The Oceans Declare the Glory of God

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Last weekend my family and I were given the gift of staying at a friend's beach house.  We drove out late Friday evening (it was my daughter's first time to ride the ferry between Galveston Island and Bolivar Peninsula - they had a ball!), found the house (it was BEAUTIFUL), went to sleep, and woke up the next day for breakfast on the porch which has a view of the ocean.  It was soooooooo peaceful and relaxing.


I think I've discovered why I love the ocean so much - it stimulates all 5 of the senses.  You can see it, hear it, smell it, touch it, and yes, even taste it.  I must admit that I don't really enjoy the taste of the salt water, and I really don't enjoy the sand anymore (I LOVED it when I was a kid, but now, not so much).  Still, going to the ocean is draw for me and I go whenever I can.  This past weekend, however, it was more than that.  It was a poignant reminder to me of Who God is.

Multiple times during the weekend I found myself sitting on the porch to have a snack, to read, or just to be still and listen to the ocean.  I think it was the ceaseless rumble of the crashing waves and the perpetual wind that grabbed my attention this time, and really spoke to me about the infinity and power of God.

I've never seen a placid beach.  Lakes and ponds can get as smooth as glass, but the wind and waves never stop at the beach.  As I listened and prayed that day, I sensed God in them...infinite...powerful...soothing.  On and on the waves come, without source or end, announcing their presence with the whitecapped breakers.  The constant wind, carrying seagulls and pelicans, whipping flags, blowing hair, and bending stalks of beach grass.  Whether I was sitting on the porch, walking along shore, or at the Donut shop buying donuts and boudin kolaches for breakfast (yes, boudin kolaches - and they were AWESOME), the sound of the waves and gentle push of the wind was there.

Just like God, though, the ocean is not always gentle and soothing.  Merely two years ago, Hurricane Ike had torn across this beach and literally wiped it clean.  Beach houses, roads, vehicles, etc. all succumbed to the fury of the wind and waves.  I saw the satellite pictures of where our friend's beach house used to be.  The thriving community had vanished - even the roads were covered by sand - and we lamented the loss of their house with them.  It is staggering to think that such power and force comes from wind and water, but if you've been in a tornado, hurricane, or tsunami you understand it.  (I've got 2 of the 3 under my belt...not anxious to complete the hat trick!)

Staring at the vastness of the ocean, feeling the wind, and hearing the waves, the majesty and power of God was in full display.  Scripture tells us that the heavens declare the glory of God (Psalm 19:1).  This past weekend, the ocean declared the glory of God.  Peace, comfort, power, wrath, infinity - it's all there.

Oh yeah, one last thing I learned.  Remember that Ike wiped the beach clean, but we were staying at our friend's house?  God makes all things new.  In the span of 2 years, the desolation of that beach was marked by a few lonely support posts and empty slabs.  Everywhere you looked, beautiful houses had been rebuilt, roads were cleared of sand, people were walking dogs, feeding seagulls, fishing, and cruising around on their souped-up golf carts.  New life had been given to the barren beach.  The Lord gives; and He takes away.  He shapes and reshapes the potter's clay as He purposes.

Wherever you find your life today, the power, love, comfort, peace, and yes, wrath, of our Infinite God is always there - just like the wind and waves.  No one is too big to be brought down; no one is too destroyed to build up.  Our solution?  Live and love each day like the hurricane can come tomorrow.  Old beach house, new beach house, or no beach house:  live by God's guidelines, and share Jesus' story as much as you can.

One Spray at a Time

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OK, let me just say it and get it out there into the open.  I DESPISE cleaning bathrooms.  I LOATHE it; and there is no more unpleasant household task than cleaning the shower.  It’s a large and difficult area to scrub and rinse, and there’s no way to do it without getting water and cleaner on yourself.  I avoid it at all costs.

I’ve recently discovered the joys of the daily spray shower cleaner.  You know, the stuff you spray after each shower to help keep the shower clean.  It’s been on the market for a while, but only in the last year or so have I learned to reap the benefits.  Spraying this stuff in the shower each day drastically reduces the frequency with which I have to clean the shower; and then when I do clean it, it’s 10,000 times easier.  The secret is a daily treatment to kill the mold/germs/bacteria that grows on the moist surfaces after you bathe.

Several days ago I ran out of the daily cleaner and have neglected to replace it.  So why was I surprised when I stepped into the shower this morning and found that my normally clean shower had somehow gotten really dirty?  And more importantly, what does that have to do with living a lifestyle that worships God?  Allow me to explain...

I’ve recently taken on the task of being the Elementary Character Education Coordinator at my girls' school, so I’ve spent some extra time recently thinking about how we can teach children Godly character.  After all, it’s not like teaching 2 + 2 = 4.  Of course, many things in life are spelled out in the Bible as right and wrong, but lots of times there are judgement calls that have to be made.  Here’s a $10 bill on the floor of the school - do I keep it, or turn it in to the office?  I accidentally saw someone else’s answer on the test and realized that it was right and mine was wrong - do I change my answer to the correct one, or do I leave mine alone because I wouldn’t have remembered it if I hadn’t seen someone else’s test.  Examples like this can be found everywhere, everyday.  American culture is definitely a proponent of situational ethics, and it’s no understatement to say that the collective moral compass does not always point true north.  So, how does one live/model/teach Godly character on a daily basis?  The answer, my friend, is found in the shower cleaner:  Consistent Daily Treatment.  Every day we are presented with choices in how to live.  Some choices may seem insignificant to you, but all choices will either reinforce or erode Godly character in your life.

There’s a sign that hangs from the second story in my girls’ school that says, “Character is built once choice at a time.”  It’s a great reminder to us that bad choices in even the most trivial situations can lead to much worse.  Once the first compromise is made, the second one is easier, the third easier, and so on - especially when you don’t directly see a bad result from the first choice.  Then, like my shower, one day you open your eyes and your life is dirty, moldy, and mildewy.

So I encourage you today to start praying on a daily basis for wisdom to make Godly choices.  James 1:5 says, “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, Who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.”  Perhaps you need to copy this scripture or the phrase from the sign at my girls’ school and place it on your bathroom mirror, or on your car’s dashboard, or on your screen saver, or some other prominent place you’ll notice it often.  When we keep Godly Character regularly in front of our eyes, we’re more likely to regularly make wise, Godly choices...and I need all the help I can get!  (And for the record, I also plan to place an additional Post-it note on my bathroom mirror that also says, “Clean showers are built one spray at a time!”)

