Trials I Must Need.

My groanings rise and fill the skies,
And all the atmosphere-
No man can soothe my aching soul
Or calm my doubt and fear.

I wonder why I must be tried
In such a grueling way,
And why these sore afflictions came
Upon my life today.

No answers come from fellow man-
No comfort can they give.
Appointed unto me are trials,
And in them I must live.

Almighty God has handed down
This time of testing sore;
I must endure the fire and flood,
Then peace God will restore.

My loving God will never send
An overwhelming test:
Unless He first has given grace
To help me do my best.

My ways are not the ways of God,
For His are higher still
Than all the intellect of man-
He calls His ways His will.

His will I seek as though for gold
Or treasure rare indeed,
And if through trials my road may pass-
Then trials I must need.

Our Test

Life is a path made up in time by choices that we make,
A road well worn by our two feet and all the steps we take.
Though wounded, weary, tired, and tossed- never ever quit!
Running, walking, crawling, scratching- never choose to sit!

Each time I fall it's not because I like to lie around,
And not because I have grown tired and love to feel the ground.
I fall because I have not been on this path e'er before-
I have not been this far in life, or seen what is in store.

Each day brings new and risky tests that I must take alone.
You see, no one may go with me, I must stand on my own.
The danger is not in falling down, but staying down my friend;
For others come behind us soon, and they too may fall in.

So we must boldly, bravely go to blaze a clearer trail,
To help the sick, the weak, the lame, the lonely, and the frail.
Others gone before us worked to make a clearer road
So to must we forge on to help the feeble bear their load.

Onward, forward all must march for pilgrim folk are we-
Dear one this place is not our home but testing ground you see.
For as we go to run our race and drink up our life's cup,
Our test is this- not if we fell, but if we did get up!

The Fellowship of Suffering

This poem was written for a friend who was facing a time of trial.

No fellowship is quite as sweet
Than that in time of trial;
No tie can bind like one of grief
While walking sorrow's mile.

Souls are betrothed when thrust into
The furnace of affliction,
And hearts are knit that suffer through
A time of grief's constriction.

No blows may weld a stronger bond
Than buffets from the storm,
And those that seem to overwhelm
Our fragile human form.

In weariness of soul and mind-
And with a flesh made weak-
Your character has voiced the thoughts
That tongue could never speak.

Through common burdens we have borne,
Our unsaid thoughts are spoken;
And though our hearts now ache and grieve,
We see that yours is broken.

For when, with you, we face the fire
Or come beneath the sword-
We find out what it truly means
To know our gracious Lord.

Your faith, unshaken, is a source
Of strength to all you lead.
Our battles are but skirmishes,
While yours are wars indeed.

A deeper form of love has grown
While suffering through the years;
From seeds of sorrow, grief, and pain
Oft fertilized with tears.

Though many victories were won
While traveling in the way,
The fellowship of suffering 
Must be our strength this day.

These earthly trials that we must face
Are fellowships with God.
A time when we transcend the painful,
Mortal paths we trod.

That we may know him and his power,
He often chooses pain
To draw us closer to His side
That His might we should gain.

Within Concealed

To love and lose is better still
Than safety's idle pause.
A venture brings its own reward-
To risk all for a cause.

Though loss may seem a bitter end,
Tis only if you dare
To cower down to failure's doom,
And in surrender share.

But those brave souls who must rise up
When challenges arrive,
Will find in starting o'er again
The strength with which to strive.

For in each human beating heart,
A choice has oft revealed
The power that no foe could match
Had been within concealed.

Thinking of How Blessed I am Today!

I took some time to reflect early this morning about how much of God's unmerited favor I enjoy everyday.  I was overwhelmed that God has allowed me to serve Him for another year!  I could not help but to shed some tears of joy for the incredible blessings I receive that I do not deserve.  On the occasion of my birthday, I have always- as long as I can remember- taken a look back at the past year to take stock of its blessings and also look ahead to the coming year to imagine what it has in store.  This morning, I prayed for a year filled with opportunities to serve.  I asked the Lord to increase my vision and to grant me the wisdom, discernment, faith, and strength to live out an enlarged ministry.  I only desire to be a help here, in the ministry God has placed me in, and to find new ways to serve the people here.

