Battlefield of the Mind

My Belief

You know what drives me crazy!!!? Stupid, jerk people that make my life harder. You know who I am talking about. I can’t stand the idiot that makes a left hand turn out of the right hand lane right in front of me! I can’t stand the dummy who gets on the moving sidewalk at the airport and stands there for a 1/4 MILE!!! How about a few more… The old lady doing 35mph in the left hand interstate express lane, the jerk at the post office who snaps at me because I don’t understand 20 different forms of mail, my friend with all his “backhanded” “friendly” comments or my coworker that knows how to do my job better than his own!!!!

Each one of these things causes me to have very negative thoughts toward each of these respective people. Some of them I want to give a piece of my mind, SOME I want to give and EVEN BIGGER piece, and some I would just like to ask to step outside for an old fashion lesson in “manners”! In each one of these cases the argument could be made that I am justified in my frustration and that if our PC society was not what it is, then I should have the right to lash out at these types of people. The problem is, that I am a Christian… While my earthly flesh wants to return evil for evil, my heavenly Father wants me to return GOOD for EVIL. This all starts with the battle in my mind. The first place I can show the love of Christ to all is in my mind. I have to win that battle over the evil in my head. I have to offer a smile to the post man, forgive my friend, and show compassion to the slow and weak. This is what Jesus did for me. I am slow and weak and a terrible sinner. He came and took all of the punishment that was JUSTIFIED for me. I can’t fight the “good fight” unless I can win the battle in my mind. I also have to take captive all sinful thoughts of lust and greed. We live in a provocative world that is design to stimulate the male sexuality. Also our culture is driven by career success and money. All of these things infect my mind at different times and I must capture and surround them in my head. Paul describes it best when he says he takes every evil thought captive and Jesus explains to indulge in this thinking is the same sin as the act itself.

Scripture

^{2 Cor 10}

⁵ We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

^{Matt 5}

²¹ “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder,^[a] and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ ²² But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister^[b][c] will be subject to judgment.

²⁷ “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’^{[e] 28} But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

Application for Life

Jesus please help me win the war in my head so that I can show the love you have shown me to others. Help me lean on your Holy Spirit to continue to refine and purge my mind of all the garbage that I put in it from this World. You deserved none of the punishment you endured and yet you did it for me. Help me to offer love to those that wrong me, salvation to those that tempt me, and the hope of reward in heaven of which this world cannot compare. Help me to live in the mindset of Christ.

King Maker

My Belief

Donald Trump is always a loud, outspoken, front and center individual, but last night while I was watching the news, something caught my attention. It also made me reflect a little on my own self interested political position. Trump is currently trying to put together his own GOP debate that he would personally moderate. This would put him in a position to have some influence on who may eventually gain the GOP nomination. I also got to thinking about the way most of the GOP candidate have taken time out of their schedules to visit with the Donald. Most of them believe it will put them in a good position with a voting block of America and give them access to additional funds from Trump. This “courting” has become so overtly obvious that the media has begun calling “The Donald” the GOP “King Maker”. It is the idea that by gaining approval from Donald, the potential candidate will be put in a position to be nominated as the Republican Candidate and then be elected to the Presidency. In the past several other prominent political figures have been touted as “King Makers” too. This list includes Sarah Palin, Rudy Giuliani, and Chris Christie.   

While I listened to this back and forth on the news about which GOP candidate will be the nominee and if Donald Trump will be a deciding factor, I remembered a passage of scripture. A passage that says that God is in control of everything. That God understands and orchestrates global politics. As much as I think America is on the wrong course and Barrack Obama is accelerating that downfall, God is still in control. Obama is The President because God has put him there. Whether or not he is re-elected or replaced by another is all according to God’s plan. I have to remember that my own interest for the country to return to a God fearing nation with Biblical conservative ideals, is not necessarily what will happen. The Bible is clear about what the world will look like before the return of Jesus even if it is not the ideal situation I would like. God places who He wants in power and directs the heart of that man according to His will. God sets up and tears down kings, and one day He will set up the most powerful, and most noble King of all.

Scripture

Dan 2:21 ²¹ He changes times and seasons;
   he deposes kings and raises up others.
He gives wisdom to the wise
   and knowledge to the discerning.

