Why didn't my life work out the way I thought?

Why do we have problems? Why didn’t life work out the way I wanted?

I can answer those questions with a balloon animal. 

When I was growing up I wanted to go into computer programming. I got my first computer when I was nine. Now I know that isn’t saying much in today’s world but when I was nine the computer was just a keyboard that was hooked up to the TV. There wasn’t a mouse or a way to save anything. It was just a keyboard.

I loved it. I would spend countless hours writing code. Fast forward a few years and I headed to college in search of a degree in programming computers. However, the college I attended didn’t have any computer programming classes. It had a “computer science” degree, but students had to major in either electronics or business and when they were finished they had a “computer science degree.” I went into the electronics track not knowing that I needed to be good in math. There was so… much... math. So much math in fact that I changed majors after two semesters then changed it again after another few semesters. I eventually dropped out of college and started working. 

I have often wondered what my life would have been like if I had gone to a college that specialized in computer programming and I continued in the computer industry. Every time I think about this, I realize that I probably wouldn’t have gotten married to my wonderful wife, and my kids wouldn’t have been born. 

Over the years I have had many different jobs. For some of those jobs, I miss working there, for others, I wish I would have never applied to in the first place. Some of those jobs had bosses who I liken to Pharoah and I was an Israelite. Others had me working with coworkers who wouldn’t pull their own weight or were unbearable to work with. For a long time, I wondered how my life would have been different if I had gotten this job or made that decision differently.

 I realize now that if I hadn’t had all of those jobs I never would have met all of the good people that I worked with. I would not have been able to influence them and they in turn would not have been able to influence me. I also wouldn’t have learned all of the valuable life lessons that I did. 

That made me think about balloon animals.

One of the things I learned how to do was make balloon animals. I can twist those balloons into all kinds of things. Those knots and twists turn a balloon into something awesome. Without all of those knots, we would just have a boring balloon. Now if the balloon had feelings it would probably tell us that it doesn’t like being twisted or tied into knots. It would probably say that those knots are uncomfortable and unwanted.

Those things that don’t go the way we want are like knots in our lives. They aren’t fun at all. However, God knows what he is doing. So, if you didn’t get that job or that thing didn’t work out, you weren’t meant to be there or do that. All of those knots we have to face in our lives shape us. Just like the balloon sculpture, it is those knots that make us who we are today. 

“I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made…”Psalm 139:14a

Why are there so many rules? I can answer that with my last trip to the zoo.

 Often times as parents we get asked:

"Why are there so many rules?" Do you just not want me to have any fun? 

I can answer this question with my latest trip to the zoo.

My town has a zoo, and it recently opened a new exhibit with hyenas in it. Now I don't know why I got it into my head that hyenas were about the size of a medium-sized dog. Maybe it was from watching the Lion King and the hyenas are so much smaller than the lions. I don't know. 

But when I got my first look at a real hyena I was shocked. THEY ARE HUGE! Their backs are about 4 1/2 to 5 feet off the ground. Their heads are almost as wide as my entire chest, and their mouths could fit a basketball in it with room to spare. 

As I was standing in shock at the size of these huge beasts, I was dimly aware of a girl standing next to me taking pictures of them. The hyenas were staring at her, watching her every move. The girl finished taking her pictures and turned around to leave. Once her back was exposed, both of the hyenas lunged at her. 

The two things stopping them from having her for lunch and me for dessert were a wooden railing and chain link fence. Those two beasts could have easily jumped the railing, however, before they reached the railing they would have to get past the chain link fence. This fence went from the ground up about twenty feet in the air circling over and making a cage.

The girl was completely unaware that if the fence were not there, then she would have been eaten for sure. 

Now there are two ways of looking at this.

1. (The way I chose to look at it.) I am so grateful that the chain link fence was there... or
2. That fence is stopping me from cuddling with the hyenas and taking selfies with them.

Parents have the rules there not to stop you from having fun (#2) but to stop the dangerous things that are on the other side of those rules from eating you alive. 

Using the zoo story, say you were at the zoo and wanted (for whatever reason) to go into the cage with the hyenas (very unlikely but stick with me.) And let's say that you found the keys left by some unattentive worker (also very unlikely). You open the door and stick your foot in, then you pull it back out. Nothing bad happens. You then stick your whole leg inside the cage and still nothing happens. You step all the way into the cage but still keep your hand on the door. Nothing happens. You walk into the center of the cage. Nothing happens. You start to turn...BAM! 

You are hyena chow.

All too often that is exactly what happens to us when we "bend the rules." The first time, maybe everything will be fine, and maybe the next time too, but the fence/rules are there for your protection.  

The two most dangerous words when referring to rules are: "It's just...".

These two words make the danger seem less dangerous.

It's just a sip

It's just a puff.

It's just a hit.

It's just this one time.

It's just a little over the speed limit.

It's just on this one test.

It's just one night.

It's just... it's just... it's just... 