I couldn't care less about making any kind of name for myself, or rubbing shoulders with people who have big "names".  I love the fact that our ministry is kind of tucked away, and isn't at the center of anyone's attention...other than God's!  Now, we have a great ministry here, and what could be considered a pretty good sized church running about 600, but I love the fact that our Pastor and church have no desire to garner attention with any "camp" or any particular college or preacher- we just serve the people of our community, state, and the world by fulfilling the great commission.  I am truly blessed to serve in the capacity that I do in this wonderful ministry! 

I have been blessed beyond measure to have enjoyed the kind of wonderful friends I have been able to make through the years.  I have heard from many of you already today.  I have also been wonderfully blessed by the Godly influences that have impacted my life.  My Preacher, Dr. B.G. Buchanan, was a truly wise spiritual leader to me for 18 years as I grew up in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.  When I left to attend college, I was blessed to sit under the ministry of Dr. Jack Hyles and the First Baptist Church and Hyles-Anderson College.  I have also enjoyed learning from Dr. Eric Capaci, Dr. Keith Gomez, and my current pastor, Dr. Dean Miller, Jr.  Bro. Miller has been a wonderful preacher, spiritual leader, and boss- I cannot think of another man I would want to serve more! 

So, on my birthday, I am reflecting on how supremely I have been blessed of the Lord.  Take some time today to think about how wonderful your life really is.  Even if you are facing hard times, think of the provision of the Lord that has brought you through before.  If you are in the midst of the trial, consider the Hand of the Lord that has been safeguarding you and that will ultimately deliver you.  If you are enjoying the peaceful mountaintop, bow down and praise the Lord for His goodness.  Just be thankful!  Life is a blessing! 

God Uses Failures!

The thought for this poem was inspired by Psalm 12.

Throughout our land the righteous fail,
The Godly men have ceased.
Both near and far the faithful fail-
Help, Lord, please hear our pleas!

The mightiest among us
Still face failure in the way.
Oh, but let not fear deter us,
God uses failures everyday.

When we stumble and lose focus
And we gaze into the storm,
God is near and He is waiting
To give shelter from all harm.

We must reach out and cry, "Saviour!"
He'll be quickly by our side-
Through our failures, if repentant,
In God's will we can abide.

So when e'er you fail and falter,
Find yourself in miry clay;
Don't relent, reach up towards Glory-
God uses failures still today!

What You Don't Know Can Hurt You!

"My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children."- Hosea 4:6.  In this one thought-provoking verse, God makes it hyper-evident that we are to possess some knowledge to be able to lead a successful Christian life.  The knowledge you obtain along your life's journey will determine the quality of the journey.  Will your way be hard due to a lack of knowledge?  Will you be a vessel God can use, or will your lack of knowledge hinder your service to Him?

Sometimes what we do not know impedes our progress in life.  Many times, we are not even aware that we are missing out on something because that is what ignorance produces- lack of awareness.  The very definition of ignorance is a lack of awareness or information.  What we are ignorant of will be our weakness.  The areas in your life in which you lack knowledge will be the areas that Satan will attack.  If you are ignorant in financial matters, Satan will be sure to attack your finances.  If you are ignorant of Scriptural principles regarding morality and purity, Satan will undoubtedly attack your flesh through lust and desires.  The more knowledgeable you are in an area, it is less likely Satan will establish a foothold of attack against you in that certain area.  Your level of knowledge or lack thereof in any particular facet of your life determines how that part of your life will either prosper or struggle.

Obtaining knowledge is paramount to achieving an abundant Christian life.  Studying the Word of God will surely add much knowledge and wisdom to your life.  Reading good books by good Christian authors will also be of help to those who seek to add knowledge.  Oftentimes knowledge can be gained by simply being observant and attentive in your everyday life.  We are to walk circumspectly, the Bible commands.  This means to always be inspecting everything around us as we journey through life; to literally take a close look 360 degrees about ourselves as we walk.  Lessons are there to be learned if we but take the time to recognize them.  This will involve discernment and judgment, and these skills can only be honed through knowing Scripture and studying it.  Having the mind of Christ is absolutely necessary to obtaining Godly discernment.  Once we are able to discern, we must be cognizant to put this skill to use in our everyday lives.  In your daily discourse, you will be able to glean much knowledge if you are on the lookout for it.  Be observant.

