We kicked off a new series at The Anchor Church a few weeks ago. The series name is The Main Thing, and we have been diving into who The Main Thing should be in our life, and what that looks like.
This post is one of a four part series that will mimic the four weeks of the series. Click the video below to watch week one from Pastor Alex.
I’ll be honest, I’m a young parent. Young in the sense of my actual parenting experience spans just over 4 years. And I openly admit I don’t know a lot, I’m still learning. While I’ve worked with kids and families a lot in the past, parenting your own kids is different. I can’t just say “good luck” and go home to my kid-free life!
Now I have an 11 year old daughter, a 4 year old son, and a 6 month old baby girl. If you’re doing the math, I know it doesn’t add up. I chose to bring an 8 year old little girl into my life almost 4 years ago when my wife and I began dating. By that point I had my son, but he was just a little guy.
What I’m learning is that the little ones are easy. Correction and discipline are typically a walk in the park. The slightest correction with my son often brings his tender heart to a melting point. He has such a genuine concept of right and wrong, and a desire to obey that when he doesn’t it breaks him in two. My baby girl, well we are still at the eat, play, poop, sleep stage I think.
My pre-teen, spicy, independent soon-to-be 12 year old middle school girl? She tests me! Finally having an every-day dad in her life I know hasn’t been an easy adjustment. For years, because of choices her dad made, it was just her and mom. So naturally me coming into the picture rocked her boat. And yes, even almost 4 years later we are still working at it.
Having a daughter is a blessing, don’t get me wrong. But man, there are days I so badly want to go back to her being the sweet little 8 year old who didn’t have as much sass and attitude! There are moments, like earlier tonight, where her choice in action, attitude, and words put my patience to a whole new test. These are moments my anger easily flares, and my wife graciously de-escalates me before I go tear into my little girl.
And that’s being real. The truth is when I feel disrespected and dishonored by her intentional choices, I get angry. I get really angry, because I know she hasn’t been raised in a way that encourages deceit, a poor work ethic, and a lack of care for consequences. And my natural inclination is to swing the hammer down to make a point.
But I also know that while doing so might be a great emotional release for myself, it does nothing constructive for her.
When I respond harshly out of my emotions, it drives a wedge between us that is not easily removed. But when I respond with correction out of love, the outcome will be different. I’m not advocating nor do I fail to enforce consequences for her poor choices. But the approach in which it is done must be correct.
There are a lot of aspects in which being her present every-day dad brings me joy. Her inquisitive nature, her story telling, and artistic creative abilities are just a few. But there is nothing I find enjoyable about discipline with her.
Despite the hardship I feel, the lack of joy it brings me to enforce consequences when she makes mistakes, I know it’s worth it. I know that every time her mom and I hold her accountable for her choices, it’s for her best interest. I find comfort in the principle (understand it’s not a promise, or a guarantee) we find in Proverbs:
Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.
– Proverbs 22:6
Regardless of the circumstances, the pain I feel in the midst of carrying g out discipline, the agony of saying “no” to her request to do something deep down I want her to be able to do, I find comfort that right correction can bear fruit. But even if you don’t believe that, even if you think your discipline isn’t making a positive impact, as parents we are still called to train our children. And that includes discipline.
Notice the effect is dependent on the cause, but the cause is not dependent on the effect. In other words, regardless of the outcome, as parents we are still expected to raise our children correctly. Remember it’s a principle, not a promise that they will turn out “right”. As a follower of Jesus, that means teaching them how to follow Jesus themselves in word and deed. Right now for me, that often means helping my little girl see and understand the discrepancies in her logic, which in turn impacts her words and actions.
I never thought parenting would be easy. I knew there would be challenges, pain, frustration. I believed being a dad would be filled with joy. It never occurred to me though, how moments in the midst of raising someone you love so much can be so heart breaking in the moment. As with most things, parenting has its un-enjoyable moments too. But keeping the right perspective on why we discipline, why we correct poor choices and behavior is essential to finding the joy in the overall process.
After all, it’s really about raising someone who ends up loving Jesus more than anything else. That takes time, it takes growth. And growth often times comes through discipline and correction.
This particular post is one that has taken time. Time in reflection, prayer, writing, and more reflection, prayer, and writing. Over the course of several weeks, this post has come into existence through reflection and study of what I believe could be argued, one of the most pivotal moments in Biblical history: Moses’ encounter with God at the burning bush.
