Posts Tagged ‘faith’

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Feeling Pioneering

June 7th, 2010

Last night I was listening to some stuff from Francis Chan and is this particular piece he tells of a professor who once asked him “What are you doing today that requires faith”?  That’s a stumper of a question, but one that we should consider.

And since today is Daniel Boone Day, I think its even more appropriate.  Just think about Mr. Boone, heading off into the Transylvania wilderness (that is what he wanted to call Kentucky) way before the Interstate Highway System was even a sparkle in someone’s eye.  That took some faith!

So to honor ol’ Daniel,  lets get that good time pioneering feeling going today and step out there on faith.  Don’t be held back by the fear of the unknown, and the thought of what might happen.  But your faith in the creator of the universe to help you and get to it.

1-2The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It’s our handle on what we can’t see. The act of faith is what distinguished our ancestors, set them above the crowd. (Hebrews 11:1-2, The Message)

1-3Do you see what this means—all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we’d better get on with it. Strip down, start running—and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he’s there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls! (Hebrews 12:1-2, The Message)

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Full Moon Fever

March 29th, 2010

Its a full moon, and I think I have full moon fever!  Or maybe its just that spring is in the air ( and the Mountaineers are in the Final Four!!! ( did I mention that already?).  But whatever it is it I am pumped and ready to tackle the days ahead.

Its Monday in the week leading up to Easter.  Today was the day Jesus cleared out the temple and cursed a unproductive fig tree.  Some may think that he was a little crazy for doing that, and it seems a little odd, however this was a symbolic action tied directly to his acceptance in Jerusalem.  Anyway what is even more interesting is what he says when his followers stand in amazement of the withered tree. ( I mean really, when is the last time you saw someone tell a tree to wither and poof, it withers away?)

21Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. 22If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.” Matthew 21:21-22 (New International Version)

Right, he says if you have faith and don’t doubt you can tell the mountain to jump into the sea?  Ok,talk about full moon fever.  He also says if you believe it will happen and if you forgive it will be forgiven.  This is a challenging set of statements all the way around.  I often wonder what it takes to have a faith that has no doubt.  I really wonder what that person looks like.  Do you think that we might find that person a little odd – someone with full moon fever?  I dunno, but I really wish I could be that type of person.  And I think that you get there one day at a time.

This was the second time Jesus told his followers about the power of a small amount of faith.  In Matthew 17, he tells them that all you need is faith like a itty bitty little mustand seed and nothing will be impossible for you.   So today I will think about how much he loves us and the events of the coming weekend and mustard seeds, and moving mountains and becoming a mountaineer, and catching full moon fever!  What do you think?

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Weekend of Champions

February 8th, 2010

Everyone wants to be a Champion.

This weekend in my house there were several Mario Kart tournaments.  Andrew was schooling his grandparents in the finer arts of racing, while his grandmother was just figuring out how to turn the Wii Wheel. That didn’t seem to deter her however, as she hung in there, putting around the course in 12th at her own speed, undeterred by the constant heckles of “push 2″, “you need to go faster” and “here comes Andrew to lap you again”.

Then there was that Super Bowl.  Mr. Manning throws an “pick 6″, interception for a touchdown, to lose the game. Disappointing, to say the least. Do you think that makes him any less of a winner?Any less then of one of the greatest players ever to play.

Oh and then there were the commercials.  Disappointing.  But we know, the marketers will be back again next year with another brand of humor and attempts to keep us glued to the set.  (Also, here is the link to the Tebow Ad – what was the big deal?)

And then there is us.  We continue to battle and fight and race.  Sometimes we lose ( read sin), sometimes we throw an INT ( that’s interception for you non football fans out there, also read mistake), sometimes our words just don’t have the impact they are meant to have.  Does that make us a failure? Does that diminish who we are in God’s eyes?  Even though we think it does, it doesn’t.  He love is unfailing and our hope keeps us going:

Hebrews 10:23-24 (New International Version)

23Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. 24And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.

And we keep on fighting.

Hebrews 10:39 (New International Version)

39But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved.

Don’t shrink back, even in the the face of mistakes – keep on fighting.

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Falling Down

January 21st, 2010

“Yard Sale”, my skiing companion yelled, as my ski went one direction and I went the other.   That’s how my night started.  Yes, I fell forward, I spun, I lost skis, I fell backward, and I think I actually fell in ways, I did not know you could fall.  And there I was, later, in the evening, with my body in a pile of snow at the edge of the trail, and my skis tied up the the deep snow and the branches of the small tree I had almost hit, thinking how in the world I am going to make it down this mountain.   It was that fall, which was actually on the third or fourth run at this particular trail, that I decided that I would get myself back up, cast aside what was really holding me back and go.  What was holding me back – fear.  Fear of the exact thing that I was doing – falling! 

On the last run of the night, I made it from the top to the bottom without falling – even taking a slightly harder trail to the bottom.  YES, I shouted as I hit poles with my companion at the bottom of the run.  I had overcome, I had cast fear aside, I had gained confidence in the skills I had been given, and I was actually really skiing ( vs just making it down alive!)

Our lives are like that.  We fear.  We fall.  We think we are not good enough.  We think we don’t have the skills to do what we should or what we want.  We lie in the deep snow caught up in trees and give up ( read sin and dispair).  However, we have something that should prop us up and should give us the gumption to get back up and get in there.   Life is meant to be lived in the fray, and we should be in there, not worried about our own inadequacies.

I mean check this out in Romans 7.

24What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?

Yes, we can yell that out on any day – what a wretched man that I am, WHO CAN SAVE ME!

Just a few verses down, we see the answer in Romans 8

1Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.

We are free, we can get out and live it.  We can get up and overcome.  I did! Hey, I can now say I am a skier ( with some asterisks, but still a skier).  Get up! Get out of the snow, point those skis and go man!  GO!

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Blindside

December 23rd, 2009

This past weekend I went to see The Blindside with my family.  What a great movie and a great story.    If you don’t know, its a movie based on a true story about a Memphis family who takes in an inner city boy, provides him with a family and guides him through college and into the NFL as a number one draft pick.

Its a great story of a family doing something that requires faith – reaching out of their comfort zone to impact a person.  What a chance they seem to have taken to open up their home to a complete stranger from a really really difficult background.  Its a great movie that, for me at least, challenged me to continue to move my faith out of the “church building” and into the streets.  If you have not seen this movie, I would recommend that you head over to your favorite theater, get the number one special ( a large refillable popcorn and two 73,434,384,379 ounce refillable drinks) and watch this one, and then contemplate what you are doing in your life that requires you to live out your faith.

Then as this week heads right into its grand crescendo ( did I mention that there are only 3 more days until Christmas), consider this:  God loved you so much that he sent his son to this nasty sin-filled Earth.  He sent him from Heaven to become a man.

1 John 3:16-20 (New International Version)

16This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. 17If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? 18Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. 19This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence 20whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.

God loved you, he sent his Son, who then died on the cross, because he loved you.  How can these things move us to put our faith into action – to put love into action.

Let us love, let us find a way to live out our faith.  Take a step today towards  action.   I think God will be protecting your Blindside.

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