While a lack of knowledge will be a detriment to your life, an abundance of knowledge is also not a guarantor of success.  We must be careful to apply the knowledge we gain in a useful way.  A store of information that is never utilized is only wasted.  Knowledge for the sake of knowledge puffs up; it is a dangerous thing.  However, knowledge that is thoughtfully applied in life situations and is governed by Scriptural principles will be a valuable tool to help you lead a successful Christian life.

Proof of Your Faith

I Peter 1 tells us that our faith will one day be tried, like gold is tried by fire.  The Scripture is also careful to point out that our faith is much more precious than gold.  Our faith is what will deliver us in the day that we are tried.  The passage states that the end of our faith is the salvation of our souls.  So from this passage we see that our faith is important, and that a trial of it is a guarantee.  What then, proves your faith?  Is there any proof of faith evident in your life?

Before we get into what proofs of faith we should manifest, we must carefully define just what faith is, exactly.  The terms hope and faith are sometimes used synonymously, but they are really different in their core meanings.  Hope is a word that carries connotations of the future.  Hope is looking down the road, and believing that some good thing lies ahead.  Hope is largely based on emotion and can be influenced by exterior circumstances.  We catch a bad break, and suddenly our hope begins to wane.  Faith, on the other hand, is a solidly present tense term.  Faith is the knowledge that God will do what He says He will do.  Faith is knowing that God has always provided, and not wavering from that knowledge when a new situation of need arises.  Faith is what we must possess when facing a trial.  Faith is the comfort of knowing that God has always delivered before, and therefore will deliver again because He is unchanging.  Hope is not so concrete.  Faith requires a knowledge of God, and hope only requires a belief in God.  The difference is quite stark.

There are many who have a belief that God exists, and they may actually hope that He hears their prayers and will help them.  However, these people do not have a knowledge of God and have yet to place their faith in Him.  Their hope, while genuine, will lead them straight to hell.  Faith prompts us to action.  Faith is taking that step into the unknown, and placing all trust and hope in that which is unseen.  Faith is then rewarded with the knowledge and confirmation that it has found a true resting place.  God provides His Holy Spirit to live within the temple of man once that man places all his faith in Him.  This indwelling confirms in us the presence of God and is the proof that our faith has been correctly placed.

Faith is the thing that transforms our hopes into realities.  Faith is the tangible proof of a thing we once could only hope for.  We gain faith when we see its provision in our lives.  These fulfillments of hope become faith, so that our hope is no longer only a dream.  When we hope for a thing and unwaveringly cling to the belief that it will come to pass, we build faith.  Faith is then fully gained when the hope becomes reality.  Going through trials with a hope that God will deliver is rewarded with a new measure of faith at the end of the trial when God actually does deliver. 

So what proofs of faith are manifest in your life?  Do you know Christ?  The only way to succeed in the Christian life is to live by faith.  We are only alive to bring honor and glory to the Lord.  Without faith it is impossible to please God.  Faith is the key that will unlock the blessings of God in your life.  Faith is a substance; it is the catalyst that will activate and bring about the things for which you are hoping.  Do you have regular answers to prayer?  Is your life marked by the unmistakable goodness of God?  When was the last time you felt so overwhelmed by the love and presence of God in your life that all you could do was weep for joy?  How has the Lord conveyed to you His grace, mercy, and favor lately?  How much power has God granted you for His service?  Are you regularly seeing opportunities to witness, and seeing people trust Christ?  How sweet is your walk with Christ? 

If these questions give you pause, you may not be exhibiting the proofs of faith you should be exhibiting as a Christian.  Faith is the force that will enable us to experience all the goodness that God wants to pour out upon His children.  God does not intend for us to lead an anemic, meager Christian existence.  The earmarks of a blessed Christian walk are abundance and blessing.  Yes, trials will come; but in the trials His goodness and grace abound even more.  Let us not only hope for God's blessings but also possess the faith necessary to receive God's blessings.  Endeavor to stand firm in time of testing.  See your hope mature into faith by refusing to waver until the hope becomes reality.  Grow your faith so that its proofs will be readily evident in your life.

