Re-alignment

I promise to keep it shorter this week!

Based on the 'prime directive of humanity' according to the Bible, we are to glorify God. We glorify God by keeping His commandments. We are commanded, among other things, to share the Gospel with the world.

If that is really our primary focus in life, then why do we waste so much time with everything else?

Let me illustrate that a little... Our family pastor at our home church, a truly gifted man, was talking about the importance of making the most of every minute that we have with our children. He did this by having 3 jars of colored skittles candies. In one jar, about 70% of the candy represented the time our children are under the influence of teachers and peers at school. In another jar, 25% or so represented the time that parents have with their children. (Typically after school and weekends.) The remaining 5% was the time that our children have with Christian leaders in church - Sunday school and youth group.

That illustration hit me like a brick and I do not know why God chose to use that so powerfully to provoke changes in my life, but he did.

70% of the time they are being influenced by teachers and peers...

We were in a good school district. My daughter had a great teacher. My son - not so much. They were learning reading, math, science (not Creation-based), history (not of God and the church or even accurate accounts of the founding of our country), writing and LOTS of attitude from the other kids. It wasn't the teachers... it was a curriculum which has eliminated God from it. Many teachers, like my daughter's, were deeply saddened by that fact, too. I remember learning about the 10 Commandments in school as citizenship and praying before school, at lunch and at sports events. I am not 40 yet... so it wasn't so long ago. My children were not learning anything about the God who was supposed to be the center of all life to them for all of their lives and eternity from 7:15am to 3pm every day.

70% of the time...

Well, let's move on to my 25%. I could make up for it, right? They could learn from me, in a fraction of the time, the tenets of our faith and how to incorporate God's glory into every topic and subject. Just by witnessing our lives, they would get enough. Right? Yeah, right.

They got home from school and we started homework. Typically, 2 hours or so of homework each night. Then, time for dinner. Next, dishes and cleanup and baths and night prayers and off to bed! But, there's always the weekend.

Typical Saturday at our house: everyone sleeps late because we can. We use it to catch up on everything we couldn't do all week. The kids usually want to spend time outside with their friends. They come home at sunset and then it's dinner, some tv, baths and bed. Even if we set aside one Saturday a month, it wouldn't be enough. But, it would be something.

Sunday was a day of church, ministry and laundry to get ready for the next week.

When, exactly, am I going to make an impact that offsets - and sometimes even directly conflicts with - what they learned during 70% of their week? I'm not. I can't. Not with the schedule that the 'world' has set and I have accepted.

It's okay, though, right? The Sunday school teacher will drive home the point and that 5% interaction and "God time" will be enough to make up for the 95% that was not.

Look, I was a Sunday school teacher. I loved the children and their precious faces when they understood the lesson and the love of our savior. But, other parents' schedules were just like mine all week. Memory verses were typically learned the Saturday before church and not brought up again as we moved on. Lessons were not reinforced through the week; not because of bad parenting, but because we were living lives of Christians deceived by the lifestyle of this world that says we are too busy to do another thing.

I am preaching to no one but myself here... sharing my thoughts with you, my friends. But, if you feel convicted, pray and think it through.

What could we do about it? We have bills. We need food. We have a house payment. We have to provide for our family.

FATAL ERROR IN THOUGHT: 'WE' have to provide for our family. Not our place. Not our job. Not our right. God says that HE will provide. Does that mean we stop working and just wait for dollars to come raining down from Heaven? No, of course not. It means that we look hard at what we are spending and how much of it is glorifying God vs glorifying ourselves by padding our lifestyle, our comfort? Then, when it's whittled down to what we truly 'need', we pray for wisdom on how we can trust Him to allow one of us to stay home with the children for a larger chunk of that 70% of time - home-schooling.

Let's get down to what we NEED. I Timothy 6:8 says "But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that."

What??? What about electricity and cable tv and weekly date nights and summer vacation and my hair color (no, I'm not a natural blond/red/brunette-head)... the list went on. JUST food and clothing?

Nope - not in there. I should be content if I have food and clothing. EVERYTHING ELSE OVER AND BEYOND THAT IS A BLESSING FROM GOD - but can quickly also be a distraction from God and, therefore, become a stumbling block.

Litmus test: Does it glorify God? Does my use of it glorify God? Are my children learning how to glorify God through it?

I will wind this down by telling you what we have done so far as we try to come out of the ways of the world - not hide or isolate ourselves, but truly live for God - and attempt to get back to life as He defines it for us.

1. Cable TV - gone. There was little to nothing on television that glorified Him, educated us about Him or was not about sexuality, sensuality, lies, deceit, drama and things NOT of His making. We still have TVs, local channels, and watch DVDs 90% of the time. I still watch Kitchen Nightmares and CSI. Praying about the lines there... I know it doesn't glorify Him... but I like it. Still working on it, too.

