Truth-telling

Athletics provide us with many opportunities for lessons... lessons that we all need to learn and re-learn.

Dez Bryant, the Oklahoma State wide receiver is known as one of the best college football players in the nation. He is a 1st team All- America, and has been a vital player in the resurgence of Oklahoma State football. He has a great personality ( at least from a distance), has stayed eligible in school, has been a good teammate, and in general had a great career.

This summer, it is alleged that he spent time with Deion Sanders and some associates, who at least on the surface seem to be connected to professional agents.(Maybe they were, but maybe they weren't) Apparently someone caught wind of this, and eventually the NCAA began to ask some questions.

In interviews with the NCAA, Bryant was "less than forthcoming." That means "He lied." He did not tell the truth about those encounters with Sanders and friends, because he "thought they might be violations of NCAA rules." So he did not tell the truth.

When it all came to light, what he did was not a violation. It was okay for him to eat dinner with Sanders and even take a jog with him. But the fact that he lied is a serious violation.

I have listened to lots of people who have said, "What is the big deal? He was scared? He thought that what he did was wrong, so he did not tell the truth."

The problem is that this is epidemic in our society. In the last month two promiment Head Coaches and some of their staff in Tulsa High School football have been suspended because they were "less than forthcoming with the information they were asked for." They lied. In the course of things, they did not seem like big deals either. But superintendents were forced to go before the media and announce suspensions, forfeits and other penalties, because according to the investigations , their guys did not tell the truth.

Here is the deal... If people of any walk of life are allowed to lie their way out of trouble, it tears are the fabric of who we are as a culture and people. If we can not trust High School coaches, who lead teams of 100 football players, we have a problem. If coaches can cheat, and then lie about it, or just not tell anyone the total truth (what's the difference?) then we have a problem.

Of course, ( and I hate to bring up the past), but in the middle 90's we had a president who lied under oath about his relationship with an intern, and it got him impeached. Should we be surprised that we hear more and more of this today?

Lying will get you arrested and thrown in jail (ask Martha Stewart). Lying will get you fired. Lying will destroy the trust of those you are closest to.. Lying wrecks your life.

I think God has a better idea...one that we should pay attention too.

"He who concelas his sins does not prosper, but who ever confesses and renounces them finds mercy. " Proverbs 28:13

Dez Bryant apparently broke no other rule than the one that says, "Thou Shalt not lie.." After he was caught, he came clean about it...but it has cost him, and his university. I don't like the punishment that the NCAA gave him. I think it is heavy-handed and inappropriate. ( We can debate this...but a one year suspension seems like a bit much here). But it does send a message... maybe a message that others have not been willing to send. If you lie, you will not prosper. You will not get away with it.

Tell the truth all the time.... It just is better that way.

One other verse from Proverbs 28:14- " Blessed is the man who always fears the lord, but he who hardens his heart falls into trouble."

I fear that we have hardened our heart toward "truth-telling". But as I heard all the time growing up..."Honesty is the best policy."

Right Place, Right Time, Right Person

Matt Thomason and I have been in Southern California for the last 4 days. We have seen lots of really neat things. Lots of church things, and lots of beautiful scenery. And of course we have met some amazing people... The Kingdom of God is incredible that way... lots of people who do not know you, but are willing to share and help you, all because of a higher calling to the Kingdom of God.

The highlight of the trip for me came this afternoon. We have been studying what churches are doing to grow, and looking at some different models. One of the models we are very interested in, but we have struggled with one question. Over and over, we have tried to figure out the answer to a question and it seemed like there was no good answer. The solutions we were coming up with were just not right.

So after our lunch meeting, we headed north to see Cindy Minich ( former FCC member and a good friend). We found her place and follow a good visit, we headed out to Saddleback Church. But along the way, God reminded me of Crossroads Christian Church in Corona. We were going to drive through there, so we got off the busy freeway ( freeways are always busy out here.) We found the church and decided to look around. We found the worship center, which seats 3100 people. As we looked around, God put one person in our path who was a video editor for the technology team. He was very friendly and we got to talking.

