A Christmas Gift from Coach

Our son, Brett, plays basketball for Ankeny. And he has been waiting several years for this year, his senior year. Why? Playing time, baby! (Credit to Dickie V.) Maybe even the starting line up! Well, that’s not happening like he had hoped; it has been disappointing at best. He has a great attitude, though, and last night after his varsity game he received an awesome Christmas gift from his coach. Hang with me and you’ll see what I mean.

I won’t explain the whole game situation in depth, but suffice it to say that, after they lost by 1 in overtime, one of his team members ferociously hit one of the lockers and let out a loud, vulgar curse word as the team came in for the post-game meeting. Obviously, this player was mad, not only at himself, but at others. The coaches, when they heard it, inquired who said it, and began dealing with that individual. In fact, it became kind of a team meeting/encounter. Essentially, the coach’s point was that getting angry at the team and “losing it” doesn’t change what happens on the court. If you’re upset, play differently out there; don’t get mad in here.

Then he made an interesting observation that is humbling but honoring. He said (not an exact quote but the essential nuggets), “If anyone has a right to be upset, it’s Brett. He’s one of our captains, but he isn’t getting any playing time right now. He had nothing to do with this loss, yet he isn’t mad and cursing at himself, us, or others. Besides, Brett wouldn’t talk that way anyway.”

What a compliment about his character! I was really proud of Brett – he had garnered the coach’s confidence and respect with something that doesn’t bounce or go in a hoop. Sure, he’d love to be playing more! But his attitude while he wasn’t playing has probably been a greater testimony than 20+ PPG could have ever been. He was honored, not because of his talent for the name of the school on the jersey, but because of his commitment to the names in his heart – God’s name and his own name. For those two names stay with you long after you hang up the jerseys and take off the shoes. Those names – that which represents your character – matter most. I’m glad he knows who he really is even when the Ankeny basketball world my not. That’s the kind of identity security that lasts a lifetime. As Proverbs says, “A good name is better than great riches.”

Way to go, son! Your coach, probably unknowingly, blessed you with a nice gift this Christmas – his respect for who you are, not just what you do. No matter how much you play or don’t play this year, you’re a champion already!

Just Imagine (Part 2)

Thanks, everyone, for the comments and questions. Regardless of what you think of my (or others’) opinion(s), I encourage you to develop your own biblical reasoning. Don’t just follow the latest author or current trend. Like it or not, this is an area of freedom, and while you want to get good advice, ask God for his wisdom first. He will tell you how to implement his truth in your family based on the “bent” of your kids. Sure, some of us will disagree, but that's the beauty of the body of Christ in areas of freedom: we can each be fully confident in faith knowing we answer to the Lord, instead of judgmental to one another out of fear or insecurity!

Here’s the simple way we went about it in our home: We have always told our kids the truth: Santa isn’t real. But we still had fun pretending he was. (Yes, I think you can do both without involving deception.) You may think that sounds crazy, but we look at it no different than having a tea party with our girls and their dolls or playing Street Sharks with our son. In other words, when our girls were little and they’d dress their dolls up in clothes and pretend they were real, we all knew they weren’t. But we pretended they were. We let our girls give them names, talk to them, pour imaginary tea and eat fake cookies…it was a fun time of pretend and make-believe. Same with our son – we’d pull out the action figures and play in the floor, pretending they were real and could do superhuman feats. They had names, personalities, partners, enemies, etc. But no one for a minute believed any of this was true. We all knew it was just for fun. Make sense? A world of pretend and a world of truth side by side. I have always viewed this as honest, God-given creativity.

That’s how we did Santa. No one really ever thought he was real because we told them he wasn’t (that’s pretty plain, eh?). But we still had fun pretending he was and playing make-believe with various elements of Christmas. Seriously -- it's that simple for us! And, quite frankly, it has never taken our family away from the real meaning of Christmas. Maybe others’ experience isn’t as fortunate, but I can only speak for ours.

