Freedom Is Here

For anyone who knows me at all, it’s no secret that once I had kids, I discovered my own control issues. The biggest symptom of the problem has been my temper. I’ve been pretty up front about it with others, and used it as teaching examples of how we all have different things that haunt us. I’ve prayed about it, cried about it, asked for much advice and prayer from others, and just when I think I’m getting a leg up, another bad day comes along and leaves me lashing out at the kids over something that really is small and insignificant.

Now, for the record, I have not abused my kids, and I’m not just a 24/7 scream machine. I just believe that there are better ways to discipline my own children, and so as a consequence, I’m harder on myself than I need to be about the occasional lapse in judgment. My parents encourage me by assuring me that it happened to them many more times than I actually remember. In fact, one such incident that I don’t remember but have been told about is me and my brother fighting when we were older kids, and my mom finally had enough and threw us out of the house for awhile. Apparently one of us was in our underwear...maybe it was me and I’ve just blocked the memory. To this day, I don’t remember the encounter at all.

Regardless of what your feelings are about my parenting skills, at the end of the day, I have to be able to look in the mirror and be okay with the kind of dad I am. But really, that’s not even accurate either. At the end of the day--I need to be able to seek God’s guidance and wisdom, and allow HIM to correct, shape, encourage, or whatever HE chooses to make me the kind of dad He made me to be.

Unfortunately, I’m not always in the right state of being to get to that place, and I walk around with guilt over a shouting fit, or a punishment for my kids that didn’t fit their crime. This is where the doubts come in: “...you’re a terrible dad--good dads don’t yell at their kids. Good dads don’t spank their kids when they’re angry. If you were a good father, you’d stop thinking about how annoyed you are and would focus more on their wants…”

This is not the voice of God. These thoughts are flaming arrows from the enemy, targeted at a weak spot in my armor. When they land just right, the flames of guilt engulf me, and keep me from moving forward and learning from my mistakes.

Here’s where Freedom comes in. There’s a song that Hillsong United sings that I’ve heard several times now at different events, and I’m beginning to internalize the message of it:

And everything comes alive
In my life as we lift You higher
Let Your freedom arise
In our lives as we lift You up
Sing it out
Sing it out
Your freedom is here

When I’m struggling with guilt, I need to remember that God’s grace covers all the sins I’ve committed--including the mistakes I have made as a parent. That forgiveness gives me another chance to get it right, and hope that my kids won’t be nearly as messed up because of it as I dread. When I lift up God’s Grace, and worship Him for who He is, Freedom comes alive in my life. That guilt is melted away. When I go and apologize to my kids for shouting, I’m having to exercise humility. When I humble myself, God is made greater, and the remaining chains of guilt are broken free.

God’s freedom extends for all sins. We may still have to deal with real consequences of our actions, but our spirits can be set free from the bondage that sin causes, and eventually, we can learn to drop those oppressive holds faster and sooner. We don’t want to sin more just to make that grace look better (See Romans 6), but we know that we will mess up, and when we do, our repentance and humility before God will allow Him to come in and heal us, restore our hope, and give us the strength we need to move on.

What chains hold you down? Is your hope being swallowed up by the flames of doubt and discouragement? Open your heart to God’s forgiveness, and experience freedom like you never have before.

Just because I like the song, here’s a quick listen...

Do YOUR Part, Trust God to do HIS.

Every once in awhile, we get visitors here at the church during the week that come in from their every day walk of life, and they have questions or concerns and wish to speak with a minister. In the last couple of months, I’ve had an opportunity to sit down with two different people. There was a nineteen year old girl, and a twenty year old guy. Both of them came in just looking to talk with a minister, both of them had some past experiences that had led them to seek out some help.

In the first situation, this girl was struggling because she didn’t feel loved. To make a long story short, she was unappreciated by her own family, and had been through relationships that left her feeling so bad about herself that I believe she truly believed she was unlovable. It broke my heart as we sat and talked. I did the only thing I knew to do to encourage her, which was to tell her that she was a treasure to God. She was created in His image, and He loved her so much that Jesus came and died so that she could have a relationship with God now, and could live with her forever in heaven.

