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

Unwrapping God's Gifts

Gift wrapping paper that was once beautifully colored with reds, greens and imprints of the Christmas season has now become a ball of worthless trash.  What was once the desire of those trying to figure out what is inside the nicely wrapped box has now become a distant memory.  The package that was once the lure of the eye due to its beauty of glitzy wrapping paper topped with an elegant bow has now become useless and will be thrown away and never again be eyed with a desire to know what’s inside. 

According to research from Hallmark, Americans spend approximately $3.2 billion a year on wrapping paper. The hours spent selecting wrapping paper for the ones we love is no easy task.  Not just any wrapping paper will do; it is carefully examined and thought out before the selection is made.  Presentation is everything.  Some cannot give a gift unless it is wrapped perfectly.  The wrapping paper must make a statement that conveys that the gift is worth opening and seeing what is inside.  

On December 25^th billions of people all over the world opened beautifully wrapped gifts that were placed under a Christmas tree.  Each gift was wrapped with love from the giver.  No amount of time or money spent on the wrapped gift compares to the joy the giver experiences when the one who receives the gift opens it up and is full of excitement.

God is no stranger to gift-wrapping.  His wrapping of gifts may not be with beautiful and glitzy colored paper or bows nicely wrapped around the gift; however, his gifts offer eternal blessings to anyone who desires to open his or her heart to receiving them. 

Can you imagine the look on God’s face whenever one of his kids takes one of his gifts, opens it up and is full of excitement that they begin to call everyone up to tell about the gift?  Of course, the gifts God’s gives aren’t made on a production line and cannot be bought at the local department stores.  However, the gifts are available to take not only on December 25^th but any hour of the day, everyday, of every week and of every year throughout our lifetime. 

Throughout the Bible, God talks about life changing gifts that will give eternal blessings.  There is the gift of grace.  Grace means that I do not earn anything from God, he already did it for me through another gift…His son, Jesus.  Ephesians 2:8 tell us “God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God.” The gift of grace was also demonstrated by God according to Romans 5:8, “But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.” 

How we respond to the gifts from God is critical.  The key is showing love and dedication to the giver of the gifts and a willingness to open the gifts out of gratitude for the eternal blessings from God.  When we respond with a desire to surrender to the gift giver by declaring His Lordship in our lives and a commitment to living in grace and being a demonstrator of right living, then our entire life changes and eternal blessings are given.    

The question is, who is willing to unwrap the gifts so that the eternal blessings can be experienced?   Personally, I would love to chat with you more about all the gifts God has wrapped up for us to enjoy and experience!  You can call/text me at 931-545-7543, email me at thegreatestcommandislove@gmail.com or call my office at 256-446-5574. One call, text or email can eternal change your life!  Are you ready and willing to take the gifts God’s gives freely? 

Remember, Be God Controlled!

Brian

Parents Chosen for Jesus

God has been prepping for thousands of years for the moment of choosing the parents for his most precious son, Jesus.  It couldn’t be anyone.  It had to be a couple whose values reflected his own.  It had to be parents whose morals were centered in God.  It has to be parents who demonstrated humility, a strong work ethic and disciplines that would enable them to raise the Son of God.  To be Jesus’ parents, the requirement had to be one who found favor with God.  Luke 1:28 says, “The angel [Gabriel] went to her [Mary] and said, ‘greetings, you are highly favored!  The Lord be with you.’”

To be highly favored by God meant that Mary was true to living out God’s will and loving him with all her heart, soul, strength, and mind.  Every part of her life was a reflection of her desire to be godly.  She was the perfect mother for Jesus.  She had no issues that would prevent her from fulfilling one of the most important missions anyone has ever been given directly from God. 

Mary wasn’t the beauty queen of Galilee.  She didn’t live in the most expensive subdivision.  She wasn’t the most popular or the most cultured.  She was simple.  Humble.  And, God fearing.  Not fancy, just ordinary. 

God’s choice of Mary and Joseph was a brilliant one.  When one looks throughout Scripture, God uses the most unexpected people to bring about the most spectacular events in the history of mankind. 

Parents are chosen everyday by God to bring a child into the world.  What an incredible responsibility God has to place every child with a parent.  There are some parents who are abusive, uncaring, and unloving.  Some children get parents who are lawbreakers, while others get parents who do not believe in God or want anything to do with any Christian group.  Some may say that isn’t fair!  Some will asked, why would God place them with parents who are abusive, lawbreakers or atheist? 

If we allow our negative circumstances to define us, then we will never move beyond our own self-pity; nor will we ever experience the opportunities of what God’s love will ultimately do for us.  It won’t be easy not to blame, be angry, bitter or sad; however, the entire reason God chose Mary and Joseph to bring Jesus into the world was because He knew the type of character they would have as parents and He needed godly parents to raise Jesus so that ultimately he would save all of us from our sins (Matthew 1:21) and to let each of us know that God will be with us every step of the way, (Matthew 1:23) whether good or bad, nice parents or not, God is never a step away; he is always engaged in our lives and hangs on to every word we say and travels with us throughout our life. 

