Slow Down!

I know...it's been a week since I've had a blog entry. I apologize. Life has been busy.

I saw a wreck yesterday AND I almost saw a wreck this morning. (In both cases I yelled "whoa" in my car--totally expecting the people to hear me.)

The one I almost witnessed this morning was a sight to see. I was at an extremely busy four way intersection...every road had a line of cars with the exception of the one to my right. Everyone was being nice and obeying the traffic laws...until this little old lady came tearing down the road (the one without a line of cars) and blew right through the stop sign. (I am completely sure that no curse words were uttered in any of the cars that were nearly obliterated because we were near a church.) :-)

I guess in a way I was a little happy...no one was hurt (the little old lady is still probably tearing down the road somewhere--she was clueless.) I was also happy that this was not one of those little old ladies I would have to worry about getting behind riding down the road...trust me, if you are following this woman...you are making some great time.

BUT the fact is that she ran a stop sign...never even hit her brakes. And I know the stop sign has always been there--I travel that road nearly every single day.

I was thinking about this when I got to the office when it hit me, "That is the way things are with me and the Lord sometimes. I am traveling through life so fast that I never take time to notice the obvious."

Anyone out there guilty of that?

We have our schedules, our deadlines, our meetings, kid's soccer practice...all of the things we feel like we have to do in order to be a decent citizen...and we accomplish great things--yet we blow right by opportunities to see Jesus at work around us everyday AND to thank Him for all that He has done.

So try to slow down today...and be thankful. Instead of screaming at the person who pulled out in front of you--thank God that you are still alive. Instead of complaining about how high gas prices are going to be--thank God that you have a car. Instead of worrying about how high natural gas prices are going to be this winter--thank God that you have a home, there are many that do not.

Scripture says that we need to be still and know that He is God. (That is so hard for someone like me with A-D-D-D-D-D-D-D-D...sorry!) But I have learned that the more I pause during the day...the more I can hear His voice...and the more I am able to experience His presence.

What do you believe?

Have you ever asked yourself if you really believe that what you believe is really real? For example, you say you believe in God. You believe that God is. What do you mean when you say you believe God is? Do you believe that God is actively at work in the world He created, meaning He is actively involved in your life, or do you believe that God created the world and then backed away as a passive observer leaving everything, including you, to function according to natural laws? There is a difference! What do you really believe?

Let’s build on the belief that God is. If you really believe that God is, that God created the world, and that God is active in the world in which you live, how do you explain the presence of evil? You say that you believe that evil exists because of sin. In other words the real problem with our world is the fact that human beings are sinners. Do you really believe that to be true? Do you believe that pain and suffering, disease and death are really the result of a power called sin that works in the heart of man, or do you believe that humans are intrinsically good and that under the right social conditions, their good nature will emerge? What do you really believe?

If you believe that sin is real, what do you believe is the solution to fix the problems that sin working in the hearts of man has created? How do you fix mankind? What is the antidote to sin? You say you believe that the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is the answer to humanity’s problem. If men would confess their sin and receive Christ into their hearts as savior and Lord, the problem of sin would be fixed. Do you really believe that to be true? What do you really believe?

I raise these questions because what you believe is really real is important. Why? Your beliefs are your personal GPS that direct your daily decisions and actions. What you believe to be really real determines how you live your life. So what do you really believe is really real?

Billboard Irony

I saw this on the way into work this morning. Do you think they were placed together on purpose?

Big Mistake

TORTURE = watching Food Network at 12:15 in the morning. (The Secret Life of Fried Chicken)
Not good...

Decisions, Decisions, Decisions

We all struggle with making decisions, do we not? I saw some people outside church last night having the struggle that has ended friendships & caused family quarrels that have yet to be resolved, "Hey guys--where do you want to eat?"

We all want to make good decisions. No one woke up this morning and said, "Dear Lord, I want to be stupid today." I don't know about you--but I don't need to pray for His assistance in that area--I do a fine job all by myself!!!