That’s our plain and simple strategy. Gotta run…I think I hear reindeer feet on the roof top!

Just Imagine (Oops, you can't these days)

It happens every year. Christmas arrives, and suddenly Christians lose their imagination. Well, not all of us. But there is a segment of believers who seem to think any kind of holiday “magic” is unbiblical and bad for kids. You know, Santa, reindeer, the North Pole…things that could just be part of a kid’s honest, make-believe world are now considered taboo. I don’t quite get it.

I remember playing loads of make believe games as a kid. That Captain America cape my mom made for me was awesome! Destroying entire fleets of UFOs and legions of aliens in the backyard, well, what a ride! These days, though, child-like, innocent fantasy seems to have been lulled to sleep by adults who are more concerned about correctness than creativity.

Perhaps I’m basing too much on my own good experience (i.e., just because I wasn’t damaged by Christmas fantasy doesn’t mean it is necessarily right). Or maybe I’m blinded to the real truth by my own love for the holidays. I don’t know exactly. But it does seem as though imagination and creativity are still valid options for a kid. It seems like we’ve confused wandering with wondering.

By no means am I “okaying” deceitfulness. I’m just asking an honest question: Is it really “deceitful” to pretend with our kids (you know, the cookies and milk by the Christmas tree, the whole chimney thing, and stuff like that)? I think not. God knows the heart, and a healthy imagination is more than a holiday benefit; it’s a God-given blessing.

Please Big Brother Santa? (You Bloated Hypocrite)

It was one of the most blatant cases of hypocrisy I’ve seen, and I have to admit I was amazed at how calmly the carmakers handled it.

I was catching up on the news this morning and saw a brief exchange between Sen. Shelby (AL) and a few of GM’s execs. They were back for a second round of sitting in Big Brother Santa’s lap asking for a little help (just a few trillion dollars, that’s all). The best part? When the questioning came around to how they got to Washington. Each GMer had to answer the question about their mode of transportation for the DC hearing, their accommodations, etc. According to the execs, they carpooled. In other words, they traveled a lot like us. I think this move was supposed to make us like them more.

My point is not to applaud or boo that. I do want to draw attention to the kettle calling the pot black. WOW! Washington insiders who live a life way different than the normal citizen were being almost interrogative to these entrepreneurs: “”How’d you get here?” “What did you drive?” “Who’d you come with?” It was like they wanted GM to be humiliated; like they wanted them to beg. Sure, they can ask whatever they want; they're the ones giving away our money (that sounds funny, eh?). But I wonder, if the tables were turned, how our elected reps would respond to our questions about their lifestyle choices?!?

Have you checked out the perks and privileges of being a national politician? There is very little that doesn’t ring with elitism and high-brow status. Crazy if you ask me – putting the business execs on the spot when the people asking the questions are hiding behind an ivory tower. Just more proof to me the system is broken.

Hypocrisy is always a sign something’s wrong. And Washington's got tons of it to go around. That's one thing I don't want for Christmas.

The Crippling Cost of Fear

Anytime we give in to fear and say ‘no’ to a step of faith, there’s a price to pay; fear always costs us something. In fact, we end up regretting our choice later. Truly, regret is a close relative of fear, and together they have crippled God’s people for centuries.

Fortunately, not Joseph and Mary. They said ‘no’ to fear and were there when God came to “live among us” (John 1).

And not Gideon. He was there when God won a battle with 300 fighting men (Judges 7).

And not Elisha. He was there when God caused iron to swim (2 Kings 6).

And not Peter. He was there when God created a coin in a fish’s mouth (Matthew 17).

And why were they there? Because they faced the fear of looking foolish and decided, “It’s not worth the price. I’m living fear free.”