Romans 13:1 ¹ Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God

Application for Life

I was hard core on the “Cain Train” before he imploded. I am on and off again with the flip-flopping opportunist GOP candidates that come and go. My selfish desire is to find a great candidate that will restore America so I can live in the type of society that I wish. This is not right. I am going to attempt to change my thoughts to the will of God. God will place who he wants in power, and I will try to live a consistent Christian life regardless of that person. My joy is in the fact that I know one day God will put Jesus in charge of everything and he will be the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. Donald Trump is NOT really a king maker and neither is anyone else. God is the real King Maker and I am going to try and keep that in mind as this political season shifts into high gear!

Tim Tebow is UGLY!!!

My belief

I have not been following Tim Tebow as long as most people, because I am more of an NFL guy than a college guy. My dad however is huge Tebow and Florida Gators fan. Now that Tebow is in the NFL for the Denver Broncos, I have been paying a lot more attention to him. Even more than paying attention to Tim, I have paid attention to all the “media hype” about Tim. They are ruthless toward Tim Tebow. They say his throwing motion is to slow. He will never make it the NFL. He should become a running back or something because he is not made for the position of NFL Quarterback. As harsh as they are about his football ability they are TEN TIMES more harsh about his FAITH!!! Tim Tebow is a HARDCORE believer in Jesus Christ. He is more bold for God than I could ever hope to be. He prays on the field. He evangelizes others on his teams. He even writes Bible verses in his facial eye black before games. I love to watch the NFL and when I miss the games I catch all the recaps on ESPN sports center. In doing so, I have to admit that Tim’s performances have been UGLY!!! His passes don’t look sharp. He gets hit by defenders because his release is slow and the guy seems to always want to RUN the ball instead of throwing it! Despite this, under his leadership the Broncos are now 5 wins and 1 loss. Tebow keeps on coming up with just enough to win. Big plays at the end of the game for a big score. I LOVE THIS!!!

Here is a man of faith that loves the Lord and has been given the chance to play in the NFL. He uses his opportunity to speak about Jesus with no reservations. He does not look and perform sharp like Aaron Rodgers, Payton Manning, or Tom Brady, but he continues to succeed. This is beautiful! I love it when the Lord takes a humble faithful servant to pronounce His own Glory. Tebow’s play is ugly because God wants everyone to know his success is from his faith in Jesus not his own ability. In this way God uses Tim to bring Glory to Himself. As a QB Tim looks ugly, but as a believer in Christ the entire package becomes AMAZING!

Scripture

1 Cor 26-31

²⁶ Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. ²⁷ But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. ²⁸ God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, ²⁹ so that no one may boast before him. ³⁰ It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. ³¹ Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.”

Application for Life

I pray and strive to be as bold in my faith as Tim Tebow. I hope God is able to use me to point to Himself. God always picks a loser to do his work because it shows that none of the glory is due to that person, but rather to the God behind the person. Thank you God for another beautiful example of how you operate. May I become as faithful of an ugly servant, just like Tim Tebow!

Before you do that…

My Belief

Being a First Officer (copilot) for a major airline is an important job. You must be just as proficient as the Captain in the event that something were to happen and he became incapacitated. In the last year alone I remember a time where a heavy jet liner coming back from Europe to the USA was landed by the First Officer alone. The Captain had a major heart attack and did not make it. Even as important as the First Officers job is, there is usually only one thing on his mind…… becoming the Captain.

I learned a lot of valuable lesson when I became a Captain. Training is a fast paced experience where the airline assumes you have gained the knowledge and experience to take command of a an aircraft. While I was in training I thought up a phrase that I would keep in head at all time. I continue to this day to utilize this phrase in all my decision making. The phrase is “before you do that…” Everything has a prerequisite before you do it. I will give you a few examples: Before you can turn the switches required to power up and aircraft you have to check the quality of the power available, before passengers board an aircraft the emergency oxygen has to be sufficient, before the main cabin door can be closed all fueling must be completed as a precaution against fire, and before each sequence of events happens the appropriate checklist must be run. In the event of any kind of inflight emergency even the most novice of pilots knows before any action can be taken they must ensure they have control of the aircraft first. This list can go on forever and applies to anything and everything.

This principle even applies to my walk as a believer in Jesus Christ. I believe we all get this principle wrong when it comes to the decisions we make in our lives.  We make decisions about buying cars, buying homes, taking jobs, marrying people, etc… without first accomplishing the prerequisite. As Christians, the prerequisite for everything we do in life is to first saturate that thing in prayer. Most of the time in my past I have done this in reverse. I go for it first and then I pray about it. I buy the house and then I pray, “oh God please let this work and please let me afford this”. If I am to live a Godly life and the life that the Lord wants for me I must first pray diligently before the throne of grace and then choose my path. God will honor this and guide my footsteps in everything I do.

