Resolutions Redefined

My New Year's resolution is to not make any New year's resolutions.  See, I have already broken one.  It is amazing how the mindset of a person can change from December 31, to January 1.  Even though it is only one day, it is a new year and that greets us with promise, excitement and forgiveness.  That is why so many people decide at the beginning of the year that they will join a gym.
So you get a membership, go a few times, and maybe even get a new outfit (or workout clothes for you men).  You are all stoked because when summer arrives, you will have that beach body and be the envy of all those who have watched you go from flab to fab.  You set goals, make a plan and even tell your family that you are not ever eating hamburgers again.  Then it is time to actually GO to the gym.
The first day goes ok.  You are a little sore and out of shape, but that is to be expected.  After all
Rome was not built in a day right?  You are proud of yourself for passing up on the donuts for breakfast and have a salad for lunch.  This is going to be a piece of cake.  That is until you see the piece of cake.  The next thing you know you have already gone through the drive thru and ordered a number two super sized with a bladder busting soda (I don't know this personally.  I am just repeating someone else's story).  The next thing you know you are trying to avoid seeing the trainer you hired, speeding past the gym, and don't even know where you put that new outfit (workout stuff).
The same is true with our relationship with God.  We decide that today is the day that I get my life back on track.  We find our Bible, join a church, and even get us a new outfit (church clothes).  We feel good about our new decision and our new devotion book we picked up.  But as time goes by, life sets in, and it seems like your new found life has taken a back seat to the same old life you have always lived.
God desires more from us.  Luke 9:23 says, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me." (NKJV) That means that we must let go of our own wants and desires, start lifting daily and follow after our trainer Jesus Christ.  Notice that we are to do this daily and not just on days when the church doors are open.  Many of us want to follow after Christ but when it comes to picking up our cross daily, we fall short.  Don't just try to think of what you will look like in a year from now, just give tomorrow a try.  The next thing you know, you will be living like a follower of Jesus, pumped up and ready to take on the world for Him.
So make a plan.  Start today.  Take it one day at a time.  If not, there is always next year.  January 1st can't be that far away.

FISH OUT OF WATER

Imagine swimming along, minding your own business and then the next thing you know, you are in the fight of your life.  Last week I had an opportunity of a lifetime given to me by my good friend (and brother in law, and Pastor of Cowboy Junction church, and fellow coach of our sons' team, and now fishing buddy) Ty Bean to go to Montana fly fishing for trout.  We had a blast hanging out with several pastors and church leaders and hosted by Refuge ministries who minister to pastors and give them a time away and a place to catch lots of fish.
We went out each day with some great guides who were patient, very knowledgeable about fishing and also blessed with quick reflexes (lots of hooks flying around their heads and all).  While they rowed the boat, we fished.  And boy did we fish.  We caught so many fish, that we lost count.  Fun is an understatement.  But the thing I loved the most was not only the catch but the release.
You see, trout are a very delicate and fragile fish.  You cannot just catch them and then chuck them back in the water.  They require a little tender loving care.  After catching one, the guide would carefully take the hook out and then slowly lower the fish into the water facing it upstream and holding it still, lightening his grip until the fish gets his bearings and gills acclimated to the water again.  Then when the fish is ready, he slowly swims away back to his home.
I finally got to try it myself.  At first, the fish was resistant and tried to flop away.  Then when I lowered him into the water, he just stayed there.  Finally when it was time, he slowly swam away and hung out right there with me until he decided to take off into deeper waters.  It was truly amazing.  A bond with nature that is hard to forget.
Sometimes in life, we can feel like that fish.  We are in the fight of our life being pulled by a force that we cannot shake and taken places that we do not want to go.  We are caught and out of our element, disoriented and confused.  Then we allow God to take us in his hands.  He gently takes the hook that has ensnared us, and sets us back into the water where it is not only safe but our home.  As we wait to get our direction and bearings, he holds on to us keeping us faced in the right direction. And when we are ready, he gently lets go and lets us swim on our own.
The problem is, the more we fight, the worse it gets.  The sooner we learn to trust God, the better we will be. Psalm 7:1 says "O Lord my God, in You I put my trust; save me from all those who persecute me; and deliver me."  The enemy will try to catch you, persecute you, and devour you, God seeks to deliver you.  Trust in him and you will be saved.
And another bit of advice, avoid food with strings attached.

