Good or Best?

Philippians 1:9-10 TNIV
“And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best…”

In his prayer, Paul seems to indicate that there is a difference between “what is best” and all other things. I think it was Warren Wiersbe who said that our battle usually isn’t between good and bad, but rather the battle is between good and best.

This is where I have found myself. And this is why I have cut some of the excess out of my life. The extras I was involved with were not all bad. In fact, they could even be called good. But I was doing all of that good and the expense of doing what is best.

It reminds me of when Jesus was hanging out with Mary and Martha. Martha was keeping busy, doing a lot of good things; making preparations and serving her guests. Mary, though, simply sat down at Jesus’ feet and listened to what he was saying. Jesus said that what Mary had “chosen what is better.”

Better than the good things.

What’s good in your life? Are those good things coming at the sacrifice of the best things?

Simple is Good

I have spend the last several weeks in my life trying to simplify.

For example, I recently downgraded my cell phone and plan. I used to carry a Palm Centro, with an unlimited data plan. This allowed me access to the internet and email at all hours of the day. And, it cost me about $40 extra per month.

It came time to renew my contract, and I felt the call to simplify. I paid $10 for a new LG Shine and dropped the data and insurance. The new phone does all I need without the distraction of checking my email during dinner or surfing all the same sites again during family time. It’s been liberating. Plus, I save money.

Also, I recently shut the doors on a side business that I had started and am working on selling off the inventory. This business had the potential to bring in lots of extra cash, but it required me to be gone from my family almost every Saturday. Plus, a business needs running…and I was spending precious minutes everyday doing so. It took me away from my primary roles in life; follower of Christ, family man, and college minister.

Finally, over the last few days I have decided to drop a seminary class that I had enrolled in over the summer. I was loving the class and learning much. But, the amount of reading and writing was consuming my days. Summers are crucial to prayer and preparation in campus ministry, and neither were happening for me on account of this class. 

All in all, I feel as though God is stripping layers of me away and getting to some core issues in my life. He’s challenging me to be about the best things, not all of the good things. More on this theme later.

Suffice it to say, I am enjoying this thing called “simplicity.” What kind of clutter and noise can you cut out of your life?

A “Restore Your Faith in Humanity” Moment

Every once in awhile, it’s nice to be reminded that there is still some good out there.

I give you a “restore your faith in humanity” video.

A Night of Baptisms

Tonight, we answered the question “What About Baptism?” at TNT, our large-group gathering of students at the Christian Campus House.

The night ended with 6 college students uniting with Jesus in his death, burial, and resurrection. It was one of the most amazing nights I’ve ever had in ministry. At one point, I looked out at 40 or so students who had gathered as they sang the words, “God’s gonna move in this place.” It was plain to see that He was already.

Pictures and more reflection soon.

National Pancake Day

Welcome to National Pancake Day. What will you do to celebrate?

I thought this would be a great opportunity to share with you one of our family’s favorite traditions. Since being a family-man is one of my Big Rocks, we have several of these little traditions.

Every Saturday, as much as we are able, we make a massive batch of pancakes to enjoy as a family. If I am home, I will usually mix up the batter and make the cakes myself. I have a secret recipe that I use and my pancakes are so good that you could, if you wanted to, eat them without any butter or syrup. But, to make them really good, put some peanut butter on them and then syrup. Tastes like candy.

The funniest thing to come out of this little tradition was the creation of “man-cakes.” When I am not home, Keri will make the cakes. She is very frugal and always made tiny little pancakes…only 3″ in diameter maybe. When I take over, I make nice big ones…at least 5″ in diameter. Hence, I call them man-cakes. Our kids love it.

It doesn’t matter how you make them. You can make French Toast or Scrambled Eggs. You can even pour a bowl of Cheerioes. It’s about the time you spend with the kids and the memories you make.

Luke 15: The Incarnation

Each week I meet with two separate groups of guys for the purpose of sharing life, praying, and studying the Bible and (hopefully) growing as more mature disciples of Jesus. In each group there are three guys (me and two others). We call these groups Triads. The concept of the Triad is outlined in Greg Ogden’s amazing book, “Transforming Discipleship.”

Ogden wrote a companion book to Transforming Discipleship called “Discipleship Essentials.” Discipleship Essentials is, for lack of a better phrase, a discipleship workbook. Each week you study a specific topic, from the Incarnation to Sin to Grace to Worship to Prayer to Giving to the Fruit of the Holy Spirit. Needless to say, it’s got a lot of good information to be shared over the course of a year. Each week consists of a Core Point, a memorization verse, an in-depth Bible study and an extra reading.

All of that to say…this last week, with my guys, we looked at Luke 15 and the famous story of the Lost Son. Ogden points out some ideas in his writing I think are worth mentioning here.

There is much familiar about this parable; the selfish son, his wild living, the father who welcomes him back with arms wide open. But, as always, I find things in the Bible I have never noticed.

First off, he states that you can find both the Incarnation and the Cross in this parable, even though neither are specifically mentioned. Today, the Incarnation. Later in the week, the Cross.

The Incarnation is the idea that God came to earth as the person Jesus. He leaves his home to meet us sinners where they can be found. 

In this parable, it states:
20 And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. (Luke 15:20 ESV)

The father, although sinned against by his son, leaves his home to meet his boy where he is. He doesn’t stand with his arms folded on his front porch, looking down at his son, expecting an apology. He doesn’t ignore the boy or pretend as though he doesn’t see him. No, he leaves his home and meets his wayward son on the road back home.

