The Human Condition of “Undeservedness”

“YOU DON’T DESERVE SPIT! — Unless you can pay for it.”  Dave Ramsey says in one of his teaching sessions of Financial Peace University.  This quote would have came right at a time when any one of us may say, “I deserve a newer model car.”  Or “I’ve lived in a mobile home all my life, I deserve a custom built house.”  Or maybe even, ”I deserve to feed the kids happy meals because they won’t shut up, and I don’t have an ounce of strength to open a can of spaghetti-Os or make a PB&J.  The premise is, if you can’t pay for it, you don’t deserve it, no matter how bad a day or life you’ve had.

I’ve been dealing with this idea the past couple of weeks…swallowing it is more like it.  In today’s cause and effect societry we assume God is that way too. 

It’s how we grew up isn’t it?  The parents tell us to be quiet and behave and we do, so we don’t get yelled at or punished.  Well, how many of us work and get paid?  We are so used to “deserving” the things that we get, good or bad, most of the time we absolutely will not be denied.  Yet over the past couple of weeks I’m reminded that God’s ways are not our ways, and His thoughts are not our thoughts. 

Karen and I have been looking for a rent house, deciding we may be able to save more money living closer to my place of employment than paying for gas driving back and forth.  Yet our search has turned up empty, and my frustrations have been made manifest a couple of times because I’m ready to leave the place we’re in.  Honestly, all the places for rent we wouldn’t be able to come close to renting on a month to month basis without sacrificing some major “debt snowball.”  I’ll admit I’ve prayed (or whined), wondering why the Lord doesn’t just lead us straight to the house right away so we can start saving MORE money immediately.  But you’d be surprised at the thoughts I’ve had, ”Lord, my family and I love you, we try to worship you in all we do, don’t we deserve more than what we have?  When will you bless, Lord?  Won’t you please help?”  It wasn’t until later that I thought of Dave Ramsey and realized that none of us “deserve” anything unless we can pay for it do we?  

The bible clearly states the ”wages of sin” is death.  That’s what we all deserve when it comes right down to it – death and Hell.  But we would never be promised a chance at a loving relationship with God had it not been for Jesus Christ who ”paid for” our sins.  Only does belief in Him, His sacrifice, and His ressurection and repentence of our sin allow us to be redeemed to God.  Blood bought and “paid for.”  It’s something we can never buy ourselves, but it’s a gift, all salvation requires is our belief. 

This redemption is not automatic though, just as I don’t “deserve” an affordable rent house just because I’m sucking wind-we don’t automatically deserve Heaven just because we repeat a little prayer after Jesus Christ died.  There must be a recognition of what we, being human and sinful, deserve (Hell); and repenting of what got us there, our willful sin!  This is a truth that is left out of so many churches today.  Too often we see Jesus Christ death on the cross for us as something we have earned just because we’re alive and breathing and God would never send us to Hell.  Unfortunately most of us think more of ourselves and what we think we deserve never allows us to come to this point.  In the end, we are undeserving of God’s grace, but He gives it anyway.  Praise God he gives us the choice to be paid for, without giving what we truly deserve.

The Burn of the Words of Christ

They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?”   (Luke 24:32).

Have you discovered what these men have as they walked along the road with the risen Jesus Christ?  I love Luke chapter 24; it unveils, not only the resurrection of our Lord, but a mysterious drivenness that Jesus orchestrates in the hearts of men with just a few words.  Few people in this life can cause others to stop and evaluate where they are and turn towards some direction with power and passion.  THIS is what Jesus drew out of these two disciples as he revealed what Moses and the prophets had proclaimed centuries before – PASSION.  DRIVE.  