Scripture

James 4:13-17

¹³ Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” ¹⁴ Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. ¹⁵ Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” ¹⁶ As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil. ¹⁷ If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.

Application for life

Based on the Bible, prayer is our number one tool in this life. Billy Graham was recently asked by a reporter what he would have done differently in his life and he said, “I would have prayed more”. In recent years I have made it a discipline of my life  to seek God before I set out on anything. I will pray in the name of the Lord Jesus for my will to be conformed to God’s will. That he would use me in any decisions I make in this life.

Who is that 3rd Guy????

My belief

Even people who are NOT Christians have some idea who God and Jesus are. Whether or not they believe it, most people can at least articulate the idea that God created the world, and Jesus is the Son of God and died on the cross for our sins . But what about the third member of the God Trinity? I rarely ever hear a good description of the other member of the God Head from anyone, including true believers. I have been studying The Holy Spirit and what it means to live by means of the Spirit and this is JUST AS CRITICAL as any other part of God.

Jesus described the Holy Spirit as the helper that He would send  to each of us that believes in Him. God declares in the Bible that the Holy Spirit lives inside each true believer in Jesus Christ. Paul speaks extensively in Romans, Corinthians, Galatians and Ephesians about living by means of the Holy Spirit so that we do not gratify the sinful desires of our flesh. I have been working hard to grind this idea down into a few usable tools that I can apply to my life. I have come up with 3 of them so far:

1. The Holy Spirit convicts us of our Sin and when we pray and ask for His help, He helps us to overcome our sin nature. As a followers of Christ I am plagued by my conscious when I disobey God and commit sin. I can personally attest that there is sin in my own life that I have not been able to overcome. I have tried with all my strength to change my own nature to no avail. BUT when I began offering this sin up to God and telling him that I needed the strength of His Holy Spirit to fill me up and help me overcome, it was not long before my life began to change. I felt able to obey God and the desire to sin had lost its power over me.

2. The Holy Spirit draws people to Jesus! Jesus says Himself that NO ONE comes to the Father except through Him, and NO ONE comes to Jesus unless the Holy Spirit draws them to Him. This means the Holy Spirit is the first step in salvation. My pastor says that no one gets saved unless someone is praying for them. He says that when a believer prays for a non believer it is like placing a magnifying glass on their life. Just like as a kid you focus the power of the sun on a particular point with such a device, prayer focuses the power of the Holy Spirit on a persons life and draws them to a decision for Christ. I personally pray for this before ever talking to someone about my faith in Jesus. The best argument in the world will not convince someone to come to the foot of the cross, but the Holy Spirit can put a spot light on their brokenness and need for a Savior.

3. The Holy Spirit helps the believer to understand how God’s Word applies to their life. I love when I read scripture and I feel like God is talking directly to me and my circumstances. There are so many times when am I am able to directly apply God’s Word to my daily life. I understand what Jesus means by denying myself and walking with Him daily, I understand what James means when he says Faith without works is dead, and I know what Paul is talking about when he says the Holy Spirit will keep you from giving into your sinful desires.

Scripture

John 14:26

²⁶ But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.

Galatians 5:16-26

¹⁶ So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.

John 6:44

⁴⁴ “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day.

Application for Life

No one knows how the Trinity perfectly fits together and we won’t know until we get to heaven. Parts of the Bible show a subservient nature within the Trinity, and other parts specifically say that ALL parts are and make up GOD. This is what I know. God The Father made me, God the Son (Jesus) saved me, and God The Holy Spirit helps me. The Holy Spirit gives me power over my sinful human nature, He gives me opportunity to share my faith in Jesus with others, and He makes me to understand how God’s Word applies to my life.

Steve Jobs had it right!

My Belief

Last week when Steve Jobs, the CEO of Apple and designer of the iPhone/iPod, past away I heard a very interesting speech that he had given. He was the key note speaker at a Yale graduation ceremony a few years ago and the clip the news played was intriguing. Mr. Jobs conveyed the idea to the Yale grads that the reason he was so successful was because he had found a way to focus and drowned out all fear and criticism. Steve knew he was sick and would not live a long life. He knew his years were numbered and that he wanted to do the most with the time he had left. Jobs said that when he compares everything against the reality of death, every bit of doubt fades. He was not afraid to DO because he did not want to waste what time he had left.

