Learning to Blame God

February 12, 2014

Certain passages in the Bible always touch my heart – no matter how many times I read them. Genesis 45 is one of those passages. It’s the account of when Joseph finally comes face-to-face with his brothers and confronts them with the sin they had committed against him years earlier.

A quick recap of the story. Joseph’s family was kind of a dysfunctional one. He was the second youngest of twelve brothers. Those ten older brothers didn’t care much for Joseph. He was somewhat of a brat – an annoying little brother who always got special treatment from their father.

“But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peaceably to him.” Genesis 37:4

They didn’t like him. And gradually their dislike turned to anger. Anger to hatred. And hatred to murder.

“Now when they saw him [Joseph] afar off, even before he came near them, they conspired against him to kill him. Then they said to one another, “Look, this dreamer is coming! Come therefore, let us now kill him and cast him into some pit; and we shall say, ‘Some wild beast has devoured him.’” Genesis 37:18-19

Uhhh…that’s not good. Look, I got two brothers and we used to get into fights when we were younger; but there were limits! We never used weapons. We never tried to injure one another. And we never threw each other in pits and left one another for dead. Period. Those are the rules.

But not these guys. These “brothers” hated Joseph so much that they wanted to kill him right there on spot. You can only imagine how Joseph felt as he was attacked by his brothers… thrown down, beaten, kicked, mocked, spit upon and then left for dead in an empty well. I shudder just at the thought of how helpless he must have felt – ten burly men attacking and assaulting a weak young boy…AND THAT BOY IS THEIR OWN BROTHER!

You Find What You're Looking For

October 23, 2013

Once upon a time there were two 8-year old twin boys – completely identical in every way except one. THEIR ATTITUDES! One of the boys was always upbeat…always smiling…always cheerful. To him, the cup was always half-full and there was always a silver lining in every situation.

But the other boy was quite the opposite. Seldom would you find him in a good mood. To him, the cup was always half-empty and there was never a silver lining. He was always worried. Always depressed. Always down on life.

Their parents began to worry about these unhealthy extremes in their boys. One boy took life way too seriously and had too much anxiety. The boy was the polar opposite. Life was a party for him. He needed to be brought down to earth a little bit. So the parents came up with a plan. For their 9th birthday, they were determined to find a way to balance their children out.

First they went to a toy store and spent hundreds of dollars on all the latest toys, games and electronics for their depressed son. They filled his room with these items while he was out at school and thought to themselves “When he comes home and sees all these toys, that’ll cheer him up a little.”

For the other son, they filled his room with something different...much different…HORSE MANURE! Yep, that’s right. 30 cubic yards of horse manure, fresh from the stables!

They had the perfect plan…or so they thought.

There's Gotta Be More Than This (sermon video)

June 24, 2013

Powerful message yesterday about "life" - not the life that so many are living, but rather the life that God designed us for. We don't realize it but there is another option out there. Life doesn't have to always be full of confusion and frustration and shame and guilt. There's gotta be a better way. There's gotta be more than this... Good news...THERE IS! It's the life that Jesus spoke of in John 10:10 when He said "I have come that they may have LIFE and have it more ABUNDANTLY."

Want to know more about that abundant life? Check out yesterday's message from The Well.

Finding Power When You Need It Most

June 12, 2013

“LORD, give me strength. Give me power. Help me get through this. I can’t do it without you…” How many times have you uttered those words this week? This day? In the past 45 minutes?

Power. It's something everyone is looking for, but so many lack. God promises to give us power – that’s clear throughout Scripture – but then how come we find ourselves struggling so much? Struggling with sin, addictions, frustrations, hurt, failure. WHERE IS THE POWER????

(children of the 90s – aka ‘the greatest decade ever’ – what’s the first thing that popped into your head when I asked that last question? If it isn’t THIS SONG, then you are an imposter – not a true child of the 90s).

Why I’m Not Blogging Today

April 16, 2013

No blog post today. Two reasons: First of all, this entire week is dedicated to me packing up my house and preparing it to go on the market (we’re moving to a new home in May….YEAH!!!!). I painted an entire room for the first time ever yesterday.

Many spiritual lessons there which I’m sure I’ll blog about at some point – like for example, the importance of not having the color blind guy (aka, ME) insist that the color is correct when everyone is saying otherwise. We painted half of the room until I finally was willing to admit that “ok maybe it won’t look different when it dries. Maybe it’s the wrong color.”

Second reason is this: because I was tucked away painting and packing all day yesterday, I just heard about the tragedy in Boston this morning. Don’t really know what to say. My heart goes out to everyone involved.

Really God? Why now?

February 21, 2013

“This stiff neck couldn’t have come at a worse time.” That is what I woke up saying on Wednesday morning of last week. It was 5:00 in the morning and I could barely move. I can’t ever remember feeling pain like that in my neck (insert your own marriage joke here) and it seemed to come at the worst possible time (emphasis on “seemed”).

Why was it the worst possible time? Because on the next day, I was supposed to be travelling up to Toronto for 5 action-packed days. The main event during this trip would be two Outreach Nights hosted by my good friends at SMSV church. During these nights, they invite all the Christians and non-Christians in the area for a night of spiritual revival. They advertised on the radio, in the newspaper and online. And this year they expected a larger turnout than ever before – the facility they rented accommodated close to 900 people!

