What are you...11?

My 11 year old was on a roll a few mornings ago. I sat nearby and overheard a conversation between he and his little brother that I wasn’t completely pleased with what was being said. After correcting that, I then found his bath towel draped across the television downstairs. Following that, he wouldn’t answer any questions his mom and I would ask. O yes – there is more. After brushing his teeth, he unexplainably walks out of the bathroom and leaves the water running.

I can hear many of you now:
- NOT in my house!
- He needs a good spanking!
- That attitude better change!

And then, for those of you that have known me for years:
- Larry is just reaping what he has sown.
(I choose to ignore those of you in that camp. J)

(Bel Air, MD)

In all seriousness, we can learn all sorts of things from a child. My 11 year old caused me to look in the mirror of my relationship with my heavenly Father.

* The mornings I wake up and start my day without Him. My first conversation is with 

twitter / facebook / the grouch that is within me.
* I continue on throughout the day grumbling over what is not right. Upset because ‘they’ said or didn’t say this to me. Kind of like throwing a wet towel over the television…someone else will pick up my mess.

You know, the more I think of it, how many times must God say, “I so wish they would stop acting like an 11 year old.” Sure, I corrected my son…but he is actually 11 years old. And as he continues to mature, he is going to have moments of acting this way.

But if we claim to be a mature Christ follower, I (we) must start acting like it.

Purpose in our lives:

- I will begin each morning with Him.
- I will not allow what is said, not said, or done to affect what I know He is doing in my life.
- I will not wait until HE has to correct me in order to get ‘it.’It is time I grow up in Christ. Stop going through my day acting like I don’t know any better. 

Max is my child…but on that particular morning, I was not well pleased. Correction came and stopped him in his tracks to let him know, this is NOT going to continue.
I am Christ’s child. He is my heavenly Father. But I wonder if He has to spend more time ‘closing’ doors (correcting me) than He does ‘opening’ them (blessing me)?

A Single-Minded Man

James 1:6-8
6 But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind.
7 Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.
8 Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do.

I know what you’re thinking. Couldn’t we find a more encouraging and uplifting passage of scripture to begin a new year with? Sure. I could if I wanted to tell myself and others what we desired to hear.

This new year brings with it a plethora of NEW opportunities and NEW beginnings…but resolutions are just not resolutions if we don’t break a few, right? If you are like me, I’m sure you’ve broken more than you’ve kept, and it’s ok to admit that because we’re human and nobody’s perfect. 

(I like to think that’s the reason anyway.)

Inner Harbor
(Baltimore, MD)

My goal (get it – I got rid of resolution J) is to strive this year to be a single-minded man. And the reason I selected these verses as my theme for 2012 is because…I’m tired of being an unstable man - giving off the persona that I know what I believe in and what I’m believing for, but deep inside…I’m just not sure.

It’s why the storms show up in our lives, and we end up in a place we never meant to be. We wake up ‘one day’, expecting to have accomplished so much more. We communicate one thing and think we are so convincing, but everyone else around us can see our divided loyalties. Everyone but us.

I guess we spend so many days living with the expectation that God is going to do __________ for us, and then we take over the ‘process’ to make sure it goes the way we want it to. From experience, I can tell you that this leads straight to the land of instability.  

So what better day to evaluate than January 1^st? To look in the mirror of your soul and be honest for a change. Is your life right now proof of an unstable being?

I’m not saying you and I are not following Christ, but rather, when we approach our Creator in faith, asking for guidance, favor, grace, and blessings - are we divided with our loyalty?

Forest Hill, MD

Do we ask Him for His favor – yet take advantage of His grace?
Do we request His ordering of our steps – yet say ‘my will and not Yours, God’?
Do you desire ______________ , yet continue doing ______________?

James said in Vs. 7 – “Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.”
And yet we wonder why He feels so far away at times . . .

This may not be for you…but it is for me. My commitment to God, my wife, my children, my family, my friendships, and my circle of influence . . . is to work hard every day to be a single-minded man. When the world would place before me voices to get me off my path – whether through visions of personal gain or enticement of ‘things’ that won’t last – may I have the strength to say as David did in Psalms 18:2 – “The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety.”


Happy New Year to you and yours...may 2012 be filled with a single minded focus that leads each of us to greatness!

The 'Garment' that speaks...

Imagine with me that every word you spoke, or every thought you ever had about yourself, became a garment for you to wear? (Laurie Beth Jones)

It was a question I came across recently that seemed to sum up the last 36 years of my life. At the top of the list of some of the greatest sins we could ever commit is a lack of confidence and belief in our own selves.

How is that possible?

God made us and created us in His own image. He chose us. He believes in us…
               (on and on the list goes)
And yet, we convince our own selves that something is wrong. . .something is just not right. Scripture says, “…out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.” We have allowed this thought process to fill our mind and heart so much, that we actually convince our own selves that we are masking this sin.

(Maryland Snow)
Forest Hill, MD

Where does it lead?

To a place where no one can truly believe what we say. To a place where trying to please people is more important than telling them what they ‘need’ to hear. To a place where you are always the victim and never the problem.

