Posts Tagged ‘Jesus Christ’

Wisdom of a Legacy from a 12 year old girl

Posted: September 17, 2011 in Fatherhood, Strength for Today
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If you have ever read any of my blog before, then you know I am a guy who lost his only daughter to a heart problem when she was 12 years old. So why do I mention this again? Well, having gone through an experience like this with a child, I can tell you first hand that it changes a man…forever. I do not think in the same manner as I did before. I certainly don’t take family opportunities for granted, I soak them up with my eyes and enjoy every second of them…But why start off a blog post in this fashion? I often think about my daughter Kylie’s legacy having only been on this earth for 12 years. I remember listening and reading to the overwhelming outpouring of love and affection towards her and I was stunned at what people said about her. She made such a huge impact in only 12 years and as time has passed, I almost feel like I didn’t know that side of her. She was impacting people everyday and I never knew. But I can easily say that her life mattered because she made a difference to the people she touched everyday, myself included.

Even now, 7 years removed from her passing, I still marvel at who she was at such a young age which got me to thinking about my own legacy and what I will be remembered for. We have all heard the expression “you only get one chance to make a first impression”. Well over the years I have made many first impressions, some of which I wish I could perform a “do over” because they were so pathetic. But it is because of these missed chances that I began to wonder what I could have given that person about who I am as a believer that they never received from me. For that moment, I blew the chance God gave me and I probably will never see that person again. God intended me to give them something, a kind word, an ear to listen…and I didn’t. These examples are the kind of chances that legacy’s are born from. People like Kylie, who take full advantage of these chance opportunities without any fear as to what others might think or say about them. I believe God continuously brings impromptu moments into our lives for reasons we do not know. He knows you have something this person needs and all we need to do is to be who we are, but we don’t and that person moves on and God assigns the task to another person in another circumstance.

So we have all these chances over a lifetime that will build a legacy of who we are. There is a country song by Aaron Tippin that says “You’ve got stand for something or you’ll fall for anything” which means when you make up your mind to stand for something, that strong stance changes those encounters. Here is my point illustrated; Kylie was only 12 years old, but her relationship with Christ resembled that of an older person. She believed in Jesus Christ and she stood solid for Him so as a result, her daily opportunities to make first impressions revolved around who she was in Christ which meant if you met her for the first time, you knew who she stood for and that became her legacy.

Now I know as guys we don’t go around thinking of things like this much but as I said, I am a changed man as a result of my experience with her. But I am asking you today to consider the wisdom of a 12-year-old girl for your own future. Consider standing strong for Christ in your own daily walk and let Him guide and direct you while you build your own legacy. I can honestly say that I hope my legacy isn’t business or sports but rather how I affected the people I met throughout my lifetime. Did I impact them for Christ? Did I accomplish the task Christ intended with our chance encounter? If I can pull that off, I would be a happy guy…

All of this I learned from a crazy little girl who lives in heaven…Thanks Kylie…

Until next time guys…Live with Ironman Strength…

Would you rather Gain this World…or Live Forever?

Posted: September 3, 2011 in Kingdom Living, Strength for Today
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Please truly consider the answer to this question for your own life;

Would you rather gain this world…or live forever?

What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?  Matthew 16:26

What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?   Mark 8:36

So let me just repeat this so I understand it correctly…you would rather sacrifice living with Jesus Christ for all eternity so you can have a few good years upon this earth?

That’s what these scriptures essentially mean paraphrased yet I am continually confronted with people who think this way. I honestly think that the writers of these scriptures found this life style particularly difficult to understand as well. You may call my statement myopic because it is true, it is YOUR choice, you get to believe what you want…but what happens when the aforementioned scripture is fulfilled and you find out you were wrong? What happens when you begin to see with your own eyes what has been in the Bible since the very beginning? Then what? Can you afford NOT to even consider what Jesus has to say?

