Media Overload (Part 2: Fireproof)

Nikki and I went and saw Fireproof on Sunday afternoon! It was one of the best movies I've seen in a long time! It was really great! Even if you aren't married, you should still go and see this movie! It will change your life. It did mine! It has changed how I treat others, especially my wife. It's a perfect example of how Christ loves us and a guide as to how to treat your spouse!

Since I didn't finish this blog during one sitting, I've had time to think about why I loved this movie so much. I don't want to give too much of the movie away but this is what I've come up with:

I love how the movie made me think about the way I treat my wife and other people. I know that I am no where near perfect in my attitudes and actions towards people. It shows sometimes in the way I interact and treat people. Does that sound bad? Well, it sort of made me feel bad. I can be selfish. I can be hard headed. I am guilty of not listening (or not "hearing"). But this movie made me take a look at my life and see that I am like that and that that's not how God wants us to be. He wants us to be like Him. Compassionate. Forgiving. He wants us to love others the way He loves us. Even though we don't deserve His love and forgiveness, He gives it freely because that's who He is. Even though we may think that others around us don't deserve it, God commands us to love them anyway. Ephesians 4:32 says, "Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you."

1 Corinthians 13 is famous because it is the "Love Chapter". The following passage is from verses 4-8 and describes what God says love is and how we should display it to others. "Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.

I know the movie was fictional but the way I felt when I left was real. It was a real slap in the face. It made me want to become a better husband, a better friend and an all around better person. I really hope that you will take time to go and see this movie. I promise that you won't be disappointed and that it will change your life!

Media Overload (Part 1)

I know that I haven't written in a while and I apologize. But God really got a hold of me this weekend. I call this "media overload". Allow me to explain: God has spoken to me several times this weekend; all in "media" form. And because there are several examples, I'm doing this blog in several entries. There's a lot to write down as I've learned a lot from my Heavenly Father this past weekend. Let's start with Saturday. I was driving home from work on Saturday afternoon listening to the radio and singing my little heart out (as I always do!) I normally listen to New Life 91.9 (a local Christian station in my area). However, sometimes when I'm farther up north in the state, the signal fades a bit. So, I have another Christian station that I listen to that plays a few different songs. A song comes on that I've never heard before. And I guess because I am so drawn to music, I can tell by listening to the instrumentation of a song, if it's going to be a good one or not. Well, boy, was I right this time! The music came on and it was like God was sitting in the passenger seat of my truck with me. Even though the song was soft and slow, the rumble of the tires on the road seemed to just fade away. I felt a peace like I'd never felt before.

Now, I know that the Bible is God's love letter to us, but I would imagine that if God wrote us a quick "love note", He would chose these words to include in it:

Why are you striving these days?
Why are you trying to earn grace?
Why are you crying?
Let me lift up your face.
Just don't turn away.

Why are you looking for love?
Why are you still searching, as if I'm not enough?
To where will you go child?
Tell me where will you run?
To where will you run?

And I'll be by your side, wherever you fall.
In the dead of night, whenever you call.
And please don't fight these hands that are holding you.
My hands are holding you.

Look at these hands and my side.
They swallowed the grave on that night.
When I drank the world's sin, so I could carry you in.
And give you life, I want to give you life

Cause I, I love you.
I want you to know.
That I, I love you.
I'll never let you go.

I think this pretty much sums up what God is to us... everything! He is always with us. He is holding tight to us and He'll be there whenever we fall, whenever we call and whenever we just don't know where to turn. So many times we try to do things on our own only to end up broken down, frustrated or scared. One of my favorite lines in the song is "Please don't fight these hands that are holding you." God has us in His grip and He's never going to let us go. Romans 8:38-39 answers the question about the things that can take us out of God's hands: "For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." What can separate us from God's hands???NOTHING!!! What a great feeling knowing that no matter what where we've been, what we're going through or where we'll be going, God is never going to let us go. He'll always be by our side. And I sure did feel him by my side in the truck that day!

Oh, by the way, a video for the song is posted on my Facebook page but if you don't have Facebook you can check out this link to see and hear it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J95rAr0gOFU

A Two Year Old's Hissy Fit

Funny story... My family and I were at the beach last week for vacation. On Thursday, Nikki and I were the only ones up in the room; the rest of the family was down by the ocean. Now, you have to understand, Nikki doesn't like the ocean, whatsoever. The combination of salt water (Yuck!) and the fact that my lovely wife is vertically challenged! Come to think of it, that's probably why my back hurts now; from having to bend down so much to give her hugs and kisses! But I love her anyway.

