Please Don't Feed The Clowns

If you starve it - it will die...

August 21st, 2016 a call came to a police station in South Carolina. A clown had been spotted in the woods just a few days earlier. It was the first occurrence of what soon became a trend of clown sightings across America. 

It was believed that the clowns staged themselves in obscure areas to lure children. Just the thought of it is menacing. Why would an individual dressed as a character created for entertainment pervert that image into something so evil?

As a matter of fact, there were even sightings of clowns in the Houston area. I didn't know if I should go by Home Depot for CLOWN spray or Academy for a baseball bat.

After reading several articles about the clowns, I learned that many of the sightings were inconsequential. When the police went to investigate the clowns, they were nowhere to be found. 

The bible says, "God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and a sound mind" (2Timothy 1:7).

A lot of our fears are a battle of the mind. You have the power to overcome your fears. Recognize that true peace is attained when you hold on to the peace maker. Not the weapon, but the one that comforts you with the peace that no weapon formed against you shall prosper. Be careful but also be mindful. 

Secondly, this whole clown situation kind of reminds me of the circus. Everyone gets excited when they discover the circus is coming. Nevertheless the reality is that the circus and its clowns are only temporary. 

There are clowns in our lives and although all of them don't wear make up, they are creating havoc and they need to leave. 

Everyone has a job and some clowns are really good at what they do. Don't be mad that they are good at what they do. (John 10:10) Do a better job at what your boss in Heaven has called you to do! (Romans 12:1-2)

My brother and I use to get in trouble for laughing really loud at inappropriate times. Our mom or grandmother would give a stern look at whoever was egging us on and say, stop entertaining them...they will just keep doing it!" 

You will often discover that clowns have a short life span. Their strength and vitality resides in their need for attention. 

Lastly, the reason the circus and even these clown sightings have received so much attention is that people keep feeding the clowns. 

Worry and Negativity are a misuse of your Imagination!

Philippians 4:8, "Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."

If you don't want something to survive...stop feeding it!

• Clowns aren't all real - Dismiss what doesn't apply
• Clowns are for entertainment - Laugh at them
• Clowns aren't forever - Allow them to leave  

Are you a good listener?

How often have you heard, "Seek first to understand and then to be understood." You might not remember because you probably weren't listening...

It's interesting that the people we call friend are occasionally unavailable when we need them to answer the phone.

I am forever grateful to have a friend who has never left me in need and is always ready to hear my cries, comfort my fears, and congratulate the accomplishments I have achieved through Him.

Recently a woman in Houston, TX was arrested for simply not listening.

How does someone get fired for refusing to pay attention??

Well...She was a 911 emergency operator who would randomly hang up on callers that she didn't feel like listening to. It is assumed that she hung up on hundreds of individuals and was actually recorded saying after hanging up, "Ain't nobody got time for this. For real." See the article here.

James 1:19, "Understand this, my dear brothers and sister: you must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry" (NLT).

We could all use a lesson in listening skills.  Honing our listening skills allows us to not only be considerate of those who are requesting our attention but also cognizant of God's whispers of direction for our lives.

Here are a few tips for being an active listener.

In Brasil listening to the translator.

1. Focus - Keep the main thing the main thing. If you are privileged enough to be the person that someone reaches out to - honor the moment by paying attention to what they are saying.

"The most important thing in communication is hearing what isn't said" --Peter Drucker

2. Feedback - listen to hear and not to respond makes sense, but what happens when you are at a loss for words? The blessing of having The Holy Spirit is that He is great at filling in the gaps. Seek God in every situation and allow Him to fill your conversation with what is best to say. If He is quiet - you should be quiet also. "I don't know" is an appropriate answer when you really don't know.

3. Be Fair - Your words carry weight. You can either drag people down or keep them from flying off unnecessarily.  Remember that we have all been in a place of need at some time. Avoid judging others for something you were once guilty of yourself.

Listen up! The cost of paying attention could equal the value of your life or a friend's.

