Patience takes too long

I've been thinking alot about patience lately and how little of it I have. Not the kind that allows you to wait in line, or get called for your food, or receive a book in the mail. I got that. It's easy. I mean real patience. The kind that allows you to wait until the fruit of salvation is seen in a new believer's life. The kind that inspires hope in me that someone will change when they are presented with the Truth. The kind that gives me faith that things will not always be the same with my kids and their sickness.

I am reading this book called "Love as a Way of Life" by Gary Chapman. Great book, but really raises the bar on what it means to love. This week, patient love. The kind that waits until it hurts. Just when I get impatient with people not moving forward in their spiritual journey, I remember how patient God was with me. It took me 18 years to come around. 18 years of waiting and dragging my feet, sinning and spitting in God's face. But He was soooo patient. Patient with the whole world. Patient to wait until the fullness of time to send Jesus, and now patiently waiting to send Him again.

I guess I can be patient too. Patient to wait until God bears fruit in a person's life. Patient to see better days with family health. Patient to see more of the image of Christ in me. How's you're patience? In the BIG things that really matter for eternity?

Satan is a poo-poo head

I can still remember seeing these words on a t-shirt at a Christian concert more than 15 years ago. And the truth of that statement is more than I communicate in one blog. Satan really is a poo-poo head. I have had one hell (this is not vulgarity, but literal statement of the source of my bad week, keep reading) of a week. My family has battled sicknesses, unknown smells in the house and more. Now I am not a guy who sees Satan behind every door. Sometimes bad stuff happens in a fallen world. So this is howyou can know the poo-poo head is on the attack:

• when you feel discouragement rise out of nowhere
• when you feel like you can't breath from the weight of your troubles
• when anxiety marks your thoughts
• when fear of the future outweighs the hope of tomorrow

We tend to give the Devil too much credit. Keep in mind he is a deciever (2 John 1:7) and a master liar. His main tactics are to so beat you down, you do not remember your strength in Christ (1 John 4:4). If he can convince you all is lost, he has won. Remember too he is not all powerful, all knowing, all seeing. Those things are incommunicable (non-sharing) attributes of God. He is a creature, beautiful (Ezekiel 28), powerful (Isaiah 14) but still just a creature. 'God's dog' as Martin Luther called him. When he starts nipping at your heels, kick him. Put him in his place, outside your house in a fence. Submit yourself to God, his truth and the truth of the situation, resist the Devil, his lies and junk and the Devil WILL flee from you (James 4:7)

Fight on brothers. And PRAY!

If you want a good sermon on the Devil check this out

All Dogs: the Sequel

So get this, I come home today and Madison has led her 3 year old sister, Avery, to Jesus! Wow! How's that for fruit! Isn't God sooo good!

All Dogs go to Heaven

This is not a theological statement of belief, rather the culmination of many years of prayers.

Tonight, my daughter became a follower of the Living God. God saved her! Her asthma has been terrible again and tonight we were watching the movie, All Dogs go to Heaven. At one part, the main character gets a trip to Hell where he encounters lakes of fire, and the Devil himself. This gave me a good opportunity to talk with Madison about Hell (not the first conversation we have had about that place or the main resident, Satan). At first she was unphased, but after we put her to bed, she came out all crying and fearful of the Devil. This was a great opportunity to explain to her my own fears about the Evil One's work in my life and how I do not fear ultimately because I am a Christian and Christians do not need to fear him (Matthew 10:28-29). Knowing that she was not a Christian (by her own admission), I took the opportunity to ask her if she was ready.

Now at this point you may be shaking your head thinking I used scare tactics with my 6 year old. I did. But I think this kind of fear is healthy, truth filled fear (Luke 16). Understand too that this was not the first time we had shared the gospel with Madison. We have taken over a dozen chances to stop life and explain Jesus, the cross, heaven, hell, etc. Each time when we have asked if Madison wanted to accept Jesus, she would say no. What a knife in the heart of a father! I have led dozens of people to Christ with one conversation, but can't lead my daughter with a dozen.

Kylie and I have always lamented that there is a spiritual hardness of heart with Madison, a quiet rebellion. We prayed that it would be the love of God which drew her to Himself. But in this case, it was His justice. His justice was the hammer that broke up hard ground. She has always prayed, sang songs of worship and talked freely of Jesus, but resisted taking the step her family and many friends have taken. Not that night.

She prayed and asked God to forgive her of her sins towards mommy, daddy, Avery and God. She asked for His help and healing. Now, is she really saved? I don't know, really. That will be born out in the fruit she bears as a follower of the Light or the darkness (Matthew 7). But I trust the Word when it says that we must believe like children (Matthew 18) and confess with our mouths (Romans 10). I'll leave it up to God. it always was up to Him.

Thought I would share my "good news".

Resolutions for wimps

New Years Day. The #1 promise breaking day of the year. Or at least the birth of a promise broken. On this day people all over the world make promises they probably never will fulfill. They range from weight loss to drinking less to exercising more to watching your language to...and the hits keep coming. I hate New Year's Resolutions. Here's why. It offends my navel. Ya, my navel.

New Year's resolutions give people world wide permission to turn the focus of their lives inward and change one thing about themselves that they do not like. Me, me, me. What about what God likes? Who cares whether you like what you are changing or not? Why not ask God what He likes and what He wants to be changed in you. Maybe that is how you approach New Year's Day. Great! So what took you so long to get there? Why were you waiting for New Years? Why not make the change at Thanksgiving? Or Memorial Day? Or now!

"Resolutions" should be a regular part of our every day. That's how I read Ephesians 5:18. Don't get drunk (read 'controlled by') on wine, but be filled (read 'controlled by')with the Holy Spirit. The tense of the verb suggests this is a daily occurrence. The control of the Spirit requires us to be making "resolutions" each day and fulfilling them to God. I may not want to do, it may not feel good or meet my self centered, navel gazing needs, but they will meet God's. Be filled, be filled, be filled with God's Spirit. His control. Not just at the start of the New Year to be lost by the time June kicks in, but every moment of every day for every holiday. See Jonathan Edwards for an example of a godly man who took resolution making seriously. Not for weight loss, but sin loss.

I hope the Spirit's control this year is greater than last year's. Not for your sake, but for God's. To Him be the glory, the honor and the praise. Amen.