God's Man

If you have ever said, "I can't do it" or made any similar excuse. You have just been checked. 1 Corinthians 1:26-28 (The Message) Take a good look, friends, at who you were when you got called into this life. I don't see many of "the brightest and the best" among you, not many influential, not many from high-society families. Isn't it obvious that God deliberately chose men and women that the culture overlooks and exploits and abuses, chose these "nobodies" to expose the hollow pretensions of the "somebodies"? That makes it quite clear that none of you can get by with blowing your own horn before God. Everything that we have—right thinking and right living, a clean slate and a fresh start—comes from God by way of Jesus Christ. That's why we have the saying, "If you're going to blow a horn, blow a trumpet for God."

If you are like me, and hopefully you aren't, you might not be aware that we are 2 weeks away from Christmas. My mother and I were having a discussion about setting up decorations and we were talking like we had all the time in the world. Then she looks at the calendar and says, "Oh my goodness, we only have 2 weeks." It wasn't always like this in our house. When my brother(39) and I(30) were small we were fanatical about Christmas. Shortly after Thanksgiving we would start the countdown and we would start dragging the ornaments out. We would unravel the lights and test them. The entire atmosphere in the house would change. It is surreal to have been caught off guard by Christmas. God is interesting like that. I mean this is exactly how things were in Israel at the time of Christ's birth. Life was going on in a normal fashion. People went to work and operated as they always had. And then out of nowhere the entire would changed. “Therefore the Lord hims...

I wondered while you were asleep. Why do we cry? Why do we weep? Or Lord above has seen it all And if we His children answer His call Don't we have access to His awesome power? He values us above all His flowers. We should not worry, fuss and fight. For death could come this very night. And while we would be in our Lord's Hands, We'd leave the other on sinking sand So let us not get lost in sadness. For the victory is ours and Jesus is our gladness.

“Thank You for that lesson Job. You’ve given us a lot of food for thought. One more thing before we finish up, “What should we always keep in mind as new Heroes?”” “That’s also an easy one, constantly remind yourself: I am Accepted (John 15:15) "I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.” I am Secure (Romans 8:28) And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. I am Significant (2 Corinthians 5:17; 20-21) Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us.” “Thanks Job. I appreciate you talking with us today.”

"I got caught up in a Poor Me attitude. I asked God some very heated questions. It really boiled down to this though. I wanted to know “Why Me?” “Why Now?” “Why This?” I cursed the day of my birth , focused on what I had lost , and lamented my new circumstance . But at the end of the day those questions were irrelevant." I asked, "What would you tell someone who has those same questions?" “I would answer their questions with a question. Why Not You? Why Not This? Why Not Now? I mean who would you rather this happens to? Is there someone you would like to dump your tests onto? Is there a better time for you to go through the storm? Is there some other test that you would like to go through?” Lean on God and endure, (2 Corinthians 1:8-9) We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. Indeed, in our hea...

“And the last loss?“ Loss of Health “I was a pretty healthy guy. I ate what I was supposed to and there I was sick and in serious pain.” “I won’t ask, You Praised Go, Talked with Him and Asked Him what next… Right?“ “Actually, I was mad at this point. I started talking with Him. I questioned God pretty seriously. I wanted Him to come to me and explain why all of this was happening to me. Instead of focusing on His promises I wanted Him to explain Himself. I should have stood on (Psalm 41:3) “The LORD will sustain him on his sickbed and restore him from his bed of illness. I should have turned to the wall like Hezekiah (2 Kings 20:1-6) Remember, O God, who I am, what I've done! I've lived an honest life before you, My heart's been true and steady, I've lived to please you; lived for your approval. You should embrace the Savior sacrifice (1 Peter 2:24) “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by h...

(continued from our interview with Job) “What was the next loss you suffered?” Loss of Love “This loss I suffered is two distinctly different ways. The loss of love is always a tough one to deal with. I had a great family, children who loved and respected me as well as each other. And then like that they were gone…” “What did you do? How did you survive that?” He replied with a smile, “Easy answer. Praise God, Talk to Him, and Ask what now?” “How can you possible say that? I mean couldn’t God have kept them safe. Couldn’t He have stopped it?” “I came into the world with nothing and when I go there will be nothing. The only thing that will last is my God who loves me.” “People might say that that is a pretty cavalier thing to say.” He responded by saying, “The only one who was there for me in my loss was my God. My wife, my friends, everyone was gone. But my God was still there. (Deuteronomy 31:6) “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for t...

