Follow Jesus and not the Ducks

I wake up today and there is a lot of HOOPLA going on.

If you follow Jesus you can't go wrong. We all should try to be a little more like Him today than anyone else. I think that’s the problem with our culture today as a whole. We try to follow everyone else and it gets us into trouble. We set people up on pedastals and they become an idol in our lives until they fall off or the next fad comes along. If we just followed Jesus and chased him, talked like him, acted like him we would be better off. Don’t get me wrong I enjoy a little Duck Dynasty every now and then, but

 HEY JACK! What did you expect?

In the end it’s a TV show. Everyone is going around talking about the Robertson’s, growing their beards out, dressing like them, and buying their merchandise. The show was never going to last forever. Why do you think it is such a hit TV show? I think if you dug through it all, most of you watch the show because it is a clean comedy and you enjoy the “characters”. Let’s face it, there’s really no other good comedy like that on TV. You don’t watch the show because you become more spiritual after watching it. You watching their TV show isn’t spreading the gospel around the world. In fact, it has become apparent (and always has been) that the network wants to keep it strictly limited when it comes to Christianity. They want to make their Christianity a “neutral religion”. Can you blame them? It has worked so far. You know what would really make a difference?

If we acted more like Jesus than we did the Robertson’s

Look, I don’t know what to tell you. The world is sinful. The morality in America is bad. Trust me when I say this though, changing your Facebook picture to a celebrity or boycotting anything will not change America. In fact it won’t even change you. If you really wanted to make a difference you would get up off your couch and live like Jesus. You would spend your money on the things He wants you to spend it on rather than buying into another fad that has swept the nation. You would talk like Him at your work. You would be on His mission 24/7. I am not bashing the Robertson’s or Duck Dynasty but I am challenging you to a deeper life. A life God wants you to have. In fact, I think deep down that’s what the Robertson’s might have been hoping for, that they would be an arrow to Jesus. However most people didn’t get pointed to Jesus , they just were comfortable at watching the show.

How to make God HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY

You know what I think would make God happy? If we got this fired up about Him that it changed our lives. Really when you boil it all down God gave us two commandments: Love God and Love Others. If we did these two things we would bring glory to Him. Everything else would fall into place. Sadly, we worry about so much stuff that in the end, just doesn’t matter. This story that caused all the hoopla will end sometime, just like it did with Chic-Fil-A and the thing before that. Its all a cycle that will not be broken until you break it. You won’t break it by boycotting or whatever else you planning on doing unless you plan on living like Jesus. In the end, that’s all that matters.

And that’s a Fact.

 And Jesus said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 22:37-40)

Common Things between Dr. Oz and Christianity

I have found out in the past months that my wife likes to watch shows like Dr. Oz. Every once in a while I will watch an episode or two with her. For the most part he has good things to say. His show is really entertaining and informative. However I am sure when Dr. Oz created the show, he never meant for it just to be entertaining and informative. (I cannot put thoughts or words into the meaning behind his show but I am assuming here) I assume that he created the show to help people change their lives, to help their health. As I scan through the channels in a given day I see shows like: Biggest Loser, Oprah, Dr. Phil, etc. These shows, yes, albeit entertaining, were probably created to help people.

However, how many people watch these shows and agree with someone like Dr. Oz that there is a problem and they need to change, listen to his plan to help them get on the right track but never actually put that plan into place? It is so funny to me because I do it as well. In the past, I know that I needed to work out, so I used to put the workout DVD in the player and push play. I then, sat on the couch and watched the entire workout DVD without actually moving a muscle. It is a sad reality but for the most part we are either lazy or we just don't care enough to actually put forth the effort to change.

I find this true of Christianity as well. We so often go to church to hear a moving message, only to forget it the next day or by the time we hit the door to leave for lunch. A few years ago Casting Crowns had a song called, "Between the Altar and the Door". The leader of the group explains the song like this: “When we’re at the altar, everything makes sense,” Hall says. “We know what we’re supposed to do. We know how we’re supposed to live. Everything’s black and white. But somewhere between the altar and the door, when we leave and go out into our lives, it all leaks out, and everything gets gray again. The Christian life is the journey between the altar and door, trying to get the things you’ve got in your head, into your hands, feet, into your life." (www.castingcrowns.com)

My question is this: When we are faced with the Word of God, why can we nod our head in agreement only to leave unchanged? As Christians we know how we are suppose to live but when we get in the "real world" it's a whole lot harder to put into practice? The reason I suppose, is just the struggle that we live in between two worlds; One that is earthly and one that is heavenly. I don't presume to have all the answers, I just know that maybe we should try to not be so lazy or apathetic with our faith. The Bible doesn't seem to say that God is okay with that kind of attitude. Paul several times in Philippians encourages us to actually keep putting into practice what we learned. (Phil. 4:9) I hope that as I finish writing this, that I will not walk away unchanged about putting what I learn about my faith into practice. I hope and pray that as you walk away from reading this that you would not walk away unchanged or challenged to put what you have learned about your faith into practice as well. May we not come face to face with God only to leave unchanged or not better off for being with Him.

 But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.  For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror.  You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it. (James 1:22-25)

The Awkward Years...

I was walking through the bookstore the other day, and thought to myself, "There are a ton of books in here!" Now I know thats not a new revelation or some grand thinking but it is a profound statement when you began to unpack the implications. There are over 800 books being published every day and close to 300,000 books published every year. There is information being passed in seconds on the internet that anyone can access almost at anytime. For example, if you want to speak your mind and find someone to listen, just post it to Facebook or a blog like this one. It seems like we are having more and more information thrown at us, however it seems like we're in a decline of morality in America.

It's just interesting to me that everyone has an opinion, and everyone thinks that they can help everyone else. We live in a culture where self help is priority and we want as much information on the subject to do just that. Here is my thought: You can read all the books you want and seek out all the opinions you can find but they won't change your life as much as the Bible.

Now I am not accusing anyone but have actually just realized this myself--- That we have traded in God's Word for man's opinion all too often. Most often we turn to the Bible in times of need. However the Bible states that we should hide his Word in our hearts so that when trials and temptations come up we know how to face life not wait until we are in a bind.

Now life isn't easy. It almost feels like that now that we accepted Christ, life got harder. The reason, in my opinion it got harder, is because you are not living for yourself anymore you are actually following Jesus. I would like to call this the "awkward years"--- the struggle to really continue seeking Jesus even though it's not easy. Eventually though the "awkward years" will turn into the "wonder years" when we get to heaven but right not it's tough.

As I write on this blog that is my goal. Simply to document a journey of one Christian man going through the "Awkward Years". There will not be  a whole lot of rhyme or reason to this blog other than what God lays on my heart. Hopefully it will be more Biblical than not. My opinion is really pointless and probably would just contribute to the thousands upon other thousands of opinions out there. So hope you enjoy and that God can use this struggle to help you in yours.

For you have been given not only the privilege of trusting in Christ but also the privilege of suffering for Him. We are in this struggle together. You have seen my struggle in the past, and you know that I am still in the midst of it. (Phil. 2:29-30)