Pop Quiz

In college, I worked as a server at a restaurant in Anderson. As the evening staff came in, we were pulled aside and informed that the restaurant would be closing forever at the end of the evening. Needless to say, it was an interesting night. We provided lousy service, and horrible food. One customer complained, and asked to see the owner. When the owner refused to do anything to correct the woman’s order, she exclaimed, “I’m never coming here again!” The owner just smiled and said, “You know what? You’re right!”

Sometimes there is not a warning for things that happen to us. In fact, most of the time we are taken by surprise at many of life’s twists and turns. You may head out to work just as you do each day, only to find a flat tire or that the car won’t start. You may receive an unexpected phone call or letter that changes your day.

Often we feel like we are back in a classroom and the teacher announces a pop quiz that we are terribly unprepared for. However, the reason teachers give pop quizzes is because they believe their students should have enough knowledge accumulated to be able to pass it. The information was already given by the instructor and from the textbook, so there should be no problem with the test.

I had a professor in Seminary who would give us a list of possible questions for every major test in his class. He would list 25 or 30 questions and tell us that ten of those would be on the test in the exact form listed. There was absolutely no reason for anyone to not perform well on his exams. However, many still found it difficult to make an “A”. Why was it difficult to make an exceptional grade? Because he expected perfection. After all, he gave us the questions to the test. Any mistakes were graded harshly. He gave us every opportunity to succeed. The choice was ours to diligently prepare, or merely guess which questions would be on the test.

God has given us fair warning about our lives, and the upcoming test that is involved at the end of them. We will all either take this test when we die or when we meet Him in the air. It is a simple test, and like my professor, He has given us both the question and the answer already.

On test day, we will be asked if we accepted the free gift of salvation through Jesus Christ. If so, we pass the test. If not, then we fail. Sounds simple, doesn’t it? However, just as there were those who disregarded the warnings from my professor, there will be many who disregard the warnings of Jesus. Many times they don’t disregard spitefully. They simply think they have more time to get things in order.

Jesus illustrates this several times in the scriptures. In one parable, Jesus tells the story of the ten virgins who were waiting on the bridegroom. Five of them kept everything ready for his arrival, while the other five did not prepare. When the bridegroom arrives, he takes the first five with him, while the others scramble around to get everything together. They get left behind. (Matthew 25:1-13)

Do not fail the test given by the Master when that day comes. Make sure you are ready at all times. We never know when He may come for us to take us with Him to Heaven, or when we may meet the end of our lives on this earth.

While there is no guarantee of when it will happen, there is a guarantee that it will happen. We have been provided everything we need in order to hear Him say, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.”

Would you pass that pop quiz today? If not, please contact me, your minister, a Christian friend, or anyone who can help lead you to the One who can change your life forever. To find out more about becoming a Christian, follow this link. http://www.sbc.net/knowjesus/theplan.asp

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. (Matthew 7:21)

If you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. (Romans 10:9-10)

For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. (John 3:16)

Be Prepared

I was never a Boy Scout, Cub Scout, or otherwise. For some reason, my generation thought that it wasn’t “cool” to be a Boy Scout. I’m not sure if it was the uniform or the outdoor skills that we thought we were above, but my friends and I refused to be associated with them. However, my son is now a Cub Scout and I am having a great time experiencing scouting with him.
(Click the title "Be Prepared" above to transfer the the Boy Scouts of America website.)

This past Saturday, we had the opportunity to race in the district Pinewood Derby. After our car crashed at the previous race with our local scout pack, we made some adjustments to the wheel that came off and thought we were going to do well. Believe it or not, the same wheel came off at the district race. I was very disappointed and couldn’t help but think of all the things we could have done to the car to be better prepared.

The Boy Scouts motto is one that almost all of us have heard. The words “Be Prepared” can be recited by most of us even if we were never Scouts. However, the entire motto reads as follows; “The Scout motto is BE PREPARED. A scout prepares for whatever comes his way by learning all he can. He keeps himself strong, healthy, and ready to meet the challenges of life.”

