Blue Oyster Cult Lied to You

They had a weird name, which came from one of their manager's poems.  In that poem, the "Blue Oyster Cult" was a group of aliens who guided Earth's history. Yes, the Weird-o-Meter is pegging already.


They had some goofy-looking stage wear (yes, those are skin-tight black leather shorts...right beside the skin-tight white lycra jumpsuit).  The Weird-o-Meter is now smoking and making a strange grinding noise.


Musically, though, they were pretty cool - after all, they did do a song about Godzilla.  Oh no, there goes Tokyo!


Great...now I've got to buy a new Weird-o-Meter.


But I've got issues with "(Don't Fear) The Reaper".  Depending on your age, you might only know it as the "Saturday Night Live Cowbell Song", but it was a legit tune, and it was BOC's biggest hit (went to #12 on Billboard in November of '76).  Anyway, it's seriously whacked out.  Some lyrics:


40,000 men and women every day/Another 40,000 every day/We can be like they are/C'mon baby/Don't fear the Reaper/Baby take my hand/Don't fear the Reaper/We'll be able to fly/Don't fear the Reaper/Baby I'm your man


Buck Dharma, the song's writer, says it's about love, not death.  Yeah, sure thing, Buck...nothing says love like the Grim Reaper.  Have to remember that for Valentine's Day.


On a serious note, Buck really was lying - death is something to be feared.  Not because it's the inevitable end of physical life, but because it's the wage of sin (Romans 6:23).  I've heard that verse a million times, but really thought about it for the first time this morning.  For the sake of discussion, let's remove Jesus' redemptive gift out of the equation for a moment.  We earn something for the work we do, no matter what it is.  If the work we're doing with our hands, minds, and hearts isn't in line with God, we are going to get paid in spiritual death.  Complete, total, and eternal separation from God.  Go ahead and process that for a moment.


To make matters worse, earlier in Romans, Paul makes it clear that none of us can get around this.  We've all earned death, because "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23).  And if that wasn't bad enough...

All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away.

- Isaiah 64:6

In Jewish culture, being 'unclean' meant you had a horrible disease, and you weren't allowed to live with the rest of the people.  So, for us, no matter how good a life we try to live, it's not good enough to be anywhere near God.  As for the 'filthy rags', the literal translation refers to used menstrual cloths (thanks to Francis Chan for pointing that out to me in Crazy Love).  The very best we can offer God in terms of deeds equates to something we try to throw away without looking at because its so...gross.  Finally, as 'shriveled leaves', our sins have the power to move us all over the place - without our consent, and despite our efforts to stay wherever we are.


On our own, we are not in good condition.


Humility comes with realization of the truth, and when we accept the truth about ourselves - who we are, what we're worth, and what we do - we have no choice but to make good on what James tells us to do: "Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom" (James 4:9).


It's sobering, isn't it?


Without God, we're lost, plain and simple.  Going back to Romans 3, Paul makes it clear: 

Therefore, no one will be declared righteous in [God's] sight by observing the law; rather through the law we become conscious of sin.  But now a righteousness from God, apart from the law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify.  This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.  There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.

- Romans 3:20-24 

Without God, Jesus Christ, and faith in our Father's love and mercy, we need to see that death is our only option.  Blue Oyster Cult lied to you - without God, we need to fear the Reaper.


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I feel kind of bad leaving you on this note.  So, if you need a little pick-me-up, here's the best take on "Don't Fear the Reaper" ever.  Enjoy!

It's a Cryin' Shame

Hope you had a great July 4th weekend, and I hope that, in your celebrations, you didn't lose sight of how wonderfully blessed this country is, and how blessed you and I are to live under her flag.  God bless America.

--

My 9 yr. old son (good lookin' boy, isn't he?) is currently beginning a three-week stay with his grandparents, during which time he'll be about 900 miles away from us. Mama isn't taking it very well, and I'm not in the best of spirits, either.  Please don't read this as: "We don't trust her parents with our son."  That's not true at all; in fact, I love them a lot and trust them implicitly (otherwise, I would have nixed the idea off the bat).  However, things happen...and sometimes, bad things happen.


In a recent e-newsletter, Todd Wilson shared a harrowing account of losing track of his son.  At the bottom of the newsletter, Todd provided a link for dads to share their own "lost kid" stories.  There were a bunch of responses that really gave me the willies, but I wanted to share this one about a guy who lost his son...twice.  The first time, he wandered off and was quickly found.  But the second time, things were a little different:

"Cameron was w/ my sister at a local festival & he wandered off. We ran all over the place trying to find him, alerting the cops and such. Once again, I saw someone carrying him, but this time it was a creepy looking older guy that seemed a bit shocked to run into me. He claimed he found my son @ the other end of the festival. I thanked him for returning him. He looked around nervously & said 'Uh, yeah, I gotta go.'"

I know how you feel right now, because I feel the same way.  I'm sick to my stomach, too, and my heart is twisting in on itself, agonizing over how I would react, how somebody could even contemplate taking a child, and what could have happened to that little boy.


Little children are so fragile, so vulnerable, so innocent and naive.  They have no idea what horrors are out there; they don't understand the depths of evil that swirl all around them.  They don't grasp the truth that there really ARE monsters out there, just waiting for the perfect time to strike.  At a moment's notice, these precious children can be drawn away from the safety and security of their parents by a flash of color splashed on a bouncing balloon.  They can be pulled away from us in a breath by the intoxicating aroma of strawberry cotton candy or a by the silliness of a soft, fuzzy golden retriever puppy.  Instantly, they can wander away from everything good and safe...and into the widening mouth of a beast aching to devour them.

