Who is the Enemy?

I was never taught this. If I had, it would've saved much heartache. Rather, I made some poor choices & often blamed the "enemy." The enemy got way too much credit.

Here's what I mean: I fear that often we ascribe too much credit to the "enemy." In my circumstance & in many of yours this person/being would be the Adversary, the Devil, the anti-Christ, Satan, the Prince of this World.

Here is what I see happening: For example, I see a believer make a choice to pursue something. This may be a business venture, a new profession, a girl/guy, a path, etc. With some prayer they set out on the journey. But then sometimes conflict or opposition or uneasiness or realized mistakes surface & who is to blame now? Well of course, the "enemy." I hear it often, "The enemy is really attacking us. He sees how important our mission is & he doesn't like it, so he is fighting it."
I hear what your saying & the Bible says that the adversary is seeking to kill & destroy. But, sometimes I think that we give him credit simply because we didn't think things through or because God may be revealing sin in our hearts & He wants us to repent before we move forward.

Mike & I talked about this the other day & it seems to reveal much pride in the person who thinks or says "how important is my mission."

It is simply a matter of perspective. One perspective blames the "enemy" for our discomfort; this perspective is an outward view--it doesn't take responsibility. The other perspective sees "indwelling sin" as the enemy & takes responsibility over personal sin.

Now, I already here the rebuttals & don't have time to address them all--a brother's gotta work! But, just hear me out when I say that maybe the source of conflict is God-sent & instead of blaming the "enemy", ask God to reveal indwelling sin & to grant you repentance. It is often a war of the desires of the Spirit vs. the desires of the flesh. Because, let's face it--each of us have a dangerous companion that is at home within us. Often the war is within not without.

I should've waged war against indwelling sin a long time ago. You can either blame everyone else for your defeat or you can repent, walk in the light, & have fellowship with one another & God Almighty.

Comments?

When Vacations Go Awry

awry: away from the appropriate, planned, or expected.

Yep... that pretty much sums it up.

Joy, Brennan, & I had plans to leave for vacation last Saturday. Well, the night before we were to leave, we were awakened unexpectedly at 12:30 am with Brennan crying. No big deal, right? Although being practically unconscious, I hear Joy & Brennan in the guest bathroom. And the water is running. Oh no! I ran in there to see her taking off his vomit-soaked pajamas. She said, "He threw up everwhere!" I quickly pivoted & walked in Brennan's room to see vomit all over his bed, crib, blanket, sheets, dry-clean only crib padding thing, floor, rug, etc. You get the point. It was bad; it was real bad. I am certain I set a record for holding my breath as I cleaned up this mess, replaced his sheets & blanket. I thought the worst was over as I reasoned to myself, "He has never done this before, everything should be fine."

It wasn't.

To our alarm, the same occurred 3 more times throughout the night. As we woke from our fragmented periods of rest, we were exhausted. But, we were about to get in the car for a 5 hour drive to go on vacation. 5 hour drive + sick baby = vomit in car seat 3 times. Oh no!

Well, without drawing out this story too much, here are the details. We arrived at Joy's parents' house to celebrate Brennan's 1st b-day but he was too sick to eat any cake. Joy's sister & her kids were there too which exposed them to the sickness. Brennan felt much better later that day so Joy & I stuck to our plans, left him with Papa & Nana, & drove down to Santa Rosa Beach, FL. We drove through storms the whole way down but were able to find about half an hour of dryness in Seaside where we ate. As we made it back to our rental house, The Green Gecko, Joy began to feel bad.

You got it! Vomitting in the night!! She was out of commission the our first day... no beach, no food, lots of sleep. Day 2: Joy is feeling much better. But... you got it! Ben is sick... no beach, no food, lots of sleep. Joy calls her parents to check on them. Update: Joy's dad is sick, Joy's mom is feeling like she may be getting sick, Joy's sister & her daughter are sick. Day 3 (our last day at the beach): Well, finally feeling better, we pack up & go have some breakfast. Immediately following, we spent 2 hours on the beach trying to do what we wanted to do the whole time. After that, we had lunch, played a round of putt-putt, & drove 3 hours north to Joy's parents' house. Vacation over.

We arrived at our house last night officially exhausted. A year's worth of planning & vacation savings down the tube. Sometimes vacations go awry, sometimes they don't. I am hoping that we have sensed God's hand in this too. I can't quite give you some super-sprititual explanation or extra-godly insight as to why I feel okay about all this, I just do.

Now, I ponder how to surprise Joy with a day or two (or three, four) of rest & vacation before the next baby comes. Any ideas are welcome. But... let's keep it much closer to home this time.

Back in the saddle & lovin' it!

Below Ground:

You may want to set aside 15 minutes to watch this. It is moving, gripping, & sad. It will evoke pity for those less fortunate & bring appreciation to your circumstance. Hopefully, you will put yourself in their situation & sober up. I find comfort in knowing that God is sovereign, even under the streets in Romania. See for yourself.

click!

Is a Beer just a Beer?

What a great topic to stir up some discussion!! In this month's Leadership Journal there is an article titled, "Trouble Brewing: Is a relaxed attitude toward alcohol among clergy leading to a new battle over prohibition." You can access the article by clicking on the article title. I just finished the article & thought to myself, "I have to blog about this & see what others have to say."  

