After a long and sensational ordeal of witnessing the wrestling match between God’s miraculous power and the stubborn heart of Pharaoh, the Israelite people have finally been led by God out their bondage of cruel slavery in Egypt.  He chose Moses, an imperfect knucklehead, so that all would know Who had really delivered them.  After several days of marching toward their long anticipated home in the Promised Land, the people follow God’s direction via Moses to settle their camp on the bank of the Red Sea.  Just as they are settling in, they realize that the whole Egyptian army is hot on their trail, led by an infuriated king who has decided he is not ready to let his vast supply of slave labor slip away so easily.  The Israelites are understandably very upset, anxious, and afraid.  And they turn on Moses, blaming him for leading them to their seemingly unavoidable and rapidly approaching doom.  To attempt to swim across the Red Sea would have meant certain death.  And to stand and face the terrible army of Egypt would have meant death, just as certainly.

Picking up the story right here, check out Exodus 14:13-15 (New Living Translation)…

But Moses told the people, “Don’t be afraid.  Just stand still and watch the LORD rescue you today.  The Egyptians you see today will never be seen again.  The LORD himself will fight for you.  Just stay calm.

Then the LORD said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me?  Tell the people to get moving!”

I LOVE the paradox reflected in these three verses!  And I find this message is at the heart of recovery from my old life of self-reliance and self-indulgence, as I desire to grow in the freedom of walking in God’s will.

My flesh is so given to worrying.  Fearful fretting and hand-wringing WILL NEVER HELP!  Focusing on the problem – or worse yet, on the fears of how much worse it could get – will only make my situation seem that much more bleak and terrifying.  And I will only get sicker.  I must focus on the solution – the loving hand of God, and doing my best to grasp His hand by surrendering to His will.  Trust God and calm down.  That WILL ALWAYS HELP!

At the same time, my flesh is so given to sitting on my backside, whimpering to God to somehow make my problems go away without me having to do anything challenging or painful.  And so often, His response to me is to ask me what I expect HIM to do for me, when He has already told me what I need to do, at least in part.  I am reminded of the clever and insightful poem, “Buttprints in the Sand.”

Like the nation of Israel, I so often find myself caught between death and death.  The death of flesh-driven self-destruction on one hand, and the death of flesh-sacrificing surrender on the other.  And when I am willing to receive God’s grace, deny the impulses of my flesh, and surrender to God’s will in the moment, it sill amazes me to see the way He parts Red Seas in my life still today.

• This post brought to you by the impact of feeding daily on God’s Word for a continual month, assisted by the One Year Bible reading plan on the YouVersion Bible app for the iPhone.

Ever get into a funky place where you seem restless, irritable, and discontent?

Well, I do.  Sometimes for long stretches, I am sad to say.  And I have found that when I get into one of these grouchy seasons, there is one question that lurks at the heart of the murkiness.  It is a terrible question.  A question that drives me, when I let it.  “What is the Matrix?”  No, that’s not it!  Here it is…

“What do I FEEL LIKE DOING right now?”

Sooner or later, living by this question day after day drives me into the ditch.  It is a lame question for any of us to follow, particularly someone with an “addictive personality” like me.  But we all have a sin nature that calls out in various fleshly ways, convincing us that this question is actually a very reasonable approach to life.

It is not.

Far better to guide my actions from day to day with questions such as these…

“What would be good for me to do now?”

“What is God’s will for me today (as best I can tell)?”

“How can I bless someone else?”

And the irony of it is this: When I pursue those things that I feel like doing, I am rarely, if ever contented by them.  But when I am willing to pursue those things that God would have me do to bless others, I find within my self a growing sense of contentment and joy that I am simply not capable of contriving on my own.

Have a great day – bless someone else by doing God’s will!