"Be self-controlled and alert.  Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour."

-1st Pet. 5:8

You and I - we are the wandering children.


Think about lost children, and the fear they must endure once they realize they've wandered away from the people they know and love and trust.  Does that same emotion wash over us when we realize how far we have wandered away from our Father?  Are we reduced to trembling as they are?  Do we "grieve, mourn, and wail", as we're prompted in James 4:9?


God-centered humility is the result of a series of ongoing reality checks.  If we are not driven to intense fear by the distance we continually put between ourselves and our Father, we are believing a lie and parading around in front of the open door of the lion's cage.


Please, do not allow yourself to be devoured.

In Case You've Just Joined Us...

I don't hate the occasional hail.  It's not that I can't stand the downpours at a moment's notice.  I don't despise the peeling thunder that shakes my house or lightning flashes that streak across the sky and down into some other subdivision, setting fire to someone's utility shed.  It's not even the unsettling cool breeze or the darkening afternoon sky that gets me down.  It's what happens before each storm rolls in that drives me crazy during these summer days in Jacksonville.

When I was playing volleyball in high school, I hyper-extended my left elbow.  Well, truth be told, the kid who drifted out of his position on the power angle hyper-extended my left elbow.  Boy, if I saw that kid today, I'd- oh.  Sorry, I digress.  Anyway, it was pretty gross, and it hurt like crazy, but there was no permanent damage...or so I thought.  As I've gotten older, my elbow routinely stiffens, cracks, and hurts.  But just before the storms come, which is an everyday occurrence this time of year, things go south in a hurry - it begins to ache.  Most times, it's tolerable, but occasionally, it's a killer, and there seems to be nothing I can do about it.

My elbow is aching again, but there's no rain coming (at least not yet).  The storm is in James 4:9, and it's going to be a whopper.  But for now, I'm just going to deal with the ache, and take a moment to look back at where we've been.

This entire blog was (is) an exploration into humility for me, and I had (and still have) hopes that what I discover may have value for you.  My journey began with James 4:10:

"Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up."

Thankfully, in the preceding verses, James addressed the process of humbling oneself. Here's how it breaks down:

1. Submit to God (see "Tapping Out", "Tapping Out...Again", and "And in This Corner...")
2. Resist the devil (see "Viva La Resistencia!")
3. Come near to God (see "Come a Little Bit Closer...")
4. Wash your hands (see "Feeling a Little Dirty?")
5. Purify your hearts (see "Humility...with Fava Beans, and a Nice Chianti")

During this time, I've also gotten to share some reflections involving my 11th wedding anniversary, as well as an INCREDIBLY powerful video of humility in action (if you haven't watched this yet, please take a moment to do so...it'll knock you out).

But coming up next week, we travel into territory that's far from comfortable; next week, we "grieve, mourn, and wail".  Have a great rest of the week, and get ready for the storm.

Your elbow hurtin' yet?  Mine is killin' me.

THIS is Living Humbly....

Over the weekend, I found out my aunt has been diagnosed with Stage 4 colon cancer.  It has spread to her liver and pelvis, and she's got no more than two and a half years left.  Thirty months - a time in which she'll be ravaged by the disease, sickened by an extremely aggressive chemo treatment regimen, and battered psychologically by the trauma associated with the coming end of her life.

I know God has a plan, and I know God is good.  I know He has a role in mind for all of us who know her and love her.  As for me, I wish I had a clue...I don't know what to say, I don't know what to do, and I don't even know what to pray for.

But in an amazing case of divine timing, I believe, I ran across this video, and I had to share it with you.  As I watched it, I found myself choking back tears, and at the same time, I was flooded with happiness for this man and his family.

Be warned...although nothing in this is visually graphic or disturbing or offensive, it is NOT easy to watch.

Zac was right; he did just celebrate his last Christmas with his family...he died on May 16th.

He knew it was coming.

He knew his wife was going to be left without a husband.

He knew his children would be left without a father.

And He praised God through it all.

All of us know the story of Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, and Nebuchadnezzar's fiery furnace.  It's one of those great Bible stories we tell the kiddies in Sunday School.  We lay out every miraculous detail as they sit in their story time circle, hanging on our every word.  Then, they scramble to their little kiddie work area to use all the red, orange, and yellow crayons to color the drawing and make the flames look really hot.  Then we all sing about how great God is...and eat some Goldfish.

Please don't hear me saying there's anything wrong with that, because there isn't.  But what we often miss in that story is the attitude of the three going in:

"O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter.  If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king.  But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up."  - Dan. 3:16-18

It didn't matter what happened to them.  God was bigger, and they knew it - no matter what the circumstances, they loved God, and submitted to Him only.

Zac knew it, too.

THIS is the best lesson in true humility I can possibly pass on to you.  It is my prayer that you embrace this, share it with everyone you know, and find a way to use it in your life.

Praise God.