As we talked some more, I was able to remind her over and over that people will let us down, but God never will. The exciting news was that when I asked her about what she thought, she wanted to pray to ask Jesus to be her Savior, and to come live in her heart! It was very humbling to be used in that situation. I always struggle with what to say, but obviously the Holy Spirit worked in spite of me and she is now a sister in Christ! I invited her to church, and encouraged her to find a place where she could be fed spiritually and be challenged to continue this new walk of faith. I gave her a new Bible and a devotional guide and prayed with her before she left. It was a very encouraging encounter!

The young man that I talked with came from a different, but equally tough past. His choices had led him to a place where he was living a hard way, and had some consequences. The thing that got me was that some of his friends that were making similar choices were now gone. In fact, three of them had died in the last month.

We talked about the effects of our choices, why it’s important that we choose God without being forced into that relationship, and how choosing to live within God’s standards actually provides greater freedom than taking advantage of the “freedom” we have to participate in worldly things. I was filled with hope as he began to talk of the evil in the world and his desire to spark a movement to change things for the better, and to get people back on track with what God wants.

Sensing the need to talk more about how the Holy Spirit can guide that process, I shared with him some of Peter’s story of change (Acts 2), and how Paul was completely changed by the Spirit. (Acts 9) I’m only human, but I really sensed that he had not ever accepted Christ and received the Holy Spirit, so I shared some more about that. However, even after a long conversation, this young man didn’t want to do that. He says he did all that when he was younger, and was, in fact, a Christian. Unfortunately, when I asked him what that meant, it didn’t seem to line up with what I believe Scripture says. I did end up praying with him, and left the invitation to come back to church anytime and see me. As he left, I was discouraged, and second-guessed everything I said to him.

In each situation, even though there were similar motives to come in to a church, the outcome was different. In fact, each turned out exactly opposite from what my gut instinct was at first. I really believed the girl would continue to doubt her worth in God’s eyes, and based on the conversation about sin, I expected the young man to accept Christ.

Jesus says we are to “make disciples.” Sometimes I forget that in order to become a disciple, we have to start the journey at the beginning. I can do NOTHING to “get someone saved.” In fact, I have a really hard time trusting anyone who says they had someone saved, as I once heard a popular youth evangelist say. Really, all I can do is to plant a seed and share the story. From that point, it is totally up to the work of the Holy Spirit to move in the heart of the individual. Once someone has started the journey, it is up to fellow believers to encourage them to grow, challenge them in their depth, and to hold them accountable to their faith.

When folks reject the message, they are not rejecting us--it’s the Gospel of Jesus, so they are rejecting Christ. (Luke 10:16) It’s not our job to take it personally when someone does or does not pray to receive Christ when we’ve offered that chance. It’s our job to tell them, and continue to pray for them and love them. God will work in His way and in His time, whether we understand or approve of it. In fact, it’s laughable to consider that God works in the hearts of others just to appease our need to put a notch on the “got people saved” belt.

Not every encounter you have with someone will end up the way you want it. But, if you are faithful to boldly share God’s love at every chance you get, God will use it for His glory. Be faithful to God based on what He wants you to do, not on what your understanding of the outcome might be.

Upping The Game

I admit that I’m a soccer dad. We usually don’t get as much attention as the “soccer moms,” but the truth is, we exist, too. Both of the twins have played soccer now for three seasons, which span fall of last year, spring of last year, and the current season going on right now. While that doesn’t sound like much, when you try to get home from work, dress the kids (why do soccer socks have to be so difficult?), and get them to practice on time, and then do very much the same thing for games on Saturday, it can be chaotic.

The last two weeks have been really cool games to attend. Not just because of the weather, but because as I’ve watched my two boys, It’s like something in their heads just finally clicked. All of the sudden, they don’t just look like kids running after a ball, they look like soccer players. They have started dribbling the ball with purpose, they are passing to their teammates, scoring goals, and they are helping to talk and communicate with the other players on the field, helping the team on the whole. If I had to put words to it, it’s like they’ve “upped their game” and have moved into a new understanding and application of the skills they’ve worked to learn.

