Troubles And Difficulties Can Lead To Growth

“…Every hard thing we endure can put us in touch with our desire for God, and every trial can strengthen that desire until it becomes the consuming passion of our life.” [Crabb] Why do I keep encountering these thoughts regarding the importance and value of difficulties and trials? “…When troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy.” James1:2  This is where growth occurs, isn’t it?

Okay, Here's A Pretty Good Way To Do Valentine's Day

If you’re looking for a way to surprise your wife on Valentine’s Day, consider what my friend Paul did.  Paul has been working through a book called “The Love Dare”.  In addition to being a book, the Love Dare is a 40 day process of demonstrating love and commitment to a spouse.  It was introduced in the movie, Fireproof,

At the end of the 40 day challenge, one of the final steps involved in The Love Dare is to restate, reaffirm and renew your commitment to your marriage by renewing your marriage vows.

Yesterday, Paul said to me, “Dan, I didn’t actually plan it this way, but I’m finishing up the 40 days of The Love Dare, tomorrow, Valentine’s Day.”  Paul continued, “Susan doesn’t know I want to do this, but could we surprise her and have a marriage vow renewal ceremony after church on Sunday?”

I said, “Yes, that would be neat, it sounds like a great idea!”

So, today, after the 11 o’clock service was over, a bunch of folks were standing around in the lobby at church talking and having coffee and waking up after my sermon.  (I don’t mind the sleeping, but is it really necessary for people to bring pillows to the service?  That just seems rude.)  And, as Paul and I had arranged it, I said to Susan, “Hey, Susan could I talk to you for a moment?”

Susan said, “Yes, sure Dan.”

I walked with Susan into the sanctuary, “I know you were talking with someone there and I apologize for interrupting,” I said.

“It’s not a problem,” replied Susan.

When we got to the platform at the front of the sanctuary, I told Susan, “Could you just stand there, for a moment.”  And I went several paces to my right to grab a folder which had my Vow Renewal notes.

Susan was puzzled by all this, but as soon as she saw me pick up the folder she said, “What’s going on here?  Is this something Paul is up to?”

At that point, as we had planned, Paul and their two children, Paul and Olivia came walking into the sanctuary and other people from church came walking in, as well.

Susan said, “What is this?!?”

As people came in and sat down Paul and Susan stood at the front of the sanctuary with me and I explained to everyone that Paul was completing the steps that are presented in “The Love Dare”.  I asked Susan if she noticed that Paul had been more wonderful than usual lately.

She said, “Well, I noticed that he was a little strange a few times.”  And everyone laughed.

We launched into a brief marriage vow renewal ceremony in which Paul and Susan restated their vows of love and trust and commitment and fidelity to each other.  There was some minor tension as we all waited to see if Susan was actually going to say the vows, since she had not agreed to this whole process beforehand.

But she did.  And we were all happy about that….especially Paul.

We concluded the brief ceremony with the traditional…”You may kiss the bride.”  And as Paul and Susan kissed everyone CHEERED!!!

That was a pretty nice way to do Valentine’s day, don’t you think?

Authenticity Is Revealed Through Humility and Grace

When people who are not Christians observe followers of Christ, one of the main things they’re looking for is AUTHENTICITY. They want to know: “Is it possible this ‘Jesus’ thing is real?” How is authentic Christianity revealed to others? Two of the most significant factors are true HUMILITY and GRACE.

The Question: Can I Do 100 Push-Ups?

“I go off on tangents,” I told my friend, Paul.

Frankly, he didn’t know where I was going with this comment, yet, so he just looked at me, waiting for me to continue.

“I had this idea a few days ago and I’m not sure if it’s a good idea or if it’s just another silly ‘Dan tangent.’”

Paul kept looking at me with no expression on his face, really.  He was waiting to hear what I was up to, this time.

I said, “I used to be pretty good at doing push-ups, a long time ago, and I was wondering if it would be possible for me, at age 51, to work up to doing 100 push-ups, non-stop.”

Now, Paul’s eyes let up.  Paul is a physical trainer and he is tremendously physically fit.  Paul is in the kind of shape that most people only dream of when they’re watching those commercials that sell the latest exercise equipment.  And this is the kind of thing he loves to hear.

“Is having a goal of doing 100 push-ups a good idea?” I asked.

“That’s a great goal,” said Paul.  He was smiling now.  And I think I could see the wheels beginning to turn in his mind.

“I can do about 20 push-ups with good form, right now,” I told Paul.  “What’s a reasonable amount of time for me, at my age, to be able to work up to doing 100 push-ups, non-stop?”