It's just walking into a cage, with two hyenas.

Pastor stop beating yourself up

This post is for pastors.

I want to ask you a question.
When you stand before God do you think he is going to ask you, "How many people did you get to come to church on a Sunday Morning?
What was your average?"

No.
I say that again. No. He is not going to ask you that. Because that is not your job.

It is not your job to go to their house, drag their butts out of bed, get them dressed, and to church on time so you can teach them.

It is your job to teach them and be their pastor. If you have some people that only come once a month, so be it. Let them only come once a month.
Quit stressing if they don't come. God is not going to hold you accountable for their actions.

 
How many people show up to your service is not an indication of how good or bad of a pastor you are. Just like wealth isn't a sign of spirituality or righteousness.

I often hear my pastor friends talking about how their church isn't growing. They are meaning the numbers this month aren't higher than they had last month.

But let me ask you this. Can you see the roots of a plant growing? No. Just because there aren't more plants doesn't mean they aren't growing.

Did Jesus ask how many were in the crowd after he was done speaking? No. He just taught the ones that came to listen.

The only times I can remember the number of people being mentioned was to show how big the crowd was. He fed 5,000 and 4,000. The rest of the times it says he taught the multitudes, or the crowd, or the room, or the person. We don't know how many people were in the temple, or on the hillside because it doesn't matter.

Counting the people probably started out as a way to make sure there were enough seats or to see what was working and what wasn't. While I am sure it still is being used for those purposes it has also morphed into a way to judge how well a church (or pastor) is doing or to compare it to the other church down the road.

Are you doing your best with what he has given you? He is in control. He also knows who is coming to the service too.
I look at it this way, those people who show up need the message God has given you.

I'm not making a New Year's Resolution

You have already broken your New Year's Resolution, haven't you?

One of the definitions of resolution is "a firm decision to do or not to do something." The other one, "the action of solving a problem, dispute, or contentious matter" doesn't really apply in this area. 

A resolution is a firm decision.  Firm. Unwavering. Unbreakable decision. 

Unless it takes place around the beginning of a new year.

Then it can be summed up in two words: "Definite Maybe."

Every year I struggle to keep my New Year's Resolution. I usually make it about 15-20 hours into the new year before I break.  Then I feel that I have let myself down and once the resolution is broken, it is all over. 

This year I decided to do something different. 

This year I decided that I am not making a New Year's Resolution.  

This year I am making a New Year's Renewal.

What is a New Year's Renewal? It is something I made up.  

You see a renewal is defined as "an instance of resuming an activity or state after an interruption."

Basically, it resumes after it is stopped or broken.

Something that is renewed is something that gets back on track after it has been derailed.

I know that I am going to mess up. I am going to eat that chocolate cream-filled donut while I am trying to stay healthy. I am going to watch YouTube videos instead of organizing my desk. I will find other things to do instead of cleaning out the shed and I will probably begin more projects rather than finish the ones that I have started. 

But that is the beauty of a New Year's Renewal.  As soon as it is broken, it renews itself. It is self-healing. (Kind of like Wolverine from the Xmen, but not nearly as hairy.)

It says, "Yes, you didn't follow through, but it is time to start again, and again, and again".

It can be renewed any month, any day, any hour, any minute, or any nanosecond.  

So that is what I am doing this year.

I already have to renew my first one: Get more sleep. 

Good Night

Why would a loving God make a place like Hell to send all the "bad" people to?

I have been asked two questions over and over again. 

1. Why would a loving God make a place like Hell to send all the "bad" people to? 

2. How could God send "good people" to Hell?

It is possible that you have asked these questions from time to time. I assure you there are answers to these questions.  Both of them have a similar answer.

Let's start with the first one.

Question 1: Why would a loving God make a place like Hell to send all the "bad" people to?

Answer: He didn't.  

He didn't make Hell to send all the bad people to.  He made Hell as a place of punishment for Satan and his demons.  He only wants Satan and his demons to go there. He does not want you (or anyone else) to be there. 

More on that in a minute.

Question 2 : How could God send good people to Hell?

Answer: It is not his choice.  It is theirs.

Let's say you are on a high skyscraper, and you look over and see a fireman on a ladder outside the window.  You open the window and the fireman says that the bottom five floors are engulfed in flames and the building could collapse at any minute.  The fireman says he has to stay on the ladder in order to keep it steady in the wind.  He tells everyone to come over to him and he will help them go down the ladder.

Everyone in that room has a choice.

1. There are people that might say "I don't see any fire, and I don't smell any smoke.  I don't believe there is a fire.  I am going to keep doing what I am doing."
2. Then there might be people who say: "Ok I believe there is a fire, but I don't believe the fireman is the only way to safety.  I am going to use the stairs and find my own way out."
3. Then there might be people who say: "Ok I believe there is a fire, but let me get my things together first."
4. Then there are going to be the people who say: "I trust you, fireman."

The first and second groups are going to die because they won't even attempt to trust the fireman.

