Reset

~ ForCommonGround ~ 1 Comment

Rest-button

Have you ever been working on a computer and had the thing freeze up on you? It’s so annoying…especially if you were working on something important. In my experiences, most of the times that it’s frozen up, I’ve been rushing through things, I was clicker-happy hitting keys over and over when it wouldn’t work, and I had a lot of different tabs open or programs running. I simply overloaded my computer. The only thing that will fix the problem is the reset button.

It’s not all that different with people. When we’re overworked, sleep deprived, stressed out about pretty much anything our minds will find to stress about, balancing kids, work, keeping up a home, surprises life throws at us, and whatever else isn’t on this list, we fail to operate like we’re meant to. We start forgetting more things, snapping at others, our patience fuse shortens, and we lose our joy. Our worship is probably way off too! That’s when we need to hit the reset button.

This last weekend I experienced a sweet reset. My wife and I went to a Kari Jobe worship night in Denver, Colorado. We spent three hours praising God with her and Brian and Katie Torwalt. Needless to say, it was awesome. During that three hours my wife and I both had encounters with the Lord. Even though we were among thousands of people, it seemed as though it was so intimate with God. We both left refreshed. It was like a breath of fresh air. It was like walking into a well air conditioned building in the middle of a 105 degree summer. We’ve had so much joy since that night. We are so much more patient, full of faith, refocused, and re-energized.

You don’t have to go to a concert to reset your life. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, overworked, and dragging your way through life, it’s time for a shot of spiritual espresso! Any time we spend with God, in an intimate connection, through worship, praying, fasting, reading, studying, etc…is well spent and full of exponential value. You need it…we all do. Find the time. Make the time. Nothing is more important in life than our relationship with Him. He’s waiting, the ever-flowing source of life. And Jesus is the master of the reset!

For I will satisfy the weary soul, and every languishing soul I will replenish.

Jeremiah 31:24

What did you say?

~ ForCommonGround ~ 5 Comments

Very few things in life hold the power of words. We learned in elementary school that sticks and stone may break our bones but words will never hurt us. Lies! Physical injury is nothing compared to what one careless word can do. Words can tear someone’s life apart and they can also bring life to someone desperate of encouragement. Words can be a weapon when used with malice and ill content, or they can be a well of refreshment for the desperate hearted. 

Proverbs 18:21 (ESV)

Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.

Think before you speak: It’s an age old saying and I’m sure most of us have been told that, maybe more than once. There could hardly be better advice. Every conversation can be an opportunity to course correct a life, and if we are not careful, it can send someone down a dangerous detour. People who say whatever comes to their mind generally hurt most people.

Proverbs 10:19 (NASB)

When there are many words, transgression is unavoidable, but he who restrains his lips is wise.

Speak to benefit the listener not yourself: Trying to take back words  is like trying to get squeezed toothpaste back in the tube…it’s near impossible. It’s much better to be intentional about speaking life and truth, with grace and with love. If everything we say is meant to be helpful to those we talk to, then we won’t have any need to try and put the toothpaste back in the tube. 

Ephesians 4:29 (NIV)

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.

We all have an audience: You don’t have to be a pastor, teacher, coach, celebrity, or author in order to speak into people’s lives. For parents, there are always tingling little ears waiting to soke up our every word, even if it seems like they aren’t listening. And that never changes, no matter how old our children are. But it doesn’t stop there. For everyone who isn’t a recluse there are people listening to what we say. What are they hearing?

Psalm 19:14 (ESV)

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.

Bearing the Weight

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I’ve spent a good portion of my life  exercising. Some of that has involved lifting weights. One thing that every weight lifter knows is that you can’t lift heavy weights with open hands. A person has to close their grip around the bar or dumbbell for optimal strength. 

Sometimes I think we treat life like lifting weights. So many things add heaviness to our hearts. Think about those heavy loads in your own life. They could be bills, a career, worries over your kids, the health of a loved one, or even the plight of sexual slavery all over the  world? Chances are it’s not just one thing. Life can get really, really heavy!

