Fertile Ground

Most Christians have heard the parable of the seeds and the different types of ground that the seeds fall on.  It can be found in the first part of Matthew 13.  Seeds fell on the path, some fell on rocky earth, some fell among thorns, and some fell on fertile ground.  I was re-reading a section of Francis Chan's book "Crazy Love" and reminded that most Christians automatically think that they are the fertile ground Jesus was talking about.  If they are going to church, obey most laws, don't drink or cuss then they have to be fertile ground right? The other ground is reserved for the people that aren't doing those things. I must admit, it is very easy to compare my life to the millions of people that are obviously not interested in following Christ and think by default I am fertile ground, ready to produce a crop many times what was sown in me.  Yes, I know better, it doesn't work that way.  I am accountable to Christ and He knows my heart.  He sees my internal battle with thorns that only serve to choke out any seeds that Christ wants to see flourish in my life.  These thorns can take many forms in this world, including money, possessions, people, status, work, family, friends, and many more.  Anything that keeps your thoughts and desires on the things of this world and away from Christ's call on your life is a thorn.  Some of the things I listed sound like perfectly innocent things that most people enjoy daily.  And I think they should be enjoyed, but not to the extent that Christ takes a back seat in your life.  It is too easy to look at the temporal pleasures in front of us and forget about the eternal awesome treasures God has promised that will never go away. Don't miss out on a crop that produces 30, 60, or 100x what was sown.  Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind.  Maybe the most useful thing I could receive this Christmas would be a pair of gardening shears.

New Site New Experiences

So I decided to move my blog over to this website.  Yes, I am following the crowd but there are so many cool features on this site that I had to do it.  You can integrate this site into a lot of cool Google programs.  I hope to use a variety of media to engage people and have fun while doing it.  In another change, I have found myself doing something that I never thought would happen.  I have been enjoying a cup of coffee in the morning while working at the office.  I must admit, a large part of it probably has to do with the large amount of Creamy Chocolate Coffee-mate that is added to my mug.  Now that may not be very manly but that is where I am at in my brief coffee drinking life. I may be able to decrease the amount of added creamy goodness to my cup as the years go by but it will probably be many years at the earliest (if at all) before I ever utter the words "I'll have mine black".  The only brand I have been using is Cains so if you readers know of coffee superiority that I am missing out on, don't hold out on me.  I am definitely looking forward to this Thanksgiving break and all that it entails.  The sister, brother-in-law and fam will be driving up from Houston late tonight to join us.  I will be splitting time between Thanksgiving lunch at our house this year with Kay's side of the family then meeting up with the Jordan clan afterwards. God is so good, that He chooses to bless us in so many ways despite what we deserve is awesome. Give Him praise at every opportunity.

P.S.  I hope to have good news to share early next week from an activity I have been involved with for the past 12 weeks.  Stay tuned. The news is "Transforming".  (hint, hint)

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Thanksgiving

Yes, I know what the true historical origins of Thanksgiving is and yes I am aware of the higher meaning of God's blessings that are greater than any of us deserve.  That said, let us talk a little about the food. Like it or not, this day is also a time that good food is usually ingested in large quantities.  I thought I might just give some insights into how I will be scheduling my feasting throughout the day.  First of all, breakfast is not your friend on this day.  This day is about lunch and dinner and the many mini meals in between.  I may have a small bowl of cereal just to get the hunger juices going.  Do NOT have a big breakfast and miss out on the opportunity to have more room available later when its Thanksgiving goodness time.  This particular collection of foods will not come around for a long time so be smart. Now some people like to bring salads and fruit trays and such to these gatherings.  Don't waste your tummy space.  Today is about meat and casseroles.  I personally like the dark turkey on the day of Thanksgiving and save the white meat for leftover sandwiches and such in the subsequent days. Now stuffing is an art.  Nobody likes a really dry or a mushy dressing.  Just the right moistness in the stuffing makes all the difference.  You can even throw some little chunks of turkey in that if you want.  The main casseroles you are going to want to look for are green bean, corn, and sweet potato.  Now, the sweet potato casserole is sweet enough with the brown sugar and potatoes, you don't need to throw any marshmallows on top of it.  Make sure you get plenty of those French's onion strings on the green bean casserole as well.  If you want to go for some bread, I got no problem with that.  Just make sure you don't eat a bunch of it in the beginning or you will fill up too quickly.  I nice bit of Jiffy cornbread fits in well while you are taking in some of those casseroles.  PIES!  You need a good selection of pies.  The staple of course is pumpkin pie.  You got to have at least one piece of that.  The others vary by taste but I would definitely have to go with egg custard, apple, then cherry pies.  If you can't get them all in after your meal, spread it out throughout the afternoon.  If your house is anything like mine, those desserts just sit over there all day and makes for easy grazing as you are able.  Other tips, make sure you have a big enough plate.  If you know your going to your cheap cousins house and they are planning on using those little paper plates you probably want to bring your own.  You don't want to have to take 3 or 4 trips to get what you could have in 1-2. Don't go too crazy with the drinks either. A little bit here and there to cleanse the palate is all you need.  So, take these tips to heart when you go to your Thanksgiving feasts. Prioritize and manage and you'll thank me later.