In the course of the conversation, he told us of a process they work on, which was the answer to the question that we had. As he talked , we realized that this guy was giving us the answer, even though we had not asked the question. It was amzing. We walked out of there 5 minutes later, just blown away about how God had put us at the right place, at the right time to talk to the right person.

It reminds me of Proverbs 16:9. "In his heart, man plans his course, but God determines his steps" I love seeing God do that, and I am glad that we were "smart enough" to listen to his direction.

I think there is a place for good planning...but ultimately if we are committed to listening to God every step of the way, we will always end up in the right place at the right time, even to talk to the right people.

It's a great way to live.

Keep your eyes on God

This morning I was reading from 2 Chronicles 20. The enemies of God were gathered against Jehoshaphat and the people of God. The report had come to Jehoshaphat that there was this vast army that had already gathered in stratetic positions to attack.

"Alarmed, Jehoshaphat resolved to inquire of the Lord, and the proclaimed as fast for all Judah. the people of Judah came toghetehr to seek help from the Loed, indeed , they came from every town in Judah to seek him." 2 Chronicles 20:3-4

So the people come and Jephoshaphat prays . (20:6-12) It is a passionate plea for help. His ending line in the prayer caught my attention.

" We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you." 2 Chronicles 20:12

Have you been there? I have. I usually get the first part right... "I do not know what to do..." But the second part.... not so much. I usually say, "I do not know what to do, but I am going to do something... and I hope you bless it."

Jehoshaphat had the right plan... "We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you." We will wait to hear from you. We will do what you tell us to do. We have no other option but to do this.

Of course God answered... told Jehoshaphat that he really had nothing to worry about. God had it under control. God could see the future and He had a plan.

If you read the rest of the chapter, you see how God worked in a miraculous way.

I think alot of this came about because Jephoshaphat just keep his eyes on God. He was bold in his prayers, but patient in his actions. He waited to hear from God, and then let God unfold his plan.

Both in my life and as a church leader I could learn alot from Jehoshaphat. There are alot of unanswered questions about the future. But If I ( and our church ) keeps our eyes on the Lord, He will reveal the plan step by step. It will take GREAT FAITH. It will take OBEDIENCE. It will take PERSEVERANCE. It will take alot of HARD WORK.

But in the end, I (and we as a church) will celebrate. We will praise God for we have seen that 2 Chronicles 20:21 is true.

" Give thanks to the Lord, for his love endures forever."

No matter what you face in your life, keep your eyes on God... listen for his counsel, obey and then watch Him work. That is what makes life and the future so exciting.

WHY?

WHY? That was the question. It came from a person who knew that Matt and I had been to Chicago a couple weeks ago to talk with some church leaders about some new ways of doing things.

I got to thinking about that question. Why? It's a fair question in most contexts. And certainly, when I am using church money and time, I should be able to answer the question.

But I think part of what bothered me was the blank look on the person's face. I just felt like this person was saying, "Why do we need to think about doing new things? Why do you need to go somewhere else to talk to other people who are doing new things? Why? "

It took my back to a statement I started the year with.

"WHEN YOUR MEMORIES EXCEED YOUR DREAMS, THE END IS NEAR."

I love that statement. ( I got it from Andy Stanley at Catalyst last year.) What are you dreaming about... or are you just living with your memories?

I have been doing alot of dreaming. I want to dream God-sized dreams that can only be accomplished with God-given power, Spirit-led faith and "whopper" sized committment.

We are on the verge of announcing some of those dreams on Nov. 1st. They are not my dreams... but they are dreams that God has laid on many of our leader's hearts, as we set out to "help others know, love, serve and share Him."

I have never been more excited by our future, and in a sense more overwhelmed by these dreams. But the truth is that God's plans for me, for us always involve faith , committment, big giant steps, and just a little bit of fear and trepidation. Those things keep me grounded... that it is about God and His plan.

Why? That quesiton can be answered by an old worn out saying... "Because if you keep on doing what you've always done, you will get what you have always gotten." ( my paraphrase)

It's a new day. God wants to do new things in us and through us. I am excited..