Our own J.P. Richardson elected not to be crippled any longer a few weeks back as well. Some of you will recall that service when JP responded to God by laying prostrate here at the front during one of our response times. We were completing a time of intense focus upon the persecuted church, and he physically showed God his submissiveness through his posture; his willingness to, in a small way, identify with his brothers and sisters in those persecuted areas around the globe who don’t share the church comfort he enjoys. I knelt down beside him that service and just asked if there was anything I could do or should know about. He said “No, pastor, but thanks for asking. I just knew the Spirit was calling me to take this posture during an appropriate time in the service as a way to visibly show my spiritual camaraderie with the persecuted church. But I must be honest – I hesitated. You know, the ole’ ‘what-will-others-think?’ fear overwhelmed me. I finally just said, ‘Sure, God, I’m going.’ Well, I’m here, and I’m not sure what others think, but I know what God thinks.”

As a result, a God-thing happened all over the auditorium that day at our 10:30 service as people prayed, worshipped, and interceded for one another well past the "normal time." In fact, I don’t know if we ever officially closed that service; I think we just sort of went our way one by one. It was a time like few I have experienced. I often wonder what would have been the result had JP given in to the fear of looking foolish and stayed in his seat. My gut answer is we would have missed out on a God-thing.

I Want to See Christmas Again

Christmas is one of the radically “never-thought-it-could-happen” works of God. Think about it – a virgin is pregnant, a stable becomes a birthing room, a gazillion angels sing in the sky, and government officials actually seek out the child who is the Christ! And that’s just the beginning of the miracle list. For sure, that first Christmas was a God-thing for the ages!

And that’s what I long to see again – a God-thing for the ages! You know, the power of Pentecost. The excitement of Easter. Can you imagine? Oh, to be part of a miracle of that magnitude. Wow! That’s what I thirst for!

What I often don’t want is what necessarily accompanies a “never-thought-it-could-happen” God-thing. The fear of looking foolish, the dread of getting messy, the need to sacrifice personally – those were all elements in the Nativity (i.e., the circumstances surrounding this “never-thought-it-could-happen” God-thing). Perhaps that’s why I’m not often enough smack dab in the middle of ginormous God-things. Maybe that’s why you’re not either.

For many of us, a God-thing for the ages would be too frightening. Too risky. Too consuming. So we continue on in today’s casually comfortable, 21st century version of first-century Christianity, too scared to actually admit we long deep down for a Christmas-type event that would shatter our safe world into a million pieces. And that’s what Christmas did. And my, how our souls needed it!

Some will criticize me for wanting the grand and glorious. And some will mistake my thirst for the miraculous as a bad spiritual appetite, accusing me of being insensitive to the little miracles that happen every day. So be it. God knows my heart, and how it simply aches to see his power unleashed in a way that cannot be explained, only experienced. It can’t be figured out, only submitted to. Without apology I want to see a “never-thought-it-could-happen” God-thing for the ages.

I want to see Christmas again.

A Turkey of a Scrooge

It’s crazy how gratefully giving we act on Thanksgiving, only to turn around and behave so grabbingly gluttonous on the following day. Yeah, Black Friday can abruptly turn a Turkey into something really anti-Thanksgiving – a Scrooge!

Crazy, ain’t it? One day we’re all into giving; the next we’re consumed with taking. It’s almost like we live in a Jekyll and Hyde type of society, and the narcissistic transformation starts the day after Thanksgiving. From a thankful turkey to a selfish scrooge…overnight! WOW!

24/7

From the inception of our church, we have maintained a belief in the value of being a “24/7” Christian. But what does that mean? And what is a definition of this phrase as used at FFC?

Let me clarify what it is not. It is not a way to express our desire to be a “third shift” church that is “open for business” ‘round the clock. While that may not be a bad idea, it’s not what we are referring to when we talk about being “24/7.”

Nor is it code language meant to “guilt” our people into staying busy in church related ministries every single day of the week. By no means does 24/7 equate with burnout at FFC.