Unfortunately we wait to the point where we simply can’t bear it any more. We wait until our knees buckle beneath us. If the weight of life is so heavy that it is bringing you to your knees, there’s actually no better place to be.

I have been driven many times upon my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had no where else to go. My own wisdom and that of all about me seemed insufficient for that day.

-Abraham Lincoln

Part of going through life is to keep our hands open. What does that even look like? Holding loosely to possessions, careers, or our money? Maybe coming to terms with the fact that there is only one sovereign in the world and we aren’t Him? How about loving those close to us the best we can every single day because we just don’t know how many more we’ll get? It could be as simple as remembering that every meal we’ve ever had, and every warm roof we’ve lived under didn’t come from us but from a God who takes joy in taking care of us. It might be confiding in a friend and asking someone to pray with us. 

Holding on to things so tightly comes from a disposition of control. We keep our worries and struggles buried deep inside, because we feel as though we can carry them on our own. But no weight is meant to be carried alone.

In life, just as with weight lifting, we get to choose which weights we pick up. Even the smartest lifters have a spotter, because they know that at one point the weight may become too heavy to carry. Hopefully we have spotters in our friends and family, but if we don’t, we have a constant spotter, one who can actually do the heavy lifting for us. 

Maybe it’s time to begin more days on our knees rather than waiting until we utterly collapse. A humble life is one with open hands and bended knees. The God we serve once carried the greatest weight of all, our sins, and He did so that we wouldn’t have to any longer. 

“He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.”

1 Peter 2:24 (NIV)

He can handle the weight of our lives. More than that, He wants to! There is no weight limit or maxing out for God. He can take it all. 

“Pile your troubles on GOD ’s shoulders— he’ll carry your load, he’ll help you out. He’ll never let good people topple into ruin.”

‭‭Psalm‬ ‭55:22 ‭(MSG‬)

What Fear Says About us

~ ForCommonGround ~ 2 Comments

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What we fear reveals what we value the most and where we trust God the least.

“You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.”
Isaiah 26:3-4 ESV

There is no fear in those who have Jesus because they already know how great and loving God is.

Stress is a choice

~ ForCommonGround ~ 3 Comments

So often I hear Christians pray to experience God’s peace (I’ve been one of them) and joy when all along we’re the ones that decide to either experience it or not. The peace of Christ is always extended. When we don’t feel at peace it’s not because of some disconnect on His end, or because He’s withholding His spiritual peace from us, it’s because somehow we’ve forgotten who He is and lack in the trust that He’s for us. 

We don’t want to admit it but anxiety and stress only happen because we lack in faith and choose to focus on the problems of life instead of the Savior. We have lots of reasons to be overwhelmed during life whether it’s health reasons, death, money, etc…but knowing Jesus can overshadow all of that. When we find ourselves stressed we may want to spend more time in our bibles, more time in prayer, more time rejoicing, more time worshipping, and less time worrying. After all, stress shortens life but Jesus gives it. The choice is ours. God bless brothers and sisters. Be encouraged in Him!

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

John 16:33 (NIV)

Detox

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A poison or venom that causes sickness, and even death, when present in the body.

Toxin

As a parent of two little girls I am constantly on the lookout for potential hazards that could harm my children. For some reason the main instrument of investigation for little ones is their mouth. So it is very easy for toxic things to enter a child. 

The most toxic thing to the human body is not from a snake, spider, or any living organism. It’s not even chemicals from paints or lead or cleaners. Any parent would be proactive about protecting their children from any of these. Without a doubt we are very aware of keeping ourselves safe from these as well. 

So what is the most toxic thing to the human body? It’s a nasty three letter word and it infects and affects everyone. It is the root to every problem plaguing societies, individuals, and even nature itself. The most toxic thing is sin.

“For the wages of sin is death…”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭6:23‬(a) ‭ESV‬

Toxins of all sorts can cause sickness and physical death, but sin reeks havoc on everything and causes a much worse death…a spiritual death…and if left untreated, an eternal death. 