NO BULL

Many years ago, my pastor asked me and another intern working in the church to help him with a problem he had on his ranch in Graham, TX.  You see, on his ranch lived a bull named "Limo".  Limo had injured himself on a barbed wire fence and needed to be looked at by the vet.  What our pastor wanted us to do is simply put Limo into the chute with the harness to hold down the bull while the vet worked on him.  The only problem was that I had no idea how we were going to get him in the harness.  I guess because my pastor knew that I grew up in Arkansas, naturally I knew what to do with livestock.  Boy was he wrong.

So I strapped on my only pair of overalls (Old Navy 39.95), which by the way were in style in the 90's, and my Doc Martin boots (30 dollars from mexico) and off we went to punch some cattle.  Upon arriving, I noticed that Limo had already been put in a little pen right by the chute.  This was going to be easy.  A couple of hours later, the vet shows up and we have not made Limo move one muscle.  The vet was furious.  He took one look at us and knew that we were not going to get the job done.

He gives a pitch fork (I didn't know they even used stuff like that anymore) to my buddy and tells him to poke the bull as hard as he can in the rear when he tells him to.  Then he tells me to go to the harness and pull the lever when the bull runs through the chute.  Then he does something totally insane.  The vet picks up a two by four and goes up to the bull and hits him square between the eyes.  Limo gets mad (no duh) and comes toward the chute where the vet was.  When the bull stops, the vet tells my buddy to jab Limo with the pitch fork.  This makes the bull even madder and makes him charge right for the harness where I was waiting to clamp him down.  The only problem was that this lever was really rusty and when Limo comes through, I fail to clamp him down.

Now this 1 million pound bull is free to go wherever he wants.  No pens, no fences, not even a cattle guard is stopping him from going to downtown Graham and living it up.  But this bull does something that I will never forget.  Instead of taking off for the hills, Limo makes a turn and goes right back through the gate and into the pen he was originally held in.  He was free but chose to be penned up just like he was before.

Many times we are like Limo.  We have been beaten.  We have been poked and prodded.  We have even felt the bonds of imprisonment.  Then Jesus sets us free.  But it seems that we go right back into the pen and allow ourselves to be bound up again.  Galatians 5:1 says "Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage".

What makes us go back?  Comfort, fear of the new unknown, and sin are a few of the reasons that bondage seems to fit better than freedom, but going back leads to more pain and holds us back from living the life God intended for us to live.  So don't settle.  Live free.  And if you ever run into a bull named Limo, don't give him my address.

KING SIZE REST

I love my bed.  There I said it.  

A few years ago, Haley and I decided to upgrade our bed status.  We had lived for years with a normal queen size bed that was given to us.  Even though we were grateful, it was time to change.  For some reason, even though we flipped and rotated, it still seemed to dip on my side a lot.  So not thinking that we would spend a lot on a new mattress, we went shopping.  Boy was I wrong.

The salesman show us all different kinds of mattresses; firm ones, soft ones, pillow tops, and memory foam.  Bed after bed it seemed like the price would get too rich for my taste.  Then I saw it.  The bed of all beds.  After one time falling on it, I was hooked.  Haley and I both knew it was the bed for us.  

Now, sleeping in this bed is like falling into a cloud (except it holds you up and you don't go plummeting to your death).  After a long day, just knowing that when nighttime comes, rest awaits.  

I could go on and on about how wonderful my bed truly is but I won't.  The fact is that just telling you about my bed does you no good.  You cannot come over and sleep in our bed.  So don't even try it.  But believe me you should want to.  But once again, you can't.

One thing I have observed about my bed is that it only works when I get "IN" it.  Just talking about the bed does not good.  I must crawl into it, put the soft sheets and blankets over me and lay my head on the billowy pillow.  Until I lay down, I cannot truly experience rest.

The same is true in our relationship with Christ.  We can talk about Him, or know a few things about Him, but it is not until we find ourselves in His loving arms that we can truly find rest.  Psalms 37:7 tells us to "Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him."  Jesus tells us in Matthew 11:28-30 to "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."