Humility...with Fava Beans, and a Nice Chianti

I have a confession: I've been struggling for the past couple of days, because I'm afraid I have caused some people to stumble.  The title of my last post could have been taken in a not-so-wholesome way, and I'm praying that it didn't lead anyone to have any 'unclean' thoughts.  If that's the case with you, I am very sorry, and I'm asking for your forgiveness.  I titled the post the way I did because I knew it would be a double-taker, and generate some interest...even if it was negative at first.

With all that said, the mere possibility of my previous post's title serving as a catalyst for sinful thought does point to a condition we must address if we are to live a truly humble life:

"...and purify your hearts, you double-minded." - James 4:8


There's a reason why James connected our behavior and our hearts in the same sentence: it all begins inside us.

One of the most unnerving movies ever made was Silence of the Lambs, for a variety of reasons.  Sure, we can start with a guy who likes to eat people...and make that nasty slurping noise, but that's not where I'm going with this.  Sir Anthony Hopkins played Hannibal Lecter brilliantly, but it was the writing that truly took the film over the top.  Truly, the most disturbing aspect of the film was an observation Hannibal shared with Agent Starling during one of their oh-so-creepy conversations:

"[Serial killer 'Buffalo Bill'] covets.  That is his nature.  And how do we begin to covet, Clarice?  Do we seek things out to covet?  Make an effort to answer, now...We begin by coveting things we see every day."

Don't tell me you don't hear him saying it, and don't tell me you don't have a case of the willies right now.  Me too.  I wish he'd stop staring at me.

Anyway, the Silence of the Lambs' writers pinpointed an incredibly painful truth: it all begins with coveting, which is a behavior of the heart.  According to Strong's Complete Dictionary of Bible Words, The Hebrew translation of covet, "avah", means "to wish for, greatly desire, and lust after".  The Greek, "epithumeo" means "to set the heart upon".  Now before we go any farther, I want to make a critical point - coveting is not a sin.  Don't believe me?  It's not.  Check the Ten Commandments - coveting is sinful only if you're coveting the wrong things (v17 is the one you're looking for).

Earlier in Chapter 4, James addresses a big problem...

"What causes fights and quarrels among you?  Don't they come from your desires that battle within you?  You want something but don't get it.  You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want.  You quarrel and fight.  You do not have, because you do not ask God.  When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures."

- James 4:1-3

My wife and I came up with a really cool idea a little while ago, but we don't yet have the money coming in to do it.  We want to get business cards made up that say something like, "This is from Jesus.  Be blessed."  Then, whenever we'd be out anywhere, we'd look for opportunities to pick up somebody's tab without them knowing it.  We'd talk to an employee, and make sure that all the people knew about what happened was what was on the card.  Pretty cool, indeed, but it's just hard to secure the cash to do something like that on a regular basis.  

Well, once again, it's confession time:  we still find PLENTY of opportunities to (and sometimes make excuses to) drop all kinds of money on ourselves.  I can't tell you how often I look at the size of my TV and hang my head...until I crank it up to watch Iron Man.  Ugh.

James was talking to us when he used the term "double-minded".

So how do we purify our hearts?  First of all, let's be clear that God is the only one equipped to perform the actual purification, because we're off-kilter to start with (it's a sin thing, you know).  However, because of the love relationship God has set up for us, He has given us the opportunity to choose Him over ourselves; we can choose Him not only in our actions (see my last post for that), but also in our hearts and minds (Paul, in 2 Cor. 10:5, says we are able to "take captive every thought"...wow).

In practical terms, we can do some things to expedite the process:

1. We need to have an honest picture of where our minds and hearts are.  If you're the journal-writing type, see if you can chronicle your thoughts and emotions for a day or two.  If you don't want to write it all down, just try to slow down your thinking/feeling processes enough to keep a mental tally of what's God-centered and what's you-centered.  If we take an inventory of where we are, we begin to see what we need to do.  

2. We need to expand the amount of time and energy we put into our relationship with God.  Read His Word, connect with Him in prayer, serve Him by helping others, and strengthen ourselves (and each other) by meeting together and discussing Him.

3. We need to stop doing the things we KNOW are in opposition to God.  Yes, we have to wash our hands.

4. We need to limit the amount of self-serving garbage to which we expose ourselves.  Whether it's movies, TV, music, literature, games, or a million other diversions, we need to be aware that everything has an effect on us.  For entertainment stuff, www.pluggedin.com is a great place to get an idea of what you're REALLY going to be watching or listening to.

5. Ask God to purify your heart!  Jesus said it best (no surprise there) in Lk. 11:9-10.  Ask, seek, knock...hallelujah.

If you go through some of these things, be aware of feelings of humility that bubble to the surface; they will.  Trust me...I know from personal experience.

One last thing: I want you to brace yourself for the next few weeks here in Humility101 Land, because they're not going to be easy.  I'm not even looking forward to writing the posts, but I know we'll be covering things that desperately need to be covered.  But before we get to that, you CANNOT miss the next post, because I'm going to share a video with you that showcases true, God-breathed humility...and it may change the way you live your life when you see it.  Please, don't miss it, and tell somebody you love to check it out, too.

One more last thing: can you still hear the crying of the lambs, Clarice?  Ewwwwwww......

Feeling a Little Dirty?

I'm coming down from a GREAT Father's Day weekend with a realization: my nine-yr-old son is allergic to bathing.

