Please Pray

Late last night my dad was admitted to the hospital with sever pneumonia, I would appreciate your prayers for his health.

This Sunday at Paradox we will continue our series "f-bomb". My dad was going to be coming in to share on stage with me how we took steps years ago to mend our relationship through forgiveness.

I'm praying his health return quickly & fully and that you'll still be able to meet him on Sunday.

Thanks for your prayers.

What's Your Faith In

In the opening pages of the book of Luke you can read the bullet points details of a story that has so much more going on behind the scenes.

Zachariah, who is a priest is married to Elizabeth who is the cousin of Marry, the mother of Jesus.
The bullet points that we see in the first chapter are...

• Zechariah is a priest
• He is a priest in a group of priests that have existed for many years and find their roots in the grandson of Solomon
  
• He and his wife lived lives that pleased God
  
• They have no children
  
• They wanted to have children and they have been praying for a child for a long time
• They are old now and well passed the years of having a child
  
• Zechariah never gave up on God; he keeps serving, he keeps praying, and he keeps living upright.

There is a line of thinking in the church that says when we ask God for something then, "have faith". You know, ask and then just believe that eventually it will happen.

Have faith that ...

• the relationship will turn around
  
• you will get pregnant
• the money will come back
  
• she will get healed
  
• you won't loose the house
  
• when he gets out of jail he'll finally get cleaned up
  
• you get the idea...

But here's the thing, I don't think Zechariah had faith that his wife would one day get pregnant. Or let me say it this way, I don't think that's what his faith was in.

This guys has been doing everything right, he has the right heritage, he is serving as a priest & he is good priest & a good man. Perfect, no, but upright in the eyes of God.

He's the kind of guy that seems like the perfect candidate for God to bless, but God remains silent to Zachariah's prayers, year after year after year -- silent.

Now, he & his wife are old & the dream is all but dead. Then in the final chapter, God speaks & he says yes & He gives Zechariah & Elizabeth a son, John; John the baptist that is who if you haven't heard, was a pretty big deal!

So, is that the point, just hold out and God will eventually say yes?

NO

See, if that was the point then I'm pretty certain that long ago, Zechariah would have given up. I mean the data is in; YEARS of unanswered prayers, two bodies that are now old & passed their ability to have a child. Even if Zechariah was holding out to the last possible minute for God to obviously come through, well, that minute has long passed. And yet, Zechariah is found here still serving the God who seems to have ignored Him and His wife all these years.

I'm going to suggest that Zachariah's FAITH wasn't in God doing what He had been asking for, but his faith was simply & solely in the PERSON OF GOD no matter what He did or didn't do.

When we were kids we had a point where we realized that our parents giving us stuff or not giving us stuff wasn't the full measure of their love & goodness. My son may have questioned that for a minute this Christmas when he didn't open a wii. When we mature in our development to realize that their love for us can not be based on what they do or do not give us then we start to understand that gifts are the product of love not the proof of it.

But what if my son only ever loved me for what I gave him and for the times I said "yes" to him. May i suggest that he would never really love ME but instead would just see me as someone to use.

Zachariah's faith was in the person of God so much that even when God said "no" or when God seemed silent or when his good life went unrewarded, he still loved and pursued God, and HE TRUSTED HIM even when the circumstances would tell him not to!!

I pray that as a church, we will all respond to God's invitation to go deeper in Him this next year. For many of us I am certain that going deeper in Jesus will mean that we learn to place our trust purely & solely in Him and not in the deals we make with God...

• I'll trust you if...
• I'll go to church if...
• I'll live upright if...

When our faith is in His "yes" or His "no" or His gifts then we completely miss the point, frankly, we completely miss Him. Remember, the best God has to offer you is likely better than even the best you can think to ask of Him. The best is us getting more OF HIM not getting more FROM HIM.

Where is your faith and what is it in?

Top 10 To Stay In 2010

As the new year kicks off I though I'd give you my list of the 10 things I wish would stay in 2010 and not make their way to the new year.

