A Vision of Sin

"You have heard that the law of Moses says, 'Do not commit adultery.' But I say, anyone who even looks at a woman with lust in his eye has already committed adultery with her in his heart." -Matthew 5:27, 28(NLT)

The Challenge:If sin is planted in your heart, get rid of it as soon as possible - or else it will take root and be very difficult to deal with later.

The Vision: I first saw us as the purest soil; dark, moist, and perfect. Then I saw lust, representing any sin: a tiny, tiny seed that I had planted below the surface; barely noticeable. I quickly realized that if I were to dig the seed of lust out from the soil as soon as I saw it, it would do little damage to the soil (my life). Sure, the surface was broken a little but you can't get rid of sin without some brokenness.

Then I saw what would happen if I decided not to deal with the sin immediately - just ignore it, or worse, feel okay about it staying in my life. The seed slowly began to grow below the surface, rooting itself before it was to breach into the sunlight. After it developed a complex root system, it broke into the open air, where everyone could see it, and sprout into a large tree. The roots of this now massive tree infiltrated every part of the soil. You could no longer dig it up without serious damage to the soil. It sucked the nutrients from the soil and disrupted it's balanced state.

Sin is sin - whether we just plant the seed or let it grow, it will affect our lives. It is better to get rid of sin sooner than later. Jesus went even so far to say afterwards, "So if your eye causes you to sin - even if it is your good eye - gouge it out and throw it away… It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell." He's not wanting us to go get a stick and thrust it into our anterior cavity (or your eye) - but, He is very serious about staying away from sin.

Christian men especially, need to hear and take heed of the warnings a father gives his son in Proverbs, chapter 5.

Proverbs 5:8, 9 - "Run from her [the immoral woman]! Don't go near the door of her house! If you do, you will lose your honor and hand over to merciless people everything you have achieved in life."

Proverbs 5:21 - "For the LORD sees clearly what a man does, examining every path he takes. An evil man is held captive by his own sins; they are ropes that catch and hold him. He will die for lack of self-control; he will be lost because of his incredible folly."

I'll end with this - Jesus' words to the adulteress (ironic, or is it?) pictured above from John 8: "Go and sin no more."

Presenting Mature Disciples Before God

"So everywhere you go, we tell everyone about Christ. We warn them and teach them with all the wisdom God has given us, for we want to present them to God, perfect in their relationship to Christ. I [Paul] work very hard at this, as I depend on Christ's mighty power that works within me." -Colossians 1:28,29 (NLT)

The Challenge: In response to the first part of this verse - "…everywhere we go, we tell everyone about Christ." - try to mention Christ or your relationship with Christ somewhere outside church. Part two of this challenge (if you're already doing part one), is to double check your relationship with those with which you've shared the Gospel. Will you be presenting them to God as perfect (mature) Christians come judgement day?

I think Paul's attitude here can reflect our own sometimes - "I work very hard at this, as I depend on Christ's mighty power…". Tell others about Christ 24/7 is not an easy task - especially if you are like me (more of an internal processor). We get scared at the word, "evangelism". In New Testament times no one feared an evangelist. They were people who always brought news which was always good - a victory in battle, for example. Really, we are just letting others in on the good news that God blesses His children.

"Discipleship" is another scary word. It means commitment, responsibility, building relationships. Now add what you read above - "We warn them and teach them… for we want to present them to God, perfect in their relationship to Christ." I know I'm not perfect in my relationship to Christ much less warning and teaching others in order to present them perfect and mature to God!

But before you get too hopeless in the work we are called to, read Paul's words again.

"I work very hard at this, as I depend on Christ's mighty power that works within me."

Video of our New Apartment!

I decided to do a video instead of pictures. I think it gives you a much better idea about the apartment. Sorry if it makes you dizzy though. haha. Enjoy!

I don't argue! Yes, you do!

"In everything you do, stay away from complaining and arguing, so that no one can speak a word of blame against you. You are to live clean, innocent lives as children of God in a dark world full of crooked and perverse people. Let your lives shine brightly before them.”
-Philippians 2:14,15 (NLT)

The Challenge: Think of the person you argue with the most (could be a family member) and try to not argue with them for a month. The “easiest” way to accomplish this is to “take it like a man” and keep your mouth closed when every bone in your body is telling you to defend yourself. (If arguing isn't that hard to give up, try not complaining for a month!)