Eyes that Pierce

Have you ever been to a revival and it seems like every time the speaker is making a strong point he is staring directly at you. Ya, that was me the past few days.  It definitely is convicting I will say.  I did move to the other side of the auditorium the last night just to see if he could find me sitting behind Tanner.  He did find me but I did see that he gave Tanner a few good stares which made me feel better.  But in all seriousness, I think God was using him to get my attention.  The last night he was driving home the point of not fitting in with the world. How can men who claim to follow Christ fit in so well with lost men and people not see much of a difference in their lives. We should be striving to be better husbands, better fathers, better men.  Our churches, now more then ever, need men who stand out and proclaim Jesus. The speaker was many years my senior but I feel sorry for the man that threatens the safety of his family or takes the Lord's name in vain in his presence.  I have a lot of Book knowledge of God's strength, power, protection, and love, but how quickly can I forget these truths when faced with an opportunity to stand out. God help me to be a man and take a stand.

Planting Seeds

It is always amazing how important our words are.  You never now just how much your kids listen to you until you hear them spouting off things you have said to them on many occasions.  Case in point, Jonathan now says, "I don't need that" anytime the subject of gum is brought up.  I guess he does pick up on things, more times than I realize I'm sure.  Rick Warren talked about every time we open our mouths we are planting seeds. Obviously we sow different things at different times but we have to realize if we expect to reap a particular harvest we have to sow the right seeds.  Sounds pretty basic but a lot of times I think we forget that part.  At every opportunity we need to be sowing seeds of  love, joy, peace, patience, kindness... you get the idea.  We will reap what we sow.  Some seeds will not grow and prosper at this time but some will return a 100 fold.  No amount of prayer will reap the harvest we long for if we are sowing seeds of anger, resentment, unforgiveness, selfishness, etc.  Ask God to fill your words with good seeds.

Conflict

I think how you handle conflict says a lot about you as a person.  No matter who you are, you will be involved in conflict at some point in your life.  So how do you handle it?  Recent events have caused me to take a longer look at how conflict arises and how to handle it.  Conflict can arise when at least one person feels that someone or something he/she values and cares about is harmed, disrespected, stolen, or has not been treated fairly.  Sometimes it is just an issue of miscommunication.  That is an easy fix if both sides are given a chance to talk it over.  Another more difficult situation involves someone that has a selfish or biased standard from which they rationalize their decisions.  If that person is not able to look past their own selfish desires it will be very difficult to resolve this conflict peacefully.  So how do you resolve this conflict? I believe you have to test your own thoughts and desires with a gold standard. In my case I choose the Bible.  Does your thoughts and motives follow along with the teachings of Christ and his apostles? If they don't, you may need to rethink your position in this conflict.  If you feel your thoughts are in accordance with what the Bible teaches then stand firm.  Christ calls us to stand firm in the Word. If you feel called to take a stand based on Biblical principles and don't do it, you are missing an opportunity to be a witness for Christ. Some people are not able to defend themselves and rely on others to stand up for them. America needs strong Christian men and women who are ready and willing to take a stand for Him.  Sometimes relationships are broken after conflict, but knowing you were obedient to Christ should bring an inner peace to your heart and mind.  You are ultimately accountable only to one final Judge, use His gold Standard when you face a conflict.