Consider This...

The Lord detests lying lips, but he delights in those who tell the truth. (Proverbs 12:22 NLT)

On the political trail they sometimes call it "spin," but for the rest of us it's more commonly known as "lying." Twisting the facts to make yourself look better than the actual reality ultimately brings you into God's displeasure, as well as the displeasure of those who know the truth. If you tell the truth you never have to worry about being "found out" by those who are checking the facts.

 

Consider This...

Too much talk leads to sin. Be sensible and keep your mouth shut. (Proverbs 10:19 NLT)

The old saying is, "It's better to keep your mouth shut and be thought a fool than to open it and remove all doubt." Such a hard lesson for most of us to learn, but the more we talk the more trouble we usually create for ourselves. A man of few words seldom puts his "foot in his mouth" or has to "eat crow" for his next meal.

My Rantings About Marriage...

The former head basketball coach of UCLA, John Wooden, died just four months shy of his 100th birthday (June 4, 2010). In his illustrious career he is noted for having won ten NCAA national championships in a twelve-year stretch, with seven of those being consecutive championships. It was during that same period of time that his team won eighty-eight consecutive basketball games and he was named the coach of the year six times. He was also the first person to be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame as both a player and a coach. I guess it’s safe to say that he was a legendary figure in the sports world and is still highly esteemed to this day.

While his coaching prowess is well-known to most basketball fans, many may not know that his wife, the love of his life, preceded him in death on March 21, 1985, after nearly fifty-three years of marriage. Following her passing he visited her grave each month and then proceeded to write a love letter to her that he placed in a sealed envelope and laid on the pillow she used during their lifetime together. It wasn’t until his eyesight failed him in the latter months of his life that he stopped this practice. At the time of his death there were 300 letters that he had written to her since her passing.

Why does it seem so strange to hear a story like this in today’s culture? Where has the love gone that God intends couples to share in their marriages? Why isn’t there true loyalty in the marriage bond like the kind demonstrated by Coach Wooden?

Some days it feels to me as if a lot of married couples have little more than a “throw away” marriage mentality. Their promise of a lifetime commitment is like a vapor that appears for a time and then it's gone. Sadly, they expend very little effort in seeking to deepen their relationships with their spouses and assume that once they are married, their love will automatically continue till death does them part.

Someone told me before my wife and I were married that if it was love that brought us together, we wouldn’t have to work at love after we were married. That is one of the biggest LIES (!!!) I have ever heard in my entire life! I want you to know that if you expect to have a long-term, love-filled relationship with your spouse you will have to make it your priority to intentionally work on your marriage every day of your life, for the rest of your life, till death does you part.

I’m weary of hearing men say they love their wives and then treat them like an old pair of shoes that are thrown in the closet at the end of the day. (Actually, some men give more attention to their favorite old pair of shoes than they do to their wives.) Too many men will polish their guns till they shine, but spend a paltry amount of time working on their relationships with their spouses. They’d rather spend time with the “boys” (i.e., male friends that'll never grow up) than to be with the “treasure” God gave them in marriage. They’ll sit in a deer stand for hours waiting to get their next kill while their “dear” wife is dying for lack of attention from the one who promised to love her for the remainder of his life. They'll work untiringly at making a living, but hardly lift a finger to make a life with the wife of their youth.

Tell me again, why is it that some of you men would rather spend time with your X-Box than with your living, breathing life-partner with whom you are supposed to be sharing life? And, could it be that your own immature, self-focused ways are part of the reason you’re headed to calling her your x-wife?

Give me a break! I’ve never seen the like of lazy, disloyal, selfish, and uncommitted married men as in this present age. Once the two of you said, “I do" at the marriage altar, that didn’t mean you could move on to your next “mountain to climb.” Your wife isn’t supposed to be sitting at home wondering, “Will he favor me with his presence today?” If your wife has to question whether you truly love her or not...it’s your fault! And, if she isn’t treating you very well, it may just be that she's reflecting back to you exactly how you’ve been treating her.

Hey, guys! In marriage, love is a verb...not just a noun. That means it is to be demonstrated to her every day by your actions and your words. It’s not just an occasional, passing response to the incessant question she keeps asking, “Do you really love me?” It’s the time, tenderness, and talking that you give to her even when she isn’t asking about your love. You married her to share every part of your life...not just the "marriage bed."

Let me just say it like this, men: if you don’t love and treat your wife like Christ loves and treats His church, you’re not acting like a Christian, nor are you honoring God. It’s time to repent and return to your first love!