I heard this statement recently and I it illustrates my point:

I would rather live my life as if there is a God and die to find out there isn’t, then live my life as if there isn’t and die to find out there is…

So going with simple logic, that statement makes a whole lot of sense. Again, can you afford NOT to even consider Christs offer of salvation as an option for your life? How long do you really anticipate living? maybe 70 years? maybe +/- a few years more or less…? Even if you were the richest person in the world, does that mean you don’t have any adversity in life or any problems to solve? Not at all, in fact I think there is solid proof that money creates a whole new set of problems for people. My point is this; what does the definition of “living a few good years” mean to you? Is it having a never-ending supply of money to do what you want, when you want? Is it surrounding yourself with friends and enjoying a life of leisure? Or may be you are more of a family guy whereby your definition would be to have lots of kids and spend time with your family. Any of these options will work except for one HUGE problem…All of them are temporary. Let me remind you that this life you are living right now isn’t going to last because YOU aren’t going to last. Sooner than any one of us care to admit, we begin to feel the pains of age and the limitations of age. None of us can do what we did as teenagers or in college so even though that may have been a wonderful time in our lives, it is gone now which is exactly my point. How long are you willing to wait before you consider what Christ is offering you? Salvation means a commitment to Him while here on earth and then a reward of an eternity spent in heaven. Remember the verses I mentioned earlier…what good is it for a man if he gains the whole world yet forfeits his soul? This earth is temporary and WILL PASS AWAY…On the other hand, Eternity is a really long time…In fact, I don’t think I can even comprehend how long that truly is but that is what is in our future with a commitment to Him…

Please consider this statement…What have you got to lose?

Or, better yet, Look at what you gain?

Pride vs. Humility, You get to choose…

Posted: May 10, 2011 in Kingdom Living
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If you’re like me, the older I get, the more I learn, and the                                                                                    more I learn, the more I realize I don’t know…but that’s another blog…This article is about my continuing revelation of how God constructed this whole “personal relationship with Jesus” and why I think it’s so hard for men to stay consistent. Newsflash, yours (and mine) personal relationship with Jesus Christ must begin with humility first…Yes, I said Humility. But the problem is that “being humble” works directly against how we feel about ourselves while we live on earth. Face it guys, it is tough to be humble, not to mention you and I see pride and ego exhibited everyday of our lives. A baseball player hits a monster home run and he just stands there and admires it as it leaves the ballpark…A body builder stands in front of the mirror and just stares…at himself…I could go on and on…

We live in such a “Me, all about my ego” focused world so as a result, it’s very easy to assimilate into that culture as Christian men because that is what we are surrounded by. Honestly guys, if you get up each day and don’t think about your relationship with Christ and just plow into your day with you at the helm, I can truly say you will find yourself falling victim to prideful behavior. Listen to how The Message translation of the Bible talks about this in Proverbs 16:18, First pride, then the crash – the bigger the ego, the harder the fall. That is pretty self-explanatory isn’t it?. God doesn’t have any place for pride or egos in His Kingdom. It’s all about HIM.

What you and I see around us here on earth was NOT the plan God had in mind for us…sin got in the way and it corrupted everything from early on (Genesis 3 to be exact). As hard as this may be to grasp, pride is NOT from God. It was NOT created by God, rather it is from Satan and he is the one selling that crap to all of us through things we see on television, or online, or at the gym…Its everywhere conditioning you slowly…Pride IS a wall keeping you from a relationship with God and blocks your ability to communicate with Him. Once you reach a point that you are so full of yourself that you don’t think you need God, then he has you right where he wants you…and Guys, if you have read Revelation, that is NOT a place you want to be.

Why am I writing about this? The main reason is I care about you guys. Remember the Bible also tells us in James 4:10 to Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. As I have told you before, NOW IS THE TIME to get right with God Guys! You can see the signs all around you just as easily as I can. The time is short and Satan is working overtime to pull as many men and their families down as he can. Where do you plan on spending eternity?

I am NOT being melodramatic about this topic either. The signs are clear if you take the time to read and understand them. PLEASE…Do not let your ego be the reason you walk away from what I am telling you. You maybe very good at something…your job, or a sport, or something else..but that skill is a gift from God and if you thank Him for it rather than act like it came from you we just might be playing a pick up game on that Heavenly court in the sky…I’ll meet you there…

Work Ethic…Pass it on

Posted: April 30, 2011 in Fatherhood, Strength for Today
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I’m old-fashioned in certain ways. It’s kind of funny being close to 50 and making that statement but I really think it is true for at least one thing; work ethic. Do you know what I mean when I say work ethic? I’m talking about what is inside you, that inner part of you that makes you…you. Some people call it fortitude, and some call it gravel in your gut. I’m old-fashioned, I call it, an honest day’s work for an honest day’s pay. That’s pretty simple I think…but apparently it’s not because today’s job work ethic isn’t the same as it used to be. Anyone who supervises people knows what I am referring to here. More and more, people don’t have any vision for their future. They prefer to perform the “eight and skate” mentality and the eight hours they are present? are debatable at best.