The Main Thought that came through my message is: When the storm comes… Respond don’t React. Job Shows Us how to handle loss. These are the types of loss that he experienced as told through the interview that we shared. He said, “I’m not sure how much of my story you know but I once thought I had it all. At one time I was on top of the world. I loved God and He loved me. My family and marriage were great. My business was thriving and friends were always coming to me for counsel. Life could not have been sweeter.” His facial expression changed and I stammered out, “then what?” He said, “There are going to be storms in your life son. There is nothing you can do to change that. However you can control how you let the storm affect you . I had everything and then I lost it, but that is ok, because everyone experiences loss. However there are some things that cannot be lost. And that is where your strength comes from. That’s where I found the strength to make it through. My loss...

Update: The sermon went very well on Sunday. God moved during our worship in a mighty way. I'm removing what I posted over the weekend and sharing some excerpts. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In a world full of complex problems and complex people Technology Politics Relationships The Economy Everyday the world tries to bog us down in seemingly complex issues. People cry out for a simple way to navigate this world. Overwhelmed by the myriad of seemingly contradictory choices we try to find balance. We become the Jack-of-all Trades in order to make sense of it all. We read book after book, watch show after show and listen to Radio in search of answers. Or to just drown It all out. Getting lost in all of these choices is so easy Ask people what they want and get vague answers or blank stares. There is no more black and white. No more right or wrong. No more Yes or No. Shades of gray cloud every issue and situation. Mayb...

I will be speaking this weekend at Living Hope Church during our Heros Sermon Series. I will be speaking on Job and his Simple Power. I'll be sharing my notes as I finalize them. Have a great friday.

What are you telling yourself? When you got up this morning and looked in the mirror what did you see. If you had to describe yourself what would you say? If you remember back to the post on Right Thinking we learned that we need to line our thoughts up with God’s. So what does God have to saw about who you are? First: Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God; children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God. – John 1:12-13 God is clear. Those that have received Him through His Son Jesus have the right to be His children. Once this has been achieved than you can truly accept what He says about you. If you are unsure about your relationship with God; now is the time to clear the air. Ask God to forgive you of your sins and ask Jesus to come into your life. If you honestly prayed that simple prayer, than I welcome you into the family. I found this wonderful re...

Do you know who you are? Do you know whose you are? I’ll let you in on a secret. I know everything about you. I know who you are and whose you are. I know the most important things about your family. I bet you wonder how I could possibly know these things. Well I could tell by looking at you. I couldn’t help it. You see the family resemblance is remarkable. You my friend are a child of God. Now that’s quite a family. Do you even realize the inheritance that has been left for you? Let’s take a look at what God decided when he made you. God spoke: "Let us make human beings in our image, make them reflecting our nature so they can be responsible for the fish in the sea, the birds in the air, the cattle, And, yes, Earth itself, and every animal that moves on the face of Earth." God created human beings; he created them godlike, Reflecting God's nature. He created them male and female. God blessed them: "Prosper! Reproduce! Fill Earth! Take charge! Be responsi...

I’ve been asked to give words of comfort today at my Great Uncle David’s funeral. This is what I have prepared to say. Unless God gives me something else to say… ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Today we are here to celebrate the ascent of one of our own David Eldridge. While I am sad at his passing, I am glad to know that Uncle Dave knew where he was going. He knew what Jesus described in John 14:1-4: "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going." Jesus made a place for Uncle Dave just as he has made a place for all of us. When Cheryl asked me to give these words this morning I was embarrassed because I remembered Uncle Dave from my childhood but not as an...

What are you thinking? Right now? What is going through your mind? If you spoke truthfully would you be surprised by what your heard? Would others? The Choice When I looked at the title of Chapter 1 of Beyond Positive Thinking : "Positive Thinking - Negative Thinking - Right Thinking" The first thing that came to my mind was this passage from Genesis: "Then God planted a garden in Eden, in the east. He put the Man he had just made in it. God made all kinds of trees grow from the ground, trees beautiful to look at and good to eat. The Tree-of-Life was in the middle of the garden, also the Tree-of-Knowledge-of-Good-and-Evil." - Genesis 2:8-9(MSG) There we have it. Choices. It always comes down to choices. Adam was given a choice Knowledge or Life. The choice is not explicit. God never says, "Adam you can either eat from the Tree of Life or the Tree of Knowledge." The choice is implicit in that God never forbids Adam from the Tree of life. Adam fa...

