Together

I had the incredible privilege of sitting in the dentist chair this morning. Having that as an opening statement ought to bring thoughts of comfort and support my way from all who read this. J

While sitting there, I happened to look up and notice one of those inspiring pictures with this caption underneath: Coming together is the beginning. Keeping together is a process. Working together is success.

(Inner Harbor - Baltimore, MD)

* Coming together is the beginning.

II Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” (KJV)

While this experience of meeting Christ is life-altering, we cannot expect to stay there. Time, whether we like it or not, marches on. We are expected to grow and mature in our relationship with Him. As my pastor said recently, we must become self-feeders and quit expecting everyone else to spoon-feed us and help us get around. Coming together with Christ – joining together with our relationships – even coming to grips with our own selves is only the beginning.

* Keeping together is a process.
Remaining committed to God’s purpose for us is the test of all tests. We are tempted, tested, and tried to get us to turn our back on the very thing that will mature us.  

John 10:10 says, “The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.” (NLT)

If you have endured this process with God for any length of time, then you have a greater understanding that tough times come to those who are just and those who are not. What we have to realize is that all things work together for the good. He never promised that this life with Him would be easy…but He did promise that He would be just. Commitment involves the good, the bad, and the ugly. It is a process.

(Conowingo Dam - Street, MD)

* Working together is success.

Ruth found this out in her story. Boaz, the man whose field she was working, found favor with her. He said in Ruth 2:12, “The LORD recompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee of the LORD God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to trust.” (KJV)

(Federal Hill area - Downtown Baltmore)

When you do things God’s way and work with Him in the process of life, His favor will shine upon you. No one will ever question in whom you trust for it will be apparent through your countenance.

These three simple steps not only serve in our relationship with Christ, but in every facet of our lives. Marriages, friendships, families, jobs, as well as our hopes and dreams become what they should be when we….
…Begin by coming together.

…Remain together and not give up - understanding this is a process.
…Then join forces and work together in order to reach the highest of goals.

Success can really be that simple.

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This is NOT normal

Most people would probably not admit it - but I have my moments of intense discussion with God. On many occasions I fight the urge to ‘question’ His ways as I search for meaning in the experiences I go through.

In one of those recent moments of conversation with Him I made the statement, “God, just for one day I would like to have my normal again.” I couldn’t help but smile because when we choose (and it is a choice) to follow the path that Christ has designed for us, we sign up for anything but normal.

(One brown cow - Forest Hill, MD)

We know that ‘God’s ways are not man’s ways’.

We know that ‘God’s thoughts are not our thoughts’.
And yet we sign on the dotted line, expecting things to be….normal.

God’s ways brings change.
God’s ways cause you to do things you never dreamed possible.
God’s ways makes the impossible possible.
God doesn’t do…normal.

There are moments on this journey where we will question the decisions that we have had to make because of following Him. At times it will feel like madness because it completely goes against what our flesh feels comfortable doing.

Have you ever asked yourself the questions:
* What am I doing?
* What have I done to myself?
* How did I get here?
If so, He has you right where He wants you. And if you keep walking this path, things will never be normal again.

(Federal Hill - Baltimore, MD)

Brennan Manning (Book: The Signature of Jesus) wrote, “The Signature of Jesus is offered to Christians who want to live by faith and not by mere “religion,” for those who recognize that many of the burning theological issues in the church today are neither burning nor theological, [for those] who see Christianity neither as a moral code or a belief system but a love affair, who have not forgotten that they are followers of a crucified Christ…”

It is in loving the Master so much that you can reach a point where you are never able to be satisfied with normal again. This kind of attitude will affect our marriages because we will never settle for a normal one again. We will never be at peace again with just going about our routines because there will be something pushing us forward to greater things.

(the Philly Phanatic - Philadelphia, PA)

We must make the decision to shake loose of what we’ve always known (the normal) – so that we can break through into what we never thought possible (the extra-ordinary). Christ is waiting on your decision. What do you have to lose? The only thing I can think of is self-control.

Let everything fall into His hands today and get ready for the most un-normal life you could ever dream of. 

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Find someone...

Find someone in this room…go ahead, look around…pick out someone you care about and play hard for them tomorrow.” (Wade Phillips, Head Coach Dallas Cowboys)

I am in no way a fan of the Dallas Cowboys, but when I heard one of their players share this statement from their head coach this past week, it struck a chord in me. The coach was trying to inspire his team that had yet to win a game, to play for those they cared about most.

