What can I DO?!

I received this text from a friend of mine last week:

Hey Phil, how's life? Hope you're all well...I've been meaning to pick your brain about this Planned Parenthood exposing going on.
Mostly I'm tired of just commenting to or sharing other people's posts of outrage, or posting ones of my own, on social media. Spreading awareness like that feels empty. Do you have any thoughts about being more active about this? They're dissecting live babies, Phil! This is pissing me off and breaking my heart. These children need us to DO something for them.

This text ruined my safe little cocoon that I was weaving around myself to shut out the reality of the Planned Parenthood videos. I knew I would be sick if I saw them. I know enough about abortion already to be able to picture the horrific scenes that others have described. I tweeted a little and Google+ a couple articles. But now my friend woke me up to the opportunity I was missing to find passionate people that support life.

This is the email response I sent to my friend:

This is in response to your text: Do whatever you can, remembering God's promises to you. Don't distract yourself with things of less importance. Don't let the passion of injustice fade as is so easy to do in distracted America.

I don't know about you, but I'm going to go to counseling.

There is the pro-life egg challenge response: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBlge4RvztM

More info at: http://www.holyhenhouse.com/

You can contact your representatives, asking to defund PP. I'll forward a separate email.

You can call WLFL and ask what they are doing right now to reach more women (you might want to specifically ask about the sticker shock campaign). 414-727-8176  

Or I have the power to put you on a committee right now. How many things do you want to do?

Your family can stand on the side of the road with a sign asking to take unwanted babies. The Life Chain is coming up on October 4th. http://www.nationallifechain.org/ http://www.milwaukeelifechain.org/

See what's going on...

Large Pro-life organizations:

Care Net

National Institute of Family and Life Advocates (NIFLA)

Heartbeat International

Personhood America

Wisc. Right to Life

Pro-life Events:

Life-a-Thon  (2 mi walk/ 5k run)

Evening for Life banquet

Soul Ride    (motorcycle ride)

Sanctity of Life Day

Wis. Right to Life Legislative Conference

Voting http://blog.wifamilyaction.com/ and http://www.nrlpac.org/endorse-states.htm

Life Chain http://www.milwaukeelifechain.org/

Then I forwarded him 3 emails:
1. from WLFL, calling for monthly donors.
2. from Wisconsin Family Action, urging contact with representatives to support pro-life bills.
3. from Time of Grace, showing that pain makes my sin uncomfortable.

I added a note of encouragement on the last email:
Pray that our society sees the pain that the sin of sexual immorality causes. Talk to your neighbors, and share the truth about God's word and the sanctity of human life. We have eternal souls! Most people don't know this! Go! Tell! (with gentleness and respect)

After sending these emails, I was pretty worked up myself. I was sick with grief and despair. I'm told exercise releases stress, so I took the elevator to the basement of my building and ran up the stairs to the penthouse level, all 9+ stories. Perhaps it was a bit too much stress for my body to relieve through exercise. My heart was racing in a way that was not good. My hands went a little cold. I know I shouldn't work my heart that much, but I just felt like DOING something.

I called my wife, but she didn't answer. I went down to the Employee Assistance Program director. She was out of the office, but I wondered how a secular liberal would handle a Christian grieving over the murder and dissection of unborn babies. I went to a fellow Christian co-worker, and asked if he wanted to take a walk (I didn't tell him I was in a cold sweat to pour out my soul to a fellow Christian). He was busy. I started back down the stairs, not really sure where I was going (I guess to take a walk).

At the 5th floor I almost broke down crying, and prayed, "Lord, God, help us! Please save them!" That felt good. God reminded me of his promise to work things out for good. He also said he punishes the children for the sins of the fathers (sin hurts future generations). I was also reminded that wicked people destroy each other. I made it outside, found a bench on the side of the road, and sat, and thought, and grieved silently.

Thankfully my wife called me back, and I was able to release a tide of frustration and sadness. She said something that really got to the heart of the matter. "You should pray that the supporters of abortion come to know Jesus as their savior." BAM! That's it! Share the good news. Anyone in God's word respects human life. Let Law and Gospel work in their hearts. Bring it back to them. Their incorrect views on life stem from an incorrect view of who God is, what he demands, and what he has done. Let our lives shine his truth into dark places.  

I hope you can find something in this smorgasbord of opportunities to relieve that gnawing drive to DO something. It is the Spirit of God calling you to action. See what's available, and let me know what other opportunities I missed.

But if you find yourself face to face with the opposite view, remember Law and Gospel for their soul. God will take care of the rest.