This is just a hypothesis at this point, and I'm going to need to do some experiments to confirm my speculation, but it seems logical when I examine the circumstances.  I've known for years that the bathing process wasn't an enjoyable one in our house for either of the children. However, with the boy, we often witness a near violent reaction to the mere mention of a shower.  Even inquiries regarding sweat-producing activities in which he may have participated throughout the day routinely produce a fit, where he is willing to risk punishment just to delay the soap/scrub/rinse/repeat experience for mere seconds.  Although I've never noticed hives, seen swollen, bloodshot eyes, or heard gratuitous sneezing, I'm convinced I'm dealing with an allergy...and it's so pervasive, it's even painful for him to wash his hands.

Turns out he's not the only one with a cleanliness problem, though.  We all have the problem, and it's a real stumbling block for us if we're looking to live a humble life.  In James 4:8, James says, "Wash your hands, you sinners..."  (I love that about James, BTW - he's not given to flowery language to make his point, so it's easy for a dope like me to understand.).  To really get a firm grasp of this, it's helpful to get a little background into Jewish culture and the Old Law.

Lev. 10:10 is a great verse to get a handle on what God wanted the Israelites to understand about purity:

"You must distinguish between the holy and the common, between the unclean and the clean".

For the Jewish people, being holy meant being "clean".  According to the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, "...the idea of cleanness means the correct ordering of one's daily routine so that he may approach the holy God without danger."  Furthermore, under the old law, if you became 'unclean', you couldn't come before God without going through a purification process.  This process always included a ceremonial washing of some sort, which symbolized obedience to God and denoted a successful completion of the purification process.

Even though Jesus fulfilled the old law and gave humanity the opportunity to approach God directly, James knew his readers would still understand that becoming "unclean" through sin would separate them from God.  Through a symbolic command, James was telling them they need to purify themselves and demonstrate their obedience to God.

We're getting our hands dirty every day by making the choices we make - whether it's what we choose to think about, what we choose to say, or what we choose to do.  Sinning comes down to a choice...serve God, or serve ourselves.  If we're choosing ourselves, we're no longer submitting to God and yielding to His will for our lives.  This is pride, which puts us in opposition to God.  You see where this is going?  Not good. (If you want more on this, check out "Tapping Out" and "Tapping Out...Again".)

By exercising the self-control necessary to stop sinning, we're submitting...and living more humbly.  In other words, we need to stop getting our hands dirty, and wash 'em up.  When we do, we're in a position to experience some wonderful things.  In Psalm 24:3-4, David writes,

"Who may ascend the hill of the Lord?  Who may stand in his holy place?  He who has clean hands and a pure heart..."

In 2 Sam. 22:21-25, David sings:

"The Lord has dealt with me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands he has rewarded me.  For I have kept the ways of the Lord; I have not done evil by turning from my God.  All his laws are before me; I have not turned away from his decrees.  I have been blameless before him and have kept myself from sin.  The Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness, according to my cleanness in his sight."

Now, I will admit that I'm not comfortable echoing David's claims about being blameless and all that; that's between him and God.  Regardless, David recognized the blessings God poured out on him because of his willingness to continually seek purity and cleanliness.  I've got to believe we've got blessings in store for us as well if we commit to doing the same thing.

Now if I could just get my boy to seek a bath...

Come a Little Bit Closer...

We get some nasty thunderstorms here in Florida, and they pack some nasty thunder and lightning.  In fact, The Sunshine State is the "lightning capital of the US". Dubious distinction, indeed.  Now, if you've got kids (or schnauzers), you know that thunderstorms bring all kinds of anxiety, and inevitably send them scrambling to you, screaming all the way. Why?

When you're in a public place with your child, and a stranger comes up and says hello, why do they instantly plant a death grip on your left knee and bury their snotty nose into your jeans?

When that monster's poking his head out of the closet again, why do they want you to sleep with them?  Or better yet, why do they want to sleep in YOUR bed?

You know the answers, mommy and daddy...they trust in your commitment to the preservation of their well-being.  They know you'll protect them, and give them what they need to survive.

In Luke 11:11-13, Jesus concludes some teaching on prayer with this:


"Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead?  Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion?  If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?"  

Ask God in prayer, and He will give you what you need.

In Malachi 3, God commands Israel to "return to me, and I will return to you."  He elaborates on this by saying,

"Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house.  Test me in this, and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have enough room for it.  I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not cast their fruit.  Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land." - Mal. 3:10-12

Wow.  That's big stuff.  Sounds great.  But what does it have to do with humility?

James 4 was the basis for our foray into Humility101, and in v8, James says, "Come near to God and he will come near to you."  We need a humble spirit to do this, because we have to accept the truth about who we are and who God is: He is our Father, and we are His children.  We don't have an inkling of the scope of God's reality - in fact, we can't even begin to grasp the totality of any particular aspect of our own lives.  We're confounded by the simplest things, and we stumble on the tiniest of obstacles.  Simply put, we need God, and His perfect provision.


Once we accept and embrace that truth, we put it into practice by drawing close to Him.  Here are a few ways:


- We draw close to Him by studying His word, so that He can show us what we need to see in order to prepare for eternal life with Him, as well as survive and thrive in this one.
- We draw close to Him by thinking about what He's said, what He's promised, and what He's done, so that we can be constantly reassured of His love, care, and attention to our needs.
- We draw close to Him by sharing our time with Him in prayer.  We express our awe at who He is and what He's doing, our thanks for the blessings He has poured out on us, and our concerns and requests for others.
- We draw close to Him by gathering together and encouraging each other.
- We draw close to Him by serving anyone and everyone we can.

