixir, as you might have guessed, but because he had a burden. After working as a typesetter and a rancher, he came to realize that everyone has a story, if you're willing to listen. So, with his pool stick in hand, he would walk in to many a bar, strike up a game, as well as a conversation between strangers. This is where my grandpa became the wise man of faith that I came to know in his last years. It was over a game of pool with men he had never met that he learned how to listen; how to cipher through whatever troubles the drifter may have toasted his sorrows to and see the soul of a man, and how it was worth loving.

My grandpa didn't ever preach from a pulpit; many a times I can remember him saying, "God doesn't want 'Religious Nut's, he wants 'Faithful Fruits.'" But he definitely loved the lowly and never missed an opportunity to let someone know that they were loved by their creator. He just had a funny way of doing it.

As much as I sometimes want it to, his pool stick doesn't have any magic powers, and it definitely doesn't replace the life of a wonderful man who was taken from me all too soon. But it symbolizes how well he responded to God; how he saw an opportunity to help a woman he loved and be a father to her two beautiful children; how he initially learned how to share God's love for all people and ultimately was finally able to receive that same grace and forgiveness for himself for all of the times he had fallen short the mark; how he knew his days were nearing their end and responded by driving from California to Iowa in a rickety old car to reunite with his daughter and meet his two grandchildren in their driveway one day after school; how for the three years he had with them before the cancer finally got the best of him, he imparted his wisdom and his faith that will carry on for generations to come, God willing.

My grandpa wasn't a man of many earthly possessions, but he definitely left me one that I will treasure forever. And so don't be surprised if you see me walking across the street to The Tap, with his pool stick in hand, to go listen to a stranger. After all, it's my cue, isn't it?"

What you do when no one is around shows when everyone is looking

     It is easy to put on a facade or front when everyone is looking and play the part of a “good Christian man,” but where true integrity shows is when no one is looking. This is the place that can make the legacy you live a blessing or a curse. It is in these quiet times that we fill our heart, and we have to choose daily what we are going to fill our hearts with.
  Matthew 6:45b “For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.”
      Eventually what is on the inside comes out and the outside follows suite. So when no one is looking what are you filling your heart with? Are you feasting at the table of understanding and knocking at Wisdom’s doors daily in the Word of God and being a man of prayer? Or are you choosing other things that won’t truly make you the man you want to be? What things in your life will allow you to or are keeping you from being a man that Lives a Legacy, whose life impacts the lives of generations to come for the one thing that matters greatest, Jesus Christ.
    Will you be passing down life habits that are a blessing and enrich the lives of others? Or will you be passing down habits, addictions, and laziness that the future generations will have to struggle with? Choose daily to be a man of integrity and fill your heart with the things that give life and bear fruit, that the overflow of what you have filled your heart with will bring life.
       Proverbs 10:11 “The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life...”