Enjoy.
And the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. And Moses said, “I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.” When the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” Then he said, “Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.”
Exodus 3:2-5
The story of Moses is one that has been told and retold. Plays, movies, songs, and the general reading of the account; in some fashion most people have heard the story to some degree.
Moses was such a pivotal player in God’s redemption of Israel from Egypt. Throughout time in the Hebrew culture and Jewish faith, he is revered and honored. The author of the first five books of the Bible, he led one of the greatest exodus’s of a people in history through a miraculous journey that lasted 40 years.
But like most people God tasks with great things, Moses wasn’t looking for an opportunity to be a leader. Remember, years before he rejected the opportunity to be part of the ruling class in Egypt. Moses has a past of murder and embarrassment, guilt that literally drove him into the desert.
Some time later we find him as a shepherd of his father-in-law’s sheep. Living a nomadic life far away from the palace and royalty he grew up surrounded by.
Then one day he experiences something so strange he can’t ignore it. A bush consumed with fire, but not by it. An angel of the LORD standing at it. A sight Moses had to examine more closely.
What began with curiosity quickly led to humility.
When the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.”
Exodus 3:4
Moses clearly understood who beckoned him to this place. And now He called him by name. This was no longer an exploratory adventure for Moses of what surely seemed to be an anomaly from afar. This was a divine interaction with the Creator of the universe. And the expectation of being in such a presence is not surprising.
Then he said, “Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.”
Exodus 3:5
God called Moses to enter into a holy place. To leave the ordinary, and allow himself to be consumed with the presence of God. Moses had a life changing mission tasked to him, used by God to change the world forever.
And it started with removing his sandals and entering holy ground.
We are called to do the same. As followers of Jesus we are called, invited to commune with God on holy ground. To let go of doing things our way, lean on Him and trust that He has the solution. Trust He will provide. It begins with leaving the ordinary behind, and allowing ourselves to be completely consumed by God. It takes stepping on holy ground.
This goes beyond a flippant encounter with God. It requires us to face questions. Do we grasp the weight of what it means to freely enter the presence of God? Do we possess a sense of humility and reverence when we present our requests to the Creator of everything? Do we understand the significance of God’s holiness we so often approach with arrogance?
It’s time.
Let go, humbly present yourself before the LORD God.
Be consumed by His presence, and walk with Him on holy ground.
This past Sunday, we started the year off with a fitting new series at The Anchor Church.
“Resolutions: Back to the Basics”
As I have finished preparing for my message this Sunday and have been reflecting on it, I am also reminded of Pastor Alex’s message.
He posed this question, that is one every follower of Jesus should ask themselves:
“Am I Honestly Imitating Jesus or am I just Spiritually Asleep?”
Take a look at his message below, and join us live via Facebook this Sunday @ 10am central for part two!
Have you ever been given favor because of someone else?
Maybe they “put in a good word” for you, or picked up your mess so others wouldn’t notice. Perhaps they taught you something that when utilized, brought success.
I think if we take a moment and think, we can all come up with at least one person who fits the bill. If you are like me, you can come up with a handful.
The people we think of often don’t get any form of recognition. The reality is they don’t do what they do for recognition. They do it out of love. They have a desire to see others grow and be successful.
If this heart and mindset were ever epitomized, it was done so by Jesus.
His desire to bring restoration to His creation drove Him to the cross. It’s because of His sacrifice, that through faith in Him we receive the benefits of His actions. We can now stand before God as holy and redeemed.
Paul explains this so beautifully in his letter to the church in Ephesus. In the first half of chapter 2, he explains our position before God and the significance of Jesus’ actions. Read what he wrote:
But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ-by grace you have been saved- and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
Ephesians 2:4-7
The reality is God doesn’t need us. Jesus didn’t have to bring us back into fellowship at all.
But He did.
He did because He loves you, and me. He was willing to take our place, so we received the favor. In my opinion, that’s the epitome of love. And that’s why I serve Him.
How about you?
Well, the New Year is here! Everyone I know still has all their fingers from celebrating, but no ones eye sight improved.
And I don’t know about you, but I can hear Barbara Walters’ voice in my head!
I know several people who have already began working on their goals for this year, myself included.
What about you?
Have you set a goal?
I’d like to challenge you in that. Would you join me and my family each Sunday?