Preparedness is crucial to getting things done correctly and efficiently. I read a news story a while back, about a robbery attempt in Benicia, California. Two armed men in ski masks had picked a cashless credit union to rob. A "cashless credit union" is where the money is deposited into a vault inaccessible to most employees. The men fled the scene, and no one was injured. One police officer was quoted as saying, "Apparently they weren't really prepared."

This reminded me of a robbery attempt that happened when I was a banker in Taylors, SC. Three hooded men got out of a pickup truck and attempted to come into the bank, hoods and all. When they tried to enter my branch, the doors wouldn’t open. We had magnetic doors at the branch that had to be released manually from inside. Obviously, we were not going to let in three men wearing hoods and facemasks!! The poor guys just weren’t prepared. They couldn’t even be good bank robbers.

God calls us to be prepared, to be ready, and to be the best. Colossians 3:22-24 reads, Slaves, obey your human masters in everything; don't work only while being watched, in order to please men, but [work] wholeheartedly, fearing the Lord. Whatever you do, do it enthusiastically, as something done for the Lord and not for men, knowing that you will receive the reward of an inheritance from the Lord—you serve the Lord Christ. (Holman Christian Standard Bible)

In other words, no matter if you are a plumber, carpenter, preacher, teacher, or even bank robber, you are to perform that task as if you are serving the Lord. By obeying this Biblical principle, we turn every ordinary mundane task into something that requires us to be the best.

In order to be the best, we must be prepared. No athlete trains to come in second or third or last. A true athlete’s heart and vision always sees the victory celebration, not the anguish of failure. It keeps the athlete strong and pushing on when he or she would rather not even get out of bed.

If we truly understand the greatness of the prize that lies before us, if we genuinely grasp the vision of the victory celebration in heaven with our Heavenly Father and loved ones, if we could hear our savior cheering us onward, we would never spend our time doing anything but preparing and training for the race we are in.

Training for this race is simple. We need to study God’s word, Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. (2 Timothy 2:15) we need to pray constantly, Pray without ceasing.(1 Thessalonians 5:17) and seek God in every decision we have to make.

Be the best Christian you can be!

You've all been to the stadium and seen the athletes race. Everyone runs; one wins. Run to win. All good athletes train hard. They do it for a gold medal that tarnishes and fades. You're after one that's gold eternally. (1 Corinthians 9:24 The Message)

Daylight Saving Time

Daylight Saving Time, either you hate it or love it. There are many who simply wish that we would never have to change our clocks ahead or back an hour. We usually hear these arguments in the spring, when we “lose an hour of sleep”. However, there are many more who enjoy the extra time in the sun at the end of the day.

I really have no preference in the matter. I like being able to do more in the evenings before it gets dark, but I pretty much go with whatever daylight I have. The only bothersome thing I have found about Daylight Saving Time is trying to get our kids to adjust. It is difficult to make them begin the bedtime routine when it is still light outside. However, after a week or so, it becomes less of a problem.

Since we moved our clocks forward this weekend, I have been thinking about the whole issue. Did you know that DST was first proposed by Benjamin Franklin in 1784? It wasn’t tried until some European countries adopted the practice during World War I. In 1918, the United States put it into practice, but it proved unpopular and was discontinued in 1919.

DST was adopted again during World War II and was called “war time”. After the war in 1945, states, cities and towns could choose whether or not to observe it. It was only in 1966 that Congress passed the Uniform Time Act, stating when DST should start and end. Even then, states could decide if they wished to adopt the practice or not.

The language used when people refer to DST is very interesting. We talk about “losing or gaining an hour of sleep”. I have heard people say that we “get an extra hour of daylight”. Perhaps you have said similar things. The truth is, we still have a 24-hour day. The sun is out the same amount of time each day, regardless what our clocks tell us. We do have shorter days in the winter and longer ones in the summer due to the Earth’s orbit, but switching our clocks back and forth does not give us extra daytime or rob us of the sun’s rays.

We like language that makes us feel good about ourselves. Referring to DST in this way makes us feel like we have some control of the Earth, when all we are doing is shifting things that we can control like our watches. Just because I move my watch ahead to 5PM at 2PM does not mean I can go home from work. It just means I have shifted my personal guideline for time.