1. I remember feeling physically better than I ever had in my entire life back in the early spring of 2011.  I was eating healthy and working out regularly.  That all started with a decision to surrender my appetites daily to God.  It’s time to yield to the true leadership of the LORD again.
2. Life will be better on multiple fronts if I will read more and iPhone less.
3. Life will be better on multiple fronts if I will blog more and Facebook less.
4. My family has been sharing nightly (well, more often than not) devotionals together during this Christmas season.  It has been very good.  I need to find a nightly family devotional guide TODAY that we can begin to use, now that we are through the Christmas lessons.  This is a wonderful momentum, and I can see the obvious benefits of me taking the primary lead in this movement at our house.
5. I need to practice at home what I preach in my office as a husband.  Grace, mercy, and compassion have been in short supply on my end for a while.  By God’s grace, that is changing.  It’s about time!
6. I am eager to stay in more regular conversation with my spiritual mentor.  Daily would be good – but I’m staying away from “resolutiony” goals here.
7. I want to grow in grace.  I think that is “my word” for this coming year.  I want to experience it more fully by embracing the gift that God so freely and eagerly offers me daily.  I want to share it more by walking more purposefully and willingly with my amazing Savior.  I want to be a grace person.
8. God is clearly calling me to be more missional.  To be more intentional about sharing the Good News of Jesus with those around me.  Especially with my friends who are reaching out for God.
9. Slow down more.  Enjoy the present moment and the wonder of God.
10. Get going more readily.  When it’s time to do something I don’t really feel like doing, quit thinking about it and get with it.
11. Be a more consistent friend.
12. Respond to emails and phone messages more promptly.

Okay, 12 seems like a good number.  I’ll stop there.  But here’s the deal.  I’m not beating my self up about the growth I still see a need for in my life.  Gracious!  Who do I know that isn’t still in need of growth?!  I am grateful for my life today.  I am grateful to be the man I am today.  Just as I am.  Aiming high.  Falling short.  Aiming low.  Rising above.  Succeeding.  Failing.  Enjoying.  Whining.  Leading.  Punking.  Worshiping.  Slacking.  And doing it all in the grace of God.  Bring on 2012 – so long as I get to face every day in God’s grace.

I know, another video link, rather than original blog material – lame.  Oh well, it’s where I am, and today God reminded me in His wonderful, powerful, wild, calming way how true is the Message of this song.  May you be blessed with the peace of embracing His presence in your life today.

Sorry about the “S-word” in that video, but he just nailed this issue, so I’m sharing it.  This will be short and sweet…

I am “on” my iPhone too much.  Facebooking mostly.  But also texting, taking silly pictures, and just looking for stuff.  This needs to change.  I am missing out on life.  I am missing out on my wife.  This is ridiculous!  So, here’s the plan, at least as a starting point.

After 9pm, the iPhone goes to the charger and stays outta my hands.  And the one I’m really wrestling with is this one – Don’t get on Facebook unless I have taken the time to either write a meaningful blog post for the day or read something meaningful from a book for at least half an hour.  I don’t want to get legalistic about it.  Believe me – I know what an epic fail that path is for actually solving any kind of heart issues.  Been there, done that.  But I need structure, and this thing needs turning around.  My wife tells me I share too much on Facebook.  True.  Maybe this post is too much.  But I’m thinking some of you can relate and could use an encouragement and a helpful idea.  And you may start finding some helpful stuff on my website again soon.  : ]

#NeedFreedom

Click here to view the embedded video.

Now watch this video…

Click here to view the embedded video.

I dare you to watch the first one again now.

Maybe you’re not an LSU fan, so it’s easy to dismiss.  And perhaps you genuinely don’t care about football.  This pair of videos kicked me in the teeth.  More importantly and to the point, my heart is convicted.  Thanks to my friend, Joey, for sharing these with me.  Pray for me, as I pray for you to be set free of the idols in our lives.  As far as I know, I will still be watching the big game on November 5 and cheering for the LSU Tigers.  Nothing wrong with that.  But I want to be totally willing to do something else with my time if the Holy Spirit calls me elsewhere.  And I don’t need to be worshiping LSU or Coach Miles or the defense or the offense or the “Honey Badger” or any of that as I watch the game.  As Joey so eloquently and succinctly put it – “GEAUX JESUS!”  Thanks again, Joe!

I have always loved this classic song by the Byrds, inspired by Ecclesiastes 3:1-8.

Lately, I have been thinking a lot about stress, demands, busyness, self-discipline, entertainment, enjoyment of life and family and work and play, and the intersection of these things.  (Yes, there are always lots of wheels turning inside my noggin.  It’s like a funhouse in here – trust me!)  Today I find myself especially considering the role of electronic gadgetry in the midst of this swirling mix.  I got an i-Phone a couple months or so ago, primarily because there is an app for my online scheduling system, and I hoped it would improve my business efficiency.  Well, it has certainly done that.  My scheduling process has never been smoother for me or my clients!  In addition, I have found this little gizmo to be an immensely helpful tool in many ways – from helping me navigate trips to boosting my enjoyment of amateur photography to assisting me in organizing my overall schedule to providing a handy-dandy light to navigate the toy-infested waters of my son’s room for a late night kiss on his cheek before going to bed.  But the impact on my life doesn’t stop there.  Consider also…

Words With Friends and the Facebook app and just how easy it is now to text like a maniac.  With such powerful distractions just a slide and a tap, tap, tap away, it is easy for my attention, my mind, my spirit, and my life to get seriously out of balance.  Not good.  And I’m a 37 year old man with the Holy Spirit, years of walking with Christ and attempting to live in surrender to the Father’s will, and even a doctorate in studying the role of mass media in family life all to assist me in making wise choices.  Imagine the impact on the fourteen year olds!