“For you, it’s going to take 2 to 3 years,” said Paul, soberly.  “And that’s if the whole project is accompanied by hours and hours of daily prayer and fasting, and a miraculous intervention of God’s Holy Spirit working at the cellular structure of your….”

Ha!  Just kidding.  Paul didn’t say that.  He said, “Well, you want to be careful to do this in such a way that you don’t get injured, so, I would say, 60-90 days.”

I was surprised. 

“You think, with the right training, I could actually do 100 push-ups, non-stop, in 60 to 90 days?” I asked.

Paul nodded his head and immediately began telling me what I should do for the first 2 weeks of training.

So, here I go.  I’m going to do this.  I’m going to embark on one of my tangents.  The goal:  To be able to do 100 non-stop push-ups, within the next 75 days.  Friday, April 30^th, is the target date.  That should be close to the time that Taylor is home from college.  He can wheel me around in a wheel chair if I pull something.  (Just kidding.)

Yes!!!  I’m fired up!  I’m excited, this is going to be great!

*The following was written about an hour and a half after the portion above…

When you post something on-line, there’s a point in the process where the entry has been typed and all that remains is one key stroke in order for the post to be published for all to see.  I’ve been sitting for a few moments, now, contemplating that one remaining key stroke.  Do I really want to make this public?  Really?  This is going to require lots of work.  Lots and lots of push-ups.  (And other exercises, too, according to Paul.)

What if I go through all this and when I reach the deadline, I can’t do the 100 push-ups…and everyone knows about it?  Hey, that’s a lot of push-ups.  It’s not easy, try it some time.  If I make this public and then can’t do it, that will be embarrassing.  People will point at me and call me a “girlie-man”…the whole time I’m delivering my sermons.

I could still delete this story, right now, and retreat back to safety.  I could call Paul and tell him I changed my mind.  I could explain that I had too much sugar again this morning, and I was on a mild insulin rush.  I could hold my back and talk about discs being out of alignment…or something like that.

Or, I could hit this one key—this key that’s staring at me, right now, mocking me—and force myself into this project. 

Do I really want to do this?

Do I really want to put this pressure on myself?

Should I have ever even mentioned this scheme to Paul Romano?  (Those of you who know Paul know that I may have permanently sealed my fate by bringing this idea to his attention.)

Well, if you’re reading this post, it’s obvious what I’ve chosen to do.  Wish me luck, there are lots of push-ups in my future.

“Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name…”  Hey, a little prayer can’t hurt, right?  “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done…”

"Wisdom" Can See Certain Things Coming

“But there’s another kind of wisdom, too—the ability to predict the consequences of certain actions.” [Alford]  I read this recently and thought it presented an interesting perspective on wisdom. The consequences of certain actions can, occasionally, be predictable, at least in a broad and general sense, and those who can see this tend to be those who have developed a measure of wisdom.

E-Flash From Dan, 2/12/10 -- Be Very Glad For God's Grace

Dear E-Flash Friends;

I was looking through a book that I read several years ago—yep, that’s how exciting my life is—and I came across a wonderful thought.  I got so excited that I just had to share it with someone.  So, I’m sharing it with you, my E-Flash friends.  Here’s the thought:

“If grace makes sense to you, I doubt you’re close enough to really see it.  The real thing defies comprehension…but not experience….Grace is the most unreasonable thing in the world.  It’s also the most powerful.  Nothing is more effective for transforming lives, risky though it is.”

From the book, Revolution Within, by Dwight Edwards

Isn’t that good?

The grace that God extends to us is sort of hard to believe because we’ve all learned through teaching and experience that if something is “too good to be true”, then don’t believe it.  Someone’s thrown that line at you somewhere along the way, right?  And, frankly, God’s grace is definitely…too good to be true.  

As a pastor, I’ve even discovered that God’s grace can be considered offensive by some people—sometimes even Christian people.  I’m serious.  People get bothered by God’s grace because they’re afraid that it lets people off the hook, too easily.  I guess they seem to forget that this is the same grace that better “let them off the hook” too.  (Please believe this: NO ONE will hold up well standing before a Holy and Righteous God, if they get what they deserve.  Be very, very, very happy—I mean, in a personal way—be extremely happy…I’m talking “jumping-up-and-down” happy…that God’s grace is extravagant and that it’s too good to be true.  This truth is to our eternal benefit.)

The fact that God’s grace is so irrationally generous is part of why it’s so powerful.  Part of the “TRANSFORMATION of our minds” that the Bible talks about, happens as we grasp more and more fully the truth and the reality of God’s unbelievable graciousness to us, while at the same time realizing more and more fully, that we don’t deserve it. 

