Happy New Year 2019!

Each day is one page of a 365 page book. Write a good one. ~Brad Paisley

You can listen to the audio by clicking on the player below.

Auld Lang Syne

Why do we put ourselves through this? Why do we get fired up only to try to get out of the gym membership by February?

Do we try harder to do better? We usually say “I’m really sticking with it this year, I mean it. . .” or at least that’s what I’ve heard friends of mine say; right? To some degree, each one of us has this in our hearts. It seems that the more we get fired up and motivated, the bigger the letdown (when it comes). When my girth has enlarged it’s territory, my first reaction is to get frustrated. That frustration seems to motivate me to do what? That’s right, try harder.

After I try harder and fail, the cycle begins again… over and over again. “No, this time, I REALLY mean it.“

Do you see the vicious cycle? It’s horrible and quite victorious for the enemy. It can drive someone to the point of not caring or completely giving up on trying.

And that’s what the Devil wants. You see, your enemy knows that God created you to accomplish so much more than going to the gym. If you can be stopped doing the small thing, you won’t reach the bigger thing and that is his goal.

Do you feel motivated now? Well, let’s be careful with that.

So, what’s the solution?

Jesus taught by telling stories, so I will tell you mine.

There was a time when I sucked at relationships. It was all about me, mine and what I wanted. Then I met a person, not just the thought of a person, a real one and I found out that it was pretty cool. So I naturally wanted to spend as much time with that person as I could. I even made sacrifices of my time, my desires and even learned about new things that I thought I wasn’t even interested in, just so I could “get closer” to this person. The next thing you know, I’m asking her to marry me.

Jesus is not just some romanticized, pie in the sky, ideal of good behavior and blessing. He is a real person that you can get to know. It will seem nervous and awkward at first. You won’t know what to say. Let me encourage you, go ahead, talk to Him in King James language if that’s the only thing thou knowest thustly.

Like my marriage, we can look back and laugh at the silly things we did in the beginning years of our relationship. But like the gym, you gotta start somewhere. Why not today? At least you have the day off work, right? Time is no excuse. Be brave, ask for the date.

Swaddling Clothes

We think of baby Jesus as this tiny, innocent child entering this world. As precious and as tender as that can be, it is the most powerful thing humankind has ever witnessed.

Most of us love a good conflict story. Whether it’s Romeo and Juliet with the Montague and Capulet families or the White Jets and Puerto Rican Sharks in West Side Story, there is an attraction to tension.

God created this perfect place for us to thrive, flourish and multiply (Garden of Eden). We chose to mess that up. Tricked, being lied to, or hornswaggled, it was a choice that was made and the enemy was now “the prince of the power of the air” (Eph 2:2).

Enough! God, being tired of the hornswaggling, lying and trickery, wanted the truth to be known about His love for us. He came to what was clearly known as “enemy turf” and He has a showdown. You can almost see a group of guys walking cautiously down an alley, snapping their fingers in unison with toothpicks hanging out of their mouths.

I don’t know about you, but if I were to go to a showdown with an enemy that has dominated for a while, I would at least take something with me. . . a weapon, some kind of skills, at least a friend or two to even up the odds. Maybe a combination of all of the above. When I finally walk into that arena (with theme music playing of course), there would be no doubt that I’m ready to rumble.

God didn’t do that way. He didn’t need to. He came as the most innocent and tender thing that you could imagine. A baby. I understand that you may know this information, but let me paint this on a different canvas for you.

Some may say “Satan didn’t know about little baby Jesus.” We need to remember that Satan is not omnipotent. Satan does not know everything nor understand everything. Satan doesn’t know what will happen in the future but we can reserve that for a later topic. He wasn’t aware of the depth of what was happening. Even after hundreds of prophetic statements, writings and proclamations, he still didn’t get it. There was even a star pointing the way. . . all of these other people knew about it. “Well, some are blinded to the truth.” Yes, Satan may be blinded from it, but let’s not forget, he knows the truth.

Sometimes truth can be all around us and we aren’t aware of it. How aware are you of gravity? Once you are aware of it, does your awareness direct how you interact with it? Whether you acknowledge gravity is present in your life or not, does not change the truth of it. Satan knows the truth. He chooses not to acknowledge it and he doesn’t want to interact with it.

If he knew, Satan would have been confused and shaking in his boots about how his demise is about to unfold by a baby. Imagine how humiliating it would be for the self-appointed prince to be taken down by an infant. Well, I’m not sure about you, but I’ve read the end of this story, and He is no longer an infant.

We celebrate our King being born in this upcoming season.

Let me challenge you to see this Christmas season differently.

If I Am, Then Why Aren’t I?

Have you ever asked Jesus to be your savior?

In the Old Testament the Tabernacle was the dwelling place of God. In the New Testament you are the Tabernacle. Have you asked him to come into your heart?

