SEPTEMBER 10, 2020

 “Piglet sidled up to Pooh from behind. 

"Pooh!" he whispered.

"Yes, Piglet?"

"Nothing," said Piglet, taking Pooh's paw. "I just wanted to be sure of you.” 

― A.A. Milne, The House at Pooh Corner

PROVERBS 17-18

17A friend loves at all times,

and a brother is born for a time of adversity. (17:17)

2 CORINTHIANS 2

17Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, as those sent from God.

JOURNAL 

Wow...these two verses are so revealing as to God's intent for his word and for our friendships with each other. We have friends in order to bear the unavoidable adversity in our lives. Therefore friends are to truly love at all times. It's what we all crave and want...but not in a smothering way but rather in the Pooh and Piglet sort of way. We just want to be sure of someone and know that if it all falls apart they will be with us, stick by us and love us through our worst moments.

I can say that I have been blessed with that kind of love, that kind of certainty and it's one of the most powerful things in the world. Thank you Father for loving me through my friends, my family, my children...but most importantly through Marcella. I've seen love that has no price tag or conditions but rather a certainty that is beyond explanation. No matter the heartache or disappointment or failure...I am still loved. What more could I ever ask.

I really believe that this is what God wants of us more than anything...to love those in their most unlovable moments. I believe he uses this to clearly demonstrate and show his faithfulness and we are truly all better for it. 

9Two are better than one,because they have a good return for their labor:10If either of them falls down,one can help the other up.But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up.

ECCLESIASTES 4:9-10

SEPTEMBER 9, 2020

 “I have been driven many times upon my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had no where else to go. My own wisdom and that of all about me seemed insufficient for that day.” 

― Abraham Lincoln

PROVERBS 15-16

25There is a way that appears to be right,

but in the end it leads to death. (16:25)

2 CORINTHIANS 1

 21Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, 22set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.

JOURNAL 

Humility is a term that can be very deceiving. However the definition of humility is: a disposition to be humble; a lack of false pride. So in essence humility is having a truthful understanding of our place in the world. It is the understanding that we are a speck in the universe and that our life is but a blink in the scope of time. However it also must serve to recognize that as insignificant as it is, it matters.  Teaching these past 2 weeks on cells has once again reminded me of how truly incredible our body, this world truly are. To think that we have trillions of individual cells that are working together to make up my existence is just simply mind blowing. To think that this same process exists within every living thing helps me to also see that I am an amazing work of art...and so is every living thing and every human being. Christ died so that we would have life and life abundantly. So true humility recognizes our insignificance while also recognizing our significance in Christ.

This definitely flies in the face of my shadow that often screams to be recognized, acknowledged and wants to feel important. The reality I am a miracle creation, but so is everyone else. Yes even those that blow it and wreck their lives and subsequently wreck the lives of others. They are still a creation of God, they still are part of this world and still part of God's work of art. This definitely gives me perspective whenever I feel slighted or wronged or judged. It also gives me a kick in the tail whenever I have done that to others.  Thank you Father for the perspective, thank you for my life and the miracle of all that you have created and sustained.

6Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. 7Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

1 PETER 5:6-7

SEPTEMBER 8, 2020

 

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.” ― Theodore Roosevelt

PROVERBS 13-14

 10Each heart knows its own bitterness,and no one else can share its joy. (14:10)

1 CORINTHIANS 16

13Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. 14Do everything in love

JOURNAL 

Coaching football and teaching middle schoolers comes with a boatload of lessons that I am again learning. One that has really hit me this year is that every person matters and every person is unique in their design, personality, situation etc. It's easy to often try and put a label on a human, often that label is motivated by a desire to find some level of control in the world. I do it myself and have seen it way too often with coaches and teachers. I think it's because it's easier to write off a kid than it is to wade through the difficulties in their personalities and perspectives.

Yet the one thing that Jesus continually preached against was judging when really what he wants from us is for us to love always. That means that we never give up or label a kid as lost or a loser or without hope. That means we are to never give up hope in a kids potential. We are to always hope and always believe in their potential to reflect the essence of God. They are God's creation and if we truly believe that...then we should always be wary of our role in all that God is doing in their lives. We should always be hopeful and seek to honor and notice the glimpses of the creator.