Lest you wives think you’re off the hook in my interminable rantings, let me ask you a question, too. Since when did your favorite reality TV show become the standard by which you measure godly romance? I know you ladies understand this, but it isn’t “reality” to have a camera following your every move while trying to establish a relationship with someone you think might be your life mate. Tell me exactly, how do those lust-filled, TV dates advance your own personal holiness or improve the marriage God intends you to enjoy with your husband? Since when did a raunchy romance novel become the maxim your husbands must attain, if he is going to be your knight in shining armour?

There are a lot of wives that need to get out of Hollywood's fantasy land and live in the “real world” where men are really men. Surely you don’t believe that all those "hunks" on your favorite show are like that in real life. Just ask "reality stars," Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries, about their 72-day marriage, if you want to see how life is lived in one of the most corrupt, air-brushed cities in America. Does it really surprise you at the number of TV/movie stars that by-pass marriage all together or add up marriages/divorces like notches on a gun? They have no idea what “real” love is all about, let alone "real" marriage commitment!

Wives, you have much to do with making your marriage a place of respect and honor. You should make it your life-long mission to live in a fashion that deserves to be honored by your husband. You can’t wallow around in the cesspool of sinfulness, day-dreaming about the "sexiest man in America” and expect your husband to show you the kind of respect that makes for a strong relationship. The Scripture is clear that a husband is won by the “respectful and pure conduct” (1 Peter 3:2 NLT) of his wife, not by the sleazy, taudry corruption you see in the movies, on TV, and hear from your “emotive friends.”

Wives who love their husbands and demonstrate the character of Christ in their marriages are usually the ones that become magnets that draw their husbands’ hearts to them. Dressing up to be stunningly beautiful is a wonderful thing to do, but it will never replace the holiness of the heart that makes you what you really are at home. Believe me, you can fool the people you see in public, but you'll never fool your husband or your children who see the "real" you every night at home. And, excusing yourself by saying, “Well, this is the way I’ve always been and this is the way I’ll always be,” is nothing more than a cover for your own indifferent and insipid Christianity.

Wives, it’s time to start honoring your marriages by becoming women of God that carry yourselves as such. Instead of wishing for the illusion you've been watching on the screen or imagining from your book, why not let God do a "make over" in your own heart so you'll become irresistably beautiful from the inside out!

Whatever you do, don’t run down your husband in front of him or behind his back. Build him up every time you get the opportunity and make him the hero of your home. Please...stop talking to your girlfriends in a derogatory fashion about your man. No, he’s not perfect and he’s never going to be. It may be that he has a long way to go to become the husband he should be to you, but you aren’t going to change him by ragging on his mistakes and shortcomings. And, what if God is using him to make you holy, rather than to make you happy? What might God do if you actually became holy? You might find your husband becoming all you ever dreamed he could be in marriage, which would make those phony, mannequin-style Hollywood fakes look more like the scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz.

I know, I know!! Some of you think I should be raving about the joys of marriage, rather than decrying marriage failures. The problem is that I see too many marriages falling apart because of nothing more than sheer neglect. They’ve let the proverbial “sands of time” pass through the "hourglass," while doing little or nothing to invest in their relationships that are falling apart. Don’t tell me all the problems you have and how it would never work out no matter what you did to change your marriage. It’s not about changing your marriage, it’s about changing you!

Most of the people that give me that line (or one similar) have never even tried marriage the way God intended it to be lived. They're much too engrossed in their own little world to really think about anybody but themselves. They're the center of their own universe and everybody else has to revolve around them. And, sadly, the only thing they really know about marriage they’ve learned from TV/movies or from the sensual portrayals found elsewhere in our hell-bent world.

Marriage is the creation of God and trying to do marriage in any other way than God’s way is foolish and nonsensical. He wrote the instruction manual and as long as you ignore His basic guidelines, your "marital engine" is going to eventually grind to a painful halt for lack of any fuel to power it.

Husbands and wives, it's time to forget finding some imaginary "soul mate" who's out there somewhere and pour every ounce of your soul into the mate you married on your wedding day. Strange how you couldn't live without him/her back then, but now you say you can't live with him/her now. Fight for your marriage and refuse to give up on your spouse. Love doesn't just happen (except in the make-believe world of Hollywood). You have to make it happen and that's what you promised to do on your wedding day for the rest of your life!

