Every Monday Matters[2]

Ok... so missed Monday's post... here it is.  Hope you enjoyed your Monday.  This one has proved to be a tough one for me.

"Turn Off Your TV"  Monday 02

Facts:

- 99% of all homes have at least one TV -45% have three or more.

- 56% of all 8 to 16 year-olds have a TV in their bedroom.

- A person watches TV on average of 40 days per year.

- Children spend 1,023 hours a year watching TV compared to 900 hours in school.

- 200,000 violent acts, including 16,000 murders, will be seen on TV by children before their 18th birthday.

- Roughly 70% of all TV shows include sexual content, with an average of five sexual scenes per hour.

- On average, 38.5 minutes per week of meaningful conversation happens between a parent and their child.

TAKE ACTION TODAY:

1. Turn of your TV today.

2. Designate certain TV-free times throughout the week to reduce viewing hours.

3. Remove TV's from the bedrooms, kitchen, etc.

4. Make a list of activities to do besides watching TV - activities like reading, biking, swimming, walking, gardening[who does that] or socializing with friends.  The start doing them.

5.  Avoid using TV as a reward - this only increases its power.

6.  Be more selective about programming and choose history, travel, cooking, home repair/design, and other educational themes.

YOU MATTER:

70% of people say that no matter how hard they try, they never seem to have enough time to do everything they need to do.  ARe you part of that 70%?  If you give up TV for just one day a week, you can exercise for the recommended weekly amount necessary for healthy living, read over 20 books a year, or spend more time with your loved ones.  Instead of watching a rerun of Friends, go make some.

"Tap Shoes"

I was completely upset.  I can't even begin to describe all the emotions I was dealing with a few weeks ago over something as simple as "Tap Shoes."  Here is the story.  My daughter, Alexia, just began a new dance class at the age of 5 years old.  There was a mix up in her registration and the dance academy decided to take it up on themselves to move her out of a class with all her friends to a different day that was less crowded.  Frustrating but we dealt with it.  So her first day arrived and she was so excited.  We got her there on time and while my wife changed her into her ballet shoes I parked the car.  The emotions started quickly when I got into the dance studio and saw my little girl in a line of little girls with her little white ballet slippers on looking down at all the other girls feet as they supported there BRAND NEW TAP SHOES!!!!!  NO ONE TOLD US SHE NEEDED TAP SHOES!!!  I can't describe to you how angry and upset I was.  If you could have seen the look on her face... I completely flashed back to all those times growing up where I felt left out, and I did what any dad in that moment would do... I ran as fast as I could to our car and broke every traffic law getting to the Payless Shoe store down the road.  The lady must have thought I was  nuts as I came sprinting into the store screaming about "Tap Shoes" and stupid dance teachers.  Needless to say by the time I got back they had all changed into their ballet shoes.  I got those tap shoes out of the box and held them up to the window so my daughter could see that she had her own "Tap Shoes" like everyone else.  The look of joy and excitement on her face was what I will remember for the rest of my life.  I love being a dad... but I really hate dance teachers now...

Get Rid Of The "Junk"

Following up my blog on NothingButNets, I figured I would share a thought with everyone.  It doesn't have to do with bed nets but with hocky/soccer nets.  I remember a scene from "Mighty Ducks," where they were trying to teach the defense to clean up the junk in front of the net because a majority of the time the opposing team scores off rebounds.  It is interesting to me how often we take care of ourselves physically and spiritually, but rarely do we take care of ourselves mentally.  Everyone of us through situations of life, or people, or simply how we were raised, have junk that we "manage."  What really happens with that junk that we think we manage is it just kinda hangs out "in front of the net" waiting for the "opposing team" to score a goal.  Like anything if we don't deal with it, it gets increasingly worse.  It's no different with our "junk."  I have been seeing a counselor for sometime now and I have to say it has been one of the most enlightening and healthy experiences of my life.  None of us really know how well we are handling the things that life throws at us.  We may think we are managing them, but our junk continues to hurt us, and worse, it effects those we are in relationship with even more.  I not only think it's important and healthy to find yourself on a "couch" talking with someone that God has educated and gifted to help us process those things that seem to really effect us, but I also believe it is absolutely irresponsible not to.  Once a month, twice a month, once a quarter... go take some time and "clean the junk up from in front of the net."  Maybe then you will find your way to freedom from things that you didn't realize were hurting you and those around you... Maybe you will even discover the person God created... Maybe you will for once, hear the "VOICE OF TRUTH"... maybe the enemy will stop using your junk to score goals...

Social Injustice

Each week I just want to take a moment and highlight an initiative that seems to be making a huge impact in the world of "social injustice."  It has been nice to see the church begin to respond to the needs of the world both at home and abroad.  It is definitely time people like Bono and Oprah stop leading the charge in the area of "social injustice," and time we the Church set the pace.  My friend Diego is a defense-man for the Chicago Fire and is also very involved with NOTHING BUT NETS.  He is one of the spokesman for the initiative and he and his wife Ginna have done  A LOT to see bed nets sent over sees to stop the spread of Malaria in countries around the world.  For just 10 dollars  you can send a bed net oversees and not only do you save a life but you can actually save a family.  Each family is educated on the use of the bed net along with the need for it.  Please visit nothingbutnets.net and explore what is taking place to save people from this disease.  I promise you will be moved to act and someone's life will be different.  Send a net, save a life!