Every Sunday at 10am we start our Gathering, and you can join us LIVE! I want to invite you, challenge you if you don’t have a Church home. Or maybe you want a little extra in your walk with Christ.
Join us.
Make a commitment to plug in locally. Get invested with your time and finances. Trust God to provide as you act in obedience to Him.
Let 2020 be a big year for you, because you surrender to Him.
Happy New Year!
A new year is here.
Even greater, a new decade.
I don’t know about you, but for me there are things in the last year and decade that are a part of my past I wish could be undone.
Things I’ve said, things I’ve done. Most done out of selfish immaturity. Some to myself, some to others.
My guess is, you can relate at some level.
The truth is, we’ve all made mistakes. There are things in our past that we would rather never remember. The old saying “ignorance is bliss” comes to mind.
The beautiful thing about a new year is it’s signifying of a new start. Like the refreshing encouragement new blooms bring in spring. And every year people around the world come up with their list of great improvements and goals they want to accomplish. Some, by the next New Year, are successful. Others like me, often forget what those goals were because they never wrote them down.
I want this year to be different.
For me. For you.
This New Years I have a different mindset towards resolution setting. I want this next year to be one of deeper growth in my faith and trust in Jesus. I want your faith and trust in Jesus to grow deeper, the impact we have in the community around us greater for Jesus. And I believe Paul gives us an incredible insight into how we can take this from a desire to something that is fruitful.
Paul gives us words in Romans that honestly, I have read over and over again. I’ve spent time studying this small passage over the years, but it has never come to life as it does for me now.
“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” – Romans 12:1-2 ESV
Paul presents us a plan, that if followed will open floodgates of growth. As a follower of Jesus, I am called to live sacrificially as an act of worship. The actual idea stems from the Greek θύω (thuō), literally meaning to kill or slay. It is from this word that Paul uses θυσία (thusia), rendered in English as Sacrifice. Paul begins by instructing us to live sacrificially in that we die to ourselves. A powerful picture he paints of what holy living, following Jesus, looks like.
Not only does he tell us to live sacrificially of ourselves in pursuit of Jesus, this idea of dying to oneself, he breaks down how.
Transformation is essential. Paul contrasts this idea to conformity with the world and its ways. The Greek he uses, συσχηματίζω (suschēmatizō), means to fashion alike. Oxford defines it as behave according to socially acceptable conventions or standards. In a world full of pressures to conform to the sinful ways of the culture around us, we are called to be transformed.
We are called to be changed.
The Greek word Paul uses here for our English transformed is μεταμορφόω (mĕtamŏrphŏō), which literally means to change, transfigure, transform. It presents the idea that the old is done away with and replaced by something new. By dying to ourself we become a new creation in and through Christ!
But this transformation is dependent on something. Just as we cannot live a sacrificial life in pursuit of Jesus apart from transformation, something else must take place within us for this transformation to happen. Paul tells us there must be a “renewal of your mind”. He uses the Greek ἀνακαίνωσις (anakainōsis) where we read renewal. The meaning for the Greek is renovation. Think of it as a house in need of being renovated. As it ages, walls need to be replaced, the plumbing and electrical might need upgraded. Maybe a new floor plan needs to be implemented, moving rooms around and possibly effecting the overall structure. Like a house in need of renovation, our mind needs to experience renewal. I love what W. Jay Wood says regarding this passage in his book Epistemology: Becoming Intellectually Virtuous: “God cares about how you think, not just what you think.”
What we think, and how we think has a direct impact on how we act. If there is not renewal of our mind, a restructuring in how and what we think, there cannot be transformation. And without transformation in our lives, we will never live sacrificially in greater pursuit of Jesus. Paul presents us a plan of action that builds on itself, resulting in a life that is holy and pleasing to God.
It’s a beautiful thing. Like a caterpillar that goes through the process of metamorphoses and comes out transformed into a butterfly. You and I, as followers of Jesus, are called to be living sacrifices each day.
As we venture into a new year, a new decade, will you make your goal to grow deeper in your faith? Will you make it a point to be transformed by actively letting your mind be renewed? Will you live your life each day willingly dying to yourself?
Will you be a caterpillar, emerging emerging from the process of metamorphoses as a butterfly?
Will you be holy and acceptable to God?
Pastor Luke
Eternal Viewpoint 
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