I love to put myself into the shoes of these men…

They had seen events that they never believed they would, the death of their great teacher and master who they KNOW is dead, but the mystery now remains as to where his body must be.  They know they and their fellowship of disciples had not taken the body.  Nor could it be Judas Iscariot, he was found gruesomely hanging from a tree jutting out over Potters Field.  Peter and John couldn’t have done it, they ran to the grave themselves and discovered only the clothing and the napkin there, and were just as shocked as the women who discovered the empty tomb.  Then there was this “angel” business these women spoke of.  Is Mary hallucinating in her grief?  Could she have seen a ghost?  What do these things mean?

A stranger approaches and inquires what they are talking about, and they fill Him in on all the news of Jerusalem, questioning whether or not he’s been hiding in a cave to not hear of these strange happenings.  And this stranger begins to speak of the things of old, the prophets and Moses!  He intricately and carefully begins to fit the events of their missing Lord’s life into the prophesies of Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel.  Pieces begin to fall into place like a jigsaw puzzle and their hearts begin to burn.  The prophets spoke not just of deliverance from oppressive governments like the Babylonian or Roman Empires, but spoke of deliverance from sin and death!  Man’s way isn’t God’s Way!  EMMANUEL MEANS “GOD WITH US – JESUS!”  Though this man has such vast knowledge of the scripture, it still has not dawned on them they are walking and talking with their Lord.  But can’t you see the look on their faces as he speaks?  The lights coming on over their heads?  The goosebumps rising on their skin?  And then, as the stranger begins to leave off from them, they invite Him in to their home and as He speaks to the Father, blessing the bread, Jesus Christ their Lord is revealed!  Unfortunately, He disappears as quickly as they recognize Him.  They turn to eachother, knowing the other has never felt so alive, and so full of purpose, their hearts BURN within them!

When was the last time you felt alive?  Full of purpose?  I remember the first time I made a true decision for God, it WASN’T when I was saved, it was a decision based on being sick of myself and who I’d become.  Nothing else had worked for me, but I knew that God had promised in His Word that if I draw near to Him, He would draw near to me.  That if I searched for Him with all my heart, I would find Him.  So I decided to test Him, to truly throw my heart into Him.  And that decision (as far as I knew then) meant attending church and serving faithfully, and also reading His Word.  I would start there….I would believe Him that much…I would draw near to Him (the only way I really knew how then), and Jesus drew near, not revealed immediately, but He was there, and when He was recognized, as my Lord, my Savior, I was set on FIRE and haven’t been the same since.

 

   

The Cost of a Wife’s Freedom Gland – 100 Bucks

For any who have taken the courses from Financial Peace University, or ever listened to “The Dave Ramsey Show,” you have heard Dave speak jokingly of the female’s “security gland.”  Dave states that when this gland tightens, it affects a woman’s face – becoming tight and twisted, showing the unsecurity she feels within.  A couple of weeks ago, I inadvertantly discovered my wife has a freedom gland.  This gland has NOTHING to do with security.

While taking the course last year, I thought surely I would be the “free spirit,” visualizing myself struggling against being held captive by a restrictive budget.  That budget being restrictive down to the zero bottom line was the only way we were ever going to have a better life, for God and for our family.  So I bought into this idea that the little guy could actually do something he dreamed of – with hard work.  I wanted to believe the little guy was NOT limited by his circumstances and he could retire comfortably one day, IF he wanted too.  

My wife followed my lead and our lives began to change, not overnight, but faithfully and steadily.  The more faithful we were, the more debt was paid off.  But we were gazelle intense - we were angry with our debt, we were putting every free dollar we had towards debt, and over time it began to wear.  With each month’s new budget, I could feel her resistance coming on stronger, she was having a hard time digesting that every dollar was going out the door with a purpose, but with little wiggle room.  She was patiently supportive, but I knew something was not right, and I refused to feel as though I was doing this without the love of my life for the next 2 years (the time it would take for us to be out of debt).

We talked and talked and talked some more; we even cried a little bit together.  We came to realize that she didn’t want money just to blow, she wanted to fix some things up around the house.  Money for the house, maybe for some paint, or bath towels, or just a few new shirts for the boys every now and then.  She also realized that I did NOT want to put any more money on major house projects for this place we will not be staying in forever and I would rather use that money toward debt, so we can get a NEW house.  So we agreed, she keeps supporting me in our debt snowball, and I give up $100 of my debt money to do whatever she wants to with. 