Glacial God

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During this long period of uncertainly in our lives, many of our friends have been praying for us.  About a month ago, a friend of mine asked me how things are going.  “Well,” I replied, “God is moving glacially.”  He chuckled out loud, paused for a second, and then said, “Yes, guess that’s true.”  His response intrigued me, so the next time someone asked me how things are going I replied the same way...and I received almost the exact same reaction.  Over the next few weeks I noticed that this phrase caused nearly everyone to laugh, stop and think, and then agree that it’s an accurate description.  
The similarity of their reactions caused me to spend a little more time musing and thinking about the implications of the adverb, “glacially.”  (It’s scary that I know to call it an adverb, isn’t it?  Credit “School House Rock” for that one!)  We’ve all experienced it in one way or another, I think; and the more I think about it, the more I realize how this descriptor is really true of how God works.
The first thing that I’d like to note in “Glacier 101” is that glaciers move S---L---O---W---L---Y.  Honestly, that’s the reason I chose the word in the first place!  When most people think about glaciers, they think of a huge, slow moving chunk of ice.  The fastest moving glaciers move at a pace of approximately 20 - 30 meters a day (about the length of an 18-wheeler).  A more common pace is that of about 2-3 meters per day (about the length of a couch), but some glaciers move so slow that it’s difficult to even measure. 
There are two things we can learn from the glacier’s movement.  First, is that beneath the surface the ice is reshaping and reforming the landscape.  Glaciers carve some of the most beautiful places on earth!  Through erosion and abrasion they pick up sediment, rocks, etc. and move it from one place to another; they also carve and smooth out other sections of land.  In a manner that we can neither see nor measure, they adjust and rearrange vast quantities of the landscape into veritable works of art.  Is there a parallel to our lives that can be found here?  Uhm….Yes!  :)
The second thing that we can notice about the glacier’s speed is that it is most often determined by the amount of friction.  Friction, as you know, is caused when two objects rub against one another.  Anyone who as ever slid down a slide at a park knows that greater amounts of friction create slower speeds.  Less friction, faster movement.  When it comes to God reshaping and carving our lives, friction plays an important role in that process.  Now, please don’t hear me say that if you decrease friction w/ God then He’ll move faster.  I wish it were that easy; but God cannot be controlled!  He will do what He is going to do, and He will work His purposes according to His will.  What I believe, however, is that the amount of friction you create will make it SEEM like He’s moving faster or slower.  The closer you are to Him and the more you delight in Him and in His work, the process will not seem so long.  It may take a while, and it may feel like it takes a while, but it will go much faster than if you fight Him every step of the way.  It’s that temporal phenomenon that happens with good things and bad things: vacations seem to be over before they start, but an afternoon at an unpleasant job can seem to last forever!  I believe that the same thing applies to God’s work in our lives.  The time it takes for Him to accomplish His purposes remains constant; but our focus and degree of participation determine how long it “feels” like.
Are you experiencing a “Glacial God” right now?  Perhaps recently?  Are you frustrated by His seemingly slow pace?  It’s natural for us to desire quick work...we’ve been conditioned that way!   So if God seems to be moving slowly right now, let me encourage you to find joy in Him.  Remember, “joy” isn’t necessarily “happiness.”  Ask Him to cause His joy to live in you through His promises that He’ll “never leave you nor forsake you,” (Deut. 31:8) and that His plans for you are to “prosper you and not to harm you; plans to give you a hope and a future” (Jer. 29:11).  From a fellow sojourner, I know it's not pleasant or easy to wait...but if you hold on the results will be worth it!

An Ounce of Prevention

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So my wife has latched onto Jillian Michaels' book, "Mastering Your Metabolism," and her war against high fructose corn syrup (and other fake-foods that are bad for you) and has totally changed our diet and how we eat.  In her defense, some of the new foods we eat actually taste good, and even for the ones that don't, we have seen a remarkably positive difference in my household's collective health.  But this post isn't about eating healthier food and taking better care of the Holy Spirit's temple...

Today she sent me a link to this article on MSNBC.com about how fructose has recently been linked to pancreatic cancer proliferation and expansion.  Now, the conclusion that even my 8 yr old can draw is this:  HFCS(high fructose corn syrup) consumption goes up; as do cases of Cancer.  This research draws a pretty clear link.  BUT (here comes my favorite part)...the researches are now searching to create a pill to stop cancer cells from using the fructose.  So we don't go to the source of the problem and encourage people to fix it by controlling their fructose intake.  No, instead we attempt to create a band-aid to treat the symptom of the problem.  The original problem itself will remain and, as history shows us, will eventually find a way to become tolerant of the treatment and/or a new health problem will develop from the treatment...which will then require treatment.  And the sad cycle goes on and on.

Rewind now to two days ago.  I was listening to the radio in my car, and a snippet of a Tony Evans message (Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas, TX) came on.  He said that one of our biggest problems in our relationship with God is that we don't call sin what He calls sin.  For instance, we look at our overwhelming credit card debt and think, "I've just had a hard run of luck," or "I don't get paid what I'm worthy;" instead of saying, "I've been living outside of my means and not treating my money as God would have me treat it."  So we don't get right with God and repent from our sin, because we don't recognize our behavior as sin.  And then the sin-barrier between us and God not only remains, but grows stronger.

As I read that MSNBC article a little bit ago, this message jumped into my head, clear as a bell.  We don't call our sin, sin.  Without recognizing this behavior as sin, we don't stop feeing our bodies massive amounts of fructose that it was never designed to process.  Instead, we try to make a pill to treat it.  We don't correct the sin, and thus the behavior doesn't change.

I've watched NBC's "The Biggest Loser" enough to know that if you attack the source of the unhealthy behaviors, then the body responds.  I LOVE watching the Finale show and seeing what the contestants have done to their bodies and their lives, just from calling their overeating sin and instilling proper diet and exercise habits.  So that got me to thinking...

WHAT ELSE IN OUR LIVES DO WE NOT CALL SIN, THAT GOD CALLS SIN?

For instance, perhaps you (or I) don't memorize Scripture and hide God's Word in our heart; we believe the lie that "we just can't memorize things well."  Instead, we rely on software and smartphones to run a search for keywords that we think we might remember being part of a verse we think we heard once.  And we never really learn God's Word.

That's just an idea that's off the top of my head.  I'm sure there are far too many more.  And honestly, I'm scared to dig in and actually ask God that question.  I'm afraid of what I might find.  But I'm going to do it anyway.  To worship God and become more like Christ, I've got to do it.  We, as a body of Christ, have got to stop treating the symptoms and go straight for the root of the problem:  our sin.

WHAT ABOUT YOU?

What in your life do you not call sin that God does?

Do you dare ask Him that question?

Do you dare not to ask?

Teachable Moments

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Teachable Moments.  I'm not sure who first coined that phrase, but I think it's an amazing descriptor.  It is a moment in time when something happens that is a perfect illustration of a principle or concept that you're trying to teach to someone else.  And in that moment, you can focus the attention on that event and drive home the point of what you're teaching.  For instance, if a science teacher is teaching about electricity and circuits and the power goes out in the school, he has a perfect opportunity to use that moment to describe to the students that if a circuit is broken, electricity will not flow.  The situation, which students are experiencing, serves to illustrate and reinforce that concept and there is a high probability of comprehension and retention.

As a parent, I am always on the lookout for teachable moments with my children.  Teaching ideas and concepts to them is fine, but it especially drives it home with them when they see/experience it.  That's when I know they "get it."  For instance, when we started visiting our new church the other day, Audrey came back feeling very upset.  We questioned her, and it turned out that no one was very nice to her during her Sunday School class.  After taking a few moments to console her, Andrea reminded her how we always told her (at our old church) to be sure to go talk to everyone in her class who was new, and to try to include them with her group of friends during the class.  "Do you see how scary and uncomfortable it feels to be new?"  Andrea asked.  "Wouldn't you have liked it if someone would have included you and showed you the ropes?  Not necessarily inviting you to be their BFF, but just being kind and making sure you didn't feel alone.  Do you see now why we always told you to do that at our old church?"  You know those moments when the face wides as the light comes on in their eyes?  We could see through her countenance that she got it.

