VACATION!

So how appropriate that I read Genesis 2:2 today

"And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all the work that he had done." 

And speaking of rest, I'm going on vacation! It's been 5 years since we went on a family vacation that wasn't for the expressed purpose of visiting family living far away. I'm going to eat junk, see some Americana, and recharge with the family.

So nothing deep from me this week and nothing at all next week! Thanks for reading and I look forward to writing again soon.

Heath

God Doesn't Need Spiritual Sprinters

"The length of a film should be directly related to the endurance of the human bladder." -Alfred Hitchcock

In a nation where we often root for the underdog (see NCAA tournament), horse racing is an exception. Year after year many tune in to watch the next potential Triple Crown winner. And for the last few decades, we've seen several horses win both the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes.

BUT THEN COMES THE BELMONT.

It's not much longer than the Derby, adding just a quarter mile to the Derby's total distance. But that final quarter mile has killed many a dream. So how did we see 3 Triple Crown winners in the 70's and none since?

Like Mr. Hitchcock says, it's all about endurance. 

Horses in the 70's were built for stamina. They were built not just to get to the finish line, but to run through it. But as horse racing continued, more shorter races were instituted and stamina was sacrificed for speed.

Too many Christians today are built for "speed". They read 1-minute devotionals instead of the Bible and get antsy when Sunday's service begins to extend beyond an hour. Jesus didn't ask for fragments of your life, but the whole thing. God has a race for you to win, but it's a marathon, not a sprint. It requires us running through the finish and not just to it.


Paul said in 2 Timothy 4:7
"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." 

Paul's not encouraging speed, but endurance. God promises straight paths when we pursue Him, but He doesn't promise quick paths. God has plans for you, but you must walk in them. Ask God to give you the spiritual stamina to pursue His plans, at His pace, for His glory.

The Real Reason You Fail

"I'm not superstitious...but I am a little stitious." -Michael Scott

1989:  the year we learned that winning at basketball had nothing to do with attitude or ability. We just needed the right shoes.

More recently, NBA great Lebron James has been making headlines with a headband. He stopped wearing it a few weeks ago to look more like his teammates. But after a tough playoff loss, the headband came back as if it were the reason he had been winning all along.

So what is the real reason you fail? While we may blame a number of factors, the truth is it always comes back to what's rattling around in our own hearts and minds.

"...put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator." Colossians 3:10

It's not time to put on the right shoes, or the right headgear, but instead the right self. Don't fall back to the old self, the self that:

• blames others
• looks at the outward
• thinks you're alone

Instead put on the new self! Remember that you have been created in Christ Jesus for good works. So stop blaming outside factors for inside failures. You don't need different shoes. You need to look inward, pray for renewal, and put on the new self Jesus saved you to be.

The Best Way To Respond to Criticism

"If my critics saw me walking over the Thames they would say it was because I couldn't swim." -Margaret Thatcher

"You've got a pride issue." 

I couldn't believe my ears! My wife and I were talking in the parsonage of my first pastorate out of seminary. And out of the clear blue sky, she drops this bomb on me. I was fuming! I stormed down the stairs to the basement of our house. After shutting myself into a room I said, "God, do I have a pride issue?" 

Wife 1
Husband 0

This lesson has stuck with me ever since. I realized quickly that the best way to respond to criticism is to evaluate it. We are so quick to:

• Deny the claim
• Disregard the person
• Drag up the critic's issues

But what if we really stopped to look at ourselves? Maybe the criticism was a bit sharper than it needed to be, but does it have merit? If after prayer and pondering you determine that it doesn't, then throw it away. But if you determine it does, you must be willing to change. 

Just last week, a member of my church came with a stinging criticism of an area of my ministry. As I listened, I realized that while the criticism was harsh, I hadn't done everything that I could in that area. The next day I wrote this church member a note expressing my thanks for all their previous encouragement, my assurances that I would work on the areas that had been brought up, and asking forgiveness for my role in the situation.

And yesterday, that church member was waiting for me. They quickly and sincerely apologized for the manner in which they had spoken and asked my forgiveness. Not only have we repaired the relationship, but some good came out of this person's criticism, sharp as it was.

So don't disregard criticism...evaluate it. Sometimes it will be offered as constructive criticism, and sometimes as destructive criticism. Be sure in every instance that you pray and ponder whether there is truth in it, regardless of the way in which it is given.