Proverbs 1:5, "A wise man will hear and increase in learning, and a man of understanding will acquire wise counsel."

Where is the creamy peanut butter - The Grocery Shopping Struggle

The Grocery Shopping Struggle

It was simple task. Thirty to Forty-five minutes at max. After all, I have a degree, a mortgage, three kids, and organized events serving thousands of youth. Why was this so difficult? This task right here, this task right here, death...of my pride.

Attempting to greater assist with the family chores, I elected to do the grocery shopping.  My wife e-mailed the list as a handy PDF and sent it as a text. Sounds like a bit extra however given my track record for forgetting things - it made sense.

I had a plan. Start with the items under bread, then dairy, over to meats, slide through the baby section, and wrap it up in veggies. It was too perfect of a plan to fail or so I thought. You see...I had never grocery shopped for my family let alone at this grocery store for these items.

Don't judge me.

The moment the magic sliding doors revealed the acres of food awesomeness and the friendly snack lady offered me a blue-cheese burger bite, I should have known it was going to be struggle city.

The bible says in Romans 12:12, "Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer" (ESV).

Ten minutes in, the bread section of my list was done, I'm feeling great! Over to dairy. Danimals yogurt - check. Cheese sticks, milk, - check and check. Easy business. Next up, meat. Salmon. Wait. Does she want fresh salmon or frozen? Skip it I'll come back. Chicken tenders. Hold up! Why are there so many different prices for the same package. Where is the pork tenderloin that's on the list?

My confidence is rocked, my hands are sweating, I'm falling and I'm getting hungry.

My mind said, "Forget the plan - go rogue!" It felt like the grocery gods were hiding everything I wanted and laughing at me. Where is the creamy peanut butter - not chunky, not mixed with jelly, just plain creamy?! My determination was getting defeated. But somehow my pride wouldn't let me call home. I would just make up a story and blame the blue-cheese burger bite lady! All of a sudden, I realized I had been in the grocery store for 45 minutes and all I had was a loaf of bread and some dairy items.  My anxiety was off the charts!

Where did the time go?

I abandoned the grocery cart on a random aisle, closed my phone with the list, and ran in search of a protein bar and an exit. Game over. Grocery store - 1 Enterprising Dad - 0

It's a crazy true story - nevertheless that is a lot people's reality... well made plans that didn't go as planned.

Setting a goal is not the main thing. It is deciding how you will go about achieving it and staying with the plan. - Tom Landry

As bad as I wanted to give up that afternoon, I had to remember why I started in the first place. I wanted to take care of my family and help with the house chores. After a small search and rescue mission for my abandoned grocery cart I said a small prayer and began again. (Philippians 4:6)

Stop limiting your prayers to to your major issues. God cares about it all, even the disheveled dad on the wrong grocery aisle. (Proverbs 3:5-6).

So, yeah it was the longest grocery shopping experience ever (2.5 hours) but I made it.  You know what, you will make it too.

Make a plan.
Make allowance for you plan not being perfect.
Make sure you pray the entire time.

Why Keep Praying...Does Prayer Really Change Things???

Our lives are filled with plans, promises, pains, and picturesque moments. In every one of these emotions and circumstances we are encouraged to thank God because it is His will (1 Thessalonians 5:18). But have you ever been in a place where you just didn’t know if you should be thanking God or fussing at him.

In Romans 8:26, Paul writes, “And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words.”

So, even when we don’t have the right words, we have the Holy Spirit who pushes our broken and unintelligible utterings from our hearts, beyond our lips, and toward God.

Prayer is one the most powerful tools a believer in Christ carries. Prayer calls down angels, calms stormy situations, and sees us through both the cool and the crazy moments of our lives. Yet, given the outstanding benefits of prayer – our prayers are often suffocated by impatience or fear.

I heard a preacher once say that our God is old school. God doesn’t own a microwave. He prefers Crock Pot blessings. Microwaves heat from the out side and will leave parts undone yet stoves and crock pot heat food patiently and thoroughly.

