As I read this letter over and over I kept thinking of men.  Jesus told the church he was proud of their love, their faith, the good stuff they do, and even how they patiently endure the tough stuff life was throwing at them.  Then He hit right between the eyes.  Jesus told them that in spite of all the good stuff, He was troubled by. . .literally, “held it against them”. . .their willingness to accept and follow a false prophetess.  Jesus called this woman “Jezebel.”  Don’t know if that was her real name or a reference to one of the most vile and immoral queens Israel had ever had.  Doesn’t really matter much, either way they got the point.  She was teaching and they were following her down the road of sexual immorality.

So how does this relate to guys, me included?  We trust God, love others, do great things – even in the name of God – and patiently endure the hardships of marriage, rebellious children, layoffs, pay cuts, addictions, and a whole mess of stuff.  Yet, we give in to Satan’s lies about lust, pornography, sexual immorality, adultery, and all kinds of sexual sins.  I’ll be the first to admit that it’s tough being a godly man in today’s world.  But how can we ever be the church – God’s church – when men won’t deal with these ongoing sins?

Listen guys, we have to get over our shame, our guilt, and our pride if we ever hope to face up to these problems in our lives.  They’re real and they are tearing down our lives, our marriages, our families, our communities and having an incredibly negative impact on Jesus’ bride – the church.

Let’s start talking about these struggles.  Let’s begin encouraging and helping one another.  Let’s begin praying for one another.  Your wives deserve it!  Your children deserve it!  Your God deserves it!

Let’s stop being the church at Thyatira.  Let’s stop believing Satan’s lies.  Let’s be the men God designed and desires us to be!

Mike

I’m pretty sure I’m a worrier by nature. I worry about finances, the ministry, my job, and getting stuff done. I always worry about being late, the future, and past mistakes. And wondering about whether what I do is good enough or not, or even if I’m good enough or not brings me to my knees with worry.

Yet we’re told not to worry (Phil 5:6). And to help me, God gave me the Good Shepherd (John 10:11, 14) to watch over me, to care for me, to give me rest from fear, turmoil, tension, and the like. Even rest from myself.

God also gave me His presence – the Holy Spirit. Jesus calls Him the Comforter and the Counselor. It’s in these two roles Jesus says He will leave with me – give me – peace. Not just any peace, but the peace of Christ. The kind of peace I find in the midst of a life of worry. All I have to do is receive this amazing gift.

Thank you God for the Holy Spirit. Thank you Jesus for the Comforter and my very own Counselor who will teach me and guide me. Thank you Holy Spirit for the peace you bring to my life.

Now, I won’t always listen. I won’t always accept your guidance or your comfort. At times I will wallow in self-pity, worry, and anxiety. I will be restless more than you or I wish. But I know you are fatihful. You are always there…waiting, hoping, and ready. Thank you.

Men, what about you. Did you wake up this morning worrying about something. Was it similar to what I worry with? Maybe it was different. Maybe it was a relationship. Maybe it was your marriage. Maybe it was your job performance. Maybe it was a child. It doesn’t matter. Worry is worry.

You can be free from worry. Accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior and receive the peace He offers. Unload a life of worry onto the One who died to free you up from a life a worry, fear, and anxiety. Want to know more about how to accept Jesus’ gift of peace click here for more information.

If you have made Jesus your Lord and Savior, then you need to realize (if you haven’t already) that Jesus is also your Shepherd (Ps 23). And as your Shepherd, He offers you rest from your worry. He provides you with peaceful pastures and quiet streams to enjoy and to relax. And while you’re doing that, He’ll protect you. He will watch over you so you won’t have to. Confess your worry right now and ask the Holy Spirit to guide you and comfort you. Ask God to fill you with the peace that surpasses all understanding (Phil 4:7). And don’t forget to thank Him for this incredible gift of peace.

Shalom,

Mike

It’s kind of funny, isn’t it? We want to be something we’re not, but we don’t want to change to become it, do we? We want to be more like Christ, we want to be successful, we want to be loving husbands and fathers, but we don’t want to change.

Here’s a great question for you, guys, “How do you supposed we become more like Christ in our homes, relationships, workplace, communities, and church if we don’t change our hearts and mindsets?” To be honest, I don’t have a clue.

Change – the last frontier of our lives, yet the constant in all of life. Change brings life. Change brings new and with new comes life. Your body is constantly changing – some of you would definitely agree with me – but, it’s that change that rejuvenates life. A lack of change and rejuvenation ushers in stagnation and with stagnation death – death of the heart, our passions, and the mind.

God has been changing me lately – my mind and my heart. My life got to the point that it seemed that my anger was raising it’s ugly head all the time. I haven’t had to deal with my anger and its sinful outbursts in a long time. My outbursts scare Cindy. She reminded me that every time I get angry it costs me something – money to replace or fix something, my relationship with her and others, even my relationship with God. Something needed to change and change quickly!