Here’s what we do mean: Living supernaturally in the Spirit during my normal lifestyle with people. Yes, it’s our way to encourage people to be normal, but not nominal. Real, yet radically righteous. In the words of John Wimber, “naturally supernatural.”

In fact, this is exactly what we see in Jesus’ style of ministry. Jesus, generally, didn’t hold miracle healing services; they “naturally” occurred as people brought the sick to him to be healed during the course of a regular day, as he walked with them and lived among them. Sins were revealed in the course of normal, not necessarily formal, conversation. Conviction came just because he was around, not because he held an official invitation. Truth is, Jesus probably looked a lot like many other Jewish men; he may very well have blended in physically. He could have been seen, outwardly at least, as quite “normal.” He didn’t change his voice or dress or body posture to appear “prophetic” or “preachery.” No, he simply walked, lived, ate, talked, and related in a “natural” (i.e., incarnational) way; yet, he literally changed lives, performing signs and wonders and teaching God’s truth for the benefit of the average people around him. No doubt the supernatural became part and parcel of the natural, workday world in which Jesus lived. He was 24/7.

We would do well to follow the humble pattern of Jesus. Instead, we often follow the proud model of American success. Rich routine gets replaced by spectacular seminars; daily discipline is benched for mountaintop experiences; average people are replaced by experts. Consequently, as Rich Nathan and Ken Wilson have so keenly observed, “…is it any wonder that church members feel terribly intimidated and unsure of themselves as they attempt to ‘do supernatural ministry’ in their own lives? How can the average church member possibly recreate all of the trappings of a conference setting which have been modeled as essential for healing the sick or delivering the demonized?” Add to this the unfortunate – and unbiblical – human hierarchy of certain of the Spirit’s gifts and you can see why cleaning your neighbor’s garage in the spirit of Christ just doesn’t seem quite as “supernatural” as standing to speak at a super-conference 500 miles from home on a weekend. But I beg to differ, for it may very well be in that messy garage that the most supernatural ministry of all is taking place through the humble service of a saint willing to act on the Spirit’s promptings and obey when nobody but one other person even knows.

What is needed is a 24/7 approach – a normal and natural style of ministry, still supernatural though, that can be taken to the workplace or the marketplace or a hospital or one’s own home. That’s when I believe the true “equipping of the saints for the work of the ministry” will take place. Supernatural ministry would then be for every Christian in every setting and would not need to take place in special conferences by special people. It would be a 24/7 lifestyle lived by the followers of Jesus Christ who are committed to being “naturally supernatural.”

God's Victorious Nature

When we say "victory," we need to think "finish." That's a good synonym in the Bible for the concept of victory. And rest assured God is exacly up to that -- finishing what he started.

In fact, I was somewhat intrigued by the amount of biblical support for this aspect of God's nature, especially the word "finish."

• Daniel used it (Daniel 12:7) when talking about how God will finish his work in the tribulation.
• Paul used it when speaking of how God will finish his work in us on the day of Christ (Phil. 1:6).
• Jesus used it multiple times in John (4:34, 5:36, 17:4, 19:30) when speaing of his role on earth as the God-man -- to finish the Father's work!
• The writer of Hebrews used it to describe Jesus as the finisher of our faith (Heb. 12:2).
• Paul used it in Romans (9:28) to tell how God would finish the work he began with the Jewish nation.

So take courage and be strong, brother or sister. It ain't the 9th inning yet. God hasn't finished what he started yet..but he will; you can bank on that! For that's God -- the greatest finisher and victor ever!

Isaiah 56 and the Holocaust

The name of the Holocaust Museum in Israel, Yad Vashem, literally means "a memorial and a name," and is taken from the phrase in Isaiah 56:5. No doubt the name is indicative of the purpose: to preserve a memory. [You can see some of the museum at www.yadvashem.org.]