            1 He’s unbelievably gracious to us

            2 We honestly DO NOT deserve it  (humility)

As those two understandings increase for us, they transform our minds and CHANGE us, through the power of God’s Holy Spirit.  I urge you to take this seriously.  These two understandings, through a work of God, have transforming power.

I hope and pray that the truth of God’s grace has gripped you.  I pray that it’s changing and transforming you.  I pray that the truth of God’s grace has captured your heart in a way that’s growing and increasing your love for God.  I hope God’s grace in you and me, is resulting in our extending generous grace—Christ-like grace—to others.

Grace and Blessings to you,

Dan

*Note:  If you would like to have the E-Flash From Dan sent directly to your e-mail, send an e-mail message to...   cog111st@aol.com   and type, "Send Me The E-Flash" in the subject field.

We Are Unique, One-Of-A-Kind, Masterpieces

God created us in wonderfully unique ways. We are one-of-a-kind creations…on purpose! It is not God’s intention that His people would be carbon copies. God is the Greatest Imaginative Genius of the universe. It is His intention that we would each be original masterpieces, uniquely showcasing His glory!

Transformation With Jesus

“Jesus used the thought-provoking paradox. He said things which on the face of it sounded incredible, but which somehow haunt the mind and the heart with the lurking suspicion that after all they may be true.” [Barclay]  When we allow ourselves to really consider the truths of Jesus, we open ourselves to His radical [“radical” in a good sense] transformation of our minds.

What About The Kindle?

“So, how do you like that thing?” she queried.

A woman was asking about my Kindle.  She saw me reading it while I was sitting at my famous “office away from the office”.  She was interested in my impressions about the device.

I told her, “It’s very handy in several ways, but I still like books better.”

She smiled happily.

A Kindle is a technological device called a “reader”.  It’s about six inches wide and eight inches long, it’s very thin and light.  It can store over a thousand books (and we all know, it takes a good 9 or 10 months to read a thousand books) which can be downloaded wirelessly from Amazon.com.  I’ve owned a Kindle for a couple of months now and I’ve noticed two things:

First, it’s a conversation starter.  I’ve had several people approach me and ask me about the Kindle while I’ve been reading in public places.  One time, I was reading while standing in a long line at a store (Christmas shopping) and the woman behind me engaged me in conversation about the Kindle.  Pretty soon the woman behind her joined in on the conversation.  The next thing you know, I was changing font sizes, and wirelessly accessing the “Kindle store”, and demonstrating other features while they “oohed” and “aahed”.  I felt very knowledgeable and sophisticated.  Somehow, in the process, however, they both managed to cut in front of me.  Now that I think about it, I wonder if they were really interested in the Kindle, at all.

The second thing I’ve noticed about the Kindle is that when I tell people that I don’t like it as much as I like regular books, they seem to be very happy.  The woman who asked me about the Kindle in my “office away from the office” seemed delighted when I told her I didn’t like it as well as books.

She smiled and shook her head with a look on her face that said, “See, I told you.”

Except she never told me anything.

Then somehow she and her husband managed to bring up the subject of obsolescence as it applies to technological equipment.  And I admitted that, “Yes, this Kindle will become obsolete at some point, just like all other electronic devices.”

Again, she smiled and gave me the “I told you so” look.  In the meantime, he held it for a few moments and declared, “It’s too light.  You can’t read something this light.”

Later, as the woman and her husband were leaving, she came to my table and said, “By the way, how much did you pay for it?”

I told her the price and she laughed and shook her head once again.  Then he patted me on the head the way a grandfather pats his young grandson, as they walked away.

I’m going to try to find a darker, quieter, more remote corner to sit in from now on.

God's Power And Humility

Anyone who wants God and wants access to God’s power must be humble. The purpose of God’s power is NEVER selfish gain. In fact, a person who desires God’s power for selfish reasons does not really understand God’s power in any significant way. The purpose of God’s power is always to glorify Him and to serve others. When we are ready to SERVE, then we are ready for God’s power.

Just Accept The Gift...And Appreciate It

Sometimes we can over think things to the point that they lose their beauty and even their meaning. Some things aren’t meant to be dissected and analyzed…they’re meant to be accepted and enjoyed as a gift from God. I’m not suggesting this is always the case, but sometimes it’s appropriate to avoid ruining the gift by trying to figure it out, just accept it for what it is and appreciate it.

What Is God Saying, That We Are Not Understanding?

As I’m reading through the gospels, one of the things that is standing out to me, this time, is that Jesus often tells the disciples something PLAINLY and yet they don’t understand. Over the years, I’ve come to realize that we are like the disciples…often more so than we want to admit. So, here’s a good question: Are there some things that Jesus is PLAINLY saying to us that we’re not understanding?