Jesus’ parents, Mary and Joseph are a vital part of the Christmas story. If we really take a close look at their parenting skills, we will see how they were humble, led with integrity and ensured that their son would receive the best teaching spiritually, physically and academically.  May we all do our best to teach our kids the same values spiritually, physically and academically. 

Remember, Be God Controlled!

Brian

Releasing Your Christmas Arrows

Someone once said, “An arrow can only be shot by pulling it backward. When life is dragging you back with difficulties, it means it’s going to launch you into something great. So just focus, and keep aiming.”

There are so many downers in life that pull us backwards such as:  Financial problems.  Marital conflict.  Health crisis.  Loss of a loved one.  Painful memories.  Job loss.  Social struggles.  Depression.  And, the list goes on and on and on.  Many seek to find solutions that will enable them to cope better, but for some, the solution is never the right one or best one.  The struggler continues to seek out one solution after another, but never seems to get anywhere.  Their “arrow” is pulled back and stressed to the max.  There is no other direction to go but forward; but for some, there is anxiety about letting go, fear of traveling through the unknown and uncertainty as to where they will ultimately land. 

Scripture says “Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.” (1^st Peter 5:7) and the Apostle Paul shared with struggling Christians at Philippi “not to be anxious about anything….” (Philippians 4:6)  Trusting someone enough to give his or her worries, cares and anxiety to is easier said than done.  Letting go and allowing oneself to launch takes courage, focus and vulnerability.  Yet, it is necessary to let go in order to experience freedom from the difficulties of life. 

Holidays like Christmas can be one of the most painful, lonely, emotional and anxious times of the year for those whose life has been stretched backwards to the max.  Instead of Christmas being about being about Jesus, it has become about everyone else but him.  Families go into debt in order to give their kids the latest gadgets.  When Christmas is all over and the tree and lights are taken down and the bill for all the “must haves” comes in, it is a reminder of where you really are in life; stretched as far backwards as possible.  Anxiety, pressure, worry, and depression become the normal emotions and there seems to be no way out. 

Now is the time that the stretched out life is released.   Now is the time to focus on what is, rather than, what isn’t!  Now is the time to aim at what will bring about joy, peace and hope.  Now is the time to launch into the arms of God and trust him enough to do what he does best, which is to provide every child of his resources to survive.

Jesus said it best in Matthew 11, Are you tired? Worn out...Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” 

God never promised us an easy life, but he did promise that he would never leave us nor forsake us.  Keep company with the Father and ensure Jesus is total Lord of your life and use the Spirit of God effectively so that life when life difficulties happen, you will be able to soar through them with focus and with accurate aim. 

This year, the gifts are Christmas arrows.  These arrows are those things that hurt, cause grief, hinder joy or produce conflict. As each arrow is placed carefully in the bow and pulled back as far as possible, ensure that you take aim at your desired target in life and simply let go! May you finally be able to enjoy life once again!  Now is the time to launch your Christmas arrows and trust that God will land you on your feet!  Merry Christmas!

Remember, Be God Controlled!

Brian

What Child Is This?

What Child is this
Who laid to rest
On Mary's lap is sleeping?
Whom Angels greet with anthems sweet,
While shepherds watch are keeping?”

This, this is Christ the King,
Whom shepherds guard and Angels sing
Haste, haste, to bring Him laud,
The Babe, the Son of Mary.”

What Child Is This? 

 The Gift of God – John 4:10

The Baby – Luke 2:12

The One who Saves – Matthew 1:21

Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. – Isaiah 9:6

What Child Is This?

 He looks like every other baby.  Act like every other baby.  Cries like every other baby.  He will sleep, eat, and need diaper changes.  This child will learn how to talk and walk.  He will fall, feel pain and experience heartache.  This child will get dirty and take baths.  He will need hug and will rely on his mom and dad to help him grow up.  This child will be taught values, ethics, morals, integrity and good character.  He will have to deal with challenges, he will be tested, have to make decisions to do wrong or right.  He will suffer hardships and enjoy victories.  He will have friends who will stick with him through good and bad times and he will lose friends because of peer pressure. 

What Child Is This?

 He is the Son of God, the Savior of the world and the lamb who takes away our sins.  This Child is God with us, and the anointed one and the King of kings and Lord of lords.  He is Jesus. Messiah. Christ.  Holy One.  Alpha and Omega.  Redeemer.  And, Friend. 

There will never be anyone else as tenderhearted, forgiving, merciful, grace, love, gentle, patient, obedient, and kind.  This Child Jesus opened hopes door for everyone to enter so they can experience a life of eternal joy and peace.  

What Child Is This?

 He is Christ the King who never wavered in his obedience to his Father, nor did he yield to Satan’s temptations.  This Jesus Child grew up and stayed true to his word day in and day out.  He helped an adulterous feel the relief of forgiveness and a taxman discover the true meaning of salvation. 

Getting to know this Child will change your life.  He will not only save you from your sins, he will give you eternal life with him in his home!  This Child is all that we need!

Remember, Be God Controlled!

Brian