So how do we make good decisions, decisions that are not going to result in intense amounts of pain & frustration? Let me give you some things that I do...some questions that I ask...maybe this will help, maybe it won't--but it might be worth a shot.

#1 - What Does Scripture Say About The Situation?

Many have different views on the Bible--my view is that it is the totally inspired, infallible word of God. It is God's instruction book (and love letter) to mankind...and I have NEVER made a bad decision when I follow its council.

For example, if you are someone who is considering living with someone before you get married & you are wondering if this is the right decision...the Bible says "no," that we should refrain from sexual immorality.

If you are considering making a purchase...and you can't really afford it...the Bible says that we should not spend more than we make.

Following Scripture will not mess you up!

#2 - What Would __________ Do In This Situation?

I try my best to surround myself with people that are smarter than me. (It's really not that hard to meet people with those qualifications!) And when I run into a situation that is beyond my scope of wisdom or experience...I ask them what they would do.

For example, when it comes to my finances, I have two or three people who are very wise financially, who have made incredibly wise decisions and are NOT in debt up to their eyeballs, and so I ask them. I have learned that God often uses other people to communicate incredible amounts of wisdom.

When it comes to leadership...I have several men and women in my life that I run decisions by, just to make sure that my thinking is in line with Scripture AND that I am being rational.

In fact, when it comes to major decisions...I NEVER make them without consulting someone who I consider to be wiser than me...in doing so I have been protected from a lot of things that could have gone wrong.

#3 - Will This Decision Make Everyone Happy?

The bottom line is this--whatever decision that you may wrestle with...you cannot make everyone happy. I promise, someone will get mad. However, don't worry about that...the book of Proverbs says that fear of man is the snare of death. One of my prayers has always been to ask God to give me the wisdom to know what's right & the courage to do what's right...even when it's hard.

#4 - Can I Face The People Who Love Me The Most After This Decision Has Been Made?

WOW--that's challenging. This one is deeply personal. I realize as a decision maker that I am going to have to face my loved ones and answer for decisions that I have made...and I always want to be able to face my family with a clear conscience, knowing I have done my best to keep their interest in mind.

Those are some things that have helped me...I promise that I don't always get things right...but when I adhere to the list that I just gave...well...then I do get things right, most of the time.

What? Another new cell phone???

And the answer to that questions would be a gigantic...YES!!!

I have been waiting for the folks at Nokia to finally get their act together and come out with a flip phone that had everything that I look for (and need) from my cell phone.

Well they did it at last. It just came out yesterday.

I picked up the Nokia 6101 this morning and think I have finally found a phone I will keep for a long time. It has speakerphone, camera, video & audio recording, picture caller ID, an FM radio, and much much more.

Starfish & Shells

Rob Bell, of Mars Hill Bible Church in Grandville, MI tells the story of his young son who has just waded into the water after collecting two handfuls of smashed sea shells.

Now these shells were the type that are all over the beach. Thousands upon thousands have washed up and been trampled upon. The child decides to wade into the water with shell fragments in hands. After a while his father notices a beautiful starfish floating on top of the water within reach of his son. Rob yells to his son to pick up the starfish.

Anxiously the boy looks at the starfish and then looks at his fists, full of broken shells. And then back to the starfish and then again, back to his hands. Suddenly he bursts into loud sobs. Rob shouts out, "What wrong, buddy? Just pick up the starfish!" To this the son blurts out through his tears, "But then I'll have to drop these shells!"

Isn't that the case we often find ourselves in? We want the broken shells that are in our hands when our Father wants to give us the coolest starfish in the ocean! We'd rather hold on to what is comfortable or what we know, rather than give up control and allow God to bless us beyond what our human minds can fathom.

I learned that lesson this weekend. God blessed me beyond my imagination by taking away something that I thought I wanted. For this lesson and for the blessing, I am eternally grateful.

May we all trust God - the giver of every good and perfect gift.

