As many of you know, since receiving my masters degree a little over a year ago, I have wanted to get my license in professional counseling (LPC).  The downside of this exciting goal is that I have known that at some point, if I ever decided to pursue this, I would have to take at least a 2-year hiatus from preaching in order to accumulate the 3,000 supervised hours I need to be awarded my LPC.

The opportunity has been presented.  After much prayer and deliberation with my wife, I have decided to accept an offer to work as a therapist at a psychiatric facility for inmates near Tyler, Texas.  I will be working for University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB).

This decision is difficult on so many levels.  My heart is in preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ.  It always will be.  There is not a more important work in the world, and I will miss it immensely.  I am going to miss the congregation here in La Grange.  I am indebted to you in more ways than you will ever know.  I love you brethren dearly and cannot express in words how much you mean to me, Cody, and the boys.  The elders, as well as membership as a whole, have stood behind me, and have supported me in my growth not only as a preacher, but as a Christian.  This is extremely hard to walk away from.  This will be a tough adjustment for me, for sure.  I love my work as a preacher and it is all I have known for 11 years now.  I am so thankful to my wife for allowing me to do what I love doing. 

But it is time to move forward now.  And I have so much for which to still be grateful.  My family’s last Sunday here as La Grange residents will be Sunday, September 6^th.  We will be moving to the Longview/Tyler area.  I do not know what the future holds as for 2 years from now once I obtain my license.  Perhaps I will come back to a career in preaching.  That option will certainly exist.  Perhaps I will stay where I am if I like it there and enjoy what I am doing.  At this point, I simply do not know.  Or maybe I will even one day have a private practice as a therapist.  That opportunity will also exist.  I thank God for the doors of opportunity He has opened for me and my family. 

I covet your prayers.  I am convinced that this is the right decision for my family and me right now but it is still painfully difficult.  This will be a big adjustment for me as well as for my entire family.  I need your prayers for strength, courage, faith, love, and grace as I continue my partnership with Christ in His kingdom.  Please say a prayer for me, that regardless of what I do in life, I will be the husband, dad, Christian brother, friend, kingdom citizen, and now co-worker that God has called me to be.  And may I always remember, regardless of whether I am a preacher or not, that I belong to and have responsibilities in the greatest kingdom that could ever exist.

We love you all!

One such blessing is our influence.  When we become Christians, we start to have an influence………whether we like it or not.  I can recall several years ago, when NBA great Charles Barkley was coming to a close of a great career, and he came to Houston to play for the Rockets.  Apparently he had gotten into some trouble legally at a local restaraunt and when confronted with it by the media, he stated something to this effect, “I am a basketball player.  That’s what I do.  I never asked to be a role model for kids.  Being a role model is not what I set out to do in life.  I don’t want to be an influence.  I play basketball.”  And I remember thinking to myself, “Gee Charles, you don’t really have a choice.  It comes with the territory.”

The same is true with Christianity.  We don’t have much choice.  We carry an influence as Christians.  It comes with the territory.  We don’t get to choose whether or not we are an influence.  What we do get to choose however, is whether or not that influence is good.  Jesus describes life in His kingdom this way:

You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored?  It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.  You are the light of the world.  A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.  Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.  In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works, and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. (Matthew 5:13-16).

For those who are part of God’s kingdom, Jesus compares that influence to salt and light.  What are some things salt does?

• It enhances; it makes things taste better.  Do we enhance or make better things and people that we are around?
• It purifies.  Do we have a cleansing effect on others due to our own purity?
• It preserves.  Do we preserve Godliness in the midst of a society that doesn’t?
• Once something loses its flavor or purity, it is next to impossible to get it back.  The same lies true with our credibility.  Our credibility is vital when it comes to our responsibility to teach people the gospel.

What does light do?

• It shines
• It guides
• It warms
• It attracts
• It exposes darkness
• It produces growth
• It gives energy

Also, a common characteristic with salt and light is that its influence is not about the salt or light itself.  No one says after having put salt on their food, “Man, this salt tastes good.”  It is really about whatever it influences.  And the same lies true with light.  It is not always about that light, but it is more about what the light is impacting or accentuating.  Hence Jesus’ words, “let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”

How has our influence been?  Are we seeking to establish credibility for ourselves so that we may be able to successfully meet God’s charge  to teach people?

