Reflecting Back and Looking Ahead

Posted: December 30, 2011 in new year, prayer, reflection
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I have often shared the quote, “It’s not how you start, but how you finish that counts.”  It’s true to a point.  Look at NFL Quarterback Tim Tebow and the Denver Broncos.  There is such a buzz in the world of sports right now because of the incredible effort of Tebow in the fourth quarter – the final stages of the game.  The Tebow-led Broncos have won five games in the closing minutes of the fourth quarter this year; turning around a team with a losing record to a potential playoff contender.  It’s truly an incredible story.

The flip side of praise for Tebow’s “refuse to quit” drive and passion for the game, has been criticism for his play in the first three quarters of the game.  History will prove that the first three quarters – how you start – is crucial to long term success; and so it is in life for each and every one of us.

I don’t know about you, but the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day has served as a time to sit back and reflect on the past year.  I like to celebrate the successes and joys, and I somewhat grieve moments of failure or disappointment.  This time of reflection often serves as a “launching pad” for the coming year.  This year, I have been doing more of the same.  I’d like to encourage you to join me in this.  Take some time to reflect and consider how things are going.  Reflect and journal your response to questions such as:

Is it well with my soul? Where am I in my relationship and walk with Jesus Christ?  Have I experienced spiritual and personal growth in the past year?  How is my prayer life?  Have I committed time on a regular basis – each day, to seek the Lord in prayer and study?  Am I faithful to the Lord?  Do I need help or guidance in this area of my life?

How are my relationships?  Are things going well with my most significant relationships?  Have I given the time and energy necessary for my relationships to prosper?  Have I been “short-changing” time with my family and friends?  Are there relational wounds in need of healing?  Do I need help or guidance in this area of my life?

How are things at work?  Am I pursuing the work that God has called and gifted me to?  Am I passionate about what I am doing?  Have I given my very best, as if I were working for the Lord?  Have I taken “short-cuts” ethically to get ahead?  Am I effective?  Do I need help or guidance in this area of my life?

Am I faithfully honoring and serving the Lord, my church, and the world?  Do I worship as faithfully as I should?  Is there an area in the church that I can begin or better serve?  Am I effective in the areas in which I currently serve?  Is God calling me to launch new areas of ministry?  Am I honoring the Lord with my time, treasures, gifts, service, and witness?  Is there a mission or project that I should be focusing on?  Do I need help or guidance in this area of my life?

How are things going, financially?  Am I being a good steward or manager of what God has provided?  Am I being faithful and generous by honoring the Lord faithfully with my tithes and offerings?  Am I doing my best to “stretch” what has been provided, or am I wasting money?  When I see a need that I’m able to meet, do I do my best to meet that need?  Am I doing my best to avoid foolish debt?  Do I have a plan in place to spend and save wisely?  Is my family secure?  Do I need help or guidance in this area of my life?

Am I emotionally and physically healthy?  Am I taking care of myself by: sleeping enough, eating well, exercising, taking a weekly Sabbath rest, visiting the doctor & dentist on a routine basis?  Am I taking time to connect with others and to share my life with?  Is there something that I need to get off of my mind and talk about?  Do I need help or guidance in this area of my life?

These are just a few areas that I like to reflect and focus on during the week leading up to the new year (Dec. 26-31).  After reflecting and journaling your answers to these questions, let me challenge you then to take the first full week of the new year (Jan. 1-7) to seek the Lord in prayer.  Pray about your responses to this time of reflection and “pray it forward.”  Allow the Lord to guide you to set key and attainable goals in these key areas for 2012.  Be sure to write your goals down and share them with a close friend, who will occasionally check in with you (monthly) to see how it is going in these areas.  Take time to pray January 1-7 for 7 minutes at 7am and 7pm.  Let’s believe God for a great 2012!

When Anxiety Strikes

Posted: September 5, 2011 in anxiety, trials
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It has been an intense summer.  Over the past six weeks, I have experienced the joy of two week-long Vacation Bible School outreaches, two mission trips to Bayou LaBatre, Alabama and Boston, Massachusetts, as well as a very intense two-week school for pastors in Rockaway, NJ.  I was wrapping up my fourth week away when I woke up one Saturday morning in mid-July at 5am with tightness in my chest, a rapid heartbeat, and shortness of breath.  I panicked, fearing the worst.  Was it a heart attack?  I was afraid and alone in a quiet New Jersey hotel room, with my family too far away for comfort.  Unsure of what to do next, I decided to take a walk to the lobby.  It was there, in the early morning hour, that God sent a comforter to assure me that everything was going to be okay, and that I had no choice – I was going to visit the Emergency Room.  While my blood pressure was high, the EKG and chest x-rays looked fine.  I was thankful, but still concerned about how I was feeling.  The Lord sent another comforter later that night to help me understand that what I was experiencing was anxiety.  Me?  Anxiety?  That’s exactly what it was.  I needed to retreat; to rest.