The third group might have time to trust the fireman, but there are no guarantees.  The building could collapse at any moment.    

The last group are the only ones who have a guarantee of making it.

The fireman wants to save everyone. It is not his choice. It is theirs. 

To answer both questions with one answer.

God wants everyone to escape Hell.  That is why he sent only His son, Jesus. Jesus paid the punishment for our sins, he is the ultimate firefighter.  He knew we wouldn't be able to pay the price, so he came to earth, lived a sinless life and died for us.  He is waiting for you to come to him.

Jesus has paid the price, he is holding out the gift of eternal life in Heaven.  All you have to do is accept it.

It is as easy as A B C.

A.               Admit – Admit you are a sinner, and have done things wrong.

B.               Believe – Believe that Jesus, who is God’s son, died and rose again.

C.               Confess – Confess your sins and ask Jesus to forgive you and to come into your life and take           you to Heaven when you die. 

That’s it.  God doesn't want you to go to Hell.  He wants to save everyone.  It is your choice.

God cares about stuffed animals?

Parents this one is for you.

It is a post from a guy by the name of Karl Bastian. He is the founder of Kidology.org, a website devoted to helping those people who are called to minister to kids.

So without further ado here is Karl.

How do you teach your children that God answers prayer? It's simple, right? You challenge them to pray about their needs and concerns.

Then it happens. Your son loses his beloved "Charlie" dog. So he prays for it to be found and returned. We think it was left at school. All weekend we wait... Monday morning... boy's "best friend" is not there. The house, yard, and everywhere else has been searched. The dog appears to be lost for good. Then comes a distant memory... lunch at Chick-fil-A middle of last week... would they save a well-loved stuffed animal for a week, even if it was left there? Dad calls, turns out, there is a brown dog that for "some reason" they decided to hang on to. "It just seemed loved."

It wasn't until I showed up at school with Luke, dog in arm, that I learned from Luke's tearful teacher that he said just the day before the dog was found, "I'm thankful for God because I prayed and He is going to return my dog to me." I felt relieved that God had answered his prayer. Why? Because I doubt? Is my faith weaker than that of my son? While my prayers were hopeful, his were matter-of-fact.

If God cares about stuffed dogs and the simple prayer of a five-year-old for something as "unimportant" as a brown stuffed dog, what am I hesitant to ask for?

If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! - Matthew 7:11

How do I find God's will for my life?

I don’t know if you grew up in church or not. I did. As I was growing up it seemed like every other message I heard was on "Finding God's Will for your life."  To me, it was like God's will was some hidden quest that would take a lifetime to find.  And it would always end up with me being a missionary in the jungle somewhere, wearing frog skin clothes, eating ant stew, and drinking termite tea. 

But that is not the case. 
You see, God has a plan for everyone. 

Even you! 

Most of the time this plan is referred to as a “calling,” or “God’s Will.”  For some people, their calling is going to the mission field. But God does not call everyone into missions. If he did there wouldn’t be anyone left to send them.  He calls people to do all sorts of things. And God prepares those people by giving them a desire to do what he wants them to do.

Let me explain. 

I have never really been able to learn a foreign language.  I have tried many times but it just doesn't click.  The best I can do is say a few words.  El baño I believe is "the bathroom." I can count to around fourteen in Spanish, ten in French and I can say “Do you speak German?” in German.  But that is about the limit of my foreign language skills.

Also, I don’t like the idea of sleeping out in the open.  I don’t mind camping as long as I have a tent, an air mattress, some tarps, firewood, and maybe even a shower nearby. So just looking at my qualifications, God didn’t plan on me being a missionary to a foreign country.

However, I have always been good with kids. 

As the oldest child, I pretty much got to pick where I sat in the car. (If you had brothers or sisters you are aware of this unspoken rule.) However, on long car trips, I chose to sit in the middle. My sisters would sit on either side and I would use their stuffed animals to put on puppet shows for them.
I also remember being a teenager and my little cousin, who was around one or two years old, fell down.  She started crying and I scooped her up and stopped the flow of tears.  I then carried her around the house for a good while after that.  I overheard my uncle say, “That is amazing!  She cries if anyone but me or her mom even tries to pick her up.  But there he is carrying her all over the place.”

For me, God first equipped me to be good with kids, and then he later called me to teach kids about Him.
God also does not call everyone to be in ministry.  But he does want you to tell others about him.  I personally know a guy named Dave, who God has called to tell people about Jesus by using a Dodge Viper.  

Now I am not saying that God is going to give us all Dodge Vipers. (I wish) But he has already prepared you to do His will.

Let’s say you are good with babies.  Spit up, drool, and dirty diapers have no effect on you.  In fact, if your idea of heaven would be surrounded by babies, then my guess is God is going to ask you to do something with babies.  

God has a purpose and a plan for you. It is not some hidden task that is going to take you forever to find. God’s plan has been in place since before you were born.  Just ask him and he will show you what it is.