The Cat Is Out Of The Bag...

...and Ray Boltz is out of "the closet."  For those of you who have been a Christian in the last 3 decades you know who Ray Boltz is.  From songs like "Watch The Lamb" and "I Pledge Allegience" to some of my favorites like "Thank You" and "I Will Praise The Lord," Ray's songs have both encouraged us and inspired us.  I don't think many of his songs escaped even the "human video" era of our church's.  He truly was and has been one of the great song writers/singers of the Church.  So maybe it has come as a huge surprise to you that Ray Boltz has announced in the last few weeks that he is in fact "gay."  I guess I am struggling between surprise and, well, not surprised at all.  I believe when I first heard the claim, my first reaction was, "NO WAY!"  However, serving in ministry today, is a lot different than it was years ago.  There seems to be a new "freedom" to confess and be open about our sin.  As much as I love the transparency of calling sin what it is and getting it out in the light, I still feel we have a duty to repent and turn from it.  The purpose of sharing it, is to deal with it.  There is definately a new sense of grace and a non-judgmental spirit in this generation, but that cannot be replaced with complacency and justification.  Ray Boltz at 55 years of age, has decided to embrace the "way God made him," and leave his wife of 33 years to "live a homosexual lifestyle."  I'm truly sorry that he has had to fight this for as long as he can remember, but he is no different than the rest of us who fight the weaknesses and sin that exist in all of us.  I don't judge him for his feelings and desire to live in sin.  We are all sinners and struggle with things that have haunted us for as long as we can remember.  However, just because it seems to have played a role in defining who we are today, does not mean it's ok to indulge in it.  I will not tackle in this blog my feelings on his comment that "it is who God made him to be."  I personally think that is a lie from the enemy that any of us, wether we are alcoholic's or adulterers or abusive or even liars, could claim and just accept.  Ray, God has used you in a tremendous way, I believe He has blessed you because of your faithfulness to what is right and for struggling for so long.  I believe your "sin" is no different than mine, I have just chosen to call it what it is... sin.  When we start saying that our sin is not our choice, that it is what we were born to be, then we are simply saying that God created us to live a life counter to or against what He has called us and even commanded us to live in freedom from.  Homosexuality is a sin. It is a sin like a lot of sins all of us struggle to stay in victory over.  However, the wages of sin is still DEATH...  May we continue to be transparent...  May we continue to battle the flesh... And may we continue to live in the blessing of God as we strive to live holy before Him who called us out of darkness into His MARVELOUS LIGHT!!!  I am truly saying this from my heart... I am praying for you Ray Boltz and your family, who will continue to feel the pain of this decision for years to come.

Every Monday Matters[1]

There is a book right now call Every Monday Matters that simply gives you unique things to do on Monday to make a difference.  I am going to start off each week by highlighting one of those creative things we can do to make a difference in some way.  "EVERYONE has the power of greatness.  Not for fame, but greatness.  Because greatness is determined by SERVICE."  Dr.  Martin Luther King Jr.  So take some time every monday to stop by and read one of these "Every Monday Matters" moments and just try a few of them during the day.  So here we go...

WHAT MATTERS MOST - MONDAY 01

Facts:  The average person spends:

100 hours a year commuting to work compared to 80 hours of vacation time.

91 hours a week at work for dual-career couples with kids.

1.8 hours a day doing household activities.

2.6 hours a day watching television.

8.6 hours a day sleeping.

"Time is a non-renewable resource.  Once it is used up, you can't get it back."

Take Action Today:

1. Stop and think...then make a list of what matters most to you.

2. Create a list of how you curently spend your time each week.

3. Organize your list of weekly activities and identify activities that are required and those that are optional and waste time.

4. Take steps to rearrange your schedule or reduce the optional activities so that you can spend time doing WHAT MATTERS MOST.

5. Don't waste time.

YOU MATTER: What really matters most to you?  Your relationships with family, friends, and children?  Helping others?  Passions?  Faith?  Security?  Health?  At the end of each year, don't you want to look back and see that you made a difference?  That you matter?  Today is the start of something new.  Start it off by making a difference in you, in your life, and in the lives of those you love.  This is your opportunity.  Time spent on what matters most is never a waste of time.

