October Challenge!

October Challenge

July 17 was a very special day for me but not nearly as amazing as the following weeks. The weeks following that afternoon we filled with love, joy, new found wisdom, and satisfaction. No, I did not get a dog. No, I did not find Mrs. Right. No, I did not move out of my parents' house--although that might just fill me with joy and satisfaction. 

I got into the Word.

The time commitment I was asked to partake of was rather large, considering I am severely limited in the area of self-discipline. I was asked to read at least one chapter of the Bible in the morning, before I left for work, and one chapter in Psalm before falling asleep each night. It did mess up my normal routine, by which I mean I did whatever whenever because I had no “normal” work hours. However, the payoff has been incredible.

The payoff was enormous.

I felt close to God. I continued to find a nugget of truth every day. I was so focused upon God’s word that I have lost a lot of the desires for other things—TV, radio, surfing the internet, buying new things, etc… Now don’t think that I have no interest in those things any longer, because I do. The desire is much less strong now. I have a new focus.

I invite you to join me and my church as we embark on the October Challenge! For the entire month, spend time reading at least one chapter in the Bible each morning and one chapter of Psalm each night. A relative of mine once said something to the affect of “God’s word should be the key to unlock your day in the morning and the deadbolt to lock you up at night.” That is the idea: immerse yourself in God’s word and you will find a different life altogether.

Warning: This will mess up your “normal” routine. This might mean you should practice more self-control and go to bed 10 minutes earlier. You will probably need to awake 5-10 minutes earlier than usual for time to read in the morning.

I hope you will join me. I have been doing this for almost 3 months now, and God has yet to let a day go by without showing me something—even a reminder. If you need a good place to start, try Galatians, Philippians, James, Jeremiah, 1-3 John, Daniel, Ruth, or even Genesis (although this might take more than 1 month).  And don’t forget about reading a Psalm each night before bed.

Suggestion 1 … tag a few friends so that they know about this too, and then talk about what you are reading with each other.

Suggestion 2 … read the Psalm together with your family. What a great way to introduce spending time with God with your family!

Suggestion 3 … get some friends who don’t live near you to get involved. Jesus said “go to the ends of the Earth,” so why not?

Join the October Challenge!

Incredible

I recently had my family Doctor cut glass out of my right, big toe. The shot was much worse than any other pain felt even during recovery. Through the past few days of hobbling around the house and church, I have marveled at God’s creation.

I have known that toes are incredibly important to us for years. There is no possible way to replicate the foot’s ability to balance, so if you are trying to create a sculpture you must either cement the statues feet to the ground or create a third “foot.”

It’s amazing that God created us such intricate beings! NO! We are not delicate, although that word might capture part of the concept here. We are intricate. At least males are intricate. If you are female, feel free to be delicate.

God wrote to us in the Corinthians that we are part of a bigger body and each part of the body deserves special respect. In applying this to my physical body, I began to see how amazing I am! Yes, you are in the presence of an incredible human being! No, no, no. I have been created an amazing human, just like you.

Do you have any idea what the longest/biggest organ in your body is?

The inside of your blood vessels.

Did you know your heart can pump blood 15 feet into the air?

I was created by God as an intricate, incredible person. My body functions as it should most days.

But we do so much to destroy these incredible, intricate, amazing bodies!

We gossip—talk about people when it’s none of our business. We slander—talk negatively about another person. We smoke, drink alcohol, view pornography, over eat, don’t get enough sleep, “love” things that aren’t good for us… And it all works to destroy our bodies. Everything that does not draw us closer to God slowly wreaks havoc on our bodies.

Be careful.

Enjoy your life.

Find pleasure in the gift of God: your body.

Take care of it.

And make sure to tell someone that you are an amazing person! 

I'm Not Who I Used To Be

Last month, a friend introduced me to a song written and performed by Big Daddy Weave. I fell into the song and absorbed the words as if I was the reason the band wrote that song.
I sing parts of the song every day.
I live most of that song every day.
There is a joy and celebration along with truthful sorrow throughout the song.
There is freedom of life within the words of this song.

