Author Archives: calledtogether

Encouragement, Leadership

When God Speaks, Don’t Laugh

It is recorded in scripture that Abraham and Sarah were barren. Even though God told Abraham his offspring would be as numerous as the sand on the seashore, they were now well past child-bearing age. Abraham was 99 years old when the Lord told him that his wife would become pregnant. His reaction? First Abraham fell over, then he laughed to himself and then he questioned God by asking, “Will a son be born to a man a hundred years old?” His second question was, “Will Sarah bear a child at the age of ninety?” I am pretty sure that I would have had the same questions along with the out loud laughter piece once I picked myself up off the floor.

pregnant20old20lady20elderly20woman20having20babyNot only was God creating outside of Abraham’s belief system, He was operating outside of natural/biological laws. As Abraham and his elderly bride are still in shock, three unexpected visitors show up in their front yard. Sarah, inside the tent, found herself listening intently to the conversation taking place outside the tent. What she hears is, well… shocking to her and as the news of her impending pregnancy is revealed, she laughs to herself. Sarah’s silent question is, “Will I really have a child now that I am old?” Or, perhaps more believable, her internal questioning went something like this, “Me? Pregnant” Are you kidding?” The Lord heard her laugh and then spoke something beyond their theology, beyond their life experience and beyond their personal comprehension and faith. It was a question, but not really a question. It was that God is about to rock your world to the core statement: “Is anything too hard for the Lord?” (Genesis 17/18)

I am not sure what you’re dealing with today, but one thing I am sure of: nothing is too difficult for your God and that’s not a laughing matter.

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Encouragement, Small Groups, Training

Matching Our Theology with Our Experience II

Last week we asked the question, “Do we match our theology to our life experience or do we match our life experience to our theology?“ Perhaps the answer is neither. If our theology is limited by our experience, we could literally leave God out of the equation. In other words, could not God do something for which we have no theology? Obviously the answer is yes. As pointed out last week, we have alternative options if we live by the belief that our experience must match our theology especially when our experiences disappoint us. For example, I am told from outside my body my blood looks blue in color due to visually observing blue veins. But, my blood in my body or outside my body is red and only red because hemoglobin is mainly made up of red blood cells and their literal color is red. If what I see or experience is the totality of what I believe, I will be missing a whole element of who God is and what He does. By this, I actually place God within my human framework, making Him just another human being. If I live by theology only and discount experiences, then I will never get to know the-outside-of-the-human-experience God and Savior.faith-and-reason

All of those heroes mentioned in Hebrews eleven acted by faith and yet did not see what God had promised (11:13). Further, the scriptures reveal that we live by faith; with a spirit of faith we believe and then speak; we fix our eyes on the unseen and, faith is hoping for what is going to happen even though we do not see it. Then we find this key in Hebrews two: “We do this (putting on faith and taking off that which slows or hinders faith) by keeping our eyes on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from start to finish.” (12:2 NLT) Faith never quits, never gives up and never gives in. Faith does not need experience to be reality. Faith is not hindered by theology because theology never saved or healed anyone. Faith keeps our eyes on Jesus from “start to finish.“ And faith is only found in the experience of encountering Jesus, the One who loves to confound the wise and, at times, act outside of our theology.

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Leadership, Prayer, Small Groups, Training

Matching Our Theology with Our Experience

Which is correct: Do we match our theology to our life experience or do we match our life experience to our theology? What do I mean? Let’s say you believe in miraculous healing.  As well, your theology backs up your belief in miraculous healing.  Then you go on to act upon that belief and theology by praying for the sick. You pray with all the gusto and faith you can possibly muster.  You do this repeatedly for a period of several years.  Over that same period no one is healed, not even a headache disappears miraculously.  You are left with disappointment after disappointment and not one single testimony of healing.  Now what do you do?

You have options. You can change your theology to one that says God no longer heals the sick.  You can get angry with God and declare He no longer hears your prayers and you refuse to be embarrassed by such prayers any longer. You can believe that you simply do not have the “gift of healing.”  Or you can back off, be discouraged and give up praying for those who need a miracle. In my lifetime, I have found myself somewhere within this list – mainly discouragement.  Today, because of the lack of experiencing miraculous healing, whole denominations are built on the belief that God no longer heals. It is how they justify their experience or lack thereof.  It’s dangerous to match your theology with your experience because God may have a different answer.  We’ll look at some of those answers next week.

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Encouragement, Leadership, Small Groups

Failure, the Pathway to Success

Thomas Watson, the founder of IBM once said, “The way to succeed is to double your failure rate.”  It is said that Thomas Edison worked on 10,000 different experiments to find the right filament for the light bulb.  He started in early 1878 and on October 21, 1879, almost two years later the first incandescent light bulb was born.  Edison understood that failure was the pathway to success. Edison believed that he needed to discover what did not work in order to get closer to what did work.  His theory believed in failure as a part of the process to success. For some reason we tend to see failure as a failing – I do not believe we should – mainly because I do not believe God does.  (Why do I believe this?  Because nowhere in His word did He hide the failures of His children.)