Be there on Nov. 1st.

Charlie

Titles and naming babies

She announces that they are expecting a baby....7 1/2 months from now. Could she and her husband be any more excited? The anticipation of the new life coming into their home is very real. There is a healthy reality to the situation as well. Are we ready? Can we really afford this new mouth to feed for the next 18 years? Will everything turn out right? And the big one....

WHAT ARE GOING TO NAME THIS BOY OR GIRL?

I have been thinking about this..... ( no, no big announcement here from Pam and me!) But naming a baby is a huge deal. Some people stick with family names. Some people stick with Biblical names. Some people pick the names of movie stars, athletic hero's , or politicians. Some names are a combo deal. They combine the names of two grandparents to come up with some sort of interesting name... you know how it goes. There are alot of oddball names out there. You try to be nice....but when they tell you the name they have picked out for their child, there are times you want to say, "What were you smoking when you picked that name out?" ( I never say that.. I just smile and say, "What an interesting name!)


Rick Rusaw once said, "Preaching is like giving birth on Sunday and then waking up on Monday to find out you are pregnant again."

I feel that way sometimes... but it is a good feeling most of the time. Except for the titles. (naming the sermon , so to speak.)

I am working on preaching themes for 2010. I have a over-reaching main idea. I have known where God has wanted to take me in the preaching for the last several months. Lots of thinking, reading, prayer, and talking with people... that's not hard.

Now it is down to where the rubber meets the road. The title. The hardest part of this piece of the planning is series titles and sermon titles. I have been knocking a big chunk of the plan out for the last few weeks...and it is always the titles that get me.

I know what some of you are thinking... "Charlie, it's not the titles that count, its the content." I know that... Don't tell me that... I am with you. But....

I want to be witty... I want those titles to be catchy. I want the title to explode off the bulletin ! I want them to draw people in, snag them , and then lower the boom on them in the message. Hit them right between the eyes (figuratively of course) with the title AND the content.

The problem is that I am not that witty or catchy. I am not a fisherman... and I have a lousy right cross. So this is a big struggle for me.

I look for ideas...anywhere... Other preachers, magazines, movies, quotes... anything to stir some imagination and creativity.

Then I think about others. Does the President of the United States have to title his State of the Union address each year? Nope. It is just the 2009 State of the Union Address Did Knute Rockne title his pregame speech and the Fighting Irish go ready to go out and do battle? I don't know, but most of the time I think they are called, "The pregame talk." How about Jesus? I don't read about him getting ready to go down to the Sea of Galilee thinking in his mind, "Let's see, what am I going to call this talk??? How about "The Sermon on the Mount?" Yeah, that's catchy, witty and creative.

I think about people who write books... and then I read somewhere that the publisher usually title the books... lucky dogs...

So I am left with mom's-to-be and preachers... And guess what? When we settle on a title ( or a name), it is a big accomplishment. It's a break through. A good title means alot. A good name means even more. You can't really delegate naming a baby to some stranger can you? Same with a sermon... A title is your first shot into the minds of hearers and readers. It opens the door to the heart.

And it is a struggle at times.

Naming kids can be a struggle too... Have you ever known a kid that needs to wait to have himself named. It is a stab in the dark isn't it? How do you know that he is going to grow up true to his name? I propose that we wait until all kids are 21 , before they get their name. Hmnnnn.... that won't work.

Well, I can wait till the sermon is done to title it, can't I? ( insert the word, "YES"). So I LABOR ( pun intended) away... Titles are coming... I know they are....

Sermon writing is alot like giving birth. Sometimes they just come fast and furious. Sometimes they take alot of pushing. Sometimes they come in multiples. Sometimes they come in the most surprising places.

But every time, it looks easy if you are not the one carrying the baby ( or writing the sermon). Those of us who are husbands think ( to ourselves if we are smart), "Hey I could do that." I suspect that some people in the pews think the same about the sermon.

You may think it, but a word of advice... DO NOT SAY IT (to either of us.)

One last thing about sermons and having babies... It sure feels good when you get them out...

Now, I have to title this blog...Ugh!

