October Series At Paradox

Starting this October we'll be spending an entire month on Sunday mornings dedicated to work, and the mixed feelings we have about it!

Some of us love what we do, some of us hate what we do, many of us wonder if we're doing what we should be doing.

What do we do if we're in the wrong job, how do we make a change, how to we stay in a job we can' stand, does God care about how I feel about my job? If I break the copy machine how do I make it look like another employee did it?

Are all just some of the questions we'll be tackling. It's going to be a fun series with a lot of good advice from people learning to apply their faith to their work.

Check out HERE to read more.

Go HERE to watch out promo video.

Don't Miss It

This Sunday just might be one of the best experiences you'll have had yet at Paradox.

Seriously!

Especially if Paradox is your church, then you don't want to miss this Sunday.

Whatever you have to do, be there & be there on time. The whole morning is going to be powerful as we share & dream about the future of our church.

I can't wait for it, see you Sunday!

Another Man's Wife

Have you ever had the nerve or the audacity to criticize another man's wife? I know, it's a weird question.

Part of what makes it such a weird question is that the answer should be a resounding, and obvious NO!

There are just some things you know you should never do, some boundaries just don't need to be explained; they're understood. This, well, this is one of those things, one of those boundaries. Whether the husband is 80 pounds when all wet or Hulk Hogan, you just don't dog another man's wife; his treasure.

So let me ask you -- what does God call the church, it's His what???

Say it louder! His BRIDE!!!!!!

So let me ask you again, you ever criticized another man's wife?

I have been a follower of Jesus for 30 years, and a pastor for nearly 15 years. So, I know as good as anyone what struggles and shortcomings the church has, but let me be clear in case I haven't been yet.

The Church is the BRIDE of the LIVING GOD!

I heard someone, no not just "someone", but another PASTOR recently say, "I am a Christian despite the church not because of it"

What kind of CRAP is that!

I'm not at all unfamiliar with people criticizing the church, and screaming out loud about every flaw the bride has. Frankly it's a lot easier to criticize than to create. Shamefully, too many Christians will always chose to criticize more than they help guard, build and develop the church. I also realize that many of these Christians will consider their viperous tongue to be "helpful" and to be their "building contribution" to the church instead of seeing their behavior for as shameful as it truly is. However, when the criticism moves beyond, "you're ugly" to "you're insignificant", man you just moved from crossing a line that shouldn't be crossed to picking a fight with God.

Unless you've never read the Bible, you can't deny the IMPORTANCE that God places on the presence, purpose & power of His bride in this world. She is the tool that He is using to be His body, and announce His kingdom until there are no more days left to announce it.

To my misguided, poison tongued, pastor peer, and to all others who call themselves "Christian" and yet share his sentiment, or just simply love to talk about the ugliness of Jesus Bride, let me be clear.

If you are truly a Christian then you ARE one BECAUSE OF the church. If you're a follower of Jesus then you can not deny that He has used some part of His bride in the process that has turned you so. From the martyrs on whose blood we stand, to the relationships you have had that loved you, shared with you, and have been the body of Jesus to you. How dare we, with the flip of a tongue, how dare we turn insignificant the very thing that Jesus created, died for, and is coming again to make blameless.

If my wife and I are fighting & even if she says or does something horrible to me. It makes no sense if in my anger & hurt I say to her, "I am a husband despite this marriage not because of it". Yet, this is exactly the reaction many Christians have in response to their hurt and disappointment with the church.

Some of you are probably thinking that I've just never been truly hurt by the church so what do I know. Actually, I have been hurt so deeply by the church that I will walk with a limp until Jesus return. BUT, I am also aware of the living God, and have met Him, and continue to experience Him BECAUSE OF His bride, the church.

Some of you are thinking, "man you're really angry", and my response to you is, YES!

Others of you might be cheering right now, well let's allow our cheer be clear. WE LOVE THE CHURCH, the bride of Christ, warts and all!! And we will guard her, love her, cherish her, and speak well of her from now to eternity.

In the bible in the book of Ezra, King Cyrus issued a decree concerning the temple of God being rebuilt in Jerusalem. At the end of his decree he makes clear just how serious he is about building and protecting the temple by signing off with this...

Ezra 6:11

Furthermore, I decree that if anyone defies this edict, a beam is to be pulled from their house and they are to be impaled on it. And for this crime their house is to be made a pile of rubble. ¹² May God, who has caused his Name to dwell there, overthrow any king or people who lifts a hand to change this decree or to destroy this temple in Jerusalem.

Sounds pretty harsh doesn’t it? I know that the temple is now the Christian and no longer a building, but the collection of us make up the church; the bride, the place where God now resides. Can we PLEASE stop tearing her apart by tearing her down! Yes, she still needs to be made perfect (because WE still need to be made perfect), and one day she will be. One day she will be dressed in white and presented to the Father by the Son. In the meantime, please choose to create over criticize.

250/150/50

250 / 150 / 50

Just start asking around...

15 Amazing Years!

Today I celebrate 15 years of marriage to my wonderful wife Nicole.

When I walked down stairs this morning & said to my son, "do you know that 15 years ago, on THIS day, mom & I got married". My son looked at me & said, "dad". Expecting a profound response from his eight year old brain I said, "yes son", to which He replied, "did we catch that skunk in the cage last night, oh yeah, & do we have any more cocoa puffs left!"