Through some great counsel (thanks Scott) I’ve begun to read through a book that’s been around a while, but is having a dramatic impact in and on my life. It is T.W. Hunt’s The Mind of Christ. Did you know that you can have the mind of Christ? Do you realize that to have the mind of Christ is to be in complete harmony with God and God’s desires? I want that. I want to be so in tune with God that I’m free from the bondage of sin and sinful thinking.

Did you know that to have the mind of Jesus requires change? YEP!! Make no mistake about it, this is a process. It doesn’t happen over night, though there are some biblical principles that will make an immediate impact (change) if you begin applying them to your life and your relationships. I’m working through the process now, asking God to change my heart, my relationships, my loyalties, my prejudices, my thought process and I’m seeing God in a whole new light.

I’ve also asked some men, a band of brothers – fellow warriors who knows about struggle and life change – to pray for me and hold me accountable for my anger. They are. In fact one fellow warrior asked me about it this past Sunday morning. Thanks Terry. Keep it up.

Life, the life in Christ we can all have is about change. Life changes. . .we change, but do you want change for God?

As God teaches me I will share with you.

I would ask that you pray for me and pray for Cindy. Pray that God will give me opportunities to share what He is teaching me with other men who struggle as well.

Mike

His CD Continuum is incredible.  It was the first John Mayer CD I downloaded.  It begins with a great song,  Waiting on the World to Change.  I love the tune.

The other day I was driving and heard the song – once more -  and it hit me, how many of us are waiting for our world to change?  How many of us guys are sitting back and waiting for others to change our world?  Believe me, they will.  They will change our world and it may not be to our liking.  More than that it may not be to God’s liking.

It was then I was reminded of a verse I came across in Kenny Luck’s book,  Risk: Are You Willing to Trust God with Everything? In Matthew 11:12 Jesus reminds you and me, “From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it.“  These men aren’t waiting for someone else to change their world.  They’re taking action.  They’re getting up off their duffs and picking up a weapon and advancing God’s Kingdom.  These are men who are making a difference where they live, work, and play.  These are men who are being proactive.  They’re not lying  around the house or the church complaining about how the world’s changing and they just don’t like it. NO!  They are doing something about it.  They may not change the entire world, but  they are changing THEIR world.

What about you?  Are you waiting for your world to change?  Are you complaining about the morality on TV, movies, in songs, on the internet? Are you sitting back and watching the divorce rate among Christians meet and exceed the divorce rate among non-believers?  Are you resting on your laurels while people go hungry and naked in the streets?  See, if you aren’t changing the world someone else is.  And their changes will influence you one way or another.  I’m bothered by the fact that many guys just sit and complain and do nothing to change their world – even the ones who proclaim Jesus as Lord. . .as King.  I’m not asking you to change the entire world, just yours.  Just where you work, live, and play.  The rest will take care of itself.

Come one guys lets change our world – schools, athletic teams, PTAs, neighborhoods, families, communities, friends, workplaces, even churches.  Lets join together to fight for God’s Kingdom and lets be proactive in changing our world for the Kingdom of God!  What are you waiting for?  Orders?  Try Matthew 28:19-20

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Enough for you?  It is for me.  So lets get our butts out of those pews – OK, technically, some of you have chairs, you get the point -  and lets hit the streets, the living rooms, the conference rooms, the ball fields, wherever, and advance the Kingdom of God! Let’s stop waiting for someone to change our world and lets  change it together!

Your Comrade in Arms,

Mike

So anyway. . .I’m in the 13th chapter and ran across this ~

For when David had served God’s purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep; he was buried with his fathers and his body decayed. But the one whom God raised from the dead did not see decay. (v 36-37)

I remember reading verse 36 two years ago. My wife, Karen, had just passed away (for more info click here), I had made the move to join the staff at First Baptist North Mobile, and was working through her loss. I remember this verse because it was like God saying, “Mike, she accomplished all I wanted her to do while she was with you.” And I remember thinking something like, “Yeah, that’s right!” And I knew from then on things would be OK. I didn’t always feel like they would, but somewhere deep down I knew they would.

The interesting part of all this resides in the fact that verse 37 didn’t really hit me until yesterday. It says, “ But the one whom God raised from the dead did not see decay.” After reading it I thought, “WOW! What a God! He raised my Savior from a grave never to experience death’s putrid decay!” For some reason I was pumped. I still am.

So what does this have to do with anything? It has to do with everything! In June I was part of a mission trip to Tanzania. We provided medical help, children’s ministry, and a pastor’s conference. In all of this we were very intentional about sharing the gospel. Part of our sharing experience included going out at night with the Jesus Film teams of Here’s Life Mission to Africa. On one of those nights I went with a team and after showing the Jesus film in Swahili I had the privilege of sharing my testimony, sharing the gospel, and inviting those in attendance to accept Jesus Christ as their Savior.

