How to overcome Life's Challenges

A burdensome life can throw anyone for a loop if one looks at the negative and proclaims life is harsh and unfair.  Life is what each of us makes it out to be no matter what happens to us.  Perspective is everything when one is facing challenges in life and the way each one response to bad news, health issues, loss of a loved one, financial troubles or relationship trauma is crucial. 

There are countless individuals who have walked the pains of heartbreak and endured the trials of bad days and overcame obstacles that seemed too difficult, too hard and too demanding. 

God never said life would be easy to live out.  God never promised us a life free from hurt, hardships or heartache. However, God did promise all of us that no matter what, he would walk the journey with us.  Hebrews 13:5-6 declared: “…Be relaxed with what you have. Since God assured us, “I’ll never let you down, never walk off and leave you,” we can boldly quote, God is there, ready to help; I’m fearless no matter what. Who or what can get to me?” (MSG)

There is nothing more encouraging and calming than to know that God is always on the scene providing his reassurance that everything will be ok.  It is in our trusting that we will discover comfort, strength, hope and security in the one who provided life in the first place.  God is amazingly generous with his time and resources.  He gives a heaping load of heartfelt love and he just doesn’t place a band aide on our wounds, but rather, he wraps them up in his healing powers.  No matter life’s wound, God can make everything better in the end. 

Seeing the beauty in life when one cannot see at all is the trademark of a life of contentment and trust.  There is a story told of a seventy-five-year-old grandpa who has been blind from cataracts for almost 15 years said to his granddaughter, “Your grandma is just the most beautiful thing, isn’t she?“ the granddaughter paused for a second and said, ”Yes she is. I bet you miss seeing that beauty on a daily basis.“ “Sweety,” the grandpa said, ”I still see her beauty every day. In fact, I see it more now than I used to when we were young."

The grandpa’s perspective to his life situation was positive and inspiring.  Though he could not see through his eyes, he was able to see through his heart. His outlook was full of optimism and his view of his wife was painted eloquently in his mind.  He didn’t need to see his wife to know her beauty; he was able to see her through the lens of love.

A doctor needed to operate on a little girl who needed O negative blood. The hospital didn’t have any, but her twin brother also had O negative blood type. The doctor explained to the little boy that it was a matter of life and death and they needed him to donate his blood for his sister. The boy sat quietly for a moment, and then said goodbye to his parents. The doctor said that he didn’t think anything about the boy saying goodbye to his parents until after we took his blood and the little boy asked, "So when will I die?"

The little boys perspective wasn’t about himself, but rather, his desire for his sister to live. It was his love, devotion and sacrifice for someone other than himself that demonstrates that his young life was lead by a willingness to help others even if it meant his own life. 

The right perspective in hard to deal with “life-issues” is critical for emotional survival.  Trusting that God will lead the way is vital to dealing with cancer, heart disease, and a loss of a loved one, financial disaster, relationship issues or painful memories.  Life can be tough and circumstances can deal us a big blow to our sanity, but in it all, God will carry us through the dark moments and provide us with every resource necessary to get us through the tough stuff.  Trust! 

Remember, Be God Controlled!

Brian

A Nation Driven By Fear?

Windows shattered.  Cars burning.  Trash scattered.  Unkind words spoken.  Protestors clash.  Million-women march for equality.   Protest signs.  Media bias.  Fake news.  Boycotts. Fights.  Arrests. 

So much can be said about this past election cycle and the inauguration of our 45^th President, Donald Trump.  It is unlike many of us have ever seen before.  The divisiveness led the way as Americans clashed over who should be our nations president. 

Fear seems to permeate our nation.  Our 32^nd President, Franklin D. Roosevelt proclaimed in his 1933 inaugural addressed that the, “Only Thing We Have to Fear Is Fear Itself”  Fear prevents us to trust and to be calm and it drives a wedge between sanity and security.  Fear opens the door to unrest and anxiety.  Fear looks to protect ones own interest and will do whatever is necessary to win the battle of the unknown.

“The disciples were in trouble far away from land, for a strong wind had risen, and they were fighting heavy waves. About three o’clock in the morning Jesus came toward them, walking on the water. When the disciples saw him walking on the water, they were terrified. In their fear, they cried out, “It’s a ghost!”  But Jesus spoke to them at once. “Don’t be afraid,” he said. “Take courage. I am here!”  Matthew 14:24-27

Just like the disciples of Jesus, when we see or hear something that is out of the norm, the first reaction at times is to fear the unknown.  For the disciples, fear thought Jesus was a ghost.  It does make sense a bit that they would be afraid of seeing something from the distance walking on the water.  After all, it is not every day that a human walks on the water.  Jesus calms their fear by revealing who he was and that everything is going to be okay. 

Change also causes fear.  No matter if it is a change in a job or a change in the President of the United States, it brings about uncertainty that raises one’s level of fear.  For some, change is ok as long as it is communicated well and there is time to adjust.  For others, if the change means a new political structure that does not fit one’s belief system, then fear sets in and actions to protects the personal belief system takes place.  Rationalizing change is not an easy task for many and the only way some know how to express his or her fear is through protesting, rioting, marching, or boycotting. 

We live in a nation where protecting, marching and boycotting is acceptable as long as it does not include rioting or causing harm on anyone else.  It is one thing to march against a president that one disagrees with peacefully; it is a whole new ballgame whenever windows are busted and cars are set on fire.  There is no place in our nation for such abusive actions. 