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes. - Romans 1:16

Despair - Truth - Grace

I had a terrible dream last night. I was all alone, not physically, but emotionally. I was actually surrounded by a lot of people throughout the whole dream. I was trying to find a place to stay for my family. We were trying to get a hotel room, but there was a big event in the area that prevented us from getting one of the last six available rooms. One of my extended family members had gotten the last room so I had to sheepishly ask if we could stay with them. The dream then morphed into a pit of self-pity. 

We were in a large meeting area, a special ceremony was being held within our family. Each person was recognized and praised, but I was overlooked. People looked at me with disdain. They didn’t want to hear from me. I was reminded of all my failures of life, mainly relational (I am not good at conveying my thoughts in an un-argumentative fashion). I kept thinking, “Why are they hurting me so bad? How could I have ever hurt them this bad?”

I was reminded of my failures of performance. All the things I’ve tried, that didn’t pan out, that didn’t amount to much, that seemingly accomplished no good. I was reduced to a pouty child in the corner, playing with one of the gifts that was given to someone else. I was trying to figure out how it worked…really just trying to remove myself emotionally from the ego beat down. When a man came over and stopped me from playing with it, because I was being too loud. He stifled my cry for help, for some positive attention, and belittled me in the process. I felt like jumping out a window. “Maybe they’ll care then! When they see what they’ve lead me to do.” 

I awoke in this despair of heart like a weight on my chest, and a wall of tears held back before my eyes.

Why was I given this dream? Have I caused others to feel this way? At times, have I made my children feel like the child in the corner? I would never commit suicide…why was I compelled to jump? This is the Devil’s work! Accusing sinners of all their mistakes.

At this point I try to conclude my dream, to spin it in a positive light, trying to pull my emotions back from the dregs. With my conscious thoughts I prepared a speech to the people that had been so cold to me.

My first reaction is to condemn them and jump out the window…No, that will never do. I would be despairing and in the danger of hell, and the people that remained probably wouldn’t care. They would think the problem was resolved, the problem was removed. I realized that that option forgets that God still loves me, though the people around me and my thoughts lead me to doubt God could love me. It forgets that Christ saved me. It forgets that Christ saved them.

Their actions were not kind to me in the dream, but I recognized that I must have done something to offend each person. So my unlooked-for speech begins: “I’m sorry.” Then, I give apologies to each party that has specifically made a jab at me during the ceremony. “I know I am utterly hopeless on my own, but I still trust that God loves me, though your actions lead me to doubt this. I feel like jumping out a window, but God would not be happy with me taking my own life, and leaving you here. You can judge for yourselves if you have treated me fairly. If you have disciplined me with love, or if you have avoided me in scorn. If you have spoken rightly of me, or if you have conspired to mount accusations against me. God still has some use for me.”

Then, as I walk out of the hall, someone shouts, “No one cares!” with a half chuckle from the crowd.

I spin and shout, “May God hold you accountable for your words!”

(my subconscious kind of takes over here) 
At that, he begins to choke on something he was eating. My first instinct for a brief second is to let him die accursed. An enemy smote by God. But then I run over to him and give him the Heimlich. In dramatic fashion the room is hushed. 

I realize God has provided my perfect response to this accusing crowd: Love. They realized I am not trying to condemn them, but save them. I had saved the life of someone who I directly opposed, because my God compels me. I am not trying to use my words to tear down, but to bind up.

Maybe I need to work on better actions and less words.

With that insight I headed downstairs. I was still in a depressed mood from being beat down in my dream. I knew I needed to go to God’s word. 

Just an aside: I like to open up the bible and read the first section I see. I believe God is active in our lives, and nothing is by accident. I also know God’s word is living and active, sharper than any double edged sword. God uses events in my life and his word to surgically remove fear, doubt, and rebellion from my heart, mind, and soul. So I try not to let my own presumptions get in the way. 

This was feeling like more of a time to be in the New Testament, so I open more towards the back and landed in First Corinthians, chapter 15. God reminded me of the simple truth of the gospel. Christ saved me. Jesus lived; Jesus died; Jesus rose. Paul, arguably the most powerful tool used to spread God’s word after Christ, almost laments even being called an apostle because of his unworthy nature. The passage that really hit me, and obliterated my despair was verse 10. 

“But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect.”

Thank you LORD! 
Please equip me for your service. Heart, mind, and soul. Completely. Amen.

Not my god!

Intelligence is not my god! I will not feel ashamed for not knowing something. I will not be afraid to make mistakes. I will not worry about looking dumb. I will not rank other people's importance based on their knowledge or degrees or work performance. I will not place my own thoughts and ideas above God's word. I will not despair of my lack of understanding. Intelligence is not my god!

What do you struggle with placing before God? Share a comment about what is not your god. Write a little bit to explain what it means to divorce yourself from that god, and cling to the One true God. By the power of Christ our Lord.