Although my son doesn't share my level of enthusiasm,

I would do it all over again with NO HESITATION.

So in love & so thankful to Jesus for the way my wife has been used by Him to change me more into the man He is making me to be.

Happy Anniversary Nicole!

Rules For Texting

With all the amazing ways technology has improved our lives in both the social and professional world, those same technologies have bring new evolution to human weirdness. I read a stat the other day that said that 70% of people now prefer to text a person rather than to call them.

Being an avid texter myself, I wasn't too surprised by this. But it did make me want to lay down some rules for texting. So, here you go, suggestions to improve your life by improving your texting - your welcome!

1. Be brief. Seriously, the whole point of a text is QUICK MESSAGE. When one text has to come in 6 different boxes you broke rule numero uno! If your text looks like the first draft of a book you're writing then it's time to dial numbers not type letters.

2. Stop sending cute and / or dirty images made out of your creative arrangement of letters & numbers. To be that intimately aware of the abilities of your keyboard only proves you have way too much time on your hands.

3. Just because you have the ability to instantly message someone doesn't mean they MUST instantly message you back. As a kid I learned that I could eat the caulk off the house just after we had new siding put on, it's doesn't mean I should have.

If it takes a few hours to get a reply then that's OK, if it takes more than a day it means that they may actually be busy and not have their phone glued to their hand. If it takes more than a week they either don't know who you are or they don't like you so stop stalking them.

4. The use of more than one exclamation mark is both unnecessary and proves you drink way too many energy drinks, lay off the sauce!!!!!!!!

5. Remember that texting carries no emotion. For example, if you ended your text with 20 exclamation marks (please see rule #5) and they end with a period, you don't need to go jump of a bridge. Don't insert YOUR emotion into THEIR text.

6. If you’ve both passed 7-10 texts, either someone needs to make an actual phone call, or stop texting. Join the other 30%.

7. Never drunk text, end of story. For that matter don't drunk twitter, facebook post or any other form of social networking update. We don't think it's as funny as you do, we actually think it's sad.

8. Turn off auto correct. While the text, "I just want to scream with the monkey's pants" is funny it makes no sense and thus requires additional texting bringing you dangerously close to breaking rule number 6.

9. Never text someone that is in earshot of you. If this is you then trust me, you have a problem & admitting it is the first step to getting help.

10. Don't stop calling your spouse, girlfriend, or boyfriend, just because now you can text them instead. Your voice is a harmony of strength & beauty and it will never come through a text message. Say it, don't just type it.

Breaks In The Wall

Ezekiel 13:5

"You have not gone up to the breaks in the wall to repair it for the house of Israel so that it will stand firm in the battle on the day of the LORD."

I've been reading through this part of the Bible recently and this verse has been ringing in my ears ever since I first read it.
These words are from God to the leaders of Israel. For reasons of selfishness & sin, the leadership of Israel has severely neglected the outer-wall defenses of the city and has left the people dangerously exposed to outside attack.

Now, realizing that it's not likely that anyone reading this is in charge of an entire city's safety due to a giant stone wall that you're responsible for, I think the message to take away here is either...

1. You need to stop being lazy and go fix that front door of your house that doesn't open and close correctly.

OR

2. We all need to pay better attention to what gets in & out of our hearts and the defenses that guard it.

Your heart, according to God, is the spring that produces the experience of life you're living in right now.

Proverbs 4:23

"Above all else, guard your heart,for it is the wellspring of life."

Maybe you're telling yourself that the condition of your life right now is the result of...

• your job
• a struggling marriage
• a broken friendship
• financial stress
• temptation

There's always something or someone else to blame for the conditions of our life.

But HOW you experience any situation is up to you. How you experience life is a partial result of what's coming out of your heart, and what comes out from your heart is a product of what gets into your heart. And the door to the heart is the way we think, this is why scripture tells us in Proverbs that as we think so we are.

Maybe that's why Paul tells us so clearly in Philippines 4:8 to be so selective with what thoughts we allow to consume our thinking.

"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."

For some of us, the guard around our heart; the healthy protection and awareness of what gets in and what gets out is being severely neglected.

It's no wonder that at times we so quickly go emotionally towards anger, doubt, insecurity, fear, hate, blame, and all sorts of other places that will suck life from us & from the people around us.

The gate to our heart, which is our mind, either has a wide open door or breaks in the wall.

I think this is why Paul once talked about transformation being in the mind.

Romans 12:2

"Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will."

This transformation isn't a one time act, it's an ongoing decision of guarding what gets in and what goes out. We have to make the regular decision to approve or deny what walks through the door of our thinking. Paul explained this best when he tells us that his way of doing this was to make all of his thoughts obedient to Jesus.

2 Corinthians 10:5

"We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we takecaptive every thought to make it obedient to Christ."

I think there are several ways we could apply the challenge to "repair the breaks in the wall". The way I'm being challenged by God is to repair the wall of my thoughts & thinking. There are some holes in that wall; thoughts & ways of thinking that are finding their way down into my heart. Once in my heart they shape the way I'm experiencing life, God & the people around me that is not producing the LIFE I want to be experiencing. In other words, there's tainted water coming from my well.

With God's help, I'm repairing some of those breaks.

"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."