One verse in the bible I try to put in my life because I am so bad at it is Philippians 4.8
It is a reminder that all God created is good. I already told you I have a hard time with this as you can tell by my other post I can quickly tell you what wrong with world. But I have to stop and make myself be reminded of those beatuiful, good and lovely things about life.
The Greek word for the English where we get the phrase out of the verse "think about such things" means to take account of, or "log it down". The word means to report, track or to write it down so you will have a record of.
I have done this from time to time it my own life to help me be reminded of these things. I would write down or log all the good things in my life that Paul wants us to think about in this verse.
So I thought it would be cool to do this together. To log down a list of the things that are true, right, lovely and pure in our lives. So please add to my list the things in your life by leaving a comment thus, adding to the list. I would love to hear these things in your life.
Here is my list of Philippians 4.8 things.
Philippians 4.8- Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
1) The church I attend in Texas raised over 1.4 million in one weekend for missions all over the world
2) Victory Temple church thanksgiving meal. You would not believe the love and people that poured into that church on thanksgiving
3) the might men of Como
4) Libby house prayer meeting on Wed at 2:30 for the city of Como.
5) Rick Atchley's preaching
6) Rick Warrens' tweets
7) Woodbine family church in Nashville for being such a light in a dark place
8) For kids like James Eubanks who breaks cycles and walks the walk
9) movies like The Blind Side- as reminders of what love can do
10) People like Josh Mckenzie and Cindy & Rick Betts. Who takes in kids that will never be drafted in the NFL and books/movie will not be made about them. But they do it because they are Christ-lovers
11) People like Adam & Sara Bryson for the love and better life they are going to give Natalie Bryson
12)Larry James for his commitment to make Dallas on earth as it is in heaven
13) Katie Beth & Patrick who by opening up thier hearts and home have adopted 3 boys who are all different races. Thank you guys for letting us see what heaven going to be like. In case we ever forget!
14)A family I know that always uses their Christmas bonus on adopting another family for Christmas. Whether times our good or bad.
15) Christmas songs that can take your heart back to that silent night(sorry had to!) with it's words no matter how many times you hear the song
16) The 5 people who prayed for 11 hours why their pastor was have brain surgery
17)the faithful pastor who used his tumor to lift God up-- what have we to fear
18) Great Writers like Max, C.S., N.T. Wright, Donald Miller who always make me closer to God
19) Whatabruger 12 days of Christmas where they give you food for free
20) all the people who are fighting for AIDS in Africa (Bono&the Gates& how about millions of others)
21) Tim Tebow & yes, even Colt McCoy for being great role models for us all
22) Amazing stories like Jordan Shipley telling his kicker a bible verse with 1 sec on the clock to calm him down.--you know it real to that kid!
23) Crowder- need I say more; ok espically the song: oh! How he loves me!
24)Rusty Peterman ministry at RHCC. No one knows all the stuff this man does.
25)Babies like Eden Storment who is the smartest/cutest baby to ever live!(some how she takes after her fake uncle Michael)
26) the little boy who on black Friday in the middle of the fighting for things and spending gave his mom 1/2 of his sandwich when he saw her without food. My guess is the mom was going without so her kids could eat. He noticed her with nothing and slid his sandwich over to her.
27) Taco Bueno
28) Football & Basketball
29) New water wells in the places that had none before and the saints that build them
30) D-groups who give up saturday's to be outside in the cold for a cookout in a neighborhood that nothing like their own.
31) fanstay football
32) all the ladies that make quilts year around so people don't get cold this time of year.--I know there are tons of ladies who do this but I know a couple personally Mammaw, Nana and Mrs.Wendy
33) Larry Bird
34) Today I went to Wendy's and card would not run. So I was in my car about to leave and the manger came out and said I could just pay him for it later.
35)
Here is the start of my list. I will add some to this week as I think about such things. Please add your. Nothing is more powerful then hearing what God's people are doing to be him to this world. Join in telling his story..........