"Hear O Israel: The LORD our God; the LORD is one." - Deuteronomy 6:4

Trust Me

It had been a long week and my kids have been real troopers as we work ravenously on our house to make it into move-in condition. The kids have been great helpers, tearing up carpeting, hauling bricks, painting, making supper, cleaning, ripping off wall paper, and mowing the lawn. I’m sure they could come up with quite a few more tasks I’ve asked them to complete.

Well, Thursday night this past week, pretty much every kid fell asleep in the car on the way back to our apartment after another late night. Now James, one of our 5-yr-old boys, has had a habit of crying and getting angry if you wake him up from a deep sleep. I can’t blame him. I was the same way. But I don’t tolerate his rude reaction. This Thursday night, again, I wanted to help him get to bed with minimal fuss. But I also prayed that God would give me patience and love.

James was in a deep sleep as usual. As I tried coaxing him out of the car, I though about the dialog we were having. Between the words God gave me and James' sleep-talk responses, I can see God doing this for us…

“James. Buddy. We’re home. Can you get up and turn towards me? I can carry you all the way to your bed.”

James gives an animal-like cry somewhere between the sound of a loud morning stretch and a groan.

“Hey Bud, turn towards me so I can lift you out.” (He was sitting in the middle seat)

Clutching the blanket that was wrapped around him, he shouts, “I can do it! I can turn it!”

I can tell he is not awake. His eyes are still shut. “Trust me, son. It’s Daddy. Trust me. I’ll take care of it. Let go. I can carry you.”

He clutched the blanket more firmly, trying to “turn it” himself, misunderstanding my request. “I can do it!” he yells again in his sleep.

“It’s OK. Daddy’s here. Let it go. Trust me. It’s going to be OK. I’ve got it. Trust me.”

And with that he relaxed and let himself fall towards me. I lifted him out and he snuggled into my shoulder the whole way to his bed.

Thank you, Lord, for being my Daddy. Help me let go of my pretend struggles, trust you, and let you carry me home.

Because you are his sons and daughters, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” – Galations 4:6

Who do you take your advice from?

I started listening to music at work to help drown out some of the background conversations. Searching through my music library, I realized again the influence that I place over myself with the music choices I make. I like listening to some of the same songs I liked in high shool and college. They remind me of some good times (like being with my wife). But I was also thinking, "Boy, I had a lot to learn. Would I take advice from myself in high school? Yikes!" And listening again to some of the songs that I used to like shows some of the false mentalities that raged against God's truth. Many in my music library were not Christian song writers, and I wonder now where their life has led them.

There are lots of suttle influences in our lives, and I think they influence us more than we think. I want you to remember that we also have more control over these influences than we think. God gives us this power to resist the World and seek the light of life, "for what do darkness and light have in common?"

One great question for figuring out if you are going along with the world or taking advice from the world:
"Does it give God glory?"

If not, don't do it.

So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. 
- First Corinthians 10:31

Extreme. Some might say. But Christianity is extremely opposite of the World. We like to label ourselves Christian, but then the definition slides to whatever our preferences are at the time. God's word keeps us on track.

Here are some of my thoughts on different things that do or could influence our lives:

Music - Has your preference changed since high school? Would you take advice from yourself in high school? Music connects to our soul. Use your intelligence to filter what goes to your soul. I now really appreciate the music of Koine and Branches Band. Now days there seems to be so many more options for different genres of Christian music. When I was growing up, it seemed like there were a couple groups that were kind-of-Christian that fit my music preference like DC Talk, Creed, and Jars of Clay. I still like Jesus Freak by DC Talk, but my kids were not impressed.

TV - #1 way to cut down on your intake of bad advice: Stop watching TV. If you watch, you are being influenced. For me, the only way I've found to regulate this negative influence is to not watch. It's addictive and I get sucked in, and the slide into poor programming is almost designed. You could DVR educational shows and fast forward through commercials, but that gets expensive. I just look up stuff on the internet instead (you also have to be careful there).

Internet - Tunnel vision is key. No side ad distraction. Write down what you went to your computer/phone for, then do it and get off. Our devices now days do more to distract us from reality than they do to improve our efficiency.

Parents - Have you really dived into the knowledge base that your parents have accumulated? What have they already done that you are now attempting to do? They did so much before you even existed. What were their experiences?

Siblings - Have you lost touch? Are you all busy with your own things? What are you both going through right now that is similar? Has an older sibling led the way with new experiences that you can learn from?

Mentors - Well, yeah, sure, but where do you find a mentor? Do you have to pay? Hard to find? Meet people, learn people. Find people that have what you want and just ask them for advice. Then do it! Take a moment and think about it. Write down a list of areas of your life that you find important. Then think of people you already know that have success in that particular area. Talk with them. Dig deep. Verify that they do indeed share your same values and goals. Then COPY! We don't have to figure out everything on our own. Be humble. Be willing.