These last 3 years having the opportunity to teach and coach has taught me that no moment in life should ever be taken for granted. There are golden moments happening every minute and I just need to be more aware that my effort, my commitment, my discipline, my passion and my obedience matter. They matter because I am here and God has given me this day, this hour, this moment to spread his goodness to a world that too often takes for granted the amazing blessing of today.

"See, grown-ups spend so much time doggedly slaving toward the better car, the perfect house, the big day that will finally make them happy when happy just walked by wearing a bicycle helmet two sizes too big for him. "

 ~ RICK REILLY

SEPTEMBER 7, 2020

 “Another characteristic of human nature—perhaps the one that makes us most human—is our capacity to do the unnatural, to transcend and hence transform our own nature.” 

― M. Scott Peck, The Road Less Traveled

PROVERBS 11-12

16Fools show their annoyance at once,

but the prudent overlook an insult. (12:16)

1CORINTHIANS 15:33-58

58Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

JOURNAL 

The power of emotions and reactions are very real and difficult to unwind. There are certain ways that I have become programmed to respond. All of them are predicated on how I was raised and those programmed responses were formed in the context of pain, problems, pleasures etc. They are rooted in survival and mostly in emotional survival because physical survival has never been a challenge in my lifetime.

Yet from what I have learned about human behavior. Emotional survival can feel as real and desperate as physical survival...especially to a child. Then as responses become ingrained by repetitive behavior, the responses become somewhat automatic. This is what causes adults to act in childish, incompetent ways. They are automatic responses, learned in childhood that manifest themselves in the lives of those children as adults.

This really is pretty daunting stuff. I can feel and know when I start to retreat into childlike behavior. It often surprises me with it's intensity and power. However what I am learning from scripture is that it is possible to re channel these responses into Godly responses. I have also learned through human psychology and therapy that humans really can be reprogrammed. Although we have a tendency to respond in certain ways...we actually can stop that process and think through scenarios in ways that call God into the equation.

The more time I spend reading, praying and deepening my reliance on God, the more likely I am to respond to circumstances in ways that reflect God and his love and goodness. Yet if I neglect the reading, praying etc...then I will just adopt the same ingrained responses of my youth.

11When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. 12For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

13And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

1 CORINTHIANS 13:11-13

SEPTEMBER 6, 2020

 “[To have Faith in Christ] means, of course, trying to do all that He says. There would be no sense in saying you trusted a person if you would not take his advice. Thus if you have really handed yourself over to Him, it must follow that you are trying to obey Him. But trying in a new way, a less worried way. Not doing these things in order to be saved, but because He has begun to save you already. Not hoping to get to Heaven as a reward for your actions, but inevitably wanting to act in a certain way because a first faint gleam of Heaven is already inside you.” 

― C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

PROVERBS 9-10

29The way of the Lord is a refuge for the blameless,

but it is the ruin of those who do evil.(10:29)

1 CORINTHIANS 15:1-32

9For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. 11Whether, then, it is I or they, this is what we preach, and this is what you believed.

JOURNAL 

Everyday is a new day, full of possibilities, full of challenges, full of adventure. How will I view it? Do I see it as such or do I dread it in worry and anxiety, fearful of negative outcomes? Here is where the test of my faith is real. It all is in how I view life and my place and the part that I play. Have I surrendered to God as his agent in this world...or is God simply my genie...here to help me when times get tough.

There definitely was a point of surrender for me, there was a specific time when I felt that I had to make a decision. It was in Belize 1989...yet everyday since I have battled the internal pull to live life in order to get...rather than living it to serve. To surrender to God each and every morning is vital for my mind and heart. It causes me to confront the "shadow" side of my mind. It exposes it in all its deception and selfishness.

The times in my life when I have struggled the most are those when I neglected this surrender, when my emotions and circumstances convinced me that all was good and reading and praying were not needed.  It is so easy to slip into the mindset of narcissism. I can see and feel the separation as I read and pray. Yet this battle is ongoing...it never ceases.

Yet I am thankful God created me with this constant need to cling to him. For when I do, I am blessed with his love and joy.

 6Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

PHILIPPIANS 4:6-7