Church is not for spectators, WHY?

If you go through scripture you will see that to be a part of a movement you have to move. Jonah had to go to Nineveh, Jonathon and his armor bearer had to climb the hill (1 Samuel 14&15), David had to go get the stones and put them in his sling(1 Samuel 17), Matthew had to get up and leave his post to follow (Matthew 9), Peter had to get out of the boat to be with Jesus (Matthew 14), and Jesus left all of heaven to come and redeem us (the Bible).

I don’t think there is any place in scripture where it says to watch others do something for the Lord. We all must get involved somewhere and do something in the name of the Most High. If we sit still we become stagnate just like when water stops moving. Too many people in the church have become spectators. Spectators are good observers but they are not involved in the game they just watch others. Spectators are good at complaining but they can’t do anything about it. They say things like… that coach made the wrong call, those players are not playing hard enough or those uniforms are ugly. The truth is that most spectators couldn’t get into the game because they are out shape and usually haven’t played the game. In the church it can be the same. Spectators love to complain and really don’t want to do anything about it. When people become spectators their attitude changes because they are not involved. Many more need to get involved instead of watching. Become involved and you will get a new perspective. Too often they are afraid of risking getting into the game and would rather talk about it. Lord, help me to not just complain but get involved and make a difference.

Having it easy has created softness

I am going to post something without my wife Laurie proofing so if there are mistakes it is all my fault. This past Wednesday we had a guy named Bishop from Nigeria share with our midweek group. He was great. He was not flashy but was simply a matter of fact type of person. His passion for Jesus was undeniable. He shared about how pastors' in Nigeria were dying for the cause of Christ. It was very moving. As he shared about how they died and how cruel it was, he was unfazed, because of these pastor's deaths the gospel went forward. He said it never fails when someone dies for Christ people come to know the Savior. He lives it everyday. I worry about money, food, and a whole list of things that are so unimportant. He has no worries because he has settle the issue of life and death. We here in America have it so good that it has made us soft. We don't say anything because we are afraid of what people might think or say. We never have to worry about someone causing us bodily harm. We should be bolder than ever because there are no restrictions on us but it has created the exact opposite in us as Americans. Wake up Randy to the realities of our soft church. Lord, help us to be bolder and more faithful to what YOU want for us. If it is tough I am ready. Help me to keep the eye on the prize not this world. What do you think?

American Idol

Last night during family devotions we were reading out of Matthew 6 where Jesus is telling His followers how to pray and to fast. The theme through it all is to do things in private and not let others know what you are doing. We have truly gotten away from this. It seems that everything we do for the Lord needs credit and accountability. At times it seems very nosey. The truth is we should do things in such way that only God knows what we are doing. But how do you help others without at least giving them some idea what you are doing? I believe if you are trying to make yourself look good then it is totally wrong. We need to get back to doing those things that are honoring to God in secret so that it is genuine and real.

You are probably thinking, what does American Idol have to do with what I writing about? It goes together because while we were discussing this topic Kyle says, “We aren’t supposed to have any idols before God, right?” I said yes. Then he asked “What is wrong with American Idol?” The premise behind the American Idol is that you create a person that people will like and in a way worship them by buying their music and following their career. How often do we put people up on a pedestal? This happens all the time in Christian circles where we take people and put them up almost as IDOLS. So often we put them up there because they talk so much about their good deeds and lifestyle. Jesus talks very clearly about this in our passage last night. He says to keep our deeds quiet. I want to do good in the eyes of my Lord. Later.

Loving My wife

As I told you in an earlier blog we are watching a video by Andy Stanley called IMarriage. It has been very good. This past week he spent a good portion of his message talking about how I should love my wife. It comes out of Ephesians 5 where Paul encourages husbands to love their wives as Christ loved the church. So how did Christ love the church? He left all of heaven and its’ luxuries to be with us. He came to earth lived with us and died on a cross for our sins even though he was sinless. Through this He gave us the greatest picture of grace ever given. He did all this and still gives us the choice to choose Him or not. No strings attached. Even though He has every right to force us to love and worship Him. He doesn’t. He still loves us and wants us to receive His grace. His love for us is unconditional.

In return I need to treat Laurie the same way. Unconditionally with no strings attached. I should desire to help her grow in Christ so that she becomes the woman she needs to be. There are times I put unwanted expectations on her but God is teaching me not to do this. Happy Valentine’s Day!!

Being Thankful

This past Sunday we watched a video called IMarriage by Andy Stanley. It is very good by the way. One of the things that I got out of the message was that I don’t say thank-you enough, especially to my wife, Laurie. I should thank her for doing the laundry, making the bed or any of the other mundane things of life. I try to thank her on the bigger things like when the boys are sick and throwing up and she takes care of it. But what Andy Stanley encouraged me to do is be thankful for all that she does. So I am going to try. I am even going to try to do it more with my boys and those around me. Being thankful should make life better for me and others.

Superbowl

Patriots vs. Giants
What a game! I’ve always like rooting for the underdog. Rooting for the underdog most likely started when I was young and I watched NC State beat a highly touted Houston Cougar team on a last second dunk. I love the underdog. When it comes to my relationship with Christ it seems like I am the underdog when I battle sin in my life. The truth is I am the underdog without Christ help. With the help of the Holy Spirit God’s Word promises me a victory in every area of my life. I just have to give it to Him so that he takes on the battle for me. With a cheering team like God - how can I lose in my journey with Him?

Clarification of what a blog is

Today, I was contemplating why I decided to start a blog. I first had to find out what is a blog. To me it sounds more like something you do when you are sick. So I found this definition.

blog (n) : an online diary; a personal chronological log of thoughts published on a Web page; also called Weblog, Web log

Now that I know what one is, I can begin to put my thoughts out into the world wide web.

Who cares if I blog

I meet with a group of guys every month and they have been after me to start a blog. So I did. Who knows who will start to read about what is going on in my life. We will see.