There was another instance just this past week in which the light of understanding came on; but it wasn't with Audrey...it was with Andrea and me.

If you know our journey, then you'll understand it when I tell you that we're not rolling in the dough right now.  In fact, God has not yet opened the door to our next position of ministry and financially, we're really beginning to get stretched.  Well, just this past week both Andrea and I were stressing about income.  We'd prayed, but just were really not amazingly sure how things are going to work out.  For my part, I've really been feeling forgotten by God.  Of course, I know it's not true; but I've really felt like those things on the bottom of my Weekly To-Do List.  You know what I mean; those things which are significant enough to make the list, but not priority enough to get done this week with the limited amount of time you have.  So you write them down again on next week's list...and the next...and the next...and so on.

To make a long story short, I've been feeling that way pretty strongly for a while - again, I know it's not true, but that's that angle satan has been taking to attack me recently (I assume because it's working so well).  One of my greatest fears is being insignificant, and this time of waiting feels like I'm treading water in the middle of the ocean with no land in sight...and my nose keeps getting closer and closer to the water as I tire.

This past week, God took the opportunity to have a teachable moment with us.  Again, finances has been a major stressor of late and we've been praying diligently about it.  In the span of two days, God provided all the money we'll need to get by this month.

Not a permanent solution, mind you, but a significant acknowledgement of, "Yes Gary, I hear you.  Yes Gary, I love you.  Yes Gary, I know your finances and I can make money appear for you out of thin air. And yes Gary, you are important to Me."  As soon as I hung up the phone on the second day, I paused; those words sinking into my head.  And that's when I knew that God had just taken the opportunity to have a Teachable Moment with me.

God's Teachable Moments, I'm learning, are all around us if we'll take the time to stop and notice.  Times when He shows us that He's in control.  Times when He shows us that He protects us.  Times when He shows us that His plans for us are best.  Times when He shows us that more than anything, He loves us.

So just open your eyes, and be in the moment...and allow Him to teach you.

An Act of Will

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I've gotta be brutally honest here.  It's after 3AM on Sunday morning, my mind is going 1,000 miles an hour, and I'm not the least bit ready to go to bed.  If I go to bed, I'll just lay there and muse...over and over about my current reality.  The more I dwell on it, the harder it is for me to deal with life in a positive way - so I've sort of adapted by trying to distract myself as much as possible from the issue at hand.  It varies from day to day.  Sometimes it's movies; sometimes it DVR'd stuff; sometimes it's the X-Box360...tonight it's "Prey" by Michael Crichton.

What did you say?  You want to know what would be so compelling as to drive me to put down the final Crichton book that I haven't read, and instead come type?  I'm so glad you asked...  :)

It's about church tomorrow.  I don't want to go.  I know, I know.  That sounds sacrilegious...perhaps it is.  The Worship Pastor doesn't want to go to church to worship.  But it's real.  It's me.  It's how I feel at 3:19AM; and good, bad, or ugly - that's me.  I fully expect that church tomorrow will be great.  It's not the content or the time that repels me...it's the attitude.  Not the attitude of the church...of me.

You see, I'm not much in a mood to praise God right now.  I'm just not.  I feel like Jacob right now...wrestling...and wresting...and wrestling.  Only I'm not near good enough to get the result that He got.  Still, I battle on in my mind and in my heart.  It's a war between what I know, and how I feel.

I KNOW that God has not abandoned me...but I don't feel it.  I KNOW that God has planned a hope and a future for me...but I don't see it.  I KNOW that He doesn't owe me an answer or a glimpse into my future...but I desperately want one.  I KNOW that I am safe in His arms and in His plan...but I feel like I am taking my last gasp of air before drowning in the quagmire of this life.

Worship, however, is an act of the will.  This is being reinforced to me over and over.  You know - it's one of those things that you thought you knew, until God goes to great pains to teach and remind you again.  When Job lost all he had, he worshipped.  When David & Bathsheba's son died, scripture records that he washed and put on lotions.  Then he worshipped God.  I don't imagine that either of these men were in a mood to worship God...but they did.

So tomorrow, I doubt any of the stress and grief that I feel will be resolved.  But when the alarm goes off in 5 hours, I will get up.  I will bathe.  I will eat something.  I will go to church.  And I will worship.  Not necessarily because I feel like it, but because regardless of how I feel...He is still God...Jesus is still my Savior...and he deserves my devotion.

Sneak Attack from the Obvious

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Have you ever noticed that satan often attacks you in areas that you're not expecting it?

As a fairly seasoned Christian, I've learned what most of my weak spots are.  Not all, mind you; but most.  I could write a diatribe right now on my "red button" issues that can easily lead me down the dark road to sin if I'm not careful.  I try to remain on "high alert" in these areas, and when even so much as a thought comes my way, I immediately begin praying that God will refocus my mind and grant me strength to endure and overcome.  I know from scripture that God always provides us strength and a way out of every temptation (1 Corinthians 10:13), so often I am able to avert walking down that path simply by recognizing it.  What amazes me, however, is how often satan can do a frontal assault in one of these areas that you never see coming!  I was drawn to think about this today as I sat in Starbucks and tried to get a little bit of work done.

*Before I continue, I know that many of you who read this blog will be women - so I beg your understanding and non-judgemental attitudes as you read...but men need to hear this, and women need to be aware of it.  So, after a fierce internal debate, I'm writing it down...

It was a beautiful day, so I chose to sit outside and work on my laptop.  A nice breeze and mild temperatures made it so wonderful.  (I love feeling the wind wisp through my toes when I wear flip-flops.)  I did my morning Bible study and then moved into answering email, starting a blog, etc.  I'd been there for about an hour when I realized how often I was taking my attention off of my computer to notice attractive women walk past me.  The warm temperatures that I was enjoying also encouraged these women to wear a little less clothing that they probably should have, and the breeze that I enjoyed circulating through my toes also made their skirts wisp and reveal a little too much of their legs.  Now, I honestly noticed everyone who walked past me and into the store, but it took me a while to realize that I was noticing the attractive women just a little longer than I did everyone else.

As a pastor, I know how sexual sin destroys, and I know how important men's eyes are in that process; so, I dutifully practice Steven Arterburn's process of "bouncing the eyes" that he talks about in "Every Man's Battle."  Of course, if you know my wife, then you know that she is very beautiful and my eyes have no lack feminine beauty to gaze upon.  So normally I can be around beautiful women and not think twice about it.  When I see an attractive woman, I discipline myself to keep my eyes locked onto her face and I typically have few problems keeping my mind or my eyes from going where they don't need to go.  I recognize that area is a weak point for any man, so I'm always on guard for it.  For some reason, though, with my brain's attention drawn to my work I honestly didn't realize how long it was taking me to bounce away.  As I think about it now, it was probably a full second or two - at least twice as long as the normal glance I gave everyone else.  While I was distracted by work, and without my knowing it, satan was filling my eyes/brain with images I don't need.