And the main speaker for both nights….FR. ANTHONY MESSEH! The guy whose neck is so sore at this point that he can barely lift up his head and talk at the same time. What great timing for this stiff neck!

Isn’t Jesus Supposed to Be Making My Life Better?

January 17, 2013

In my last post, I spoke about the very first Christmas gift that Jesus brought into the world after His birth in Bethlehem 2000 years ago. Unfortunately, it wasn’t quite the gift that many had been hoping for. The birth of the Savior was supposed to bring “peace on earth and goodwill toward men” but as we read in Matthew 2:16-18, it instead brought a massacre of the most horrific kind.

“Then Herod, when he saw that he was deceived by the wise men, was exceedingly angry; and he sent forth and put to death all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all its districts, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the wise men.” (Matthew 2:16-17)

For the people of Bethlehem, the coming of the Messiah – their Redeemer and Deliverer – didn’t turn out quite like they thought it would. It was supposed to be filled with joy and peace and goodwill. It was supposed to bring about victory and salvation and deliverance. It was supposed to make everything better.

But it didn’t. It seems to have done the exact opposite. It brought more hate into the world. It brought sadness and confusion. It brought death.

What would you say if you were living in Bethlehem at the time? How would you respond when someone said to you “isn’t it great that Jesus came to our city?” How would you respond?

“Great? Are you kidding me? It’s probably the worst thing that has ever happened to our little town. Everything was fine before He got here. But ever since Jesus showed up, everything seems to have gone wrong.”

The First Gift Jesus Brought into the World

January 15, 2013

That’s it. It’s officially over. It’s time to go back to normalcy. I hereby decree that as of this past weekend “the Christmas season” has now officially ended. What started back in late November and stuck around through the early days of January, is over and done with as of this past weekend.

(fyi, in case you’re wondering, to me the official end of the Christmas season is whatever day we decide to take down our Christmas tree and decorations. That happened this past weekend. Therefore I decree that the Christmas season ended this past weekend. You see how that works?)

The festivities and celebrations of Christmas and New Year are done. Life is back to normal. It’s the middle of January. No sign of the holidays remains except for the few stragglers out there who still haven’t taken down their Christmas lights (not that anyone has noticed or anything). Other than that, it’s pretty much over.

But wait a minute, wasn’t there more to Christmas than just the lights and the presents? Wasn’t there something else we were celebrating and getting all excited about? Or rather, wasn’t there some-ONE else we were celebrating and getting excited about?

Oh yeah! I remember…BABY JESUS!

It’s a Good Thing Jesus Was Born at Night

December 20, 2012

Did you ever stop and wonder why Jesus was born at night? Why would God send His Son into the world in the middle of the night? It was bad enough that the Son of God had to be born in a small stinky manger in the middle of nowhere. Why make it worse by making it dark? So dark that Joseph and Mary probably had to hold a candle in order to even see their newborn baby!

A few days ago, I read “A Christmas Prayer” by renowned author, Max Lucado, written in response to the tragic events that took place last week in Newtown, CT. In it, he spoke about why Jesus was born in the dark and helped shed some light on the subject (pun intended – HA HA!).

He begins by saying “Dear Jesus, it’s a good thing you were born at night. This world sure seems dark. I have a good eye for silver linings. But they seem dimmer lately…But you were born in the dark right?”

Crumpled Hundred dollar bill - 42-17858947

How Much is a Crumpled Up $100 Bill Worth?

December 18, 2012

Use your imagination with me for a moment. I'm holding a $100 bill. If I offered you this $100, would you take it? Of course! You wouldn’t think twice. Now imagine that I crumple up that nice $100 bill and crush it into a little wad. Would you still want it? OK, now I'm throwing the wadded up bill against the wall and stomping on it with my foot. Would you still take it? It's been beaten up, crushed, stomped on…would you still take it?

Of course you would! You’d be insane not to! Why? Because no matter how abused and beat up it is, it's still worth just as much…and SO ARE YOU!

Responding to Tragedy - sermon video

December 17, 2012

Our hearts are all broken over the recent tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut. Yesterday I preached a message about how we can respond to the inevitable tragedies and disasters of life.

May God comfort the hearts of all those who are mourning this tragic loss and may He once again make light to shine out of the darkness of this world.

I’m So Glad He's on My Team

September 11, 2012

“Wow! He’s incredible! He’s amazing! This is a going to be our year! I’m so glad he’s on our team!”

That is what I’ve found myself thinking and saying ever since Sunday afternoon. What happened on Sunday afternoon? For those who don’t know, this past weekend was the one that I – and men like me all over the country – have had circled on our calendars since early February. It was the weekend that wives from coast to coast (including the one in my house) have been dreading and hoping to avoid. Oh yes, boys and girls, it’s that time of year…

FOOTBALL IS BACK!!!

How could I blog about anything else this week? Football and Sundays go together like peanut butter and jelly, and now that football is back, order is restored to the universe and my life.