I have met countless people throughout our community and congregation that have struggled with anxiety.  Some cases are more severe than others.  I never understood anxiety until I experienced its crippling effects for myself.  I can honestly say that I now have more compassion for this issue, than I ever could have without experiencing it.  Perhaps you are reading this blog and you find yourself struggling.  Let me share a few words of comfort with you.

First, I want to challenge you to look to the Lord.  He is with you.  You’re not alone.  He is the great shepherd; the one who walks with us along quiet waters, as well as through the valley of the shadow of death (Psalm 23).  He promises us to never let us down, to never walk off and leave us (Hebrews 13:5, MSG).  Before you strive to sort things out on your own, run to the Lord first.  In the book of 2 Chronicles 20, Jehoshaphat was about to be attacked by a vast army of enemies.  He was initially alarmed, shaken, and terrified – but he quickly turned to the Lord.  He gathered the people, called a fast, and spent time in intense prayer.  As he was praying, he began to recall the faithfulness of God throughout history.  As he finished praying, he prayed these precious words, “We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you.”

Second, I want to challenge you to rest in the Lord.  Anxiety can be caused by a number of things.  For me, it was a lack of rest and personal spiritual nourishment.  It’s so important that we honor and keep the Sabbath.  The Sabbath is a wonderful gift provided for us to worship together, to nourish our spirit, to enjoy the fellowship of one another, to spend time being refreshed in the Word of God and in prayer.  The Sabbath is also a time to be still; to lay aside work and the “to-do” lists – to rest and trust in His provision.  It isn’t God’s will for us to burn out.  Philippians 4:6-7 states, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”  Friends, He is eager to accept and carry your burdens.  Do you trust Him?

Finally, I want to challenge you to wait on the Lord.  To wait on the Lord means to surrender your cares and concerns; to keep your eyes on Him, rather than dwelling or worrying about your circumstances.  Worry accomplishes nothing.  We need to change our way of thinking – instead of worrying, we need to worship!  We need to praise Him in the midst of the storm.  When Jehoshaphat and his people began to worship the Lord, things began to happen; the Lord brought a tremendous victory.  And so it is with our lives.

Receive the Word of the Lord, “Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”  If you are going to have victory over anxiety, you’ll need to make a few changes.  What is God calling you to do?

How to Respond to the Trials of Life

Posted: February 24, 2011 in trials
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It’s been said that we find ourselves in one of three places in life: we are either coming out of a storm, in the midst of a storm, or heading directly toward a storm.  You may not find encouragement in this statement, but you will find truth.  Storms, trials, and struggles are not something that we can avoid.  They’re not something that we need to fear, either.

Imagine for a moment what Paul and Silas experienced in Acts 16.  Here they are doing a great work for the Lord.  They’re heading out to the place of prayer when they come across a demon-possessed slave girl; a fortune teller who earned a lot of money for her masters.  Paul and Silas were confronted day after day, to the point where they became exasperated by the demon within her.  Finally, Paul confronts the demon and commands it to come out of her.  Instantly it left her, and this woman’s life was radically changed – and it rocked the city!  

As a result of her freedom, her masters hopes for wealth are shattered.  They respond by grabbing Paul and Silas and dragged them before the authorities of the marketplace.  A mob surrounds them, and the city officials ordered them stripped and beaten with wooden rods.  We’re informed that they were severely beaten and then thrown into prison.  But wait…weren’t they doing a good thing?  Weren’t they doing the Lord’s work?  How could God allow this to happen?  Where is He in all of this?     

Paul and Silas are placed in an inner dungeon and their feet are clamped into stocks so that they wouldn’t escape.  What a horrible chain of events!  How can this be, and what good can possibly come of all of this? 

Paul and Silas didn’t sit around feeling sorry for themselves.  They didn’t reject or renounce their faith in Christ.  They embraced Him and never took their eyes off of Him.  We’re told that in the midnight hour – during a dark, lonely moment of the night – they were praying and singing hymns to God!  They not only gained the attention of their fellow prisoners, but they touched the heart of God. 

The result?  There was a massive earthquake, and the prison was shaken to its foundations.  All of the doors immediately flew open, and the chains of every prisoner fell off!  In the process, the jailer turned to Paul and Silas and asked, “what must I do to be saved?”  Paul and Silas were released from prison the next morning. 

Are you in the midst of a storm?  I’ve been with my health, off and on since the beginning of January.  I wish that I could testify that my response was similar to that of Paul and Silas, but it wasn’t.  I have often felt sorry for myself.  I have been frustrated.  I have asked God, “why?”  Neither of these emotions or questions will lead to my breakthrough.  I’m still in the midst of my health storm.  I am learning, however, that if Christ is in the vessel, I can smile at the storm.  He’s with us…in the midst of our storms!   

