FBF: Stewed or Nuked

Before I began this blog, I had another blog on a different site for several years.  That blog is now closed, but each Friday, at least for a while, I want to resurrect some of my favorite posts from the previous blog.  These will be my Flashback Friday (FBF) posts.

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The microwave and the slow cooker are two of the best inventions in a long time. Both have become staples in most kitchens. But the two methods of cooking cannot be more opposite. The microwave is fast. You can thaw, cook, or reheat all in a matter of a few scant minutes. The slow cooker, however, cooks just as its name implies . . . slow. If you are in a hurry, use the microwave. If you want to instill pungent flavor and create tender texture, use the slow cooker. The microwave is great for popcorn, bacon, and leftovers; but the slow cooker produces a tender, juicy roast.

But more often than not, we use the microwave. Think about it. When was the last time you used your slow cooker? Do you even know where it is? We have grown accustomed to instant results. We can get or news immediately online without having to wait for the “film at eleven.” We can go through the drive-thru at McDonald’s and take dinner home in just a few minutes. We can exchange information via several emails over the course of just a few minutes rather than waiting to swap individual letters via traditional mail. We live in a microwave world and we are spoiled.

But God does not always act in a microwave manner. Sure, sometimes God moves quickly and we are amazed at the speed and ease with which He brings about His purposes. But most of the time, God goes slow. You see, God is more interested in our development than in our destination. He is more concerned with our character than with our comfort. God knows that the best way to cook a successful life is to let it slowly simmer and absorb all the richness of life around it. In His perfect knowledge God surrounds us with circumstances that add flavor and texture to our lives.

Consider our Biblical example Naaman. You can read about him in 2 Kings 5. Naaman was a brave captain of the Syrian army. He had won a lot of battles, had made quite a name for himself, and had done well for himself and his family materially. Yet there was one enemy he could not defeat. It was the incurable and fatal disease of bible times called leprosy. Leprosy was highly contagious and outwardly obvious. In spite of all his military victories and exploits, this dreaded disease still cast a pall over Naaman’s life. And undoubtedly over the course of several years he had tried the remedies of hundreds of would be doctors and healers who made great promises to him. But they had all failed.

Yet one young girl among the captive he brought back from a recent raid in Israel assured him that God’s prophet in Samaria could cure him. Naaman went with high hopes and what seems to be a slight attitude of arrogance and entitlement. He expected Elisha to do some grand and glorious public act to once and for all cure him. In stead, the prophet sent word to him by a servant to go to the Jordan River and wash himself not once, twice, or three times, but seven times and he would be cured. At first, Naaman’s pride prevented him from going, but at the encouragement of his servant he did and he was healed.

Like us, Naaman wanted Elisha to come up with a quick and easy “microwavable” solution to the problem.But God had another plan, God was cooking Naaman in the slow cooker. The passing of time presented a test of resolve and faith which finally resulted in a solution. The lessons learned in the journey made the destination all the more special.

Have you about given up because your answer hasn’t come by way of the microwave? Maybe God has you in the slow-cooker. You are being stewed rather than nuked because God is using the process to bring about an even greater work in your life. So let me encourage you to hang in there and enjoy the trip. Soak up the experience. Let the flavors of your circumstances permeate your life as God uses the delays in your life to teach you more about Him, His purposes and His ways in your life. Look around and see the hand of God, listen carefully to the voice of God, and lean on the goodness of God. He is cooking up a blessing just for you.

Constant Practice for Spiritual Maturity

I hate doing the same things the same way all the time.  To me, “routine” is just a “rut” with added letters to disguise it.  The older I get, however, the more value I find in repetition and consistency.

Sunday, as I watched the FSU Women’s softball team on TV, one of the commentators, Michele Smith, a former Olympic pitcher, mentioned how every time she practiced she did things the exact same way.  She extolled the virtues of a “routine.”  She mentioned that she did this so that in whatever situation she might be pitching, she would always feel comfortable.  Pitching was as natural to her as walking. Athletes develop routines so that their activity becomes so natural that they do not need to give it conscious thought. When pressure is on and fans are screaming and the game is on the line, they revert to what comes naturally and excel in those clutch situations.

We must beware of two caveats, however.  First, the athlete has to engage the routine, not just go through the motions.  Their “heart” has to be “in it.”  Secondly, the practice routine must involve doing the activity the proper way or else bad habits are programmed in place of the right way.

