Living Unfiltered for God

  Recently, I’ve found myself studying and reading a lot about wisdom. It hasn’t been an intentional thing, it just dawned on me this morning that much of what I’ve been consuming in terms of books and podcasts have had this underlying theme. I don’t believe this is a coincidence. (You can definitely place me in the camp of “ all things happen for a reason ”, so I generally don’t put a lot of stock in the “ it’s just a coincidence ” explanation.)           What struck me earlier today was something new. I will typically journal (for those unfamiliar, yes, that word can be used as a verb) about what I read during my early morning “quiet time.” Often, it will turn into a prayer of sorts, for myself or others. When I did so this morning, I gained a new understanding of the depth and importance of wisdom, as a concept. This is my attempt to put in into words and share with you what I learned.   Wisdom is a three-fold process of disc...

This is not going to be the typical type of piece that I share. It’s a little longer (please be patient and humor me, and read all the way through) and maybe a little more “preachy” (again, please be patient…)  I was inspired to write this toward the very end of our church service this morning. It has taken me a while to sort out what exactly is supposed to be conveyed in and by these words – I pray that I get it right. It is no surprise to anyone that our world is in a strange kind of place these days. I can honestly say that they are unlike any of my previous fifty-plus years on this earth. For most of the last four months, this has been deeply concerning to me. But recently (and even more-so in the moments as I type this), I have started to have a little bit of a different take… Maybe, just maybe, all that we have been experiencing is not really about “them” taking away “our” freedoms, or “those people” not doing what “they” should have done years ago or “us” finally getting...

It comes as no surprise to anyone who reads these pieces regularly that a large focus is placed upon faithful “obedience”. Specifically, obedience to doing what we hear God tell us to do. That, after all, is what “living unfiltered for God” is all about. If we hear God say it, we do it. No questions asked. No dilly-dallying. Just make it happen. Is it easy? Not. At. All. I don’t know about you, but it always makes me feel good when I read biblical accounts of people who are like me. And by “like me” I mean, people who don’t get it right all the time. The examples are legion, which should make us all feel a little bit better. I came across one such example a couple of days ago… I’ve been reading through the Old Testament lately, working my way through the early kingdoms of Saul, then David and then Solomon. Shortly after Solomon dies and Jeroboam takes the throne, we come across a little account of a couple of prophets in 1 Kings 13 . I’ll let you read the whole passage on yo...

In these strange times in which we are living, “church” looks a lot different these days. As we’re told we cannot meet in groups larger than 10 – and even that is discouraged – we must find new ways to stay connected to our church and our friends. I am blessed in that our church, Christ Community Church in Cumming, GA, is being very creative and intentional about keeping us all connected. One of the things we’ve started doing is reading the Book of Acts together, as a church, albeit on our own. The connection is knowing that over the course of the next two weeks, we will all be reading the same couple of chapters every day. Along the way, we’ve been encouraged to share any insights and revelations that come about. This piece has been birthed out of that encouragement... In Acts Chapter 3 (part of yesterday’s reading) we come across the following situation… “Now a man who was lame from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to be...

There’s an awful lot of talk these days about hygiene. In fact, I don’t think I’ve been told so many times to make sure I wash my hands (while singing “Happy Birthday”… Twice!) since I was in elementary school. And for good reason, I should say. This Coronavirus has a lot of people concerned, so it’s just prudent to use common sense when it comes to keeping your hands clean, not touching your face, and generally practicing good hygienic habits. And of course, these are things we should be doing all the time anyway, regardless of any newly introduced virus or even just good old-fashioned influenza. As a borderline germophobe, I think we could all do a better job at these things! Now, you’re starting to ask yourself, what does this possibly have to do with faith, or living unfiltered for God? Well, I’m glad you asked! Yesterday morning during my time in The Word, I came across a passage that I know I have read many times before. And as Scripture often does when you read it regu...

It was a beautiful day for New Years in our little town. So nice that my wife and I decided to go for a walk at our local park. (Sunny and mid-50’s… Winter in North Georgia isn’t terrible!) One of the things I love about our walks is our conversations. And this time of year, like many of you, I’m sure, we love to take some time to look back at the last year to remember where God moved and where we maybe could have done more (or less!) in different areas of our lives. Of course, it’s also fun to look ahead – to dream about what might be? It was during this part of the conversation that I asked this question… “What story do you want to be able to tell 365 days from now?” For the next half-mile, we talked about different scenarios and things that are important to us. Our daughters and grandchildren were part of that discussion. Also, our company and some things concerning our church. What resulted were some challenges to us. One, in particular, was my comment about finally finishing...

It startles me to think of how many Christmas Eves I've experienced in my life. My how the years pass by quickly. There are different kinds of Christmas Eves... Joyous ones, sad ones, those that cause us to be tentative. Our circumstances and situations have a lot to say about our feelings on this night. But one thing never changes - the reason we are celebrating - the birthday of our Savior. Like so much and everything else, circumstances change, our feelings change, our situations may be in constant Flux, but Jesus - He stays the same. Our loving, grace-filled, hope-instilling Savior... He NEVER changes. We can always count on Him to be exactly what He has always been and ever will be. Our Savior. Those two words: But, Jesus. What is on your heart tonight that can be soothed by those two words? "Lord, my finances are a mess." But, Jesus. "Father, I'm worried about my child's salvation and future." But, Jesus. "Lord, my parent is in very ill health...