Lies, murder, adultry, gossip, sexual immorality, cowardous, pride, greed, covering, and on and on it goes. Sin, left unchecked, will spill over into the lives around us and have a ripple effect possibly for generations to come. Sin puts people into bondage. The Bible refers to it as slavery. It causes anxiety, depression, anger, and addictions. 

As I said, we all are infected with sin and our sin can infect others. As a parent, I not only need to protect my kids from worldly toxins, I also need to protect them from infectious sin, even that which lives within my own heart. Sin can creep in through the most inconspicuous ways. Movies, tv, books, relationships, and yes, even from parents. As a husband, friend, teacher, or whatever the role may be, it is vital that I deal with the toxins within me. 

Even though sin is the most toxic thing it is also the most curable. Other toxins may lead to cancers or other incurable illnesses. Some may result in near instant death. But sin, it can be eradicated in an instant. 

“…but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Romans 6:23(b) ESV

Jesus made a way for a sure fire detox. Around this time of year there is a barrage of detox methods, healthy eating plans, exercise routines, five step programs to new habits, how to achieve that new career, etc…January 1st is a day for new beginnings for many people. Why not make it a new beginning by allowing Jesus to detox the sin within? What better goal for the new year than spiritual renewal? 

There is nothing more hindering to life than sin. There is nothing more dangerous to ourselves, our children, our spouses, and any other relationship, than sin. And there is nothing more liberating that the freedom that Christ can give to everyone who asks for it. 

As anyone knows who has tried this detox before, it is both instant and a life long process. January 1st can be the beginning of a new year, and a new life, full of hope and promise. No sin is too toxic for the cleansing blood of Christ. No life is too far gone because Jesus creates an entirely new person. 

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”

‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭5:17‬ ‭ESV‬‬

God bless brothers and sisters! May you find new life, new hope, and new freedom in the year to come.

Anti-Trump Protesters Are Making Him Look a Whole Lot Better

~ ForCommonGround ~ 1 Comment

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I’ll keep this short and to the point. No matter the words that Trump spoke during his campaign that made him out to be a divisive and crude candidate, those words are now being overshadowed but an angry hate-filled mob. Perhaps one of the best things that could’ve happened to help his image was to have many of those who don’t support him and the election put on a vulgar display as many of them have done since Election Day. Don’t get me wrong, the only thing that will completely erase his shady past will be if his actions now as a President, husband, and father reflect a humble and repentant heart with a desire to serve the best interests of this nation.

His opponents say that he will tear this nation apart. So what do many of them do? They lead march after march and paint their foreheads with labels like, “not my president” and smash windows and vandalize buildings. All of these protests serve one purpose: they breed division. They’ve even gone so far as to call upon our electoral college to ignore the popular votes on their states. Are you kidding me? I am not a fan of Trump’s character which is the biggest reason I didn’t vote for him,  but every bit of hate speech spoken by his opponents makes them look a whole lot worse. Some people continue to say how much they fear they have with a Trump presidency yet it’s been Trump supporters who have been beaten on the streets.

This post is by no means meant to prop up Donald Trump or make him out to be a stand-up guy. Only time will reveal his current character and ability to be our President. But I would just plead with my fellow countrymen who are causing controversies and division, striking fear, and spreading vile speech on social media and in the streets to stop and take a good long look at what they are doing and saying. They say they want a nation of inclusion and peace yet they are doing things to create the exact opposite atmosphere. I am a huge fan and advocate for the democratic process and free speech but the Anti-Trump movement has been the epitome of hypocrisy. Want inclusion? Be inclusive. Want peace and unity in our nation? Be unified. Fear an administration that is discriminatory? Don’t discriminate. After all, its not our president who sets the cultural and ethical patterns of society; It’s society itself.

Let’s be the example of love, unity, peace, kindness, and goodness that we want to see in our leadership.

No Shocker Here!

~ ForCommonGround ~ 3 Comments

cultureshock

I’m going to take a break from my usual posts and address…you guessed it…the elections. Before you click off this post (because you are so sick of election stuff) just know that I am not pushing a party agenda or talking trash in any way. This is meant to calm the common rhetoric we’ve seen since Tuesday. I say it’s common because there are always protests following elections and in some cases, states try to leave the union (like Texas four years ago). So as an American Government teacher, I wanted to provide some information that may just calm some people down.