2. Public school - gone. We are homeschooling using a Christ-centered curriculum. Writing is important - we have to correspond to share God's word and encourage our brothers and sisters and record His greatness in our lives as a testimony to others. Math is important to becoming good stewards of all that He will bless us with. History is important - we need to appreciate the active involvement of God in the lives of those who lived before us and how He shapes history. Science is important - how can we truly appreciate the wonder of an eternal God without limits without seeing His creation - spoken into being - and investigating His provision for us? The Bible - that goes without saying. His word IS life. We can't know the character of the God we serve or how to glorify Him without knowing His word. For us, Spanish. We can serve as a family in diverse environments with the knowledge of the language of another culture.

3. Frivolous spending - working on that one. It is HARD not to go out to eat and to movies and such. No, I do not think it's wrong to go out to eat. UNLESS you are in debt, owe others, and should use the money for that. We are not supposed to be in debt. Romans 13:8. Proverbs 22:7. So, until we get everything paid off, we should not be spending money on frivolous things. I am not great at this one yet and praying to be better.

4. Stop depending on the world, the government or ourselves to provide. Rely on God alone to provide what we need, when we need it, and bless us as He sees fit. He has provided David with a stable job. He provides me with work for my business every month. He provided us with a beautiful home that we can share with others and precious time with my grandfather. We have started on truly living by faith... but, man, it's hard. My mind screams out telling me to take control and take on more work to make more money and get more 'freedom' and make sure we are 'secure'. (Which, of course means less time with the children, less time with God and less time ministering to my grandfather and neighbors.) More on that coming later.

You get the gist? Everything HAS TO glorify Him. Point back to Him. Instruct us about Him. It IS all about Him. At least, it should be...

In my mind, even as I write, I am arguing with myself. This is hard. It goes against everything I have ever been taught in my life by parents, most friends, society and leaders. It is hard for the children because we have not lived this way. We have lived for ourselves, calling ourselves Christ-followers, but living for ourselves and not Him. We have been deceived and have fallen very short of the goal that He intends for us. I am brought to my knees in repentance and pray for forgiveness from a merciful God. Call me crazy, call me a zealot... but in the end, I pray He will call me a good and faithful servant.

At the point where faith fights self...

So - this is a little heavy for a Friday morning conversation, and not likely to be popular amongst many. But, I am going to voice my opinion anyway.

I have struggled with trying to do the 'right thing' for years. When I was a general manager at a manufacturing business making about $90k per year, I was convinced that the 'right thing' was to make really good money so that I could give my children everything they needed and most of what they wanted. The 'right thing' was for me to build a career, feel empowered, be independent and financially secure in case my marriage failed. The win: great income, cool vacations, self-confidence (ok, cockiness) galore. The price: time with family, commitment to marriage, incredible stress, insanely long hours, little active part in children's lives, no time for God - besides, I was doing fine on my own.

After experiencing some very painful losses, I was forced to re-evaluate my thinking, my priorities, and my relationship with Christ. I did walk away from that position - and the paycheck - it was the 'right thing' to do, after all.

The battle has raged on, to varying depths of conviction, since then. To make matters worse, it has extended from battling over what is right for me to also struggling with what is right for my family, my children. You see, when you give up your life, truly forfeit the right to 'do it on your own', you allow the Holy Spirit to speak loud and clear.

No, I am not a religious freak who hears voices and judges the world. I am not very religious at all, in fact, and am more often the one being judged for not having better judgment - at least as the 'Christian' world judges things.

To understand my journey you need to know what I believe.

I believe that there is one decision in life that is the most important decision facing every human being ever born. The decision to follow Jesus Christ or not. All other decisions pale in comparison; no, they become almost transparent by comparison.

I am just a human being that believes in a single, Holy God who created humanity to glorify Him. We failed. Even though the first humans lived in paradise with no death, disease, hunger or suffering, they were unable to resist temptation and follow a single rule. In their foolishness and desire to 'be' God (have all knowledge), they were deceived by a fallen angel, Lucifer, in the form of a snake. They gave in to temptation, disobeyed the one rule they had and separated themselves from God. They earned a curse for all humanity - us. They were expelled from paradise. Future generations would suffer hunger, death, illness, pain... and have to pay for their sins against God by blood. That is, by sacrificing animals.

Not a very hopeful inheritance for us, right? Sure, He could have just wiped us all out as a Creation and started over. But, there was something in us that He loved dearly. Rather than condemn us to certain death - eternity without Him, He permitted a part of Himself - one in mind but separate in body thus fully man and fully God, to be born to a virgin here on Earth. Now, how'd that happen? Who knows! He is God - Eternal - and definitely beyond my puny comprehension. I would like to ask when I get there, though.

In the person of His son, Jesus Christ lived a sinless life on Earth. He was tempted by the same things that we face today: fear, lust, hunger, power... But, He didn't give in. He was the perfect, spotless, untarnished sacrifice - the Lamb of God.

He was betrayed, tortured and killed by crucifixion. Could He have called down the angels of Heaven of God Himself to save Him? I believe so, yes. But, He knew that the only way that humanity could possibly have eternal life after death and be in the presence of a just and Holy God was through His sacrifice. Even in His last breath, He asked for our forgiveness. He died for all of us.