As a Man Thinketh...

So much time is spent by Christians these days trying to shake off worldly habits and avoid the pitfalls of Satan.  Many times we struggle with the same sins over and over again.  Why is this?  Because we, by and large, have not learned how to train and focus our thinking.  As we think, we are.  This is a guaranteed, mark it down, unchanging, everlasting Biblical truth!  You cannot become something unless you first think that thing.  We never do anything unless that deed was first born as a thought of our minds.

The mind is the joint or gateway between the spiritual and the physical.  Our mind is affected by our heart or our spirit.  As we commune with God, our hearts are stirred and our minds are provoked to think spiritual things.  Likewise, if we allow ourselves to be inundated with worldly influences, our minds will stray to carnal, temporal things.  The mind is the joint that connects the spiritual part of us to the physical.  Nothing we do physically has not been impacted by our mind first.  The way we feel in our spirit will determine how we think in our mind which in turn affects how we act.

The Bible teaches us not to be conformed to this world.  What does this mean?  It means that we should not take on and accept the worldly mindset or way of thinking.  We as Christians should not be accepting of how the world thinks and operates.  We are not to conform.  By taking on a worldly mindset, we are guaranteeing worldly thoughts, and thus we are setting ourselves up for worldly actions.  Having a carnal mindset will produce carnal thoughts, which can only lead to carnal actions.  This progression of events is guaranteed by Scripture.  No matter how much we may try to deceive ourselves into believing that we can overcome a worldly mindset, it simply cannot be done.  A man who possesses a worldly mindset is a ticking time bomb of worldly thoughts and deeds waiting to explode.

The maturity we possess as Christians is determined by our mindset.  The decisions we make influence and indeed determine our level of Christian maturity.  A man with the mind of Christ will tend to make wise decisions and will constantly be maturing and growing- provided he maintains a Godly mindset.  A man who is carnally minded will make carnal decisions, do carnal deeds, and never mature in his walk with Christ.  Our thinking determines what plane of maturity we will achieve in Christ.

The Bible commands us to be transformed by renewing our minds.  To transform something is to change that thing from its original state into something new.  This transformation is not a one-time event; it must be a continual process.  We must be constantly changing and allowing our minds to be renewed.  We must transform our mindset by exchanging our thoughts and beliefs with those of Christ.  We must accept His thoughts and deny our own.  We must take on His mind, and put away our way of thinking.  This is the transformation we must undergo daily to achieve a proper mindset, which will inspire proper thoughts, which will trigger proper behavior.

To take on the mind of Christ, we must not try to fit Scripture to the way we think.  We must change the way we think to fit Scripture.  There can be no compromise is this regard.  In this area, people often fall short of truly inhabiting the mind of Christ as they attempt to pick and choose just how they will accept a Scriptural mindset.  We oftentimes try to mix the mind of Christ with a little of our own thinking.  This leads to disastrous and heretical results.  This kind of living is the source of much of the problems that exist in the body of Christ today- well-intentioned people halfway conforming to the world while proclaiming to take on the mind of Christ.  This cannot possibly work, because what fellowship hath light with darkness?  If we have any of the old conformity to the world present in our thinking, we are not fully submitted to the Christ-like mindset we are commanded to have.  The transformation is not complete, and we do not have the power that is implicit in possessing the mind of Christ.  We only have a bastardized version of Christianity that is warned of in II Timothy. 

To become a mature Christian and possess holiness, we must take on the mind of Christ.  As we think, we are.  Holiness is nothing more than having the mind of Christ.  Allowing ourselves to come under the authority of Christ and accepting the transformation that Scripture will effect in our lives as a result is the process we must undergo to achieve holiness.  We will never mature as Christians absent this transformation.  Again, this change is not a one-time event.  Salvation does not guarantee spiritual maturity.  The one-time change of accepting Christ as Saviour is not the same thing as becoming spiritually mature.  Everyday we must crucify the old man, take on the mind of Christ, and journey in His will.  Exchange your mindset for the mind of Christ.  You will then see how your heart will be touched by Heaven, which your spur your mind to think on true, honest, just, and pure things which will produce actions pleasing to the Lord.

