Bearded Compliments

Recently I have been the recipient of several compliments. All having to do with my appearance. More specifically, all having to do with my facial hair. At first I was getting great compliments about the way that it looked. But I should have suspected something when all of them came from youth, more specifically from male youth between the ages of 15-18. If you have been following me on Twitter or are one of my friends on Facebook you might have seen that I have been growing out what I like to call a "man-beard". A man beard is simply facial hair that is grown out with little to no grooming with the hopes of being mistaken for a lumberjack. But on Father's day it would all change. Upon completion of my Father's day meal I took a pic and posted it on Twitpic, and much to my horror the beard looked grotesque and unsightly. This sparked me to shave it. Which in turn led to more "compliments", one as recent as today. Normally I would accept them with open arms basking in the radiance of people showering me with greatness. But these compliments in particular have been somewhat......how do I say it......RUDE!!!! The first one was on Saturday night while at church. This one, might I add, is more forgivable because it came from an 11 year old boy. While in conversation with the boy's father he decided to compliment me on my recent shave. "I see you shaved," said the boy. "It looks like you shaved thirty years off of your life." I didn't know how to respond to that. Did he just give me a reverse compliment? The other one was so graciously bestowed upon me by the check-in worker at the YMCA. You know the place where people go to exercise and feel better about themselves? Well before I could even begin to think better about myself the trend of "compliments" continued. As I handed my key chain for her to scan she looked at me oddly for a second and then her eyes became bright and she asked me if I had a beard the previous week. I told her that I did but that it was uncomfortable because of the heat. A lie of course. Then she said it. She said the most unexpected form of a compliment that I have ever received. Instead of saying, "You look good", or "What an amazing jaw line". She said, "Well......keep shaving." Keep shaving!?! What was that supposed to mean? Was that even meant to be nice. I had nothing to say in response. I was in shock. So I looked like a freak with my beard and now I look like Brad Pitt to you lady? What the heck!?!

From there I went. On with my day. On with my life trying to comprehend what has been going on with these people. I have come to two conclusions from this whole experience. One is that no one I know knows how to give a genuine compliment, and two I need to stop looking for compliments. I am only going to let myself down. I need to find value from God, not from others around me. If I look for it from others I will be hugely disappointed as you all have seen from this blog entry. Only God has the real view of you and it is one of love, respect, loyalty, honesty, and I could go on and on. So look to Him and you will be fine.

Be Mentioned

For sixteen verses in Romans 16, Paul gives his TRL style shout-outs to his peeps. From Pheobe, to Priscilla and Aquilla, to Adronicus to Plegon. Those last two sound like they are from the planet Zorkon of the Nebulal Quadrant (seriously they do). And while mentioning their names, he gives reasons, indirectly, why. While I never noticed this before, there are some pretty amazing people recognized. Some are known for their hospitality, their love of God, being the first follower of Christ in Asia (dang, that is sweet), two are known for sharing a jail cell while also being believers longer than Paul. The list goes on and on. But they are mentioned by name. He then goes on to mention those that are up to no good. The thing is that he doesn't waste ink on their names. He just says to avoid them and what they do. They are out for selfish reasons and to lead others astray.
I don't want to be the ones mentioned for the negativity they were known for. Their names are not even acknowledged, but I rather be named. I want to live a life that is worthy of God. I say so in the most humble of means. I want to be known for sticking my neck out there (vs 4), laboring much for the kingdom (vs. 6,12), being a fellow worker in Christ (vs. 3, 9), and being a beloved in the Lord (vs. 8). All the things mentioned were done so not for how great they made Paul feel or how great it made him look, but rather how they were living for Christ. The latter were warned against, almost black-listed. Paul wanted people to know what others were doing in the name of Christ.
I have often joked about wanting to be listed in the Bible if it were to be continually added to, but in some seriousness I do. I want to be known for a life that has been lived for God. I know that I have a long way to go, but with the Lord's help I can become what He wants me to become.

"Lord bring me to a place where I am known for loving You, loving others, and serving the world. Let it be the the light that you are shining through me. May I be an agent for the Kingdom rather than a destroyer of it. If anyone were to mention my name, let it be you." Let this be your prayer. Let this be something that defines you. Let this be why you are mentioned.

Encouraging Evangelism

Romans 15:21 says: "Those who were never told of him—they’ll see him! Those who’ve never heard of him— they’ll get the message!"