Recently, I got into a Facebook discussion about living humbly, and God lifting us up.  My friend said:

"People should lift themselves up for the sake of community and or society...if religion is needed by some in order to do that, then they need to be enlightened."


I was really troubled by the statement, but I wanted to share it, because all of us need to remember that we can't come close to God if we fall into the trap of thinking we've got any semblance of control.  All too often, we accidentally, but wrongfully, begin to consider ourselves to be the center of the universe (our universe, at least).  We know God created us, and we put our faith in His promises that He wants to be close to us, to love us, to provide us with everything we will ever need. But we forget that He designed and created us with the ability to choose; we must choose to come close to Him...choose to express our love for Him however we can...choose to demonstrate our love for Him by submitting to Him...choose to resist the self-centered scenarios the devil presents us...before our relationship with Him can even begin to reach its fullest potential. 


One last thing: when that next thunderstorm pops up, and the kiddies come running to you, remember - at that very moment, God is loving you more than you're loving them.  Enjoy the storm, my friend.

Viva La Resistencia!

Finally winding down from a WONDERFUL anniversary weekend with my wife Stephanie in St. Augustine, FL.  Although it's only an hour away from home, it seems like a different world; and on this trip, it felt like we went back in time, too.

On Saturday, we braved the 95+ temps and took a midday tour of the Castillo de San Marcos.  The Castillo  was built by the Spanish between 1672 and 1695, and protected its inhabitants (and St. Augustine) through several skirmishes, battles, invasions, and wars, including the American Revolution and the Civil War.  It was designed to be perfect for defense against both land and sea aggression.

It's a pretty amazing structure; cannons & mortars everywhere, moats, man-made hills, lookout towers...and when you look at it from above, it's shaped like a Chinese throwing star!  But the most interesting feature of all was the structure itself - the coquina walls.  More on that later...

In James 4:7, we're ordered to "submit to God", but in his very next breath,  James tell us to "resist the devil..."  The devil is a manipulator - one who uses circumstances to set people up to make the worst, most selfish and prideful decisions possible.  Peter says, "Be self-controlled and alert.  Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour" (1 Pet. 5:8).

At the Castillo, guards were ALWAYS patrolling the top of the structure, keeping a watchful eye at the land and the sea.  The moment they spotted any enemy, coming from anywhere, they were ready with these cannons to repel whomever was coming to take over.  If by land, they filled the cannons with anti-personnel shot that blew shrapnel everywhere.  If by sea, they fired up the shot furnace, heated up cannonballs until they were red hot, then fired them into the wooden ships, which would then catch fire and sink.  They were serious about protecting their fort.

We should be serious about protecting our relationship with God, too.  In Ephesians 6, we're told to defend ourselves against the devil with truth, righteousness, the gospel, faith, salvation, the Spirit (God's Word), and prayer.  A humble person knows they need all these things to stand firm and defend what is important.

Earlier, I mentioned that the Castillo's walls were made of coquina.  Coquina, which is also called 'shellstone', is a somewhat soft stone comprised of seashell, coral, and mineral calcite, and it's not the heftiest of rock.  In fact, it breaks pretty easy when force is applied to it.  So why would the Spaniards built a fort out of it?  As it turns out, it was perfect for them because of how it broke.  Without getting to into the physics of it all, stone walls didn't do a very good job of holding up under cannon fire - they'd crack, crumble, shatter, and fall apart pretty quickly.  Not so with coquina; cannonballs would actually sink into it, and if they made it through, they come to a stop in the sand the Spaniards had packed in behind the walls.  With this setup, the walls would absorb the cannon fire without giving up much rigidity.

As we resist the devil, we have to know we're going to take some fire.  Jesus said, "Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat.  But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail"(Lk. 22:31-32).  Back to Ephesians 6:16, where Paul says, "...take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one."  We must continually make sure our faith is strong...it will stop Satan's attacks in their tracks.

One final note about the Castillo: it wasn't exactly what you'd call a five-star resort, and the guys stationed there weren't exactly living the high life.  They slept on wool bags filled with spanish moss, they ate whatever they could hunt or fish for (or whatever spanish gumbo their wives brought them from town), and they had to roast in the Florida sun wearing four layers of wool military uniform.  It was hot, sticky, stinky, and miserable.  But, because they believed in what they were defending, they endured the less-than-ideal conditions and did their duty.

James says your job is to "resist the devil".  Peter says the devil is "looking for someone to devour".  Satan wants YOU.  And he wants to destroy you, and everything you love.  He wants to isolate you, confuse you, and punish you.  And he won't stop trying, because you're pain is valuable to him; he knows that, as you lay there bleeding, he gets to hear God weeping.  He knows that you're valuable to God.  Do you hear that?  You are worth defending, because God finds worth in you.  Actually, by creating you, he has assigned worth to you.  You may not be very comfortable right now; in fact, you may be suffering terribly, just like the Spanish soldiers were...or worse.  But you have to endure.  Every day, make it point to understand that you will come under attack because to God, you're worth the fight Satan is putting up.