"Me thinks I am old"

This comes from a blog by David Landrith. It hit home.

This is the mindset of the freshman coming into college ( from Beloit College)

-They don’t remember when “cut and paste” involved scissors.
-Heart-lung transplants have always been possible.
-Wayne Gretzky never played for Edmonton.
-Pay-Per-View television has always been an option.
-Al-Qaida has always existed with Osama bin Laden at its head.
-“Whatever” is not a part of a question but an expression of sullen rebuke.
-Voicemail has always been available.
-The federal budget has always been more than a trillion dollars.
-Bill Gates has always been worth at least a billion dollars.
-The Starship Enterprise has always looked dated.
-They have grown up in a single superpower world.
-They never saw the shuttle Challenger fly.
-They never saw Pat Sajak or Arsenio Hall host a late night television show.
-Digital cameras have always existed.
-Tom Landry never coached the Cowboys.
-Jimmy Carter has always been an elder statesman.

Wow, I am old...

One Month to Live..

The series, "One Month To Live" has been an earthquake for our church. Alot of things have come together to make it a high impact series.

* For sure, this is a God thing. He is moving. People feel some permission to ask some hard questions. They are thinking beyond the sermon time . They are taking it home, talking with friends and family. The challenge - "If you were given 30 days to to live, what would you change?" is powerful. God takes these kinds of thoughts and uses them.

* Our Worship Teams have done a great job of connecting all aspects of the service. Tim and his teams do more than just sing 4 or 5 songs on Sunday. He has other people that helped with the lighting, the staging, the sound, and the "marketing" of the topic within our building. People drive on to the property and they are confronted with topics. The "yard signs" are preparing people as they come in...

* The mood around this topic is upbeat and positive. This could be a sad , even dark series. But we have approached it with a very positive attitude. This is about living, not dying. People respond to that.

* The stories that are coming to me are amazing. What a joy to see and hear people talk about God and life in such revealing ways.

* The fall is usually really strong attendance wise. But this fall has been the best ever. Why? I think it is a convergence of many factors, not the least of which is that people are inviting friends. (hmmmmm..... Know, love , serve and SHARE...)


I am so looking forward to next week and seeing what God does when it comes to "Learning Humbly."

Wow!!!!

Birthdays... they come around once a year. This year's birthday was great fun. The Facebook friends came through big. Lots of greetings and good wishes. I was in meeting all day, but they were invigorating, encouraging, and hopeful.

Ate Lunch with James, Dinner with Pam, both of which were nice.

then tonight had another meeting. Cant say alot about it right now,but God is up to something in our church. I can feel it. and so can others. There are some amazing opportunities for us to reach people for Christ...some of which are beyond our imagination.

I have a feeling that the only thing that will hold us back is how big our vision ends up being. I don't want to be the limitation to accomplish the vision God has for FCC , our community and even the world.

So pray for our, our leadership teams, Mike, matt and myself. We all want to be led by God in all of these things.

One Month To Live is off and running. The responses have been amazing... Look for some more in the coming days.

TURN

Yesterday one of young moms was diagnosed with cancer. Pretty devestating to her, her husband, and kids.

What do you do when you find that out? You TURN....

TURN TO GOD. God cares...and God is there. He does not promise that we will not have valleys...but he does promise to walk through those valleys with us.

TURN TO FAMILY... I know they huddled together. They also have leaned on family

TURN TO YOUR SMALL GROUP. 24 hrs after the news... They were gathered in our church with thier small group, praying, crying, hugging, laughing and saying in every way possible, "We will go through this together."

Do you want to know why we are pushing groups and classes? Do you want to know why it is such big deal that you engage with a smaller group of people. Do you want to know why a class, a group or a ministry group is so important? Do you want to know why it is so important that you go beyond the 500-600 people in your service on Sunday???

Because you get cancer. Because your mom dies. Because your children rebel. Because your house burns down. Because you lose your job. Because you have a baby. Because you wonder if anyone cares. Because you need reassurance. Because you need to give hope, give love, and give reassurance. Because you need someone to share good news with...someone to laugh with...someone to share life with.

