Wow… Just came across this song and thought to myself: Shouldn’t we all be writing this song?

God, I’m not sure what path you are laying out ahead of me, but You are doing some amazing things with my heart, my mind, and my life right now. All things pointing in the same direction and all in unison. It’s as if the contents of my heart are being dumped out onto a page right in front of my eyes and as my eyes take it in, they agree 100% with what my heart is saying.  This is a very surreal experience. The same thing is happening with a book I’m reading called The Hole in Our Gospel. I couldn’t agree more with the contents of that book or the lyrics of this song. In my heart and mind, I’m packing my stuff and saying “Here am I, Lord… send me.”, I just don’t know where he’s sending me… yet. My eyes, ears, and heart are open, Lord. Enough of the labor pains, let’s have this baby already!
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Sometimes I
I just want to close my eyes
And act like everyone’s alright
When I know they’re not

This world needs God
But it’s easier to stand and watch
I could say a prayer and just move on
Like nothing’s wrong

But I refuse
‘Cause I don’t want to live like I don’t care
I don’t want to say another empty prayer
Oh, I refuse

To sit around and wait for someone else
To do what God has called me to do myself
Oh, I could choose
Not to move but I refuse

I can hear the least of these
Crying out so desperately
And I know we are the hands and feet
Of You, oh God

So, if You say move
It’s time for me to follow through
And do what I was made to do
Show them who You are

‘Cause I don’t want to live like I don’t care
I don’t want to say another empty prayer
Oh, I refuse

To sit around and wait for someone else
To do what God has called me to do myself
Oh, I could choose
Not to move but I refuse

To stand and watch the weary and lost
Cry out for help
I refuse to turn my back
And try and act like all is well

I refuse to stay unchanged
To wait another day, to die to myself
I refuse to make one more excuse

‘Cause I don’t want to live like I don’t care
I don’t want to say another empty prayer
Oh, I refuse

To sit around and wait for someone else
To do what God has called me to do myself
Oh, I could choose
Not to move but I refuse

I refuse
I refuse

I Refuse (Songwriters: Benjamin Glover; Joshua David Wilson)

…about me, that is.

In my 38 years of life, I have often “worried” about what people thought about me. I’ve always wanted to be seen as a “nice guy” who “cared about other people”. But here’s the deal: I don’t care what people think anymore. I don’t care if they think I’m weird. I don’t care if they don’t like how I live. I don’t care if they like the choices I make. I don’t care if they like the people I hang out with. I don’t care if they like my tattoo, or my bald head, or the style of facial hair I choose to wear on a particular day of the week. I don’t care if they like the way I dress or the fact that I am a geek. I don’t care if they like my shoes or my house or the style of glasses sitting on the bridge of my nose.

BUT…. I do care how people see me as a follower of Jesus Christ. I’m glad that people think I’m weird because I don’t like a lot of the things in this world.

1. I’m not crazy about material possessions; I have better things to do with my money than to “own stuff”. I have nothing against you owning stuff, and I’ve owned my share of stuff, but I don’t need it just for the sake of having it. If it doesn’t have a purpose in helping others come to know Christ or if I can’t share it with others, then I don’t need it.
2. I don’t like sin, but I don’t judge others for their sin. That is not my job, it is God’s. And if I choose to have friends who “look like sinners”, it’s because I care about them and want them to know Christ through knowing me. The apostle Paul said: “I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some.” I don’t like the fact that, as the church, we have somehow gotten the idea that being a Christian means being offended by everything. We are so busy criticizing everyone around us that we forget to love them. When Jesus told us to “Go…” He didn’t mean to “Go be offended by everything!” His Great Commission was to “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” His greatest commandment was to “love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.” He said the second greatest commandment was to “love thy neighbor as thyself.” I know God hates sin and we should hate sin, too… but I have never read any teaching of Christ that says we should hate the sinner! On the contrary, we are supposed to love people and teach them about the love of God and the good news of Jesus Christ.
3. A lot of the Christians I know think I’m nuts. But I have to say: There is a mile-wide gap between “knowing Jesus Christ is your savior” and “knowing Him as Lord”. Dr. Randy Davis was able to articulate this in a way I had never quite heard before when he said: “The ‘lordship’ of Jesus Christ is different than knowing Him as your Savior. When you know Christ as ‘Lord’ then things in your life are different and you live your life for Him.” END QUOTE.
   I know that the act of doing good things does not get you into heaven, but I believe that there should be evidence of your salvation through the way you live your life. If we are living the same way the rest of the world lives, then we are missing the boat. I think that’s what Christ meant when he said “Not everyone who says to Me, “Lord, Lord,” shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.”
   
4. “Holier than thou” isn’t a bad thing… it just depends on how it is presented to the world. If it is a  mean-spirited and judgmental attitude towards others then it is wrong. But If it means offering our lives through obedience to the will of God, then it is absolutely right! Being righteous is a good thing; being SELF-righteous is a bad thing. Being holy is a good thing when it means setting yourself apart as a holy, living sacrifice to God. Turning that into  judgmental self-righteousness is wrong. If I may be so bold, this is what keeps millions of people from coming to know Christ… the self-righteous attitude of many Christians sitting in church pews who have somehow gotten it wrong. Condemning people to hell is not the same thing as loving them to Christ.
5. Worship doesn’t sanctify your life; your life sanctifies your worship. Sanctify (v) – To make holy; purify. A buddy of mine, Rob Harris, preached a sermon on this topic years ago and I have never forgotten it. One of the best sermons I’ve ever heard. The fact that you attend church on Sunday doesn’t make you any better than anyone else. If you go to church on Sunday with the idea that it sanctifies the rest of your week then you’ve got it backwards. Instead, the way you live your life all week long makes your worship on Sundays pleasing to God… not the other way around. If you live a sinful life all week, then you go to church on Sunday hoping to make it right, I think God knows better. It’s called hypocrisy and is another thing that keeps people from coming to church.