Now, let me switch gears for a moment. I play guitar. While I’m not the greatest you’ll ever hear, or even worthy of throwing away the old strings from Joe Satriani’s guitar, I have played long enough to be confident in the abilities I do have. However, a few weeks ago, I was setting up for our usual Wednesday night session, and was playing my guitar to make sure it was set up correctly with no problems. All of the sudden, I started doing a few things I didn’t know I could do. While my guitar hadn’t changed, I was seeing the neck and strings in a whole new light.

I had something of a break-through that took all the skills I have learned and put them into practice on a different level. I guess I actually “upped my game” when it comes to playing. I’m still not claiming to be worthy to polish Mark Tremonti’s old guitar case, but I feel as though I can do a bit more now than I could even a few weeks ago. As a result, my confidence is up, and I’m excited about playing more!

When you live as a follower of Christ, there are many things you will learn. There are Bible stories to read, scriptures to memorize, worship songs to sing, and sermons for which you can take notes. As a result of these actions, you will continue to acquire “skills” of a growing Christian. Like my sons on the soccer field, and me on guitar, there will be different times when you experience break-throughs, and new clear understanding that will actually help you to “up your game,” and show you new ways to apply the knowledge and help you to better discern the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Unlike soccer and guitar, these things have eternal, lasting value. Not only will you be potentially stronger and more faithful, but your ability to share your faith with others will grow. Who knows how many more disciples you will help to make? (Matthew 28:19-20)

My sons may never be as skilled as Pele or David Beckham. I may never acquire the same skill on guitar as John Petrucci. None of us will ever be as perfect as Jesus Christ, but because we can abide in Him (John 15), we have potential to continue to “up our game” as long as we have breath. What’s holding you back from taking your life as a Believer to the next level?

Which Part Are You?

A few weeks ago, my family and I went out for dinner. This does happen occasionally, as we enjoy the time out, and we don’t always want to have to do the dishes afterwards. We went to a place where we don’t normally go, just to keep things fresh, and as we were seated, our server came to our table and introduced himself. The first thing I noticed is that our server only had one arm. Based on some personal experience I had with a student who had a similar situation, this looked to be something this man had been born with, as opposed to an accident or injury.

With two boys under seven, my fear was immediately that they would say something or stare at the young man, putting unwanted attention on him. I certainly didn’t want our kids making him more uncomfortable than necessary. Though I am ashamed to admit it, I even had a fleeting thought of “how can he be a server…?”

He was very friendly, and chatted with all of us, and took our drink orders. That’s when they noticed. They could’t stop looking. Trying desperately to get their attention, I decided to offer soda for dinner (which was not in the plan, but an emergency attention-getting maneuver which other parents will understand), and they did manage to look away to answer my question. We had a quick and quiet conversation after he left the table to get our drinks, and that seemed to end that problem.

As it turns out, this young man was a remarkable server. NOT just remarkable for someone who is overcoming an obstacle that many of us don’t face, but genuinely very good at his job. He was attentive, friendly, and on the ball with refills. There were no difficulties for him in carrying the tray of drinks, or even bringing our tray with five meals on it! Humbled again, I re-learned the age-old lesson about books and covers and all that.

I thought about this experience after the pastor started his series on “The Body Of Christ.” In a move of divine coincidence, the 7th Grade Sunday school class that I’ve been teaching has been talking about their identity in Christ, and this past week was how that identity fits into the whole Body. Individuals are “Fearfully and wonderfully made” according to Psalm 139:14. There are no mistakes, even though our human understanding occasionally questions that statement. God uses us the way He made us, period. This guy with one good arm did the job better than some people who have been blessed with both of their arms. He obviously learned to function at a high capacity, and more than likely, while ignoring the stares and judgments of people through his whole life.