Find them.
That is your mission.
Find the freedom and embrace it.


Big Daddy Weave
"Redeemed"

1st Verse 

Seems like all I can see was the struggle 
Haunted by ghosts that lived in my past 
Bound up in shackles of all my failures 
Wondering how long is this gonna last 
Then you look at this prisoner and say to me  
"son stop fighting a fight that's already been won" 

Chorus 

I am redeemed , you set me free 
So I'll shake off these heavy chains 
Wipe away every stain 
Now I'm not who I used to be  
I am redeemed.....I'm redeemed 

2nd Verse 

All my life I have been called unworthy 
Named by the voice of my shame and regret 
But when I hear you whisper "child lift up your head" 
I remember oh God you're not done with me yet 

Chorus 

I am redeemed , you set me free 
So I'll shake off these heavy chains 
Wipe away every stain 
Now I'm not who I used to be  

Bridge 

Because I don't have to be the old man inside of me  
'cause his day is long dead and gone because  
I've got a new name , a new life I'm not the same  
and a hope that will carry me home  

Chorus 

I am redeemed , you set me free 
So I'll shake off these heavy chains and 
Wipe away every stain 
Now I'm not who I used to be  

I am redeemed you set me free 
So I'll shake off these heavy chains and  
And wipe away every stain 
Now I'm not who I used to be 
Oh God I'm not who I used to be 
Jesus I'm not who I used to be  

'Cause I am redeemed  
Thank God redeemed



http://www.godtube.com/watch/?v=0BBCCCNU 

Motorcycles, User Names, "Yet," and God

Last week I was stumbling through a day of boredom when Kyle asked me to help him work on his motorcycle. If you haven’t figured this out yet, I know nothing about motorcycles. I can change the oil, check and correct tire pressure, and check and refill liquids in a car. But I agreed to help. My big task?

Sit on the motorcycle so it doesn’t fall over onto Kyle! If you have never held a motorcycle up while sitting on it let me make one thing very clear; when it might fall and crush your brother the whole ordeal is not what you might expect.

At first I was marveling at how much of a weight difference there was between my imagination and the actual weight of the bike. It was lighter than I anticipated. I couldn’t relax though, because once I did the bike’s weight would take over and fall on both of us.

Then there was the “user name” fiasco. I have begun the process of changing my life, and part of that is to get rid of my old email. How do you delete an email account? Good question. When you find out, let me know. (I used yahoo.)

When I tried to log in, for the past few weeks, I start by using my old user name for Facebook, email, and various other accounts I have. WRONG! I changed the user name, to reflect my new lifestyle, thus rendering all of my initial efforts useless.

And now we arrive at “yet.” Do you know anyone who is Amish? anyone who was Amish? If not, let me enlighten you. They string their English sentences together very awkwardly at times, and without fail most of their sentences end with “yet.” It is a very hard habit to stop, and it is very easy to learn. I catch myself ending sentences with “yet” along with many of my friends. Ever have an annoying song stuck in your head? the one you can’t remember very many words? This “yet” habit is very similar; annoying once you realize what’s happening.

All of that leads to this: life is full of changes, and they all revolve around God. When I began this revamping of life based around God, I had to change my email, a few passwords, account names, you get the idea. The problem is that I keep reverting back to things I used to know, things that are comfortable because of previous repetition. I find that these little reminders encourage me though.

I have a new life! I have a new name! I am not the same man I once was. And God is now the center of my life, not me. These changes are for the good. The old me, the one I left and never desire to take up again, is gone, but I will have reminders of my past life. Those reminders keep me honest about myself and others. I can look at these reminders and say “I was also ……. I also fought against …… I didn’t understand the freedom from …… that God could grant me. But now I’m different. Now I am changed, and one day I hope that….is able to change by the power of God.”

Don’t get rid of your reminders. They tell us how far God has brought us.