To put it bluntly – It’s bondage in its greatest form. You can never be led because you are unable to lead your own self. Your marriage, relationships, and acquaintances will remain good…yet never make it over to greatness. True success in life will always remain out of reach because of the gray area that has engulfed your world. You will look in the mirror and it’s always someone else – you can never point the finger in the direction it belongs.

You cannot give your way out of this. You cannot serve your way out of this. You cannot talk your way out of this one. It is an addiction. . .and the first thing you have to do with an addiction is admit that you have a problem. It is a mask that can never truly cover up what is on the inside.

(Central Park)
New York, NY

Freedom awaits those who humble themselves and stop. Stop allowing your lack of belief in yourself to ‘victimize’ you. Your wife is waiting on a leader. Your husband needs his teammate to stand with him. Your children are longing for their hero to stand up. And this world has been waiting on the Jesus that only you can show them by what your ‘garment’ is saying.

The sooner you start seeing the sin in this, the sooner repentance can begin. 

I can personally guarantee: this is the greatest Christmas gift you could ever give yourself. Because there is nothing like the freedom of walking in the light. 

Is it Right?

Anger is for the most part tough to suppress. Many of we human beings are built like steam pots...we begin the process of heating up until finally we spew hot air everywhere. 

You don't have to act like you are perfect and never struggle with this emotion. Believe me - everyone around can see and sometimes feel the force of your 'steam'. 

It is truly amazing how may times we spew that anger towards our creator. We claim to be this great man or woman of faith - we take that step off the cliff of our 'comfort zones' to show what a brave spiritual follower of Christ we are - we speak to anyone who will listen that we are willing to go wherever He chooses to take us...and THEN. Then He chooses to take us 'there', and we get angry. 

(Inner Harbor)
Baltimore City, MD

From the time I attended my first S.S. Class, Jonah has always been one of the most intriguing lessons in the Bible. I mean, this guy got swallowed by a fish. If that is not intriguing, then you cannot be intrigued. 

God told him to go to Ninevah to preach to the city that judgement was coming because of their wickedness. He refused. He got on a boat. He was thrown overboard. He was swallowed by a great fish. He cried out to God. Fish spits him out. NOW he is willing. He preaches to the city what God said He was going to do. They repent. God shows mercy to them and doesn't destroy them. JONAH GETS ANGRY. 

After all I've been through getting here to deliver your message, and You show mercy?! 

(Jonah 4:1-3) NLT

This change of plans greatly upset Jonah, and he became very angry.  So he complained to the Lord about it: “Didn’t I say before I left home that you would do this, Lord? That is why I ran away to Tarshish! I knew that you are a merciful and compassionate God, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. You are eager to turn back from destroying people.  Just kill me now, Lord! I’d rather be dead than alive if what I predicted will not happen.” 

Then God (in Vs. 4) made a statement to Jonah that has challenged my world as of late: 

"Is it right for you to be angry about this?"

(Walkway - Inner Harbor)
Baltimore City, MD

We take these obedient steps to follow Christ and 'things' appear to get worse.

(All the while it 'appears' for others that mercy is continuously shown)

After all I've been through to get to this point, things are not working out the way I had planned. 

Look God...my future is on the line here. 

I guess I enjoy reading about Jonah's life so much because I can relate to his way of thinking. It was so selfish. Jonah was so concerned about his stuff, that he couldn't see that it is always about 'others'.  

Our anger can grow so blinding, that we forget THE work that God is doing through us. 

We (I do anyway) like to think that when we take our leap of faith into Gods plan that it is all about us. God is going to make me this. God is going to use me to do that. The 'blessings' are just going to come pouring in on my terms. 

Then God starts doing the REAL work in us...and we get angry. 

"Is it right for you to be angry about this?" (via Jesus Christ)

Picky

It’s no secret that I’m a picky eater. Where I get it from, I have no idea. From early on, I can remember wanting my cheeseburgers with nothing but meat and cheese. My food can’t touch when it’s on my plate.
Subway sandwich-makers dearly love to see me come in because my sandwich is always the easiest to fix. Just get the bread…slap on some cheese, turkey meat, and bacon…and I’m good to go.
My salad (if you can call it that) consists of bacon bits, cheese, eggs, kidney beans, and fat-free thousand island dressing. (stop laughing!)

It is amazing though how that my pickiness has drifted into my every-day journey with Christ. There are just some things I don’t want to eat. Would it be good for me? Sure. Would I possibly find out that I actually enjoyed it? Sure. But somehow I make up my mind…I am not taking that in.

National Mall
(Washington, D.C.)

Apparently, deep down, I expect that my walk with Him is always going to be filled with sunshine and roses. But when my ‘food’ starts running together on my ‘plate’, I just want to take it to the sink and not eat it.

David said in, Psalm 34:8:’ O taste & see that the Lord is GOOD: blessed is the man who trusteth in Him.’ (KJV)

You see, we can gorge ourselves when our meal is prepared the way we like it. But when it comes to having to ‘suffer’ through one we just don’t like, we nibble around the edges…nibbling just enough to hold us until we can later run through a drive-thru and get what we really want.