Did you feel a change in your heart?

Have you ever asked the question “God, if I’m a new creation, then why aren’t I’m more than a conqueror?”

Let’s stop having religious exchanges, pull the gloves off, and have a moment with the Almighty. Let’s see what Living The Freedom Life is all about.

If you are in the area, I will be teaching on this topic, and having meaningful discussions on July 8th, 9am, at Gateway Church. You can message me for more details.

More info on Gateway Church website

The way we see

Have you ever been dumped?  I have.  At the time, it broke my young, naive heart.  What happened? What did I do? We could go down the path of trying to figure out what was the offense and in most cases that would be healthy. Maybe that will be for another post. Instead of casting blame on either me or her, let’s look at what changed as a result.

Something changed in her. Whether it was something I did, or by revelation that I wasn’t “the one“, it changed the way she thought about me, when at one time she was very much in love with me. As a result of the way she thought about me, it changed how she felt about me, therefore, I was dumped.

In the previous post we talked about the first of two main goals in Freedom, Focusing on something different. Now lets look at the second main goal of Freedom.  Change the way we think about the things we are focused on.

Proverbs 23:7 For as a man thinks in his heart, so is he. Do you get a picture in your head of The Great Thinker statue?  If I think good, great, and deep things, will that be my outcome? Will I be a person with depth and have a goodness about me? That still depends on me and what I think. If you’ve ever been in true solitary confinement and left with only your own thoughts, you don’t naturally think good, great and deep things. Lets look at this Proverb again and change our focus.

Notice it reads as a man thinks, not what a man thinks. The enemy can enter in and plant things for us to think about (what I think). The Psychological world calls a portion of this “self talk“. We are not talking about the content of my thoughts. If so, I would be able to think myself free. I cannot do that anymore than I can grab myself by the feet and pick myself up off the floor.

As a man thinks is the process by which I use those thoughts. How we perceive and what we do with those thoughts will shape how we will become. This is the context of 2Cor 10:5 in taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.

Now the source of my Freedom is not how well I can hold my thoughts together. My Freedom doesn’t depend on my ability, a self-help process, or dare I say, this blog.

My freedom depends on the presence of someone. When Jesus said in Jhn 8:32 You shall know the truth and the truth will set you free. The word know here is not pertaining to my cognition. It is the same meaning as used in Genesis when Adam knew his wife Eve and they bore a son. Adam didn’t get out his note pad and jot down all the things he wanted to know about Eve. They had a knowledge of each other that produced life. This is the meaning of know in this passage. Jesus says that He is the way, the truth and the life (Jhn 14:6). Jesus is telling us that He is the truth and if we know Him and His presence in an intimate way, that is the thing that will set us free. The person of Jesus.

Freedom is not the absence of something. Freedom is the presence of someone.

How we first learn something

How we first learn something is more important than what we are learning. 
No matter what new thing you teach me about Tapioca pudding, it will remind me of a hospital. Awful memories will ensue. 
When I was young, I was kicked by one of our horses and I was in the hospital with complications from a broken leg. For some reason, they had a great abundance of Tapioca pudding. For the first few meals, it was okay but the Bible teaches us “all things in moderation”. In order for me to try it again, I need to unlearn some things about my beliefs concerning Tapioca pudding.
Unfortunately, churches are the worst about having their own language.  They come up with cool, descriptive names for things that only make sense to the person who frequents that culture, but to the newcomer, it is a foreign language.  The word “freedom” may mean different things to different people, in different regions, etc.  You get the point. 
 So what is Freedom?  Sometimes in order to learn what something is, we need to first unlearn our bad definitions.  
 
Examples of what Freedom is not.
     When I get a better job, then I won’t have to worry about . . . then I will be free.
If my boss would just lighten up, I wouldn’t be so stressed. Then I wouldn’t do. . . then I will be free.
I’ve tried this religion thing before, no matter how hard I tried, here I am again.
If I could just stop doing ____________ , then I will be free.
 
     The main problem with this is our focus. All of what I just mentioned is depending on what I can do. I tried it all. I’ve been to so many rehabs, I lost count. I’ve been locked up several times and did an eight year sentence flat. So, I can say that I have tried so much that I don’t have any try left. Now those things are well in my past but the principles are the same. 
Phil 4:13 says that “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” I am proof that the opposite is also truth. When I try to function outside of Christ, I fail. So when I try to attain freedom through the methods above, I have failed famously.
     One of the goals in Freedom ministry is to change our focus. Whatever I focus on, that thing will organize the rest of my life. If I focus on freedom from addiction, then addiction will organize the rest of my life. If I focus on how great something feels, then that feeling will organize the rest of my life. Jesus answers this problem in a very familiar passage that you probably already know. Matthew 6:33 Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added to you. We all give our first attention to something. If I struggle with something, then I will seek first relief from that thing I struggle with. If I change my focus and seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, then I am submitting to God, who is greater than the problem I was previously focused on. It is then that the all these things part will come.
 Freedom is not the absence of something. Freedom is the presence of someone.
Now if you would excuse me, I’m going to look for some Tapioca pudding.