Not everyone will agree with the president.  Not everyone will agree with his/her boss, husband, wife, or the preacher.  It is how we disagree that is crucial for the betterment of our communities, States and nation as a whole.  If we are driven by fear, then nothing rational can be accomplished.  If we can sit down and discuss our differences in a calming and mature manner, then fear loses out and commonsense behavior wins.  Remember, the “Only Thing We Have to Fear Is Fear Itself” 

Remember, Be God Controlled!

Brian

Key Principles for Raising Children

Raising children is not easy.  It is hard work.  24 hours a day work.  We want the best for our kids.  Parents want their children to be happy and to be involved in sports, theater, school bands, social clubs, debate teams, or whatever they set their mind to do.  Parents are supporters of education and desire for their children to get good grades so a college or university will accept them.    Parents attend ballgames, plays, musicals, marching band competitions, and academic awards night.  Parents are proud of their children’s accomplishments and are the first to tell everyone about the outstanding son or daughter they have. 

While excellence in sports, academics and the arts are vitally important for our children, excelling in spiritual skills is vitally important, too.  Balancing secular with the spiritual can be extremely challenging, but necessary.  Our children need to know the basics of living the Jesus life as much as they need to know how to be successful at sports or the arts and how to be graceful winners and losers in life.  The following are three keys principles to raising a well-rounded child.  

Character Building:  Abraham Lincoln said, “Reputation is the shadow. Character is the tree.” As one of my Drill Sergeants once said while allowing us an on-post pass for a few hours during basic training, “Right character is doing the right thing when no one is watching.”  Our character defines us in every circumstance of life.  Building godly character in the life of our children will help them to always tell the truth, do the right thing with others are not looking, and never compromise truth to be accepted by others.

Relationship Building:  I Peter 3:8 "You should be like one big happy family ... loving on another with tender hearts..."  An article entitled "Whatever Happened to Commitment" says, "Commitment is at the foundation of all human relationships. It's what human relationships are all about.  We're made to live in relationship with others.  A person who withdraws all commitment to others ceases to be human."

Jesus Building:  Many preachers will put a guilt trip on us and say that if you are not committed to attending all the assemblies of the church, you are not committed.  This is hogwash and is not biblical.  While church gatherings aide in the Jesus building and are important, they are nowhere near the totality of living the Jesus life.  Jesus building is the acceptance of the Lordship of Jesus that will enable our children to build a strong relationship with him.  Knowing Jesus is knowing how to live, speak, love, or show kindness. The Message Bible says it best in Romans 10:9-10, It’s the word of faith that welcomes God to go to work and set things right for us. This is the core of our preaching. Say the welcoming word to God—“Jesus is my Master”—embracing, body and soul, God’s work of doing in us what he did in raising Jesus from the dead. That’s it. You’re not “doing” anything; you’re simply calling out to God, trusting him to do it for you. That’s salvation. With your whole being you embrace God setting things right, and then you say it, right out loud: “God has set everything right between him and me!” 

Remember, Be God Controlled!

Brian

What is in a Name?

I decided that I would Google (AKA, internet search) “my” name to see how famous I was, or wasn’t. The search surprised me when I saw 19,100 possibilities of “me!” As I scrolled through the various titles with “my” name, I was alarmed…at first. One of the first “my” name postings was a library rapist. Oh, no! Then, I saw the obituary title and thought, “am I dead?” I scrolled and started to feel a bit of relief. “My” name was an artist, a professional hockey player, a director of a frontier ranch and so on. “My” name has some quality to it and I became proud again to wear “my” name.

What’s in a name? I’m going to throw some names at you. In a word, what is the first thing you think about?:

Dr Martin Luther King, Jr.

Daniel Boone
Marilyn Monroe
Michael Jackson
President Obama
Carrie Underwood
Donald Trump

Many times, we can only associate a persons name with their career, what we’ve heard on the news, or what we have heard from other people. I have never met, Dr. King, President Obama, or Carrie Underwood. My impressions are made through media, not through a personal relationship.

First impressions are important, too. We also call it, reputation. Sure, there are times I have blown my reputation to smithereens. I have had folks asked me, “I thought you were a preacher?” Or, “Didn’t you say you were Christian?” In those moments, I just wanted to crawl in a hole and hide.

God never asked us to be perfect. However, He did tell about us the importance of being seekers of righteousness (Matthew 6:33). God never told us to be a “holier than thou” kind of person. But, He did tell us to be humble (James 4:10). God never told us to judge others. However, He did say that our judgment of others would be rewarded in the same way we judge (Matthew 7:2).

Googling myself on the Internet was interesting! Much of what I read about “myself” had nothing to do with me; however, because of the shared name, there is somewhat of a connection.

Not only do I have “my” birth name, I also have my spiritual name. In Acts 2:44; the folks who accepted the message of the Apostles were called believers. Their reputation in the community was astoundingly positive.  Whenever someone learns about our believer in Jesus status, what would be the first impression of us?  There are many believers who didn’t always betray the best of the believer’s lifestyle.  In a word, what would be the first word you think about these believers:

The Apostle Peter

The Apostle Judas

Zacchaeus

The Apostle Thomas

The Samarian Woman at the well

Jesus

With the exception of Jesus, every believer listed above had struggles that diminished their reputation as believers.  However, none of them with the exception of Judas stayed stuck in their negative reputation and overcame to become a powerful testimony for the cause of Christ. 

The spiritual birth name is important and must not be taken lightly.  Keep in mind that others are watching to see how we respond to adversity, temptations or honesty.  If someone were able to Google your name, what would they discover spiritually?

The world changes for the better when Jesus believers live honorably.  When history is revealed, what will be written about each of us who call themselves believers in Jesus?    

Remember, Be God Controlled!

Brian