For some reason when I shared my testimony I included Karen’s life and death and how I had confidence in knowing that she was in heaven dancing with her Jesus and worshiping her God. I was also confident that I would see her one day. That confidence came from knowing that she and I had accepted Christ as our Lord and Savior. After sharing how they, too, could have confidence that they could have a relationship with God through Christ Jesus I invited them to accept Him as their Lord and Savior. Many, many people prayed to receive Jesus that night. That was cool.
I say all that to say this, unless Jesus comes back first we will all die. We will all taste death and our wretched bodies will decay. Jesus, on the other hand, will never taste death again. He will never feel it’s ghastly clenches around Him ever again. To be honest, that’s the kind of Savior I want. I want a Savior who has tasted the sweetness of victory over Satan and death.
If I know one thing about men it’s that they do not like to lose. I don’t know a man who can stand in front of me and say, “Oh, it doesn’t really matter who wins or who loses” and really mean it. I like to win. I don’t do anything without the thought of winning dwelling somewhere in my being.

What about you? You like to win? Have you tasted victory through Jesus Christ? You can. Click here to view an interactive presentation of how you can know for sure you can and will have victory. Or pick up the phone and call 1-800-NEED HIM. There are people there who want to and will help you find victory.

Begin living in victory,

Mike

Meanwhile, Jesus was in Bethany at the home of Simon, a man who had previously had leprosy. While he was eating,a woman came in with a beautiful alabaster jar of expensive perfume made from essence of nard. She broke open the jar and poured the perfume over his head. – Mark 14:3 (NLT)

I couldn’t help think that the woman gave Jesus the best she had. Not only did she give her best, she gave Him all of it, not just part of it.

Let me set the scene. Jesus and the disciples were on their way to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. The time had also come for Jesus to offer Himself as a sacrifice for our sins. On their way they stop in Bethany to visit and hang with a man by the name of Simon the Leper – a man who, at some point in time, suffered from leprosy, but was now healed. It’s during this time that a woman comes and offers Jesus this expensive bottle of perfume.

How expensive was it? According to the disciples it cost at least a year’s wage. Imagine what you make in a year. Now go buy some perfume, stock, land, house, car, you name it – then give it to God; not some of it, not part of it, not almost all of it, but every last penny’s worth. Offer it to God.

Would you do it? Could you do it? She did. The woman enters Jesus’ presence and offers her most costly investment. It was something that was used a little at a time because of its value. But she didn’t care. This was Jesus. He was different. We don’t know why He was different to her, but for some reason He was. He had made some kind of impact in her life and she set the example for a room full of men. Men who knew Jesus was different. Men who had spent time with Jesus – day in and day out – for the better part of three years. Men who sat around and grumbled about a woman’s offering. Men who were made to look silly by the example of a woman.

In some ways this incident reminds me of the current state of many churches. Think about it for a minute. Who does or leads out in most of the ministries at your church? Who sets the examples in your prayer ministries, outreach ministries, fellowships/get togethers, building relationships, discipleship? I would venture to say it’s the women. Why? Because most of us men are standing around the back of the room sipping on stale coffee, arms crossed, worried more about Saturday’s college football game, the status of latest hunting season, or work, waiting for someone else to do the ministry. We’re more worried about making sure there’s coffee than whether there are lost people in the service. We’re more focused on the style of worship than who just moved in down the street. We’ve been beaten to the leadership roles, not by good leaders, but because we have forfeited our leadership roles to the women who will do them. We have been showed up much like the disciples were.

Men, it’s time we stood up and began leading. Some of you do. Some of you reading this will probably be somewhat upset at what I’ve said. It’s understandable. Thank you for setting the tone in your church. Then again, who’s leading in your church. I’m not talking about positional leadership – pastors, elders, deacons, coordinators, teachers. I’m talking about rounding up some men and leading out by example.

Reading further into Mark 14 we find Jesus sharing His last supper with these men. He takes the bread, gives thanks and breaks it. Giving it to His disciples He speaks, “Take it; this is my body.” Next He takes the cup, again giving thanks He offers it to the men gathered in the room with Him. “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many,” He said to them. Jesus gave it His all as well. He gave His all for you and for me. He didn’t hold anything back. He didn’t quit in the middle. He offered God all of Himself – the most expensive thing He could give – for us.

Men, are you giving God your best? Are you giving Him all of it? Are you leading by modeling or by griping?

Mike

“Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand.” – v. 25

Did you get that? While Jesus was addressing the Pharisees’ accusation that He was casting out demons by the power of Satan, he was also giving us a good word – our families need to be united! They need to be together, going in the same direction. Everyone needs to be working from the same play book. Use whatever metaphor you like, the meaning is the same.

Don’t take this lightly. As I read this verse, my pastor’s words came to mind – “Men, get our house in order.” There needs to be NO divisiveness.

Realistically, guys, you aren’t going to see eye-to-eye with your wives on everything. And that’s OK. . .we’re different. And aren’t you glad we are? But guys, we have to be the leaders of our families. We have to set the tone. . .the expectations. . .the standards for our families. That’s our God appointed assignment. That’s what leaders do. And you are the God appointed leader of your family.

Don’t think divisiveness doesn’t cause problems in the family? Check out Isaac and Rebekah. Here was a family of deceivers who became divisive – eventually they came together – but their deception carried on for generations.

Jesus was right. A household divided against itself cannot stand. Men. . .leaders. . .unite your families. Set the standard. Take responsibility and step up. I promise, you won’t be sorry.

Mike