As I think about it, I frequent this Starbucks (my Starbucks Gold Card and I are recognized by most of the employees), and I don't recall seeing that many attractive women come to Starbucks in that short an amount of time ever before.  Perhaps today's episode was something arranged by the evil one specifically for me, or perhaps it was something that I've just not noticed before today.  I don't know...either way, I have Arterburn's "mental rolodex" in my mind right now and I could describe to you every one of those women...again, these are women that I really didn't notice that I was noticing, and I saw each of them for maybe two seconds.  Men, that's how powerful our eyes are.

At this moment, I'm sitting here evaluating this morning's attack - because again, I didn't realize what was going on at first.  It took a while for my mind to make the connection, and now I think I've figured out what he was after.  It's been a very stressful few weeks for Andrea, and we've been very busy.  Let's just say that time and energy for intimacy have been scarce, and with school ending today, I been eagerly anticipating tonight.  :)  So of course, satan chooses today to bombard me with this sort of imagery; BUT, his delivery was so subtle that I didn't even notice it!  That's what troubles me so much!  He hit me with such an obvious stumbling block, but in such a way that I didn't know he was doing it.

And this type of thing is not just limited to sex.  It can happen in any area of our lives.  For instance, a few years ago I was doing a 40 day fast with the other pastors of our church.  During those first few days of the fast, I noticed that I was seeing A LOT of food commercials on TV (count them one day...you'll be SHOCKED at the frequency of commercials advertising food).  About midway through the fast, I began to have a strong desire to eat...not because I was hungry, but because I wanted to eat.  As I prayed and took stock of my feelings, I realized that I had been watching a lot of TV.  Satan was hitting me with a known temptation, but in a subversive way that I was not paying attention to.  As I became aware of the food commercials again, the desire to eat subsided.

So, my question/encouragement to you today is to stop for a moment and evaluate.  Think about your life.  Are there ways that satan is attacking you without you knowing it's happening?  And not just through sexual or romantic imagery...perhaps through your temper?  Your job?  Family relations?  Food?  Materialism?  If so, pray for eyes to see the evil one's schemes, and for God's strength to avert them.

Be the Branch

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I’ve mentioned previously that I’ve been going through the Abide in Christ - Growing Disciples Series (Andrew Murray, edited by Bo Stevens). Something occurred to me the other day as I was studying John 15:4. Murray points out that we are reminded to remain connected to the Vine (Christ), for apart from it we cannot bear fruit. It is also necessary that we do not attempt to be the Vine - that is Jesus’ job.

How often do we try to guide and direct the Vine? How often do we think we know what’s best, and therefore try to make it happen? How often do we try to decide when and where we’ll produce fruit? In truth, that is not our place. When we commit our lives to Christ, we are committing to His Lordship of our lives. His will...His way...His time. For me (and many of you, I suspect), that is a much greater challenge than I ever anticipated it to be. What I read the other day, however, has offered me some freedom…

“You are the branch. You don’t need to be more. You don’t need to assume the responsibility of the Vine for even a moment. You don’t need to leave the place of entire dependence and unbounded confidence. You don’t need to be anxious about how you are to understand the mystery, or fulfill its conditions, or work out its blessed aim...You just be the branch.” (emphasis mine)

Just be the branch. Wow! That hit me square between the eyes! Be the branch. It’s so simple, yet seems so hard! I have long been duped into the Nike® version of Christianity - “Just do it!” Get out and find where God is working and join in! For too long I have shouldered the burden of the “where, when, and what” - and it’s got to stop.

A real vine supplies the branches with what it needs at any given time. The nutrients are extracted from the soil, the sap flows, etc. at the appropriate time. It is not the branch’s responsibility to dig into the soil and provide it, or to decide when fruit will be produced. That responsibility remains the function of the vine - all the branch must do is follow the instructions of the vine each day. That’s it...so it is in the Christian life.

Be the branch. I encourage you...no, I challenge you. Let “Be the Branch” be your slogan for the next week. Wake every day, and commit your day to be the branch. Make decisions throughout the day, with this singular thought...be the branch. Release the details to Him, and simply be about doing what He has given you to do each day with passion and zeal for His glory. If you do this for a week, I bet it’ll surprise you how settled your spirit will feel. The Vine is designed to carry those burdens - we are not. No wonder so many of us crack and break underneath the stress! We try to carry weight and responsibility that was never in our design to carry in the first place. It’s an exercise in futility to even try!

Be the branch.

Disease of Self: Remix

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After my mini-rant on the "Disease of Self" I posted earlier this week, I feel that I also need to post a corollary to that idea...something that's similar and complements it, but is not exactly the same.  And one of which I cannot so easily absolve my own actions...


I've been struggling with this revelation for the past few days.  During this time of pruning, God has brought some things in my life to my attention and I've had to deal with them, pray through them, etc.  In all honesty, though, I've not been surprised by most of them.  I need to "trust Him more," need to "commit to spend more time in prayer," etc.  All good things.  BUT, the past few days I've really been kicked in the face by something that I really thought I had a handle on.  And that pruning topic, I hate to admit, is nothing more than good, old-fashioned pride.


"A man's pride brings him low, but a man of lowly spirit gains honor."
Proverbs 29:23 (NIV)


I've known for quite some time that pride is a way that satan can get to me.  I was quite prideful in my early days, and God really worked on me in college.  By the time I graduated, I really felt that He had brought me down a level and I was fairly humble.  Over the last 15 years or so, I have grown in knowledge and experience with Him, and (up until now) I thought that I had reached a place where pride was an ever-present stumbling block that satan could use, but which I could identify and avoid.  I know that all good things that come from me are from God, and that left to my own devices I make the wrong decisions and do not choose to love people.  With that knowledge, I've been living each day in a purposeful attempt to exhibit Jesus in my actions and deflect all praise to God.  I thought it was a good system...apparently, I have something new to learn.


God has different ways of speaking to everyone.  Unfortunately, mine is often through insomnia.  My ridiculous mind gets worked up into a tizzy thinking about things and just goes, and goes and goes.  I can't shut it off...really.  Sleep only comes when I get so mentally exhausted that my brain can't think anymore (which usually happens around 3 or 4 AM).  Then, I finally collapse into sleep.  When I get in these periods, I tend to try to find ways to distract my mind so that I don't have to deal with whatever it is.  Often I use movies, games, or Facebook as my drug of choice to alleviate the inner pain and struggle.


I've been struggling with this for several days, and I think I can now put a label of pride on it.  I thought I had pride under control.  I thought I understood what it was to trust God for everything and to give Him all the glory.  At this moment, though, I feel like I'm at square 1.  You see, I've had a few things in recent history happen to me that I deem to be unjust and unfair.  I've trusted God to be my protector and my advocate during this time, but now there's a deeper level that has been open to me.  Decisions beyond my control were made, and the result of those decisions has become a huge stressor for me...but probably not for why you're thinking it is.


Though I'm incensed at the unjustness of the decisions, I've found myself most concerned with what others think about me because of it.  I have been mentally obsessed with what some people may (or may not) think about me (and specifically my competency and ability in some specific areas).  I feel that the way things turned out makes it look like I'm a moron who doesn't know what he's doing, and it bothers me to no end that they might think that.  And if they knew the whole story, they'd understand.


After much pain, angst, and sleeplessness, I've come to the conclusion that it is pride driving those thoughts.  I can handle the unjustness of the bad decisions that were made and trust God in that...that's fine; but what I can't seem to handle is that some people might be thinking negative thoughts about me.  Are you kidding?  Really?  I'm so concerned about what some people I don't really know do (or do not) think about me that I can't sleep?  Ugh!