And this is not to mention the place of the Wii, XBox, Playstation, laptop computer, internet itself, i-Pad, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, etc.  And I shudder to consider this new technology with its unprecedented implications.

My point is this.  As parents – as adults – we need to live in view of Ecclesiastes 3:1-8.  You know, while we’re at it, let’s go ahead and live in view of all of chapter 3, and might as well throw in Romans 12 for good measure!  All very difficult to do when I am giving my best to an electronic idol.  Ouch, did I really just post that on my website?!!  Our kids need us to be sober-minded, well-balanced guides to show them how to live rightly and humbly before God.  How are we doing?

Men of the Baton Rouge area (and beyond), it’s here.  The kickoff of a new season!  Men are suiting up and showing up for battle to show what they are made of, and to take their game to a higher level this year.  That’s right, gentlemen.  It’s that time of year again.  Time for…

MEN’S FRATERNITY!!!

I wish words on a blog could adequately tell you how profoundly my participation in Men’s Fraternity impacted my life over the past three years.  Men, I’m telling you, Men’s Fraternity will change your life!  For now, I will share with you the words of one our pastors, who was also my excellent small group leader the first year I joined this fellowship:

Here’s Shep – enjoying his new “big boy” room for the first time.  A fresh coat of blue paint (what I’m calling “Rubbermaid Blue”) picked out by him and a new comfy lounging/reading chair have transformed his space into something fit for…well, a big boy.  How he got here was a good life and faith lesson for me.

He has been asking us for a while if we would paint his room blue.  Chemaine and I readily agreed, then promptly moved on to other things.  Life gets busy.  You know how it is.  Priority for him.  Not so much for us.  Finally, he prevailed upon us a month or so ago to go to Lowe’s and pick out paint.  She and I picked out several colors of blue that we thought he would like, and we could live with, then presented them to him for his selection.  He went with “Classic Blue.”  He’s old school like that.  We bought two gallons of the good stuff, then promptly moved on to other things.  Blah blah blah.

While on vacation last week, we decided to surprise him by letting him stay with his Nana on the night of our return, and we would paint his room for him and move in the cool Big Green Chair while he was away.  Only one thing stood in our way of fulfilling his desire for him – his room was a total wreck!  Just the week before vacation, one if his buddies spent the night and told us he loves coming to our house, because Shep has so much stuff.  He was delighted, but it gave us much food for thought.  Anyhow, no room makeover was going to happen without a massive cleanup of toys and other 7 year old boy room debris.  Massive cleanup.

“Shep, before you can go to Nana’s house (he loves going to Nana’s house), you have to clean up your room.”  *Groan*  *Grumble*  (He hates cleaning up his room.  He’s a 7 year old boy.  Nuff said.)  “We’ll help you, son, but you have to work and do your share.”  “…okay…”  (with hesitation and some sighing and moaning)  And the three of us proceeded to tackle the Cleanup together.  He really did work hard, with a fairly good attitude, and he even volunteered several items to give away to other kids.

Off to Nana’s for him.  Off to the store for a few additional supplies for me.  Taping, taping, taping for my wife.  And several hours later – it was finished.

When he returned the next morning and we showed him his new Big Boy Room, he basically spazzed with delight.  Actually collapsed on his bed with speechless, 7 year old boyish, exuberant glee.  It was glorious.  And it happened because he was willing to trust and obey, in a way he would much rather avoid.  He didn’t know what the reward for his hard work would be, even though we knew and could already see this moment of delight days before it actually happened.  But he trusted and obeyed.  He endured the temporary hardship of some unpleasant work and sacrifice of other much more enjoyable activity.  And he was rewarded richly.

God wants to do so much more with your life and mine than just paint it up nice and give us new stuff.  He wants to bless us beyond anything we could ask or imagine.  And He is already delighting in the moments of our receiving those blessings, before we even get there.  Will we trust and obey Him when life seems hard, unpleasant, and senseless to us?  I, for one, really want to find out what kind of Big Boy Room He is preparing for me…