scripture

Just so you know, I continually fight the temptation to give these blogs a cool and catchy title. Occasionally I am tempted to rip off a title from some obscure Fallout Boy Song, but I am always scared some of you might think I was being serious. 

Anyways, I want to share a short verse that has been challenging me all week. The verse is simple, yet unbelievably challenging. It is the type of verse some guy would get tattooed between his shoulder blades because he likes the way it sounds–but when push comes to shove it is a tough verse to live out.

“Therefore dear brothers, 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.”

I love the war language.

Stand firm. No matter what the enemy is throwing your way, how tough life has been, the temptations that are knocking on your door, old habits seeping back in, etc…stand firm.

Let nothing move you. Does this define the way you respond to sin, fear, doubt, or temptation? 

Give yourself fully to the work of the Lord. I am great at giving part of my life, my work, my thoughts, and my dreams to God, but it is so difficult to give myself fully to his work. 

I love that verse. So challenging. Good night.

It is amazing how often I put my foot in my mouth. If I had a dollar for every time I have said to Sydney “I really wish I wouldn’t have said that” or “How was I supposed to know she wasn’t pregnant” or “who knew they had just broken up” — I would be a rich man. 

I hate when I do that.  

I was thinking about this today, and started thinking about James 1:19 where James says: 

“My dear brothers, take note of this: everyone should be slow to speak, quick to listen, and slow to get angry.” 

I can think of dozens, maybe even hundreds of situations that would have turned out differently had a paused for a moment and taken a minute to listen instead of opening my big mouth. I have often spoken during the heat of the moment, and then spent the next several days cleaning up the mess my mouth had made.

I was thinking about this today as I was wrestling with a couple of frustrating situations. I really just wanted to call someone and talk about it immediately, but decided it would be wise to simply pray, think, and listen to the opinion of others.

I’m glad I did. The situation was not nearly as bad as I had once thought it was. The thing that had caused me to become so frustrated was little more than an inconvenience.

Next time you are frustrated by something you hear. Next time you are caught up in a difficult situation. Next time you are ready to give somebody a piece of your mind…pause for a moment, reflect on the words of James, and allow God to speak through your silence.

After all, we just might be the ones that need to listen.

Hello everyone. I’m sorry for the lack of updates this week. The week has been crazy — wonderful, but crazy. I’ve been getting a lot of questions in regards to our upcoming series that starts tomorrow night in Thessalonians. I’m about 99.9 % sure those questions have come from the title of the series “Fuzz Mustache.” 

Good. That is the point. 

As Jason, Brandon, and I were laying out the plans for this series we decided to come up with a title that would help convey the heart of this letter from Paul while simultaneously creating a sense of curiosity in people. 

Still confused? Still curious? 

Good. I hope you can be with us tomorrow night as Brandon kicks this series off. I really think this book has the ability to change our lives if we will let it. Invite your friends. See you tomorrow.

One of my favorite passages in scripture is found in Jeremiah 29. The people of God have been begging God to bring them out of exile, and God sends them a prophecy that surely caught them a bit off guard. Through the prophet Jeremiah God says:

“Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there, do not decrease. Also seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” – Jeremiah 29:5-7

I can’t imagine how disheartening it would be to have God answer your prayer for freedom the way in which he answered the people through Jeremiah. Not only did God say no to their request for instant freedom, he said settle down, meet a girl, get married, have kids, and grandkids. 

In other words, God said…”You will live the rest of your life in this city — whether that was in your plans or not.”

It made me think, how do I respond when God answers my requests by saying no?  When he says no, do I still trust and believe that He is good and in control? 

I love the last part of verse 7. Right after God has given the unpopular news, right after he has made it clear that the people will spend the rest of their lives in this foreign city — God says pray for the city. Pray that it prospers.

Isn’t this the essence of our lives? We know this is not our permanent home. Life here is not always a walk in the park. Our surroundings don’t always match up with the life we have begged God to give us.

So how will we respond? Will we complain or will we settle down, build houses, and pray for our city?