Unfortunately, I don't rule the world so I'm not sure I'll get a vote on these, but if i had it my way, these things would just disappear like Captain Kirk getting beamed up to the Enterprise.

1o. The McRib - I know that some of you will hate me for suggesting this one but you know its' not real meat, right?

9. Political commercials and ads - we are all SICK of them!

8. Dudes wearing skinny jeans - what the heck!

7. People living outside of Michigan ripping on the Metro Detroit area -- umm I know we got our issues, but this is my HOME!!! If you don't stop accusing us of being so violent then we're going to loosen the lug nuts on your car! And kwame wasn't MY mayor, I actually like the changing weather, we finally have a new Governor, and we still make cars for all of you that don't live here!

6. Ryan Seacrest - need I say more...

5. Poor customer service - seems like a virus that's growing more each year, whatever happened to, "the customer is always right". So, get off your cell phone, drop the attitude and act like those of us in the other side of the register matter.

4. TMI (too much information) on facebook -- we don't care what you ate last night or who you don't like anymore. We don't want to see your public arguments, or your pictures that show off way too much skin (excepts for fb browsing pervs, but their opinion doesn't count, because they're pervs)

3. Butt crack showing jeans - for girls or guys, we are all tired of seeing that side of you, trust me.

2. Crippling hurt - we all have some, a hurt that could kill our hearts, our hopes, our dreams & just generally suck the life out of us. The new year has new hope not because it's a new year but because God RULES the days we live in, and the bible tells us that His mercies are new every morning. May we all live with new hope & new energy that is a product of us growing in Christ this year deeper than last.

1. Hate & fear - hey I said it's MY list so i can dream can't I. I know theses won't be left behind in 2010 but they will be left behind when Jesus returns. This is why I'm both hopeful & thankful for the day of His return when peace & love will reign for ever as the ONLY way to live.

But & Butt

I've been trying to think this last week of what one word do i want to define my life, family & ministry this next year, I think I have my word.

However, as I've been thinking about this word's implications I've e had another word keep creeping into my mind, the creeping word is the word "BUT".

Being a parent I have come to HATE this word because it seems to accompany nearly every request i make of my kids...

• Get ur coat on it's time for school -- BUT I want to say goodbye to the dog
  
• Finish your diner -- BUT I don't want to
• Time for bed -- BUT I want to stay up
  

When my kids use the word but it's a word of both disrespect AND disbelief. The disrespect is obvious but the disbelief is that in that one little word what they are saying is,

• I don't believe you know best
  
• I don't believe you love me enough to know what's better for me than i do
• I don't believe there are consequences to ignoring you
• I don't believe there is life in obeying you

The word but isn't just disrespect, it's a conscious choice to DISBELIEVE.

As my one word for the year 2011 sets into my mind & my prayers I feel the but trying to push it out of the way. I have strong feelings about what God wants to do in and through me & my family and my ministry this next year & so does the but. And so it whispers to me...

• But you're not smart enough for that
  
• But you need more money for that
  
• But you have to much junk in your life still
  
• But it hasn't happened yet, so why this year
• but But BUt BUT -- kinds like that, each time it gets bigger & louder.

And you know what the but ultimately leads you to do -- NOTHING! It pushes you, in your doubts, away from God and His promises & your hopes & dreams in Him & has you sitting on your BUTT doing nothing!

The thing is, it's not just disrespectful to God when we say BUT, it also shows our disbelief in Him and His power too. It's disbelief in His plans, His protection, His prosperous nature, His wisdom, His sovereignty, His love, His everything!

What's your word for 2011 that sums up what you want to see God do in your life, family, relationships, & ministry? And what are the buts that are trying to push you to your butt.

Believe this year that God wants to do amazing things in you, through you, to you and around you. Believe this year that He knows, and that He knows BEST.

Begin to ask the Lord Jesus to define this year for you in a sentence or in a word & whatever He says to you

BELIEVE it and DO it!!!