Conowingo Dam
(Darlington, MD)

Sometimes God doesn’t give us exactly what we want or how we want it. There are moments when a ‘dish’ is served…that we didn’t order. Yet, it’s God’s way of knowing what’s best for each of us. He never said that everything was going to taste good…He simply said to trust what He gives you, and then you will see that He is good.

Go ahead and consume Romans 8:28: ‘And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.’ (KJV)

-----------------------

"Duties are ours, events are God's; When our faith goes to meddle with events, and to hold account upon God's Providence, and beginneth to say, 'How wilt Thou do this or that?' we lose ground;
(Samuel Rutherford)

In following Christ, we can’t be picky eaters. Taste and see…you just might be surprised. 

Go ahead....Jump

Confidence is such a difficult thing to battle with. It is like a never-ending roller coaster that can’t stop making the loops, round and round and round. You climb slowly…you ‘top out’…then back down you go, and around the loop our lives continue to roll.

Where confidence shows itself outwardly is in the fact that, many times, we can’t look others in the eye. A few years ago I had the privilege of meeting a hero of mine. I did not realize he was going to be at the same event I was at. And out of nowhere, I turned the corner and came face-to-face with him. I was introduced to him, and literally could not look him in the eyes.

Sometimes it seems as though a person’s greatness makes them better than us. And we all know that’s not even close to the real case.

But I have come to realize that the greatest battle with confidence comes not when dealing with someone else…it’s in the inward battle that we can never seem to completely defeat.

(Forest Hill, MD)

Failure. Doubt. Worry. Reached the end of our rope. Back against the wall. All these symbolisms of where we often find ourselves tears at the very fabric of our inner self-worth to the point where we can’t even summon enough courage to look our own selves in the eye. What we lose sight of in reality though is, what it does to our faith.

We won’t take giant leaps, because ‘what if…’
I’ve tried so many times before but I can’t…
No one really believes I can, so…

I’ve had to really work, as of late, to convince myself that I really can’t do it. Sounds weird, right? In truth, this is genuinely what faith is all about.

As a husband, father, and man (and I stress the ‘man’ part), I always think that…I can work this out. Half the time I can’t even look myself in the mirror…but I’m still determined that…I can work it out. I’ll figure something out.

(Inner Harbor)
Baltimore, MD

But it has taken my present reality to realize, ‘you can’t figure this one out’. Why? Because I’ve literally taken a leap off this imaginary cliff where only God can catch me. Living where I can figure things out, is the safe place to be. I really don’t have to depend on God’s miraculous power when I stay in the place ‘I know.’

I understand we have common sense for a reason, but when was the last time you took such a God-impressed leap of faith that you couldn’t figure out what was next? Where if He doesn’t come through, then you are through. If He doesn’t perform a miracle, then where is your answer going to come from? It’s no wonder we struggle with confidence because we really are not convinced that the Maker of all things…will come through.

(Forest Hill, MD)

Get in front of the mirror. Get your head up. Speak into your life that you are His, and that you can do ALL THINGS through Him who strengthens you. Lose your confidence in your own abilities – get them out of the way – and jump…

Larry’s International Version:
With God…there’s never a dull moment. (Vs. 1 – Chapter 1)

Afraid to Speak

Much has been said about the fear of public speaking. It is found at the top of the list of things we human beings are afraid of. There is just something about standing in front of a group of people whose eyes are solely focused upon you, then opening your mouth to speak.

I recently viewed a documentary on the legendary NBA star Larry Bird. During his junior year of high school this basketball star took an F in an English Class because he refused to give a short speech in front of his peers.

Some people can talk every second of every day, yet freeze when they are put in front of a group. But whether we want to come to grip with this fact or not, it is still a reality: Our lives are always on a stage. Eyes always focused on every decision, every dream, and every word said.

The question we should be asking ourselves daily is, “What is my life saying?” What do my relationships hear from me? What about my kids…my companion…my friends. . .what am I speaking into them from my stage?

I’ve come to realize that this fear of ‘public speaking’ has often kept me from being the authentic me. Will my circle like what they see and hear? Will I be accepted? What if I make a mistake? Everyone will see because the lights are focused on me. This could very well be the reason that our world is searching for genuine leaders today. The seats have become so crowded with individuals who have made the decision to climb down off the stage and out from under the lights, because accepting the call to ‘live publicly’ is just too costly.

By doing this we miss incredible faith-building opportunities.
We miss 'doing for one what we wish we could do for everyone'. (Thanks, Andy Stanley)
We miss letting our companions and children see us make mistakes and grow from them.
And in the end, we fail to experience the beauty of showing those who follow how to live on the stage.

You may decide to go sit in the seats, but understand...that still speaks. Get up there, dads. C’mon, moms, our little girls need to see how to live. Husbands and wives, let your marriage show this world true love. Students, let your campus follow somebody instead of just having another face in the crowd. This world needs more to get over the fear, climb back up on the stage and just live. One way or the other, your decision will speak louder than you will ever know.