How does a believer develop the patience to hold on and maintain faith when they feel their time is limited?

How does a believer dismiss the fear that God won’t answer when they are praying with all of their might?

(Matthew 26:39)

Jesus Prays in Gethsemane

39 He went on a little farther and bowed with his face to the ground, praying, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”

Matthew, Mark, and Luke explicitly detail Jesus’ prayer at the Mount of Olives.

In our greatest moments of agony understand that everyone is not going to understand what you are going through. The bible says Jesus traveled with his disciples only so far before He pulled away to be alone. Your family and friends may have been through something similar but its still different from your personal experience.

Luke 22:40 Jesus tells the disciples, “Pray that you will not give into temptation”

On of our greatest challenges is not that we won’t pray but that we will be tempted to GIVE UP on our prayers. 

Jesus says don’t give into temptation…

Then, Jesus walks away approximately 50 feet, drops to his knees and lays on his face. He is about to face an extreme circumstance. In this moment, similar to Jesus tears at the grave of lazarus, we once again get a glimpse at the human side of our Lord and Savior.

POINT #1

We receive REAL answers when we recognize and appeal to a REAL savior

It’s hard to talk to someone who is invisible

Jesus says, “My Father, Father, and Abba, Father” in the Gospels – each denotes that He is speaking to not only the Father of all but also his personal Father. This shows the closeness of their relationship. We have to realize that when we pray, we aren’t praying to an ATM machine, genie, or magic being in the sky. We are praying/communicating to someone who knows us intimately.

Question:

How many of you all are in a relationship

What is a reasonable amount of time you would expect to hear from them per day?

What is a reasonable amount time that your Heavenly Father should hear from you?

POINT #2

We receive REAL answers when we are REAL honest

The bible says in Isaiah 65:24: "Before you call I will answer, while you are still speaking, I will hear."

How cool is it to serve a God that knows exactly what we need even before we ask.

Yet, I believe we just aren’t upfront about our needs. We only want Him to fix the issue but not the root cause of the issue. We want quick solution instead of complete healing. Tell Him everything and allow Him to fix everything. Everything? Everything!

POINT #3 

We receive REAL answers when we wait for REAL answers

If God puts you on hold don’t hang up...

The human nature of Jesus was torn. The arduous task He was about to embark upon would torment His mind, body, and soul. Yet, He declares that God’s will is paramount.

The split second decision of Jesus to fully trust God is sometimes way too long for us to reach.  

In the darkest part of the storm Jesus cried out, Peter cried out, Moses cried out. Each was delivered. Why is your mouth still shut?

God won't give us what we can’t handle and He gives us what He wants us to grow in to.

You are given bigger shoes because your potential for growth is expected.

We I train people at the gym, I tell them, "If you are persistent you will get it – If you are consistent you will keep it"

It's biblical - check out Luke 18:1-5. Your resilience in faith is not begging - its consistent asking with confidence through faith. Begging is done in fear not faith.

The moment Jesus began to pray He was strengthened by the angels and every moment following that God never left his side. You have the Holy spirit in you and God has declared he will never leave you. Stop leaving him when your prayers aren’t answered your way. 

He knows, He gives, and He is on time.

Isaiah 41:9,10:

"You whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, and called from its farthest regions, and said to you, You are my servant, I have chosen you, and have not cast you away. Fear not for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you,

Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand."

The difference between guiding and leading...

Last week, I traveled to one of the most amazing cities in America with the Devos Urban Leadership Initiative. For four days, brilliant and passionate youth leaders from across the country gathered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania for a leadership conference. Each day was filled with encouragement, inspiration, and fun. However, every morning before we gathered together for breakfast, there was an optional three mile run. One of the event organizers, knowing that I enjoy working out, asked me to lead the three mile run on two of the three days. The run organizer told me that there would be some people who would run faster than me and some that would run slower but he trusted me to keep the pace. I was excited for the opportunity, this was my chance to excel in one of my passions with other powerful youth leaders.