There have been moments in my life that I could refer back to when I simply didn’t have the will to compete in the game of life for my own self. Tough times always bring us to this place of reality. It doesn’t take a long period of evaluation in our lives to realize that selfish ways lead down a destructive path.

(Park Bench - Bel Air, MD)

Wade Phillips wanted his team to see that playing the game of football for your own self will not bring success. He wanted to show them that in order to be victorious, you had to play the game for the man next to you.

If we could only realize the importance of this principle, set into motion over two thousand years ago by our Creator, things in our lives would be so different. We would leap out of bed each day ready to take on any storms headed our way, because we would be fighting for our family, our friends…or maybe even complete strangers.

(Sam's Shoes - Rocks State Park)

This journey with Christ is not about you. It is not about what you accomplish or obtain. What Christ desires for us to grasp is that our walk with Him is not about us…it is about others.

If we start to struggle or begin to question the reason we do what we do…look around you, pick out someone you care about…and play for them.
* Give your all in total surrender to Christ…so that someone else can ‘see’ Him.
* Give what you can…so the thirsty can drink and the hungry can eat.

This game of life cannot be played selfishly. There will come a time when you need others, too. How different this world would be if mankind just looked around the room, picked someone they cared about…and played hard for them.

(Me & the 'guys' ... Dodgers / Phillies - Philadelphia, PA)

John 15:13 – “There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” (NLT)

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Be You

Have you ever wanted to be someone else? I’m not referring to the desire to be a superhero, alien, cowboy or Indian…
Maybe you have looked into the lives of those around you and, filled with envy, wondered what it would be like to be them.

Looking back over most of my early school days, I wish could have a do-over. I worked so hard during that span of time trying to find just the ‘right mix’. I did all I could to fit in to whichever group could make me look the best. In reality, most of my school years were spent fighting against the urge just to be myself. While God was over in the corner whispering to me, ‘Just be who I made you to be.’

(Flowers in Bel Air, MD)

Psalm 139:13-16 says, “For You created my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from You when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, Your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in Your book before one of them came to be.”

So many go through life:
1. Not knowing who they are.
2. Once they find out, they then spend the rest of the time not liking their discovery.

As hard as it may be, we must fight each day to overcome this sense that we would be better off if we were just ___________.  

How do we do it?

Every single day, we must celebrate who we are.
*We don’t need another singer like that.

*We don’t need another minister like that.

*We don’t need another person who does it exactly like…that.

*We don’t need another _________.

*What we need is…YOU.

(Flowers in Washington, D.C.)

Galatians 6:4-5 says, “Be sure to do what you should, for then you will enjoy the personal satisfaction of having done your work well, and you won’t need to compare yourself to anyone else. For we are each responsible for our own conduct.” (NLT)

Celebrate who you are and there will be little time left to compare yourself to another. Commit an act of random kindness without expecting others to notice. Dance, sing, or do something silly without regard to being seen. Praise someone else’s efforts – out loud. Re-arrange things in your home…whatever it takes to celebrate YOU.

Love the God who made you.  Who is the first person we blame most of the time for making us who we are? God.  At the beginning of each day, we must settle within ourselves that we are going to love the God who made us…no matter what.

(Aliceanna Street - Inner Harbor)
(Baltimore, MD)

We say we would never turn our back on Him, but Peter said the same thing. He thought he would never do that…until he wanted to hide who he was. When all the ugly stuff shows up, do we still love the God that made us? 

Students - save yourself a lot of heartache by learning early on…be you.
Young married couple - the Jones’s are not as well off as you think…be you.
Ma’am - you are beautiful just the way you are. We don’t need another so and so…be you.
Sir - we don’t need another superhero. We need you.

Love yourself.
Love the God who made you.

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the Frozen Man

I know what it means to freeze to death…
Lose a little life with every breath…
To say goodbye to life on earth…
And come around again…

Lord have mercy on the frozen man. (James Taylor, 1991)

Since James Taylor is one of my favorite songwriters, I find myself often forwarding through other artists on my iPod to re-listen to some of my favorites songs by him. While listening to the lyrics of the Frozen Man the other day, I felt to go back and listen to the last verse again.

(White Marsh area @ Sunset)

My mind began to flip back through the memories of different chapters in my own life when I have become ‘stuck’ in a moment, unable to move forward. It has happened many times and I’ve allowed myself to be frozen, while life is passing me by. It is like the old statement…’you are stuck in a moment and can’t get out of it’.

Some situations are simply life, while others are brought on by ourselves. The choice we have to make is - do we allow it to frame us up neatly in a picture frame, or do we escape and move forward? Do you ever wonder why God turns up the heat? Those times in your life when you simply can’t understand why He would allow this to be.