Because you need to give grace and receive grace. The best way to do that is to be a part of a group.

This couple did that. It has changed their lives. They have been part of helping change the lives of others... and now, they will go through another life changing experience.

Something tells me that this will turn out well. They have a great God, good family and a super small group.

Prayer for Tonya and David, Dalton and Andrea...

FCC ELDERS

When I was a young kid, we lived in a mobile home that made noises at night. Occassionally, it would get windy and when it got windy the trailer would shake. I would lie in the dark thinking, "I hope that is just the wind." It always was the wind. But in the back of my mind I would comfort myself by remembering that my dad was in the house and if anything bad were to happen , he would take care of it. But I was always glad it was the wind.

This morning I asked all of our current Elders, the Elders from the past year and two new Elders to come on the stage. It is our custom to "ordain" new elders with prayer. We have moved this to the morning services, in part because we want to involve as much of the church family as possible. God told Moses to lay his hand on Joshua in front of the whole assembly...as a sign of his blessing and committment to Joshua's new leadership.

It occured to me that while these Elders are my friends, my leaders, as well as leaders for thier families and church, they also provide a certain measure of "comfort" because they are our protectors, overseers, and shepherds.

Things seem to happen pretty fast around FCC. We are growing and reaching people like never before. It seems like there are times I want to say, "Stop the craziness." But then I remember that God is in this... and that the efforts to reach out and connect people to God and in relationship with each other is what God called us to do. I love it!

Then I remember, when I want to jump off... that we have Elders in the house. They slow me down, prod me, love me, encourage me, support, sometimes warn me, other times they say yes and no. They teach , they lead groups, they help the other staff members, they pray for me, staff and church members all the time.

They are there. They find strength in our past, find power in the present, and share in our very hopeful future. They rely on the truth of scripture, the person of Christ, the personal ministry of the Holy Spirit, and the power of prayer.

There are there... even when it get's a little windy....

Thanks guys!

One of your best leadership moves....

"If you live each day as if it were your last, someday you will be right." Steve Jobs, 2005 Commencement speech at Stanford. He's right.

This week, we addressed a subject that no one wants to talk about. In Numbers 27, Moses and God talk "transitions." That is always a hard talk to have, especially when you are a leader. God started it by reminding Moses that he would not be leading the people into the Promised Land. Moses said, "Appoint a man... so that the people will not be like a sheep without a shepherd." This is a statement that reveals Moses' character. He was not bitter or angry about the fact that he did not get to go in the promise land. He was thinking about the people he led. They needed a leader. God knew that and immediately he said, "Take Joshua."

No matter who you lead, there are questions that need to be asked and answered.

1. Do you have a plan for when you are not here? Probably need to talk about it with your spouse, children, business associates. Even at church, there needs to be regular discussion about the next generation of leadership on all levels.

2. Are you mentoring others to carry on into the future with your values? Fathers... have you passed on the important values to your children? In a marriage, if one of you does all the financial stuff, does the other one know enough to carry on if you are not here one day? Simple things like when you pay bills, passwords and usernames for online accounts.... a will goes along way toward helping people left behind in transitions. If you lead in a church ministry, who will come up behind you? After all, life goes on, and so does the ministry of God

There are many more questions. They do not all need to be answered today, but they will be answered...hopefully by you as you exercise leadership

After all, the people you lead (in any walk of life) should not be left like "sheep without a shepherd."

Gracie in the house

We are starting an adventuresome week with Gracie in the house. Lizzie, Nathaniel, Lydia and James are on thier way to Florida.

So far??? Well it has only been 7 hours. A few thoughts.

She is a doll ( I am not biased)

She is so happy,

Pam and I are older than the first time around

We will have lots of fun with her.

What I need

Here is a prayer you won't hear on prosperity TV shows...

" Two things I ask of you, O Lord, do not refuse me before I die; keep faslehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, "Who is the Lord?" Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of the Lord." Proverbs 30:7-9

What a novel idea...praying for only what you need.... Let's see....Jesus said, "Give us this day our daily bread..."

That sounds so revolutionary.... and so simple.

