EXTRAORDINARY

Once in a blue moon, someone comes along that you can truly call extraordinary. Someone comes along that brightens your day and brings joy to those they encounter. No drama, no junk,....

Many reading this already know my wife Alison. You know that she's the kind of person that will do anything for anybody at any moment. With that in mind, I was still a little surprised when she came to me and asked if someone could move in with us. Here we are with three kids of our own. What about their safety? What about their security? Our financial well being? So many questions.... I told Alison I needed to know more before giving an answer.

To my surprise, a day later I received a phone call from the person in question. He was a very polite young man. He was quiet but well spoken and exuded confidence. I was seriously impressed that this High School student "manned up" to have a conversation with me and to ask me if he could move in. It wasn't an easy step. I believe he and I would quickly learn that he had many more difficult steps ahead. He moved in.

I need to take a little time to brag on my children. My oldest son, 14, gave up his room and moved in with his younger brother so our new guest could have his own space. I asked him, "Son, are you ok with this?  I don't want you to feel pushed out." His response? "Dad, this was my idea." That's the mark of a true servant when you think more of others than you do yourself. My daughter, 9, immediately took to our new guest. THIS SCARED ME! As a dad, I'm very protective of my children. However, dad's have a tendency to be more protective over their daughters. Especially, when it involves a stranger moving into your home that's taller than me..... My youngest son, 8, ....... Well, he loved it. After all, the new guy had an X Box.... They all loved him.

Out of respect for him and his family, I'll not get into the circumstances that allowed him to move in. There were struggles both physically and spiritually. He was introduced to me as the kid who walked to school..... from quite a distance... in the rain. Nevertheless, he made it happen and graduated with excellent grades. When applying for college, again, he came across hurdles and, again, he overcame and received a scholarship. He then visited the recruiter's office.... The question that he faced?...... "What do you want to do?".... He scored so high that the sky is the limit. 

Over the next few months there came preparation. My friend got a job as a camp counselor at the YMCA and, again, quickly moved through the ranks and received a full time position. With his infectious smile and gentle spirit, he made friends every day. People are coming to me on a daily basis and telling me how much they love this guy! 

He leaves tomorrow. Before he does, I want him to know how much he has meant to me and that this former guest in my home, this stranger, is now my friend and, though there is no biological  ties or papers to say so, I consider him my son. A striking resemblance I might add.... (smile). He probably doesn't realize it, but there is so much about him that reminds me of Jesus. Meekness personified. Constantly pouring himself into someone else.

Tony Mays, it has been a privilege and an honor to have you in my life and to be a part of my family. I pray that God  guides you and keeps you safe on your adventures in the years to come as you go into the military. You'll never go alone. When you return, you'll find the door open..... and dishes in the sink!

WHO ARE YOU?

One of my favorite things in life is animation. I particularly love the scene where Simba is faced with so many questions and is obviously in a point of soul searching. Not only did he lose his dad at a very young age but, he's left with a legacy of royalty to uphold.

I also LOVE Rafiki, the wise old baboon that, if you're in Simba's shoes, you don't want to hear... but you do. His mannerisms may not be to your liking but his words are unmistakably true and prompts you to react or to respond.

Rafiki, the wacked out prophet, tells Simba that his father is alive and then issues the challenge "Come, I'll show you." Lesson number one: When discipling, don't just stop with mere words. I'm sure many of you have heard of the EDIP teaching method. Explain, Demonstrate and Imitate. Problem is, most of us are guilty of falling short of the first method of explaining... Rafiki could have taken the easy way and issued the challenge of "Go". Instead he told Simba, his student, "Come, follow me. I'll show you." My mind immediately goes to Paul as he says "Therefore I urge you to imitate me." (1 Cor 4:16) In other words, "Follow me because I follow Christ."

In that instance, Simba is so excited to see the face of his father that he sets off running. He's so determined, in fact, that he barely slows down in spite of the vines and branches and numerous other obstacles along the way. His focus is primarily on one thing; seeing the face of his father. Hebrews 12 says "... let us throw off everything and the sin that so easily entangles." Who would've thought we had so much to learn from Simba? 

