Josh Griffin interviews Jeff Foxworthy

Jeff Foxworthy is one of my favorite comedians. Everyone knows “here’s your sign” and have a few of your own. He never fails to crack me up. One thing I didn’t know about him was that He was a Christian. I knew most of his jokes are clean and hilarious but I did not pay attention to his personal life. I’m sick of hearing celebrity gossip and I really don’t care too much about their personal lives. I am not able to talk with them on a personal level so why would it matter.

Jeff Foxworthy is now the host of a new game show, The American Bible Challenge. I’ve seen an episode but I don’t watch regularly due to not having cable. Josh Griffin had the opportunity to interview Jeff and I highly recommend reading it. Check it out on Josh’s blog.

http://www.morethandodgeball.com/2012/10/16/interview-with-jeff-foxworthy-host-of-the-american-bible-challenge-part-1/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+simplyjosh+%28MoreThanDodgeball.com%29 

 

Tonight’s random ramble.

So I haven’t posted for over a week. My goal is to post more often than that so I am going to ramble, to follow the true nature of the title of this… well blog. Life is insane with moving and trying to keep up with school and life. 

I feel very welcomed at the new church my wife and I attends. I am looking forward and trying to discern what God has planned. I have found something out while looking ahead. I HAVE NO CLUE! And that is okay with me. I see doors opening, relations building and I am getting pumped.

We are studying a book on Wednesday nights. It’s called Prodigal God by Timothy Keller. The church is 4 chapters in but we just started. One thing it has reminded me is how much I have missed reading and praying with my wife. When we dated and did it all the time. Sadly, I allowed life to get busy and stopped. I wonder if I lead like I’m supposed to. I think it’s time to step up more.  (One thing about writing a rambling post is the topic changes and my thoughts change constantly.) Anyways, it’s about the story of the prodigal sons and father. You should check it out! You will not look at that parable the same again. It also has been kicking me in the face. I have to self reflect and look at how I am just like the younger son and just like the elder son. (If you don’t know the story read Luke 15.) I have learned one thing. I have to self reflect a lot more. I need to look at my weeknesses and where I am struggling.

Well this ramble is done. Not profound but it’s something. I will hopefully post a real post here soon. One is brewing that I’m excited about but not quite ready to ramble about.

God bless.

To check out the book click the link below.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Prodigal-God-Recovering-Christian/dp/0525950796

3 Lessons From Moving

My wife and I are getting ready to make another big move. While we are packing, I am beginning to look back to some other moves I have made in my life. There are some trends I began to notice. Maybe it’s just me but there are some lessons I am beginning to look at from the mistakes I’ve made moving.

1. We pack away too much junk that we will never use.

I may be over critical. I am looking at how much my wife and I are blessed with stuff… and I wonder if there are items we will ever use. There are boxes in the attic that have yet to be opened in three years. There are totes full of decarations that never make it on a tree or out of the box. This items take up space. They take effort to move from room to room and place to place. It’s energy that’s being wasted.

Sometimes in our lives we allow the meaningless to take away all of our energy. We choose household chores rather than spening time with family. We allow busy work to overtake our connections. In church we may focus on the structure more than ministering. What clutter get’s in your way? Is it time to toss the junk?

2. Failure to look ahead and be prepared amplifies the loss of what’s important

It was my second time moving. I was in college and I had gotten sick. This put me behind in my class and I had to make a choice. I decided to drop because of being unable to keep up with college, work almost full time and spend time with my fiance. After dropping I had to move out and move out fast. I didn’t take an inventory of items, I did not label boxes and take care in packing. I just threw things in boxes and moved. This was a mistake, a BIG mistake. I lost something valuable in the move. My wife still holds it against me. I lost her class ring.

When we fail to plan and be organized we will lose what’s impoartant. Life gets chaotic. I know this. We have appointments to hold to, work, school, ministry, friendships and anything else that takes our time. It’s easy to forget to look ahead and get into a rut of looking day to day. I am very guilty of this. But, if we forget to plan ahead and take inventory of what’s important we will lose what is most valuable to us.

3. If you fail to unpack you will never get to use your gifts

After life change or after a move, you must unpack. It is always interesting to find what items that you forgot you had when you unpack. It amazes me how much quality stuff I have that I have never used because I forgot I had it. I’m excited to go through the boxes after we move and figure out the treasures that I have never used.

The same things happen in our personal lives. God has given us spiritual gifts and talents that we never use. We fail to look at what God has granted us in our lives. We must unpack our gifts and talents and see how God wants them used. This means we have to experiment. Try out some different ministries. Try couseling, teaching, praying, serving in any way shape and form. If we don’t we will never see the potential God has in our lives.

 There are many other ideas rambling in my head on what I personally need to learn from moving. This is only the beginning. Maybe you can relate, maybe not. This is my ramble for the day. God bless.