Sorry I got off track last week because I was sick most of it. But I will now be back on schudule for posting once a week.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Monday, November 23, 2009
Care
For me, one of the hardest things about moving is finding a new place to get my hair cut. I miss my barbershop in Nashville. It was not like the movie(Barber Shop) I did not go in there for the conversations. It wasn’t like a family with all my boys hanging around. I actually never talked that much. I did not understand a whole lot of what was going on. See, the TV would always have ESPN “Deportes” on. And at the taco stand outside, you could get $1.00 off a combo if you just got a fresh fade. The place is called Oscar’s, and it is an all-Mexican barbershop. But I liked to get my hair cut in the same place that the kids from church did. About a year ago, they quit going to Cecil’s because he tried to cut someone’s hair when he was drunk and cut their ear. So now the kids go to Oscar’s. I loved it there! They had great steak tacos outside, and they used a straight razor for your edge up. Their fades are the best, but you better point to the type of fade you want on the picture of the wall and understand the Spanish word for the number of guard you want. Trust me, I made that mistake once and walked out with a skin tight fade and skinny sideburns. I looked like the fat white version of Oscar de la Hoya. But I loved that place and the $1.00 discount on the combo.
So I needed a haircut here in Fort Worth. I like my fades. I drove around and saw this place called Scoop’s. It is new since the last time I lived here. But it was my kind of place. It had been a year since I watched SportsCenter in English at a barber shop. John Clayton speaking Spanish just is not right. They had the same fade chart on the wall as Xavier’s, so I knew I was in a safe place. It had only been open for 2 months, he said. Scoop is from North Carolina, so we talked about how bad the Titans and Panthers are. While I was talking in the barber shop, hinting that a $1.00 off combo to Taco Casa would make me feel at home, I noticed on this pretty chilly day that people where locked out and lining up next door. Most, if not all, of the people in the growing line (which had to be about 30 by the time I left) were women and children. I asked what was going on next door. He said that it was a line for flu shots and other shots, and that the health department locks their doors during lunch so they can eat in peace and not be bothered. Children sit out in the cold waiting to get into a place that is going to give them something that will help them not get sick.
Question: Would those people be standing outside if they were from the city 15 minutes down the road in Southlake? Can a health department run by the government not find a way to stagger one person’s lunch so little kids don’t have to sit in the cold? I know government health care workers are overworked and underpaid and a nice quiet lunch is probably the only thing that keeps them from replacing the joke going postal to going pubic health care worker on you. But we have to lock the people out? There not $15.00 a day in the budget or $75.00 a week to pay some security guard to come in for the lunch break to keep the peace and order and give out numbers.
Lou Holtz said it best when asked what his plans were to change the South Carolina football when he took over. They were like 1-22 in their last 23 games. He said the same way the state of South Carolina interstate is going to go from dirty to clean. Lou Holtz said, “If enough people care!” If people care enough to not throw it out in the first place and if enough people care to go out and work hard and pick up the trash that has already been thrown out. Then we will have a successful football team here at South Carolina. I need players who care! You know what he got? Players who cared! After only winning 1 game his first year, South Carolina won 8 games and beat Ohio State in a bowl game the next year. Lou Holtz said later he knew it was going to happen, because he had players who cared. He said, “Look at the interstates. They are beautiful now. I knew they would be when I saw that over 2,000 showed up to pick up trash off the interstate the next day after the press conference.”
That is what we need. How lights start shining is that people care enough to be a light, that people care enough to shine! It is bigger than the problem that little kids get locked out in the cold. Do enough we care to do something about evil? Do enough people care to shine?! Because when lights start to shine, then mercy starts to live, and hearts start to care! Little kids get to drive their parents crazy inside a nice cozy building while the healthcare workers (who have care in their name and signed up for this job) will eat their lunches in peace and noise. When we care, others seem to matter a little more than our comfort.
One line from a song that Mercy Me sings just kicks me every time I hear it says "How can I care about your kingdom, when I am so wrapped up in mine". This line is my eats at my soul because I am so guilty. But I pray that I care enough about his kingdom to see like Him. I hope you do to.
So I needed a haircut here in Fort Worth. I like my fades. I drove around and saw this place called Scoop’s. It is new since the last time I lived here. But it was my kind of place. It had been a year since I watched SportsCenter in English at a barber shop. John Clayton speaking Spanish just is not right. They had the same fade chart on the wall as Xavier’s, so I knew I was in a safe place. It had only been open for 2 months, he said. Scoop is from North Carolina, so we talked about how bad the Titans and Panthers are. While I was talking in the barber shop, hinting that a $1.00 off combo to Taco Casa would make me feel at home, I noticed on this pretty chilly day that people where locked out and lining up next door. Most, if not all, of the people in the growing line (which had to be about 30 by the time I left) were women and children. I asked what was going on next door. He said that it was a line for flu shots and other shots, and that the health department locks their doors during lunch so they can eat in peace and not be bothered. Children sit out in the cold waiting to get into a place that is going to give them something that will help them not get sick.