Your mind is a gateway.  From your heart, emotions become thoughts which become actions.  Your actions determine who you are.  What you do defines you.  So, in effect, how you feel which determines how you think is what defines you.  Think with the mind of Christ and you can be guaranteed to become a mature, holy Christian living in God's will and producing the fruit of the Spirit.

Been away from the Blog lately...

I realize that I haven't posted much recently.  My schedule has been such that I haven't had the time to post as I usually like to and enjoy doing.  I have a few great things (I think) in the works to share, so please check back often.  Again, I appreciate all of you who come by the blog, and I hope the content is helpful.

Trip to Arkansas

This week, I have been privileged to travel with our boy's varsity basketball team to Jacksonville, Arkansas for the March Madness Tournament and Youth Conference hosted by Bible Baptist Church.  I love being able to travel and be around our guys- we have a great group of sharp young men.  The tournament portion of the week is over, and although we didn't fare well, it has been a great experience for the team.  The main speaker for the youth conference is Pastor Jay Reed from Suwanee, Georgia.  I have known Pastor Reed for several years, and he is a great preacher and has done a great job so far.  I will share some great thoughts from his messages in future posts.  I am blessed beyond measure to be involved in ministering to our young men everyday- I have the best job in the world and I love it!

Staying Hungry

One of the keys to sustained excellence is staying hungry.  Being driven to not only achieve excellence, but also to maintain excellence is a hallmark of those who accomplish great things.  We must never rest on our past successes, nor dwell on our past failings and misgivings.  We must always be looking forward.

To truly achieve excellence, you must first learn to master whatever it is you are doing.  This can usually only be done through hard work- and lots of it.  To the athlete who desires to rise to the top of his sport, many hours of practice must be put in to accomplish that goal.  The basketball player who is possessed of some talent, attends practice with his team, but does no extra work may perform adequately and even have the occasional stand-out performance.  It is the player that stays after the minimum team practice time has been fulfilled that goes on to develop a great career.  Putting in the time, energy, and effort to master your job is vitally important if you want to attain excellence.

Putting in the work to become excellent and achieving that goal in the short term, however, is not the sign of true greatness.  Continuing to put in that work to maintain and even improve your performance is the only way to achieve an excellent record.  Again, excellence is not a short-term or one time event; it is the continued achievement of a high standard.  How does one sustain the energy and effort it takes to pull this off?  He stays hungry. 

Paul admonishes us in Philippians 3 to "forget those things which are behind" and to "press toward the mark..."  This is an example of staying hungry.  Have you had past failures?  Forget about them, they are where they will always be- in the past!  Have you been successful before?  Forget about that too, because past success is not a guarantee of future achievement.  Stay hungry!  Constantly have your focus on what is right in front of you, and on what lies ahead.  This is the only way to achieve excellence.  Having a desire to be excellent must be the motor that will drive you to act and behave in ways that will result in your development of excellent habits.  Absent the desire to achieve excellence, a man becomes apathetic and lethargic.  These are not becoming qualities for a Christian to possess.  Strive to maintain high personal standards of excellence, and stay hungry to do and be better than you were yesterday.

Entering the Fourth Quarter!

This week is the last week of the third quarter for the 2011-2012 school year.  This year has flown by!  I have learned so much in the course of teaching, coaching, and fulfilling my other daily duties since August.  It truly seems like it was just yesterday that I sat in our teacher orientation filled with excitement for the coming school year.  The possibilities and potential that lay ahead were inspiring, challenging, and humbling then for this young teacher.  As I look back on the first 3/4 of this school year, I am even more humbled, challenged, and inspired!

I serve an awesome God, and I am so thankful that He allows and empowers me to serve in the capacity that I do here at Central Baptist School.  It is only by God's grace and mercy I am able to have any sort of ministry.  I love, love, love the staff and students I get to work and serve with everyday- there is no other place I would rather be and no other thing I would rather be doing!  Praise God for a wonderful first three quarters.  I am looking forward to finishing this school year being even more determined and committed than I was back in August.

