Complacency

Last Thursday, our church prayer list sent out an email entitled "A Soldier You Should Know." I don't know if any of you had a chance to read it, but the soldier who sent it said something about their situation in Iraq that I think also really applies to us as Christians. Here's what he said:

"The enemy is always looking for an opportunity to exploit complacency."

I think that is something that our enemy is looking for, too. If we become complacent, then we pose no threat to him. When we become content with where we are in life and in our relationship with Christ and we stop trying to learn and grow, we cease to be effective. I think that's why Jesus has such a distaste for lukewarm Christians, as He says in Revelation 3:15-16, "I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm--neither hot nor cold--I am about to spit you out of my mouth." I think complacency is the most dangerous trap that the church can fall into. Even when churches split, most of the time it's because someone feels that there's something wrong with the way things are and they're doing something about it. It's when we stop caring one way or the other that we are in serious trouble.

With that said, I think the comments that this soldier made surrounding the one above are of extreme importance for us as we fight complacency. Here is that comment, along with its context:

"We remain cautiously vigilant to be on watch. We recognize that the enemy is always looking for an opportunity to exploit complacency. We keep each other in check. We encourage one another."

There are a lot of things that jump out at me in that as far as it relates to us:

1) Remaining cautiously vigilant to be on watch--Jesus commands His disciples to do that very thing in Matthew 24:36-25:13, Mark 13:32-36 and Luke 12:35-48. Those passages can basically be summarized by Matthew 24:42, "Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come."

2) Recognize--They know what their enemy is trying to do. In the same way, we must know what our enemy is trying to do. 2 Corinthians 2:11, "...in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes."

3) Keep each other in check--We have to look out for one another! God gave us the church for a reason, and it's not so that we could have one more social event on our schedule for the week. Proverbs 27:17, "As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another." We're not supposed to sit around and let each other become dull, we are to sharpen one another! Ephesians 4:25, "Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak plainly to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body." We're all in this together, so tell it like it is! I like the way the Message translation puts Hebrews 3:13, "For as long as it's still God's Today, keep each other on your toes so sin doesn't slow down your reflexes." We can't let each other fall into the trap of complacency; we have to help each other stay alert and on our toes.

4) Encourage one another--That kind of goes with #3. In the NIV, Hebrews 3:13 says, "But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness." 1 Thessalonians 4:18 (after speaking about the coming of the Lord), "Therefore encourage one another with these words." Hebrews 10:23-25, "Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we my spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching."

So just as the soldiers of the U.S. Army are doing, let us (as soldiers in the army of Christ) not become complacent, but continue to encourage one another as we strive for a closer walk with our God!

Smiley Faces

I find it funny how many different ways there are to type a smiley face. I mean, really, think about it.

There's the colon, dash, close parentheses.
:-)
Or there's the colon, close parentheses with no dash.
:)
There's what I think of as the "winking" smiley face: the semicolon, dash, close parentheses.
;-)
Or there's the semicolon, close parentheses with no dash.
;)
There's the equals sign, capital D.
=D
Or there's the equals sign, close parentheses.
=)
There's the semicolon, lowercase O, close parentheses.
;o)
Or, if you want to put a shocked/surprised type spin on it, there's always the colon, dash, lowercase O.
:-o
And for an even more surprised, bigger mouth, there's the colon, dash, uppercase O.
:-O

And if you want to make it a frowny face, you can change any of those close parentheses to open parentheses and, viola!, your happy face is sad.

And anyway, who decided that smiley faces should be left to right, eyes-nose-mouth? Why couldn't they be mouth-nose-eyes? Like so (-: And how in the world is it possible for that smiley face (which happens to be just as sideways as its counterpart that is typed the other direction) to look upside down?!?

Okay, enough of my random ramblings. What's your favorite way to type a smiley face?

Here I am to Worship

I love that song! From the first time I heard it, it's had a huge impact on me. But the other day, as I was driving down the highway, it came on the radio and it hit me in a completely new and different way.