(Parking Meter - Bel Air, MD)

I wonder today if He is simply trying to ‘thaw’ us out of our frozen state to get us to live. We quite often run from these fiery moments because it can get awfully ‘hot in the kitchen.’ 

But as another song says, it is “through the fire our weakness is made strong.” 

Paul said in Philippians 3:13-14, “….I focus on this one thing: forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.”

(Skyline - Philadelphia, PA)

Let’s face facts today – there are moments when Christ has to turn up the heat on us. If we resist and run from it, the picture frames from our past are going to freeze us in time, causing us to reach the end with regrets. Don’t be robbed of your ‘season’ of joy, hope, and passion because you are frozen in a picture frame of your past.

Turn toward the heat and warm up.

Thaw out and LIVE. 

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'Driven' the wrong way

How have we become a society that looks at the signs of success to be stress and fatigue? It seems like the more you have going on – the more cell phones attached to your hip, the more Facebook friends you have – that proves how successful you are.

While being ‘driven’ can be an asset in some areas of life, becoming consumed with getting ahead can often motivate you to make something of yourself for less than the best of reasons. Instead of enhancing your life, it ends up diminishing what you accomplish.

In our drivenness, we must be careful not to get so caught up in seeking after symbols of accomplishment.  Titles, offices, locations, positions, special privileges…and on down the line we could go. Without these symbols of accomplishment, many feel they have nothing to show for what they have done.

I’ve even met those who only feel they have accomplished something if they garner some type of reward. One thing is completed and praise comes your way. We begin to think that if one thing made us feel that good, then accomplishing several more will give us an even greater feeling. This kind of person sees life in terms of results, and they have little appreciation for the process that leads toward those results. For these people, their growth is often sacrificed for accomplishment and accumulation. When you peel back the layers of ‘stuff’, what you have left is an empty shell.

The great Charles Spurgeon said once: “Success exposes a man to the pressures of people and thus tempts him to hold on to these gains by means of fleshly methods and practices, and to let himself be ruled wholly by the dictatorial demands of incessant expansion. Success can go to my head and will unless I remember that it is God who accomplishes the work, that He can continue to do so without my help, and that He will be able to make out with other means whenever He wants to cut me out.”

 

(Conowingo Dam)
(Street, MD)

We cannot allow success to deter us from the process that Christ has designed for us to go through. There is a reason for the scripture, “to whom much is given, much is required.”

When Christ gives success into our life…we should turn and give more worship.
As He continues to bless us…we should continue to give away more.
As more accomplishments are checked off…we should give just as much time back to the Kingdom.
He can accomplish His plan without any of us; but He desires to give life more abundantly to all who will be ‘driven’ by His purpose.

(Forest Hill, MD)

Luke 14:11 – “For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

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One Time Encounters

One time encounters. Sometimes that’s all you get.

That one opportunity to speak and plant a seed in someone’s life that you may never get to see the result of. Think about the waitress, the cashier, the conversation brought up in the coffee shop...what seeds are we planting? Or are we so concerned about being the harvester that we forget the need to plant the seed in the first place?

Seed planters usually don’t get the glory. They are the ones who get to deal with the soil. Sometimes the ground is fertile, but most of the time it’s going to be hard and rough. That’s where the planters need to seize the opportunity to prepare the ground for an eventual harvest.

(Flowers in Forest Hill, MD)

Moments to plant a positive seed in someone’s life are often missed because of judgment. Too many times we make up our minds about not planting a seed because tilling the ground just looks too difficult. We tell ourselves they would never want what we have, and instead of bringing love and hope into their world, we end up spreading division.

Many wonder why the harvest isn’t showing up like they expected. I’ve pointed the finger at myself lately wondering if Matthew 9 has become a reality. Matthew 9:36-38: “But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.
Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few;”

(Sleeping)
(Washington, D.C.)

There’s a place for harvesters…they are a must. But where are the planters? Those willing to seize every opportunity to dig in without the guarantee they will ever see the fruits of their labor. It is not the most sought-after position, but it will fill your inner being with the ‘fruits’ of Christ’s heart. This harvest is what brought Him from heaven’s splendor to this earth to die…and then live again. If the harvest was and is that important to the Master, then it needs to be of utmost importance to us.

You just might get one shot at a soul who is loved by God today. Are you ready to work? You cultivate the soil…you plant the seed. Don’t worry if you’re the one who gets to harvest what was planted…that part is up to God anyway.