But that, my friends, is the ugly truth.  The root cause of it is pride.  I care about it because me being perceived in a positive light by others evidentially ranks MUCH higher on my scale of importance than I thought it did.  And as much as I hate to admit it, I again have a pride problem that I need the Holy Spirit to cleanse me of.


What about you?  I'm sure there are plenty of you who've got this figured out and don't focus quite so much on what others think.  You live a Godly life and do what He tells you to do, regardless of the opinions of others.  But, I'm equally certain that there of you who are like me, who have found themselves in the snare of the opinions of others.  We cannot live the life God has created us to live, and we cannot we cannot give Him the honor and worship He deserves if we are so hung up on "public opinion."


Will you journey with me to purge this disease of pride?  I'd love your comments, thoughts, and ideas...

Disease of Self

Posted by Gary Chevalier | 1 comments

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Please let me apologize in advance, but I'm feeling a bit of a rant coming on.  I don't intend this to be "preachy," self-righteous, or offensive - but I'm overcome this morning with frustration and it's hard to focus on pretty much anything else until I get this off my chest...

I read the news, watch TV, etc. and my spirit is grieved at all the pain in the world.  There are SO MANY disheartening things going on globally right now.  But let's bring it down a notch and just look at our country...do you want to know the singular cause of what's wrong in our nation?  And to put a finer point on it, let's look at our own state and city...  Do you want to know what's wrong?  The answer is simple...

It's in me.  It's in you.  It's in all of us.

S E L F I S H N E S S.

Of all the sins, vices, and evils of the world, I hate this one most of all because it is pretty much the root of all evil.  I know.  You thought "Money (of the love of it) is the root of all evil" - but look at the core desire.  Is it the green bill that is evil?  No.  Is it wanting to acquire money that's evil?  Not necessarily - money can be used as a tool for good.  So what is it that's evil?  It's the WHY of wanting money - because we want to satiate our desire for self.

We are to be driven toward promoting our own desires, our own pleasure, our own interests - indeed, the "original sin" was about the promotion of self.  And not that it is inherently bad...it isn't.  Meeting desires, having fun, etc. isn't necessarily bad.  BUT, seeking it at the cost of all else IS. 

Why do we cut people off in traffic?
Because WE WANT that spot...to get there first.

Why do we sneak 12 or 13 items into the 10 items or less" line at the grocery store?
Because WE WANT to hurry through and not have to wait.

Why do businesses depress our economy to ship jobs out for cheap labor overseas?
Because WE WANT a fatter the bottom line.

Why are there necessary jobs that people refuse to do or look down on?
Because WE WANT to be perceived by others as a certain "status."

Why do men decide that they are no longer "in love" and cheat on or leave their wives?
Because WE WANT instant gratification and happiness w/ no cost to us.

I could go on and on, but do you see the pattern?  When it comes down to it, far too many of us make decisions based off of what we perceive will make us happy at any given time.  An old DC Talk song ("In the Light") calls it "the disease of self," and says that it's a "cancer fatal to my soul."

Think for a moment just about your relationships.  Think about how you interact with people...or more specifically, your spouse.  Are you a giver or a taker?  Do you make decisions (where you go to eat, what movie you see, etc.) based mostly off of what YOU want?  How often do you consider the other person?  (Think about the "why," though - if you always do for others because you want them to think well of you, then that's a whole different issue.)  How often do you go places you'd rather not, but you go because they do?  I STRONGLY BELIVE; no, I am WHOLLY CONVINCED that our world will change...businesses will change...families will change...marriages will change if we just take the focus off of ourselves.  Especially in marriage, if you will focus on meeting your spouse's needs (and they focus on meeting your needs), then everyone's needs get met but no one is trying to meet their own needs.  It's a perfect solution!

Two weekends ago, Andrea and I had the opportunity to go to a movie together.  Now, this is not something that we get to do very often...like, once every six months or so we'll see a movie together.  Andrea had REALLY been wanting so see "The Last Song" because she's such a fan of "Nick's" books.  (I can call him Nick now because we have a personal friend who is one of his personal friends...so according to LinkedIN, we're 2nd Degree friends now!)  I had absolutely NO desire to see that movie, but I agreed to go because I knew how much she wanted to see it.  As things w/ us tend to go, we were running late to the movie (this time, though, it wasn't Andrea's fault!) so I dropped her off by the box office to buy the tickets while I parked.  (I HATE missing the previews, and I will not watch a movie if I miss even the first 2 or 3 minutes of it.  Neurotic, I know...but that's what she has to deal with!)  When I walked up to meet her a few minutes later, she put the tickets in my hand.  As I looked down, I saw that she had bought tickets for the movie that I wanted to see.  She gave up seeing "The Last Song" for me to see the comedy that I thought would be funny...turns out, the movie wasn't good at all - but that's a different story.  Bottom line?  She put her needs aside and did something nice for me.  I felt SOOO loved when she did that.  At that moment, I'd have signed up to go to a Nicholas Sparks movie marathon and watched, "The Notebook," "Message in a Bottle,""A Walk to Remember," "Dear John," and "The Last Song" all in a row.  Torture?  YES!  But I'd do it to show love for her.  And what inspired it?  She showed love to me.

This is growing long, so I must conclude with a challenge for you.  Pray, and evaluate your life.  Ask God to root out any selfishness you have, and instead fill it with love for others.  Look for a way that you can show love to your spouse by putting him or her first.  Look for a way you can show love to your child, or your co-worker, or that idiot who drives below the speed limit in the HOV lane.

Less of me, God; more of You.

Don't Get Married for You, Get Married for Her

Posted by Gary Chevalier | 1 comments

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In preparation for our TV appearances in Atlanta tomorrow & Thursday, I spent the morning reviewing marriage data.  (Sifting through endless verbiage, charts, graphs, and tables isn't always a fun thing to do, but the information gleaned always makes it worth your while!)  As I looked at what is going on in our world (statistically speaking), I became more and more grateful for my wife and our experiences together.

The short story on the stats I read is this:

  • Fewer people are choosing to get married than years past; cohabitation, however, is on the rise.
  • With the exception of a slight fall in the divorce rate this past year (which the researchers attributed to the economic downfall), the divorce rate has been rising steadily to 40-50% since the mid-90's.
  • The number of women between the ages of 20 and 34 who are having babies out of wedlock has drastically increased since 2002 (presumably due to the higher cohabitation and divorce rates).


While sad to me, these stats are pretty much what I expected to find.  What I like to call the, Cancer of "Self Above Else" has been slowly infiltrating our society and has reached a saturation point.  In my opinion, the rise in cohabitation is a result of that trend.  There hasn't been enough research on the cohabitation trend to make very many valid scientific assertions, but I believe that some "Common Sense Research" can fairly accurately describe this trend.  Whether it is societal or parental (or both), many young adults are feeling encouraged to "try it out" by living with someone before getting married.  This living arrangement, with the exception of conceiving a child, frees you of legal obligations should you decide that it's not going to work for you.  It's an easy "out" for when the going gets tough...and it will get tough.