As a follower of Jesus I want to have a perspective very similar to this. I know that time on this earth is short. I will either die or be raptured by Christ in the next 50 years or so. Maybe even sooner. I know that God wants me to give him my all with the short amount of time I have left. I know that I am rapidly racing toward a departure from this earth into a glorious existence with God. When I step foot into the presence of Jesus my hope is to hear “Well done good and faithful servant”. In this context I know death is coming, but I am not afraid of it at all. I want to be focused here and now to take any opportunity to share Jesus with who ever God brings in my path. I want to be a servant to my wife, family and friends. While Steve Jobs did not know Jesus and was only motivated by his coming end, I look forward to an amazing hope after this life. All of the noise and criticism fades away in the reality of Jesus not only in death. Who cares what people think of me or say about me. Soon my time will end and I only care about what Jesus says about me.

Scripture

^{2Cor 5:8-10}

⁶ Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. ⁷ For we live by faith, not by sight. ⁸ We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. ⁹ So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. ¹⁰ For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.

Application for Life

One of my favorite quotes from pastor Lon Solomon is, “When your not afraid to die, then your not afraid to live”! Wow…think about that. If you are in Jesus, nothing can ever hurt you. Even if someone took my life, my situation only gets better. I desire to pray HARD that the Holy Spirit may fill me up and use me for God’s Glory. That I can be a light in a dark world. That I can speak boldly about Jesus. My heart aches for people who don’t have Jesus when time is up. Please Lord let me have a perspective that is urgent like Steve Jobs. Not because of death, but because of a life that has conquered death. Let me focus because time is short, and let me rejoice because my end is near!

Intermittent at best

My Belief

Do you know what an intermittent problem is? In my experience and my line of work it usually deals with electrical or communication problem. It is a problem that is not there all the time. The problem is usually caused by a faulty relay or switch. There is a connection there that is making contact, but it is not a good contact. Or perhaps it is a wire that is frayed and shorting out sometimes.

This is me in my walk with Jesus. I really want to walk with the Lord and I really try hard to wake up each morning and devote myself that day to the Lords work, but I do not always make “good contact”. There are days that I am tired or having a hard day and I let my old sin nature get the best of me. My walk with Jesus shorts out! I get fed up with people around me that don’t use a little common sense or I do what I do best and let my big mouth shoot itself off. I honestly in my heart wish and want to walk every minute of my day with Jesus. I feel the best when I am understanding some part of God’s Word or I get to share my hope in Jesus with another. I realize something though. Even though I am saved by the grace of Jesus Christ, I am not Jesus Christ. I am incapable of walking a perfect life of righteousness with our Lord. This is frustrating to me at times, but it helps me to remember that it is not about me, it is about Jesus. I know he is using me to impact peoples lives even in spite of my short comings. I continue to be willing and prayerfully hopeful that God continues to finish the refining work in me that He has started. I know that one day through my death or in His return He will completely refine me to a perfect state of righteousness and I will dwell with him forever. Until then I will continue to be a faulty contact for God, A bad wire for Jesus, and a loose connection spreading the Word of Christ. I am far from perfect, but God can use my weakness for His Glory.

Scripture

2 Timothy 2:13

¹³ if we are faithless,
   he remains faithful,
   for he cannot disown himself.

Application for Life

I have a Bible sitting on my desk at home that was given to me by a good friend who feels that God used me to help Him in his finding Jesus. Inside that Bible is a wonderful note of friendship from him and a thank-you note from another friend who feels the same way. I love that God has given me these two tokens from these two men. When I feel that I am broken and have fallen on my face again, I remember that even in my brokenness God is using me. Even when I do not feel faithful to the Lord, I am His and He will use me to accomplish His work.

3 Common Errors

My Belief

I am a few years removed from teaching young pilots the basics of flying in the clouds. This type of flying is also known as flying “IFR” (Instrument Flight Rules) and after thousands of hours of flying it comes as naturally to me now as walking. Even as such, I still remember the common errors that pilots make when doing this type of flying. These errors are labeled as 1. Fixation, 2. Emphasis 3. and Omission.