One more VERY important thing:  "...and he will flee from you".  That's the second half of James' order regarding Satan.  If you have performed that reality check, embraced the truth, submitted to God, and are living in faith while clinging to the truth, the devil will run.  Why?  Because he's not strong enough to break down those walls, face that cannon fire, and take over the fortress that is you.  Take a moment to let that sink in...

Viva la Resistencia!

Intermission #1

In my last post, I told you we would be joining The Resistance.  Well, you're going to have to wait for that for a little while.

Oh, settle down.  Patience is a virtue.  Love is patient.  Love is also kind, so don't be throwing me under the 'bad blogger' bus.  :)

Tomorrow is my 11th wedding anniversary, and as I think about my wife, our marriage, and these past ten years, I have no choice but to be humbled.

God has presented me with such a wonderful gift in my wife. She's got a bunch of great qualities that any man would cherish - she's beautiful, intelligent, funny, caring, compassionate, dedicated, committed, loving, and a million other things.  She's fabulous.  But more than all that, she loves God, embraces Jesus, and nearly breaks her eardrum listening for the Holy Spirit.  She's a wonder to behold.

I, by sharp contrast, have been a real pain in the neck for her.  Seriously, I've been a great model of selfishness and ugliness for the duration of our marriage.  It's not like I meant to be a total jerk...but looking back, it just worked out that way.

In short, I don't deserve her.

But as I've had time to contemplate my marriage, my family, and my relationship with God over the past several months, I've realized that I don't deserve anything I have.  God has blessed me abundantly out of love, and I'm brought to my knees by the power and scope of it all.

In the very first post of this blog, I focused on James 4:10 - "Humble yourself before the Lord, and He will lift you up."  Listen to me on this one - it's true!  Meditate on that sentence for just a minute or two, and amazing things begin to happen.

Think about who He is; in Crazy Love, Francis Chan focused on Rev. 4 to picture God on His throne...and what it was like to be in His Throne Room.  Read that passage and dwell on it for a little while.  Humbling.

Think about the fact that this being - creator and ruler of the universe and everything in it - loves you and wants to have a relationship with you.  WHAT?!?  It's crazy!  But it's true.

Think about Jesus.  Who He is, what He did, why He did it, and that He did it for you.  After the lump leaves your throat, keep thinking.

Think about your blessings - no, REALLY think about them - and embrace the fact that God has GIVEN all of these things, and a million more, to you.

Think about the challenges in your life - especially the ones you've gotten through - and realize that God gave you those challenges to help you grow and mature and come closer to Him.

If you really think about all these things, humility comes naturally.  When you feel that humility come over you, pray.  Just let your heart run with it to God...and He will deliver.  He WILL lift you up.

Have a great weekend...I know I will, as I celebrate one of the best gifts God has ever given me.

And In This Corner...

Before you read any farther, you need to go get your Bible...and a whole bunch of bookmarks.

It's okay...I'll wait.
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Seriously, I'm not going anywhere.  Go get 'em.  This is important.
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In my last post, I asked you to take a good look at yourself and what you're proud of.

I left you by asking you to take a good look at yourself and reminding yourself of what you're proud of.

Are you proud of your physical appearance?  You workin' hard for that hardbody?  You should be proud, right?  Especially if you're one of  over 45 million Americans who have a gym membership (not me, and I've got the gut to prove it).

Proud of how important and connected you are?  Maybe you're one of 65+ million LinkedIn users, one of 75+ million Twitter users, or one of 35+ million facebook users (yeah, I'll admit it...I use all three).

Proud of all those cool gadgets you've acquired over the years?  Do you have one of those fancy iPhones?  Well, you're one of 41+ million owners.  How 'bout a brand spankin' new LCD TV?  Over 140 million of those have already been sold world-wide.

What about the stuff that REALLY matters?  Proud of your kids, and how you've raised them?  Proud of your marriage, and how you two have battle through the problems?  Proud of the intestinal fortitude you've shown by battling through illness or financial troubles or emotional scarring from a terrible childhood?  How 'bout the job you do @ work?  And we can't forget....wait for it...how proud you are of your church?  Your faith?

We could do this all day, and I don't want to bore you with any more links to all kinds of obscure statistics.  I'm sure you get the point: if you take a close look at your life, there are a bunch of things in it that you're proud of.  Then, if you put all those things together, and listen to all the people complimenting you on them, it's not too hard to be proud of yourself.  Well, if you're proud of yourself, proud of what you've accomplished, proud of what you've got - the Bible makes it clear that you're living in opposition to God (Proverbs 3:34, James 4:6, 1 Peter 5:5 to name a few).  God is your opponent, and you're in a wrestling match with Him, whether you wanted to be or not.

Now, here's just a VERY small sampling of who He is, what He's made, and what He's done:
1. He created the world on which you're standing...from nothing (Gen. 1)
2. He created everyone...including you (Ps. 139:13-14, Job 33:4,6)
3. He is greater than all of us...including you (Job 33:12)
4. He has destroyed cities (Gen. 19:24)
5. He spoke through a burning bush...that wasn't really burning (Ex. 3-4)
6. He controls animals (Ex. 8, Ex. 10:1-20, Num. 21:4-9, Dan. 6:16-24, Jonah 1:17, 2:10)
7. He controls the elements (Gen. 6-8, Ex. 14:15-30, Num. 11:1-3, Dan. 3:19-27)
8. He controls planetary movement (Jos. 10:12-14)
9. He empowers man (Judges 14:5-6, 15:14-15, 16:26-30, 1 Sam. 17:45-51, 2 Sam. 23:8-12)

There are a thousand more examples of these categories, and there a thousand other aspects of God that I could list.  But I would encourage you to check these out and remind yourself just how mighty God is.