It was amazing the difference!  Last week, my wife ran into an old friend who is trying the “Dave Ramsey Diet” and she said she was having difficulty getting started…the budget just seems so tight.  My wife said, “I know what you mean, this is the first month we’ve done our budget and not cried afterwards.  It was a tremendous testimony of her faithfulness to me, and to our plans, and to her friend.  She’s cried to do this and KEEPS ON DOING IT!  Now, she’s freely doing it, with a good, supportive attitude that makes her beauty shine.  The freedom gland I discovered has relaxed, and all I did was give her a little wiggle room.  One hundred dollars…who would have thought.  It will take a little longer to pay off that debt, but it’s worth it to have the FULL support of my wife. 

You nerds who are gazelle intense, even if your spouse is supportive, don’t take advantage of it.  Let your actions speak louder than words.

Worshiping In the Face of the Enemy

The imagined battle lines were drawn.  Two armies, Israelites and Philistines, had come to slaughter the other into submission.  The giant of a giant army has come to laugh and scoff at the “army of God;” and he states in more definitive terms what the battle lines truly are – man to nine foot, giant man.  Any average soldier imagining themselves fighting this enemy of God were “shaking in their armor.”

Enter David, the shepherd with staff in hand and some food from his father, on a mission to see how his brothers fare in a battle which very well could change the fate of a nation.  Based on the terms the uncircumcised Philistine has laid, David’s concerned father Jesse back home could not only be son-less, he could be cleaning Goliath’s chamberpot and weapons.  It doesn’t take long for David to hear what he considered blasphemy and idiocy spewing from this “champion.” 

David’s worship begins here, “Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?” David asks.  After some rucous, and a scolding from his eldest brother, David is summoned before King Saul and automatically says EXACTLY what Saul should have said the whole battle.  “Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him.”  Here he worships in the presence of this royalty, giving credit to the Lord.  “Your servant has been keeping his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” 

Saul replies the only way he can, “Go, and the LORD be with you.” 

And so he does, with a sling and a stone, to make the strongest worship to God almighty.  “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.  This day the LORD will hand you over to me, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. Today I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel.  All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.”

Goliath draws near to attack, and David without hesitation RUNS quickly to meet Goliath in battle, slinging a stone from his bag that sinks into the giant’s forehead and brings him to the ground.  Goliath’s sword is then drawn by the young shephard, and used to take his head, and show the size that the giant always was in his eyes compared to the living God. 

David honored God with his lips and heart through this entire ordeal.  He did it among the army of Israel, amidst the presence of Israel’s king, and then in the face of Israel’s enemy.  And he never stopped. 

I think of the impossibility there must have been for David with just his sling and stone to kill this giant.  I have heard this story countless times in my life before, and I must say that I always thought there was someway that “scientifically” the stone hit Goliath just right.  But the more I ponder it, I think of the IMPOSSIBILITY.  Physically, scientifically, this would have been impossible for me to do, and it must have been the same for David the shepherd boy.  David was as human as I am.  Yet David had God, and he knew it, and that was all he wanted - that made the difference.  Knowing God and glorifying His name was David’s utmost desire.  Not because God NEEDED David’s glory, but because David NEEDED God’s heart and honor.  Nothing less would do.  The very character of David’s LORD did not demand David’s honor, but drew his love, and it gave David the heart of a warrior.  This gave God the opportunity to magnify Himself, not just to the Philistine army, but to the army of Israel, and He did the impossible.

Love God in the presence of your enemies, in your difficulties, seek Him , not His glory, not what He will reward with…HIM.