Under One Roof

The Winter Solstice has passed but today marks the official beginning of winter for the McMurray family. A cold front finally rolled through which means we can at least have the excuse to use our fireplace.

When I was young, Fall meant afternoons were filled with cutting firewood so that when winter came in Tennessee, we could open the door with snow on the ground. My dad knew how to keep a wood burning heater at it maximum potential. As it turns out, the fruit doesn’t fall far from the tree. We just finished closing the doors trying to get the indoor temperature to at least under 80 degrees. Our neighbors in our cul-de-sac must think we are crazy.

The best thing about this season is having Jess home. Not just having her home, but the nostalgia of the word “HOME”.

When Jess left for college it was difficult. I think I took it harder than Tammy. We had friends excitedly tell us how wonderful it is to be “empty-nesters”. Don’t get me wrong, I forgot what kind of a cool gal I married. Being an empty-nester is a great season to bein. Tammy and I truly enjoy this stage of our lives. . . but there is an even sweeter homecoming when Jess is here.

It brings a deep sense of comfort to hear her footsteps upstairs. We get to laugh and joke more and everything seems to revolve around some kind of event. The term “on the go” just takes a different shape and for different purposes when she is home.

For some, the memories of this time of year can be less than wonderful. I know that everyone can’t have their loved ones under one roof this season. For one reason or twenty reasons, it is growing more and more difficult to have that old fashioned Christmas family gathering. I am truly sorry if you fall into this category. Please believe me, I know what it means to be unable to see family.

Please remember, in all circumstances and situations, you have a choice. We can choose to focus on our loneliness, bitterness, and the negativity. However, we can also choose to seek forgiveness, draw boundaries, and choose to see positive potential.

If it’s been so long that you can’t remember why you’ve not been under one roof, it’s time to push that aside. If you have forgotten, there are other things to remember. If all you do is remember with bitterness, forget it. It is time to choose something that will not produce the loneliness. There comes a point that our  lives become the very thing we allow. Take a stand. Stop allowing these things to happen. One of the most powerful things we posses is the power of choice. Exercise it today, and choose to have a merry Christmas.

Passing a Background Check

A few weeks ago I began the interview process with a church to become one of their Pastors. It was brutal but wonderful. Before you think this is a rant, hear me out.

Many of you know that I have two felonies in my past. No, they cannot define who I am. I am forgiven. Period!

Even though those things happened 20+ years ago, I can tell you, they still have consequences and influence in this world. No matter how qualified I may be, an HR department sees that scar and most employers will look elsewhere.

I’ve heard it all. “This place hires almost anyone.” No they don’t. I can’t tell you how many places Iv’e walked away from with hope yanked out from under me. Is this a pity party? NO. I tell you these things to say that friction can cause sharpening if you chose it. You may think this is bold, but through these things, I know who I am and what my task is because of this past decade of rejection.

“Friction can cause sharpening if you chose it.”

 

Rejection tends to stretch and tear down the way you see yourself. Getting stretched isn’t fun and it can be painful. It doesn’t take too many trips to the gym to learn that when you get stretched, strength is coming.

In the church I found out later that one comment was made that “If one of our pastors can’t pass a background check, then how can we trust him with our congregation?”

In Scripture, the Church is often referenced as the Bride of Christ. In this world, I have a precious bride of my own. I do not trust just anyone to care for her when she has a need. I want the best care possible for her. I am being asked to care for Christ’s Bride in this church. That is a big responsibility. I do not take this task lightly.

Through my healing I have learned that the only cure for rejection is acceptance. Through this past decade God has shown me, guided me, prepared me and told me that I am accepted by Him and His people. I believe that. Not by getting a “job”, but by being welcomed into a congregation and into the homes of people who want to get to know me for who God made me to be. As I have pastored elsewhere and been accepted, this seems special. I don’t think I would be able to pick up on its tender, gentle, quiet whisper had it not been for the sharpening that occurred before.

Being sharpened is a choice. Everyone wants to be the sharpener. We want to be the one who “speaks truth in love” but few are willing to be the one who is sharpened. In order to sharpen something it takes grinding off some things from the past that made it dull. Sharpening takes a process applied with patience and when it is done, it takes less effort than ever before to be effective. A scalpel is used to heal when in the hands of a skilled person.

If you feel resistant when people spend time with you and want to get to know you, please see it for the investment value. If people aren’t investing into you, your task is to get somewhere that they can. That may mean that you are about to get a good old fashioned grinding. But take comfort, there is strength coming!