Oh to have the faith of a child.  Jesus said:
 
"Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.  I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." (Mark 10:13-16)
 
An amazing thing happened this last week at Northview Church.  347 people stepped forward to be baptized in water by a spontaneous invitation from our Lead Pastor Steve Poe.  The invitation was spontaneous to the church members, but Northview had it planned out.  Every detail was accounted for to take away any excuse a person might make.  Shorts, tee-shirts, towels, changing rooms, hair dryers, etc.  All were present to remove any obstacle.  That is except fear.  Fear was the one obstacle that would still prevent a person from coming forward.   I have to imagine that as the team at Northview were planning for this service if they wondered how many people would step forward.   How do you plan for a movement of God?  You can't.  You just pray and hope the Spirit moves people.
 
The Spirit did indeed move people.  At the Saturday night service they ran out of dry supplies and people were literally wringing out wet clothes to let others use them.  Those in attendance that had previously been baptized in water cheered for each person that stepped forward.   Our hearts were touched as so many responded in obedience to God by getting baptized.
 
The Spirit is indeed moving at Northview. 

The best part of the weekend?   My son Camden prayed to accept Jesus into his life on Saturday night.  Holli and I are so proud of him.  He's talked about it in the past, but this time I truly feel like he understood and was ready.   What a blessing as a parent to help him make that decision and pray with him.  Camden decided on Sunday morning to step forward and get baptized too.  He was one of the 347.

I got to walk with him up the stage and back to the changing rooms.  

I got to accompany him to the stage and helped him into the water tank.  

I got to watch as he confirmed to Steve that he has committed his life to live for Jesus.  

I got to watch as he was dunked and brought back up.   

I got to help him out of the tank and hug and squeeze him so tight.   

I got to tell him how proud I was of him. 

Later that day, completely unprompted, Camden says to me "Dad, I just feel different now".   "You know why that is?" I asked him.   "That's the Spirit living inside of you now." 

Childlike Faith.   That's all Jesus tells us that we need.  If you are reading this and you don't think you have ever prayed to ask Jesus to be a part of your life, you can do that right now. 

Just pray something like this: 

"God, I've sinned against you.  I've made mistakes.  I ask that you forgive my sins and come into my life.   I believe that Jesus died so that my sins can be freely forgiven by you.   I believe that Jesus paid my price.   Right now I pray that you fill me with your Spirit and lead me in a life focused on you.  Amen." 

If you pray this prayer, the Bible says that the angels in heaven rejoice over your decision. (Luke 15:10) 

[image by >wouteR<]

If you have questions about what I wrote, please feel free to contact me privately using the Contact link above.  I'd be happy to talk with you.

So, I blew it last night.  Messed up, screwed the pooch, whatever you want to call it.  I blew it in the patience department in getting my boys to bed.   To make myself feel a little better, can anyone relate to difficult bed times with young kids?  It can be the hardest part of the day for me!   Don't get me wrong, I love putting my boys to bed, reading stories, snuggling with them, etc.  But, when the requests for snacks start and trips to the bathroom and the constant up and down...I start to lose it.  Most nights are fine and they go right to sleep, but there are some nights like last night where I just get pushed to the limit.

Holli was out on a girl's night with some friends.   I think the boys can sense it when it's just me putting them to bed.  I think they start hearing voices telling them "Dad's alone...you can take him...you can break him down..."

Each day I rise and think "today just let me be faithful".  Faithful to God, to my wife, to my kids, to my friends, to my clients, to my partner and employees.  At the end of the day if I can look back and say I didn't blow it, that's a great day.  I definitely failed at keeping my patience last night.

There's one truth that I think God revealed to me last night:

It's in the little things, day by day, where character is built.

We must prove that we can be faithful in the little things before God will ever trust us with bigger things.

Sorry Camden and Caleb.  Bring it on next time Mommy is out!

[image by ianders]

Can you relate to my night last night?  Share a story or post a comment about how you handle the little things in life that test you.

Camden, my 6 year old, lost a tooth the other day.  As he prepared his tooth for the coming of the tooth fairy that night, he got a sparkle in his eye.  What could he be thinking?  He proceeded to ask me how much money I thought the tooth fairy would bring.  I don't know I said, maybe a buck?   He follows up with "Can I ask for more?"

Haggling with the tooth fairy....hmmm, I like it.

