Connected To My Truck

Two weeks ago I got a new (used) Ford Ranger. It was a deal that I could not pass up! When my wife told me about this truck, she mentioned that it was a manual transmission and, knowing that I have driven automatic transmissions since she met me, she asked if I knew how to drive a manual. I don't, but I'm sure I'll pick it up, it can't be too difficult.

For the first day or so after we got the truck I skipped around in the parking lot and down some of the side streets throughout our neighborhood, I killed the engine a couple dozen times as I learned the delicate balance of shifting into first gear, and I jarred the kids heads into the headrests several times as I they rode along with me. Then, I began to get the hang of driving a manual transmission truck.

The key to learning to drive this truck was simply getting a sense for when I was about to stall the engine and applying more gas or more clutch. Once I was connected to the truck in this way I found that getting it into first gear was simple. Likewise, having an established connection, where I could feel when the engine was being strained gave me the knowledge needed to shift up or shift down when I would drive this truck around town. And, this connection could only be established through time spent driving the truck.

When I considered this new connection with my truck I also considered other connections in my life; my connection with my children, with my wife, and with Christ. Wouldn't it be amazing if I could establish a connection with people in my life in the same way I have created a connection with my truck? Wouldn't it be amazing if I could sense when I am drifting away or, even better, if I could sense a need in their life or in my life to draw closer? wouldn't it be amazing if I could establish a connection so great that when their is pain, hurt, or sorrow, that I could immediately make an adjustment to correct the situation before the relationship begins to strain or, much worse, stalls out.

I desire this type of connection with my children, my wife, and with Christ. And I desire this level of a connection, where I can sense a drift and a strain int he relationships that we share. However this level of a connection can only come through one thing. This level of connection comes through the same thing that I was willing to pour into my truck and into learning to sense its needs, time.

I wonder what relationships are important to you. I wonder if you have the same desire to see a connection to people in your life as I do - to sense a drift or a strain as it is happening. I wonder if you are willing to pour in the needed time to see the connections made in these relationships established. Let us begin today.

A Pause Button

We have three (soon four) children in our home - a seven year-old daughter, five year-old son, and a - soon to be - three year-old son. Perhaps I am partial, but I do believe they are the most beautiful (or handsome), the smartest, the funniest, and the greatest children in the entire world. It is a great joy to watch them growing and becoming all that God has created them to be.

Last week my wife and I were talking about how much they have grown this past year and just how quickly they seem to be growing up. Then I asked my wife a very hypothetical question; "If you could stop them from growing up, at what age would you do so?"

And, although this was a very hypothetical question and - as far as I know - not an option yet, it was a very intriguing thought. See, if you stop a child's growth too early you have to deal with diaper changes, highchairs, and car eats for the rest of your life. If you stop a child's growth in their childhood, you deal with their attitude and "sass" forever. But if you wait until their teenage years you have the attitude and independence to deal with.

Perhaps a stop button isn't what we want or need - but wouldn't a pause button be nice? Just to pause everything in their life and cherish it for a bit longer? Wouldn't it be nice to pause and spend a little more time with you three-year-old child? Wouldn't it be wonderful to pause their growth and spend more time with your children while they still "need" you - while they still want to be with you?

Our children's lives aren't the only thing though. Wouldn't it be nice to have a pause button on life in general? To pause everything and have a bit more time before deadlines and obligations? Wouldn't it be nice to pause and spend more time on the important moments in life? Wouldn't it be wonderful to pause and have more time?

This morning we wrapped up a series - "Be Still" - in our church. In this series we, as a church, have been encouraged to stop and spend more time with God, simply being still in His presence. As we are still in His presence we come to realize that we are working on His time.

The Ants Go Marching...

My daughter is seven years old and often has trouble going to sleep - rather she does not go to sleep easily. One of her favorite things is to have her mother or I sing to her at night as she drifts off to sleep. Often it is a pleasure to sing to her as she goes to sleep but sometimes it becomes a chore or yet another task on top of a pile of others that need to be completed late into the evening. 

Not only does our daughter request (sometimes petition) that we sing to her at night, she also asks for a specific number of songs - usually three - and specific songs to be sung. One of her favorite songs at night is "The Ants Go Marching", and I am convinced that it is one of her favorites because it is such a long song. I'm sure you know the song...

The ants go marching one by one, hurrah, hurrahThe ants go marching one by one, hurrah, hurrahThe ants go marching one by one,The little one stops to suck his thumbAnd they all go marching down to the ground to get out of the rainBOOM! BOOM! BOOM! 

The ants go marching two by two, hurrah, hurrahThe ants go marching two by two, hurrah, hurrahThe ants go marching two by two,The little one stops to tie his shoeAnd they all go marching down to the ground to get out of the rain
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! 

The ants go marching three by three, hurrah, hurrahThe ants go marching three by three, hurrah, hurrahThe ants go marching three by three,The little one stops to climb a treeAnd they all go marching down to the ground to get out of the rain
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

And on, and on, and on it goes.  But see, it is on the evenings that singing to my daughter seems like more of a chore - as though it is only another task - that I begin to sing this particular song in super-fast, speed-singing version in order to get to the tenth and final verse quicker. 

Last night was one of these nights. In fact I think I made it through this song faster than ever before - start to finish in less than two minutes. And, although I am quite proud of this speed-sung rendition, it struck me soon after finishing it how wrong it was that I had raced through singing to my one and only daughter rather than cherishing this moment and the time I got to spend with her at night. 

And it struck my how I often fall into this same mode whenever I read God's Word, study my morning devotions, and have my prayer and quiet time in the morning. Often I seem to race through these individual and intimate moments with The Lord rather than cherishing the time I have the privilege and opportunity to spend with Him. 