Peace!

My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory.  For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in, and if you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, ‘You sit here in a good place,’ while you say to the poor man, ‘You stand over there,’ or, ‘Sit down at my feet,’ have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?  Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him?

….but if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. (James 2:1-9).

Jesus made a similar point, according to Matthew:

You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’  But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven.  For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.  For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have?  Do not even the tax collectors do the same?  And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others?  Do not even the Gentiles do the same?  You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly father is perfect (Matthew 5:43-48).

Of course, Jesus not only taught that a component of kingdom living was to forsake prejudices of all types, but He actually “walked the walk.”  There are a plethora of scenes depicted in the gospel accounts of Jesus reaching out to others and making a difference in their lives.  Whether it was healing lepers, relieving those who were demon-possessed, encouraging the poor, breaking cultural and religious barriers to reach out to a Samaritan woman in an adulterous relationship, or simply eating with and spending time with sinners, Jesus took the time for people.  He made the time for the physically ill, the mentally ill, the financially ill, and the spiritually ill.  He did not always approve of what the people He made the time for were doing.  But He was kind, gentle, and compassionate nevertheless.  These are the types of people He converted.  As different as these people were, as wide on the spectrum as they are, and as diverse a population as this might have been, there were some similarities between them too.

• They were “underdogs.”  Most were at some distinct disadvantage in life, whether physically, mentally, socially, financially, spiritually, or all of the above.
• They were people that the rest of society wanted nothing to do with.  There was some kind of “stigma” about them that drew the common people away.
• They wanted help and were begging/crying for it.
• Jesus didn’t let the others’ reactions to Him helping and reaching out to these people stop Him.  These people being exposed to life in the kingdom was much more important than the cultural barriers that existed in that day.
• Every one of them needed an act of grace

……..and so do I….big time! (Romans 3:23).

Hopefully all of us as kingdom citizens are striving to remove prejudices in our lives.  And there are many: toward the poor, toward the sick, toward the mentally challenged, toward the elderly, toward younger generations, toward those who come from different cultural backgrounds, toward other races, and even toward those whose views and opinions differ from ours politically and religiously.  As followers of Christ, we are partners with Him in His kingdom and are hopefully striving to emulate Him in all we do.  So look no further than those to whom He reached out and impacted. 

The kingdom may not be all-inclusive simply because some will not accept it on God’s terms.  But it was certainly designed to be.  The kingdom may not include every one, but may this unfortunate reality never be a result of our lack of effort.  May we be cautious so as to not leave out those people who would likely be the most receptive.

What prejudices might we have that we need to work on?

I am part of the Lion’s Club here in La Grange.  We do a lot of community activities but we meet on every Thursday for lunch.  And we are going through somewhat of a transition right now as far as having to decide if we are going to continue meeting where we currently are at the Country Club.  We like it there but we feel like we are getting “jerked around” a little bit.  They want to increase the price of our meal or give us a lot “less” for the same amount that we have been paying.  Well of course, none of us like that idea.  So we are looking at other options in town currently.  Meanwhile, while we are looking at these other options, we thought we would go ahead and try this “lesser plan” for about a month just to see if we like it.  Yesterday was the first day and needless to say, no one I talked with in the club likes it. 

They were a little short on food.  It was less in quality.  And to be blunt, all of us were pretty irritated actually.  So during the meal there was plenty of complaining, yours truly included.  In fact, I may have been the leader of the pack in that regard.  Well, after a bit I began to think to myself, “now Jason, you’re probably not being a good example.”  And then it happened.  Confirmation of what I was just thinking.

The guest speaker for the day was a lady in the community who had recently conducted a “poverty workshop.”  She and another lady were there to speak to us about underprivileged kids.  They are doing a lot of things to help these kids not be at such a disadvantage.  They do things in their organization such as provide food for the kids and buy school supplies, as well as provide a safe place for them to hangout and stay out of trouble.  They proceeded to talk about how these kids are not supervised by parents and that many have no guidance.  And that often times they would be more than happy to eat our leftovers. 