In an interesting turn of events, I found myself in a store later today (attempting to buy a shirt for said TV appearances).  Since I'm fashion illiterate, I was asking the sales guy and girl (yes, it required TWO of them to help me!) about the protocol for rolling sleeves.  For instance, you can flip the cuffs on a long sleeve shirt once and still keep some degree of "formal," but how far up the arm can you roll the sleeves before it loses the "nice" and becomes "casual?"  (I know, I know...the deepness of my thought process is staggering!)  ANYWAY, he asked me what I needed the shirt for, so I told him that we were going to be on a TV show to talk about marriage and relationships.  His young, twentyish face brightened up and said, "I want to get married someday...what advice do you have for me?"

Now, I have the propensity to be verbose and overcomplex.  (See!  I just did it!  Dang!  I just used "propensity" and "verbose" in the same sentence...I'm my own illustration!)  I knew that I would only have his attention for a short time, so I quickly asked God to deliver wisdom!  As best as I can remember, this is basically what I told him...

The best advice I can give you is this:  Don't get married for you, get married for her.  We date because we think they're cute and we like it; or we think that they have money, or because they make us feel good about ourselves, right?  When you get married (or are considering getting married), all of that must change.  The relationship ceases to be about meeting your needs - it's now about meeting hers.  Now, that doesn't mean that you disappear in the relationship.  In fact, she should now be about meeting your needs, not her own...so together, you get your needs met while you are meeting hers!  Unfortunately, most people don't treat it that way.  They are about all about getting their needs met; and the other person's needs are secondary.  That's where most relationships break down.  You get married to give yourself to that other person - whatever the cost.  If that's not your attitude, then don't do it!  Don't get married for you...get married for her."

Lord, may we all approach our spouse with Your attitude..."to serve, and not to be served."

Fruit of the Vine

Posted by Gary Chevalier | Comments (2)

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It's been a couple of years since I've done one of those Lifeway "read & fill in the blank" style Bible Studies, so I decided to go retro and do another one.  After looking around for a while, I settled on one called "Abiding in Christ," which is a study of John 15:1-17.  Not only does the title really seem to hit me where I am, but it's based off of Andrew Murray's writings called, "The True Vine." Last year I was introduced to Andrew Murray's writings by doing his 31-Day Devotional called, "Waiting on God."  I thought it was rather profound, so when I saw his name attached to this Bible Study I knew it was for me.  Week 1 is officially up and I have begun Week 2 - already I can notice a difference in my life as I view my day through the lens of Abiding in Christ.

Of course, there are myriad applications to the current state of my life right now, but what has struck me most and seems to be on my heart right now is the concept of pruning the branch that bears fruit to bear more fruit (v.2).  Murray points out that while many Christians bear some fruit, they are much like the church of Laodicea - not only lukewarm [in fruit bearing], but content to be so.  As a Worship Pastor and a Christian speaker, I've devoted my life to leading people to worship God with their lives - 24/7/365 (hence the title for this blog).  I've received encouragement from many people who tell me that they see Jesus in me, and I've always tried to live for Him.  I am by no means saying that I have it all together - like everyone else, I am a miserable sinner in need of God's forgiveness and grace.  But suffice it to say, however, that I've never really considered myself to be lukewarm since I truly started to live for Him back in college.

As I read that statement the other day, though, I was stuck by how Murray qualified it:  he pointed out that the standard most of use to measure our "lukewarmess" is other people.  OUCH!  Toes stepped on - hit by a ton of bricks - Holy Spirit slap in the face...all of the above.  I can't believe I've never made that connection before!  I don't measure my service to Christ (or my knowledge of Scripture, or how much I pray, etc.) against anyone else (for instance, I'm not less of a Worship Pastor because I'm not like Chris Tomlin); and I don't look at someone else's sin and say, "Well, at least I'm not as bad as that guy."  Neither do I allow myself to float along w/out trying to use my life to make a difference for Christ.  But paired with the idea of being lukewarm, however, and I am guilty as charged!  It seems that for a long time I have measured my degree of "hot/cold/lukewarm" using others as the standard by which I measure.  I have compared their outward fruits with my own to determine that I'm not really lukewarm because God is using me to do X, Y, and Z.  In truth, though, the true measure of lukewarm comes only from God, and I daresay that it is different for everyone, depending on their own gifts and calling.  Murray has forced me to consider that perhaps the fruit I've been bearing is really only lukewarm compared to what He [the Vinedresser] wants for me...and that I've been content for some time to bear that lukewarm fruit, thinking I was hot.

John 15:2 tells us that God's pruning takes place so that we will bear more fruit.  ONLY HE sets the standard for what amount of fruit each vine should produce.  And does the Vinedresser decide that a vine has produced all the fruit that it needs to?  Does He ever stop pruning it?  I don't know.  What I do know right now is - well, perhaps "know" is too strong of a word just yet.  What I think I know right now is that somehow I have become lukewarm and not bearing the fruit that He desires for me.  Even as involved in Christian Ministry as I have been, and with the fruit of ministry that I've seen, I think that I grew content in what God was doing through me.  Of course, I always wanted God to do more...but I was totally OK if He didn't because I believed that what He was already doing through me was all right.  I'm really thinking that my "bearing fruit standards" have been skewed for quite some time, and that this pruning process I'm enduring is going to run MUCH deeper than I thought...

...snip away, Lord.  Snip away...

What about you?  If you're reading this and are a Christ-follower too, then I challenge you to scrutinize your own standard for bearing fruit.  Do you measure your degree of "hot/cold/lukewarm" against the fruits of other people like I did?  Or do you allow God to set the standard?  Are you content with how He is using you?  Do you welcome His pruning?  Will you open yourself to His pruning?

Holy Conundrum

Posted by Gary Chevalier | Comments (2)

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This is time of spiritual growth for me.  God has orchestrated my my life in such a way that I have clearly heard from Him that I am to be growing in my faith.  I need to learn to hear His voice better; I need to deepen my faith in Him; I need to grow in my personal Bible study time; and I need to learn to depend on Him more, instead of trusting in me.  All of the above I thought I had a pretty good handle on, but it seems that God does not agree with me.  I'm sure on the flip side I'll realize it too...

Anyway, the past few days I've found myself in what I can only call a "Holy Conundrum."  You see, I love God and I want to become more like Christ; and I know that growing spiritually requires the things I mentioned above.  I also know, however, that God is using this time in my life to prepare me for the "next step."  I believe that God has told me that I need to grow in the above areas so I'll be prepared for whatever my next assignment is.  Here's the conundrum:  every time I engage in an activity that I know is going to grow me spiritually, I feel frustrated because I also feel like I'm trying to force God's hand.

I desperately want what's next, so I'm trying to do what I know I need to do so that I'm ready to move on.   At the same time, I need to grow in Christ because of Who He is, not because of what He can do for me.  The two states not only coexist, but they have the same solution.  But since both growing and Christ and preparing to move on require the same thing from me, it causes me to question if I'm really trying to grow to know God better, or if I'm just trying to do what I have to do to get out of this uncomfortable period.

I know that you cannot make God do anything.  He is not a magic formula - if I do X and Y, then He'll do Z.  That's not how He works!  If I'm just trying to elicit a response from God, then I'm definitely NOT growing in Christ.  But since I know that growing in Christ is necessary for my "next step," that's always in the back (and sometimes the front) of my mind when I'm praying, reading my Bible, meditating, etc.  So how do I engage in any spiritual growth activity w/out the companion thought that I'm trying to "get" something from God?  It's such a weird thought process for me to be caught in that loop, and as I struggle to make sense of it and find a solution the only thing I can relate it to is my wife.