Question: Would those people be standing outside if they were from the city 15 minutes down the road in Southlake? Can a health department run by the government not find a way to stagger one person’s lunch so little kids don’t have to sit in the cold? I know government health care workers are overworked and underpaid and a nice quiet lunch is probably the only thing that keeps them from replacing the joke going postal to going pubic health care worker on you. But we have to lock the people out? There not $15.00 a day in the budget or $75.00 a week to pay some security guard to come in for the lunch break to keep the peace and order and give out numbers.
Lou Holtz said it best when asked what his plans were to change the South Carolina football when he took over. They were like 1-22 in their last 23 games. He said the same way the state of South Carolina interstate is going to go from dirty to clean. Lou Holtz said, “If enough people care!” If people care enough to not throw it out in the first place and if enough people care to go out and work hard and pick up the trash that has already been thrown out. Then we will have a successful football team here at South Carolina. I need players who care! You know what he got? Players who cared! After only winning 1 game his first year, South Carolina won 8 games and beat Ohio State in a bowl game the next year. Lou Holtz said later he knew it was going to happen, because he had players who cared. He said, “Look at the interstates. They are beautiful now. I knew they would be when I saw that over 2,000 showed up to pick up trash off the interstate the next day after the press conference.”
That is what we need. How lights start shining is that people care enough to be a light, that people care enough to shine! It is bigger than the problem that little kids get locked out in the cold. Do enough we care to do something about evil? Do enough people care to shine?! Because when lights start to shine, then mercy starts to live, and hearts start to care! Little kids get to drive their parents crazy inside a nice cozy building while the healthcare workers (who have care in their name and signed up for this job) will eat their lunches in peace and noise. When we care, others seem to matter a little more than our comfort.
One line from a song that Mercy Me sings just kicks me every time I hear it says "How can I care about your kingdom, when I am so wrapped up in mine". This line is my eats at my soul because I am so guilty. But I pray that I care enough about his kingdom to see like Him. I hope you do to.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
The Noticer
I have met enough upper/middle-class white Christians to know that they have great hearts. Some of the best people I have ever known, and some of the best “Christ followers” I know, fit into this class of people. If they hear about a need or hear someone else give a presentation about a cause or ministry, they are givers. But IF I could pray for one thing for Christians it would be this: Give us the eyes of Jesus to see the injustice ourselves.
The problem for most of us is that we only fight for the injustice that makes our life hard and never see the injustice that stinks for the least of these. I have a close friend, and he is a great man. But I had a run-in with him about 10 months ago that will give you an example of my point. He was a leader of a ministry, and he stepped down as the paid leader but stayed on as a volunteer in this ministry. About a month into it, his feelings were hurt by the ministry leaders that they no longer invited him to the leadership dinner meetings that they would have from time to time. So he complained to me and told me how it kind of hurt his feelings. I asked him who went to the meetings when he was the paid leader. He told me, “Everyone, the two couples that are the head or governing leaders of this ministry and me and my wife.” I asked him, “Well, who goes to the meeting now?” “Well,” he said, “The two couples that govern the ministry and the paid staff.” I said, “Is that not the same as it was when you were there?” He then said, “Yeah, but I feel like I can offer and bring some valuable insight to the ministry and leadership.” I said, “ What you’re saying is that the leadership system is messed up and now you only see it when it has affected you and your wants.” I said, “ This person has been here for years. Would they bring some good tools and gifts to those meetings?” He said, “YES! They would.” “But you never fought for them when you had the chance to. “ My friend is one of the best people I know, but he is like a lot of us. We don’t care that a system is broken until it affects our lives or until we don’t get our way or until we have to live with the injustice of a broken system.
This is why I say if Icould give one thing to us who don’t have to see or live with the injustice everyday, it would be those eyes to see the brokenness around us. Not for us to wait until someone else tells us about it or we have to live through it. But we want to be like Jesus so much that we notice others and their hard times. One of my favorite things about Jesus was he was a noticer. I try to be. My friends think that I am weird because I read every sign or billboard when I drive or walk. I really do think it helps me with the spiritual discipline of noticing. It helps me see the small wonderful things like he did (the widow and her two mites) but also those who are crying out for help and healing (ten lepers). Over and over again in the Bible, I see Jesus being the noticer. May we all have the eyes to see the broken systems, the injustice, the hurting, the hopeless, the people God put in your path and the small beautiful things.