A visit from Gracie

BIG NEWS!!!! Two days till Gracie comes to stay a week with us...

Wow...what will it be like to have a 1 year old in our house for 8 days?

I think we will be tired...

I am glad it is possible for Gracie.

Pam is Gracie-proofing everything what. We will see what we forgot.

Fun times

Church was awesome!

Church today was awesome! I am not a objective observer... I liked the sermon... alot. But then again I have really liked all of the Moses sermons this summer. I feel like I have really gotten to know the guy.

What makes a church service awesome?

Worship that draws passion for God out of people. ( Not talking volume, pace or anything like that.) I sensed passion in both services...

Stories of God working. The guy who told me that God has changed his life over the past two weeks. He had no idea that God could use him like he did. Or the guy who was just overwhelmed by the help a small group and the church gave him his family after their house burned down. There were tears of appreciation.

Having some trouble getting through the Gathering area after church. Why? People were hanging around, talking, laughing and connecting. Gotta love that .

Talking to some people in 101. Some great stories of how God is leading new people to the church. Lots of new people checking things out.

Seeing a Dad baptize his son into Christ... and seeing Jacob's face as he came out the water. Something happend there... too cool.

Joy... even from a lady who is fighting cancer, a husband who is dealing with severe marriage threats, parents of new babies.

Looking at small groups meeting in gathering area... praying, laughing, open bibles on the table... all the main ingredients of a great small group and class ministry.

Meeting a couple who reasearched communities in Oklahoma and decided that Owasso was their choice. they moved here from Orlando Fl. ... they love it.... they think they might have found a church.

Messages which hit us where we live. We all need a good dose of the truth, "God is God and I am not."

Walking out of the building exhausted, but exhilliarated at the same time.

Working with a great staff... we are back in town and it feels good!

Peace, strength and hope

Tonight, I slipped away for a while and visited a dear lady who wasn't feeling well. She's been a part of our church for a long time. But in the last year, her days have been complicated by a succession of health problems. It's not been easy for her.

She wasn't entirely coherant...but when I told her that I wanted to pray with her and her daughter...she perked up. So we prayed for peace, for strength and for hope in the coming days.

Peace, strength and hope. I have another friend that I pray for those same things each day. He is young. He is a Iraqi War veteran. He's been injured and hurt...seen things that most will never see. He has lots of tough days. I pray each day that he will have peace, strength and hope. I pray the same prayer for his sweet wife. She is by his side and is the picture of what marriage is all about to me. I used to teach her things as her youth minister. Now she teaches me... about Peace, strength and hope.

Peace, strength and hope. I pray that prayer for a young couple in our church. They lost a child a year ago or so. She is in her third tri-mester... things are going well... excitement is building. I see it in both of them. But I still lift up prayers for peace, strength and hope for them

Peace , strength and hope... this past Sunday in 2nd service, I just asked anyone who needed prayer to stand up. No explanations, no microphones... just an act of faith by standing. I was surprised by how many stood... and who stood... I prayed for peace, and strength and hope for them. It was a cool moment...and I felt there was an extra dose of Peace, strength and hope brought from heaven that day.

Might be a good prayer for someone you know...

28,000 days?????

Day by day, moment by moment, we live life thinking that we will have "another one." Its an an assumption that we all make . After all , if we live an average life , we will live 28,105 days. ( 365x77).

But the Bible says "What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes." ( James 4:14). "Each mans life is but a breath." ( Psalm 39:5).

10 days ago the father of one of our members died in an traffic accident caused by a heart attack. It was totally unexpected. Then , on the day of the funeral an aunt died of a blood clot that struck her heart. Totally unexpected. It has been a blurry two weeks for them...first one funeral, then travel, and another funeral.

Last night our Children's Minister's ( Aaron Rathbone) father had a heart attack and died. Just like that. He was 63. ( By my calculations, if he lived an average life span he still would have had 6000 days left.) Mike Rathbone was a faithful minister of the Lord's church. He was a good father, good husband, an encourager of other people. He was the guy that was at the hospital when other people died, some earlier than expected, some not. He was the guy that comforted people in funerals, told people in hospitals that God would be with them before the surgery. He was the guy who spoke of the love of God, the neccesity of faith in Jesus Christ and the hope of eternal life.