However, when God uses the phrase, he is referring to something far bigger than just preserving a memory. He is talking about redeeming a people, even people not originally Jewish by nature. But that's just how personal he is -- he establishes covenant relationships that are even closer and more personal than what we know on earth. WOW! That's a personal God, eh? And that's what he is up to -- bringing together a people from all languages, tribes, nations, and tongues who will shout his glory and spead his fame. Truly, He gives us his name so we can declare his!

Drawing Close

One of our readers (and now fellow blogger!) asked, "What are some ways to practically draw close to God?" In other words, we know he's close and personal; what can we do on our end to access that? Ater all, the first half of James 4:8 says, "Draw near to God..."

In a word, obey! Yep, that's the simple answer, and a very biblical one, too. Read Isaiah 56 and notice all the ways Isaiah asks for the foreigners and eunichs to obey. That's how God determined their seriousness.

Specificlly, it was in regards to the Sabbath, but the principle is clear: Obedience is the best way to show God you are serious about drawing close. Whether it be by praying as he instructs, reading and studying his Word , meditating and memorizing Scripture, witnessing to others, giving of our resources, confessing our sins, etc, etc...obeying God competely and unconditionally speaks the loudest.

Wanna draw close? Do the next right thing --obey! -- and God is there.

Why the Sabbath Emphasis in Is. 56?

Even a quick reading of Isaiah 56 reveals that, as God is displaying his personal and "familial" nature to the Jew, as well as to the foreigner and eunich, the Sabbath plays a critical role in this chapter. Why? Is it for today? Are we required to obey it?

Succintly, no! Here's a bit of explanation. The sabbath was strictly a sign for the Jews given to them as part of the Mosaic law. It was never given to the Gentiles, except for here in Isaiah 56. And why here? Because as their return to Jerusalem and Jewish worship was prophesied, God was asking all who were part of his people to return to his commandments as given to his people. This was important when they returned to rebuild the walls and the temple (Nehemiah and Ezra), and it will be important in the New Jerusalem (Millennium an afterwards) when God reigns visibly from the Holy City. At that point, I believe those in the New Jerusalem will once again return to worshipping on the sabbath (partly based on Is. 56). But for now, it is not in play as Jewish worship has not been reinstated during this parenthetical time of the church.

And this makes sense, especially knowing that sabbath means "last day." Truly, in heaven we will finally be 'resting' from all our earthly serving and working and finally able to completely and fully worship God -- and only God! What a 'rest' that will be, eh? Till then, we find our rest in him. When that day comes, we'll find our rest with him.

His Two-Pronged Faithfulness

It's a common verse we preachers use -- Isaiah 55:11. Two words in this verse help me understand what really happens when God's Word goes out. The words are "accomplish" and "achieve," and they speak of different aspects of "success" of God's Word.

"Accomplish" contains the idea of producing something; of manufacturing a product. No doubt God is bringing us to a place of completion (i.e., maturity), a place where we are recognized as his handiwork and masterpiece. For instance, when an old habit is broken because of God's Word, it has 'accomplished' something in us. This speaks to the task at hand.

But God's Word also "achieves" something in that it makes progress; it 'carries on' and furthers the work it is doing. For instance, when Christ-like attitudes are deepened, such as selflesness and service, then our 'journey' of sanctification has taken a good turn; we've taken steps on the path towards godliness. This speaks of the journey we're on.

Either way, you can bank on this: When God's Word is involved , it will do what it is designed to do. Whether stopping sinful things, producing godly things, or continuing a pattern of holy living, God and his Word is at the root of it all. And he will make sure his Word always produces (“accomplish”) what it needs to and always makes the progress (“achieve”) it needs to. Why? Because that’s the nature of our God: faithful! Completely consistent! Undeniably reliant!

No Bait and Switch with God

Isaiah 55 opens with an astounding invitation. -- "COME!" In fact, 18 verbs are used to say the same thing -- invite all to come! Why? Because only God can really deliver on the promise of lasting satisfaction. In the openeing verses Isaiah talks about how other offers fail and pale, but Jehovah's invitation actually delivers true fulfillment. That's divine "customer service" that is perfectly consistent with every client.