Raider Boys Basketball Team State Runners-Up!

I am so proud to have helped coached this year's Raider boys basketball team!  The guys fought through adversity to win a spot in the Gulf Coast Christian Conference Championship game.  They did this by winning three games in a row, all against higher seeds in the tournament.  As a 5 seed, no one expected us to play for the championship; but we believed we could and we did!  The guys gave everything they had but came up short against the overwhelming favorite number 1 seed and undefeated team in the final game.  Losing held no shame for the Raiders, as they truly left it all out on the court.  Persevering and achieving has been a hallmark of this 2011-2012 Raider squad.  I love each and every one of you, Raider players!  Keep on improving, and watch out next year GCCC- the Raiders are taking it all!

What My Tears Would Say

If you could see my heart of love,

So full about to burst;

And when words fail, it empties out

Like rain on ground athirst.

If you could read those tears that fell

And stained this page so dry;

If you knew from which well they came,

And when they fell and why.

Those tears would say, "I love you" and

"I'll go that extra mile."

They carry love so strong and true,

So pure and undefiled.

The tears would say, "I miss you" when

By chance you're ever gone.

They'd stream and flow right down my face

Until your journey's done.

The tears would say, "You're special" and

"There's no one quite like you."

They'd make you feel like royalty;

They'd cheer you when you're blue.

The tears would say, "I need you" when

No other seems to care.

They'd reach out and they'd want you,

And they wouldn't want to share.

The tears would say, "I know you" when

Some lie you'd try to tell.

The tears would keep you honest should

You try to cast some spell.

The tears would say, "I trust you" if

Some indecision came.

The tears would back you up in times

When others issue blame.

The tears would say, "I'll hold your hand" and

Would comfort all your fears.

They'd drive away detractors and

Cause loved ones to draw near.

The tears would say, "Forgiven" if

You ever went astray.

The tears would never hold a grudge,

Not even for a day.

The tears would say, "I'm sorry" when

The tables have been turned.

If I'm the one found in the wrong,

And you're the one that's burned.

The tears would say, "You're lovely" should

Some haters mock and scorn.

They'd spread a balm where you'd been pricked

By critics' spiteful thorns.

The tears would sacrifice and give

So you would never want.

The tears would always acquiesce 

So you could glow and flaunt.

The tears would serve and gladly bend

So you some rest could take.

The tears would carry all your load

So your back never aches.

The tears would never breathe again

So you could draw one breath.

The tears would face your every foe, 

And if they could, your death.

The tears would do these things and more,

And in that way express-

But you can't read them, they can't speak-

So now I must confess:

Sometimes I get so overwhelmed,

And when my words fail me-

Just see my tears and know, my friend,

What all they'd say and be.

Leave Your Troubles

Another sleepless night, I fear

Of restless, wistful yawns.

Sleep evades me once again,

And soon the new day dawns.

The day that was had lingered so

I could not leave behind.

The cares and burdens it had held

Still weighed upon my mind.

With the setting of the sun,

My soul cried out for rest!

And though my body didst agree,

My mind would get the best

Of me and keep me up this night

While others drift away

To be refreshed, recharged, renewed;

But me, I had to stay.

And so all night I wondered why

I could not join that band,

That blessed troop that occupied

Sweet never-never land.

My eyes would burn but never shut,

So full of sand and fire.

Try as I might to slow it down,

My mind just wouldn't tire!

Whizzing, whirring, overloaded

From a day of care-

The topsy-turvy pace it kept

Belied my frozen stare.

Behind dull eyes, my brain's aglow

With worry, woe, and thought.

And deeper into night I drift,

While not a "ZZZZZ" I've caught.

But then I realized the thing

That I should have before-

The reason that I cannot rest

And slumber, sleep and snore-

I've carried burdens all day long,

Borne sorrows, pain, attacks.

The worries of the world had weighed

And bent and bowed my back.

I hurried through and did not take

The time to shed my load.

I should have left that heavy weight

Along life's busy road.

That road we all must travel as

We make our way through life.

The road that takes its twists and turns

Through sorrow, pain, and strife.