The Body of Christ is a specific design. All of us who claim to be followers of Jesus have a place in the Body. We are all parts. Yes, there are many extraordinary individuals who learn to function with reduced capacity, but the Body of Christ is not designed to adapt like that. It is designed to be whole, and for each individual part to function according to design. God doesn’t make mistakes. Our personalities, abilities, talents, and gifts were all given to us with a purpose. Whether we are to be the eyes, mouth, hands, feet, or even kneecaps of the Body of Christ, we all have a job. When we don’t do our job, we are hindering the whole Body from operating correctly and to full capacity.

What part are you? If you don’t know specifically, are you even trying to figure it out? Each of us has a part to play, and there are many that don’t know Christ that are counting on us whether they know it or not. In the same vein, prosthetic parts don’t fill those voids, either. False followers don’t work as well as organic, real believers in Christ. We need to examine our hearts, and truly decide if we’re doing our work in the Body, or if we are even a genuine part of this body at all? While my experience with a wonderful server taught me a few things, the Body of Christ cannot serve those around us if it isn’t working properly.

Filtered or Unfiltered?

Sitting on the ledge of our refrigerator door is a Brita Pitcher. For those unfamiliar with that, it’s basically a plastic container that has a fancy filter for purifying tap water, and said filter must be replaced when it wears out. Having now had the thing for over nine years, I have replaced the filter many times. At first, the individual filter box said that they lasted for 3 months, and it even came with a little static-cling “sticker” that you put on the pitcher to remind you when to replace the used filter.

Somewhere along the line, they decided that the filters were really only good for two months, making you have to change the thing more often. Since you’re buying these in the store, my cynical side kicked in and led me to believe that they really would last three months, but they can sell more this way.

I don’t suppose I’m bothered by that as much as I am with a discovery I’ve made with the last two or three new filters. It has always been the case that Brita recommends that you run at least two pitchers of water through the filter without drinking them, and in an ever so environmentally friendly way, go and water plants with it, because it’s still perfectly good water--just not for drinking.

It even tells you that it is normal for one or two black particles from the filter to escape into the drinking water reservoir. However, what I have begun seeing is that within a week or two of using the new filter, HUNDREDS of little black particles are escaping and ending up in the drinking water. They sink to the bottom, so if you’re careful, you can avoid them, and then dump that water (or use it for plants, apparently), rinse out the pitcher, and then refil the thing again. That seems like an awful lot of work, and terribly dirty water for something that’s supposed to filter it and even purify it.

I’m on a Brita boycott. I just drink from the tap now. Yes, it’s ridiculous to some, but if I’m going through all of that, I’d rather just turn on the faucet and run water over my ice and be well into drinking a second glass before I could even go through the whole “dump the not so pure purified water, rinse out the pitcher, refill the upper container, and wait three minutes for not-so-clean-but-okay-for-plants-purified water to be ready to pour. Is it just me?

Okay, so here’s the point. What good is a filter if it doesn’t work the way it’s designed to work? If air filters in the house didn’t catch as much dust and debris as they do, how much worse would allergies be? If oil filters didn’t catch some of the impurities and grime before sending it through your engine, how long before they tore up the pistons and killed your car?

There are thousands of impurities in this world, and many of them get into our lives whether we want them or not. I’m not just talking about water, air, and oil now. Sure, we have sunglasses that filter out UVA and UVB light that can damage our eyes, but what about the filth and grime to which we are exposed on TV, movies, or even on the streets as we drive to the store? (For those that argue we could just turn off the TV, etc.)

Just because my windows are closed in my car, doesn’t mean that the children in the back are completely filtered from the fellow driver who chooses to listen to profanity-laced music very loudly with his windows down, making it very clearly audible in my vehicle.

It used to be that there was a filter of “common decency” or “common courtesy” that existed. I’m not that old, but I know things have gotten worse even since I was in high school. I truly believe that in this world of selfish rights and privileges, that the “do whatever you want whenever you want” philosophy has hit a bloated point of negative returns. Being free to do something and following through does many times, in fact, infringe upon someone else’s right to NOT have that same experience.

I realize that not everyone adheres to the same values I do. I accept that. Not everyone chooses to do their best to pass every thought, action, or word that comes from them through the filter of “is this a demonstration of truly loving God and loving others as Jesus said.” (Matthew 22:37-40) Oh, I’m not perfect. My label clearly says that it is normal for one or two black particles to slip through my filter and into life. But I am trying, and I know that there are many others who are.

