Do Good

Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to act. 

Proverbs 3:27

This is sound advice no matter what your particular religious beliefs might be. In a more simplistic perspective, we should do what's right to help people when we are able. There might be some debate about there always being people in need and how our resources won't stretch that far. I don't know that it always has to be about money either though. I think it's counsel encouraging us to look for ways to do good and how not to withhold it when we are able to make a difference in a life.

What is within your power to do? What do you have that will help others? Perhaps it is an encouraging word for a family member when they need their spirits lifted. It might be a home cooked meal for someone who is sick or asking a neighbor's family over for dinner. Sometimes it's as simple as a smile and a good tip for a stressed restaurant employee. Our engaged presence can be the good thing our family needs instead of being preoccupied with our work and hobbies.

We've all got good things we can offer to people in need around us--some of whom are in close proximity on a daily basis. Why don't we offer what we have to them? We would certainly want the same thing done for us. 

Releasing Your Grip

There are people who are hoarders of possessions. They continue to stockpile things without being able to get rid of them until it overwhelms their home and family. It's not something I completely understand, but I offer no ridicule either. It is a true anxiety disorder which can be quite debilitating.

While we may not all suffer from this particular disorder, I do think we practice hoarding in other ways in our life. We may be hanging onto our talents and abilities and not finding ways to use them. We have positive words and encouragement we can speak to our family and friends and choose not to speak them. We have financial resources (even when limited) we can use to help others and cling tightly to them instead of releasing some to make a difference.

This type of hoarding is harder to classify and doesn't get the same consideration as the more widely recognized disorder. It can still cause unexpected anxiety while limiting our person growth and depriving others around us of a potential blessing. If it's within our power to make a positive difference, we should use whatever we have for that purpose.

Competing Noise

My wife was sitting on the couch watching television while I was making a smoothie earlier today. The sound of the blender was drowning out her program and making it difficult to watch. I realized she had paused Netflix when I couldn't hear anything coming from the living room. When I asked her what she was doing, she told me she didn't want to try and compete with the blender's volume and would wait until I was done before she resumed watching. She made sure I knew she wasn't upset about it and she didn't want to get into a battle of volumes, but would wait for the right time.

How often do discussions and differing opinions become battles of escalating volume? We feel the need to speak our thoughts and will do so regardless of what other people are sharing. Adding multiple voices on top of each other creates a cacophony of noise resulting in a lack of clarity and decreased feelings of personal value. 

There is a way to find an equal opportunity to share, but it will require an attitude of patient humility and a willingness to listen. Choosing to wait your turn isn't just polite. It's the only way we can engage each other while appreciating the value of what someone else has to say.

Learn to Share

This week we had some issues with our van and weren't quite sure how we were going to get everyone to all the places they needed to be while having it worked on at the same time. Fortunately, one of our close friends was able to let us borrow their car for a couple of days until we could get things sorted out. After returning their vehicle and thanking them for their kindness, my friend responded that they were glad they were able to help us out. My quick response back to him was, "So were we!"

There is a verse of wisdom in the book of Proverbs which says, "Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to act." It speaks to our need to make a difference when we have the ability to help. This could be any number of things: financial help, mowing a lawn, delivering dinner, helping someone move, loaning out our car, or simply listening. This is a powerful part of active, caring community when we are willing to help each other with what is within our power to share.

Christmas Theology

Christmas is a time when we celebrate and sing about joy to the world, peace on earth, and good will towards mankind. This isn't just a fond wish or a comforting thought, but a revelation of what the gift of Christ means to us all. We sit in hopeful expectation of what God has brought, but I believe it's more than that. I feel that it's also an expression of what we should seek to share with the rest of the world.

If we truly place our hope in this gift of Christ then it's also our responsibility to share joy and peace through our thoughts, attitudes, words, and actions. We do this because of the strength of these gifts that first flowed from Christ. It's only in His humble sacrifice for us that we can find the courage to be ambassadors of the true meaning of Christmas.

Be a Blessing

Our church has a phrase that we use quite often: we are blessed to be a blessing. We believe that God has given us the resources we possess so that they can be shared with others. It's a reflection of our gratitude for God's generosity and a desire to make an impact in our community. This can be exhibited through financial means, physical energy, emotional support, and prayers. The key is in recognizing how much we've been given and being intentional about investing in others. It's not just a principle for the holiday season, but should be a year-round mentality.