Had He simply died, it would have been a valiant death and Jesus a man worthy of praise. But, that is not how it was to end. If He were truly fully God, and truly Eternal, He could not die. You can't kill an Eternal God. On the third day after His death, witnessed by many, He rose from the dead. It is documented that He was seen by many people, many whom had witnessed His death. He conquered death. He is fully God, eternal.

He ascended into Heaven, to prepare a place for all believers, and will return one day to claim His people. God did not leave us alone, though, once Christ returned to Heaven. He left a part of Himself with us in the form of the Holy Spirit. That Spirit becomes a part of every person who becomes a believer in Christ the moment that he or she accepts Christ as his/her savior.

So - what's that do for us today? Here's what I believe...

We all sin. I sin. We have inherited a legacy of depravity handed down since the first sin and the battle between serving ourselves and obeying the will of God is very real and present in us. What is sin? Anything that goes against the will of God. What's the will of God? We really can only know His character, His will, by reading the Bible. But, there is in every single human a sense of right and wrong. You have felt it... even young children never exposed to a moral code feel it. Sometimes, it is a small voice, an inner 'nagging' that tells us we are right or wrong by appealing to our conscious. The Holy Spirit is not limited to being a small, inner voice though. It is, after all, a part of God who is limitless.

We can't do lots of good work to have eternal life after death. It isn't enough to 'be a good person' or to just 'never kill anyone'. The gift of Eternal life purchased for us through the death of Christ is free to anyone who will: 1.) Acknowledge that you are a sinner, in need of a Savior, Jesus Christ. 2.) Believe that Christ is the only way to eternal life after death in Heaven with God, the Creator, the One True God. 2.) Pray. Ask forgiveness for your sins against God and turn away from the sin (repent). It isn't enough to ask forgiveness and keep doing it. True Christianity requires that you turn away from the sin. You are going to slip up, we all do and no one is perfect. But, you have to leave the sinful ways behind. You do not have to 'clean up' your life before you accept Christ as your Savior... but you do have to - and will want to - change your life afterward. (And you will have divine help in doing just that!)

Believe me, my life was NOT that of a virtuous, honest young maiden skipping innocently through the garden of life. Who I am today, through Christ, is not who I was without Him - and I am still learning and changing.

You will not automatically be transformed into a perfect individual with never a stressful moment in life. But, you have accepted Christ and the Holy Spirit will become a part of you. Your life will change - you will change - from the inside out. You will face struggles, temptation and pain - salvation does not make us immune to the curse on the Earth for the disobedience of our ancient parents. But, you will have hope in knowing that God has it under control. He knows every struggle. “All things work together for the good of those that love the Lord and are called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28

Once you have accepted Christ, your desire is to learn more about this God that you serve. Start by reading the Bible, joining a local church group, and pray. Prayer is simply talking to God just as you would talk to your Father. It doesn't have to be through another person or performed with great ceremony. Just talk... he knows your heart without the fancy words.

As He starts opening your eyes to areas of sin in your life, and there will be areas of sin, you should confess those sins, ask forgiveness and turn away from them. In time, you will not desire to to those things anymore.

As your relationship grows deeper, you will become aware of things that are keeping you from serving your full potential for His glory. This is where things get a little more uncomfortable. This is the place that tells you, as a mother for example, that your priority is the care of your family and home and not that great career that takes you away from home 50 hours a week. It tells you, as a father, that you have the responsibility to be the spiritual leader in your home and not leave it to your wife.

Lots of folks will not like those statements. It doesn't make them any less true.

So - now that you know what I believe to be true, I will continue with my story.

I am in that place now in my relationship with Christ that requires me to put up or shut up. My prayer has been, for a long time, to change my life so that I will hear - while standing before God in Heaven - 'well done, good and faithful servant'. That is my life's goal. But, that requires me to live a life very counter-culture to the world today. I thought I had surrendered everything to Him... but, He's showing me that I am still holding on to the ideas of this fallen World.

Here's the dilemma in a nutshell. We are created to glorify God. We are instructed, as Christians, to spread the message of salvation so that others may be saved, too. That is the most important job we can ever do. (Not go beat folks with a Bible until they pray for repentance out of fear or frustration or just to shut us up. Not to go to bed feeling guilty because no one was 'converted' by you that day. But to tell people about God's love, Jesus Christ and His offer for eternal life and let God work on their hearts and bring them to a decision. We plant the seed, God makes it grow or wither away.

That is life. Accept Christ. Live life to glorify God. Tell others so they can make the choice, too.

How much of our lives today - even as Christians - reflect that purpose? How are we preparing our children to live life with their primary goal being - not to get a good job and be successful - but to share the gospel of Christ?

I know that in our home, we spend a majority of the time on stuff not even close to equipping our children for that purpose and living lives that glorify God rather than ourselves and our own desires. We home-school and do spend time on studying God's Word... but our priority is NOT on Him, His Kingdom or His glory.

This post has been far too long already... I will post next week on how our family is making changes to align our priorities in life with God's will for us.