Where were you 9/11?

It is almost September 11th and I saw this video. It reminded me of where I was when the terrorists struck 11 years ago. I was walking in darkness at that time. It is crazy to think that I was in 8th grade when it happened and that the summer preceding was my most spiritual dark time since becoming a Christian. I was 8 when I was saved and baptized but I was a baby in my heart for the Lord.

The summer preceding 9/11 was a time that everything I did I was regretting. I use the excuse my family was falling apart. I use the shelter that I allowed my friends to become my family. I spent that summer smoking and drinking. I would look at the porn magazines my friends had and the stash that I had. At that point in time if a girl walked by and wanted to have sex I would have been ready right there. I spent that summer not caring what was right or wrong. I would talk to store owners and steal from them as I talked to them. I would curse so much as to cause the apostle Peter to blush. (He was a sailor you know.) I don’t share these things to bloat about how bad I was. I regret every bit of it. The worst was that this was all done after becoming a Christian.

This is where God took his spiritual 2 x 4 and knocked me upside the head. I was ditching school with my mom when the first plane hit. We were driving to Des Moines, IA to get me a padded chin strap for football. We were driving down the road when the first plane hit. We both figured it was a freak accident. Then when we were approaching Des Moines the second hit. We couldn’t believe it. The mall actually closed down but the outlining stores remained open. We went to Sears and just stood in front of their TVs watching what was going on.

This is where God began chiseling me. He began to chisel my hearts barrier of my anger and loneliness. Piece by piece the wall came tumbling down. People’s lives were being destroyed by 9/11. My heart began to cry out for those in the plans, the towers and the families. I saw people who were giving their lives to try to save a few people. My selfishness had gone away and God revealed to me the direction I was heading, the hurt and bitterness I was causing myself. He then gave me the choice, which path will I follow. Will I follow my self destruction or will I repent and follow His plans for good.

I knew I had to make a decision. Not for my family, not for my friends but between just me and God. I chose at that time to follow God and not be a rebellious Christian. There were tough decisions to make. There was loss of friends. There were family fights. I praise God for the wake-up call. I praise Him for not giving up on me. I praise Him for forgiveness and strength.

Mathew 11:28-30

 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

Eight Things a Husband CANNOT do

Eight Things a Husband CANNOT do

I just read this post by Perry Noble. He hits the nail on the head and I pray I don’t fall into any of these in my marriage. I sometimes struggle with zoning out, what do you struggle with?

Check it out at

http://www.perrynoble.com/2012/09/06/eight-things-a-husband-cannot-do/

The Church being the Church

It is great to be apart of a denomintation that is putting action to the words being taught. There is an unfounded ideal that churches only protests, argues and discriminates. Not too long ago many Christians (and non) got together and went to Chick Fil A to get food in support of freedom of speech. I saw many complaints that you don’t see Christians lining up to help communites and to feed people. Disaster Relief is a fine example of how the SBC does serve the needed. 83,500 meals have been served since Isaac struck and that number will continue to climb. There will be teams of volunteers that are sacrificing vacation or sacrifcing pay to go and serve not just physically but also spiritually. Check out this article at the Baptist Press.

http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38637

I’m Thankful for You

Life is in a constant transition. Right now I am preparing for the next step in the journey God has for my wife and me. I am looking back and thinking of how much Winterset has been and will always be in my heart a home. This town has been my home now for three years, for my wife it has been longer because she grew up there.

What has made it home for the last three years? My wife’s family is amazing. They have helped us with many needs along the way and I have had a couple opportunities to help them out as well. It has been a learning experience to accept help from family. It has been something new and something I am extremely thankful for.

God has put people in my life, in Winterset, to support growth and maturity. There aren’t enough words to explain the blessing my pastors have been in my life. They have mentored me. They have encouraged me. They have rebuked me. They have cared for me. God has blessed my life immensely with them. God gave them strength to take a risk by allowing me to take responsibilities with the church and with the youth. This taught me leadership and vision. I have witnessed firsthand how to cast vision to a group that may not begin on the same page but become united in the direction. I pray that someday I can bless people the way they have blessed me.

There are so many people that I don’t have time to mention, as well as I know you probably don’t want to take the time to read, that God has used to effect my life. I want to say thank you. I also want to share a passage with you. This passage is my prayer. You have leaders and friends in your life that have sacrificed for you, LIFT THEM UP! Praise God daily for them. I know they have prayed for and guided me beyond what I could imagine. It would be easy to look at a flaw and critique things that could have been different. A lot of people do that on the way to a new beginning. I refuse to because God has put them there to minister and they have. I praise God for you guys from the deepest depths of my heart.

REJOICE ALWAYS! God has been and will continue to do amazing things. Praise Him for it. I give praise because of the vision He’s brought to the church, for the strength He’s given people and for the lives I have seen changed. It is also God’s will for use to be thankful in all circumstances. For me, that means it’s not an option. It is what God wants for me and for you.