 

 

When Peter Forgot Worship

Yesterday on the way to work, I heard the song “Voice of Truth” by Casting Crowns.  It reminded me of a time when the movie “Facing the Giants” had first come out.  The ideas both the movie and the song conveys helped me to meditate on Peter, as he stepped out of the boat towards the Lord Jesus Christ amidst a storm.  Isn’t it amazing how we can hear a sermon or a Sunday school lesson so many times but never get the point?  God uses Life experiences to drive home the lessons that will make us just a smidge more like Jesus.  Come to think of it, that’s how Jesus taught His disciples…through real life experiences, but that’s for another blog.

There are situations we dread aren’t there?  Situations come up in life that we fear, or that make us nervous, or we would just rather not face altogether.  These experiences may not always be the same for everyone.  Me admitting to my boss that I jacked a project up scares me to death, but to another person, admitting mistakes to their boss might just be another part of their job.  I hated the feeling of cowardice I felt when friends or family pressured me to ride an amusement park roller coaster; but someone else might just blow off the jeers and teasing and go ride the Himalaya without a second thought.  In Matthew 14:22-33, Peter and the apostles of Christ were all facing something they’d rather not deal with – a storm which threatened to sink them.

I tried to put myself into Peter’s sandals as wave after wave crashed into their boat, threatening to sink them.  Perhaps he is doing his best to secure a sail when he looks up and sees what he believes must be a ghost coming toward the boat on the surface of tempest waves.  Then the ghost shouts over the waves, “Do not be afraid!  It’s me, Jesus!” 

I don’t imagine Peter believed this at first, but he had seen great things from Jesus before.  Back on the shore he had just witnessed and helped Jesus Christ feed at least 5000 people with two fishes and 5 loaves of bread, he had never expected this miracle as he began to pass his basket of fish or bread on to the next hungry person, and the next, and the next, until he finally lost count and the laws of supply and demand were completely defied.  If Christ could do that, surely he could walk on water.  Peter decided it was worth his life to see if it truly was Jesus; he would rather be with Jesus, his master and teacher who he loved, then be in this boat, afraid of sinking.  “Lord!  If it really is you!  Tell me to come to you!”

“Come!”  Christ commanded.

Peter is thrilled!  It is the Lord!  I must be with Him, I must go to Him now!  He throws a leg over the stern of the boat and feels solidity under his toes.  He throws the other leg over and lands flat footed on a foamy wave dissipating into a larger sea.  His eyes fix on Jesus, and he begins to walk, one foot in front of the other into the darkness where only Jesus is. 

Peter’s teacher is out there, making this possible.  He is waiting for Peter to take his hand in fellowship, loving Peter so much because Peter trusted him enough to do the impossible – walk on water – just to be with Him.  Peter is worshiping God through this act of faith.

Then perhaps a wave slaps Peter in the face - cold, wet, and shocking - and he begins to examine his surroundings, looking distracted.  Peter looks down at his feet, among waves of darkness, he looks back and sees the boat which is being tossed like a toy in the water, waves continue to slap his body and fear suddenly grips his heart. Peter realizes he is no longer standing, he is sinking!  And like so many of us do when we realize we are in over our heads (whether we believe in God or not), Peter screams  ”Save me, Lord!”

And Jesus is there…

What would have happened if Peter would have made it to Christ, undistracted by the chaos about him and just desiring the satisfaction, pleasure and glory of Jesus?  We may never understand what we do so many times in our frantic attempt to observe and solve our problematic situations (or ordinary everyday situations for that matter).  We would be so much better off if we would just seek the solutions through the heart of our God; look for His pleasure because He is God and He loves us, and just wants our love in return.  What would happen if we found a solution and asked ourselves, “Would this please Jesus?  Is there another solution that would please Jesus even more?”  This glorifies Jesus, this magnifies His greatness:  When we take what seems big to us, and make it small through our love (our worship) for our bigger God.

 

 

Worship – Who Has the Time?