Until that day comes when most people are trying to filter out those damaging impurities, I guess it’s up to those that do choose to live that way to hold fast, and continue to do our best to set a good example. Once people have the opportunity to try this living water that can flow from us, they might just find that it is much better than the worldly well from which they’ve been drinking.

Tangled Up

I have a special ability. It’s a gift, really. I’m not bragging here, I’m just stating fact. No matter where I am in the world, or what I am doing, I have a sixth sense that allows me to detect and make physical contact with spiderwebs. Even if there is a a line of sixty people, and I am the last one in that line, and everyone before me is taller than me, and none of them walk through it, I could walk exactly in the same path and discover even just a single strand of spider silk, and it will stick to my face or my head. It’s just an amazing trait I carry.

Others have been able to do this, and not all of us have been happy with this particular faculty. I, for one, do NOT like spiders. I’m not so much scared of them, because I will step on them and get rid of them, but they still give me the old-fashioned “Willies.” But those silly invisible webs leave me feeling dirty and unclean. Once I hit one, and get tangled up in those little strands, it takes a lot of effort and work to feel like I’ve fully removed the offending “strings.”

I’m not proud of this, but I’ve been known to take a whole shower just because I could still feel the small threads stuck to my head stubble or brushing against my arm. It bothers me to a level that is beyond rational, and borders on Obsessive/Compulsive. Please don’t judge me...we all have our “things,” and this is mine.

How often could these “phantom webs” be similar to sin in this world? We could be walking around, minding our own business, and before we know it, we’ve stumbled upon something that we have no business being around. Maybe you were at school, just walking to class with some friends when you ran into a situation where you were picking on someone and tearing them down, just to get a laugh. Possibly you were just walking to the copy room at work, and before we know it, we have hit a conversation with co-workers full of juicy gossip. What if you were just sitting at Burger King having a juicy Whopper with Cheese and you stumbled upon an intense jealousy and desire for the iPad 2 that the guy eating chicken fries two tables over is using?

The truth is, not all sin is obvious and easy to spot. Before we know it, we are tangled up in it, and we didn’t even see it coming. Here’s the problem, not everyone responds to the tangle of sin the way I obsess over spider webs. Some people still don’t even know it’s there and feel nothing. Sometimes I don’t even notice that type of entanglement. The sin just stays on us as we go our merry way.

How cool would it be if we could feel these sin webs as soon as we spotted them, giving us the ability to avoid them altogether? Or even if we could just immediately feel dirty and wrapped up enough in our sin to repent and ask forgiveness on the spot.That would be a helpful ability.

Oh wait! We DO have that ability. It’s called the Holy Spirit that lives inside of us as followers of Jesus Christ. (Admit it, some of you didn’t see that coming.) If we learn to listen to and follow the guidance of the Spirit that lives within us, He can warn us well in advance of getting tangled up in Sin. Not only that, but if we should be so unfortunate as to choose to ignore Him, then He will also impress upon us the conviction that we have fallen into sinful behaviors or attitudes. We can then immediately ask for forgiveness, and turn away from that web of mistakes. Yes, there may be some lingering consequences that leave you uncomfortable, but even the stickiest web can eventually be washed away.

Scripture tells us to “Be alert…” Actually, it says it 8 times in the NIV according to BibleGateway.com, but all of them refer to staying aware of our surroundings--both physical and spiritual--and watching out for danger. Sin is dangerous. But, if we trust the Holy Spirit, and pay attention to when He warns us, we can learn to avoid these invisible silks, and walk in the path of righteousness that is free from spiders altogether.

Lessons From Scooby Doo?

I’m working from my house today because I have a sick kid, and I missed church yesterday being a bit under-the-weather myself. We’re both on the up-swing, but at least he gets to chill out and watch a little TV. It’s from this activity of his that I found inspiration for my thoughts today.