We make these shifts in our walk with Christ also. We believe because we do good deeds, attend church, love puppies and children, buy Girl Scout cookies, and obey most traffic signs, that we somehow earn good graces with God. This is simply providing a smoke screen and God can see right through it.

Just as there are only 24 hours in a day, no matter how we measure it, there is only one way to have a relationship with God. Jesus shed His blood so that we would have full access to the One who created us. Call your good deeds what you like, but they will not earn you a place in Heaven. Call upon the One who is Light, and He will guide you with a light everlasting.

Then God said, “Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years. (Genesis 1:14)

Life was in Him [Jesus], and that life was the light of men. That light shines in the darkness, yet the darkness did not overcome it. There was a man named John who was sent from God. He came as a witness to testify about the light, so that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but he came to testify about the light. The true light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. (John 1:4-9 HCSB)

Snow Day!

This past weekend, my family and I went for an overnight trip to Stone Mountain, Georgia. We didn’t go for the laser show or to see the view from the top. We went to play in the snow!

If you have not heard, for the months of January and February, Stone Mountain Park becomes Snow Mountain. They use the water from Stone Mountain Lake to make snow. Then they blow it all over the slope where you usually sit to watch the laser show. Check out their website here http://www.snowmountainpark.com/

There’s plenty to do there. They have built a 400 ft snow hill with lanes for tubing, an area to make the ultimate snowman (or snowperson for the PC people out there.), and a place to make a snow fort and have a snowball fight. (By the way, my son won the fight when he smacked me right between the eyes with a fastball.)

The great part about all of this is that it was in the high 60’s, but we got to play in the snow! What an unexpected treat! We had a great time, and I highly recommend it.

I thought about how paradoxical the whole day was. We traveled 3 hours southwest, in 60-70 degree weather to play in the snow in a place where we normally go in the summer. While I was throwing snowball at my son, I noticed a guy outside the snow area who was jogging with shorts and a t-shirt on.

The God we serve loves just such paradoxes. He tells us that in order to receive, we must give; in order to lead, we must serve; in order to live, we must die.

God wants us to look for Him in the most unlikely places. Instead of finding the Creator of the universe in a palace or on a high mountain, He says to find Him in the hungry, thirsty, sick and imprisoned. He says to look for Him in the praises of His people. He says that He dwells in our hearts.

God comes to us in unexpected ways, so that we cannot take credit for ourselves, or give the credit to fate, for His good works. The Apostle Paul writes “God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things, and the things that are not, to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him.” (1 Corinthians 1:27-29 NIV)

I’m reminded of the old song Spanish Harlem by Ben E. King. (I know there are other recordings of this song, but Ben E. King is the best!) The song is about a girl that the singer is in love with. The song calls her the “rose” in Spanish Harlem. The whole premise of the song is the amazement that something so beautiful could exist in the middle of such ugliness.

Isn’t it amazing that God chose to come down in the middle of all our ugliness, and become one of us? What could be more unexpected and unlikely than a stable, the manger, growing up a carpenter’s son, or the cross? If God has chosen the “foolish” things of this world, then why do we continue to seek Him in the same old ways and same old places? He is a God of newness and growth, not of mustiness and stagnation.

What circumstances are clouding your life right now? What challenges do you have today that you think you may never climb over? What areas of your life are the weakest? Look closely at them. You may be surprised to find God, right there in the middle of them. So many times we pray for God to take away all of our challenges when, in reality, they may be the very place where God is waiting for us to discover Him.

In what unlikely place will you find God today?

See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland (Isaiah 43:19 NIV)

My Kind of Race

Motivation is something we talk about a great deal. The detective looks for a motive in the homicide, the motivational speaker hopes to motivate you to do something, and the actor tries to discover his character’s motivation for his behavior. Some people find motivation in external substances, such as the person who just cannot function without coffee in the morning. There is a way to be motivated to do most anything.

Television producers have realized this and turned it into “reality” shows. Most of these shows have the same idea behind them. People compete with one another; get systematically eliminated each week, until there is one winner who gets a large sum of money. Face it, there is no way most of those people would subject themselves to the things that can happen to them on these shows, if it were not for the lure of money.