The road that brings us down dark trails

Of danger and despair,

O'er faulty footholds, unsure paths

That seem to go nowhere.

Beside this road each day we stop

To rest and catch our breath-

Not hurrying to reach its end,

For we know that it holds death.

But on our way we sometimes find

Redemption, mirth, and grace.

And with these helps we soldier on

To find a better place.

Then as each day draws to a close,

Night signals to us, "Sleep.

Lay down your burdens and your cares,

These through the night can't keep."

We must let go and on the morrow

Wake to find again.

But oft they seem to disappear

As though they hadn't been.

Sometimes we find them on our way,

And with them we contend.

Another day we carry on

New daylight hours to spend.

Toiling under strain and stress-

Something we all must do-

Working in the noon-time sun

Until the day is through.

Leave the troubles of the old day

In the setting sun.

Maybe in the morn discover

All of them are gone!

Maybe some are waiting right beside

Your chosen way.

Not to worry though, dear friend,

You only carry them one day!

2,345 page views in February!

Thank you once again to all you readers!  You made last month the biggest by far in the short history of this blog.  I sincerely and ever so humbly appreciate your taking time to come to the blog.  I am motivated to continue to provide content that I pray will be helpful.  Thank you so much for supporting the blog- I hope that you are in some way helped, blessed, inspired, or challenged by what you find here.  Thank you all so much!

Quiet Confidence

So much of what determines how promoted a thing is in the world today depends upon how loudly that thing clamors for attention and promotes itself.  "Swag" has become the buzzword in sports and entertainment.  Gone are the days of humble superstars like Bill Russell and Cal Ripken Jr.  Now we deal with self-aggrandizing athletes like Lebron James and Alex Rodriguez.  How much braggadocio you exude will often determine your place in the food chain.  This trend of "look at me" and putting self first is diametrically opposed to Bible teaching.

There is nothing wrong with having confidence.  A man has every right to the natural self-confidence that he gains after devoting his time and energies to achieve.  However, this confidence need not be an overt attitude of "look what I've done".  The true confidence gained in giving your all and succeeding will be an inner peace and sense of fulfillment.  This self-worth cannot be gained any other way, but it has to be earned.  It cannot be achieved through the compliments, praise, or laud of others.  The praise of men is but a shallow ringing in the ears that fades away and is soon gone.  To place too much stock in it is folly and self-deception.  Pride puffs up.  True confidence keeps you hungry to get better and do more.

Pride tells you that you are the best; confidence urges you forward to get even better.

The quiet confidence you earn from working to achieve does not need to trumpet itself.  The good work you do will be its own testament to success.  Oftentimes it is those who have actually accomplished little and are capable of the least that blow their own horns the loudest.  The one who is possessed of true confidence feels no need to seek for the approval of others because he knows that even though his past accomplishments may have been good, his next will be even better.  This is because he does not have pride whispering "you have arrived" in his ear.  Do not be deceived by those who seem to clamor for attention the most with boasting and self-promotion.  This will be a sign that there is really not much there worth your while.

The Bible teaches that pride comes before a fall.  Having confidence is necessary if you want to achieve great things.  We must be careful that we do not allow a good confidence to crossover into being an unjust pride.  Pride will often puff up a person because it bases worth on comparisons to others.  Keep yourself humble by comparing yourself to the measuring stick of the Bible and Christ- these are the only comparisons that matter.  If the Bible says that the best I can do is filthy rags, then what right have I to become boastful?  Stay quietly confident in yourself and in your will do work to achieve.  Shun the vainglorious, self-promoting tendencies of the wordly culture.

Patience

I hate to wait!  I am not a big fan of having my time wasted, and waiting- be it in lines, at traffic lights, at appointments, or at the microwave- almost always seems to be wasted time.  Waiting is torture.  Waiting is also necessary.  Waiting does not have to be wasteful.

The pace of many things has sped up in our modern time.  Travel times are mere fractions of what they used to be.  Food preparation has been made more efficient with microwaves, convection ovens, and infrared cooking.  Communication is instantaneous where it used to takes days, even months.  But there are still many instances throughout the day where we find ourselves waiting.  Of course, dealing with having to wait is the issue at hand.  We know waiting is necessary sometimes, but how it is that we approach waiting is the question. 