When Simba reaches the place where he expects to see the face of his father, he's placed in a position of taking a long, hard look at himself. Initially, he sees only himself. Isn't that normally the case? Typically, we're so self centered and buried in our circumstances that we don't see any further than that. It would behoove us to take into consideration the command of "Honor thy father and mother" with the hopes that we recognize the opportunity to reflect the face of God through how we respond to our circumstances. We are given the opportunity to live up to that legacy of royalty in the name of Christ Jesus the King.

Jesus, himself, was buried under a mountain of circumstances but chose to be obedient even unto death. Through that, God the Father raised him to new life where He is now exalted and sat down at the right hand of God. 

James and John, self centered as they were, said "Grant that we may sit, one on Your right and one on Your left, in Your glory." (Mark 10:37) Jesus responded by saying "You don't know what you're asking." Had they fully known the cost of following, I dare say they wouldn't have been so quick to say "Yes." Nevertheless, they did follow and the cost was ultimate. Spiritually, they died to themselves existing only to worship the King. Their physical death was purely part of the process. Even in that, they worshipped and they got more than they knew they were asking.

Are you up for the challenge? Are you willing to forsake all for the sake of the call? Who are you? What is your birthright? Coward or King?....

DIG DEEP

Shortly after moving back to Newnan, my wife and I bought our first house. You could still see where the previous owners had a garden, though, it had long since grown over. Given the setting and circumstances of settling in, it seemed only fitting to complete the domestication process by planting a garden.

I started by marking off the area in which to plant and started digging. With a general idea of what to expect and wanted results, I dug in. It got dirty. It got tiresome. It was a slow process. Alison, my wife, came out at one point that I was on my knees and planting tomatoes. “Do you know what you’re doing?”, she asked. “Nope. Just doing what I was taught as a kid.” Little did I know the lessons I would learn by applying what I had heard as a child.

What started out as side project quickly turned into a goal. That goal? Harvest. Honestly, there were alot of times that I got more joy out of watching Mrs. Smith from down the street harvesting crops until she needed help walking back to her car. She loved it. I loved it. We shared in the process. I would grow, she would pick and she would preserve what she was given. Often times she brought it back. Often times she would give it away.

Then came a hard lesson. There were the obvious obstacles; weeds, rocks, bugs, etc.. Nothing prepared me for the rainy season. Not the occasional rain, but one of those never ending, ground saturating, “waiting for Noah to paddle by any moment” seasons. It was unsettling to see my plants, my babies dying. They weren’t prepared. What did I do wrong? Did I not pull enough weeds? Was there not enough nutrients?

Just below the topsoil lies a hard layer of dirt. If the rainy season brings more than the topsoil can process or distribute, it puddles. If that puddle doesn’t subside soon, the crop drowns. It stagnates and rots. However, if you put in the necessary work, if you take the time to really prepare the soil and bust through that hard ground, your crop is better prepared to withstand the rainy season yield a longer, more bountiful harvest.

How many “fair weather Christians” have started out strong only to wither at the first hint of a storm? Are we, as the body of Christ, taking the time to prepare our own little spiritual garden to withstand the onslaught of spiritual warfare about to happen? Are they dug in? Are they fortified with Truth? Are they loved so much that, even when surrounded by weeds of sin, they stand tall in honor of the Son?

It’s time to dig deep, Christians.

Temporary Pleasures vs. Eternal Rewards

How many of you have ever pursued something that you were sure would bring you happiness? Maybe it was a vacation. Maybe it was a collection of comics that, if you had just one more, would make you complete. Was it the lottery? The same lottery that, if you had only exercised enough restraint, you wouldn’t feel the need to win in the first place?..... Even if you had won, the sudden surge of popularity, responsibility and the feeling of self sufficiency would ruin you. The comics kept coming, leaving you with another “just one more.”. The vacation wasn’t long enough. Even if it was, you eventually had to come back to “reality”.