We succeed in whatever we choose to do when we INTENTIONALLY pursue the right goal in the right manner.  The writer of the book of Hebrews spends a good deal of the 5th chapter writing about spiritual maturity.  He identifies the spiritually mature person as one who has “their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.” Hebrews 5:14

What is your constant practice?  How do you “train” for spiritual success?  Bible reading and study, prayer, worship, fellowship with other believers, all when done intentionally, consistently, properly, and with our whole hearts provide a good routine that will help us act not naturally, but Godly when the pressure is on.

 

FBF: My Cat Is Outgrowing Her Cradle

Before I began this blog, I had another blog on a different site for several years.  That blog is now closed, but each Friday, at least for a while, I want to resurrect some of my favorite posts from the previous blog.  These will be my Flashback Friday (FBF) posts.  This particular post was written almost to the day 5 years ago.  Then Bekah was finishing Kindergarten.  Today is her last day in elementary school, she will be a middle schooler now.  The truth of this blog is even more urgent for me now than it was May 21, 2009.

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High school graduation is this weekend in Tift County and many families will celebrate a significant milestone in the life of their children as they complete High School. Today also marks a milestone in the Duggan household – my little girl will no longer be a kindergartener. At least I guess not. We haven’t seen her report card yet. I get the feeling Ms Dean would not flunk her for fear she would have her in class again next year.

Today, we had the privilege of going to Bekah’s school and watching the kindergarten talent show. All the kids did so well (Bekah jumped rope), and we enjoyed watching them. I did fine except when they played that stupid “Cinderella” song by Steven Curtis Chapman. It is actually a beautiful song, I just don’t like to be reminded how quickly my daughter is growing up and how soon she will out on her own.

I am sure that other fathers and mothers will entertain the same thoughts and process the same emotions at Brodie Field Saturday morning (weather permitting) as they watch their child walk across the platform and receive their high school diploma. Do you remember those “life comes at you fast” commercials? It really does come at you fast and pass by quickly when you are a parent. We would do well to remember Paul’s reminder in Ephesians 5:16, “…making the most of every opportunity…”

In 1967, Charles Hummel wrote an essay about priorities entitled The Tyranny of the Urgent in which he stated a basic premise: all too often, we sacrifice the important on the altar of the urgent. No one feels the negative effect of such a sacrifice as our families. Our jobs, responsibilities, emergencies, and commitments scream loudly that they must be satisfied immediately, while we relegate to “spare time” the most important priorities – our relationships with God, family, and friends.

Parents, our children grow up fast and we cannot let the time pass thinking that we will “get around to” spending more time with them. The time to do that is now. Make the most of every opportunity . . . in fact MAKE OPPORTUNITIES. Take the time to make some good memories now with your spouse, your kids, and your close friends. Don’t let the urgent rob the important.

The Biggest Challenge for the Next Generation

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What are you passing on to the next generation spiritually? Eyes are always watching us, and we are constantly being scouted and imitated. We ALL influence somebody. Our children and other kids are watching what we do, hearing what we say, and noticing how we think.

I have heard it said that children do in excess what they see their parents do in moderation. Words, attitudes, and actions that to us may be incidental become building blocks for the personalities of children.

Unfortunately, I have seen parents who displayed a lack of respect for authority raise children who didn’t respect them. I have seen parents criticize people in the church and then wonder why their kids, when old enough to choose for themselves, wanted nothing to do with the church. I have seen parents who considered their commitment to things spiritual to be optional question how their kids could walk away from the things of God.

Part of living an intentional life is realizing at every moment we can make a conscious effort to build positive traits into the lives of people around us.

Be mindful of your own words, attitudes, and actions. Think about what you are saying and portraying.

Talk less. Laugh and smile more. You will be amazed at how something as simple as a positive outlook on life positively affects our children.

Be honest and authentic. Your kids see your faults. Admitting them and striving to overcome them sets an example for a generation of honesty and integrity.

Gladly take on the mantle of ROLE MODEL. You are whether you want to be or not. You are leading by example . . . good or bad.

Become the kind of person who can say with Paul:

Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. – Philippians 4:9

The next generational will be “us plus.”

Do You Stink?

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I once heard of a prank perpetuated by some kids on their grandfather. He took daily naps on the sofa, naps that were so deep nothing would awaken him. During one nap they smeared some Limburger cheese on his mustache and waited for him to awaken. Soon he did, with a sniff, and declared, “This sofa stinks!” He then moved to the LazyBoy where again he declared, “This chair stinks!” He tried every room in the house only to find that they, too, stunk. Finally, he went outside to get some fresh air, and when he took a deep breath, he declared, “The whole world stinks!”