So I guess what I am trying to say is that unless I am in my bed, anywhere else is a distant second at best.  And unless you are in Christ, you will never find the peace and rest that you need to make it.  So if you are looking for some spiritual rest, don't settle for a full, twin or even a queen but go for the King of all Kings.  It's the best rest you will ever find.

PRAY DAD PRAY

Kids can be the best teachers.  I mean, God gives them to us so that we can shape and encourage them to become productive members of His kingdom, but sometimes they show us just what it means to live.

I learned a valuable lesson one day when my oldest son was around 4 years old.  I decided to take him to play golf with me.  We could get outside and enjoy a little fresh air and he didn't know how good golfers were supposed to be yet so it was perfect.  

Somewhere around the third hole, my son comes up to me with complete joy in his eyes.  He had a bonding with nature moment.  He holds out his finger and with utter excitement tells me, "Look daddy I found a fly".  As I look down at his little finger I notice that on the end of it is not fly but in fact a huge bee.  Automatically I try to warn my son but as soon as I tell him to shake it off the bee, sensing my threat, defends his newly acquired territory and stings my son right on the tip of his finger.  

Now my son's face has transformed from that of wonder and amazement at his close encounter with another species to horror at the thought that this fuzzy little creature could cause so much pain and destruction to his body.  As he looks at me tears begin to well up on his face and he lets out this wail that I have heard many times with my boys indicating their dissatisfaction with life. 

As I begin to try to console my son, in the back of my mind I know that he is going to be ok, but he doesn't know that.  To him, he is going to die at the hands of a sinister little insect bent on taking over the world one finger at a time.  Finally, after exhausting all of my calming techniques, I ask him, "Just what do you want me to do!"  Without missing a beat he screams, "PRAY DAD PRAY!"  

Here I am, the man of faith and power, the one who people come to for guidance and prayer, and the one thing that I could do, the one thing my son wanted me to do, was the last thing that I thought to do. My son had heard enough sermons, enough lessons to know that there is power in prayer.  So I prayed for him.  I prayed a prayer of faith, power and victory.  I prayed a prayer of healing and restoration.  I prayed a prayer of vengeance for that evil bee that terrorized my son.  We had revival on the golf course that day.

And believe it or not, it worked.  By the time we reached the green he was healed.  He looks at me with tear residue on his face but smiling and says, "Dad, I'm all better now.  Your prayer worked."  From that day on, he has believed in the power of prayer.  Now you may say that he was eventually going to be ok and that bee sting pain eventually goes away but I am here to tell you that he was healed and that God heard that prayer and touched him that day.  

So no matter how big or how small your "sting" may be, just take my son's advice.  PRAY, PRAY, PRAY.  And if you see a fuzzy brown and yellow bee buzzing around the Hobbs Country Club, tell him to watch his back cause we are still looking for him.

LIFE LESSONS FROM A RUBBER BAND

Have you ever seen someone instantly change right in front of your eyes?  This happens on a regular basis with my toddler Charlie.  He can be in a raging fit; crying and mad as a hornet, then like the flip of a switch just all of a sudden calm down when you show him a blow pop.  The snap back to peace seems instant.  For whatever reason all the rage and fury subsides in an instant and he is back to normal.  

I am amazed by the elasticity of kids.  One minute they miss the winning goal and the next they are celebrating with ice cream sundaes.  Life for them can seem so carefree.  It makes me think that we should be more like our kids in so many ways.  I call it the rubber band principle.  A rubber band can give us so many life lessons if we just observe a few things.

One, a rubber band stretches to incredible lengths.  You can pull it back and it seems to stretch forever. Then when you let it go, it simply goes back to it's original form.  Life, many times, will stretch us to great lengths.  From pressures around us to things pulling us in every direction, it seems like we will get bent out of shape.  If we can truly have "elastic power" then no matter what life throws at us we can bounce back.  