On the first Sunday of 2011, in the midst of my lamenting about my sore back, my wife Serena firmly spoke these words into my life.  She said, “Kris…you need to worship the Lord.  You need to seek Him and stop focusing on your pain.”  I was initially less than impressed.  In fact, I was frustrated by her advice.  Once she left the house to worship with our church family, I found myself asking the Lord to forgive me for my attitude.  I began to worship the Lord.  I soon found myself taking my eyes off of the storm, and focusing on Him.  That afternoon, the Lord spoke a word into my life.  My pain and discomfort began to lessen as I worshipped the Lord!     

I’m learning more and more each day that His grace is enough.  I can do all things through Christ who gives me the strength.  I’m not alone.  He’s with me.  And he’s with you, in the midst of the storms.  Never forget the promise and hope that we find in Romans 8:28:

“And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.”

It’s hard to identify God’s purposes when we’re in the midst of trial, but I can assure you that He is at work, perfecting our character – molding us and making us more like Him.  Let’s keep our eyes on Jesus – the author and perfector of our faith!

Who Moved My Snuggie?

Posted: January 11, 2011 in comfortable, outreach, sharing
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They’re everywhere you look: TV, Walmart, Target, and even Aldi’s.  Men and women, boys and girls, and even dogs and horses can be found wearing a Snuggie.  I myself couldn’t escape Christmas morning without owning one.  Really, what can compare to being wrapped in a Snuggie on a cold winter, snowy day?  

Ever misplace yours, or find somebody else enjoying it?  It doesn’t seem like a big deal, and yet we can become so oddly frustrated by somebody else enjoying it.  We become quite possessive of what is “ours.”  Don’t we?

Comfortable and cozy are we; not only in our Snuggie, but in our routines, circle of friends, and even our church and youth groups.  As a group, we are certainly being stretched in this area – sharing our space, our leaders, our stuff.  And yet, this is essentially what we are called to do. 

Eventually, everything that we grab a hold of will someday pass through our hands.   

There is a time to be comfortable, and a time to step out or share that comfort.  There’s a time to receive, and a time to give.  A time to be embraced, and a time to embrace others.  So, try not to get too comfortable or attached to that Snuggie, prized possession, or even your church or youth group.  Why not share it?

Feeling Unplugged?

Posted: January 11, 2011 in unplugged
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This may sound a bit strange, but I really enjoy vacuuming.  I find it relaxing and…productive at the same time.  Have you ever tried stretching the cord a bit too far while vacuuming?  You know the feeling; the cord is beginning to feel a bit tense, but you somehow think it can stretch a bit further.  All of a sudden the power is gone.  Frustrating!  Now you have to stop what you were doing to plug in. 

Life in general, and faith can be that way.  The further we strive to stretch ourselves, the more tense things become.  Before long, we become unplugged and frustrated.  Isn’t it funny how tempered we can become toward the cord and plug?  Sometimes we forget that we’re ultimately responsible, don’t we?\

Perhaps you feel disconnected in some way – with God, the Church, your family or friends.  Have you considered the difference you would feel if only you would plug in again?  This is a call to reflect on where you are with the Lord and the commitment that you have made to Him and the Church.  Just do it – get plugged in!

Guidelines for Week of Prayer

Posted: January 3, 2011 in prayer
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This is an exciting week for me personally, and for the life of the churches that I serve.  We are setting aside the first full week of the new year to seek the Lord.  Below you will find guidelines that I will be distributing to people as they engage in this sacred week.  I hope they will be a blessing to you!

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Welcome to what promises to be a wonderful week of seeking the Lord, through prayer.  In the midst of our busy lives, prayer often becomes the spiritual discipline that we neglect and miss the most.  As you set aside time each evening this week, I pray that you will encounter the Lord in a special way.  It is my hope that you will be refreshed in spirit, body, and mind. 

Positioned for His Presence: There’s really no “right” way to pray and seek the Lord.  

There’s no scheduled time: As we set aside this week for prayer, feel free to gather and to leave as you wish.  You are by no means required or obligated to spend the entire 7-8pm hour here, although you are certainly welcome to do so.  Can’t pray from 7-8pm?  No problem!  Pick a time and pray when you are able to do so.

There’s no required posture or position: We must all find a position of prayer that we’re comfortable with.  Some people will be most comfortable sitting in their pews quietly.  Others may desire to kneel at the altar.  Pacing the floor, laying face-down before the Lord, or sitting on the floor in a place of solitude – are all acceptable ways to seek the Lord.  Find a position that you’re comfortable in – or feel free to pray differently than you may be used to.