Unfortunately, that story repeats daily in the lives of some people, only figuratively. With bad attitudes, they declare that everything in the world stinks – their job, their circumstances, their church, their pastor. They view a situation or person as bad, yet others see it differently. All the while, the stink was actually right under their nose, following them everywhere they go. They ARE the stink.

Our attitudes determine how we view the world around us, and the good news is we control our attitude – it is a choice. Proverbs 23:7 tells us as a man “thinks within himself, so he is.” Our attitude actually BECOMES our reality. So, how can we change our attitude and thereby change our reality?

First, we need to change the contents of our thoughts. If somehow Limburger cheese is under our nose, we need to wash our face. Philippians 4:8 teaches us to fill our mind with the right kinds of thoughts and leave no room for the negative thoughts. We can change the way we view our reality by changing WHAT we think.

Additionally, we need to change our influencers. The people around us either lift us up or bring us down – and the direction we are going is often deceiving. Sometimes we think people are making us feel better by commiserating with us, but in the end, they are only helping us dig deeper into the pit of negativity. 1 Corinthians 15:33 teaches us that “bad company corrupts good character.” If your friends are negative, chances are you will be too. If your friends are positive, they will lift your spirit and help you attitude.

If we change what we think, and change who influences our thoughts, chances are we will begin to see our reality in a fresh new light. Things are not as bad as we think they are, nor nearly as bad as others try to tell us they are. So, wipe the stinky cheese off your face and face the world with a new attitude.

 

 

Little Things Are Big Things

squirrel on a lineOn September 11, 1995, a squirrel climbed on the Metro-North Railroad power lines near New York City. This set off an electrical surge, which weakened an overhead bracket. The loosened bracket allowed a wire to dangle toward the tracks, which tangled in a train. The train then tore down all the lines. As a result, 47,000 commuters were stuck in Manhattan for hours that evening.

If something as small as a squirrel can derail a major metropolitan transit system, what does that say about the “little things” in our lives? Some days, we face the temptation to cut corners and take shortcuts, thinking no one will notice, but in reality, the “little things” tend to define our lives. A brick wall consists of several small bricks. A crack or break in even one brick – usually undetected by the naked eye – can compromise the entire wall. So also, one little shortcut in our lives can undo years of good.

The “little things” of our lives include such activity as prayer, Bible study, church attendance, helping others – taking care of those important things we do that others may not see. If we skip over doing these little things, we may not detect immediate ramifications, but the long term damage shows up eventually.

When athletes take short cuts in practice, they pay for it in games. Preachers take short cuts in sermon preparation and the congregation pays for it on Sunday. Businessmen take short cuts with their business, and they eventually affect the “bottom line.”

Two Bible verses remind us of the need to take care of the little things in our lives:

“… be sure your sin will find you out.” – Numbers 32:23


“Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.” – Galatians 6:7-9

 

And one from the mouth of Jesus himself:

“His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.'” – Matthew 25:21

Let’s be sure to take care of all of those “little things” in our lives and watch the big things take care of themselves.

FBF: Marking Time

Before I began this blog, I had another blog on a different site for several years.  That blog is now closed, but each Friday, at least for a while, I want to resurrect some of my favorite posts from the previous blog.  These will be my Flashback Friday (FBF) posts.

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Several events of late have cast me into a contemplative mood and led me to evaluate my life and the priorities by which I live.  Psalm 90:12 challenges us: So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom. As I thought about that verse, I resolved to make three life adjustments.
First, slow down.  Psalm 46 contains a word unique to the Psalms.  The word selah is a musical notation that means to pause and to reflect.  Three times the word is used in this psalm, as the writer encourages us to stop and reflect on God’s presence (vs 1-3), provision (vs 4-7), and power (vs 8-11).  In today’s rat race, however, we find ourselves too busy to stop and reflect.  We have lost the disciplines of silence and solitude practices by the saints who walked before us, and as a result, our faith is not as deep as was theirs.  I am resolved to building margins of time into my regular schedule that I might reflect on God and what He wants to say to me and work in me.
Second, simplify.  1 Thessalonians 4:11 challenges us “…make it your ambition to lead a quiet life.”  This “quiet life” is not one absent of sounds, but rather absent of strife.  We can accomplish this objective by following the instruction found in the rest of the verse: “to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands…”  How much “noise” do we create in our lives by not minding our business?  These two statements work in tandem to instruct us to stay so busy fulfilling our own responsibilities that we have not time to meddle in others’ affairs.  My grandmother used to say, “Idle hands are the devil’s workshop.”  We create more drama in our lives by involving ourselves in things that aren’t ours to own. I am resolved to eliminating the unnecessary from my life and taking care of the responsibilities God has entrusted to me . . . and ONLY those responsibilities.
Third, focus.  In Colossians 3:1-2, Paul challenges us to trade our earthly perspective for a heavenly one.