Thank you and

“The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.”

 

1 Thessalonians 5:12-28

Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, to acknowledge those who work hard among you, who care for you in the Lord and who admonish you. Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other.  And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone.  Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else.

 Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

Do not quench the Spirit. Do not treat prophecies with contempt 21 but test them all; hold on to what is good, reject every kind of evil.

 May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.

Brothers and sisters, pray for us. Greet all God’s people with a holy kiss.  I charge you before the Lord to have this letter read to all the brothers and sisters.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

 

Looking back, the last 25 years.

In about twenty minutes it is my birthday. It marks the end of one more year of the race called life. Another year of opportunities grasped and wasted. It has been one more year that I must reflect and ask “what have I done?” I’m actually turning 25 in 15 minutes. I will be a quarter of a century old. I’m finishing my 25^th year of the race.

As I look back over the last 25 years, I can’t help but look at awe in everything that has happened. Don’t worry; I won’t bore you with all the details. Many of you that will actually read this know many of the stories of my past by heart. There have been times of great sadness, when I wanted to give up and not live another day. I think back of high school and how many times I asked God that I would never wake up again. I praise God those times are over. As I look back I’m reminded of King David. How, he would praise God in the worst of it all. He would ask God to end his life because of the pressures of this world. He was persecuted by other nations. He was falling into sin. He was also a man after God’s own heart. Reading the Psalms I think of David as a bipolar teenager sometimes. High’s followed by the lows. I wonder if I’m wrong in that. In one breathe He was begging God for deliverance and in the next He was praising God for His mighty grace and power. One thing I will never forget from high school and the worst parts of my life is that God is my shelter. He is my strength. Troubles will come, and when they do His arms surround me.

These last 25 years have been amazing. I met my wife in high school. The way that happened is a joke only God can put together. Who knew that taking a girl to a study on how to study the Old Testament would lead to a relationship and a marriage! Our marriage was filled with a billion blessings. One of them was that my mother was able to make it. That was something I never believed would happen. Part of the problems of my high school time was that I didn’t believe my mom would live to my graduation. There were hospital trip after hospital trip. Then an amazing thing happened, something that I would have never believed unless I was there. God allowed me the privilege of walking her home to the arms of Christ. Now that’s a high point! At Casey’s, in Melcher Dallas Iowa she asked Jesus to save her. I was able to witness a partial miraculous healing that God did on her heart. Not just spiritually and emotionally, but physically as well. The month after she accepted Christ we went to the doctor. The doctor ran more tests. He found that her heart got STRONGER! Yes it was stronger! The doctor had never heard of such a thing with PPH. If memory serves me right, her heart went from pumping at %20 of a normal person’s heart to about %35. This was her confirmation that God was going to take care of her.

It is now officially my birthday. I have seen God do amazing things in my life. I have to ask myself, “what have I done in return?” I am in an ever pursuit of trying to get my thoughts organized and kept track of. During break today, at work, I downloaded Evernote again. I was able to log in under my old credentials. The last time I used it was over a year ago. In April of 2011 I imputed a dream I had in Evernote. I didn’t want to forget this dream so I wrote it in Evernote and forgot it, funny how that works. In this dream there was a bunch of random events. Towards the end of this dream I was talking to the cartoon grim reaper. I was probably watching the cartoon “The Grimm Adventures of Billy & Mandy” too much. I was talking to him about how much time I had left on earth and everything I wanted to do. He looked at the paper he held in his hand and said, “Well actually, you only have until next Tuesday.” I began to argue with him. Then he asked. “Why should you live? Are you really passionately following God?”

Now to be clear, I do not believe in the grim reaper. I do believe that God was telling me something in the dream. I woke up from it with a vivid recollection which I seldom have. The questions that grim asked me in it bugged me. Why? Because, God was the one asking me them! I look back through the rollercoaster of the last 25 years and I don’t believe I have lived passionately for God during most of it. There are highs, lows, twists and turns. I’ve made it through the tunnels and the loops and know I need to do more. God wants passion for our lives.

If you have read this far I want to share with you my heart. God wants me and you to live passionately for Him. I beg God the next 25 years will be filled with passion and boldness. One thing my mom taught me in her passing three years ago this Sunday is this. She was in a small group and she told them that every day she lays down. Due to her illness she doesn’t know if she would ever get up again. Yet, she knew she would get up again and when she did she was going to give Jesus a giant hug! Knowing Jesus is not about getting out of hell. It is a perk but that’s not the point! It’s about living your life for Him on Earth. Then turning around and spending eternity with Him! Get this, HE DIED, for me and for you. He did this out of love! The only thing He asks in return is for you to accept His gift. His death was the payment for anything and everything we have done wrong. He did it to reunite God’s children, us, back to a real relationship with Him.