John 9:4 says, “We must quickly carry out the tasks assigned us by the one who sent us. The night is coming, and then no one can work.” (NLT)

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Chasing Cars

We’ve all witnessed it at some point or another. A car coming down the road at a high rate of speed, and a dog - small, medium, or large - will race out toward said vehicle…barking…attacking – and then, right before disaster, is left behind…clueless as to what they were almost involved in. I always wondered what was going through a dog’s mind during these moments. What made them want to leave the comfort of their yard or the relaxing place on the front porch to chase after something so large and fast?

(VW Bus - Downtown Baltimore City)

The principle behind their decisions brings to mind a warning Paul wrote about on how to live our everyday lives. He told the Ephesian church in Ephesians 5:15-16, “So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days.” (NLT)

These chasing-car dogs want to get as close to disaster as they can without having to face the consequences that would come from that decision. In the same token, so many people want to see how close they can get to sin without feeling the repercussions. The question goes much deeper than simply, ‘Is this the legal thing to do, or is this acceptable?’ 

The question we must ask ourselves…’Is this the WISE thing to do?’  Paul said it straight – we don’t have time to waste chasing after things that could bring about disaster. It’s imperative to ‘make the most of every opportunity in these evil days.’

(Hwy 24 / Bel Air Rd Intersection)
(Bel Air, MD)

One dog must have watched another dog chase a car and said to himself, “Boy, that looks like fun. I think I’ll try that with the next gigantic metal object that comes by.” If culture defines where our feet take us, it might lead us to a place we eventually don’t want to end up. It’s why so many lives are filled with regrets. 

We get distracted away from living wisely.

Paul said you must go further than simply asking:
…’Is there scripture for this?’
…’Is everyone else doing it?’
…’Does the bank approve of it?’
Instead, we MUST return to the question, “Is this the wise thing to do?”

Some are afraid to ask this question. They already know the answer. We are like the dog sitting on the porch – doing whatever we are doing; and then down the road comes our weakness - that ‘thing’ we usually can’t handle, the enticement to follow our own desires and not God’s…and as we take chase, we are left in the dust (if we aren’t completely run over in the process).

(Road Split)
(Downtown Bel Air, MD)

Ask yourself three questions:

1. In light of my past, is this the wise thing to do? 

I remember the last time I did that, and is it best for me to be around that? We all have a past unique to us. So I ask: After where you’ve been and what you’ve gone through, is that car worth chasing?

2. In my present circumstances, what is the wise thing to do? 

We can’t allow ourselves to make decisions based on emotion. Maybe your decision would be right later on…but not at this moment.

3. In light of my future hopes and dreams, what is the wise decision? 

Anyone with experience knows that unwise decisions can rob us of so much in our future. So much time has been wasted ‘chasing after cars’ that led us nowhere.

(Hwy 1)
(Bel Air, MD)

Andy Stanley said it well, “Don’t rob yourself…by FOOLING yourself.”

No one sets out to mess up their life. The problem is…we never plan not to.

Stop. Evaluate where you are. Before making the decision to chase…ask the question, ‘Is this the WISE thing to do?’

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I'm a Day-Dreamer

I’m not ashamed. I admit it…I’m a daydreamer. I try not to do this while driving or talking with someone, but at all other times, it’s ‘game on’. There are moments we just want (dream) to be somewhere other than where we are. You’re wide-awake, you didn’t eat bad pizza the night before…you are just day-dreaming.

(Sleeping Ducks)
(National Mall - Washington, D.C.)

Albert Einstein once said that ‘imagination is better than knowledge’. Really?? How is it that one of the smartest individuals in history would make such a statement? I simply wonder how many individuals live out their days unaware of all the unused potential around them.

Maybe your own life is defined by the difficulties you have yet to overcome. You give in to the idea that these are your ‘limitations’ and/or ‘boundaries’. We allow everything we are and do to be manipulated by the circumstances of our lives rather than letting it being a calling or purpose from God.

(Colored pencil)
(Inner Harbor - Baltimore City)

Einstein was on to something because real genius and real invention is not about identifying a problem…it is about solving it.

Is it truly possible to leave what you know, or possibly the security of what you have, in order to discover what you only see in your dreams? This is a tough principle to learn. Not everything we’re supposed to learn has to come from experiencing it. Some just insist on learning through pain that results from being ‘un-teachable.’ Some things you shouldn’t learn from experience simply because that very experience might destroy you. 

The world we create in our heads is usually the world you will create with your actions.

To grow…you must be willing to fail.

One of the best examples is explained in a fable about a young man named Ayden. He asked his mentor named Maven if he was ready for the challenges he was going to face on his upcoming journey.