Wake up late, fix pot of coffee, go pray, get coffee, read bible,  take a shower, get dressed, shave – no, there’s no more time, and I could probably go one more day anyway, eat bran flakes, brush my teeth, grab the rest of the coffee, grab Bible, journal and book (just in case there’s more time later) and head out the door to drop the kids off by 8:10 am so I can be at work by 8:25, my truck time, not the time clock time, because it’s usually 3 minutes fast.  “Whew,” made it.  So far this hasn’t been a bad day, the only thing that would’ve made it a little better would have been waking up earlier so I could pray and read the bible longer.  Scarcely would I think anything to be missing in this fine morning (this type of morning which happens A LOT).

For anyone who has seen the movie “One Night with the King,” you would probably be interested in the book “Finding Favor with the King” by Tommy Tenney, also author of the “God Chasers” series which I heard was great, though not necessarily my style.  Like the movie, this book is based on the biblical scripture of Esther, a story of a young Jewish girl who was taken and forced into a beauty pageant of sorts for the hand of King Xerxes of Babylon (and Queen of his kingdom).  She took a bad situation that she wasn’t able to escape and made the best of it, winning Xerxes heart and eventually becoming the salvation of the Jewish race.  Tommy breaks this story down into detailed principles and gives lessons which ultimately teach us how we should worship the King of Kings as Esther worshiped her would be husband and King.

I never knew there were so many lessons in the book of Esther.  Though many very good principles, which could be preconceived opinions of the author rather than biblical fact, the basic premise is that we must worship the King for who He is.  The King of Kings is looking for those who love HIM; rather than His royalty, His riches and His blessing. 

I think so many times we get so busy that we do things just because we’ve always done them.  Even “church stuff” like reading our bibles, attending Sunday worship services, praying, singing with raised hands are often for us to satisfy OUR spiritual taste buds for the week, check off our church checklist and move on to whatever is next on the agenda.  Very seldom do we consider that God has this crazy idea that church is for HIM.  We are for HIM.  Mission work is for HIM.  Reading our bibles is for HIM.  It is He who is glorified when we start to do things just because we love Him.  

In the Bible we see the church as Christ’s bride.  I love my bride.  She is my wife, my love, my beloved.  I love to do things for her just because of that love I have for her.  I also love when she does things for me just because too.  In fact, I love her most when she honors me with her actions, it could be anything (cleaning my truck, rubbing my back, saving her money to buy the best grill she could find, etc) I would give her the world when she seemingly does nothing except for the sheer fact that she loves me.  So too should we do just because we love our Lord.  On the other hand, if my wife comes in and showers me with kisses every time she sees me just to grab some money from my wallet so she can go blow it on whatever (kind of like we do when we do our daily bible reading and pray just so we can hopefully cash in on His blessings) I would be deeply disappointed, and probably even feel a bit used.  Now I’m sure my wife would never admit to using me in this way (would we admit it to God?), but facts are still facts, especially if it happens on a consistent basis. 

How many times do we run to God when we get ourselves into trouble or need some kind of boost in confidence?  When was the last time we loved God just because He is who He is?  He is the church’s husband, maybe the church should start acting like a good wife instead of an adulteress who only comes home when she wants something.  Maybe we should give God something of our time like devotions FOR Him, instead of doing our devotions for getting FROM Him?  Think about it.

Intensity Of Our Lord

Monday morning I woke up thinking to seek God; the Sunday School message I taught the day before suggested all Christians should do so.  We should all seek God with a gazelle type intensity with a fervor and passion that can do absolutely nothing but bring glory and honor to Him.  The problem was, it was difficult to find Him that morning. 

So immediately this story came to mind…

And behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice.

1 Kings 19:11-12

The things that I have reflected from this passage gives me more of an idea of how the character of God is.  It amazes me that as the Lord passed by a wind went BEFORE Him.  I tried to place myself in Elijah’s shoes, standing on a mountain and knowing the Lord is passing by, but before He passes, chaos goes before Him, such a strong wind that rocks and mountains were torn in pieces!  Not only this unnatural wind, but an earthquake, and if that wasn’t enough -  fire!  And all of this goes before the Lord.