The point?  If God is your opponent, you're not going to fair very well, because He's bigger, stronger, faster, smarter, and better than you will ever be.  It's the biggest reality check you could ever get.

James 4:7 says that finding humility starts with submitting to God.  When you accept the reality of the situation, it should be easy.  Why is it so tough, then?  Because we don't continually remind ourselves that God is all-powerful, perfect, and has our best interest in mind because He loves us.

Embrace your position in relation to God, and acknowledge his glory.  Take a minute to worship Him!  Pray to Him right now...and leave yourself out of it.  No requests, no thank yous for stuff going on in your life.  Just give Him glory, praising Him for who He is, what He's done, and what He continues to do.

Next up: we form The Resistance!  Stay tuned...

Tapping Out...Again

My friend Bill is a martial artist, specializing in Ki Bon Sool.  No, I don't know what that is, either.  But he's an instructor, so he must be pretty darn good at it.

I can tell you he's pretty darn good at being a Christian, husband, and father, and he had some cool points in response to my last blog about submission (from James 4:7).  I wanted to share his thoughts, and pass along some more of my own:

...submission can also be beneficial. We call it investing in loss. It helps you grow as a fighter, and toughen your resolve as a person. I often put myself at a position of disadvantage when grappling to learn how to better work my way out of it. Giving in to God is difficult, because we would all rather think our way is right, especially when we are emotional about something and want our way. Grappling teaches you that what you plan may not work, and even if you fight harder for the same technique or submission, you may never get it and just tire yourself out in the process. Just as you must "listen" to what your opponent is doing, you need to "listen" to what God wants for you to do in the middle of the Chaos. THAT is difficult. I know, I have struggled with and continue to struggle with this.


Good stuff, my friend.


In this world, submission often carries a negative connotation.  It's giving up, giving in, surrendering...and that's bad, especially in this country, where "it's my way or the highway", where winners "impose their will" on losers, even though those losers "fight 'til the bitter end".  Although we, as Christians, are also called to persevere in this life, we're also called to submit to God and His will.  Submission is a good thing.


Bill said that, through grappling, he's learned that "what you plan may not work, and even if you fight harder for the same technique or submission, you may never get it and just tire yourself out in the process".  Both James and Peter quote Proverbs, saying "God opposes the proud" (James 4:6 and 1 Peter 5:5).  If you've got some pride kicking around inside you, you've just met your grappling opponent.


Read this slowly: if you are NOT humble, you are grappling with God.  


Think about that for a minute; think about what your chances really are.  To really consider this wrestling match appropriately, you're going to need an honest appraisal of yourself and your capabilities.  What about you do you take pride in?  When do you consider yourself 'in control'?  In what types of situations do you charge into without prayer, meditation, or wise counsel?  Who do you think you are, and who do you think you can be on your own?


As you work on that, I'll be getting putting together a "tale of the tape" on your opponent, which I hope to have ready in the next few days - in my next post.


Reality check forthcoming...stay tuned! 

Tapping Out

If the name Royce Gracie doesn't mean anything to you, that's okay.  If it does, you know that Royce is one of the men that created the cultural phenomenon that is MMA (mixed martial arts) and put UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) on the map.  You also know he's one of UFC's charter Hall of Fame members, and he participated in one of the most famous MMA matches of all time against Ken Shamrock (which went to a draw...most likely what made it so famous).

But why would I be spending your time giving you a rundown on Royce Gracie?  Because he's a UFC record-holder.  Royce won 11 matches, more than anyone else in UFC history, by submission.  Royce Gracie made eleven men surrender.  They stopped fighting...completely.  They yielded to Royce's authority, giving up on the dream they had of being victorious, winning the big money, and wearing the championship belt which told everyone in the world that they were the best.

Most fighters would agree that if they had to lose a fight, they'd rather get knocked out or disqualified than submit.  Yielding to someone else's authority is embarrassing for them, because it tells the world they weren't good enough, strong enough, fast enough, smart enough, or disciplined enough.  Fighters are too proud for that.

Are you?

In James 4:7, we find the most fundamental element of living a humble life: "Submit yourselves, then, to God."  Sounds simple enough, doesn't it?  We know God's bigger than us, stronger than us, so it seems natural, but if you ponder the totality of the statement, it gets a little dicey.  How difficult is it for you to give God everything?  Jesus, paraphrasing Deuteronomy 6:5, told the Pharisees that the "first and greatest commandment" was to "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind" (Mt. 22:37-38).  The word 'all' is tiny, but it carries seriously large impact.  And to think that Jesus was just talking about loving God!

Are you ready to tap out to God?

Submitting to God is tough stuff, and to even attempt to do it takes a big-time reality check.  That's my next post...stay tuned.

Four Verses to a More Humble You!

I can just hear Billy Mays (if he were still alive) now...

"That's right!  Get lifted up by God himself!  Call 1-800-4-VERSES now, and we'll give you verses that will change everything for you!

"Jimmy from East Lansing Michigan ordered the Four Verses Program, and he's incredibly humble...in just one week!  And he also dropped three inches from his waist!