Traditionally cockpit flight instrument panels have been laid out in a “6 pack” format. Instruments that display Airspeed, Altitude, Attitude, Heading, Vertical speed, and Bank Angle have been placed in front of the pilot in a way that looks similar to a 6 pack of drinks. These instruments are what gives the pilot all the information that he needs when he is unable to see outside the aircraft. The previously mentioned errors are what pilots must continuously evaluate while he scans all of these instruments. He cannot let himself fixate on any one instrument because he will miss what the others are telling him. For a similar reason he can not let himself place any particular emphasis any individual instrument. And obviously it would be detrimental to the flight if he were to completely omit any of the instruments during his scan.

I was speaking with a buddy of mine who is also an airline pilot. We were chatting about how both of us put special emphasis to the point of fixation on our budgets. In this bad economy it is a hot topic for everyone. We both feel that we want to honor God with our money by being good stewards of it and debtors to no one. We both agreed that fiscal discipline is important, but it is not the only thing God called us to do. For us especially, we must not omit all the other things God has called us to do in this life. He also called us to be God fearing men and women that live a life of service and sacrifice to our family and friends. He called us to do the work of an evangelist and spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ to everyone on earth. As we talked we both admitted that it is easy for us particularly to become fixated on this one thing and omit all the other responsibilities the Lord has given us. There is only so much time and energy in a day and it is my prayer that God would help me multi-task to accomplish all that He has set before me.

Scripture

Eph 2:10

¹⁰ For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Application for Life

I believe the keys to life are organization and discipline. There are so few hours in a day and for me to live the life that God has set for me I must utilize all of them. The only way I can do this, is if I rise in the morning and plan out my day. I know that I want to devote time in the morning to my relationship with Jesus. I know that I want to devote time to paying my bills and continuously evaluating our budget. I know that I want to spend time being a godly father and husband to my daughter and wife after school and work. I know when I go to work, the gym, or to play that I want to preserve my testimony and look for opportunities to speak about Jesus. Once I have organized my schedule, I pray the Lord gives me the discipline to stick to it. With God’s help, I will accomplish all that he has for me and not just get stuck or one or two things.

Never Happened!

My Belief

As we approach the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, something has started standing out in my mind. You would not believe the number of people who have told me that it “Never Happened”. What am I talking about, you say… I have flown with several people and sat next countless others in airports that all say things like that. They say the entire thing is a Bush White House cover up. The wing tip vortices when the planes hit the tower are not there or don’t look right. The planes were digitally superimposed on the TV and it was missiles that hit the buildings. The trajectory for the plane that hit the ground in Pennsylvania was wrong and to small, it was a missile too. The plane that hit the pentagon was a bomb set by the U.S. military. The entire thing was a hoax and a conspiracy devised by our own government.

Have you ever noticed that they say the same thing about the moon landing… There are tons of people and books that say that we never went to the moon, but instead the entire thing was a fake again set up by the U.S. government to inspire or motivate a nation. Why do people do this?!?! 9/11 was only 10 years ago! I fly out of New York! It happened! We have the moon rocks from the Apollo missions! You can see the trash we left on the moon with high powered telescopes. If people are willing to lie to themselves about things that we have all witnessed in recent history IS IT ANY WONDER THAT PEOPLE ARE WILLING LIE ABOUT SOMETHING THAT HAPPENED 2000 YEARS AGO BY SAYING THE THE LORD JESUS IS NOT GOD, NEVER CAME TO EARTH AND NEVER DIED ON A CROSS FOR YOU AND ME!!!

I can see the place where the twin towers once stood! I have seen the videos of the pilots that could have flown those planes! I know people who designed the Apollo missions! AND I can see the BIBLE is TRUE! I can see that it matches up perfectly with history and everything that archeologist pull out of the ground is talked about within its pages! I see the world around me and can see that our selfish, sinful world matches perfectly with the human condition described in the Bible. I know that when I put my faith in the Lord Jesus that I became very aware of my sinful human condition. When I walk with Him I feel comfort and joy and when I disobey I feel disgusting about myself. I see the “coincidences” that have led me to where I am in my life and I know it is the Hand of the Living God working in my life!

Scripture

Isaiah 45:5-7

⁵ I am the LORD, and there is no other;
   apart from me there is no God.
I will strengthen you,
   though you have not acknowledged me,
⁶ so that from the rising of the sun
   to the place of its setting
people may know there is none besides me.
   I am the LORD, and there is no other.
⁷ I form the light and create darkness,
   I bring prosperity and create disaster;
   I, the LORD, do all these things.