Ouch!  And here we were griping about a meal worth more money than we wanted to spend.  Talk about putting things in perspective!  All of the men I was sitting around just kind of looked at each other and thought, “well maybe its not so bad.”  I am certain that we will probably still go elsewhere and we still don’t like the way we were treated necessarily, but I know for me personally, I am going to think twice before griping about a lack of food.  I don’t have a clue as to what that’s like.  While I usually ask “what am I going to eat today?”, some are asking, “Will I eat today?”

This really gave me a new perspective.  And I needed it.  May I never forget how blessed I am and allow that to help me be a better example to those around me in the community.  And may it instill in me more of a sense of compassion and grace to those who are less fortunate.

For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me…Truly I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me”—Jesus (Matthew 25:35-40).

Thank you God for reminding me to keep things in perspective and how grateful I should be. 

Have a great weekend!

This event is way too long.  It has become boring.  And I suppose there are a lot of ways they can make it better, but if I listed them, I would digress.  Such isn’t really the point of this post.  I just mentioned it in order to make this point.  The homerun derby is supposed to be about the best power hitters in the game being able to display their power.  Or at least that is what it was about in the past.  Now it has turned into something else.  This is completely my opinion here, but it seems to me after watching the homerun derby these last few years that ESPN has made this event about themselves.

Then this got me to thinking.  How often have we done this ourselves?  I know I have…more often than I care to admit, really.  The temptation exists often, to take something that has nothing to do with us and turn it into something that is all about us.  Sometimes it is in the form of simply trying to always be the center of attention.  Other times it is in the form of taking things personal when we should not.  The latter is the category I fall under a lot.

Jesus seems to have understood this concept.  When He was mistreated, He did not take things personal.  I am sure He was tempted (Hebrews 4:15) as anyone would be.  At least not personal to the point where He forgot about where the issues really lied.  For example, what did He say when hanging on the cross in pain and agony while listening to others mock and further humiliate Him?  He said “Father, forgive them.  For they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34).  I don’t want to judge anyone, but I would suspect the majority of us tend to take much less persecution personally.  But Jesus knew His mistreatment was more about them and their issues, and not Him.  And consequently, He prayed for them.  What a tremendous example of how to deal with others in trying times.

I think a lot of what allowed Jesus to love and pray for His “enemy” was understanding that their mistreatment of Him was not about Him, but them.  Even when the Scribes, Pharisees, and Lawyers of His day questioned Him along with His actions and motives, He always managed to put the focus where it was supposed to be—-back on them and on their motives.  Yes life is about Jesus but the people’s mistreatment of Him was about their own issues, not that of Jesus. 

I wonder how much better we would be able to handle ourselves if we could just remember that.  It’s not always about us.  Perhaps this would help us in our efforts to have kingdom hearts—-to love even those who persecute us (Matthew 5:43-48) and demonstrate the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22ff) toward all man.  I am going to try to remember this for sure.  I need all the help I can get.

It’s not always about us.

Perhaps an aspect of our future that we do not give enough consideration to is our spiritual future. Currently on Sunday mornings I am going through a series of lessons designed for our youth. This past Sunday morning I talked about some things our younger generation can start doing now that will hopefully help ensure their faithfulness in 10, 20, or 50 years from now. Obviously there is a lot we as adults can take from this also. Interestingly, these are examples of some things we see in a young Timothy as Paul helped to prepare him for a life serving God. There should be little doubt that these qualities helped ensure Timothy’s own faithfulness as he grew older.

Develop your own faith.
As adults, many of us can look back at our childhood and remember so much of what our parents did for us. We lived off of them. They provided for us and we should always be grateful for that. We should do what we can to instill gratitude into the hearts of our young people. It is God’s design that parents provide for their children. Children live off of parents (1 Timothy 5:8). However, with this said, children cannot live off their parents’ faith. We must develop our own faith. Faith must be sincere and genuine, and it cannot achieve this status if it is not our own. I think it is good when children develop the same faith as parents, especially when that faith involves truth. But it needs to be their own. And as parents, hopefully we are instilling this in them. This seems to be the case with how Timothy developed his own faith through the strength of his family’s faith (2 Timothy 1:5). This is Biblical. But a faith that is not genuine will eventually be a weak one that crumbles in the midst of adversity once a child leaves home. As adults we can help by not getting “up in arms” when our young people have questions. We should encourage that. I can’t think of anything worse than Aaron and Chase growing up claiming faith in God only because mommy and daddy say that He exists. We have too many kids leaving home for college without a clue as to why they believe what they believe.