As some of you know, I took up running a while back. While I am never going to compete in the Olympics, I enjoy getting out early in the morning and getting that jump start on the day. I ran in one 5K race and truly enjoyed it. However, I read this week about a race I think a lot of us would like to try.

The fifth annual Krispy Kreme Challenge Race in Raleigh, NC, was run Saturday morning, at North Carolina State University. Racers had to run two miles to the downtown Krispy Kreme shop, eat a dozen glazed doughnuts and run back in under an hour. Runners began coming into the store's parking lot about 30 minutes after the race began. Veterans of the race were shoving doughnuts into cups of water and quickly eating several at a time. $35,000 was raised for the North Carolina Children's Hospital and 48,000 doughnuts were eaten. Now that’s my kind of race! Check out a video of the race here http://www.wyff4.com/video/18670907/

The Christian life is one with many challenges. However, so is the life lived without Christ. Matthew 5:45 reads, “He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.” In other words, both the Christian and the non-Christian have happiness and sorrow. The difference is that those with Christ can withstand the storms of life, because we know that God loves us and wants the best for us.

If our motivation in becoming a Christian and living for Christ is freedom from problems, then we are running the wrong race. If our motivation is to avoid hell, then we are missing the point. If our motivation in giving our lives to God is to honor Him, and bring Him glory, then we are beginning to be on the right track.

We should want to run our race because it will bring glory to God, not for any prize we may attain. Don’t get me wrong, I know there is a prize, which is eternal life with God. I am only pointing out that if going to heaven is our only motivation in coming to Christ and attending church, then we need to evaluate our Christian walk. In other words, it would be like wanting to just run a 4-mile race, regardless of what treat may be offered. It is only when we begin running the race of our lives, out of the correct motivation of honoring God, that we begin to set our sights on the prize before us.

Run your race with the right motivation. Honor God. Bring glory to Him.

Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us. (Hebrews 12:1 NKJV)

Do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind. For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things. But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you. (Luke 12:29-31 NKJV)

HALO

By the time of this reading, you have probably already heard the story of Daniel Pharr, who is serving at Ft. Gordon in Augusta, GA. As you may know, his girlfriend gave him a parachute jump for a Christmas present. He went on that jump this week, but he got more adventure than expected.

He jumped in tandem with his instructor, and as they floated to the ground the instructor, George "Chip" Steele, was unresponsive. Daniel had to steer the parachute to the ground by himself. When they were safe, Daniel tried to revive Mr. Steele, but was unsuccessful. The instructor had suffered a heart attack on the way down. Daniel said, "They told me afterward that it was amazing that I knew to do that. This is my survival instinct at that point. I just kind of did what I had to do."

You can read the article here http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/skydiver_death

I have always been fascinated with skydiving. I have a crazy idea that I would like to do it, but I get nervous being on the roof of my house. Perhaps I’ll just continue to enjoy it from the ground. The story did bring to mind a show that I saw the other night on the US Special Forces HALO paratroopers.

HALO stands for High Altitude-Low Opening. These soldiers are flown to an altitude of 25,000 to 35,000 feet, where most radar will not detect the plane, and the sound of the engine cannot be heard. The paratroopers will then free-fall to earth at speeds of 120-200 MPH. They will open the chute at the last possible minute with only enough time to save their lives. As Erwin McManus says in his book The Barbarian Way, “If you live, you get to fight the enemy.”

Consider the Gospel of John chapter 3:1-3. There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.” Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

This is a rather familiar passage to us. We know that Jesus goes on to tell Nicodemus that God loved the world so much that He sent His only son. However, let’s look at that phrase, “born again”. We hear it regularly by preachers, but did you realize that the Greek phrase can be translated “born from above”?

In fact, I think that being born from above is even more accurate of what happens to us when we enter into the family of God. We are here on this earth, and of this world. When we accept Christ, we are lifted to the heights of heaven in a euphoric state of emotion. Then, as if part of God’s HALO team, we come crashing back down to earth, smack dab into enemy territory. If we live, we get to fight our enemy, the Evil One.