Application for Life

I did not witness with my own eyes the 9/11 disaster, but I saw the videos, I witnessed the evidence and have felt the pain that it has caused our nation - I KNOW IT HAPPENED! I was not there when Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon, but I have seen him talk, watched the footage, and held the moon rocks – I KNOW IT HAPPENED. I was not there when the Lord Jesus was beaten and died on a cross only to rise again for my salvation, but I have studied the history, been unable to disprove one word of God’s WORD and I have witnessed the change in my very own life – I KNOW JESUS IS WHO HE SAID HE IS AND HE HAS SAVED ME!

Created

My Belief

Recently I was marveling at the incredible feats of human ingenuity. As I fly around the country and different parts of the world it is amazing to see the accomplishments of man in many of these large cities. When I stop and think of where man has been and where we are today, it is truly mind boggling to think of what has been created. Man has created incredible ways to travel and communicate. We have created vehicles that transport us quickly through town, out of town, across the world, to the bottom of this world or out of this world. With the internet we are a truly connected people. We know about everything, everywhere, instantly at the touch of a finger. Shoot, we even created machines that create new things. Man has done all of this.

Another interesting fact to think about is that nothing else on the planet has done any of this. There are no other animals that create like we create. Termites build impressive structures to live in, but lets be honest, that is just stacking up dirt and spit. As people we have incredible ideas that we plan out, DESIGN, and then execute there construction.

This is exactly what the Bible describes. The Bible says that we are CREATED! We are created to be the apex of creation and we are created in the image of the Creator. We are designed to be like the Designer. I feel as a people we look forward at everything that we have made, but we don’t look backward to see who has made us. Even if you want to take all of the FAITH out of it, just look at it logically. Everything works in a well organized system. We build well organized systems, so who built the entire system. In Romans Chapter 1 the Lord declares that everyone can see Him if they will just look at what He has made. We create amazing things because an amazing Creator created us first.

Scripture

Genesis 1:26-27

²⁶ Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals,^[a] and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”

²⁷ So God created mankind in his own image,
   in the image of God he created them;
   male and female he created them.

Application for life

This is a powerful reminder for me in my walk with the Lord. I look at what we have created as a people. We have manipulated elements and materials to build amazing things, but look at the incredible creation of the elements themselves. We have placed rockets in the sky, but look at the sky itself that the Lord has made. We design amazing things, but we will never design a Sun or Moon to rise in such perfect order. I look forward to seeing the amazing things we will do as people, but I stand in awe of the amazing things that GOD has already done.

Don’t knock it until you try it

My belief

I grew up with a great intense love for playing sports. Most sports that is. I liked tough sports. Sports like baseball, football, and basketball. It was great to get in there and hit hard, run fast, or even get a little physical with the other players. This is what I spent a large part of my child and teen years doing. However, there was one sport that I had absolutely no desire to try. That was GOLF! There was not one bone in my body that though it was cool to stroll around in preppy clothes and hit some sissy little ball with some sissy little stick. Then walk up to the same sissy little ball and Do it again!

This all changed for me a few years ago. I was on vacation with a few friends and they wanted to go play golf. I was not that excited but I said what the heck. I will try it once. I could not believe how hard it was to hit that little ball, to speak nothing of making it go where I wanted it to go. There is an insane amount of precision and fundamental mechanics to correctly controlling a golf swing. Then the scenery on the course was awesome in real life. Golf courses are some of the most beautiful places you can ever hangout. I am now an enthusiastic golfer that loves to play whenever I have the chance. I can’t get enough of my continued improvement, the strategy, and again the wonderful scenery of the course. And it is all because I let go of my preconceived notions and gave it one chance.

I bring this up because I have a friend and colleague that is at the end of his rope. He feels broken, empty, and with no point to his life. I have been telling him over and over again that Jesus is the answer to fix all of those problems. At times I think he is so close to making a decision for Christ. He has never been into “religion” and is insanely skeptical. I continue to pray for him that he will give Jesus a chance in his life. I am 100% certain that when he comes into a saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus that he will find JOY, PURPOSE, CONTENTMENT, and ANSWERS for life. As a rough and tumble sports guy, I didn’t see how there was anyway in the world I was going to ever like golf. But once I gave it a chance there is nothing else that I would rather play. I am sure my friend knows that I am talking about him and I promise you that when you give Jesus a try there is nothing else that you will ever want either. Every question will be answered! Every worry will be solved! You will finally have a GUARENTEE in life! It does not matter what happens to you in this life because Jesus is the best insurance policy there will ever be. Give Jesus a fair shot in your life and HE WILL PROVE IT!