What is it that we can learn from Scooby Doo? We learn that Fred is an arrogant know-it-all, yet still likeable. We discover that Velma is full of knowledge and would do well on Jeopardy. Daphne follows Fred around and comes across as a prissy drama queen, but is really astute, and often discovers clues that help break the case.

But Scooby and Shaggy seem to be the biggest conundrum of all. They are always hungry, and they are always paranoid. (There are theory conspiracies that abound, but I feel that those are just a bit too “grown up” for a children’s show.) They don’t seem to want to be a part of the mystery solving, and most of the time end up in the wrong place at the wrong time.

However, it is through their bumbling and often ridiculous behavior that we learn some things. When they are afraid, which happens often, they run away. But, when they are really against the wall, and are forced to act, they often do what it takes to get away from the situation. For example, in this particular episode, they are being chased by “cursed mummies.” They run and run, but when they finally get chased into a room full of empty sarcophaguses, they are forced to trick the mummy, and actually trap him (her?) in one of the coffins. Then they use a conveniently placed chain and padlock to keep him inside.

When we’re being chased or plagued by fears, whether real or imaginary, how do we deal with them? Are we afraid of being laughed at or mocked? Do we fear for our jobs? Is confrontation like a dreadful disease that we avoid like the plague? There are times in my own life that I do all I can to get away from what scares me. I’ve run away, I’ve hidden, and I’ve even tried to eat enough ice-cream to help me forget about what scares me.

The thing to do is to face what we fear and do what it takes to contain those fears. We may not be able to lock the source of our fear in an empty egyptian casket, but we certainly can learn to face down the central reasons that we are afraid. If we lack confidence, we must remember that we are created in God’s image, and when we find our worth in our Creator, it can make it easier to grow more comfortable with who we are. We avoid confrontation because we don’t like to feel uncomfortable and awkward around other people. But, when we speak and live in Truth, we can approach the ones we must confront in a loving, careful manner, and even if it goes wrong, we can rest in the knowledge that we have done the right thing.

Being afraid is natural. But, we should never let fear get the best of us and make us immobile and cause us not to act. We can never beat fears if we run away from them. Facing them down is the only way to defeat them. Even if we’ve shouted “Zoiks!” and run away before, it’s never to late to face and bury our fears.

Once Upon A Time...

I find myself lately visiting a location that may not be altogether healthy. I call it “What If Land.” You may have been there before. Many people like to visit there from time to time. It’s a place where the imagination can run wild and can provide you with ideas that range from the hopeful to the downright silly. “What if I could actually fly like Superman?” “What if I really could dive into a pool filled with nothing but Jello?” “What if I could get out of debt and support a worthwhile ministry?”

Not all of the ideas that are visited in “What If Land” are good for us, however. Unfortunately, with many places, there are dangerous dark alleys and locations that in the old days might have been called “the wrong side of the tracks.” It is here where we find regrets and shame. “What if I had NOT done this…,” or “What if I had done this differently….” are places we visit, but can do nothing about. In fact, almost all of the scenes that play out in these dank spots will deal with past issues that we wish we could change. There is no hope in that. Some people will carry dread into future scenarios of “What if I die?” or “What if something tragic happens?” These things come to them in the slums of “What If Land.”

The scenic locations are filled with hope because very rarely, when a situation turns positive, do we go back and wish for different results. Why change something that brings joy and happiness? We like to dream the silly, because it lightens our mood or helps us escape the stress of life. We dream big because hope is a much more efficient and stable fuel than regret or worry. A really positive single moment in life can keep us flying high for days at a time, whereas a moment of pain can make us feel like we’re dragging a train behind us. It exhausts us mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and physically to try and move forward with shame as our power source.

The only thing we can really do from bad experiences of the past is to heal from them, try and learn from those mistakes, and move forward--doing all we can to avoid the same mistakes again. Wishing we could change what has already happened is hopeless. It’s impossible. But, “What if I steer clear of this mistake…” is a way to inspire us to do better and to get it right next time.