Yourself - When I say, "I'm going to get a lot of stuff done at the house tonight." I put everything else under that task. I would much rather tell myself, "I'm going to be a great dad tonight, while I work on the house." That better matches up with my values, and puts the focus on the right task. Why hinder our eternal work with temporal work? How can I use my earthly work to help others (give them paid work or experience), to strengthen relationships (bonding time), to show the peace that God gives (maybe I should get that peace first). It's tough when you're hard up against a deadline, but if we seek these eternal things first, everything else may or may not work out, but at least we did the most important things first. God also promises that he will give us everything we need when we go to work, so don't worry. My experience has been that God delivers in remarkable ways when I set out to do a thing, but keep my priorities straight. Trust God and he will not let you down. He is good, all the time.

And that leads me to my last and most important item...

God - Take his advice. Read his word. He will speak with you. He will guide you in ways unseen. Your story is yours alone, and God knows it best. He will lead you to green pastures. To peace and security beyond your current understanding. All other advice pales in comparison.  

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,

    neither are your ways my ways,”

declares the Lord.

“As the heavens are higher than the earth,

    so are my ways higher than your ways

    and my thoughts than your thoughts."

-Isaiah 55:8-9

God's Word is Comforting

I just wasted 2.5 hours of my life, tossing and turning in bed, worrying about how I am going to fix our house. Leaking sink, ruined floors, ductwork, electrical…I couldn’t get it out of my head. I knew I needed to be sleeping. I had stayed up much later than is good for me. I need to get a lot done at work as well and I can’t function on 4 hours of sleep. I knew I needed to refocus on God. I started about 7 prayers during that 2.5 hours, and they all found their end in a wondering mind delved in house fixes. Finally, I asked forgiveness for my lack of focus, lack of trust, and asked God, “How can I not get distracted?” He answered pretty quick, “Read my Word.”

So at 5:30am, I got up, grabbed my Bible and a pen, and went to eat some breakfast.

There is something truly remarkable about the power of God’s word. It focused me immediately on God’s promises, Christ’s work, and how it applies to my life. I turned to Mark and just started looking over the headings, all stories I’ve read before, but it was powerful to see them written down. God recorded these events to help me, right now. I read the heading: The Request of James and John, and I think, “Wow. Those guys were pretty audacious, and way off base.” Then I turn to eat a spoon full of cereal, and I realize that I am not worthy to receive this food from God. I’m hungry, He feeds me, and I usually take it for granted. But now I see God, my loving Father, handing me, his audacious child, some food, because He knows I need it and He cares for me.

I read through that section again, and was struck again at how Jesus was a servant to all. And Jesus says it so clearly, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” - Mark 10:45 

I knew the section about Do Not Worry. I was trying to tell myself the gist of it as I was tossing and turning in bed. But now I was equipped with God’s Word and His Spirit, so I turned to Matthew 6:25. It’s blatantly obvious to me now, after rereading this section, that God’s kingdom is what’s important and the work God gives us is to be done faithfully, to the best of our ability, and he will make sure we have all the tools we need. (we usually call them blessings) But more importantly, I have peace. My God gives me what I need.

My children have a pillow from a VBS years ago that reads, “God’s Word is Comforting”. Isn’t that the truth!

When the world distracts you, run to God’s Word.

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” - John 14:27

For discussion - Does Jesus Deserve a Necktie?

I just wrote this quick as a comment to a Time of Grace article called: Does Jesus deserve a necktie?

I love the positive view of both dress styles. We have Christian freedom to worship God any way we choose, according to God's word. Appreciate the people that worship differently than you. Jesus gave us one basic command, "Love each other as I have loved you." When God's word takes a stand on an issue, we take a stand on an issue (with love). But when God's word is silent on an issue (like dress code), we mainly apply love. We do love our rules, don't we? But when someone starts a sentence with "You should...", it usually means you don't have to. We don't really have to do anything, but natural consequences and knowing the truth (especially the Truth of God's word) lead us to make better decisions. Some of the good decisions I've found are to avoid judging others by your own standards and actively look for ways to give God glory (which may include dressing up). We may also consider God's warning to "not cause anyone to stumble" by leading them into temptation. Use the Christian judgement that God has given you, and use God's word as a guide. That is why he has given us his word and Spirit. It's OK to change your mind too. Getting to know a wide spectrum of God's people shows me how God works with each person right where they are now in their spiritual journey. I don't want to ever criticize the work that God has done in their hearts, or destroy it through thoughtless words or hinder it with the shackles of "you should" (I seam to be continually working on that!).

I keep reminding myself:
Grace over Law.
Grace over Law.
Grace over Law.