Here is our homework: Study and try to find a way that the system is broken without us having to experience it.
Here is one example: Tags and registration in Nashville costs $87.00 for tags and $10.00 for marta test.
That’s $97.00 to drive your car for a year.
To a family that makes 100,000 a year that equals to 0.097 cent out of every $100 they make. Take a dime out of every $100 bill you make and that is what you pay the state to drive your car each year.
So, of course, if you make $200,000, it would be about a nickel out of every $100.
If you only make $50,000, take 20 cents out of every $100 you make.
But say you’re a single mom who makes $8.00 an hour and trust me, there are a ton of single moms who make that little in your city. What does she take out of her salary to drive? Well, it might not seem like much for the year, but she will pay 59 cents out of every $100 she makes. Which is six times the percentage of cost to the family that makes $100,000! But what about the month her car tags are due? If she saves all month, how much of her salary does she have to put back in order to drive a car to get an $8.00 job? The tags would be over 14% of her monthly salary. What if she has to pay it out of her 1 week check? About 1/3 of her weekly check.
How is this fair? I don’t think the state should tax or charge more to the rich. I just think it should not cost a legitimate hard-working single mom over six times the percentage of overall salary as a family that makes $100,000. What I really think is that us as Christians should be close enough to the poor that we can help with that burden. What If a group of ten people from a Bible class said we are going to not get queso at Applebee’s today or my family is only drinking water anytime we go out so we can help buy a single mother tags this year. What if we did not even sacrifice that much and we just kept our eyes open for $10.00 worth of coupons this month and with the $10 we saved with our coupons, we gave it to some single mom for tags?
More than the state to notice and change it's policy, I want Christians everywhere to notice the struggles of the poor that are all around us every day. I want Christians to live and come up with radical ways to live that will bless the people that they notice having a rougher road because of a broken system.
The problem for most of us is that we only fight for the injustice that makes our life hard and never see the injustice that stinks for the least of these. I have a close friend, and he is a great man. But I had a run-in with him about 10 months ago that will give you an example of my point. He was a leader of a ministry, and he stepped down as the paid leader but stayed on as a volunteer in this ministry. About a month into it, his feelings were hurt by the ministry leaders that they no longer invited him to the leadership dinner meetings that they would have from time to time. So he complained to me and told me how it kind of hurt his feelings. I asked him who went to the meetings when he was the paid leader. He told me, “Everyone, the two couples that are the head or governing leaders of this ministry and me and my wife.” I asked him, “Well, who goes to the meeting now?” “Well,” he said, “The two couples that govern the ministry and the paid staff.” I said, “Is that not the same as it was when you were there?” He then said, “Yeah, but I feel like I can offer and bring some valuable insight to the ministry and leadership.” I said, “ What you’re saying is that the leadership system is messed up and now you only see it when it has affected you and your wants.” I said, “ This person has been here for years. Would they bring some good tools and gifts to those meetings?” He said, “YES! They would.” “But you never fought for them when you had the chance to. “ My friend is one of the best people I know, but he is like a lot of us. We don’t care that a system is broken until it affects our lives or until we don’t get our way or until we have to live with the injustice of a broken system.
This is why I say if Icould give one thing to us who don’t have to see or live with the injustice everyday, it would be those eyes to see the brokenness around us. Not for us to wait until someone else tells us about it or we have to live through it. But we want to be like Jesus so much that we notice others and their hard times. One of my favorite things about Jesus was he was a noticer. I try to be. My friends think that I am weird because I read every sign or billboard when I drive or walk. I really do think it helps me with the spiritual discipline of noticing. It helps me see the small wonderful things like he did (the widow and her two mites) but also those who are crying out for help and healing (ten lepers). Over and over again in the Bible, I see Jesus being the noticer. May we all have the eyes to see the broken systems, the injustice, the hurting, the hopeless, the people God put in your path and the small beautiful things.
Here is our homework: Study and try to find a way that the system is broken without us having to experience it.
Here is one example: Tags and registration in Nashville costs $87.00 for tags and $10.00 for marta test.
That’s $97.00 to drive your car for a year.
To a family that makes 100,000 a year that equals to 0.097 cent out of every $100 they make. Take a dime out of every $100 bill you make and that is what you pay the state to drive your car each year.
So, of course, if you make $200,000, it would be about a nickel out of every $100.