One final word: it's not my desire to add any pain to those of you who've already suffered the horrors of a divorce proceeding. I’ve walked that deep valley with enough people to know that the pain it causes is not soon or easily healed. I also know that some people are left with no other option but a divorce because of the refusal of their spouses to do the right thing. Please understand that my purpose in this marriage epistle is to admonish couples still united in holy matrimony to try marriage God's way before seeking divorce. I'm not looking to condemn anyone who is divorced or imply that in your particular situation you didn't try to work out your marriage with your spouse. I just want people to know that marriage is a wonderful creation of God and it works, if couples will work at it. Just ask Coach Wooden...

Consider This...

The Lord is a shelter for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble. (Psalm 9:9 NLT)

When the clouds are raging above you and the rain is falling on you, all you can think about is finding shelter where you can seek protection from the storm. That's not only true for the weather outbursts that can soak us...it's also true for the storms of life (tests & trials) that can shake us to the very core of our souls. God didn't say there'd be no "rough weather" in this life, but He did promise that we can run to Him "in times of trouble" and He would be our "shelter."

Consider This...

When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? (Psalm 8:3, 4 ESV)

The Psalmist didn't have the privilege of the powerful telescopes available to us today, but he still recognized man's relative insignificance in view of the vastness of creation. There's no other way to explain God's "care" for mankind except that we alone are created in His likeness and He sovereignly chose to love us. Whether you know it or not...God sees you and He cares about you more than you will ever be able to fully comprehend!

Consider This...

All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. (John 6:37 ESV)

There's no greater peace than in knowing with absolutely certainty that you are God's child and that nothing can ever change that fact. God's promise to everyone that comes to Jesus Christ in faith is that He will "never cast [them] out." Now that's ETERNAL security!

Consider This...

There are six things the Lord  hates—no, seven things he detests: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that kill the innocent, a heart that plots evil, feet that race to do wrong, a false witness who pours out lies, a person who sows discord in a family. (Proverbs 6:16-19 NLT)

It's interesting to note that at least three of the seven things God says He "hates" specifically deal with the words we speak, write, text or type. Too often what happens is our mouths go into motion before our minds get into gear. In other words, we speak before we think about the content/effect of what we're saying! Always remember...there are consequences to your words both now and in eternity. Make them count for good, not evil!

Consider This...

You know the saying, "Four months between planting and harvest." But I say, wake up and look around. The fields are already ripe for harvest. (John 4:35 NLT)

People are dying and going to hell every day, but too few people even notice. We've become so engrossed in our own lives that we seldom "look around" to see the true spiritual condition of others. It's time to "wake up" to the reality that God has placed us in this world to be His messengers communicating His Gospel. Someone's soul hangs in the balance and you may be their last opportunity to get right with God.

Overexpecter! Yeah, it's a new word you need to know!

There’s an interesting cartoon that shows a fourth-grade boy standing toe-to-toe and nose-to-nose with his teacher and behind them stares a blackboard covered with math problems the boy hasn't finished. With rare perception the boy tries to excuse himself by saying, "I'm not an underachiever, you're an overexpecter!"

Obviously, this cartoon is primarily about failing to achieve your potential, but there really are some people who probably should be classified as “overexpecters.” You’ve met a person or two like that, haven’t you? They have unrealistic expectations for other people that almost guarantees someone is going to fail them and they are going to be hurt.

A classic example of the “overexpecter” is given by Dr. Thom Rainer who is President and CEO of Lifeway Resources. He tells the story about one of his pastorates when an angry critic called him and yelled at him for over 10 minutes on the phone because he did not visit her when she was in the hospital. When he tried to calmly explain that he didn’t even know she was in the hospital, she shouted even louder, “Well, you should have!”

Many years ago there was a lady that was unhappy about the level of care she was receiving from our church. She was still relatively young (70’s), but had some health issues that supposedly prevented her from coming to Sunday worship. As a result, my wife and I began going to her house periodically to give her some extra attention. One day I was enjoying a meal in a restaurant with my family and as I was leaving I saw this lady with one of her friends in the same restaurant. I didn’t think too much about it at first, but as the next few months passed I learned that this lady regularly went to the store, restaurants, mall, etc., sometimes for extended periods of time. After some further discovery about her physical condition I began to curtail my visits to her even though it came with increased and painful criticism from her. I didn’t know what to think at the time, but now I know she was a classic “overexpecter” that was diverting valuable ministry time for her own self interest.

Most of the pastors I know have a passionate desire to care for the people that God has placed in their sphere of influence. It’s one of the reasons they entered the ministry as shepherds of God’s flock. They long to be a vehicle through which God can show His love to hurting people at their deepest point of need. I have never had an experience when someone felt their needs hadn't been met that my heart did not ache because I wasn't able to meet their expectations. But, it simply isn’t realistic to think that you can meet all the demands of all the people all the time, especially when some of those demands come from “overexpecters.”