This probably won't mean much to you until you are at a point in your life when you want to start living as an example of Christ. I must warn you that this is no easy task. When you choose to follow Christ to the extent of calling yourself an example of Christ, you will be forced to examine every area of your life. You will be forced to give up your selfish desires, your plans, your pride, your whole life in order to follow Christ wholly. Arguing is one area we need to address if we concerned about being a good example of Christ.

I tested not arguing with my wife, Kate, and the results were remarkable. It was hard at first not to react when I really, really wanted to defend myself or prove her wrong. About a week later, I realized I was actually getting in the habit of not arguing! When one of us would say something a little harsh, I didn't automatically jump into it with all my guns locked and loaded. Entire days were redeemed – less stress, less hurt feelings, more love. I noticed this too: The more I stayed away from arguing, the less Kate argued too – it's contagious!

Anyone can see a difference in how we treat each other now. In fact, that's the point – we are supposed to exemplify love towards each other. Think about it: If we can't love those closest to us, how can you expect to love the unlovable – those Christ called us to love?

“In everything you do, stay away from complaining and arguing...”

A New Home...

    

After Kevin losing his job this past August we have lived in a camper in his brothers yard and then with his parents in a 2 bedroom apartment. We have had some pretty tight quarters these past 5 months. We have gotten closer to Kevin's family, learned a lot of new lessons, grown closer together as a couple, and most of all grown closer to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We have learned to trust God in EVERYTHING. When the car starts acting up and we start worrying we immediately catch ourselves and think..."It's nothing God hasn't taken care of before!" We lay our burdens and worries at the feet of Christ and remember why He sacrificed himself. He desires to have a relationship with us and show us the Power and Glory of His Father. It is so comforting to know and really believe that worrying is overrated because God is in Control. 


Now, our Lord has blessed us with the opportunity to have our own place again. We are moving into an apartment this Saturday. It is in the perfect location for our jobs and also the perfect lease. We truly believe that God's hand was in this situation all along. Praise God! Who better to have their way in our lives then our very own Creator. 


I have also been hired with Boys and Girls Town of Missouri at their Ozark Family Resource Center. I will be working with abused and neglected children from birth to 18 in the Family Resource Center where they live for the time being. I am excited to have a challenging but rewarding job. These are the jobs I strive for. Here is the site if you want to take a look:
http://www.bgtm.org/aboutus/springfieldcampus.htm

Kevin continues with his job at Classy Llama Studios and is enjoying it thoroughly. He works with such a great group of guys who really encourage and challenge Kevin in his work and also spiritually. 


 Well, I pray that as you all meditate on the past year that you will see the many blessings, challenges, and lessons learned, that the Lord has bestowed upon us. He is a great God! I pray that you may all find HIS Joy and Peace that passes all understanding as you enter into this New Year. 

I Gots Intelligence

"Your attitude should be the same Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not demand and cling to his rights as God. He made himself nothing; he took the humble position of a slave and appeared in human form. And in human form he obediently humbled himself even further by dying a criminal's death on a cross.” -Philippians 2:5-8 (NLT)

The Challenge: Can you give up the personal “rights” you have given yourself in order to serve others first?

We all have this secret list of personal rights, or liberties, which we've given ourselves. For me, I feel like I have earned the right to be known for having a slightly-above-normal level of intelligence. You know it's a sensitive liberty when you get angry at someone attempting to take it from you. I can vividly recount times when I have gotten so angry at someone who implies in some way that I don't know what I'm doing. It's pride – one of my sensitive liberties is a selfish pride in my “intelligence”.

Can you think of any sensitive liberties you have in your life? You can usually tell it's a sensitive liberty by the way you react when someone tries to take it from you. Chances are, you're also thinking of yourself first, before you think about others.

Oh, we all have our sensitive liberties – but should we grip them as tight as we do? No. Look at Christ – God incarnate. He had all the rights in the universe, but did he demand those rights from others? Not while he was on Earth. Read this again:

“Your attitude should be the same Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not demand and cling to his rights as God. He made himself nothing; he took took the humble position of a slave and appeared in human form. And in human form he obediently humbled himself even further by dying a criminal's death on a cross.”

I'll let God's Word do its work.