He never would get to have his name in lights... never get alot of accolades. But he was a shepherd. He was a teacher. He was a kind man. No pretense about him at all. He was a man who was faithful unto death. And last night, He went home to his reward. Heaven.

I often find myself saying about someone who is a believer and has died, "Good for them, bad for us." I know that Aaron and his siblings were not ready for this. It was totally unexpected. But it turned out to be "the day." Thier comfort comes in knowing that He is with Jesus.

Aaron and his family will press on... because it is what Mike would have done. As hard as it is, they still have some days to live... full days... many happy days.... and some days filled with sorrow. Some days will be really hard, other days ...not so much. Mike will be missed by his wife, his children and his grandchildren and the church he served.

No one knows if they get the full allotment of days ( 28,000 plus). Some get more... one lady in oklahoma just celebrated her 109th birthday ( that is nearly 40,000 days). Some don't get to the average. Thier lives are in a sense cut short.

So the Psalmist says, "Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom." Psalm 90:12

No matter what tomorrow brings or doesn't bring, what is most important is whether or not you and I are ready to meet the Lord. Are you ready to face judgement? Am I ready? Yeah, I am . I am confident Mike was too. How do I know? We share a common bond... Jesus. He makes the way to God possible through His blood and sacrifice on the Cross.

For that I am thankful.

Your prayers for Aaron and his family are appreciated...

Charlie

Routine

Its late on Sunday night... I am up alone... Pam has gone to bed, but I felt poorly... I think it was becuase I did not get a good amount of rest all week..and especially today. I have a routine that basically means getting up early on Sunday, go preach, come home and rest for 30 minutes, go back and preach, then do lunch, take a 2 -3 hour nap and then get up, do some things. maybe go to evening church...or just lay low.

Today, I did not get the long nap...and progressively I felt worse. I went to bed, but laid their with this sick feeling in my head... I HATE feeling that way. It just shuts me down. I cant really explain it...I know it happened because I did not rest like I should... After 3 years, you would think I would have figured this out...its not going to get better...

So I need to stick to the routine. I am hoping I can settle into some sleep soon...

Losers who Win

I am convinced that we learn more from our losses than we do our wins. We celebrate wins. We learn from losses.

If you are into athletics, that is no surprise. How many times did you hear a coach say, " We need to learn from this loss?"

The Bible is full of examples of men and women who lost. That is one thing that I love about the Bible. It is full of losers who learned. It is full of people who tried, failed and then tried again. Sometimes they broke through and had a win. Sometimes they did not.

It seems to me that we don't try things unless we have a reasonable shot at winning. Yet, if all we do is win, it could mean that we are not stretching, not challenging others, and not neccesarily following Christ. He was a risk taker. The Apostles were risk takers. Sometimes they won, sometimes they did not. But there was one thing that was true about them... they tried things.

I think that is called faith... no matter if you win or lose.

Take a risk today. Stretch your faith. Win or lose, you will be better for it.

WHAT IF....

I try not to rant in this blog....but I am going to rant.... I am not sorry for what I am about to say.

In the past two weeks, we have watched the media and society in general take what was the death of a pop music superstar turn into a circus. I have heard that MJ's ( not the basketball player) memorial will be unlike any the WORLD has ever seen. Now alot of that is hype. There is no doubt. It is about ratings and it is about $.

Representative Peter King of New York is being smashed by the same media because he said that the media coverage of Michael Jackson's death and memorial is an "orgy of glorification." He has called for America ( and especially the media ) to honor our American troops who are sacrificing thier lives for our freedom. That is not a 4th of July message... that is everyday! King will be villified by most media outlets as insensitive, cruel and abusive in his portrayal of Jackson.

Well, that is one situation. The other is almost as disturbing. Somehwere in the south, there is a woman and 4 kids who are grieving the death of their NFL Superstar husband and dad. I said HUSBAND AND DAD and apparently BOYFRIEND to a girl 16 years his younger, whom police say was laying at his feet, with one gun shot in her head. No disputes thier death. And apparently, no one disputes their relationship.