If you only make $50,000, take 20 cents out of every $100 you make.
But say you’re a single mom who makes $8.00 an hour and trust me, there are a ton of single moms who make that little in your city. What does she take out of her salary to drive? Well, it might not seem like much for the year, but she will pay 59 cents out of every $100 she makes. Which is six times the percentage of cost to the family that makes $100,000! But what about the month her car tags are due? If she saves all month, how much of her salary does she have to put back in order to drive a car to get an $8.00 job? The tags would be over 14% of her monthly salary. What if she has to pay it out of her 1 week check? About 1/3 of her weekly check.
How is this fair? I don’t think the state should tax or charge more to the rich. I just think it should not cost a legitimate hard-working single mom over six times the percentage of overall salary as a family that makes $100,000. What I really think is that us as Christians should be close enough to the poor that we can help with that burden. What If a group of ten people from a Bible class said we are going to not get queso at Applebee’s today or my family is only drinking water anytime we go out so we can help buy a single mother tags this year. What if we did not even sacrifice that much and we just kept our eyes open for $10.00 worth of coupons this month and with the $10 we saved with our coupons, we gave it to some single mom for tags?
More than the state to notice and change it's policy, I want Christians everywhere to notice the struggles of the poor that are all around us every day. I want Christians to live and come up with radical ways to live that will bless the people that they notice having a rougher road because of a broken system.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Heaven Here
First thing I want to blog about is the title of my blog. Over the past couple of years, I have learned to correct terminology and theology for what I knew in my heart to believe. That Jesus came for a lot more reasons than just for us to go to heaven. If so, then turning the other cheek is just a mean joke. He came (to steal a line from Jesus himself) to give us the best possible way of living. (paraphrase John 10:10) It seems like churches (i.e. Christians) are waiting for Heaven to try to make this world a better place, which might be a little too late. It is about now. It is about His kingdom invading this earth. He is about getting rid of all the junk that screams this is not right. How can we eliminate families are living in cars or little girls are being sold for sex? Mothers are destroying kids’ lives because they developed this drug problem to numb the pain they feel. But the simple fact of this world is, it is easier to find a good dope man than it is to find a good church. It is easier to fit in and live for something bigger than yourself in a gang than a youth group. Fatherless kids come in contact with drug lords,and the bosses of gangs rather than mentors and ministers. In Nashville, 90% of all unplaced kids for Big Brothers Big Sisters are 11- to 14-year-old males. That can’t be true. Tony Dungy said last week that the number 1 indicator of a young man going to jail is the absence of his father. You know how many fatherless boys would love to come over to your house and watch the NFL game on Sunday? As many as 20! Trust me, I know. It has been the simplest, most effective ministry that I have done over the last couple of years. Inviting the boys over to my house to watch the Titans game. I have packed living rooms with 20 boys before. Make Kool-aid and cookies (LOTS of cookies), and you will have your very own group of disciples. I’d rather be in my house than anywhere else in the world. Will there feet smell bad when they take off the shoes? YES! Will they stink up your bathroom? YES! Will their mom call and talk to you about raising a teenage boy because they just want to know someone else cares about their boy? YES! Will you pray for them and put their picture up in your house? YES! Will they become your best friends? YES! Will you cry in front of people at their graduation? YES! Will you follow the Savior who calls to make this world a better place?
I believe with all my heart in these following statements:
Better is one day in your courts than 1000 elsewhere!
They will be no more pain, crying, death, or darkness!
This too shall pass!
Oh, death, where is your victory! Oh, death, where is your sting!
We have victory in our Lord Jesus Christ!
In me, you will have peace!
I will be your God and you will be my people!
I come to give life and give it to the fullest!
If you’re a Christian, I bet you believe them with all your heart too. We just have to believe they are meant to be lived by here and there, now and then. The kingdom’s to come and His will be done on earth as it shall be in Heaven!
I believe with all my heart in these following statements:
Better is one day in your courts than 1000 elsewhere!
They will be no more pain, crying, death, or darkness!
This too shall pass!
Oh, death, where is your victory! Oh, death, where is your sting!
We have victory in our Lord Jesus Christ!
In me, you will have peace!
I will be your God and you will be my people!
I come to give life and give it to the fullest!
If you’re a Christian, I bet you believe them with all your heart too. We just have to believe they are meant to be lived by here and there, now and then. The kingdom’s to come and His will be done on earth as it shall be in Heaven!
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