Andrea LOVES massages.  Her feet and shoulders are continually sore and achy, and she absolutely loves to have the stress, tension, and pain rubbed out of them.  Personally, I don't amazingly enjoy giving the massages because I have to press and rub so hard that my fingers and hands hurt when I'm done.  But, Andrea being happy, content, and feeling loved is important to me so I try to do it for her whenever I think about it.  Through 15 years of conversation and experience, though, I have also learned that shoulder and foot massages are also a good way to get her "in the mood."  In and of itself, that's a good thing; except that she knows that I know massages are a good way to start the path toward a romantic encounter.  So, whenever I begin a massage, she often comments, "Well I know what you want!"  And I get booted off the road to romance because the "feeling loved" part goes away and the perception of an ulterior motive.  And it's true that I always am wanting to walk that road, I at the same time want to make her feel loved, happy, and not achy too.  And therein lies my boggle.


  • As a Christian, I must exercise Spiritual Disciplines to grow in Christ.
  • In order to move from my current situation, I must grow in Christ.
  • In order to grow in Christ, though, I must want more of Him because of Who He is, not what He can do.
  • My desire for both is strong; yet they are in opposition 

What about you?  Do you feel that way with God?  Like you know that He wants something out of you; but in doing that very thing, it's also like you're also trying to get something from Him?  It is a struggle to ensure that your motive to grow in Christ is dominant when your desire for the outcome is so strong?  What do you think?

Defeating Distractions

Posted by Gary Chevalier | Comments (3)

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I’ve come to the realization over the last few days that my life is filled with distractions.  Since right now I have less to do than I have pretty much my whole life, I find this concept a little odd.  Nevertheless, I had the realization today that when the tough topics of my life and my journey to become more like Christ arise, there is an abundance of things that my mind always runs to as a distraction.  Not at first, of course.  First I focus for a few minutes and really pray to God about it...for His healing; His grace; His strength; His guidance, etc.  If I can recall an associated scripture then I go through that too.  After all, that’s what we good Christians do, right?  But rarely do I spend more than about 5 minutes on the given topic.  Very seldom do I devote an amount of time listening to God which is proportionate to the size of the stronghold in my life.  Instead, as soon as I can, I skedaddle* on to something else...something that either engages my brain on a different topic, or totally shuts it down from “productive” mode (like watching TV) - ANYTHING so that I can distract myself from the topic and not have to think about it.
*“Skedaddle” is another Texas word - it means “to move quickly.”  Don’t ask me why I used it - I don’t know.  It just came out in my typing and no other word seems to be a better fit there!

Why do I do this?  Why am I so eager to distract myself from the tough issues in my life?  Is it defensive mechanism?  A way for me to not have to deal with the issue at hand?  Subconsciously it must be.  These tough issues in my life often consist of (but are not limited to) pride; self-reliance; and things (idols) which I inadvertently place before God.  I guess it’s easy to see why I’d run from them; they hurt!  And they’re hard to deal with...habits...things I enjoy...the “natural” way I act...etc.  But the Bible is filled with admonishments to meditate on the Lord’s precepts.  To spend time in two-way communication with Him, the Bible is clear that you have to be still and listen.  As a 30+ year Christian and 17+ year pastor, you’d think that I’d have that figured out by now.  But I guess I don’t.  It seems that the “be still and listen to God” lesson (among others) is forever on replay.
For many years I’ve thought it’s because I’m such a “do something” person.  I have such a need to feel productive; but when I’m sitting and being quiet to listen, I don’t feel productive.  There’s not a tangible, measurable outcome, so I feel unproductive.  And unproductive is bad, right?
What I’ve realized today, is that I now don’t think that’s the cause...or at least not the singular cause.  For raging within me at times is the drive to NOT think...to NOT do...to hide away, almost like the proverbial ostrich with his head stuck in the sand.  If I can’t see it; if I refuse to think about it; then it won’t be there.  But that’s just simple, Psyc 101 Denial.  I find whatever I can to distract me from the real issue at hand; and the real, brutal truth is this:  I prefer putting on a band-aid and going on my way, when God wants to do surgery.  I’d rather patch myself together with Duck Tape so that “it’ll work,” when God wants to shut down for a few days and weld the framework back in place.
But no longer.
Today, God has revealed this to me in a very real way, and I am resolute to confront it and bleed.  Today, I really feel like the Alcoholic who has finally acknowledged his problem after years of denial and is checking himself into rehab.  Today, you can too.  Do you run from the tough spots in your own life?  Do you hide from them or find a distraction like I do?  Today you can face them with a friend.  Will you join me?

5 Things I Learned About Life from My First Mountain Biking Experience

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Last weekend I tried Mountain Biking for the very first time.  My brother-in-law is training for the Tour Divide Race (a month long biking journey from Canada to Mexico), and I thought it would be awesome to go single track riding through the woods w/ him.  And I was right!  It was fun!  And I learned a little about me, about God, and about life in the process.  What you're about to read is not a definitive work of the experience, but rather the "edited to run in the time allotted" TV version.  Hang on!  :)

Riding is always better with friends.
God built us to want community and to desire the company of others.  I probably would've liked riding the trails just fine had I gone alone - but I REALLY enjoyed it because I was with my brother-in-law, and for a little while, my sister (*more on that later).  It was fun to talk back and forth, making witty cracks about this or that; or stop and watch each other fly down hills with reckless abandon; or laugh together about barely missing the tree that would've ended your life (or at least your ride that day).  Because I chose to ride with others, the morning twice as nice!

We also came across a couple of bikers on the trail, one of whom's chain had broken.  We loaned him a chain tool and then went on our way.  About 10 minutes later, his friend chased us down to borrow it for a second repair.  Had his friend not been there to ride after us, he'd have been out of luck.

The beauty of how God designed the Christian life is both shared experience, and shared burden.

Learn from someone who knows more than you.
Multiple times in scripture we see instructions to teach by being a living example; or for the older women to teach the younger women; Moses learned from Jethro, Joshua learned from Moses; Elisha learned from Elijah...the list goes on.

My brother in law knows about biking - he knows the equipment, how to attack the trail, etc.  (He better or he's not going to make it past Colorado on the Tour Divide!)  I watched how he put the front tire on the bike.  I followed his lines through the curves in the trails.  I listened for him to gear up or down as we approached hills, curves, etc.  I could've ignored him and did it all on my own, but why? My ride was much more fun simply because I canned pride and was willing to take advantage of his knowledge.

Don't look at where you are;  look at where you're going.
Something I learned very quickly while trying to dodge the trees and branches on the windy trail is to look ahead.  If you're looking at where your bike is, then everything that comes at you is a surprise and you're gonna crash.  More than once I dodged a root in the trail, only to look up and see a curve and multiple trees looming right on top of me!  I had to slam on my brakes to keep from running into them!  (Fortunately, there was no one behind me to run into me or I'd have several bike tire tracks all over my back!)

When I looked AHEAD to where I was going, where I actually was at the moment took care of itself!  I saw the root in the trail and adjusted for it before I even got there; so when I got to the root I was in position and already looking at the trees and curve that was ahead.  It makes so much more sense!