We are not born into Christ from above, so that we can live a life of luxury down here. It really is more like we are initiated into God’s Kingdom as special agents to infiltrate the enemy; search out, rescue, and recruit others who will be a part of the operation; and show God’s compassion and love for His creation.

We can rest assured that our guide and instructor on this adventure will not die or give up on us. The fact is, He already did, a long time ago. He gave His life, so that we wouldn’t have to. Not only did He die in our place, but He also rose again to defeat death. Through His death, we no longer have to fear death, because for us it means eternal life. Without fear, God can accomplish great things through us.

Take a risk. Step out on faith with God. He promises the greatest adventure of your life!

Saddle up your horses we've got a trail to blazeThrough the wild blue yonder of God's amazing graceLet's follow our leader into the glorious unknownThis is a life like no other - this is The Great Adventure
Steven Curtis Chapman

"Don't be so surprised when I tell you that you have to be 'born from above'—out of this world, so to speak. You know well enough how the wind blows this way and that. You hear it rustling through the trees, but you have no idea where it comes from or where it's headed next. That's the way it is with everyone 'born from above' by the wind of God, the Spirit of God." (John 3:7-8
The Message)

Our prayers are with the family of George “Chip” Steele during this difficult time.

Diversions and Distractions

Sometimes I get irritated by “studies” that are done by some of our institutes of higher learning. While I truly believe in research, some things just do not need a “study” to be done to know the truth. I read this week about one such study that was done by the University of Alabama at Birmingham. For the study, they used virtual reality software and three TV screens to simulate traffic at an actual crosswalk in Birmingham, Alabama. The team studied the reactions of 77 children, ages 10 and 11, crossing the simulated road six times without the phone, and six times while talking on the phone with a research assistant. The children were told to cross the street when they felt it was safe. When children stepped off a "curb" and onto a sensor pad, their moves were captured by a computer.

What was the result? The university found that children take more risks when they talking on a cell phone, they took 20 percent longer to begin crossing the street, and they were 43 percent more likely to be hit by a vehicle or have a close call when they were on the phone. Children also forgot to look both ways in about 20 percent of the crossings while on the phone.

All I have to say is…well duh! Most adults would have the same result. We have all seen the guy driving on the interstate, talking on his cell phone, reading the paper and trying to eat a bowl of Fruit Loops at the same time. He and the others around him are not safe. The reality is that when we try to put our focus on too many things at once, we place ourselves in a very vulnerable position.

In the book of Hebrews we find these words. Therefore, we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us. (Hebrews 12:1 NKJV) We hear this verse quoted and used in sermons quite a bit. Most of the time, it is in reference to the “great cloud of witnesses” and how we should run the race. However, there is one part of this verse that I think we sometimes overlook.

The writer of Hebrews tells us to “lay aside every weight” and also the “sin that so easily ensnares us”. Just how do we become “ensnared” by something? The idea behind the word is to catch something. In order to catch or ensnare something, the thing that is to be caught needs to be unaware of the plot against it.

When someone sets a trap for an animal, they have to disguise the trap in order to lure the animal in. Most times, bait is used to attract the animal to the trap. The animal heads for the bait, ready to enjoy a nice meal, and suddenly the cage shuts and they cannot escape.

Just like the bait for that animal, or the cell phone for those children in the study, we are too easily distracted by the things of this world. We shift our focus on something other than God, and suddenly the cage shuts behind us or we inadvertently step off the street curb and into a world of sin and addiction from which we cannot escape.

Today there are so many things calling for our attention. There are TV commercials, billboards, cell phones, computers, Blackberrys, i-phones, movies, sports, jobs, and…well, you get the idea. Sometimes it is very difficult to find the time or the energy to give Him a little of that focus. However, if we do not, we will find ourselves blind-sided by a world that cares little for our well being.

What will you do this week to re-focus on your relationship with God?

We're all like sheep who've wandered off and gotten lost. We've all done our own thing, gone our own way. And God has piled all our sins, everything we've done wrong, on Him. (Isaiah 53:6 The Message)

Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace. (Romans 8:5-6 NIV)