It is not something that I realize, not something that I intend to do, it just seems that everything else that needs to be done comes to my mind and I begin to rush, I begin to hurry, I begin to make my time with God less of a joy and more of a task.  Perhaps you have experienced the same thing in regard to your time with God. Essentially what we do is tell God that He is not quite as important as everything else that might come our way throughout the day.

Now that I have recognized this in my life I aim to spend more time cherishing the things I claim to be a priority - my time with God, my time with my wife, and my time with my children. I aim to pray and seek God's assistance in this as well. What about you, what will you do?

Take Time

This past fall we focused on prayer within our church. As I said to our church family; God desires for us to be people of prayer. God desires that we desire to talk to Him - to communicate our wants and needs to Him. God desires that we desire to listen to Him - to have Him communicate to us.

There is much to be said about prayer, much that is stated in the Old and New Testaments, and much that God continues to reveal to us today. I believe that prayer must be at the heart of our local churches and that prayer must be the pulse of Christ's worldwide Church.

Allow me to pause this thought for a moment, I'll come right back to it.

Our current teaching series looks to the shepherds who first heard the message of Christ's birth. (Luke 2). The amazing thing is that God picked these shepherds, who had been despised by much of the religious community, to be the first to hear the amazing news. Many reasons can be given for why God chose this group. As Max Lucado writes; "God goes to those who have time to hear Him - so on this cloudless night He went to the simple shepherds".

Let me say this; take time to hear God this Christmas season, allow the glory of God to come to you as you worship, pray, and celebrate Him.

Benefits of the Routine

I just put our two-year-old son to bed for a forth time this evening. Lately he has had a lot of trouble going to bed and staying in bed. It seems that the last few nights have ended with me putting on my "scary voice" and laying out the consequences of not staying in bed to him. So far this has worked for us.

It seems that he finds every excuse possible to get up from his bed and to stay out of his bed; the blankets are not straight, he has to go to the bathroom, he wants to kiss us good night just one more time. Tonight was no different and, as I made the trek down the hall and reached deep down to pull out the scary voice, he began to cry, perhaps sensing the frustration in the sound of my footsteps. As I entered his room, he puts one finger up in the air and yells out, between cries, "we just forgot to read one story".

In my rush to get him to bed I had, in fact, forgot to read him a story. After reading him a bedtime story, tucking him in one more time, and kissing him good night. I began to think about our bedtime routine; bedtime drinks, reading stories, praying together, saying good night, singing songs, and more.
When my wife and I started this routine with our oldest daughter five years ago we didn't fully think through the ramifications of the routine; how long it takes every night, all the steps involved, etc. But, although it is sometimes inconvenient and tiring, we see the benefit of each aspect of the kid's bedtime routine and we wouldn't (purposefully) change any of it.

The same is true of our daily devotional time/Bible study/prayer time. First and foremost, it has to be started! Second, it has to be carried out for some time in order for it to become a regular routine. Third, it may, at times, be inconvenient but the benefits of it are immeasurable. The benefits may not be seen at the moment or even the day of this quality, focused time with God, but it will change life forever, this life and the next life.

One Last Christmas

Matthew West wrote a beautiful song not too long ago, One Last Christmas. With this song, Matthew tells the true story of a little boy, Dax, that was suffering with lukemia. His parents were determined that he was going to see "one last Christmas" and they put up the decorations early in the year. Soon the entire community joined in, it caught the local news and people from all around were joining in.

Watch the video of "One Last Christmas" here:



Dax did eventually lose his battle with lukemia following this Christmas celebration with his family. And today he celebrates Christmas with Jesus Christ in heaven. Dax's parents would like for his legacy to live on here too and so they are asking for donations to be made to the St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital in his honor. They are hoping to raise enough money to run the hospital for an entire day (a cost of 1.6 million dollars). To donate to St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital, click here.

As I watched this video I was inspired by the life of Dax and by the committment that his parents had to helping him see one more Christmas. I thought about all of the time we waste everyday, especially around the holidays, on such frivilous things. If we new that this might be the last Christmas, the last day, the last moments that we have with some individuals, how might we spend our time differently?

The Answer

We talk a lot at our church about the importance of a daily quiet time with God. Not only is it important that we read the Scriptures on a daily basis (or at least strive to do so daily), it is vitally important that we communicate with Him and allow Him to communicate with us through prayer and meditation.

It is all too often when I allow my schedule to get in the way of my time with the Lord and I find that the later in the day it gets, the harder it is for me to sit down, clear my mind, and focus on God. And I have found that even when I don't feel like sitting down for an extended period of time and meeting with God, as soon as I begin to focus on Him, nothing else matters and I find complete joy in our time together.

However, early last week I would have my quiet time, I would read Scripture, journal, pray, and meditate in His Spirit, and yet nothing. I spent more time, and, nothing. This same thing went of for a couple of days, the harder I tried, the more time I spent, the more disciplines I followed, still nothing.

That is when God made me aware that I had gotten away from a total dependence on Him and that I was instead looking to myself for the answer.

In John 14:5-6  Thomas says to Jesus; "Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?" And Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." 

Last Thursday morning I echoed these words of Thomas, "I don't know where you are going, so how can I know the way?" 

It is at these moments that Christ reminds us that, we don't need to know where He is going, we just need to hold on to Him, to cling to his ways, His truths, and His life and we will come to the Father. 

May we all depend on Christ at a very deep level, to His way, His truth, and His life. May we be drawn to God our Father as we are shown where He is going and where He is leading us. May we be open to His call and His ministry through us.