 

If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.  Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. 
In his essay The Tyranny of the Urgent, Charles Hummel laments that we sacrifice the important on the altar of the urgent.  Life has a way of distracting us from eternity.  Christ followers live with a view to eternity.  Not only is this life not all there is, this life is inferior to what awaits us in eternity.
Unfortunately, sometimes I fall victim to the temptation to focus most on things that have the least (if any) eternal value.  In Philippians 1:10, Paul prays that the believers in Philippi would “approve what is excellent…”  We need to learn the difference between acceptable and excellent; between good ideas and God’s ideas. I am resolved reorder my priorities around God’s eternal values.
I am not sure how many more days I have to number, but I think it is safe to say I am past half way. I have lived more days than I have left.  The question that matters most is “what will I do with the days that remain?”

Fulfilling My Purpose for Life

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Several years ago, I ran across this summary of the life of David found in Acts 13:36:

For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep and was laid with his fathers and saw corruption.

The phrase, “he served the purpose of God in his own generation,” has forced me to ask myself what I am living to accomplish with my life. One question that struck me this week was, “What do I want the preacher to say about me at my funeral?”  That seems a morbid thought, but in reality, we preach our own funeral by the way we live our lives.

A couple of good diagnostic questions we can ask ourselves are, “For what do I want to be known, and how do I want people to remember me?” 
We can find a plethora of good things with which to occupy our lives. It is a noble intention to be good spouses, parents, teachers, workers, friends, and citizens.  In the end, however, will I be able to say honestly, “I have served the purposes of God for my lifetime”?

I guess the more important questions are WHY and FOR WHOM do I do the things I do.  Do I live my life each day to fulfill my own agenda, or do I live for God’s purposes?  When God made us, and specifically when He redeems us, He hardwires us to bring Him glory.  Much of the emptiness and frustration we feel in life is because we devote ourselves to things other than His things for us.

Take some time today to get alone and ponder the direction your life is going.  Ask yourself how you can use the everyday events of your life to reflect glory away from you and toward Him.

For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be glory forever. Amen. – Romans 11:36

Three Questions That Set Priorities

How do you decide what you decide?  What goes through your mind as you determine what needs to be done or how you should feel about a certain matter?  Is there a framework that shapes who we are?  Is there a matrix through which design and order our days?  

Yes.  It’s called PRIORITIES.  We think, say, and do according to what we believe are the most important things.  Our priorities will determine, in large part, if we will live intentionally. The question then become how do we set our priorities?  How do we determine what is important?

For some, the goal is to make others happy, so they prioritize those things they believe will please the object of their desire.  For others, the goal is to make oneself happy, so they go about doing what they want to do.  Some set goals for achievement that they deem worthy and order their lives in such a way as to accomplish those goals.

For the believer in Jesus, the only way to be truly successful is to make it our aim to please God (2 Corinthians 5:9). In the Sermon on the Mount, found in Matthew 5-7, Jesus sets forth what successful Kingdom living looks like.  In Chapter 6, we find three important questions that help us determine Kingdom priorities that will please God.  Constantly asking ourselves and evaluating our lives by these three questions will help us be able to focus on what is truly important in our lives according to God’s perspective.

Question 1 – Where is my HEART? (6:19-21).  Does my heart gravitate toward earthly pursuits or do I first think of the eternal significance of my life and actions?  Paul encourages us to set our minds on things above (Col 3:1-4).  The most important things are those that have an effect for all of eternity.

Question 2 – Whom do I SERVE?  (6:24) We choose each day between two worldviews – secular or Kingdom.  We seek please one of two masters – flesh or God. The word Jesus uses is “devoted.”  Am I sold out totally to Jesus?  Do I seek to please only Him?  The most important things are those that most bring glory to Him.

Question 3 – What am I SEEKING? (6:31-34)  All to often we establish priorities based on self-preservation.  We want to get through this life as comfortably as possible and our priorities reflect that goal.  The Kingdom mindset is free to focus on the Kingdom of God FIRST and foremost because it recognizes that God takes care of those who focus on Him.

Think through these three questions.  Regularly evaluate your goals and priorities according to Jesus’ teaching in the Sermon on the Mount, and you will see a change in your priorities.