The Doers, the Dreamers, and Me

One of my favorite movies is the original, "Muppet Movie". No, not the highly lame, "Muppets in Space" or "Muppet Treasure Island" - uh, definitely not. We're talking where it all started. The movie begins with a wide angle pan shot of the Florida Everglades. We gradually focus in on a log with a frog, or a frog with a log, whichever you prefer. My favorite childhood green buddy, Kermit busts into "The Rainbow Connection". The final line being, "The lovers, the dreamers and me."

Kermit has a dream - to go to California and make a movie. The tension throughout the rest of the show is between how some characters believe in this dream and that others don't.I think we all live in this tension.

Each of us has "dreams" we would like to fulfill and each of us has stuff that we simply need to "do". The problem is that I often find myself dreaming and then feeling guilty that I haven't gotten things DONE. Or I find myself in this frantic state of doing, so much that my soul starts to wither because it hasn't DREAMED in days.

Rarely, if ever am I in a state of balance. So I guess I'm either a frustrated dreamer or an exhausted doer. I think I'd rather be the former and dream with a little guilt. It is here that I find fulfillment, even if just for a time. Even if the dream never really results in anything tangible.

To paraphrase Shakespeare, "Better to have dreamed in vain, than never to have dreamed at all."

"The Muppet Movie" ends with Kermit and the gang finally getting the chance to make a movie and yet somehow Animal destroys the entire set. Even through this seemingly disastrous ending Kermit still holds onto "The Rainbow Connection" - the dream. Something about human... err... frog souls - we've gotta keep dreaming the dream.

My Big Ball

Did you laugh your head off watching Napoleon Dynamitee and Dodge Balll? Then you've gotta check out:

"The true adventures of Chad, the guy who was so into Super Monkey Ball Deluxe that he decided to live in a ball."

The Swim Meet episode made my sides hurt!

Here's the link: http://mybigball.com/

Check it out!

Apple unveilved its new IPod Nano today. This thing is teeny tiny. I thought my IPod mini was small, but this thing borders on the ridiculous. It's about a quarter of an inch thick, 3.5 inches long, and 1.5 inches wide, and holds about 1,000 songs.

Instead using a hard drive for storage like the mini's do, it uses flash memory chips. Not sure if I like that or not. No word on battery life yet. It'd have to beat the 26 hours that my Ipod mini gets for me to consider purchasing one.

I wonder how the public will react?

Lucky?

A couple of weeks ago was at Ikea with a good friend looking for things for my house. Walking into the store, I immediately saw a piece of furniture that was exactly what I was looking for. To make matters even better this particular piece was marked down 75%.

Needless to say, I purchased the piece. As I was leaving the store, my friend turned to me with a big smile and said, "Keith, this is your lucky day!"

Lucky is not a word I use except when talking about the jeans I wear. I do not consider myself a lucky person. I do not wish people good luck. My life is not about luck. Why?

The word luck means an unpredictable factor influencing events or circumstances for good or ill. The unpredictable factor in this definition means impersonal chance. To say I am having a lucky day is to say that my life is like the roll of dice. I am at the mercy of a force that is random without purpose or meaning. I don't believe that for a moment.

My life is not a craps game.

So what do I believe? I believe that God made the world and everything in it and that He is the Lord of heaven and earth. The Bible tells me that that "from one man God made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth." The Bible goes on to say that God "determines the times set for men and the exact places where they should live ... for in Him we live and move and have our being."

This is hardly the stuff of luck. This is the truth that there is a God who governs my life. This is the truth about my Heavenly Father who is not only sovereign over the world He created, but most importantly the one who governs my life.

Lucky? No, blessed! I am blessed by God and thankful.

Friday thoughts

It feels like my mind has been consumed by the destruction and crisis in New Orleans and other areas of the south. It just blows my mind that while I'm sitting here on my couch in my air conditioned home with a fridge full of food and very few material worries, that there are people who have no where to go or any idea what to do as they recover from this horrible tragedy. For me, this is somewhat of a reminder of the suffering that is going on all over the world all the time. It might be new to America, but it's not new to the world.