The first day we ran, I was filled with nervous excitement. I stayed with the front runner and enjoyed the pace. Day two was my turn to lead. I put on my flyest running gear and prepared to blaze a trail. We started together, then I took off at a great pace leaving most of the group behind. I finished the run way ahead of everyone and was quite proud of how well I ran. The third day, I ran even faster and gloried in the fact that I was so ahead of everyone that I could add nearly an additional half a mile to my run.

The bible says in Philippians chapter two verse three, "Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves."

Me with the giant Mr. Rogers Statue

When the conference ended I had a conversation with one of the morning runners. He was impressed by the runs but concerned about my leadership. What?!?! I lead the group, I was the fastest, I looked awesome in the lead. What was wrong?

"Leaders must be close enough to relate to others, but far enough ahead to motivate them." - John C. Maxwell

As we endeavor to RUN for Christ, lets remember that leading doesn't mean leaving others behind as we RACE to the finish. Your  intentions may not be purposely selfish however the perception of your efforts can be contradictory.

Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ leads the way for us but promises to stay close enough to guide us when the route gets uncertain. As you lead your family, coworkers, volunteers, and friends set the right pace but stay close enough to help out. If you are really good at something, help others get better. You look great in the front - now look back and make sure you haven't left your team...

#LeadOn

Jesus is at the door! What is on your welcome mat?

The upside to laying down...

If you had nothing to lose - would you give it all?

While in Brasil, we walked into this large but unfinished worship facility for Sunday service. Instead of pews there were white plastic chairs. Instead of a great sound system and elaborate lighting, we had the natural illumination of the sun, one speaker and a corded microphone. Yet, despite what many feel is necessary to have good ole' church - the presence of God was very apparent. Before I stood to preach, a young lady closed her eyes and sang "How great is our God"  in Portugese. I didn't know the words but I could catch the melody. Tears fell from her face as she sang. Although she could have performed for her audience of foreign visitors, her worship was for an audience of one. To prepare the room for His presence she gave her all and welcomed Jesus into the room.

He will meet you where you invite him.


Matthew 21:6-11
“So the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them. They brought
the donkey and the colt, laid their clothes on them, and set Him on
them. And a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road;
others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road.
Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out,
saying: “Hosanna to the Son of David! ‘Blessed is He who comes in the
name of the LORD!’ Hosanna in the highest!” And when He had come into
Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, “Who is this?” So the
multitudes said, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of
Galilee.””
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭21:6-11‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

1. Give everything to Jesus

Everyone at some time in their life has experienced the discomfort of
being restricted. There is nothing worse than wanting to be free and
having something hold you back. When I was younger my brother and I
would wrestle. The fights were rough and long. The way we determined a
winner was by submission. That meant that one of us was holding the
other down  in such a way that the other could no longer move. In
other words someone had to give up in order for the other brother to
win.

In this passage, Jesus is about to enter Jerusalem - the first of his
stops on his ultimate journey to the cross. The bible says that his
disciples (Jesus' team of followers) took off their robes and laid
them across the donkey that Jesus rode on. This was even before they arrived
to where the crowds were anticipating their arrival.

As a leader you must lead by example - how can we complain about what
others aren't doing when they never see us modeling it first. If you
want to see people love Jesus then you need to show people what thatlooks like. If you want to see people love others then people need to
see you love others. If you want to see people change their attitude,
behavior, lifestyle, bad habits then you need to show them what it
looks like. We can't complain about what they are doing if we aren't
showing them what better decisions looks like - Jesus is looking for
you to be the example

Jesus is intentional and your reading this today is no accident. But maybe while
you are here you are questioning why haven't I experienced anything or
felt anything. It's impossible to fill an already full glass. Often
the reason we can't receive is because we haven't made space.