Sure, I tell him, you can always ask for more.  You may not get it, but why not try.

So, Camden is in Kindergarten.  He's learning to read and write.  One thing he's learning is phonetical spelling.  Basically, he's learning to write words based on how they sound phonetically.  Camden decided to write the tooth fairy a note.  Here it is in his own writing and spelling:

"der tooth fare. i wud lik 200. if you dont have 200 just giv me 100."

Wow, $200 bucks.  But, he'll go as low as $100.  That's a far cry from the $1 I told him to expect.   Good for you Camden, reach high!  So, what's a parent to do?  In one regard, I want to promote his thinking and desire to not settle for less.  But, in another regard, I'm cheap and $100-$200 is a ridiculous amount for a tooth!

Camden ended up getting $5 and a note back from the tooth fairy explaining that the tooth fairy couldn't pay $200, but continue to not settle in life!  You can turn any time into a good teaching time.

How about you?  Have your kids ever asked for something crazy from the tooth fairy?

I love what kids say sometimes. Many times I leave a conversation with a little kid either scratching my head or laughing.  Seriously, I wonder how kids come up with the things they think about.

Recently, I was getting ready for the day and my 3 year old, Caleb, comes in and gets this really sad look on this face.  At first I wonder if he's getting ready to tell me that his brother hit him. Or, maybe he's setting me up to ask for some chocolate.   Turns out, I was able to use the conversation as a good teaching moment.

Here's how our conversation went:

Caleb:  "Dad, I don't want to go to kevin."

Me: "What?" <puzzled look on my face>

Caleb:  "I don't want to go to kevin."

Me: "What?" <again, I'm slow. I'm thinking "who's kevin?">

Caleb: "I don't want to go to kevin. I want to stay here."

Me: "You mean heaven?"

Caleb: "Yeah, I don't want to go to kevin."

Me: "It's heaven. h-h-h-h-heaven."

Caleb: "I don't want to go to h-h-h-kevin."

Me: "Why not buddy?"

Caleb: "I want to stay here at our house with you and mommy."

Me: "I don't want you to go to heaven right now either. But, someday you'll get to go to heaven."

Caleb: "But I don't want to go to heaven." <he got it right this time>

Me: "But God lives in heaven. Someday, you'll go to heaven to live with God forever because you love Jesus. But not right now. God has too many plans for your life and too many things He wants to do through you before He brings you to heaven.  We never know when God is going to want us to go to heaven, but we can live each day trying to help God in our world and telling others about God."

Caleb: "I like that daddy. I'm glad I don't have to go to kevin today!  Dad, can I watch a movie?"

Later that night, Holli says to me: "Guess what Caleb said to me today: 'Mommy, I don't want to go to kevin.'"  Here we go again...

Have you had a funny conversation with a little kid recently? Share your story and post a comment below.   

   

My 6 year old son asked me this morning if some people we knew celebrated Hanukkah.  I asked why he wondered that.  He replied that they don't believe in Jesus, so they don't celebrate Christmas.   I told him that many people still celebrate Christmas even though they don't believe in Jesus.   He didn't quite understand why they would celebrate it, because we've taught him that Christmas is Jesus' birthday.  We've taught him that Jesus is the reason we celebrate Christmas.   Christmas does not exist so that we can get gifts or go to Christmas parties, but to celebrate His birth.  Christmas wasn't always so commercialized and centered around Santa Claus.   Yes, we do Santa at our house, but Santa is so not the point.   

Santa gives our boys one present and we give them 3 presents.   Baby Jesus was given 3 presents, so that is why we give them 3.   We are so blessed in this country compared to others and our boys lack for nothing, so we see no point in giving them piles of gifts.

We're starting to teach our boys (6 & 3) that it is better to give than to receive.   How do you celebrate Christmas?   Why do you celebrate Christmas?

Here's a great video of Ronald Reagan giving a Christmas address to our nation.    What if our country returned to this type of thinking and message from the White House?  Oh, how far we have drifted.

Merry Christmas! 

My life is too fast.  I seem to rush around from one task to the next.  Or from one appointment to the next appointment.  When I'm in the car and sitting at a stop light, I constantly check my phone for various email updates, social media updates, etc.  Life is just going by too fast.  I try to live my life as intentional as possible, but there never seems to be enough time.