Well, that is the longest rant I’ve had a quite some time. I just had to get some things off my chest that have really been bothering me lately. I know a lot of people, myself included, who have gotten mixed up over the years. But if we boil it all down, Christ said to “GO” and to “LOVE”. He wants us to care about people, not to hate them. Hate the sin, love the sinner. And understand that “we are all sinners who have fallen short of the glory of God.” I wish my church had a big, fat banner outside that said “SINNERS WELCOME”. Maybe I’ll suggest that at the next board meeting to see how it goes. :D

Three men working on a building site were asked what they were doing. One said “I’m earning a living.” The second said “I’m filling this truck with dirt and dropping it over there.” The third said “I’m building a cathedral for the glory of God.” All three answered accurately, but their perceptions of their work varied widely.

Paul, talking about the Good News, said, “I, Paul, have been appointed by God to proclaim it” Colossians 1:23. He could have said, “I’m doing it because somebody’s got to do it.” But his insistence that he had been “appointed by God” showed his sense of calling. This was something that God had given him to do, so he was going to do it to “honor and please the Lord” Colossians 1:10 Paul’s focus was on doing his work in such a way that the Lord would be honored and pleased. Paul worked very hard at this as “Christ’s mighty power” worked in him. Colossians 1:29.

One might argue, “Well, that’s alright for an apostle. Of course he was ‘called’, but what about the rest of us? We just go to work to get the job done and earn a living!” Hardly, according to scripture. Paul, addressing slaves, said, “Work hard and cheerfully at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people” Colossians 3:23. Even a slave’s work is significant because it can be done for God.

This understanding stimulates a man to look at his work through new eyes. He is doing something for the Lord – not just for himself, his family, his foreman, or his stockholders! Hopefully he derives some satisfaction from doing a good job, presumably his family is pleased they have food to eat, and his superiors smile approvingly when he helps the bottom line grow. But God also derives satisfaction from seeing a man work. This elevates his workday into a new realm – a man is presenting something as a sacrifice to the Lord. As he utilizes his time, energy, and abilities, he is glorifying God who made him.

To work at this higher level of purpose, a man must look for new resources. Human doggedness can keep a man at a mundane job, and the thought of Friday can get a man through a weary week. But what can motivate a man to see the simplest task as an act of worship? Only the power of God at work in his heart!

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An excerpt from: Daily Study Bible for Men [New Living Translation], by D. Stuart Briscoe and Tyndale House Publishers

I had to digest what happened last week before I could write about it. As you all know by now, we are adopting a little girl from Africa. My coworkers at the Tennessee Baptist Convention found out about the expenses involved and decided their Christmas Project would be to raise money to help us pay for some of those expenses. Wednesday through Friday, they had some very creative ways to raise money: a pot-luck brunch for donations, a bake sale, an auction of certain unnamed people’s time to perform various activities (washing cars, running errands, etc.) and had a gift wrapping station to wrap gifts for donations. Here’s the amazing part: they raised a grand total of $3,409.47! Praise, honor and glory to God! Thank you, Lord for using these people to bless us and our little girl. Thank you for the generosity you placed in their hearts on those days.

We were able to get an amazing deal on airfare (another praise), so the money raised has paid for the round trip airfare to Africa, as well as, the hotel accommodations in country for the first trip.

I find it amazing, truly amazing and humbling, that God puts the right people, with the right resources, at the right time in our lives to accomplish the tasks he sets before us. When you are seeking God’s will for your life, I believe that is the time he blesses your life with the tools you need in order to do His will here on Earth.

After the fundraiser was over, my buddy, Mike Salva made a very generous offer to auction off some supremely cool, geeky items to benefit the adoption of our little girl. Mike is not only an artist and animator of cartoons, but he has also collected some very cool movie and cartoon memorabilia over the years. He had a collection of cinematic movie kiosk posters that he offered to sell off to benefit the adoption. See the auction here. Yet another heartfelt and amazing sacrificial gift given to help. Being a geek myself, I struggled with the idea of accepting this gift from Mike. I protested, he said “Hush!”. I debated, he said “Hush!” my wife insisted he keep them, he said “Hush!” Mike is a great man who I have come to know as “Friend.” The kind of friend to whom you say “Anything you need, I’ll be there.”… and you actually mean it!

Truly, One Servant Family has a new meaning to me today as I want to say a very, very sincere and heartfelt thank you to every person who helped in any way to pull off this fundraiser.  William even danced in a Santa suit in the lobby and subjected himself to humility on our behalf! I can’t thank you all enough, so I will just say this: Although I don’t like being on the receiving end of a project (yes, I do know pride is a sin and I’m working on that), I am humbled by the love our brothers and sisters in Christ and we love knowing that God used all of you to impact our lives significantly. We will never forget your support. You have become a part of our daughter’s story forever and we will tell her of your love as part of her story. We plan to teach her of her heritage– where she comes from, how the Lord brought her into our family, and of the many people he used to make it happen. She will be loved beyond measure.

If we can ask one more thing of you, we would ask that you continue to pray for her safety, comfort, happiness, health and protection. Please pray specifically for the court date on February 7th, which is the day they will legally make her ours in the country of Ethiopia. Our prayer is that the court date goes smoothly and our case passes court the first time. Please pray for safe travels to and from Africa for Eve and Marty.

Also, please join me in praying for her biological father who selflessly begged the authorities to save his little girl. Pray for the loss he feels and for God’s peace to be in his heart with the knowledge that she will be loved and well cared for. We can’t thank you enough; please just know that we are eternally grateful for your help, prayers, and support.

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Royce and Eve