One Southern Baptist pastor from Mississippi stated, "I am not too pleased with our alcohol position, not because I am a champion for serving beer at Wednesday night dinner, but rather because of the convoluted way we reach this much-beloved stance. Our position on alcohol is one of recent historic origin, not scriptural." 

And consider this quote from historian Mark Noll, "Some evangelicals have made opinion on liquor more important for fellowship & cooperation... than attitudes toward the person of Christ or the nature of salvation." 

So, let me ask you, "Is a beer just a beer?" 

Love that Lasts, Part 2

Here are a few impressions from last weekend's marriage conference, Love that Lasts. In this post, I will pull from the first part of Session 1: Why Communicate? 

Effective Communication Leads to Fellowship

1. Why communicate?

• For the Glory of God: 1 Cor 10:31, Gen 1:27
• It is not good to be Alone: Gen 2:18, Rom 12:5, Eph 4:16, Heb 3:13, Prov 18:1
• To become One: Gen 2:18-25
• To reflect Christ & the Church: Eph 5:32
• To serve the other: Eph 4:29
• To be conformed to the image of Christ: Rom 8:29, Eph 4:15

"Communication is not an end in itself. The goal of communication is fellowship... with God, our spouses, & others." 

"God's intention for marriage is companionship, intimacy, & growth in godliness for His glory."

"Just because someone communicates with ease does not mean that they are effective communicators." 

"If my marriage is not about something that is greater than me, it will end up being all about me." 

"When I speak to my wife in a sinful manner, I am presenting to our children & others a distorted view of Christ & His Church." 

"Pursue communication as a means of walking in the light, growing in godliness & helping your spouse to mature in Christ as you are becoming one." 

"Honesty has been used as an excuse for recklessness!"

One thing that really stuck out to me is asking my wife, "Joy, when I said ______, what did you hear? I need some objectivity in my life & I want to make sure what I am intending to communicate is really being communicated." 

Love That Lasts, pt. 1

Joy & I had the pleasure to attend a marriage seminar this weekend at the church we have been attending (Cornerstone Church of Knoxville) led by Gary & Betsy Ricucci, authors of Love that Lasts (click here for a link to the book). Joy's parents were so kind in coming up from Alabama to care for Brennan as we took some time to invest in our marriage. 

Let me begin by saying that I have not been a huge fan of marriage conferences. At marriage, Joy & I committed to continually invest in resources such as books, audio, & counseling. As well,  we said we would try to attend a marriage conference/seminar annually. 

Our first attempt at Marriage Conferences

Our first marriage conference was a disaster! If you think I am exaggerating, you're mistaken. I took the lead in registering for the conference, booking a romantic hotel, taking the weekend off from church duties, etc. I thought everything was in place. Well, it was except that we were let down in a major way. Long story short, it caused more arguments in our marriage than we could've imagined. We spent our first night in the hotel practically angry with one another; it stunk! I couldn't identify why everything was going so wrong. 

Well, after attending Love that Lasts, I realized I wasn't being too critical when I said that the other conference was terrible; it was! The reason it caused so much conflict is because it was viewing marriage strictly from a man-centered view rather than a God-centered view. It was practically 3 days of someone telling me how my behavior was wrong. But what they failed to do was address the main issue--my desire. My desire was for me... "What can I get out of this marriage? How come I do this? But what about me?" You get the point.

Thank God for something Different

Well, I must thank God that this time was a different story. I presume there are a few reasons why. First, I believe Joy & I are in a different place than previously... we are more open to serve one another but also we are not as surprised by one another's tendencies towards sin. God's graciousness towards us has allowed us to be more gracious with one another. Second, the content was so much more God-centered. I will expound on this next time I post, but there was such a huge difference between most other marriage resources we've used & Love that Lasts. 

Until next Time

So... I better get to work, but I want you to stay tuned as I post my notes & impressions from this weekend's conference. I know you will be blessed!

Unseen Stories

I have a friend I would like to help; I would also like your help (if you want to help). Allison White has become a dear friend to Joy & I. She works full-time at Camp Living Stones (www.camplivingstones.com). This summer she is traveling to Benin, Africa with an NGO called Unseen Stories, for the purpose of educating people throughout the entire country about child trafficking, the dangers, how to protect their children, etc. A full-length documentary is currently being developed for viewing in the U.S. The movie trailer & info on Unseen Stories is below. 

Joy & I have committed to helping her see this trip through by way of raising awareness, prayer, & financial support. How can you help? The most practical way to help is to purchase a ticket ($8) for a dinner she is hosting at Camp Living Stones on Thursday, April 30 at 6:00pm. That evening will be a wonderful time to hear more information about human trafficking & the work that exists in taking action against it. Plus, you will be able to meet Sarah & Jen, the founders of Unseen Stories, who are making the trip up for the dinner. Please let me know if you would like to purchase a ticket as your contribution helps make this trip possible. 

Unseen Stories exists to raise awareness of need and injustice in the world through the production of documentary films that inspire change by providing individuals with clear pathways to take action.

Unseen Stories goals are: 

• To tell the stories of trafficked children in Benin, raising both national and international awareness of this atrocity and those who are working to combat it.
  
• To mobilize individuals and groups within both the US and Benin to action by providing clear pathways to become involved.
  
• To help catalyze sustainable change in the country of Benin by aiding in bringing an end to child trafficking.

Feel free to link to this site. Thanks!