With great fear and apprehension he asked, “Have I learned everything I need to know?” 

With great calm Maven replied, “You know everything you need to learn.”

(Farm - Forest Hill, MD)

Every person is a Seeker…who becomes a Dreamer…and then they go on to become Explorers.

Dream it…and let your pilgrimage begin.

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Let Love Rule

What does it mean for you and how does it make you feel to experience genuine love? We all realize by now that love is more than just saying the words, ‘I love you’. Real love is proving it day in and day out. The more I experience doing this life-thing with Christ, the more I realize there is a difference between loving someone and being in-love with them.

I love chicken strips (…can I get a witness?)
But I am in-love with my wife.

This is a trivial example, but I have come to the determination in my own life that I need to prioritize what I simply love and what I’m in-love with. If we don’t take the time to do this, our passions are going to spiral out of control.

Jesus Christ loved His mother. He made sure at Calvary that she was looked after and cared for. He loved her…but He was in-love with His calling and purpose.
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son. . .” It must have pained Him also to know He was going to experience a separation from His earthly family by fulfilling what He came here to do, but He was in-love with his eternal mission.

(Butterfly's - Forest Hill, MD)

I’m afraid that many have become focused on the wrong things. We have allowed the things we ‘love’ to take the place of what we should be ‘in-love’ with. It is such a selfish way to live yet we humans have a fleshly nature that desires to be pleased. Flesh says, “You love success. It’s dog-eat-dog and you must give and do, then give and do more…then give and do some more.” Before long, we become so consumed in doing that we forget who we are and what we were created for. 

Christ experienced plenty of temptation that tried to distract His focus. Satan tried to entice Him with offers of…‘If you would only…then I will give you this.’ The enemy showed up when Christ was at His weakest, but He held firm to the path because He was so…in-love.

(Gravel Road - Forest Hill, MD)

When you choose your companion for life, it sometimes doesn’t matter what anyone else tells you. They might say, “Don’t do it. You’re crazy. Have you lost your mind?” But you are so in-love, nothing else matters. If we were honest with ourselves, as time passes by, things get in the way, and we get to where we simply love them and are no longer in-love.

Has the line blurred between loving and being in-love? Is your relationship with Christ still filled with freshness and the spark it once held? Many of us need to fall in-love with life again. We need to fall in-love with our mission…in-love with our companion and family, and most importantly…in-love with Christ. Because if you are, ‘you’ll keep His commandments.’

(Max Handprint - Rocks State Park)

Being in-love makes you do some strange stuff…so go do something ‘crazy’ today.

Let Love Rule! (Lenny K)

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Running on Empty

Do you ever feel like you’re running on empty?

Those moments (or days) when you feel you have simply nothing to offer. Some look to you for encouragement and you just don’t have anything to share. You sit down to journal your hopes and dreams, and nothing comes out. These moments make me feel like I’ve either done something wrong or that I’m a failure.  I’ve even questioned if God really cares for me because He would allow me to feel so drained.

I heard a couple statements recently…

“A man on his face can’t fall from that position.”

“Humility will come to you – it just depends on whether or not you want to do it or let God.” (Chris Hodges)

(Closed Metal Decorating Co.)
(Downtown Baltimore City)

These statements have helped me to realize that if I’m falling into the realm of emptiness, then I am not laying on my face enough before the Master. Scripture even says in Proverbs 16 that, “pride cometh before destruction, and haughtiness before a fall.”  

Some people become very humble when storms are swirling in their lives because they need peace from God. But when the birds are singing and life is good, the “I” mentality comes into play and pride begins to build. Look what “I’m” doing – Look at the success “I” am having. This kind of thinking will lead us ever so quickly down a road toward destruction.

What is the main ingredient of humility? 

Corrie Ten Boom said in her book, Each New Day: “When I saw Sadhu Sundar Singh in Europe, he had completed a tour around the world. People asked him, ‘Doesn't it do harm, you’re getting so much honor?’  The Sadhu's answer was: ‘No. The donkey went into Jerusalem, and they put garments on the ground before him. He was not proud. He knew it was not done to honor him, but for Jesus, who was sitting on his back. When people honor me, I know it is not me, but the Lord, who does the job.’" 

(Sheep at pasture - Jarrettsville, MD)

Humble people are lifted to a place of honor. Their name may never be put in lights, but the honor that comes from their fellow man will be shown in amazing ways. As the principle of humility consumes our life and the rewards begin to come, our position before the master can never change…for it is He who does the work.

Philippians 2:7-8 says,”Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross!”

In humble adoration and honor…I kneel before my God. 

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