You are not limited to the Sanctuary or Church: If you find yourself praying for the Children’s or Teen’s Ministry, you may wish to walk and pray in those specific areas of the Church.  Perhaps you would like to consider a “prayer walk.”  Prayer Walking is a great way to randomly pray for our community.  As you pass by others walking down the street, pray quietly for them as you pass.  Walking past City Hall?  Pray for our mayor, police force, and community leaders.  Pray for local businesses as you walk past stores or restaurants.  As you walk past a home, take a moment to pray for that family. 

Express Yourself: Feel free to pray quietly, or out loud.  Feel free to read Scripture, write a prayer, or to pray for someone else by resting a hand on their shoulder and offering a prayer.  Feel free to worship the Lord!  We serve a creative God.  Seek Him creatively!  Do you need someone to pray for you and to anoint you with oil, just ask.

Don’t forget to listen: Remember that prayer is simply having a conversation with the Lord.  You can talk with Him as you do a close friend.  There’s no need to use fancy words or tones, just talk with Him…and don’t forget to listen.  Perhaps take time to journal special verses or thoughts.

Beauty in Brokeness

Posted: January 2, 2011 in brokeness
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Why? Why does life have to be so complicated? Why do I have to face this trial during this season or stage of my life? God, where are you? God, why are you allowing this to happen? God, if you’re as powerful as they say, why not just take this away? Does God have any clue about what I’m going through or understand even remotely how I’m feeling about my life right now? God, do you care?

Sound familiar? We have all asked these questions, haven’t we? Life is messy. Life is complicated. And yes, life can be painful at times. How interested do you feel God is in our comfort? How important do you think our happiness is to God? How does God define happiness? Is God obligated to see to it that we’re happy? Is there a purpose for suffering or walking through this present dark season of the soul?

We don’t like these questions because questions like these are birthed in times of struggle, hardship, and pain. I have walked through seasons of my life asking all of the above and more. On more than one occasion, I have asked God to take away the storm. Eventually the storm passes through, but what impact does the storm leave behind? Perhaps that question is one to wrestle through.
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“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever
you face trials of many kinds, because you
know that the testing of your faith develops
perseverance. Perseverance must finish its
work so that you may be mature and complete,
not lacking anything.” (James 1:2-4, NIV)

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Storms are a part of our lives. I heard it said that “we’re either coming out of a storm, in the midst of a storm, or heading for a storm!” Comforting, isn’t it?  I take much comfort and have learned so much about suffering through the life and ministry of the Apostle Paul. Paul’s suffering included a very long list: prison, flogging, close to death time and time again, five times receiving thirty-nine lashes, three times beaten with rods, stoning, three times being shipwrecked, a night and day in the open sea, constantly on the move, going without sleep, feeling hunger and thirst, cold and naked…the list goes on and can be found in 2 Cor. 11. Yet in all of these things, the Apostle Paul could say with confidence:
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“And we know that in all things God works for
the good of those who love him, who have been
called according to his purpose.” (Rom. 8:28, NIV)
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Are you in the middle of hardship? Are you wondering where God is in the midst of your storm? Hear the good news…you’re not alone for He is with you! God has not forsaken you! In the midst of our most difficult trials and deepest hurts in life, God is working and doing a good work in us. Perhaps maturity and becoming complete in Him is more important than simple happiness and comfort. His ways are perfect and His plans and purposes are for good.
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“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the
Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you,
plans to give you a hope and a future.” (Jer. 29:11, NIV)
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I have come to learn that there is beauty in brokenness. I don’t enjoy the trials of life any more than you do, but I am confident that God is working and present in the midst of all of the broken areas of my life. My life has been wonderful, but not perfect by a long shot. I have regrets. I have wounds. I have scars. I once was afraid to come to terms with these things and held them so close. I was too fearful to expose them for all to see. I now see that God’s grace is sufficient and that my strength is made perfect in weakness. It’s not just about me!

In some way, we’re all broken, aren’t we?

What has broken you? What’s your story? Who have you shared it with? Are you afraid to tell others? Have you allowed God to use your brokenness to comfort others? I dare you to tell your story, to allow God’s glorious light to shine through the darkness and cracks!
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“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all
comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that
we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort
we ourselves have received from God.” (2 Cor. 1:3-4, NIV)

Hey Everybody!

Posted: January 2, 2011 in Uncategorized
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Thanks for stopping by to check out my new blog!

If you know me personally, bumped into me at a conference or retreat, or have read any of my posts on Facebook or Twitter, then you probably know by now that I have something to say – about a lot of things. 

I am passionate and don’t apologize about my convictions, faith, feelings, political views, and thoughts in general - yet I strive to respect those who think or believe differently than I do.  I think we all bring value to the table, and so I welcome your feedback.  Enjoy the blog and please…let your voice and views be heard as well.