What an intensity must go before Him!  Then I realized this is the same God I serve.  And He is with me because I have faith in His son Jesus Christ.  My actions should reflect what a God I serve as well, the same Jesus who’s spirit is within me should be living the same type of intensity in my everyday world.  When this type of life is lived, people start to look, but they shouldn’t see God in all the zealousness and determination that His servants serve Him with, they should be able to listen and hear the still small voice that is behind it all – motivating and powerful.  It is in that still small voice that people begin to find peace and salvation, when they look BEHIND the wind, earthquakes and fire my life brings through the Spirit of God.

Our Reasons for Financial Peace

Last year my wife and I went through Financial Peace University.  This is a program from Dave Ramsey, who is becoming increasingly popular through television and radio media as America believes all the dramatic news about going into the days of deep dark depression.  Or at the least a recession.  I have my own opinions about that, but seeing as how I’m no financial expert, I will leave that for another posting at another time.

Our quest to be debt free, has a few ends in itself.  Some of the principles Dave teaches are starting to form the opinions and character of my wife and I.  It’s getting into us…we are sipping the kool-aid and starting to like it.  Here’s why:

First, we can’t even think about buying a house until we are debt free.  My wife, Karen, only works part time and my income isn’t enough to cover a house payment, car payment, and every other “payment” that comes standard in America’s world…not to mention phone or electric bill or whatever other utilities people pay these days. 

Second, social security is a joke.  It won’t be fixed from what I understand, it can’t be, and I refuse to allow my wife and I to be worried month after month…waiting on checks that may or may not be there and then it not being enough to live on or cover whatever medication we may need when we’re older.

Third, the Lord has placed a burden on my heart for the Banjara people of India.  Our communication is limited with these folk, and very few them have ever heard the name of Jesus.  There is a film ministry that we are contributing to right now.  This ministry currently is focused on buying a quality used sport utility vehicle and a projector that the Jesus film can be shown in remote villages in a language they can understand.  To be debt free means that we can be contributing WELL to this project and many, many of the Banjara people can come to know our Lord Jesus.  Then they can spread the news of the gospel themselves, telling the story and worshipping Christ as only the Banjara do.  My wife and I one day hope to contribute much, much more than what we are currently contributing to this mission.  It’s hard to do that when we’re funding the bank (who could care less about our well being or salvation).  We have a responsibility to spread the gospel, and this is the best way to do this with this particular people group.  I’ve made many friends with the Banjara people, and hope to make many more.

We’ve tested the wisdom of Dave Ramsey to see if there truly is any “financial peace” and we are finding that there is.  You know the wierd thing is, a lot of Dave Ramsey’s wisdom comes straight from the Bible.  Hmmm…the Word of God doesn’t steer you wrong?  Go figure.

Honoring God When It Hurts Most

In the Sunday school class I’ve been attending for the past three weeks, we’ve been talking about honoring God.  So far one of the main ideas that have been learned, discussed, and reinforced is the thought of honoring God in “the little things.”  Sounds pretty simple doesn’t it?  One would go, “duh!” to such a thought; but as I’ve found out this week, when it starts hurting, it’s easier said than done.

I’m a firm believer that a person has to have a shift of paradigm; a change in their vantage point (this has been discussed in the Sunday school class as well) must take place before anyone will change their actions for good or bad.  Though I’ve understood this concept and been able to see where it has been applied in my own life to things like personal finance and smoking; I also must admit there are everyday actions and behavior that I’ve not applied this concept to. 