Study your Bible.
All living things, whether plants, animals, or humans, must be nourished properly in order to grow and flourish. God specifically designed food for our nourishment and growth. He also gave us His living word, the bread of life so that we can be nourished spiritually. It is not uncommon that God uses “spiritual food” as a metaphor to indicate our need for growth. See Matthew 4:3-4; John 6:26-27, 32-35; Hebrews 5:12-14; 1 Peter 2:2. God’s word is certainly in great part attributed to young Timothy’s steady growth and spiritual strength (2 Timothy 3:14-15). We cannot learn what God wants of us as His people without giving attention to the guide He provided us. See also 1 Timothy 4:13.

Practice what you preach.
In other words, the gospel is not merely to be taught, but it is to be lived. Jesus taught that Christianity is an active faith. He taught and provided an example of how kingdom living entails getting out and making a difference in the lives of others; teaching people things that really and actually matter; helping them; associating with those that the rest of society will not hang out with; assisting the needy, the sick, the poor, the jailed, the widows. Jesus taught it and He lived it, thus providing for us the perfect example. The Bible also gives us the example of Timothy as a young person who actually cared about others. His love and sincerity is what compelled him to live and teach the gospel. He carried out the same message he taught. See Acts 16:1-3 and Philippians 2:19-21. There should be little doubt that his living out the gospel message is what gave him opportunity to effectively teach it.

Christianity is not merely about facts and rules. It is absurd to think that one will stand before God on judgment day, knowing full well that they did not love and serve others, never tried to impact others for good, and never helped others, yet somehow because they were “sound” on all points of their doctrinal positions that they have an automatic ticket to heaven. This is essentially what the religious elite of Jesus’ day thought and Jesus told His followers “…unless your righteousness exceeds that of the Scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:20). In other words, life in the kingdom is better than that. The Bible mentions nothing of a doctrinal quiz to be taken at judgment. While doing our best to adhere to pure and healthy doctrine, let us remember that Paul says it is the things we do and practice that will actually determine how we are judged (2 Corinthians 5:10). Service to God, that is, practicing what we preach is what matters.

It is not uncommon that we are faced with dilemmas in life, many of which are moral ones in nature. Granted, many are easy for us to decide “no.” For the most part, Christians are already resolved (hopefully) to not engage in things that the Bible explicitly forbids. For example, the Bible is clear on how God feels about sex outside of marriage, lusts, drunkenness, violence, theft, sowing discord, etc. But what about some of these “issues,” that aren’t so clear? Those things where the Bible doesn’t explictly give us a “thou shalt…” or a “thou shalt not…” We are left wondering (1) Does the Bible really condemn this? (2) How far is too far? and (3) why? Some examples of this might include things like whether or not to watch a certain movie, whether or not it is really sinful to use tobbacco products, what really constitutes immodest clothing, etc. How really do we know?

Here are a series of things to consider when attempting to answer these questions for ourselves:

Have a great day!

“They serve to clarify Jesus’ fundamental message: the free availability of God’s rule and righteousness to all of humanity through reliance upon Jesus Himself… They do this simply by taking those who, from the human point of view, are regarded as most hopeless, most beyond all possibility of God’s blessing or even interest, and exhibiting them as enjoying God’s touch and abundant provision from the heavens.

This fact of God’s care and provision proves to all that no human condition excludes blessedness, that God may come to any person with His care and deliverance. God does sometimes help those who cannot, or perhaps just do not, help themselves. (So much for another well-known generalization!) The religious system of His day left the multitudes out, but Jesus welcomed them all into His kingdom. Anyone could come as well as any other. They still can. That is the gospel of the beatitudes……

Thus by proclaiming blessed those who in the human order are thought hopeless, and by pronouncing woes over those human beings regarded as well off, Jesus opens the kingdom of the heavens to everyone” (Dallas Willard, The Divine Conspiracy, pp.116-119).

May all of us strive effortlessly and fearlessly in our quest to help others come into contact with the gospel of the kingdom (John 3:3, 5). It is the good news and it is available to all (Acts 11:17-18; Romans 5:18; Colossians 1:13).

Have a good day and God bless!