Paul reminded us to keep our eyes on the Prize; and Peter walked on water as long as he kept his eyes on Jesus - only when he looked away from Jesus to the wind and waves did he start to sink.  This tells me that as we go through life, we cannot put our focus on the hazards that come our way each day.  Satan will throw his entire arsenal at if you if he needs to; but as long as you keep looking toward Christ you'll be just fine.

Adversity will come.  It's how you deal with it that makes or breaks you.
Jesus said, "In this world, you will have trouble.  But take heart!  I have overcome the world!" (John 16:33)  Whew!  Glad that is out in the open.  You will have trouble.  I will have trouble.  We're all gonna have trouble.  Jesus said it, so it's true!  BUT, do we let the adversity conquer us, or do we use it to our advantage.

About 20 minutes into the ride, I destroyed the crank on my brother in law's bike.  I didn't have any gear of my own, so I was borrowing his old stuff.  He tuned it up before we came, but somehow the mammoth overpowering of my massively amazing quads was too much for the crank and I broke it right off the bike!  (Actually, I think that the bolt holding it on jiggled loose somehow and came out - so it was gonna fall out anyway!)  Knowing it was my first ride, my sister graciously volunteered to let me ride her bike, and she sat out and read a book while her husband and I rode.

This problem could've ruined the day.  Instead, we had a laugh together and Amy (my sister) sacrificed her fun to enable me to ride; and Tony (my brother-in-law), used it a reminder to himself to check the tightness of the gears in the future when he checks his bike for each day's ride on the Tour Divide.

Sometimes, your butt is just gonna hurt.
After the ride, my backside was REALLY sore!  Those bike seats are not designed with comfort in mind; and comfortable or not, that amount of biking is going to make you sore.  Period.  It's just a consequence of riding.  I'm told that after a while you toughen up somewhat and it really doesn't bother you as much...or so they say.  For me, it's been 5 days and I'm still sore.  But I'm looking forward to the next time to see if they're right!

In life, it's the same thing!  You are going to encounter things that hurt you.  It's just a part of the journey.  The more you endure hurtful things, the more you're equipped to handle them and they become less hurtful.  The more your faith is tested, the stronger it becomes and the easier it is to exercise faith in the future.  Get it?  If you run from anything that's hurtful or challenging, you'll never grow.  BUT, if you lean on God and persevere through it, you'll come out better on the flip side!

That's it!  I hope this little banter encouraged you and made you laugh.  If you have more to add, I encourage you to leave a comment.  I bet there's much more to learn about life from Mountain Biking from you guys who have been doing it awhile!



Under Siege

Posted by Gary Chevalier | Comments (2)

Category : , ,

On Saturday night I was reading scripture, praying, and meditating - doing my final preparations to lead worship on Sunday - and I landed in 2 Kings 6.  I was looking for the story where Elisha tells his servant not to be afraid, that "those who are with us are more than those who are against us," and then prays that the servants eyes would be opened the chariots of fire which covered the hills surrounding the armies of the King of Aram.  I read through it and jotted a few notes to myself about how it would tie in with some of the songs we were singing on Sunday (you know, normal stuff), when I had the hankerin' to turn the page and continue on in chapter 7.  (For those of you "non-Texans" out there, hankerin' best translates as "spontaneous desire.")

You see, Chapter 6 leaves you in a bit of a cliff-hanger.  Shortly after the story of the chariots of fire on the hill, we find Elisha and the people of Israel under siege in Samaria by, you guessed it, the King of Aram.  Things were bad in the city...a small bag of grain sold for an enormous sum of money, and people were eating whatever they could find - donkey's heads, their children (look it up!  it's true!), etc.  Chapter 6 ends with the king's messenger bringing this message to Elisha:  "This disaster is from the LORD. Why should I wait for the LORD any longer?"  And that's how the chapter ends!  Yikes!  (You see, GOD - not Hollywood nor Shakespeare - invented cliff-hangers!)  So what happens next?!  I HAD to know...so I kept reading.

***DISCLAIMER - For all you purists out there: Yes, I know that the Bible was not written with Chapters and verses, so the original text reads like a contiguous story.  However, WE HAVE chapters and numbers, so it reads like a cliff-hanger to me.  And since I believe that God planned the Bible from the beginning of time, I will still solidly claim that He invented cliff-hangers!  LOl!***

ANYWAY, at the beginning of Chapter 7 Elisha tells the king (basically) that tomorrow the siege will be over and there will be an abundance of food.  An army officer who was assisting the king said, "Look, even if the LORD should open the floodgates of the heavens, could this happen?"  Elisha calmly replied, "You will see it with your own eyes, but you will not eat any of it!"

Now, there's an abundance of things we can learn from this - not the least of which is to think before we speak and not stick our noses into conversations in which they don't belong.  What stuck out to me most, though, was that the officer's desperation seemed to fuel a lack of faith in God's power.  Look carefully at his words..."even if the Lord should open the floodgates of heaven, could this happen?"  By this statement, he's basically saying, "even if God gave it everything He had, He still couldn't do what you're saying."  Ouch.  Those are the careless words of a man, spoken in the most desperate of situations.

Today, we really don't "get" what a siege was.  I've read up on it a little, and I still really don't comprehend the scene.  Try to think about it, though.  You're locked up in a castle with no way to re-plentish your food supply.  Regular attacks and bombardments came and went; sleep was hard to come by - and certainly not good and sound sleep.  Life under siege was horrid.  Existence was excruciating; and as a soldier, he surely knew what waited for them at the end of the siege.  After being starved for many days (sometimes months), those who lived long enough to see the final onslaught would be little match for the invading force and they would be mercilessly wiped out.  Men, women, and children would be killed - often in gruesome ways.  Some would become slaves, most nearly all would die.  In his shoes, I can only imagine the desperation, exhaustion, and hopelessness he felt as he spoke those words:  and he pays for it.  Look at Elisha's response, "Oh yeah.  You'll see it happen - but that's it.  You won't experience it."

The story goes on that God causes the soldiers in the Aramean camp to flee and all their provisions are left behind.  The army officer stands at the city gate and sees that it is true, but is trampled to death by all the hungry people trying to get to the food.  He saw it, but he did not eat of it.

How many times have I been in that army officer's shoes?  How many times have I spoken careless words in the middle of a stressful situation?  How many times have I doubted that God would deliver me when I could see no realistic solution to my problem?  (How many times have I stuck my nose into conversations in which it didn't belong?!) Too many, I'm sad to admit.

When we're in these extreme stress situations, WE SIMPLY MUST view them through spiritual eyes.  In the day to day realm, hopelessness can prevail; with spiritual eyes, however, hopeless situations are caused by spiritual forces working against you.  And to Whom do we turn when the evil one attacks?  Of course!  We must lift our eyes to the hills, for our help comes from the Lord, the Creator of the earth.  WE SIMPLY MUST retrain our mind to see stressful, hopeless situations for what they truly are - a way to build our faith and for God to show his glory.

As Elisha prayed for his servant, I pray for you, me, and all of us...that whatever our situation, that our eyes will be opened to see Your strength in the spiritual realm. And that we will be faithful in our actions AND our words, so that we will not only see God's deliverance - but taste it too!


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