When we find ourselves waiting, we should know that time spent waiting is time spent accomplishing something.  While waiting at a traffic light, we are accomplishing the task of getting somewhere.  It may not seem like it, but we are making progress.  You see, waiting at traffic signals or stop signs is part of traveling on our modern highways.  As we pass through each such stoppage, we have made progress towards our overall goal of getting to wherever it is we are going.  When we wait on things to happen we are actually in the process of accomplishing that thing.

Also while waiting, we should realize that we have been given precious time apart from the things we are doing.  These wait times are like little "time-outs" in life.  These moments can be spent in reflection, thought, or prayer.  Or they may be simply enjoyed as a moment to take a deep breath and refocus.  Take advantage of time spent waiting to catch your breath when life becomes harried and overwhelming.  In the hustle and bustle of getting things done, we often have waiting times interspersed throughout our day.  Instead of anxiously tapping your fingers or pacing around waiting your turn, use that time to extract yourself from the moment and enter a time of peacefulness within that time of waiting. 

While waiting may be tedious, do not forget that it does not have to be wasteful.  Utilize your waiting time purposefully and it will become beneficial time. 

The Power in Pain

No one likes to endure pain.  No one enjoys suffering.  No one looks forward to hardship.  But there is extreme power in pain.  Pain and suffering are the keys that unlock a great store of power. 

Pain is never fun, but pain is always profitable.

Pain is promised.  Pain is a part of life.  There is no escaping it.  If you are alive on this earth, you have experienced pain of some sort.  The fact that you are breathing means that you have endured some sort of hardship.  If you haven't, prepare yourself- it is coming.  Pain is inevitable, unavoidable, and.....necessary.  If we are to ever gain power to do and accomplish great things, we must first suffer and travail.

Pain is profitable.  To bring a child into this world, a mother must endure great pain.  The anguish of childbirth is what allows the mother to have such joy as she holds her newborn babe for the first time.  The mother's agony of the delivery is soon swallowed up by the euphoria of having and holding a child that she brought into the world.  Her pain was the doorway she had to walk through to enter into the rest and comfort of caressing her child.  The workman toils and labors all day long and must endure many trying things in the course of his work.  But that pain is the passageway to the living he earns and the sense of self-worth and accomplishment he possesses at the end of a long week.  The athlete subjects his body to intense, painful training so that he may attain an edge in competition.  The painful sacrifices he makes in denying his body certain desires and appetites is the catalyst that will propel him to glory in his sport.  Without pain, there is no profit.  Absent toil and hard work, there can be no achievement or progress.  Comfort, casualness, and leisure have never wrought anything lasting.  

Only pain has the power to bring profit.

Pain is power.  Pain is in and of itself the power that moves and drives accomplishment.  Pain is not only powerful, it is power.  Our sufferings are the fuel that fire our drive to get past the suffering itself and move on to better times.  The "fellowship of suffering" Paul speaks of in Philippians 3 is the power that will allow us to know Christ, and to know Christ is to have power.  Only through pain may we gain the power we need to do the things Christ has for us to do.  Through this fraternity of hardship we take part in the pain Christ endured for us by taking up our cross daily and living a crucified life.  In this, we gain access to the power that is inherent in the pain.  

Pain is perfecting.  We are perfected in Christ the more we take part in this fellowship of suffering.  Unlocking the power that we need and that is available to us can only be done through taking part in pain.  Many see pain as a trammeling force that stunts progress or sets things back somehow.  They miss the crucial part of the process of pain.  Pain, after it is wrought, works to perfect and complete.  If we are faithful to endure the pain and accept the trial, then after we come through it we will reap the benefit of pain's power to perfect us.  Pain is the only way we will ever gain intimate knowledge of Christ and the immense power He promises those who partake in His fellowship of suffering.  Pain will grant power and pain will perfect us.  So don't think it strange when fiery trials come your way.  Do not shrink in fear when faced with a tiresome trial.  Stand firm in the confidence that Christ is simply working to perfect you.  Move boldly forward to face the hardship in the knowledge that you will be the beneficiary of the power that may be gained in the midst of the hardship's pain.