“Now there was in Joppa a disciple named Tabitha, which, translated, means Dorcas. She was full of good works and acts of charity. In those days she became ill and died, and when they had washed her, they laid her in an upper room. Since Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples, hearing that Peter was there, sent two men to him, urging him, ‘Please come to us without delay.’ So Peter rose and went with them. And when he arrived, they took him to the upper room. All the widows stood beside him weeping and showing tunics and other garments that Dorcas made while she was with them. But Peter put them all outside, and knelt down and prayed; and turning to the body he said, ‘Tabitha, arise.’ And she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter she sat up. And he gave her his hand and raised her up. Then calling the saints and widows, he presented her alive. And it became known throughout all Joppa, and many believed in the Lord. And he stayed in Joppa for many days with one Simon, a tanner” (Acts 9:36-43).

Here are a few traits for which we can all strive as people seeking to belong to God:

• HER SACRIFICE: We are told that she was full of good works and acts of charity. The term for “acts of charity” here is translated as “almsgiving” in the KJV. The meaning of this word in its original language means merciful in giving or pity; thus signifying the giving of oneself to another who is less fortunate. Undoubtedly, Jesus taught us to be this way and described life in the kingdom as possessing this selfless quality.
• HER REPUTATION: A few things here speak volumes about what others thought of her: (1) the fact that they were seemingly so desperate to get her back. The pleaded with Peter to hurry. Have you ever known someone that you just couldn’t bear the thought of losing? Apparently this was the impact Tabitha had on these folks. (2) That Peter complied with this urgent request is a great testament to her also. And (3) The scene of the widows crying and holding these items Tabitha had made while she was with them. I think this also says a lot about how she was likely very influential in the lives of these other women.
• HER RESILIENCE: Peter performs one of the greatest miracles recorded in the Bible here. Tabitha’s submission and desire to obey is seen even in her death and resurrection. Obviously something like this does not happen today but the lesson here is that her reputation and sacrificial service to others is what allowed her to be resilient and overcome death. Likewise our service to others and ultimately God, is what allows us to overcome sin and spiritual death. Is our life a resurrected one? Does our life demonstrate walking with Jesus? Tabitha’s did.
• HER INFLUENCE: Tabitha was an icon. Her life was a reflection of what Jesus came to do (Luke 19:10). We can hardly deny the strength of her influence. The reaction of the people to her death tells us all we need to know. But what is especially revealing is that we are told in this text that as a result of all that transpired here, people believed. Can we say that our sacrifices and love for others culminate in others coming to Christ?

Thank God for texts in the Bible such as this that gives us a sense of application for all that Jesus said that He wants from us. May there be more Tabithas in the world. And may it begin with those of us who claim followership to our precious Savior.

Have a great day!

Well, last Friday morning morning I was outside working on my lawn mower, trying to get it to start (another completely different story altogether). Usually when I am outside Hank is right there with me. But before I went to my lawn mower, I fed him. He was his usual excited self, of course. And then I got curious. As I was by my lawn mower, I called for him while he was eating. And he immediately came. His food no longer mattered. I petted him and played with him a little. And of course, he was enjoying my attention. He would periodically look back at his food he left behind, but there was absolutely no way he was going back to his food pan. When I started back to working on my lawn mower, he sat there by me. As much as he loves to eat, Hank was much more interested in what I was able to give him emotionally. That makes him much happier.

Now, I don’t want to necessarily compare us to dogs, but what a tremendous lesson on commitment and loyalty. We too have a Master. He gives us spiritual food, which is much more important than physical nourishment (Matthew 4:4). Jesus tells us that when our loyalty is to Him and His kingdom, then our needs will be met (Matthew 6:33). Do we live in such a way that demonstrates this kind of faith? Hank trusted that he would eat. He knew I was going to take care of Him. He has faith in me as his master that his needs are going to be taken care of. And that is exactly why he would much rather spend his time with me. He is committed to me. And it makes me feel good, just as it pleases God when He comes first in our lives. Hank is not perfect. But he is loyal and faithful. Do we see the connection? There is no doubt in my mind that I take priority over anything else in his life. Can God claim the same of us?

I think the words of the psalmist are appropriate here:

“Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him, and he will act” (Psalm 37:3-5).

Have a good weekend and for all of the mothers out there, I hope you have a wonderful Mother’s Day!