So, read the media outlets.... Steve McNair was a pillar of the community, known for his charity work in Nashville. He was considered a mentor for NFL athletes. He has been called in the last couple days, " One of the classiest guys in Nashville." There is some concession that there was a different side to McNair that none of us knew...but that should not skew our view of what a classy guy this was and how this "episode" should not taint his legacy whatsover.

GIVE ME A BREAK!!! WOW!!!

Well, I got to tell you.... WE LIVE IN AN UPSIDE DOWN WORLD. That is not my idea. There are songs written about how messed up our world is... There are books about it. And there is one book that tells us that from the beginning of time, man ( and woman) did not get it right. It is a book that tells a story of how messeed we all are, and yet how there is a GOD OF TRUTH who LOVES people and wants to guide them into RIGHT SIDE UP living.

But before that can happen, we all have to be able to confront the TRUTH about ourselves, our athletes, musicians, politicians. The fact is that the TRUTH will come out here, or at judgment.

I am in the middle of a series on Moses from Exodus and Numbers. Great guy, certainly not perfect. ( In the Bible, we learn that outside of Jesus, we all have a bumpy past.) He blew it several times. But somehow, after 120 years, the Bible says, "His eyesight was clear and he was as strong as ever." His legacy was strong at the end. Numbers 11 tells us that "Moses was the most humble man on the face of the earth."

It occurs to me as millions line up for a glimpse at the Staples center in LA tomorrow , and as people gather in a football stadium in Nashville, that maybe just a few minutes everyday, looking at the life of a guy like Moses might give us a better clue as to how to live in an upside down world.

He will never get the attention that Michael Jackson got ( in life and death), or that Steve McNair go ( in Life or Death), but this week in my heart, and in person, I will honor the life of a good man named Don Klahr. Don loved his church. He loved the Lord. He loved His wife of 30 years, Dickey. He loved his children. He loved me. He fought health problems for the last year, but when I saw him, he told me that he was ready...and he knew it was in God's hands. He was just a good guy who had his prorities in order and who lived and died the way God would want for us. He's the kind of guy that churches are built on... faith, strength, honor, and love.

For me, I will honor Don Klahr... and others that come to mind who did not need to be on Enterntainment tonight, or be the lead story on Sportscenter. All Don and many others that I know did was "Love God with all his heart, mind , soul and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself. ( Mt. 22).

Give me 1000 Don Klahrs... I won't waste my time with Pop Superstars and NFL stars. They get enough applause and accolades at their concerts and ballgames...

Let's spread it around alittle bit. Do you know someone who is a Don Klahr kind of guy? Go tell him.... let him know that hes the real hero ...a hero in the right way. He probably will dismiss or deny it, but the truth is that guys like Don... they deserve a little slap on the back. Don would tell you , "God deserves the slap on the back. He changed me."

End of Rant... The Gospel group TRUTH had a song 20 plus years ago that was quite popular. It is entitled "Living life upside down." It tells a story of exactly where we are today.

John has a new way of looking at life
He’s tired of his job, his kids and his wife
He says the secret to his successWas in leaving and finding himself
Now he’s someone to somebody else.
And you say we’ve risen to a new age of truthY
ou’re calling it a spiritual Godly pursuit
But I say, I say,

(chorus)What if we’ve fallen to the bottom of a well
Thinking we’ve risen to the top of a mountain
What if we’re knocking at the gates of hell
Thinking we’re heaven bound
What if we spend our lives thinking of ourselves
When we should have been thinking of each other
What if we reach up and touch the ground
To find we’re living life upside down.

We’ve got a program for saving the earth
While unborn children are denied their right to birth
One baby’s blessed, another cursed
Have we made this world better or worse
Now that the life of a tree comes first.

You say we’ve risen to a new age of light
You’re telling me what used to be wrong is now right

But I say, I say,
What if we’re living,
what if we’re living,
What if we’re living life upside down.

WHAT IF....