Getting Out of the Pit

March 29, 2012

Finally! It’s finally time to stop talking about LIVING in the pit. It is now time to start packing up our bags and talking about LEAVING the pit. Today I want to answer the question that I’ve heard repeatedly since I started these posts earlier this week…HOW DO I GET OUT OF THE PIT?

First, the game plan. The path to escaping your pit begins with a DECISION and is then followed by a PROCESS. A decision, then a process. The decision is something you can do today – you say I WANT TO GET OUT OF HERE. That is the first thing that the Prodigal Son did. He came to himself and said “I don’t belong in here. I am choosing to do whatever it takes to get back to my father’s table.”

But the decision was only step one. The decision alone was not enough to restore him back to his father’s table – he still had to get up, walk back to the house, ask for forgiveness and consent to his father’s will. Same with you too. You can make a decision today but unless you follow up that decision with some effort, you’re unlikely to find success.

Getting out of the pit is a DECISION followed by a PROCESS. The decision is “I don’t belong here and I will no longer accept life in the pit. I was made to live in a palace, not a pit – not because I am good but because God is my Father.” Romans 8:16-17 says “The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs--heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ.”

Getting Thrown into the Pit of Innocence

March 28, 2012

As promised, today I will address the third and final way that we end up in a pit – WHEN WE ARE THROWN IN. I call this the pit of innocence. This pit has nothing to do with you or your sin. You’ll be tempted to think it is your fault, but the truth is…IT ISN’T. The first pit spoken about in the Bible was this pit of innocence. In Genesis 37, Joseph was just walking through the fields one day, going to see how his brothers were doing and the next thing you know…

“So it came to pass, when Joseph had come to his brothers, that they stripped Joseph of his tunic, the tunic of many colors that was on him. Then they took him and cast him into a pit. And the pit was empty; there was no water in it. And they sat down to eat a meal.” Genesis 37:23-25

Every time I read this story, I get filled with emotion at the thought of what happened. It’s not that I am worried about Joseph – we know that he turns out ok. But what weighs me down is the thought of many others “Josephs” out there – who did nothing wrong, yet found themselves violently thrown into a pit by the selfish actions of another.

Below are some real stories of real people that I know. The names are made up, but the stories aren’t and neither is the pain and hurt that they feel. These are all real people who bleed and cry and suffer the anguish of their pit through no fault of their own.

How Did I End Up in Here?

March 27, 2012

“Now you know, and knowing is half the battle.” You’ve heard that before haven’t you? That famous line was spoken at the end of every episode of G.I. Joe (which if you’re part of my generation, you grew up watching these religiously). At the end of every show, they’d present some type of public service announcement and end each one with that phrase. So now you know, and knowing is half the battle.

I couldn’t agree more. I need to know how I got into my pit in order to figure out how to get out. They say that history repeats itself. Well, in the case of falling into a pit, I agree 100%. It doesn’t need to repeat itself – but unless we take the time to figure out what caused it, the likelihood of repeating it increases significantly.

So with that said, the 2nd talk at the retreat was titled HOW DID I GET IN HERE? We identified 3 ways that we end up in pits. Either we jump in, or we slip in, or we’re thrown in. Let’s break them down one at a time.

Reality vs Truth

March 26, 2012

"Lost for words with all to say,
Lord you take my breath away,
Still my soul, my soul cries out,
For You are Holy.

And as I look upon Your Name,
Circumstances fade away,
Now your glory steals my heart,
For You are Holy"

WHAT A WEEKEND! Wow! That is just about all I can say after the conclusion of a very powerful and uplifting weekend. I can’t tell you the number of people that came to me during the retreat and said something along the lines of “I can’t believe you chose this topic – this was exactly what I needed to hear!”

The Prodigal Son and His Pit

March 12, 2012

Yesterday I preached a sermon based on the story of the Prodigal Son (which I’ll assume everyone knows but it wouldn’t hurt to go back and read it as a refresher, see Luke 15:11-32). The story is an exact fit for all that I wrote about last week. When I read the story in the morning, what jumped out at me was how deep the boy had fallen and how amazing his deliverance was. He went from the deepest pit to the highest palace in no time.

How deep did he sink? We often have this picture of the Prodigal Son eating pig’s food with dirty animals in a pen. But actually that is NOT what the Bible says. The Bible doesn’t say he ate food with the pigs; what the Bible says is actually that it was even worse than that.

“And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything.” Luke 15:16

Finding Hope in My Pit

March 6, 2012

It looks like I hit a nerve yesterday with my blog post. Several people took the time to comment on the blog, others emailed me and some just stopped me in the hallway at the school pickup line. The tweets and retweets were flying left and right linking people to the blog post (and I even learned how to use my first hashtag, #passionretreat).

Yesterday’s post became the highest viewed post on my blog – and it hasn’t even been up for 24 hours. What does all this mean? It means exactly what I said yesterday: TOO MANY PEOPLE ARE LIVING IN THE PIT.

For too many of us, the pit has become an accepted standard of living – we feel like we can’t get out of it. Nothing we do can free us from it. We fast, we pray, we go to church, we give our tithe, we do everything right. BUT WE’RE STILL LIVING IN THE PIT!