Guys, this is NOT a political blog and I plan on keeping it that way but what I am saying is as Fathers, it is our responsibility to teach work ethic in the home. That means, for example, holding our kids accountable for various responsibilities around the house. Now please, don’t misunderstand me here. I am not telling you how to do your job at work or at home. I am simply pointing out that from my vantage point, the mentality of approaching work is changing in America, and frankly, I don’t like it very much. Unfortunately, I believe that “work ethic”, or, that getting up in the morning and getting on your knees and giving God the day and then going to work and giving your best, is a dying philosophy.

Now I know there are a lot of you out there that are unemployed and for that I am sorry but as I have stated in previous blogs, keep your eyes focused on Christ, keep trusting in Him, and He will see you through this trial in your life. In fact, read my previous “You are not Alone” blog post for more of the above. As I was saying, many of you who are unemployed would simply love the opportunity to prove your work ethic but you understand what I am writing about here. We need to teach our children that is imperative they give their best effort, no matter what job they are doing. Remember the Bible talks about Colossians 3:17;
And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
I know, I know, that is BRUTAL sometimes. But as hard as that is to exemplify, as fathers, that’s our job in our homes because our kids are watching us. Show them what’s really inside you. Show them the example of your strong work ethic each day by doing your best at your job and then helping them to understand why they need to do the same thing.

Let me tell you a short story about my eight-year-old son Kendrick. Like many of you, we have a dog at our house who every day, multiple times a day, does her business outside on what used to be my green lawn (sorry, I digress) Kendrick’s job is to take care of the dogs business every Saturday and of course, he forgets, or he doesn’t want to, or he is too busy…You know the drill, kid excuses. One day I sat him down and asked him if he thought he was doing a good job at his Saturday duties and he told me “Yes, he was happy with his effort” (paraphrased) I proceeded to tell him that if he worked for me, I would have to fire him for that “effort, or lack thereof” and that surprised him. Now, you can’t fire your kid so don’t get any ideas, but I did remind him that it’s our job to do our best every time we work…

The same holds true for you and me. As men, it’s our job to not only work hard and give our employer an honest day’s work for an honest day’s pay, but every day, we need to show our kids the same thing. One of the greatest satisfactions for me as a father was getting the opportunity to speak to my oldest son’s former employer and having him tell me he is a hard worker and that he is never worried about leaving him on his own unsupervised because he knew he would still continue to work hard, even when the boss wasn’t around.

Guys, that needs to be our testament to ourselves as men and to our children. I challenge you to build a strong work ethic in your family.

God Bless you guys…

Whatever happened to Normal?

Posted: April 22, 2011 in Standing firm in Trials, Strength for Today, Strong Husbands
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If you’re like me, you may spend a little time each day catching up on world news or maybe your favorite sports team because as guys, we like to know what is going on, right? Is it me, or does it seem that right now, more than any other time in our lifetime, that the World, and America, is just out of control? It’s like what is wrong is now right and whats right, is now wrong…That’s the way it appears to me. Today I read online that a man in New York City broke up a fight happening in a McDonald’s restaurant and 10 minutes later, someone killed him for it…? I am completely dumbfounded…? When did the switch get flipped so that right and wrong are backwards? This kind of lunacy is now the everyday normal and you, me, and every other Christian family has to deal with this craziness.

Guys, I wish I had a good answer to help you with what we see going on around us but the reality is that Satan is alive and well on this earth…for now. He thinks he’s in charge and he is ramping up his attacks on humanity because frankly, I believe, the time we have left on earth is short.

Take a look at 2 Corinthians 4:3-4, where it says:

And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

Satan is actively working to keep unbelievers still unbelievers, and to turn believers into unbelievers…He wants to take as many of us down with him as he can. Why? Because he HATES you. He absolutely LOATHES you and is working this very minute to to take you down, permanently. He is lying in wait looking for someone to consume…Maybe you, or someone in your family?