Here I am to worship
Here I am to bow down
Here I am to say that You're my God

I've always been able to live that as I stood in church and sang that song. It's easy to worship and bow down and say that He's my God when I'm surrounded by others who are doing the same. Those are not hard things to do when "here" is "church." But in the car that day, it was like God knocked on the door of my heart and said, "'Here' is 'earth'." Whoa!
Now, you may be saying, "duh!", and I kind of was too, because I already knew that and tried to live it as much as I could. But having that in front of me as a concrete, conscious thought was a strong and convicting realization. "Here" isn't just church. I'm not just here to worship and bow down and say that He is God when I'm in church. "Here" is earth. Wherever I am, whatever I'm doing, I am supposed to worship and bow down and say that He is God.

When I'm at home with my family, when I'm in the grocery store, when I'm doing school, when I'm dealing with someone that I really struggle to like, when I'm in the midst of a trial or when life is perfect-

Here I am to worship
Here I am to bow down
Here I am to say that You're my God

No matter what, as long as I am drawing breath on this earth, that is what I am supposed to be doing. Worshipping, bowing down and saying that He is my God. If every Christian lived that kind of a life, what kind of a world would this be?

Happy Mother's Day

For all of you moms that I love and adore so much, but especially for my mom: I love you!

My mom is a smiling face
When all I can do is frown
My mom is a warm embrace
When I’m feeling lonely and down
My mom is a comforting presence
When trials come my way
My mom is love, at its essence
When life is gloomy and grey
My mom is a wonderful teacher
She’s taught me all that I know
My mom is sometimes a preacher
But I know that helps me to grow
My mom is devoted to Jesus
And I want to be like her someday
My mom is faithful to teach us
To love God in every way
My mom will be there at the end
Still just as gentle and kind
My mom is my very best friend
And I’m glad God made her mine

Thanks for being who you are, Mom; you're the best! Happy Mother's Day!

Conversations with Andrea

(Okay, I just want you guys to know that I feel really cool now that I am part of the "Conversations with..." club. =D)

Background: Jonathan, Stephen and Andrea just got home from our grandparents' house this morning, and they were all watching Sleeping Beauty. I was not in a bad mood, but I wasn't in a good mood either. Consequently, I was not really wanting to do anything that might possibly be called fun. Andrea came up the stairs looking quite sweet and innocent...

Andrea: Do you want to color with me?

Me: Don't you want to watch your movie?

Andrea: Well...

Me: (in my most animated and excited voice) It's at the best part! Prince Phillip is about to fight the dragon! You don't want to miss that!

Andrea: Well, we can color and watch the movie at the same time.

Me: Are you sure?

Andrea: (with that all-knowing 5-year-old look) Yes. Because, you know, anything is possible with God!

:-)

We colored...and watched the movie...and I was in a much better mood when we finished. I love that kid!

RIGHT NOW

Wednesday night at church we had a really powerful night with the youth group. We started out discussing Proverbs 25 and 26; we just talked about any and every one of the Proverbs that stuck out to us in those two chapters. Then, one of the junior high guys mentioned 27:1, which says,

"Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth."

An amazing conversation ensued. One of the guys told us about someone at his school that had died in a car wreck the night before, and what a wake-up call it was to him to realize that that young man was never going to have another chance to do anything, be it homework or a test or eating a meal or spending time with his family, etc. Bobby really started to stress to us that "All we have is right now!" There may not be a tomorrow. There may not be an "in a minute." "Later" may never get here.
Then we got ready to sing and Bobby encouraged us to worship God like it was our last chance to do so. Not to worship Him like we did last Wednesday. Not to think about how we might could worship next Wednesday when we're feeling "more spiritual." But to worship Him as if all we have is right now, because right now is all we have. After a couple of moments of no one leading songs or saying anything, Bobby continued to urge us that all we have is right now, "What are you going to sing to God? What are you going to say to encourage each other?" After that, it was like everyone caught on to what he was saying, and there wasn't another moment of silence. When we finished one song, someone immediately began leading another. The praise was genuine and amazing.