Failure of Nerve: Share the Truth

(This is part six of a series of blogs on failure of nerve. Click here to read the introduction blog.)

Rejection is something that most of us work to avoid. We analyze the possibility that our advances might not be well received and often choose not to take the risk. This can be true of our personal relationships, but can be particularly paralyzing when we're fearful of sharing Christ. 

I have never baptized someone who wasn't excited about their decision. That powerful moment produces emotional and spiritual energy that fosters transformation and the realization of a preferred future. Excitement bubbles over at the inner peace we now have and new vision is gained as the blinders of our past beliefs and decisions is finally lifted. This is a sentinel moment in our lives and most people can't wait to share it with other people. It's interesting then how quickly that enthusiasm for sharing can often fade. While we are passionate about the personal decision we have made we become reticent to pass that energy on for fear of alienating someone, offending their beliefs, or appearing intolerant of other viewpoints. 

All things need to be done in love and not necessarily by force, but we have to set aside this particular failure of nerve for the sake of eternity. It's a shifting viewpoint of choosing to share the story of our journey with Christ instead of fearing what someones response will be. Overcoming this hesitation isn't a matter of improving our daily life as much as it is giving a person an opportunity to change their eternal destiny. It's far less about our fears and more about our obedience to our calling as Christ followers.

Story Time: Happily Ever After

A good writer knows that the end of a story can either be a letdown or a fulfilling, satisfying conclusion. In the same manner, we need to pay careful attention to the end of our own story. While we don't know exactly when that will be we can still work to maintain the right habits that will speak well of our character. We can finish strong by bringing the right daily focus to our marriages, parenting, Christian faith, and career calling. It's a reflection of a our daily discipline of working to close well instead of leaving things handled poorly or feeling incomplete. Even when things are rough in the beginning & middle of our story a solid finish will positively influence others and be a tale worth retelling. 

Story Time: The Plot Thickens

We should be willing to share our story, but we should also give careful consideration to what the details of that story will be. While we can't do anything to change what has already been written, we can decide what the story will say in the future. Our concern shouldn't just be about our reputation, but more about our character that is being developed and revealed as we keep scripting our life through our decisions. 

What story will our lives tell our children? It's one that will continue to speak over them throughout their adulthood. What story will be told of our leadership and compassionate care for others? It will be a perpetual chronicle of our life decisions that reaches farther and impacts more people than we recognize. 

The willingness to share our autobiography must be matched by a desire to see that testimony stand with strength and integrity.

Story Time: Tell It Well

I am a fan of a good story. A book that spins a good tale will find it's way onto my "to-read-again" list (and that doesn't happen often.) A movie that captures my emotions and challenges my thoughts will be added to my collection. I love to hear other people tell the story of how they came to be who they are & where they are today. Sadly, I don't think we stop frequently enough to tell these tales because we forget how significant they are.

Our stories are powerful and we should be willing to share them. For the greatest impact we need to work to develop the art of story-telling. Nothing is as powerful as a personal tale of redemption, sorrow, tragedy, and triumph. When we are passionately engaged with other people in the middle of their story it develops genuine community. It can be a lost art in the middle of our social networking Twitterific lifestyle. 

Are you willing to tell your tale? When it's intended for mutual benefit and not individual bragging, it's worth the energy.

The Kingdom

It has been a powerful week at CIY Move for me, but in a completely different way than ever before.

Now that I am no longer working directly in youth ministry, I came to the Move conference without leading any youth. I was here as the campus pastor for the week with the responsibility of ministering to the adult leaders. My entire thought process and spiritual emphasis wasn't based on the group of teens that I was with. It was about finding opportunities to engage adults in conversation, to bring them encouragement, to share resources and let them know how valued they are.

I had many thoughts coming into the week, but can say that it surpassed all that I had imagined. My soul felt alive as I was able to be thoroughly consumed with the ministry of serving other Kingdom workers. I could feel the Holy Spirit guiding conversations and providing a level of trust that should not have been accomplished in such a short span of time. I was able to talk with several leaders through shared experiences of woundedness and hopefully help to bring some healing. The entire week felt as if I was serving and ministering right in the middle of my spiritual gifting and it was an incredible blessing.

I am grateful for a wife and children that supportively understand my calling and are willing to endure such time away. I am also grateful for a church leadership that values the investment we are making in God's Kingdom-even if we don't ever see any direct earthly benefit.

I am eagerly anticipating the blessing God is going to bring to His Church as we all continue to invest in the Kingdom.