There are times in ministry when you have to sort through people’s needs and ask yourself the question, “Where does God want me to be right now?” You never like to have to make those kinds of decisions, but sometimes it’s absolutely necessary. And, you have to be ready to take the unjustified criticism from “overexpecters” because you didn’t prioritize their needs above the more immediately pressing ones.

Please permit me to offer some helpful advice to all church members on behalf of their pastors so that we may all be helpful and caring toward one another.

1. You need to know that the expectations and demands on a pastor and his staff are enormous. At the same moment you need their help there are probably numerous other people that feel the exact same way, not to mention the needs of his own family.
2. Be mature enough to evaluate your situation to make sure that the right place to look for help is to the pastor and his staff. There are some things in life that family and friends are the primary ones that God intends to use to assist and encourage you.
3. You must make friends in the church or you probably won’t have friends that know you have a need. This is where involvement in a weekly Life Group is invaluable.
4. If you do need the pastor’s attention, make sure to call him (or a member of his staff) directly to inform him about what’s going on in your life.
5. If he has to send a representative in his place don’t take it as an insult. He’s only human and he can’t be everywhere at the same time.
6. Once your initial crisis has passed don’t expect him to know if you need additional care. Pastors are not omniscient, nor are they omnipotent or omnipresent.
7. If you think something has been overlooked, the right way to get attention is to call the pastor or a member of his staff to make sure they know the situation. It’s often the “overexpecters” that become critical and fail to give their spiritual leaders the benefit of the doubt.

Your pastor has a family that needs him, sermons to prepare, the lost to reach, meetings to attend, services to plan, counselling to do, the bereaved to comfort, materials to develop, weddings to perform, discipling/mentoring responsibilities, administrative/organizational matters to handle, contacts for baptism, email/letters to answer, phone calls to return, personal times of prayer and worship, funeral visitation, class activities to attend, vision casting, people that need him in critical care, etc., etc. 


Don’t assume the worst about your pastor (or his staff) if he hasn’t met all of your expectations. I’m sure he loves you and he’s doing the best that he can to care for those God has placed in his trust!

Consider This...

Look straight ahead, and fix your eyes on what lies before you. Mark out a straight path for your feet; stay on the safe path. Don't get sidetracked; keep your feet from following evil. (Proverbs 4:25-27 NLT)

On either side of the "safe path" is a ditch into which people can easily fall. If you get distracted and lose perspective on where you are it's almost certain you will stumble into one of them yourself. Fix your eyes on "what lies before you" (Hebrews 12:2) and don't look away to the temptations vying for your attention. You may wreck your entire life if you do!

Consider This...

He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less. (John 3:30 NLT)

It's incredibly refreshing when someone directs the attention away from themselves and to another. John the Baptist was a great prophet of the Lord, but he knew his place in the grand scheme of things. We'd all be better if we made less of ourselves and more of our Savior. Intentionally...let yourself fade into the background and let Jesus be the center of attention!

Consider This...

"You won't die!" the serpent replied to the woman. (Genesis 3:4 NLT)

Satan was a liar from the beginning and he's still up to his same old tricks. He promises more than he can ever deliver, takes you farther than you ever wanted to go, and keeps you longer than you ever wanted to stay. Don't believe His lies! It's (God's) truth that will set you free (John 8:32).

Consider This...

I lay down and slept, yet I woke up in safety, for the Lord was watching over me. I am not afraid of ten thousand enemies who surround me on every side. (Psalm 3:5, 6 NLT)

Burglar alarm systems, multiple door locks, bars on the windows, guard dogs, loaded guns, mace, stun-guns...and yet we still feel so insecure. No one underestimates the importance of these safety measures in today's violent society. But, the ultimate "security system" really comes from trusting in the Lord who is ALWAYS "watching over" you.

Consider This...

Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the best part of everything you produce. Then he will fill your barns with grain, and your vats will overflow with good wine. (Proverbs 3:9, 10 NLT)

We don't give to God because He lacks sufficient resources or needs our financial help. We give because it fixes our hearts on Him and the things He values (Matthew 6:21). And, while He has certainly promised to bless the one who gives, let's always seek the highest motivation in our giving: to "honor the Lord."

Let's Build!!