Two, a rubber band is not worth much when it does break.  There are times when a rubber band gets to it's breaking point, then it will never be as good as it once was.  We must never get to that place where we think things are so bad that we cannot recover.  II Corinthians 4:8-9 gives us great perspective on this by telling us, "We are hard pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed."  This means that no matter how bad things may seem, we (unlike a rubber band) can choose when and where we will break.  No matter what, stretch till you think that you can't anymore, then stretch some more.  You are not crushed, in despair, forsaken or destroyed.  With Jesus in your life, you have that "elastic power" you need to see anything through till the end.

The third lesson that we can learn is that a rubber band only has value of what it is wrapped around.  Every day (except Mondays), a paper comes to my house.  That paper costs 50 cents on a news stand and dollar fifty on Sundays. A rubber band wraps itself around those papers and has the value of each days edition of information.  Take that same rubber band and wrap it around a wad of 100 dollar bills and that rubber band just got an upgrade.  Take that same rubber band and wrap it around the arm of one of my sons and it just became priceless.  When we wrap ourselves (like a rubber band) around things in this world (i.e.. jobs, relationships, etc) we only hold its value.  But when we wrap ourselves around Jesus, we just gave ourselves the ultimate upgrade.  

So stretch but don't break, and wrap yourself around Jesus.  Hold on no matter what happens.  Allow His love and mercy the opportunity to give you that "elastic power" that you need to survive a world that will stretch you to your limits.  And if you do break, don't try to fix it, give it to God.  Let Him make you new.  After all a tied up rubber band never worked very well anyway.  

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY MOM

Mom,

It has been a while since you have passed away from us.  1996 feels like an eternity.  I know that you are in a much better place and would not wish one more moment of pain for you here just to see you again, but I sure do miss you sometimes.  I just wanted to write some thoughts down (and post it for the world to see) and tell you how much you have meant to me.  

I owe you a lot.  I truly believe that the person that I have become today is a direct result of the impact you have had in my life.  I see so much of you in me it is crazy.  Thank you for giving me the ability to let "stuff" roll off my back and let it go.  No matter how bad, you always had a smile.  Thank you for teaching me that others come first, and that love is unconditional no matter what they did to you.  Thank you for the gift of noticing the good in everyone, even when it is hard to find.  But most of all, thank you for your joy.  Even as the last few days were coming, you never stopped believing and when you did understand what was about to happen you just simply smiled and said you would see us again.  The one thing that I will always remember you saying is that "Happiness is not a destination, but a daily way of travel".  That has been a theme for my life.

Lots have happened since those days mom.  I am married now and, oh mom, you would love her.  Haley is so beautiful and funny.  She truly melts my heart each day.  We do everything together.  I wish you could have met her.  If so, she probably would understand better why I am the way I am sometimes.  

I have three boys.  Jackson is a tall beautiful kid (looks just like his mom).  I catch myself looking at him and just am amazed that we are related.  He is a popular kid who really should concentrate on school more that friends but he just loves people.  He loves sports and does real well with them.  It seems like he is dragging us (or really us dragging him) to ballparks and football fields all year round.  We are really proud of him.  Sam, mom, Sam's a mess.  You see the look in his eye and you know that the wheels are turning, you just don't know if its gonna mean we end up in the emergency room (sound familiar?)  He looks just like me (not as fortunate as Jack) and has a lot of the same quirks.  He climbs everything from trees to buildings.  I call him superman.  He is a big time momma's boy and has the most tender heart.  And last but not least, we have a new addition.  This past September, little Charlie came on the scene.  We thought, "We have an 11 year old and an 8 year old, why not throw in a baby".  People said that we were crazy but I cannot imagine life without him.  He has been so much joy to Haley and I and now we truly feel like a complete family.  Jack and Sam are wonderful to him and help so much that it makes things really easy.  The verdict is still out on what kind of kid Charlie will be, but all I know is that I have never in my life seen a baby laugh and smile as much as this kid has.  I mean, every time he wakes up, he's happy.  Maybe a little DNA passed on from his grandma.

Well I had better go.  I have never been able to do this and just felt a little selfish.  I wanted others to know just how I felt about you, and how wonderful you truly were and thought that this was a good way to do it.  You know I miss you all the time.  Happy Mother's Day Mom.

Love, Jotty