I like what Winston Churchill once said, “Success is going from failure to failure without losing your enthusiasm.”  And Solomon said it this way, “…for though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again.”  (Proverbs 24:16a)  How does this apply to you and me as leaders today?  We can project ourselves as a leader, one who is the ideal.  Without always realizing it, we can become polished versions of the super Christian, the super pastor, or the super marketplace leader.  We then need to project always being happy, always being well-adjusted, always being in faith, always overcoming every temptation or failure.  We must feverishly protect our fragile esteem and our image of leader at all cost.  Whether trying it or not, owning up to it or not we are saying, “be perfect like me, have my faith – and if I am doing it, certainly I can expect you to.”  Take a deep breath and enjoy today along with the mistakes made by yourself and those around you.  Allow them to be lessons learned toward success.

 

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Uncategorized

Have It Your Way ?

Many believe that it is “their freedom in Christ” which allows them the opportunity to set their own standards for living in any way they deem appropriate.  Even when the word of God has set a clear precedence or standard, these same persons enjoy having it their way.  While I have the “personal freedom” to eat at McDonald’s three meals a day, every day, I choose not to because I believe the health risks far outweigh my personal freedom.  It may be personal freedom and my right, but if I desire to live any length of time, I will need to make better choices – healthy choices.

Actually, I suppose I can call anything “my truth,” but that does not make it true or anywhere close to factual.  Regardless of how much independence we claim, there are certain ways to accomplish things and specific practices for most of life.  I am pleased that the pilots who fly the huge jets I am a passenger on follow a certain standard set for them by the Federal Aviation Association.  I am grateful for the boundaries and guidelines our laws create and for those who are paid to reinforce them.  Independence does not give me the freedom to create my own truth.  Why then when it comes to the direction of the scriptures do many persons believe them to be optional?  I am so grateful that our Lord gave up His freedom and His independence to leave heaven and come to earth to die for us.  I am so pleased that He chose to take on the nature of a servant for you and for me rather than claiming His right as God.  Our freedom came as Jesus chose to give His up.

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Children, Encouragement

My Heavenly Father is a Gift Giver

It can be overwhelming for me to stop and consider the gifts my heavenly Father has bestowed upon me.  First and foremost there is the gift of my salvation.  Of course the gift of Holy Spirit living within me.  He has generously given me a wonderful and godly wife of almost 39 years.  I have three amazing children who have all gone to college and are now happily married living responsively on their own.  I have had the privilege of working for over 27 years in a ministry I love.  He has given me a home with many possessions.  To top it off, I am now a grandfather.   I am blessed with great health and wealth!

 

stock-vector-vector-set-of-hands-clients-purchasing-work-in-flat-retro-style.html.jpg  Those blessings toward me from heaven have caused me to be a giver.  I love giving gifts.  I usually give Mary gifts before it’s Valentines Day or even Christmas.  I anticipate and can’t wait to see her face when she is surprised with the new flowers on the dining room table.  I just can’t  seem to wait until the proper day to give.  I love giving gifts to my children.  One day we were enjoying a meal together with my adult children on our deck and I handed each of them some money just to bless them – no other reason.  My oldest son asked, “Who died” and provoked a bit of laughter.  When my children were teenagers, I would locate their wallets at random times and place a $20.00 bill in them.  Why?  My heavenly Father is an extravagant giver and I have come to believe that a sign of Christ-centered maturity is found in our ability to be generous.  The scripture states that as we water others we ourselves will be watered.  Has there been any dryness in your life lately? 

 

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Encouragement, Leadership, Marriage, Singles

Doing a One Eighty at Thirty Seven Thousand Feet

Last week I was in the middle of flying out of the country to spend time with several churches that I have the privilege of serving.  We were at 37,000 feet over the Atlantic and almost half way to our destination, having left Charlotte, NC two hours earlier, when the pilot came on the intercom and announced that we would be returning to the states – Miami, in fact.  None of the passengers, including myself, had realized that the plane had already completed its 180-degree turn around and was headed northwest rather than southeast.  This huge plane, a Boeing 757, with every available seat filled to capacity with mostly tourists completely changed directions and no one knew any different.

I got to thinking about that…  Could we be experiencing a 180-degree turn in our marriage and never have a clue?  Could we as believers experience a 180-degree turn in our devotional life or even our faith and not realize it?  Could our nation be experiencing a 180-degree turn away from a biblical truth and we do not know the Word of God well enough to realize what’s happening right before our eyes?  The scriptures tell us that the enemy of our souls…”masquerades as an angel of light.”  He can make something look good or enticing when in fact it is 180 degrees the opposite of the will of God.  Are you headed in the godly direction that you thought you were in every area of life?  “Lord, reveal to each of us the direction of our heart and soul.”