Relational Stewardship

In the church world we hear a lot of messages about giving.  We hear about tithing 10 percent of our income to the Lord.  One 10th off the top of our best.  God clearly talks about tithes and offerings all through scripture and I myself am not opposed to giving 10 percent and often times more.  But it seems like we spend alot of time talking about tithe and stewardship in regards to our money but what about relational stewardship?  What about the giving our lives to others.  What about the 100 percent tithe that Jesus calls us to give in the New Testament?  I guess I'm just wondering if we are faithful to our 10 percent tithe but treat people like CRAP... do we still experience and live in the full blessing of Christ.  Jesus came to this earth to die so that we could have a RELATIONSHIP with the Father.  He spent a majority of His time here on earth pouring into 12 men [BUILDING RELATIONSHIP].  I know people hurt us, I know people let us down, I know people are selfish and only think of themselves but like it or not God brings these people into our lives for a reason.  It seems we often build relationship with people because we know they offer us something.  On the other side of it we break relationship with people, treat them less then a friend or even a person, because we no longer have use for them.  No longer have use for a person God has created.  I believe just as God will hold us accountable for our "Giving" he will hold us accountable for the way we treat his people.  We reap what we sow like it or not.  If we don't stop viewing people as means to accomplish our goals and start viewing them as God's people who he has called us to be in relationship with then we suffer his judgement.  If you have a problem with a brother God calls us to "GO" to them.  If we feel someone has an issue with us, God calls us to "GO" to them.  Its funny how we seem to highlight the principles that we are good at living but down play the importance of the ones we suck at...

Practice Makes Perfect

The encounter is just a few days away.  For those of you who do not know what the Encounter is, its a night of worship that all the churches in the area are invited to be part of.  We have been doing this for over a 4 years now and it is so amazing to see what God is doing.  This coming Sunday, September 14th at 6:00pm we are meeting with over 12 churches for a night a worship.  10 of the churches involved will have their worship pastors on stage as a part of the band and singers along with a choir of people from all the different churches.  I can't tell you how awesome it was tonight to spend a few hours at our last practice.  What an honor and joy to worship with all these people who represent "The Church".  We ended our practice singing the song that we will start The Encounter of with, The Revelation Song.  As we ended the song there was such a sweet moment of silence as we sat in the presence of an awesome God.  Wow, I have to believe that all of heaven was paying attention tonight feelings as if the people God created in His image are finally "GETTING IT".  I believe with all my heart that the church is still God's plan to save the world and it was cool to be part of "The Church" in such a small way tonight.  If you are interested in joining us Sunday night for The Encounter then go to theencounteronline.org for more information and join us as we celebrate the theme, Make Us ONE...

Blurred Vision

I did a wedding today and like most weddings, 1 Corinthians 13 was read.  There is a lot in that chapter to take in but something about it today jumped out at me.  "Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror, then we shall see face to face.  Sometimes I think we get so frustrated at our view of life because we are not seeing it clearly.  We are seeing it like a poor reflection as in a mirror.  The imagery here is of a polished metal [probably bronze] mirror in which someone would only recieve an imperfect reflection.  With a face to face encounter we see so much clearer.  We are promised that one day we get to experience that clarity but are never promised here on earth that kind of clarity.  Yeah, we see glimpses of His greatness and His majesty and His mercy and the list goes on, but we will never "fully" see until we stand before Him.  Sometimes we get frustrated with the unknown when that lack of clarity should remind us of who He is.  How big he is.  How CAPABLE He is to bring us through.  Maybe the lack of clarity keeps us relying on Him instead of our own understanding.  I guess I am being challenged to embrace the mystery of my God that is seen everyday in my life and others, knowing I may not always know or understand what is happening or why it is happening but that God is revealing Himself in so many ways that only scratch the service of who he is.  Think about it...

Just Say "Hello"

Have you ever seen someone in public and they didn't say hello to you and you thought, "Wow, how rude is that.  What is wrong with them?"  It happens all the time.  However I've discovered more often then not the other person walks away saying the same thing about you.  What would happen if we stopped waiting for "the other person" to say hello and JUST SAY HELLO!  It doesn't matter if you are mad at them or they are mad at you, if you think they said something hurtful or maybe you said something hurtful, if you haven't seen them in a while or they haven't seen you in awhile, JUST SAY HELLO!  There are so many types of people in the world.  Someone will always find something to complain about or pick at.  Someone once said if you want to find dirt on someone you will find dirt; if you want to find gold you will find gold.  Depending on what someone is digging for determines what they find.  Don't give them room to say anything.  Say hello, love irrationally, be friendly and simply honor those that God created! [That means everyone]  I know it may seem like I'm rambling but to many times it has happened to me and you.  What would happen if you just took the initiative to say hello...

"Special Day"

My daughter starts her second year of preschool tomorrow, which is hard to believe.  She turns 5 in October.  Wow, time sure does fly.  Today we got to spend the day with her getting things that she wanted for school.  We call it her "Special Day."  We are planning to do it with all of our kids before school starts each year.  It's a great time to just hang out with them and make the day completely about them.  We let her pick out her own back pack, folder, new outfit, and even let her decide where we went for lunch.  She picked "Chevy's" which was awesome because I love that place and she loves the dough they give her.  Spending the day with her was awesome and it was so cool to see how excited she got everytime we did something special for her.  If you see her in the next few weeks and you ask her about her special day I'm sure you will get an earful.  She did want to know when she gets her own "real" cell phone.  Anyway, as a father it was awesome doing that for her.  Not to spiritualize everything, but I'm sure that is how God feels when he gets to do special things for us.  I know that if we did that for our daughter everyday she would grow to expect it and not really appreciate it.  I wonder if that is why God sometimes seems to be "far" away.  Even though we know he isn't...