Three people said it today
before I realized
they were people
who shouldn’t have said it.
It wasn’t who they were.
They are fellow believers
but they are not what they said.
The F word.

“Fine.”

“How are you?”
“I’m fine.”

No you aren’t.
Your world is upside down right now.
Your wife just left you.
You’re drinking again.
You haven’t found another job.
None of you are fine.

And neither am I. It took three lying Christians before I realized I was oblivious to obvious pain right in front of me. Blind.

Something must give in this equation.
The math is insane.
It adds up to nothing.
It’s way past time for the New Math.
And it starts now.

I do not ever want to hear the f-word come from your mouth again.
If you say it, I will hurt you… until you own up to your pain.

If I do let you slide an f-bomb past me, you have permission to come hurt me.
I shouldn’t have done that.
You deserve better.

Have you ever noticed when you go to church or spin up a message on your iPod, they are always talking about the same thing? Amidst the sentences of the sermons, one resounding topic keeps recurring. What’s up with that? Well, I think I found the answer in Ezekiel 14:4.

“This is what the Sovereign Lord says: The people of Israel have set up idols in their hearts and fallen into sin, and then they go to a prophet asking for a message. So I, the Lord , will give them the kind of answer their great idolatry deserves.”

Could it be that we have some idol of some sort set up in our lives… and God is speaking to us about that… giving us the answer that our idolatry deserves?

And he keeps speaking about it… from many different angles… through many different “prophets”… for weeks, if necessary… until we make a change.

Could be.

“If you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it” (James 1:23-25, NLT).

WARNING: Real life. May confuse those who are fake or robotic.

So I’m finally home after a good day’s work, right? I’m washing dishes, listening to Francis Chan, … and the phone goes off.

“Wanna play?”

Well, my first thought was, “Hmmm, maybe we can get in a few holes before dark.” But then I saw who the text was from… and realized we didn’t have the same sport in mind.

And that’s when the brain went wild. There was a temptation tornado twisting its way through every neuron in my noggin.

Rather than respond, I added more soap to the dish water and kept scrubbing. I didn’t know you could actually scrub the colored finish off of plates. And those scouring sponges that say they won’t scratch… do.

And the phone went off again…

More soap. Scrub, scrub, scrub.

The weather in my head was still violent, but I could see now. I didn’t know what to say though…

(And this is where the true act of God starts.)

I cleared a path through the bubbles and picked up the phone.

“Why are you so scared?” she asked.

“God,” I replied.

(Long pause, as the message travels from cell tower to her cell to her…).

“Ok,” she replied.

And I finished the dishes.

Lessons I Learned:
Temptation comes when I am weak. Home (alone) after a hard day’s work (tired) and doing the dishes (bored).
Temptation comes when I am going in the other direction (listening to God, through Francis Chan).
Temptation is tempting (by definition).
Temptation is an opportunity to prove out who I am.
Temptation is an opportunity for God to be who he is (1 Corinthians 10:13).
God provides strength to beat temptation.
God uses temptation to make me stronger.
God uses temptation as a witness.
Without God’s help, I would of made a big mess.

Anyone else tempted, or is it just me?

The Verse: “From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live” (Acts 17:26).

The Thought: Your address is by Divine design. And, the address of your neighbor… is by Divine design. You are each living where you are by God’s design. So why did He put you there?

The Answer: To, “love your neighbor as yourself.”

“May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart and the posts on my facebook be pleasing to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer” (Psalm 19:14, MMV).

I did something stupid: I took a blessing from God and tried to improve on it.

Work with me here.

God gave me a home… with air conditioning.  I decided the thermostat wasn’t good enough, so I installed another one.  A better one.  Fancy, digital, touchscreen, programmable, …

But you know what happened?  It made these loud clicks that woke me up at night.  I couldn’t figure out how to program it.  It was too bright.  And worse, get this, it actually made my electric bill higher.

Then, in frustration, I reinstalled the old, simple, basic one… and life was good.

And I learned.  Quit trying to improve on what God has given me.  Enjoy the gifts.  Enjoy the blessings.  

I wonder how many millions of times I have tried to improve things that I had no business messing with. 
   – improve my friends by telling them how wrong they are (about some miniscule detail of something);
   – improve my kids by reprimanding them for being kids;
   – improve my wife by… ;
   – improve my bank account by working too much;
   – …

I’m beginning to understand that sometimes, it’s just better to leave things and people alone… and appreciate them for the blessing that they are. 

And be grateful.
   – Thank you God for a home… that’s cool in the summer and warm in the winter.
   – Thank you God for friends… that are still friends even though they really know me.
   – Thank you God for kids… that are so loving, spiritual, smart, healthy, charming, kind, gentle, phenomenal, …
   – Thank you God for their mom… that is such an incredible mother, spiritual nurturer, merciful, and passionate woman.
   – Thank you God for a job where I enjoy the work, the income, and the boss.
   – Thank you God for a $10 thermostat, when the $100 one seemed so much better.

“I have learned the secret of being content” (Philippians 4:12).

What blessings are you busy trying to improve upon?  How’s that working for you?

“I can’t wait to be with them.”

If you only had thirty days to live, what would you do?

2 Timothy 1:5-7 
“For I am mindful of the sincere faith within you, which first dwelt in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am sure that it is in you as well.  For this reason I remind you to kindle afresh the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands.  For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline” (NASB).

Timothy’s sincere faith was a gift from God.  His “special ability” was a gift also.  Two gifts, both which should be unwrapped and used… boldly.

Matt, like Timothy, needed a reminder to fan the fires of faith and service.
I don’t get it how I forget it sometimes.  I forget what days of faith on fire were like.  I forget what moments of doing things for God that He wanted done at the precise time were like.  Huge!  Cool!  Wild!  Delightful peace!  Humbling!  Real!  Stoked!

You?

“Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15, NASB).

So there you are in that passage standing before God.  He is looking you over, inspecting you, your heart, and your ability to handle His message.  It seems to me that if you have been cooperating with Him and His training plan for some time, you could stand firm.  Yes, I am aware that God is walking your way to size you up by His standards.  Let’s get real though: Would He tell you to do something that couldn’t be done?  If He says to be diligent so that you can be approved… then it’s doable. 

You’ve been through the trials.  You’ve learned.  You’ve made corrections, improved, strengthened, and proven yourself thus far.  You were diligent. 

Maybe it’s like one of those military movies.  You know, the ones where the drill sergeant rides the new recruits hard, pressing them to their limits.  Sometimes, a recruit falters at getting over the wall or falls face first in that massive mud hole.  By the end of the movie though, he’s making it.  His personal confidence is building… and his sergeant is proud.

I’m not saying God is a drill sergeant, but maybe he does push us.  Maybe He does expect diligence. 

And when we show up, He honors us with approval.  Can you imagine that?  God’s approval of you? 

If you are diligent, you will not need to be ashamed, and God will honor you with His approval.

Isn’t that what the verse says?