Scripture

Matthew 11:28

²⁸ “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.

Application for Life

If you don’t feel there is any point to life or you think we just do the same old routine things in life and then fade to black. I beg you to reconsider. Look around you at all of the DESIGN that surrounds us. We are not alone. There is an awesome Creator that wants you to find Him. He has placed his Word here with us to explain where we come from, what our purpose is, and where we are headed. What does it hurt to check it out? Put the Bible to the test and give Jesus a chance to give you the life you need.

Xtreme Jesus!

My Belief

We have just seen the USA lose it’s AAA credit rating and our economy be even more significantly weakened. We have a very divided government and nation. It is almost 50/50 split against itself toward two different ideologies. As a result, there are a few “Buzz” words that are being thrown around like crazy. They are extremist and compromise. Both sides of government and both halves of this country have people with very dug in extreme views and all of the national media screams that there must be compromise between the two sides.

With such a wide gap between beliefs in this country it makes me ponder what I should do as a follower of Jesus. What would Jesus do? Is Jesus an extremist or a God of compromise? Well, I think anyone that studies the Bible will say that Jesus has a very EXTREME point of view punctuated with an incredible offer of love an mercy. I can’t think of any of the economic and social issues that divide us where Jesus does not draw a hard line in the sand. The Bible talks more about money than any other single topic. It speaks of how we are not to serve or love money and how we are to be excellent stewards of what God has given us. This financial responsibility is also to be accompanied by an attitude of charity and serving those in need. On most social issues Jesus also takes an uncompromising position. God clearly indicates that abortion is murder, homosexuality is an unnatural detestable sin in His eyes, and to replace God with anything is a down right offence to God. So in my opinion there is no ability to compromise on any of these issues as a follower of Christ. God blesses those who obey and curses those who turn to their own way. While God takes this unwavering position He also offers an unbelievable gift of mercy. Anyone who has compromised these issues may come humbly before Him and ask for forgiveness. He will grant it to all those that seek Him and desire a personal relationship with Him threw His Son, Jesus.

Scripture

2 Tim 3:12-14

¹² In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, ¹³ while evildoers and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. ¹⁴ But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it,

Application for Life.

God does not compromise on His Word and as His Children we may not either. We must stand firm on the Word of God and as Paul said to Timothy, “Men will go from Bad to worse, but you Timothy CONTINUE”. We are to be salt and light to this world and that is guaranteed to make us unpopular with the majority of people. We are to stand firm even if it cost us everything. All of this is to be done with the absolute punctuation of Jesus’ Extreme Love for the world. We will not compromise with the unforgiven sinner, but we must offer them the same love that Jesus would offer us.

Intense Interview

My Belief

Interviewing is just a part of the Airline Pilots career. These interviews can be very intense at times. Some of the most sought after jobs have some of the most comprehensive and nerve racking interviews. These interviews consist of simulated emergencies in airplanes that the candidate has never flown before, knowledge test that include everything from cognitive skills tests to information about black holes, and intense grilling with trick questions from members of the perspective company. Pilots spend months and years preparing for these test. They study math, science, and any scrap of information they can find on each interview. The reason pilots put themselves through this is because the rewards are AWESOME! The hope is to gain a rewarding, fulfilling job that brings a great sense of accomplishment to their lives. We dream of working for that company that values us and pays us to do what we love and what we are good at, which is being pilots of large Jetliner aircraft.

Isn't this exactly what Jesus promises us! Not Jetliner jobs but the BEST JOB we could ever possible imagine! God is watching us in this life as though it was just a “big interview”. He is watching who will love Him with all their heart, who will live the way He asked us to, and who will treat others the way Christ treats us. When we cheat, lie, steal, and live a life other than the one Jesus asked us to live, we lose some of the rewards that God has for us. If we will commit ourselves to the Lord and treat this life like the “Interview” that it is then God will provide us with the BEST JOB EVER in the next age to come. I can hardly imagine what it could be, but it would be awesome to have a job that I was perfectly designed for. A job where the Lord Jesus Himself personally made it for me. A job where God looks down on me with a sense of approval. This would be truly awesome. That is what I am doing right now. I am interviewing right now for that job. Whatever the Lord gives me in this life, I want to do as much for Him as I can with it so when I get to Heaven or the Millennial Kingdom the Lord can give me as much as He wants to give me.