I have visited my fair share of dark alleys in “What If Land.” I don’t like it there. If I were to be completely honest, I spent a couple of hours there this morning in the way I handled a situation with my children. BUT, What if I go home and spend some time just loving on them and giving them my attention and affection? What if we wrestled on the floor and they laughed so hard they got the hiccups? These are much better tourist attractions in the land of “What If” than where I was earlier.

In fact, is it possible to become the mayor of our own individual “What If Land,” and do some major street-cleaning, and finally rid ourselves of living in the past? If God can remove our sins “...as far as the east is from the west…” (Psalm 103:12), can He not use that same power to point us forward? In fact, if He’s removed it from us, and we keep taking it up ourselves, aren’t we doing it our way and not God’s way, making it sinful? Hebrews 12:1-2 encourages us to “...throw off the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus…” How many races do you win by running backwards? We are meant to move forward, free from the burdens of the past, but wise from the lessons of the past.

Which “What If” are you clinging to today? Is it the prime spot with a four-star hotel overlooking the sea of opportunity? Or...well, you know. Don’t waste time in the dark spots. Fuel your jets with hope and inspire yourself of the world of possibilities that await us when we move forward towards Jesus.

The Core Of the Problem

About a month ago, we had a slow air leak in one of our tires. After not having much luck finding the source of the leak, I took it to a repair shop. Good news...I didn’t have to pay to repair the thing. Bad news...I had to pay to buy a whole new tire! That was not in our budget for the month, but we got it taken care of and are doing fine.

Several days ago, a different tire on the same vehicle started showing signs of an air leak. I checked the tire pressure, and where it is normally stays about 35 psi, it was around 12. So I aired the thing up, and it stayed fine for almost 36 hours. Then, on Saturday afternoon, it was down in the teens on the pressure gauge. So, I aired the thing up, got a soapy solution, and began to spray the tire mercilessly, looking for the offending hole. (For those that don’t know, the air leaking out will “blow bubbles” out of the soapy solution.)

I couldn’t find anything, and realized I needed to take the tire off the van to get the full view. I jacked up the van and began the process of removing the lug nuts only to discover that they were stuck and rusted in place. Thinking I just needed a bit more muscle, I twisted the lug wrench tighter. I heard a horrible shrieking sound, felt the nut turn a little bit, and then was suddenly off balance. Thinking the wrench had slipped free, I looked to the wheel only to discover that the nut was gone; As well as about a quarter of the lug stud. Oops. It had broken off!

Admitting that I was out of my league, I called up a good friend, and he came over to give me a hand. We decided to replace the stud first, so we made the run to the auto parts store, bought the pieces, and headed back to the house. In order to get the new stud in place, we needed to remove the brake rotor.

You guessed it...new problem. The rotor was stuck so badly that my friend thought we needed special tools to get it done, and he didn’t have them. We decided to put the whole thing back together and see if we could borrow the tools the next day and take a whirl at it after church. The whole time time we were doing all of this other stuff, we had been taking turns still examining the tire, trying to find the hole, and finding nothing.

Sunday afternoon rolls around, and the tire is back down to about 10 psi. I jack the van up, again, and begin the process of exorcising the demons from the lug nuts as I removed them, again, and then pulled off the tire. Again. My buddy arrived and we began disassembling the brakes. Here’s where we finally got some good news. While we couldn’t find the tools we needed, my friend spoke to a mechanic he knows, and we didn’t need them. The rotor was just stuck to the post due to some more rust. We sprayed WD-40 all over that sucker, and using a very sophisticated leverage system of screwdrivers, rubber mallets, hammers, and our legs and arms, we finally got that thing off.

We replaced the lug stud, reassembled the brakes, and put the tire back on. Still not sure what was going on, we just decided to air it up, and I’d take it to the shop the next day. As we removed the air compressor from the tire, the valve stem finally revealed itself to the problem as air blew out with enough force to shoot a paintball 100 yards. The little tiny “core” that is triggered from the compressor or tire gauge was blown, and even though the valve cap was on tight, air was still escaping. We “jiggled” it around to stop the massive air flow, and recapped the valve.