I can't believe it's already December 1.   30 more days and the year is over.   It's been said the older you get the faster the time goes by.   I'm "only" 37 and time seems to be flying for me.   Many others I talk with feel the same way.   Perhaps the technology that is supposed to help our lives and make us more productive actually restricts us and makes the time go by faster?

If you examine the life of Jesus, I think you would conclude that He was a very busy guy.  Healing people, teaching, eating, traveling and casting out demons makes for a busy life back then!   Consider the crowds that followed Him and the constant pressure He must have been under.  I bet He didn't feel like life was going too fast.  I think he thought it was perfectly timed.

As you examine the life that Jesus lived, there's one thing that really stands out that He did.  Jesus frequently got alone to pray.   Why is it so hard for us in our busy culture to do this as well?

Let's try for the next 30 days to take more time for solitude and prayer and see if that helps slow us down.  Make it another step along the journey for a more intentional life.  Any takers?

[UPDATE]

Vortex Ministry has launched a 30 Day Slow Down Challenge to any and all interested.   Click here for more information.

[image by sunside]

Yesterday my wife saw a little naked man running around our back yard.   Call the cops you say?  Nah, it was just our 3 year old Caleb.   You see, he likes to be naked.  Plain and simple.  He hasn't quite learned the social etiquette that you can't just run around naked outside. (we're trying).  Caleb was outside playing with his brother Camden and they decided to get in the sandbox and throw sand at each other.  Typical boy stuff.   Well, after getting covered in sand, the next logical step, if you're Caleb, is to get naked.  Enter Holli: to find him running around naked.  Caleb got in trouble and had to get dressed bringing the naked romp to an end.

So, Holli tries to call me to talk about her day and what do you think I do?  "I'm busy, can I call you back?".   Umm, let me tell you, might not be the best response to your wife, guys.  But that's what I did.   And then I didn't call her back for another 3 hours.  Hey, just trying to keep it real here; who can relate?  I definitely get the "unsupportive husband" award yesterday.

What are two things a husband can learn from a little naked man? 

1. Be a little more free spirited.    No, don't run around outside naked, that's just creepy.  But when it comes to leading your family, take some risks and make sure to enjoy the time.

2. Actions have consequences.   If there's something you're doing or not doing that can get you in trouble, stop.   Like taking a phone call from your wife or at least calling her back promptly.

Do you have any great "3 year old" stories you can share?

[image by chrisandjenni]

What are you going to do today?   Do you have a task list, day planner, outlook calendar synchronized with your phone?  I bet it's full appointments, things to do, places to go and people to see.   I know mine is full and there's nothing wrong with that.  However, in the busyness of life, we need to remain focused on two simple things:

1. Love God

2. Love Others

Matthew 22: 36-40 says: 

"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."

How do you love God and others?  Start by praising God.   Tell him how you feel, verbalize it.  Get into God's word, read the Bible.   Then apply it to your life.   It does no good sitting on a shelf or to just read and not act.    Once you read it, take action and make some life changes.   Serve others.  Put them above yourself.  Humble yourself.

Start today and try to live more intentional around these two things.   Such seemingly small things, but so important to remember in our lives.

[image by Great Beyond]

How often do you think about the purpose of your life?   Is it often or infrequent?   I have to admit that I think about it a lot.  Many days I wonder if I’m fulfilling all of the plans that God has for me.   Sometimes I get depressed because I don’t think I’m pursuing His call on my life.   What is the call?   I don’t know for sure, hence the round and around struggle.  I have some ideas, but it is still getting revealed to me.

Many times I wonder if we’re making our “purpose” out to be more complex than it has to be.   I was reading in the book of Isaiah and one thing that jumps out to me is that God didn’t “Call” Isaiah.   Isaiah responded to God’s question.

Isaiah 6:8 says:

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?"  And I said, "Here am I. Send me!"

God was searching for someone that could go out and fulfill things that God was interested in.  Isaiah simply responded.   He stood up and said “Send Me!”    And God did.

Is there a situation in your life that you feel like God is searching for someone to step up and say “Send Me”?  Perhaps today you could take that intentional step and tell God “Send Me”.     If you do that, make sure to have an open heart and be ready to listen for what God asks you to do.   Talk about a life of adventure if we could live that way every day. 

How can God use you today?

[image by amboo213]