What if you could invest in something that had tangible value right now and eternal value laid up in Heaven? Something that would potentially gain Heaven’s rewards even after your life on earth is finished. Sound too good to be true?

Well, it’s not and I want you to consider just such an opportunity that I will tell you about in this letter to our church family.

For the past couple of years we have desperately needed to construct an addition to our worship center that would allow us to have a fully dedicated children’s auditorium/play place and a choir room that can seat seventy-five to one hundred that is easily accessible to our auditorium. We have prayed about this addition and have spoken with various people in the construction trade about the feasibility of this project. We’ve even spoken to an architect that said he’d help us design the addition so that it matches and compliments our existing facilities.

But, every time we get ready to make a major push in this direction the same economic issues arise that impede our forward progress on the project.

At present, we owe about $850,000 on our Student Ministry Building, which is probably worth more than $2,000,000 in today's economy. However, until we can retire more of the indebtedness on this facility, all of our church leadership is in agreement that we should not move forward in borrowing any additional resources for another building project.

All you have to do is look at any of our financial statements and you will see that God is wonderfully meeting all of our monetary needs. But, having discretionary money for another sizable loan payment would be a risk that none of us believe is wise to take at this time. It’s not a lack of faith! It’s a matter of being faithful with the resources God has already entrusted to us. Consequently, what we need to do is to pay down a significant part of our present indebtedness so that we can move forward with our next building project (children’s/choir facility).

Remember when I said that this could be an investment that would reap both immediate and long term benefits?

You must not look at the construction of buildings as just being a matter of “bricks and mortar.” The reason is because inside those buildings lives are being changed and they are being changed every single day. That means as long as God gives you life, you and your friends are reaping the benefits of the spiritual fruit born in those facilities. It also means that you are leaving a lasting legacy that will reap the same benefits long after you have graduated into Heaven. The lives that are changed even after you are with the Lord can still be credited to your spiritual account and rewarded by our Savior at the Judgment Seat of Christ.

So, what I’m asking is for you to consider joining us in a concerted effort in 2012 to get this loan amount reduced so that we can get on with our immediate construction needs. In essence, by giving to help us reduce our indebtedness you are enabling us to begin making significant progress toward the new construction that’s needed for our children and worship ministry.

Here are three actions steps I believe we need to take immediately:

1. Pray every day that God will supply the funding for debt retirement and new construction. He has a bright future for this ministry and I want to see us realize it sooner rather than later.
2. Participate regularly in giving to the Building Fund, which is used exclusively for the payments on our Student Ministry Building.
3. If you are able, consider making a sizable, one-time contribution so that we can move more quickly toward the next phase of construction on our children’s/choir addition.

I believe this to be true: there will be lives changed in this new addition we are planning and you will have a part in all of it. Think about the children that could be reached for Christ, trained to share God’s love, and go on telling the Good News on your behalf. You could potentially be laying up treasure in Heaven even after you’re already home in God’s presence. If you ask me...that’s a GREAT investment!

Whatever God tells you to do, please use the offering envelopes that are provided to our members to make any contributions to the Building Fund. That way your gifts will be added to your record of giving mailed to you each year.

Thank you for taking the time to read this lengthy letter and for caring enough about the future that you are willing to consider investing in it.

Consider This...

The Spirit and the bride say, "Come." Let anyone who hears this say, "Come." Let anyone who is thirsty come. Let anyone who desires drink freely from the water of life. (Revelation 22:17 NLT)

There's a spiritual thirst inherent in every person that can only be quenched by the living water...Jesus Christ. Be sure to tell everyone that they've been invited to "come...drink freely from the water of life." If they do they'll find a "fresh, bubbling spring within them giving them eternal life." (John 4:14)

Consider This...

He who is the faithful witness to all these things says, "Yes, I am coming soon!" Amen! Come, Lord Jesus! (Revelation 22:20 NLT)

One day Christ will come again to call His children out of this world. Both the dead bodies of His saints, as well as Christians living at that moment will be translated into His presence. On that day sin, death, crying, pain, sorrow, suffering, injustice, separation, sickness, etc., will be over forever for them. That's a great reason to pray like John, "Come, Lord Jesus!"

Consider This...

And anyone whose name was not found recorded in the Book of Life was thrown into the lake of fire. (Revelation 20:15 NLT)

You can travel around the states and you'll probably find a place to stay, even if you didn't have a reservation in advance. However, traveling to Heaven is different! Only those whose names are recorded in "the Book of Life" will gain entrance to God's city, let alone find an eternal resting place there. Failing to plan ahead for this journey has severe consequences!