Sin's Finance Charges

Apparently, I was not a great salesman. 

During college, I worked in the lawn & garden department at our local SEARS. When it came to sales, I was consistently near the top of our store. But my manager noticed I often settled for what the customer wanted, instead of upselling them.

He told me a smart salesman has a specific job: to help the customer imagine the joy that will come from the purchase. Help them imagine how much better life will be, without drawing too much attention to the price.

That's the way Satan sells us sin. 

Jesus said of the devil in Mark 8:44,
"When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies." (NIV)

When we choose sin, we don't do so based on what it will cost us, but on what we believe we'll gain. And so the attention, pleasure, or possession seems worthwhile in the moment. But later we find out what it really costs. Satan is always careful to withhold the true cost of our sin.

At SEARS, customers often believed that at $12/month, that lawn mower was a steal. And later when they began to count the cost, they realized they'd continue to pay for that mower long after it was gone.

Next time you are faced with a familiar temptation, don't forget the cost. Whatever sin promises to add to your life, it will always remove far more in terms of peace, joy, and favor with God. 

Father's Day Leftovers!

I'll take Father's Day leftovers over Thanksgiving Day leftovers anytime! 

For Father's Day, my wife often makes me a "Lazy Cobbler" she learned from a woman in our church in Arkansas. The ingredients are pretty simple:

• SUGAR
• Blackberries
• Butter
• Strawberries
• Blueberries
• SUGAR
• Flour
• Butter

And unless my teenage son snuck to the kitchen overnight, there should be some leftover cobbler for daddy today!

However, I have a couple other Father's Day leftovers I want to share with you dads out there. I don't share these as an expert: just a kid who longed for a dad, and an adult who longs to be a decent dad.

1. Hug, Kiss, Love your kids...even your son!
Why are men so afraid to show affection? When my mom re-married in my teen years, I was in for quite a shock. My step-dad often hugged me, kissed me, and told me he loved me. That was weird. I had never seen a man do that.

(Chuck Norris approved man-hug)

And so when my son hugs me, kisses me, and tells me he loves me, it's just natural to him. He probably doesn't even realize it's not the norm in every house. And that's OK! Jesus didn't call men to be the norm (Romans 12:2)...He called us to love as He loves.

2. Love you wife well...the kids are watching!
I know. Your kids say they hate it when you and momma make out in front of them, but they're liars. They have friends whose parents don't even like riding in the same car together. Often when Nikki and I would hug in front of our youngest daughter, her eyes would light up and she would respond "Yay!"

By loving my wife well, I'm trying to teach my son what it is to be a husband. And I'm displaying to my daughters what they should look for in a husband. If they are dating a guy who can't remember their birthday, or who lives self-centered, marriage isn't going to fix him. I pray regularly: "Lord, don't let my daughters settle. Lead each of my daughters to a man who loves you more than he'll love her." That's what I try to display to them everyday.

3. Discipline your kids
In the interest of full disclosure, I'm not great at this. It was easy when they were young and intimidated by my size. But those days are gone!

(Me and my 14-year old son...whom I don't arm wrestle!)

So now as my kids are teens/tweens, the methods have to change so much. I can't let their poor effort or behavior go unchecked, even though I know battles may ensue. I continue to stress the standard I expect, and how it relates to the standards God expects. I want my kids to know that I'm not teaching them how to survive in my house, but how to survive in the world.

It's likely you knew all these leftovers anyway. But I find the most important messages into my life are often reminders of what I already know, rather than new lessons. 

Dishonest Honesty

No one will ever lie to you as well as you'll lie to yourself.

Trey Pearson made headlines this week as a gay Christian rock star (who I've never heard of). And the world loves him for it.

Trey says he hopes his decision starts a new conversation in Christianity. Pearson felt the church tried to suppress the real him. He says he never wanted to be gay, and even tried living straight with his wife and two children. After reading his interview in the Chicago Tribune, Trey merely exposes self-deception in his life.

"I'm finally being honest with myself." 
-Trey Pearson

I have no doubt that Trey has a struggle with same-sex attraction. But is there any other sin that allows the excuse, "I'm finally being honest with myself"?


I'm a thief. Just being honest with myself.
I'm a bully. Just being honest with myself.

The honesty to admit our temptations and sin is hugely important. But accepting those sins as who we truly are is a mistake. God made us for more!

Jesus WANTS you to be honest with yourself. Not in order that you would accept your sins, but so you would reject them.

Sin does you no favors. In the words of A.W. Tozer, "Sin is so serious to God, He let His Son die." If sin was no big deal, and we just needed to be honest with ourselves, Jesus would have never left Heaven for the cross.

Satan is the father of lies. He wants to convince us that we have no choice when we succumb to personal temptation...

"I just have a short fuse."
"I'm a guy. I can't help to look."
"I was born this way."

And yet, 1 Corinthians 10:13 says that we all face "common" temptations and that God never allows us to be tempted beyond our ability.

I would welcome an opportunity to have a conversation with Pearson, especially on one major point: As a confessing Christian, what scriptural support are you using as approval for your lifestyle? Scripture is the only way we can truly be honest with ourselves.