I am going to participate in this years National Novel Writers Month ( www.nanowrimo.org ) starting on November 1, 2007. My wife and I attempted to do this last year and we failed miserably. I only got a few thousands. The goal is to knock out a 50,000 word novel in 30 days. It boils down to a little less than 2000 words per day(1666.66). My goal is to do 2000 words per day. In order to gear up I have given myself a writing assignment. I welcome anyone else out there to join me in this. Here it is Create a series of blog posts using the chapter titles from your favorite books. I have decided to use one of my favorite self-help books, Beyond Positive Thinking: A No-Nonsense Formula for Getting the Results You Want by Dr. Robert Anthony. Here is the Chapter Breakdown for the book along with where I will be coming from scripturally: Positive Thinking – Negative Thinking – Right Thinking (added 10-12-07) Genesis 2:9 The Truth About You (added 10-26-07) Genesis 1:28 What Are...

"My face is set, my gait is fast, my goal is Heaven..." I decided to pick apart the quote that I got on Saturday and look at what God gave me. No matter how God speaks it is always rich. My face is set I often comment to people, "You say that you are doing well/are blessed/happy but your face is telling a different story." You face/body language is such a better communicator than you think. You can tell people that you are happy but if you are downcast and sad looking than what do you expect people to see. In Nehemiah King Artaxerxes said , "Why is your face sad, since you are not sick?" The King even diagnosed the problem by saying, "This is nothing but sorrow of the heart." When it is time to make a move whether it is something specifically for God or not. You've got to get ready. One of the things they tell athletes is to get their "Game Face" on. The game face is the picture you present to your enemy across the battlefi...

I got this quote in my inbox today. I wasn't really looking for anything. I wasn't really interested in anything. I just wanted to relax on a Saturday, do nothing, be nothing. When BAM! God dropped on on my spirit. Check this out and see if it doesn't kick you out of you malaise: "My face is set, my gait is fast, my goal is Heaven, my road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions are few, my guide is reliable, my mission is clear. I cannot be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, turned back, diluted, or delayed. I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of adversity, negotiate... at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander in a maze of mediocrity. I won't give up, shut up, let up, or slow up."~ Robert Moorehead I've hit a wall so to speak in my life right now. Not the kind of wall that makes you want to stop but the kind that you want to scale. Have you ever been there. When you know th...

Time for a reality check for your humble author. God walked me back over my life. He showed me His hand all over my life. God reminded me in not so gentle terms that He has always had my best interests in mind. I was the one who ignored or slapped away His hand. I was the one who decided to move away from Him. But even though I scorned Him, He still wants me. Walk with Me is what He has told me. Walk with Me and see where I am taking you. God's Main

I've been wondering if I am really being authentic. I am currently experiencing moments of great triumph. I am also experiencing times of personal failure. I wonder if I am walking the right path. I feel the full weight of my responsibility to my wife and children. Am I doing right by them? I don't know anymore. I really haven't written much about what is going on in my world recently. I started this blog to capture my personal thoughts and to discuss God's place in my life. I feel stuck right now. I am having a Job moment right now. I want God to come down and tell me what is going on. I want Him to explain why my life is going the way it is. I just want to understand why I can't overcome certain aspects of my life. I want to know why things are not coming together for me as I planned. It is weird. I have spent so much of my life telling people to not complain, to focus on where you are going, to put God first; however I don't see things falling...

am a nerd, and proud of it. Spider-man was a great character, one of my favorites, and I have been happy with Hollywood depiction of the story. Do not read ahead if you haven’t been to see this movie and are planning to. In the movie Spider-man is struggling. He is struggling to understand his role as a leader, trying to be a hero, and later trying to overcome his own dark side. During the story Spider-man gets infected by an alien life form named Venom which released the dark side of his nature. It made him extremely angry and narcissistic. His anger led him to destroy the reputation he had built up. As leaders we have to be careful how we act. There are so many eyes on us and there is always someone out there trying to tear us down. We also have to be careful with whom we share our burdens and this is what I pulled from Spider-man 3. The scene that exemplifies this message comes when Spiderman is trying to rid himself of his demons. He goes, surprisingly enough, ...