Of course, to some people, this invitation sounds too good to be true; like maybe they're staring at a spiritual “bait and switch”… not at all! That’s what others do for sure! But not God!

Truth is, you know why we wonder that? Because we see the invitation through man’s character, not God’s. Perhaps that's why Isaiah contrasts the two different natures in play -- man's and God's. (55:8-9 "my ways are not your ways...my thoughts are not your thoughts")

You see, consistency is exactly what God is – and exactly what man isn’t! So if trusting him and his invitation seems risky, it’s only because you are viewing God more like a human than the divine and holy Creator who cannot fail. God is not like us – people who break promises and fail to deliver. No, God keeps his Word every time. He is perfectly consistent and faithful. Hallelujah!

A Personal God

Seems everyone knows God these days. Haven't you heard the phrase of choice from television celebraties, media moguls, and sports stars? Here it is -- "O my God!" (emphasis added)

Yep, looks like people everywhere are laying claim to God. A better question is, "Does God lay claim to us?" According to Isaiah 55-56, he is close enough to do exactly that ("he can be found" and "salvation is close at hand"). That's the correct understanding of God's personal nature -- not that we found him, but that he found us, knows us, is close to us, and calls us by name.

To cement this, Isaiah lays out a beautiful picture of God's personal nature towards us in 56:5 when he says God will give "a memorial and a name" that is better than that which sons and daughters have. Ther is a lot more here contextually that I will explain in a future blog, but suffuce it for now to say that being known by God is even more intimate and personal than how your parents know you. WOW...that's personal! But that's God -- close and nearby! What a spirital Daddy!

God's Faithful Nature

Reading Isaiah 55 has left me with a simple word that best describes God's faithful character: He is consistent! Granted -- that word hasn't been the first word to roll of my tongue when I'm thinking about faithfulness, but it may well be more in line with the biblical concept of faithfulness.

For instance, in verses 1-7, God is consistent in his call to all peoples. He urged us to "Call", "Seek", "turn", and "forsake" (as well as other strong verbs). And it has been this way since he estabished his covenant, which he actually describes as "everlasting" and "faithful" in 55:3.

Additionally, as the rest of the chapter unfolds, God's consistency is contrasted against man's inconsistency. "His thoughts are not our thoughts and his ways are not our ways" (Is. 55:9), as well as the fact that his "word will never return empty" (Is. 55:11), are just two examples of how consistent his way and his word are -- perfectly! Guarenteed! Impeccable!

The result? A future kingdom city forever faithful -- consistent! -- with God's eternal purposes! That's what verse 13 states when it says, "This [i.e., the new Jerusalem] will be for the Lord's renown, for an everlasting sign, which will not be destroyed." All that he has promised will be finally realized one day and it will forever remain that way. Now that's consistency. That's faithfulness. That's God!

God's Jealousy Understood Simply

Let me see if I can help us understand God's jealousy in a simple way. Essentially, he is not jealous of someone, but jealous for something. And that something, though it involves us in various aspects, is all glory and worship. Remember what he said -- "I will not share my glory with another."

Granted -- he receives his worship from his creatures (that's us!), and it is his plan to keep his covenant with Israel so that eventually all the rest of the world will worship him. So from that angle we are involved -- we're the worshippers! But the end focus/goal of his "jealous" nature and activity is not us, but ultimate and final worship. He's not jealous of us at all! But he is correctly jealous for our worship, and one day he will lay an exclusive claim to it from every tongue and knee.

God's Exclusive Nature and Oprah

God's exclusive nature doesn't settle well with those who only want a benign, passive God. Why? Because exclusivity means possessiveness. And rightly so! Any covenant relationship that doesn't have a bibically correct view of fierce loyalty (i.e., "jealousy") isn't a covenant relationship at all. It's just an idolatrous pretense.