Remember 1 Peter 5:8?

Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

He also wants to present you with 1000 reasons why you shouldn’t proceed down the narrow path…Maybe that means cheating on your wife? Or spending time with pornography? I could go on and on…You will continually have these types of major roadblocks thrown in your path as a Christian man. He wants you to fail and to do that he will find your weakness and make it very easy for you to fall. In fact, it will be so subtle that you may think, ”Aaah…just this once, no one will know and really, just this once”…Guess what? HE HAS GOT YOU! Look up above at that verse…It says, Be self-controlled and ALERT. Remember, sin is subtle. It slowly creeps into your life and worms its way into your inner most thoughts…

Guys, I will not lie to you…It is HARD to resist temptation… but I will give you a reason from Christ to keep on resisting:

Matthew 7:13-14

Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

Where do you fit into all of this? Are you disgusted with what you see around you or are you assimilating into the culture? Do you find all of this harder and harder to deal with or do you just not understand what the big deal is about? Guys, I challenge you to remember that the enemy is out there waiting to destroy you, and anyone else who is dear to you…I challenge you to keep your eyes on Christ and to simply hold on tight…HE WILL NOT LET GO OF YOU…

Can you afford NO FEAR in your Life…?

Posted: March 13, 2011 in Kingdom Living
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Fear is a precarious thing; it can grip you and cause you to stop in your tracks and not advance another step. It can cause one to sweat, shiver, shake, or cry out. It can also have the opposite effect whereby one might act heroically and suddenly accomplish mighty things or at least things that wouldn’t have happened if fear were not present. We are told here in America through advertising, to use the No Fear as our approach to life. The No Fear method however, is a dangerous road to walk in life because without fear, we have NO humility, and without humility, we become arrogant, and the path of arrogance doesn’t end up very well.

There is also the fear of death, or maybe the fear of man, or fear of a group of people who are killers like in a gang. What about in history with Hitler’s destructive Nazi regime, who attempted to annihilate the entire population of Jews. Can you imagine the mortal fear the Jews felt as the Nazis swept into their city bent on death and destruction? This was pure fear at its concentrated worst. Now, I can go on and illustrate examples of horrific events throughout world history and demonstrate atrocities of conquerors whose sole purpose in life was death to cause fear. But my purpose would be to simply say yes, there have been, and continue to be, numerous reasons to be fearful of man and his acts toward other men. As long as we live here on this earth, this will never change. Nation will always rise against other nations bent with the intent to destroy and take over, and if you happen to be on the receiving end of the attack, God be with you.

But the objective of this note is to put fear into perspective and I can communicate this easier by using the words of Jesus Christ from the following verses of the Bible.

“Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell”. Matthew 10:28

“But I will warn you whom to fear: fear the One who, after He has killed, has authority to cast into hell; yes, I tell you, fear Him! Luke 12:5

Guys, It’s hard to believe, especially after what I mentioned above, but Christ tells us NOT to fear anyone, or any regime of power, or any country, or any group of people who can only kill our bodies. Throughout history, people have died terrible deaths for many reasons, but as Christ points out, once you are dead, that is all a killer can do. Once you are dead, you are dead right?…Christ says that is NOT the true reason to fear…True fear should come from Him who after killing the body, has the power to destroy the soul (your soul) in hell. I know these are harsh words but I speak the truth.

Jesus clarification is helpful because as human beings, we only fear what we can see. It’s hard to fear what isn’t right in front of you. But I am telling you there is a kingdom upon this earth we cannot see with our human eyes and as the Bible tells us, where the powers and principalities of this world reside. When we die, there is more to come and that is what we, as men, should fear for both ourselves AND our families. Am I heaven bound? More than ever, I pray that you will echo the words of Joshua 24:15, where he says, “…But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord”. This must be your number one priority as you move forward. Satan will not rest until he can destroy as many souls here on earth, as possible.