Have you found yourself in the middle of a dilemma that you didn’t create? Maybe you’re a product of a shaky family life or woke up on skid row due to the loss of a job. Poor choices? Bad circumstances?

Matthew 19:16-30 The rich young ruler asked Jesus what must he do to inherit eternal life. Jesus responds by saying “Sell all you have.... and follow me.” The rich young man walked away saddened because he wasn’t prepared to put aside temporary pleasures. Luke 16:19-31 Another rich man is so consumed in his material stuff that he totally misses the opportunity to sow kingdom seeds by ministering to the needs of another who just happened to be laying at his gate. The result? A complete role reversal.

John 9:1 Jesus encountered a man who was blind from birth. A temporary setback. Jesus healed him both physically and spiritually FOREVER. John 8 Jesus encountered a woman of the streets who had been condemned to death at the hands of the religious leaders. Jesus stood in her defense. Pardoned... FOREVER. Job, the richest most righteous man of his time, lost everything..... temporarily. He chose to worship and was restored ETERNALLY. Luke 5 Levi, engrossed in his work as a tax collector, answers the call to be a disciple of Jesus and discovers PURPOSE. Lazarus was dead. Jesus gave him LIFE EVERLASTING.

Do you see what I’m getting at? There is only one I AM! Only one “BEGINNING AND END”, “ALPHA AND OMEGA”, “EVERLASTING”, “JEHOVAH JIREH” and what he asks is that we FOLLOW HIM. Seek Him. Know Him. The reward? A relationship with the Master. Freedom. Wisdom. Joy. Everlasting life. Will it be difficult? Yes. Will it be painful? Probably. Will His commands defy every ounce of logic that we know? Absolutely. However, He asks that we be wise and walk by faith. It’s when we follow our own fleshly desires that we find ourselves dissatisfied or spiritually disabled.

We all have our own stories and each one is a part of His plan. Don’t you want to be a part of His happy ending? Are you a product of your circumstance or of the Saviour?

PULVERIZED!

While cleaning my house the other day, God laid a word on my heart that I wasn't quite ready to give a definition for. "Contrite", much like so many other words of the Old Testament, isn't used much in today's society. However, most of us have or will experience what it is to be contrite.

After a little research, I was made aware that there are actually two very similar definitions depending on context.Isaiah 57:13 "For thus says the high and exalted One who lives forever, whose name is Holy, "I dwell on a high and holy place, And also with the contrite and lowly of spirit in order to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite." Twice in the same verse is this word mentioned each time carrying a little different meaning or level of degree.

"Contrite" is a derivitive of the Greek root word "daka" which actually means broken, bruised, crumbled, etc.. This is an indication that there is still life left in us. Why? 

The second application of the word comes later in vs15, this time, with a little more intense. The Greek translation here is "dakka" which basically means pulverize. It's when our pride is obliterated that we are in a proper state of worship.

Being in a contrite (daka) physical state doesn't guarantee a contrite (dakka) spiritual state! We are simply given a choice of whether to react or respond. Job was most definitely in a broken physical state and, based on scripture (Job 1:20), he tore his clothes, shaved his head, dropped to his knees.... AND WORSHIPED. Wow! Suddenly, he was brought to the realization that, once the dust settles, only one thing remains. A holy God. It is this same holy God desires a relationship with us. It is the same holy God that desires to see his own reflection is us and, in spite of our perceived circumstances, offers another chance at life abundant. 

Psalm 51:1-17 is a beautiful picture of a man who has been put under a microscope and exposed for who he is. In that state he recognizes that life without God is not only futile but not possible. The psalmist makes a choice in his broken state to receive the nourishment that he so desperately needs and so commits to the Lord's will.

When you find yourself crushed under an avalanche of desperation but not quite smothered, take that moment of silence to say goodbye to pride and bury it. What you'll find is, with proper nourishment, new fruit in the Spring.

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