I don't think that this scripture only refers to those that have never heard the name "Jesus", but rather those who have never heard or encountered His character, His peace, His love, His grace, etc. People can know the Bible and know the name Jesus, but never trully know. There are a lot of Christians that know Him but don't trully KNOW Him. This is where they have never had a true encounter with Him. They are just going through the motions. So many people will say that they are Christians, but their lack of relationship with Jesus will play out in their actions and deeds. What is their fruit? What is my fruit? This is where we must continually be pressing into God so that we might KNOW Him. He will then use us so that others might have an encounter with Jesus. It is like when Christ calls Phillip to follow Him. He first ran and told his friend Nathaniel. At first Nathan was skeptical of Jesus, because he had not yet encountered Him. He even questioned if anything good came out of Nazareth. He did this because he just heard of the things that come from there. He had not trully investigated for himself. But when Christ revealed Himself to Nathan, an encounter happened and Nathan was transformed.

So like Phillip we must go and tell our friends, family, and coworkers about Christ and not become discouraged by the backlash but rather have them have an encounter with Christ. Then they will see and they will understand.

The Teachings of a Two Year Old

Lately it has seemed that our son's case of the terrible twos has errupted into a scene from the Exorcist movies. Not cool. But through it all God has been able to show my wife and I a lot. We have had our patience tried through a lot of bad behavior. Talking back, straight-out defiance, and a destructive spirit. Bekah and I were at our wits end at what to do or even how to parent. It came to a breaking point last night and this morning. Nathan woke up several times and wouldn't go to sleep. That was just the beginning. When we finally woke up Bekah got his breakfast, some cereal and grape juice. I was still lying in bed when she said that Nathan had thrown his cereal on the floor. This was not the climax. He then proceeded to throw his juice onto the floor. He then had the nerve to tell Bekah to clean it up. Needless to say a barage of emotions were expressed amongst the mess and exhaustion from the previous night's lack of sleep. After the dust cloud had settled and the morning turned into the afternoon God decided to used this mornings events and the past couple of weeks to speak to me.

"That is how you have been acting and treating Me." Ouch. "You have made the mess and have demanded that I clean it up." Oh my. Is this true? Is this how I have been treating my Father? Through my sins and my arrogance I have been acting like a two year old with no remorse. But God has a way of getting a hold of us. I was listening to a podcast this morning while I was running and the pastor referenced the scripture in Revelation where God will vomit us out of His mouth if we are luke-warm. As the speaker mentioned didn't say that He wants us to be 100% "on fire" for Him or the complete opposite and be cold and useless, but rather be refreshing as a ice cold drink on a hot summer's day or a hot cup of cocoa on a frigid winter's night. The point is that to be luke-warm is to be useless. The way that I have been in my spiritual walk lately has been that comfortable, complacent, content Christian.......USELESS.

God used my two year old son to show me that. Through my lacking and disregard for who God really is, He used my flesh and blood to teach me what I should know at 27 years of age. Thank you Father for my son and through humbling me and teaching me that you want me in 100% not in the middle. Make me a ice cold refreshment that is utterly consumed by flames of refinement and grace.

Get out of the way!!!

Something that struck me powerfully this morning is where I was reading in Romans 9. It first speaks of Paul's sorrow because of his people not accepting the fact that Jesus was who he said he was. It then goes into addressing the spiritual aspect of the lineage of Abraham. I never caught it before, but there has always been a "one or the other" situation with this. In verse 7 he states that the Jews will be defined with Isaac, he then goes on to talk about Jacob and Esau and how "the older will serve the younger". So here there is a clear line of who God has chosen, but it is not based on the works performed by either Isaac or Jacob but by God who called them.

So why did this stick out to me do you ask? Simply for the fact that in both these situations there are God moments and then there are man moments. With Abraham, he took it on his own to have a son with Hagar in which Ishmael is born and the Palestinians are descended. The other is the plot to have Jacob receive the birthright from Isaac. In which he did receive so deceitfully. In both these situations, man got in the way. This is much like all of us in every way. We choose to do it our way or God's way. Nine time out of ten it is our way.

In Galatians 4:21-31 Paul addresses the slave woman versus the free woman and how we are either born to the slave woman or born to the free woman. This in a sense is a warning to us that we can either choose to live in bondage because we do it our way, or we can choose to live in freedom because we do it God's way. Initially we are all in bondage to sin, but because of what Christ did for us we are now free.

So why remain in bondage? I know that there are many reasons why one would, but maybe knowing that if we do things God's way it will bring us freedom then we will choose this more often.

I would like to start living with the moniker, "It's either God's way or the highway", rather then the other well too practiced one. May God bless you and may you not get in the way so much.