But God is rightly jealous. Fiercly loyal. Correctly possessive. Exclusively committed. Oprah may not like that fact, as expressed in her recent Web classes and on her show often, but changing God's nature isn't an option. "Reinventing" God as less exclusive and more equal is not an acceptable alternative. It is unbiblical and illogical from an argument's standpoint, and deceitfully dangerous and damning from a personal standpoint. God's exclusive, jealous nature must be correctly understood and properly taught. And Isaiah does that well, not only in chapter 49, but in much of the last half of the book (40-66). His jealousy is just, proof positve that he does operate consistently within his covenant towards his creatures.

Pray for Oprah to repent and come to a true, saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. Pray she will see God as he really is. Pray against her "new earth church." Pray that their message will be thwarted, their eyes opened, and minds renewed. Intercede for those headed towards damnation with hearts of compassionate mercy, wills of divine steel, and minds of biblical conviction (Jude 17-23). Truly, Romans 1 is happening before our eyes -- "supressing the truth" ... "exchanging the glory of the immortal God" ... "worshipping the created things." God help us to stand strong against error with the unfailing truth of sound doctrine.

God's Exclusive Nature...He Alone Owns Me!

As we think about God's exclusive nature in Isaiah 49, keep in mind that we are not talking about his exclusivity in regards to himself (his holiness...i.e., he is intrinsically different), nor are we talking about his exclusivity in regards to the world (his sovereignty). Instead, we are talking about his exclusivity in regards to his creatures -- he alone owns us! He has sole rights to lay claim to our life, and it is his sole decision to do whatever it takes to bring us/them back to himself. God displayed that type of exclusive ownership with Jersualem, especially in Isaiah 49. It was evident that he owned them by creation and by covenant, so he could rightly lay claim to them. Exclusive claim. Sole rights. He doesn't need permission or a vote of cofidence. He's God, the exclusive owner of all things.

Applying the Restoration/Renewal Principle

Okay, here is Isaiah 34-35 in a sentence: God will restore fully one day, and he fully renews today. But what do we do with this principle we have learned about God’s character. It’s great that he is a God of restoration one day, and very comforting that he is a God of renewal today. But what do I do with that today…tomorrow morning…Thursday night?

Most importantly, make sure the inner man gets your first and foremost attention. Be a person who focuses on what matters most -- the heart. That's the battle you have to win! Don’t stress as much about your face; do something about the heart! God will one day handle the restoration, so relax! Yes, do what you can, but calm down and “be OK with the DK.” And while you’re waiting for that day, let him handle your renewal today! Quite frankly, if we would spend as much time and money on the inner man as we do on the outer man, we’d have church full of renewed warriors ready to stand against the wiles of the devil and the gates of hell!

In addition to concenrating on the innner man and letting the outer man have our secondary focus, here are some other things we can do or attiudes we can adopt:

1. Don’t blame. Blaming God, or others for that matter, for current conditions is not only unbiblical and quite illogical, not to mention very untheological, it is simply foolish. Blaming only lengthens the road to recovery and is a very external action; it's an "outer man" rseponse. Instead, believe in God and watch what faith can do to you even in the middle of situations that are less than ideal. Thats how the inner man responds -- in faith towards God!

2. Don’t complain. Instead, learn contentment and the ability to compliment. After all, we are in the Valley of In-Between, so make the best of it, eh? Multiple times in the New Testament Paul urges us to "do all things with thankfulness" and "without grumbling or complaining." What's hard to understand about that? I have fouind that voicing the exact opposite often helps me fight through the temptation to complain. That why it's good to compliment the second you feel like complaining. Take the road less traveled!

3. Don’t look backward in regret; look forward in anticipation, especially to the day of restoration. The past will only be a ball and chain to your best "moving forward" efforts. Yes, learn from it, but don't lean on it. Leaning on it has a way of "velcroing" itself to you in a way that isn't supportive at all.