OK, so if you are now fearful and concerned about your future well-being, then I have your attention. So remember, if you seek God each day then you are NOT alone. Remember the words of Isaiah the Prophet;

“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will uphold you with my righteous right hand”. 41:10

“For I am the Lord, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you. DO NOT FEAR; I WILL HELP YOU”. 41:13

Why am I telling you this today? NOW is the time to be paying attention to what is going on around you. I do NOT want you to be lulled into a false sense of complacency. Satan is alive and well right now seeking who he can devour. Me personally? I wanted you to know what you should TRULY be afraid of…not the person who can just kill your body, but the one who can kill your soul…Can you afford to live your life with no fear…?

Joe the Smog Guy

Posted: February 26, 2011 in Strength for Today
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In California, we have this really cool thing we get to do called getting your car smogged. Every 2 years I get to find a smog station that can get me in on a weekend, typically because I never have time during the week and smog certify my car. That is always the part that is the most nerve-wracking to me…will my car pass the test? I have taken to using a more secure approach by changing a few key maintenance items on all my vehicles to ensure they pass the first time through…but I digress. You don’t care about my cars or my smog checks stories except for maybe this one.

Recently, I had 2 of my vehicles come up for their scheduled smog certifications at the same time and I happened to find a guy whose name is Joe, on a Saturday morning who was not busy and could handle both of my cars…great news. I took care of the first one, then ran home and got the second one, which happened to be the car my wife drives all the time. Why does this matter? Her car has a sign on the back that has a remembrance declaration on the back about our dearly departed daughter Kylie who went home to be with God a few years back.  It also proclaims the years she was here mentioned as well so as Joe went to drive the car into the stall to begin the test, I noticed him pause to read what was on the back window.

When he was finished he came over and commented on Kylie and asked me what happened. As I spoke to him, I could tell he was impacted by her and how sad her story was so I took that moment to share a few things about her and also how we have moved on since we lost her. I told Joe flat-out where I draw my strength and even though our situation was and still is amazingly difficult, we still trust and believe in Jesus Christ. For the first time in a long time, I spoke to someone who was very open to hearing what I had to say which I have to say, which gave me confidence. I gave Joe more information about my church and service times and we shook hands and said goodbye.

What I came away from this encounter was God didn’t need me to convert Joe, he needed me to simply talk with Joe. Joe was interested in how one deals with a significant loss and I, well have experience in that area. I spoke from my heart and Joe knew this and he responded accordingly. It reminded me of the verse in 1 Peter 3:15 –
But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.

I do have hope and it is strong within me…I hope it is strong within you as well. I leave you with this…anytime, anywhere God may call you to share your faith and your hope. In my case it was two men, standing in a smog station speaking about Him…Iron sharpening iron…

We have to be different than everybody else…

Posted: February 1, 2011 in Kingdom Living, Standing firm in Trials, Strength for Today, Strong Husbands
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If not, then whats the point of being a Christian anyway? If we don’t act differently or have different morals than everyone else then why did Jesus come in the first place?

In 2 Corinthians 6:16-18, we learn from Paul that we are the temple and we must stay clean while we navigate through this very dirty world:

What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.” “Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you.” “I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.”

God requires us as followers of Jesus Christ to separate ourselves both morally and spiritually from sin or anything that is contrary to His ways. In other words, when your friends invite you to Las Vegas for the weekend for some fun and chaos and then tell you that no one will find out? You might want to reconsider that decision…don’t set yourself up for failure. Worst of all, don’t buy into the advertisements that say what happens there, stays there…It (whatever “it” might be), will be with you for the rest of your life…and YOU get to live with IT. The rest of your life for one night?…not a very good trade off…

Another quick relevant Bible story…

When Joshua took the Children of Israel into the Promised land, God gave him some very harsh and strict instructions, kill everyone you come into contact with…they all must die. Under no circumstances were they to allow any of them to live because they were heathen of the worst kind and God knew that if they yielded, the children of israel would assimilate into their cultures instead of “tuck them in” into their own. Read Deuteronomy 20:16-18 and see what God said…Why does this matter to you and me? Because are you really confident that you can spend time around temptation and NOT end up yielding to it? God knew completely that the Children of Israel would fail…and they did. They could not live next door to Las Vegas without becoming just like them, vulgar sinners and prostitutes… and I don’t want the same thing to happen to you…

Guys, I pray for you that you can indeed separate yourself from all the nasty stuff throws your direction and work each day by staying pure before Him. My best advice to you…Stay on your knees brother.

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