Anyway... back to my story. We were up in the room and Nikki really wanted to go swimming in the pool. Now, I like the pool but I can only take so much. She likes to swim from side to side like one of the Olympic swimmers. Me, well, I'm no Michael Phelps. So she was begging me to go and I was being reluctant. And then she said one of the funniest things I've heard her say. She said, "Either go swimming with me or I will pitch a two year old hissy fit! I will throw stuff off of the balcony!" Now you have to picture her sitting in the floor with her bottom lip poked out, pouting. It was indeed funny. But the more I thought about it, the more it rang true with us as Christians.
Have you ever pitched a "two years old's hissy fit" when something didn't go your way? Or you had decided to "travel " along a certain path in life just to have it all completely changed in an instant. Let's take a look at Paul.

Acts 9 tells the story of Paul (before he was Paul) on the way to Damascus to persecute more Christians. And he had been doing this for some time. This was his chosen lot in life. But God had a different plan for him. God stopped him dead in his tracks and changed his life completely. Most everyone knows the story but for those of you who don't Paul ended up being blind for three days after this encounter with God. And still without even knowing what was going on or what was going to happen next, he was sent into the city. Now, I don't know about you, but I think that if it would have been me, this would have been grounds for a two years old's hissy fit. Imagine taking a toy away from a two year old. They are minding their own business only to have something stolen away from them. That must have been what Paul felt like. He enjoyed doing what he was doing but God chose him to fulfill a whole different purpose.

Acts 9:15- "But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel." The next time you are walking along life's pathway and God throws you a curve, don't pitch a hissy fit. Just take it as a better opportunity to serve others and serve God. That's how He sees it.

Here are the lyrics of a song that in a way describes what it must be like to know how to serve God only to have Him use you in a way that you don't even expect. The song is "Whatever " by Steven Curtis Chapman.

I made a list, wrote down from A to Z.
All the ways I thought that You could best use me.
Told all my strengths and my abilities.
I formed a plan it seemed to make good sense.
I laid it out for You so sure You'd be convinced.
I made my case, presented my defense.
But then I read the letter that You sent me.
It said that all You really want from me is just...

Whatever, whatever You say.
Whatever, I will obey.
Whatever, Lord, have Your way...
'Cause You are my God, whatever.

So strike a match, set fire to the list.
Of all my good intentions, all my preconceived ideas.
I want to do Your will no matter what it is.
Give me faith to follow where You lead me.
Oh, Lord, give me the courage and the strength to do ...

I am not my own.
I am Yours and Yours alone.
You have bought me with Your blood.
Lord, to You and You alone do I belong.
And so whatever...

Next Five Minutes

Do you have one of those songs in your head that you know by heart and sing along with every time you hear it? Do you pay attention to what the words mean? Or have you ever had one of those moments when the words all of a sudden hit you like a brick? Well, this is one of those songs. The first time I heard it, I was hooked. I would repeat it over and over again until I memorized the words. I even knew what the song was saying and knew what the song meant. I hadn't heard the song in several years and while downloading songs onto my iPod, I came across a CD that it was on. Not even listening to it, I loaded it anyway. And then completely forgetting that it was there, it came on while I was listening one day. Here are the words that I heard:

I can reminisce about the already.
I can worry and fret about the not yet.
But when it all comes down, you know it really all comes down to the right now.
So right now...

I'm living the next five minutes, like these are my last five minutes.
'Cause I know the next five minutes may be all I have.
And after the next five minutes, turn into the last five minutes,
I'm taking the next five minutes and starting all over again.

Every morning God is given is precious.
Every heartbeat, every breath I take.
I'll never have them back once they've left us.
There will never be another right now, so right now...

What would you do if you only had 5 more minutes? How would you be living your life if you knew that the Savior of the world was returning in that short amount of time? Would you sing your favorite praise song with your hands raised high? Would Jesus find you reading or reciting your favorite Scripture verses?

God says in James 4:14, "Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away" (NASB). Our time on this earth is limited. Not a single one of us is promised tomorrow. We don't know what the next five minutes hold for our lives. Things can change in a minute, even a second. We never know what the future holds. A very popular line of products came out several years ago asking the question, "What Would Jesus Do?" We need to make sure that we ask ourselves this in everything we do. "Would Jesus be happy with what I'm doing right now if He returned at this very moment?" Now, reading this has taken about 5 minutes, so take your next 5 minutes and start it all over again.