"Just plug in the Four Verses Program, watch them do their thing, and start counting those blessings from the very first time you use them!!

"Martha from Shreveport says the Four Verses Program helped her daily walk IMMEDIATELY, and she went on to be debt-free and make $12,000 a month...working five hours a week from home!!

"Call 1-800-4-VERSES now to change your life!  And if you call within the next thirty minutes, we'll throw in ANOTHER FVP for you.  But wait, there's more!  We'll also throw in a free bucket of Oxy Clean and..."


Can't you see him with that uber-black hair and beard, screaming at you?

I would give anything to be able to pass along some scriptures that would instantly change your life, humble you down, and get God moving to lift you up.  I wish it worked that way, but it doesn't.  I can give you the verses, but that's just the beginning...

The four verses I'm talking about are in James 4.  Remember, in James 4:10, we're told to "humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up"?  Well, that's the last verse of the four.  The three that immediately precede 4:10 are almost a road map to a humble life.  Almost.

"Submit yourselves, then, to God.  Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.  Come near to God, and he will come near to you.  Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.  Grieve, mourn, and wail.  Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom."

James, in his typical in-your-face style (that I love, BTW), lays out several directives that, when adopted, will lead us to more humble lives.  Please note that these items are NOT part of a one-and-done checklist; these are aspects of life which need to be worked on every day.

1. Submit to God.
2. Resist the devil.
3. Come near to God.
4. Wash your hands.
5. Purify your hearts.
6. Grieve, mourn, and wail.
7. Change laughter to morning/joy to gloom.

Well, there you go.  My work here is done.  You've got the Four Verse Program, now have at it.

Just kidding.

In my next several posts, I'm going to dig into each of these items, and with the Spirit's lead, we'll both be able to move closer to a humble life.

But if you call now...  :)

Humbled...or Humiliated?

"Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up."

James 4:10 served as a centerpiece of my last post, and serves as the foundation of everything I'm going to write here.  Here's the problem: that word 'humbled' is in there.

Earlier in the chapter, James quotes Proverbs (3:34, to be exact), and says,  "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble" (James 4:6).  Incidentally (but certainly not coincidentally), Peter quotes the same passage in 1Pet 5:5, right before he tells us to - you guessed it - humble ourselves.

And let's not forget Jesus (like we would).  In Mt. 23:12, he fumes: "For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted."  That's Jesus, in the middle of laying some brutal truth on everyone in Jerusalem.  Sounds bad, and the Pharisees would certainly agree; in fact, after he was done tearing them apart - humbling them, if you will - they began to plot His assassination in earnest.  So humbling is bad, right?

Not if you're the one doing the humbling!  Humbling yourself doesn't mean humiliating yourself.  Humility is born of truth, and your realization and acceptance of it.  When you realize who God is (as much as you can realize, anyway), who you are, and how you stack up, humility is a natural response.

I really like the way the Amplified Bible breaks down Mt. 23:12, because it points out the difference between being humbled and being humble.  When you're humbled, you're brought low, like Jesus did the Pharisees.  He cast a cruel, but true, light on them and their hearts; for them, it had to have been humiliating.  However, Jesus' message for us was wonderfully uplifting: if you "have a modest opinion of yourself and act accordingly", you'll be exalted.

God exalted Joshua (Joshua 4:14).  God exalted David (2 Sam 5:12).  Solomon, too (1 Chron. 29:25).  In Acts 5:31, Peter told the Pharisees that God exalted Jesus, too (like you didn't see that one coming).  And God is going to exalt you.  Pretty great company to be in, isn't it?  Certainly nothing humiliating about it, that's for sure.

Coming to terms with the reality of the situation is the key to humility, and when you've humbled yourself, incredible things begin to happen.  Count on that.

Talk to you soon.

Need a Lift?

6pm seemed like an eternity away.

Both kids were determined to drive each other over the edge, and seemed delighted in the prospect of taking me with them. They were constantly picking at each other, starting fights, breaking things, causing problems, and badgering me about everything under the sun. If I would have fed my four year old every time she asked for a snack, she would have exploded by 2:30, and her nine year old brother would have howled at the mess. Ugh.

The chores around the house were piling up, too; laundry, vacuuming, dusting, dishes, garbage, and more. To make matters worse, that was just the daily stuff - I had plenty of long-term 'projects' lurking all over the place, waiting to jump me whenever I innocently meandered into the bedroom, kitchen, garage, or, heaven help me, the back yard.

It was one of those days, and I really needed a lift. I got it...by sinking lower.

*DISCLOSURE WARNING* I wouldn't be telling you the truth if I said that the Bible was the first place I always run to for a pick-me-up. I'd also be fibbing if I said that prayer was always my first option in any given situation (it's more like 'act rashly, ask forgiveness later'). However, over the years, I've gotten a little better at turning His way first.

On this particular day, it took me several hours to be still and hear His voice, but I did hear it. "Humble yourself before the Lord, and He will lift you up" (James 4:10, NIV). Then I read The Message's version, and it really hit home: "Get down on your knees before the Master; it's the only way you'll get on your feet."

If you need a lift, if you need to get to your feet again (or for the first time), if your heart needs a new start, you've got to humble yourself. Now, how you do that is for another entry (lots of them, actually), so stay tuned.

Oh...in case you were wondering, 6pm didn't turn out to be an eternity away after all.