There are some habits that we have that are not necessarily sinful, but they are also not necessarily good either.  Let me use myself as an example.  I have a coworker who knows my moods.  At least, she thinks she does.  And for the most part, she’s right, she knows I like coffee in the mornings, and she thinks enough about me (or God) to have a fresh pot of coffee brewing when I get there.  I usually don’t say much when I come in, and it takes me a while to get woke up, when I finally do come out of my grogginess, my mood improves and the rest of the day is usually quite pleasant.  I like my job and I like the people I work with so being in a good mood is usually not that difficult.  But that habit of being unpleasant in the morning just because I haven’t had my second cup of coffee yet has become a hard habit to break.  And what happens when the mood doesn’t improve?  What if someone says something in the wrong tone while I’m reinforcing my habit?  Or says nothing at all and I think they should?  The results can become disasterous, and in the end, sinful because others can be hurt by what the apostle James calls a tongue of fire.  Who’d have thought I could be half asleep and have a tongue on fire!  (Okay, that was corny, but it does make a funny mental picture)  Either way, I hope I’ve made my point, my paradigm has changed, my point of view.  It is no longer acceptable to be in a bad mood just because its early.  It doesn’t bring honor to God. 

Our God, Lord and Savior deserves more than what I give him and so…enough is enough with this bad habit, and others, but that’s for another blog.

Having Financial Peace, the Flu, Termites, and a New Outlook on Prayer

I thought I was going to sail through the flu season this year with no problems.  Be one of those lucky (or blessed) few who in the middle of March start bragging that I didn’t catch “the bug,” as though I had something to do with it.  About half the people I come in contact with on a daily basis has had this stuff at one time or another over the past month and I was feeling pretty good, until it hit me 2 nights ago.  Now it’s all I can do to stay out of the bathroom today, though the chills have finally left me.  Hopefully my body is just flushing out the sick from my body.  Despite my sickness, I’m happy to announce Karen and I have met one of our financial goals in paying off the first bill of our “debt snowball.”  A doctor bill that I incurred at the emergency room 4 or 5 months ago, next is the student loan, which has been hanging around so long it’s like a pet.  If the government isn’t lying to us about the “stimulus package” check that we should be getting around the end of May, that nasty thing will be paid off as well; freeing up enough money to hopefully have our truck paid off two years early.  Once all this happens, we will finally be able to start saving up for a real house, while repairing this one at the same time.  Speaking of, we’ve started painting!  Those of you have been here know that’s a huge step for us.  With all the repairs we’re doing, we have had to call a couple of exterminators, lest the termites eat away all our new work, who have quoted us anywhere from $1500 to $1700.  They’ve offered to finance us but we have promised ourselves never to borrow money again unless it’s for a house, so I guess a new envelope will have to be made called “Death to Termites.”  It may take another year to save up enough money, but we will not be saddled with another monthly payment right now.  Orchin Man thought I was nuts, maybe I am. I’ve been studying a lot on prayer lately.  I realize I am missing a lot when I’ve prayed before.  Using God’s name as “Lord” about 50 times in one prayer, but not really praying to anybody.  I’m almost convinced that teenagers pray better than adults every time they bow their head.  For some reason, once we reach adult hood, a lot of us, especially men, stop being personal.  We start putting on the tough guy facade, and pray in the same way.  We are very vague when we pray, “bless this, and bless that,” “bless preacher and his family, bless our church family,” “take care of the sick,” “bless those that are faithful,” and don’t forget the magic phrase we use just to remind God He has to answer our prayers we say, “in Jesus name, Amen.”  I’m convinced that prayer is more than that, and have been learning that as well.  I’m hoping to teach what I learn in our church to a group of men, but am nervous about it.  I’m so much younger than the men who I think would take this seriously.  Nevertheless, today in my devotions I read Jeremiah chapter 1 as this “fear of man” was on my mind.  In it Jeremiah quotes God as saying,    ” Do not say, ‘I am a youth,’       For you shall go to all to whom I send you,       And whatever I command you, you shall speak.        Do not be afraid of their faces,       For I am with you to deliver you,” says the LORD. So, I am going to teach, humbly, but also enthusiastically I hope, enough that God inspires and we start praying and leading our church and community and even more into revival.