I've been thinking about that a lot since Wednesday, and it has really changed the way I think and act. If this is the only moment I have, I'm not going to waste it on anger or selfishness or pride or jealousy or fear or...you get the idea. If I die one minute from now, I don't want to die doing something that I'd wish I hadn't wasted my time doing. If Jesus comes back in the next second, I don't want Him to come back and find me doing something that doesn't bring Him honor.
Procrastination is a struggle for me (I think it's probably a struggle for most of us in some way, because there's no way for us to get everything done.), but I think I'm going to start changing what I procrastinate on. If I don't have enough time in the day to do everything, then I'm going to start by doing the things that will last beyond this earth. If I don't get to the rest of it...well then, it wasn't really that important anyway, was it? I'm making it my goal to stop looking at my Bible and saying, "I'll do it tomorrow," to stop looking at opportunities to improve my relationships with my family and saying, "I'll do it tomorrow," to stop looking at chances to be a blessing to those that need it and saying, "I'll do it tomorrow," to stop looking at opportunities to encourage my dear friends and saying, "I'll do it tomorrow." The Bible is very clear: THERE MAY NOT BE A TOMORROW. James 4:14 says, "You do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes." Then in verse 17 he says, "Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins." I find it interesting that James puts that sentence here. I have known that verse for years, but never thought of it in this context. We don't know what's going to happen tomorrow (or even if there will be one), so we can't put off the good that we know we should do today. If we do that, we are sinning. I had never thought of that before: by putting off until tomorrow the good things that I know I should do right now, I am sinning. "The day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night," says 1 Thessalonians 5:2, and I don't want to wait until right now is all I have to live like right now is all I have.

RIGHT NOW I'm going to start living my life to glorify my Father.
RIGHT NOW I'm going to start praying more faithfully.
RIGHT NOW I'm going to start considering others better than myself.
RIGHT NOW I'm going to start working to build better relationships with my family.
RIGHT NOW I'm going to start being more encouraging to my brothers and sisters in Christ.
RIGHT NOW I'm going to quit caring what other people think about me.
RIGHT NOW I'm going to quit worrying about my future, because tomorrow may not even come, and if it does, my Jesus says in Matthew 6:34 that it will worry about itself.

Now, I know I'm going to fail at doing most of the above things, probably all before lunch tomorrow, but that's what the blood of Jesus is for. Praise Him for that!

So here is my challenge to you, my friends:

RIGHT NOW IS ALL YOU HAVE, WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO WITH IT?

I encourage you, my brothers and sisters, "as long as it is called Today" not to be "hardened by sin's deceitfulness" (Hebrews 3:13) when it comes to doing good right now. Go say a prayer; just talk to your God. Then go play with your kids, kiss your wife or tell you husband how much you love him. Honestly now, how many of you just had the conscious thought, "I'll do that later?" There may not be a later! And don't tell me you don't have time; if you have time to read my blog, you have time to do that. Think about it: it takes less than three seconds to say "I love you," we should all have time for that! So go do it RIGHT NOW! (All of you that do that win major brownie points with me; whatever that's worth! =D)

Right now is all we have; let's live it for Him!

It's Baseball Season--Go Rangers!

I'm very happy! My all time favorite sports team, the Texas Rangers (that's a Major League Baseball team, for all of you sports-illiterate friends of mine =D) just beat their division rivals, the Los Angeles Angels, 10-4!!! That may not seem like a big deal to you, but it is a huge deal to me! You see, the Rangers are not exactly...umm...how do I say this...good. We finished 19 games behind in our division last year, so the fact that we won that game and are now only half a game behind the first-place Angels in our division this year is amazing! Okay, okay, so it's only the beginning of April and the season lasts 'til September, but that's not the point! The point is, my beloved Rangers won today!

Hey, did you guys notice my new picture?

That, in case you are wondering, is the Rangers' Captain, the Texas Rangers' mascot. I saw that picture and decided that it suited me well.

I think I'm running out of things to say now. Why have you even read this far, anyway? I'm not exactly writing anything valuable...or even anything interesting, for that matter. Okay, now turn off the computer and go do something productive. :-)

GO RANGERS!!!