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Marriage, Postmarital

Steps to Taking Your Marriage on an Annual Marriage Evaluation and Vision Retreat III

 

Mary and I really look forward to this time every year because we feel as though we connect in the spiritual realm, the emotional realm and in the practical stuff of life realm.  We leave this weekend having a greater sense of oneness, direction and knowledge toward the year ahead of us.  Thus far we have covered prayer and finances.  Today, let’s take a look at employment, schedules and vision.

Employment:  Review and evaluate your year of employment.  Are you still called to this job or business?  Are you meeting your financial obligations through this employment?  Is there a possible change within this area of employment?  Are there possible changes to your employment?  What are your employment dreams?  We often ask ourselves this question, “If we could do anything that we desire to do without thought of finances, what would it be?”  Is there a side business you have or are interested in creating?  In all of this we are attempting to discover if our heart is still in our employment or if God is calling us to some kind of change.

Schedules:  Review your activity level from the past year.  Were you gone from home too often with employment or hobbies?  Did you enjoy a sufficient number of dates with each other and your children?  Did you have weekends away?  Did your family take a vacation?  Assess children’s activities and their schedules.  Share your anticipated schedules for the coming year.  Project time away together and family vacation.  Project this evaluation time for next year.

Vision:  Review any written or verbalized goals from the previous year.  Review your marriage mission statement and make any necessary changes.  Review any scriptures that you had recorded from the past year.  Write your new goals and vision (spiritual, financial, social, emotional and physical).  Finalize this time by dreaming ahead.  Pray and record what you see and allow your mate the freedom to project into the future because…”faith is the substance of things hoped for.”  We strongly feel this time can radically change the atmosphere of your marriage.  Take us up on this challenge and schedule it now.  You’ll be glad you did!

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Marriage, Postmarital

Steps to Taking Your Marriage on an Annual Marriage Evaluation and Vision Retreat II

In part two of taking your marriage on a retreat we want to consider finances.  Because we have laid down a foundation of prayer for this time, it will be easier to talk about money and financial decisions.  The use of finances is something that most couples struggle with and for many it is their most difficult area to find agreement.  That’s because we often come into marriage with differing financial values.  For example I was a “saver” and Mary was a “spender.”  In an earlier blog I wrote about how those were actually gifts once we began to appreciate and discover what the other person’s way of thinking brought into the marriage.  But for the sake of this weekend, we want to first review our prior year financially, give God thanks and then move on to the coming year in order to make necessary changes.  Below, I have encapsulated our process for this time.

Take time to review your budget from the prior year.  Where was your budget accurate and where did it miss the mark?  Review each of your accounts, checking and savings.  Review your giving, e.g., tithe, missions, first fruits and offerings.  Review your investments, e.g., life insurance, money market, IRA’s, etc.  Review your debt and your plan to be clear of debt.  Are you in agreement with your spending, credit card charges and purchases?  Are you in agreement with your saving, life investments and giving?  Are you meeting your financial goals in all the above areas?

After evaluation turn toward the future:  What are our future financial goals?  What are we saving toward?  How are we handling our children’s higher education?  When do we update our vehicle?  What projects do we need to consider in our home in order to address ongoing maintenance and improvements?  In other words, what is our financial plan?  Most couples do not incorporate a budget or a financial plan.  It is an extremely helpful way to be in agreement and to reach those financial goals.

Why do all this?  Proverbs 3:9 tells us to honor the Lord with our wealth.  I truly believe and have experienced God’s blessing when we are operating in financial oneness.

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Encouragement, Marriage, Postmarital, Prayer

Steps to Taking Your Marriage on an Annual Marriage Evaluation and Vision Retreat

You have most likely attended a woman’s retreat or a men’s retreat in your lifetime.  Have you and your spouse considered a personal marriage retreat for the purpose of evaluating the past year and then praying about vision for the forthcoming year?  My wife and I have been doing this for many years and find it to be one of the most helpful annual connections we do together.  It gets us on the same page.  We communicate thoroughly.  We take a hard look at what was and evaluate where we are.  We keep the excitement factor up by looking ahead toward the future.  In the next several weeks, we desire to share with you our process of how we do this.

I book a hotel room for 24 hours.  Yes, we get away from the normal setting because it’s conducive to what we desire to accomplish without the typical interruptions.   We check in as early as we can and begin to settle into evaluating our year after we dedicate our time to the Lord in prayer.  The first thing we do is to connect through prayer.  (We will look at other areas of this time in the coming weeks.)

Praying together as a couple is a key to this time.

Start by giving thanks for God’s provision and protection from this past year.

Pray about this time together concerning this retreat, specifically that you will hear the voice of your heavenly Father.

Pray over your marriage, your family, your employment, your finances; pray about everything and anything.

Give God praise for the positive and the not so positive.  Praise is a key factor to keep our heart attitude correct and open to this time.

Assess your prayer lives together as a couple and as a family.  Are we connecting sufficiently through the discipline of prayer as a couple?

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