I’ll be the first to admit that I was wrong about my predictions for election night, but I was not surprised. I’ve been telling my students for nearly two years that the national political trend predicts a Republican candidate as President. A look back through election results dating back to 1968 shows that the results from 2016 are right on schedule. No political party has dominated our government for an extended amount of time since 1968. When a party controls either branch of government for a long amount of time, that is known as a party era. One has not existed since the Democratic Era between 1932 and 1968 where Eisenhower was the only deviant from the party. Prior to that era, the Republicans controlled the Executive from 1860-1932 with only a few Democratic presidents in between.

While there have been 6 Republican presidents compared to 3 Democrats since 1968, the time difference is not so big. Republican presidents have controlled the white house for 28 years and Democrats for 20. More importantly to note, most of the time Congress, as a whole or at least one chamber,  is controlled by the opposing party so those presidents are at a political stand still for a portion of their term(s).

-1968-1976 Nixon (R) and Ford (R)

-1976-1980 Carter (D)

-1980-1992 Reagan (R) and Bush Sr. (R)

-1992-2000 Clinton (D)

-2000-2008 Bush Jr. (R)

-2008-2016 Obama (D)

-2016-? Trump (R)

A lot of factors play in to this phenomenon: One, overall our nation is fickle in their political support. Popular and political culture changes with the seasons. Two, party loyalty is stronger than ever. Those who regard themselves as Republican or Democrat truly bleed red or blue and are becoming even more polarized. Three, there is an ever growing number of independent voters whose votes are up for grabs each election. Four, there are more swing states (ones who could vote either party) since 1968 than in prior decades.

While the election results may be a surprise to some, the current power switch is nothing new. More than likely the trends will continue and no single party will run our nation for a long amount of time. Most importantly, its all over and we can move on past the bickering and mud-slinging towards unity. Love him or hate him, Trump is our president and he is probably the least partisan one this nation has ever had. Only time will tell if that is good for us or not.

I call on my Christian brothers and sisters to continue in spreading love and encouragement. No matter our leader, our mission has not changed. We are, and always will be, about our Father’s business. Let’s help to bind wounds and stand for truth. The sun will continue to rise and the seasons will come and go as they always have until that glorious day that our Savior calls us home. No matter what color people think they bleed, Jesus Christ bled and died for us and that is what matters most. We need to speak life and hope and break down political, race, and gender lines that only serve to hinder and divide us.

Pray hard and love much!

Paying Attention to Your Christianity – Old Path Musings

~ ForCommonGround ~ 2 Comments

(Not original photo)

Hebrews 2:1 Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip.

Paying Attention to Your Christianity

Paying attention to how your Christian life is going is important.  As things in this world get more and more debased, we need to pay closer attention to what is being taught.  That is because the heart and mind can easily be drawn off course.  In the book, Pilgrim’s Progress, Christian, more than once, got off the Celestial Pathway for one reason or another.  Most of the time, it was because he failed to heed Evangelist’s instructions.  He let some things slip in his life and listened to other people, like Mr. Civility, Mr. Worldly Wiseman, and others.

An Urgency to Living Right

When we give earnest heed to something, we make it a priority in our life.  Earnest means that it is urgent, it needs to happen now and cannot be put off.  It takes an urgency to live right.  There is often just a short time from when a temptation is presented and a decision is made to move toward sin.  You need to be paying attention so that you are not drawn away by your own lusts, that reside in your heart.  When you let something slip, it means you lose traction, you lose stability.  When we let Bible teaching and doctrine slip out of our heart and mind, we are letting our walk with God slip.  That is why we need to be in church regularly, read our Bible each day, and put good, godly thoughts in our mind all day long.  Make sure you are paying attention to your Christianity today.  If you don’t, eventually, you are getting out of the race.

by Dan Cler | Nov 4, 2016 | 

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