Jesus wants to come in to your space and show you great and mighty
things. Jesus wants to show you real love. Jesus wants to show you
that you are special. Jesus wants to show you how amazing your future
is and how important you are but he needs you to let go of pride, let
go of fear, let go of rejection, and let Him in!

As Jesus entered Jerusalem the people laid down their clothes and even
palm branches to prepare the way. Then they worshipped.

Jesus is waiting for you to let go. Your future is depending on you
letting go. Your ultimate worship will begin the moment you - let - go

When you let go you are free to worship and free to live and love to
the fullest

There is a story of a missionary who traveled to a foreign country to
preach about Jesus. It was a beautiful place but his mission house had
no indoor plumbing and he had to wash his clothes in the lake. One day,
while carrying his clothes to the lake, the missionary noticed one man
swimming and another fishing. When the missionary got
close,r he saw that the man who was swimming was actually struggling.
The missionary called out to the fisherman but the fisherman didn't
move. He called out a second time - even louder - yet the fisherman
remained unmoved and the struggling swimmer struggled even more.
His arms flailed as he fought against the water. Soon, the struggling stopped and the
swimmer began to sink. Suddenly, the fisherman dove in and pulled the
swimmer out. On shore, the missionary asked the fisherman, "why did
you wait to save him?" The fisherman replied, " if I jumped in while
he was fighting the water, he would have fought me too and we both
would have died. I had to wait until he let go for me to save him."

Friend, Jesus wants to enter your sinking situation and take you to a
place of true freedom but he needs you to stop fighting and let go.

There is freedom when you let go
There is healing when you let go
When you let go Jesus comes in

Jesus is waiting - stop holding on to what you should have let go of a
long time ago.

When you lay down your issue Jesus will rise up in you!

How to handle life's speed bumps - Get Over It!

How to Handle a Speedbump

“Sit down and enjoy the ride,” were the only instructions I was given as I swung my leg over the seat of the “moto” - a term used for motorcycles or mopeds in San Andrés, Colombia. About half way through the ride, the driver of the moto next to me says, “Quit holding, let go!” It’s bad enough that that I am wearing shorts and no helmet, now you want me to let go! You see, the way my life insurance is set up…

I owned a motorcycle in America, but that paled in comparison to riding shotgun on a moped in a foreign country with few restraints.  It was one of the absolute scariest and yet most liberating experiences ever.

As we careened through the streets, motorcycles and mopeds flanked us on every side. It was like a herd of gas-powered cattle running through narrow streets and emitting fumes.

Fast was fun but every once in a while the driver would gradually clutch the left handle. Anticipating the impending hump in the road, he knew it was time to grab the brakes and slow down. The island has scarce stoplights but sufficient speed bumps. 

2 Corinthians 4:17-18 (NLT)

17 For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever!

God never guaranteed easy roads but He did promise to ride with us along the way. Occasionally we encounter moments that are rough and resistant to our pace. It is at these moments that we are forced to make a decision based on our perspective.

Just as the island of San Andrés has more speed bumps than stoplights, so do our lives. Your perspective will determine what happens at the bump in the road.

It’s not a ROAD BLOCK it’s a SPEED BUMP. GET OVER IT.

Greilan riding next to us

Slow down, adjust to the occasion and GET OVER IT.

It's ok to have your moment - just remember that you can GET OVER IT.

You are breathing right now and that is proof that you have survived every one of your absolute worst days. GET OVER IT. You know how to survive and fight again. GET OVER IT. Holding on to what you need to release will only delay your progress.

The interesting thing about life’s speed bumps is that we often see them coming. Why are you acting surprised now that it is here? Here's some help to get over the hump. God has blessed you with strength in weakness (2 Corinthians 12:10), escape from temptation (1 Corinthians 10:13), help in need (Psalm 46:1), and wisdom in lost moments (James 1:5).

I have confidence that you will not only get over this but also

recognize that once you hurdle the obstacle you won’t trip on what’s behind you.

#GETOVERIT