This morning, I had to put more air in the tire, and managed to make it to the shop. Once I told the mechanic what the problem was, he came out with a tiny piece, less than one-inch long. It was the new valve stem core. In literally less than 45 seconds, this man (and his special tool resembling a screwdriver) removed the old piece and installed the new core. Then, in a display of complete good-will, he didn’t even charge me anything!

Isn’t it funny how one tiny thing can cause so much trouble? That valve stem core weighed less than one ounce, and was shorter than the diameter of a penny. However, it caused several hours of trouble and concern. Even though the solution was apparently very simple, discovering the problem proved to be more difficult than I had hoped.

Many times, we can see the same things played out in us. One tiny little thing isn’t quite right in our lives, whether it’s un-checked sin, a single concern, or what we thought was just a menial task that we overlooked. That one “little thing” can lead to a world of hurt and cause many hours of lost time. It may even cause new problems as we attempt to figure out exactly what is wrong.

But, if we know something is wrong and we commit to getting it fixed, the rough road that comes from seeking out the real problems and subsequent solutions can help us in the long run. Repentance from sin restores our fellowship with God, but is often a painful process. Learning to trust others may be out of our comfort zone, but may be what we need to quit worrying. We don’t always want to climb out of the recliner to do that one last thing we forgot, but can save us time in back-tracking or having extra things to do in the chaos of trying to get ready work or school the next morning.

What is the little thing that is giving you trouble? Even if you don’t know what it is yet, pray about it, and commit to getting it resolved. God is faithful, and He will help you find what you need to do in order to keep the core of your relationship with Him strong and growing.

Life Is Messy

With a 17-month old around the house, we are constantly finding things in one place that should be in another. As he has become more mobile and independent, we have to watch more closely. Inevitably, we get distracted, and only discover what he’s been up to later on in the day.

Recently, after the kids were all in bed for the night, my wife and I sat down to watch a little TV. We find that escaping into an imaginary other world for awhile helps us to better handle the chaos of our own. As I got comfortable, my eyes drifted to the corner where we keep the toys for the little guy, and I saw what appeared to be a pile of dirt. With twin 6-year-old boys in the house as well, a pile of dirt isn’t necessarily foreign to us, but the placement of this one was. It wasn’t near a door or where the older guys might track it in before taking off their shoes, so it caught my attention.

I got up and walked towards it to see what I would need to clean it, hoping that a dust-buster would be all that was required. As I approached the small pile, I saw that the particles were larger than just dirt, and were spread out all over the corner with the toys, and were also scattered on the furniture near that corner. What a mess! Then as I began to look closer, I discovered what these small particles really were.

One of our son’s other favorite past-times is to open the cereal cabinet and drag boxes out whenever he wants a snack. It was cute the first two times. Now it’s just annoying. He had apparently gotten ahold of a box of LIFE cereal, and made off with a handful before we could wrangle the box from him. He stashed them on the floor, but then lost interest, and as he played, he crushed them, and the broken pieces transferred from him to his toys and the furniture.

LIFE is messy...as it turns out. Yes, a dust-buster worked this time, but that’s not always the case. What about in our daily life, when things get scattered and spread out? Sometimes we stash items from our “to do” list, and move on to something else, forgetting about them. Maybe there’s a relationship that needs some attention, but we can’t find the time, and before we know it, it is broken into little pieces. Unfortunately, It’s only until we sit down when we discover the displaced pieces of our life and remember these things we forgot to do, or find out just how shattered a relationship is. The messes can range from inconvenient to painful.

We can’t just whip out the cosmic dust-buster to get rid of these things. We have to clean up the messes, but in real-life, it’s more like putting together a deeply intricate puzzle instead of just throwing away the pieces. Fortunately, we don’t have to try and do this clean-up alone. God is there and can energize us to find that extra fifteen to twenty minutes to take care of the last thing on our list. He is there to provide guidance and direction as we painstakingly put the pieces of a relationship back in place. It may take time, but He is faithful, and can help us when we let Him.

At one point or another for all of us, life is messy. How we handle the mess is what helps us get stronger. Eventually we’ll see that life is not served best with milk, but with the solid food of spiritual growth, and we can get to that point where we can thank God for the messes.