Scripture

1 Cor 3:13-14 ¹³ their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. ¹⁴ If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward.

Matt 6:20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.

Application for Life

I am trying to do my best to “interview” right now. I want to give cheerfully back to the Lord, I want to be the husband, father and friend that God has called me to be, and I want share Jesus with whoever the Lord brings in my path. I want to be a top candidate. I want the Lord to see what I have done with what He has given me and hear him say “Well done good and faithful servant… Oh and hear is a whole bunch more work I have for you to do”. I can hardly imagine how amazing the job is, so I want to my best to be successful in the interview process today!

Following Procedure

My Belief

When I fly for my airline there are lots of procedures in place that must be followed in a specific way before we can takeoff for any destination. These steps must be accomplished in order and may not be rearranged for any reason. When pilots first get to an aircraft they go through a series of safety and power up checks known as a receiving check. We then proceed on to many other checks including “pushback”, “Taxi”, and “Before Takeoff” checklists. These progress in a logical order that can not be sequenced differently. Once all checks have been accomplished in their perspective order a high level of safety has been achieved and we are ready to begin our takeoff run.

God has put his own set of “procedures” in the Bible for us to accomplish before He can answer our prayer. He says that we must come before him humbly and ask for forgiveness for all of our sins before He can listen to our prayers. God, exclaims that our sin separates us from Him and we must ask for forgiveness before He will proceed to hear us. I love the way that Jesus described this process to his apostles right before He was crucified. He came to wash Peter’s feet and Peter refused to let Jesus lower Himself to do so. Jesus then explained that unless Peter let Him wash his feet, he could have no part of Himself. Peter then said if that is the case then wash everything on me. Wash my head, hand and feet. Jesus then told him basically that those who are saved are already clean, they just need to wash their feet. As Christians we have been washed in the blood of Jesus, but we are still SINNERS! We get our “feet” dirty every moment of everyday. We must begin speaking to the Lord by asking for forgiveness and allowing him to “wash our feet” again.

Scripture

Isaiah 59:2 (ESV) 2 but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.

Psalm 66:18 (ESV) 18 If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.

Application for Life

I sin all the time. Think about what a sin against God is? Every time I have a lustful thought toward the hot girl on the beach, get pissed at the guy on the beltway, or let a bad word leave my lips, then I have sinned against a perfect and Holy God. Every time I pray I must first start by asking the Lord for forgiveness for all the junk that has crept into my life. This clears the channel of communication between the Lord and myself and allows me to pray according to His will!

Uh Oh…Things are Good again.

My belief

For now it seems everything is going my way. My rental property is completely occupied, my job is doing well, and my family is happy. This scares me a little bit. I know what kind of person I am. I am an “A” type personality that is comfortable being in charge. I noticed this week that my prayer life was a little weaker than before. I could tell that I was giving a little less time to the Lord. I feel like things are moving in my life. There is a good possibility soon for advancement in my industry, I am very busy at work, and I have a lot to do with my family and side business. I felt a little saddened as I lay in bed last night. I was thinking about my own vulnerability to taking control and pushing God aside, even if it is only just a “little” bit. I know that I can not let my own evil, selfish instincts get the best of me.  I am most vulnerable when I am most successful. This is the same thing that happened to King David in the Bible. When he was at the height of his power he began to trust in his own abilities. The little boy with a rock and a sling that trusted his God was then a man that trusted in his own army. That was when he was most vulnerable to the attacks of Satan. He began letting his own sin nature destroy him. The more success the Lord gives me the more time I need to spend on our knees. I need more people to keep me accountable and to help me stay grounded in the Word of God. I prayed sincerely last night that the Holy Spirit would help me and keep me from trusting in my own resources.

Scripture

^{Romans 12:3 3} For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.

Application for Life

My pastor says we need to tattoo this verse on our forehead and the more success the Lord gives us the bigger the font we need to use. That has to be about the best advice I have ever heard. I need to think of this verse daily. I need to hide this verse in my heart along with Paul’s words to be content in all things. I do a pretty good job trusting the Lord in the bad times and now my prayer is that I will be disciplined enough to trust Him in the good times!