And this is the Incarnation of Christ. Later in the week, I’ll write about the Cross in this parable.

I am Found in Romans 5:6-11

Romans 5:6-11 ESV
6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— 8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. 11 More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

Today I was hit by the words used to describe our state when God reconciles us to Himself through the blood of Jesus. Notice them:

Weak
Ungodly
Sinners
Enemies

All of those words, they describe me. And this passage states that Christ came when I was those things. He didn’t come when I was strong, or godly, or a saint, or a friend of God. We expect love when we are already those things.

No, God’s love is different; His love is made evident when we are the opposite of how we should be.

A Question of Vision

I’ve been thinking a lot about my vision for the Christian Campus House. Who are we? Who can we be on campus, in the community, and across the world? What’s next? Where are we headed?

Lots of questions. 

And this morning, it struck me. One question I have not asked. The MOST important question.

“God, what is Your vision for CCH?“

And it’s changed everything.

Valentine’s Day Gift for My Wife

Keri and I have never really celebrated Valentine’s Day. When we first got married, we would make gifts for each other. I made a mug once with a ridiculous picture of me on it and one year I made a cat out of miniature 3 Musketeer bars. 

This year, I went a different route. 

For Valentine’s Day, I presented Keri a picture of a young girl and told her that I had sponsored her in Keri’s honor for Valentine’s Day.

Her name is Semira and she is a 4 year old girl living in the HIV/AIDS and malaria ravished country of Ethiopia. She lives with her mother who is sometimes employed carrying stones. The average working adult in her community makes $23/month. Semira is young, but can’t go to school yet because of financial hardships. 

Our meager $32/month will help her get to school as well as get healthcare, food, clean water, life-skills training, and an opportunity to hear about Jesus.

Semira is the second child we will sponsored through Compassion. We have sponsored Kumar in India for the last nearly 10 years, since he was 7 years old. Now he is approaching 17 and it’s been fun to watch him grow and hear about his life in the letters he sends us. He always refers to us as his mommy and daddy; his biological parents have both died. He is following Christ in a predominantly Hindu and Muslim country.

If you are interested in sponsoring a child through Compassion, you may do so here. I would recommend choosing a child who has been waiting longer than 6 months and/or is living in a country ravished by HIV/AIDS.

If you decide to sponsor, please let me know!

**UPDATE: I was informed that the links to the information about the kids is not public. Sorry to all of those who clicked.**

Ordering Life: Big Rock #3 is My Health

“Who has God made to me to be and what am I supposed to be doing?”

I’ve been asking this question of myself often over the last several months. The answers that I come up with are what we are calling Big Rocks. Read the original post in this series to understand the importance of the Big Rocks going first into your jar.

My Big Rock #3 is my health. I have begun to realize that my body is not getting any younger. And with that age comes, hopefully, wisdom.

I was diagnosed with high blood pressure at the age of 28 and given medication. I had chronic headaches that debilitated me. I have a family history of high cholesterol. I am, by nature, a night owl and was not getting enough sleep.

I realized that if I want to serve well, I neded to make some changes. Here are action steps I have implemented:

Exercise: I strive to work-out 4 days each week; Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. My work-out of choice: Wii Fit! I spend about 15 minutes doing yoga to stretch my muscles and help with my flexibility and balance. I then spend another 15 minutes doing strength training on the Wii Fit. And finally I spend another 15 minutes doing aerobic exercises.

Eating: I have earnestly attempted to cut out excess sugar from my diet. Now, I still have a cookie or cupcake from time to time, but I don’t have 2 or 3 or 4. Also, I have stopped over-eating. As I have practiced self-control in this area, I have been shocked to realize how badly I overate in the past. It feels good to stop eating when you’re full. 

Combining these two practices have helped me to lose 8 pounds in the last month. Not a ton…but a good, healthy pace to lose weight. (Plus, I am treating my wife to a Caribbean cruise to celebrate our 10th anniversary this winter…and I don’t want to be the fat guy with no shirt on by the pool!)

Sleeping: A few weeks ago, I decided to simply just go to bed whenever Keri went to bed. I am, as I mentioned, a night-owl by nature. She is not. She’s a go-to-bed-about-10pm-no-matter-what kind of person. I told her one night that I would just go to bed with her each night, no questions asked. I would stop whatever I was doing and sleep. 

After a few nights, I noticed something amazing: I felt better. And I woke up before my alarm clock ready to start my day. No more hitting the snooze button and rolling out of bed just in time to take my daughter to school. Nope! I could wake up early, workout, take a shower and then take her to school. Amazing!

Less Caffeine: This may sound completely insane to most of you, but I gave caffeinated coffee up completely a little over a year ago. I still drink lots of coffee, but it’s ALL decaf. Every once in awhile I will have a Diet Coke, but my overall in-take of caffeine has gone from “way-too-much” to “hardly-any” and my body feels better for it.

Caffeine is America’s legal drug. Just one thought: if you get a headache whenever you don’t get your cup of joe or Mountain Dew, then you have a problem! Don’t be a slave.

All of these efforts, as well as a few others, have helped my body feel better. Losing weight. Not so tired. Fewer headaches. More energy. All good things that make me a better follower of Christ, a better husband, a better father, a better minister, and a better person.