SafeGuard profiled in Durango Herald

Some information about seat belts on school buses, along with an interview with SafeGuard can be found here.

The prayer of a Christian leader

Don't let those who look to you in hope
Be discouraged by what happens to me,
Dear Lord! God of the armies!

Don't let those out looking for you
Come to a dead end by following me—
Please, dear God of Israel! - Psalm 69:6 (The Message)

David's plea is the prayer of many Christian leaders. It probably should be the prayer of many more. He basically says, "Don't let others stumble because of what I do."

There's a perception that when we become Christians we will always be shiny, happy people. Remember the old song, "I'm inright, outright, upright, downright happy all the time?" We teach that to our kids! Well, I don't know about you, but it's not always true for me. Unfortunately, that's sometimes what people expect from followers of Christ. God forbid you should have a bad day. God forbid you should have a problem in your marriage. God forbid you should suffer from depression, or anxiety, or make a poor decision, or do anything that proves you're not perfect.

Leaders, you are under a lot of scrutiny. Christian leaders are watched especially intently. Some people look to them for examples, others look for them to make mistakes so they can revel in them. All of us who are passionate about helping people find their way back to God should make this our prayer..."Don't let those who look to you in hope be discouraged by what happens to me." Let's point people to Christ, not to our lives, as examples.

Why I'm a trail runner

I violated cardinal rules #1 and #2 today. First- don't try out new shoes during a race. Second- don't try out new socks during a race. Well, I went against my better judgement today and did both. I ran in my brand new SmartWool trail running socks and Vasque Velocity shoes. The results were not pretty. In the store, the shoes felt great. They were fast and smooth, and fit perfectly. Of course, the story is always a little different on the trail. By mile 6, my toes were cramping up. By 8, I was ready to quit and, in fact, told the volunteers on the course I was dropping out. They said that I would need to go tell the finish line personnel. On my way to the finish line, I heard "only 1.5 miles to go for the 15k racers." I decided, heck, I could crawl 1.5 miles, so started walking with my toes curled up, then running, then just walking up hills and before I knew it, I was done.

But this morning reminded me of exactly why I'm a trail runner:
(1) How else can you get a good workout, be in nature, eat more than you should, and come home muddy?
(2) There's nothing like hoping to God your shoes have enough traction to grip the trail as you barrel full speed down a sloppy hill and attempt to turn the corner while perched precariously 25 feet above the raging river below.
(3) I have a secret fetish for safety pins
(4) In 13 years of running road races, I've never lost a shoe in a mud hole.
(5) Trees smell better than my health club.

Don't let God step in your mess

Mark out an area outside the camp where you can go to relieve yourselves. Along with your weapons have a stick with you. After you relieve yourself, dig a hole with the stick and cover your excrement. God, your God, strolls through your camp; he's present to deliver you and give you victory over your enemies. Keep your camp holy; don't permit anything indecent or offensive in God's eyes.- Deuteronomy 23:12-14 (The Message)

At first, this passage seems kind of silly. Cover up your mess so God doesn't step in it. But this idea that God is "present to deliver you and give you victory over your enemies" is the priceless part for me. So many times, I miss the idea that our God is a God of refuge. For me, when I'm in trouble, I usually look for God to come and rescue me. I completely miss the fact that he is always here with me, strolling through my camp, and available to provide refuge.

It's easy for us to pray to be delivered from a situation. It's much tougher to pray that God would walk with us through it and make us stronger through it. The idea that he is always here, strolling through our camp, gives us hope. So maybe, when we're in the heat of battle- dealing with sin, with addiction, with relationship hassles, with money problems - we need to stop looking for a way out. Instead, maybe we should look around for God to walk through it with us.

Peace

Moses had a heart for killers

When God, your God, throws the nations out of the country
that God, your God, is giving you and you settle down in their cities and houses, you are to set aside three easily accessible cities in the land that God, your God, is giving you as your very own. Divide your land into thirds, this land that God, your God, is giving you to possess, and build roads to the towns so that anyone who accidentally kills another can flee there. - Deuteronomy 19:1-3(The Message)

This passage always got me. I used to think that this was something Moses just made up. We all know Moses was a murderer (even if an accidental one), and it would have been really easy for him, as he's getting commands from God, to just throw this one in on his own - make a refuge. But, now I think it's more than that.

First, I think God gives us answers to what we seek from him. Matthew 7:8 tells us we will find what we seek, and if Moses were bothered by this thoughtless act earlier in his life, it's likely he would have been seeking an answer for how to help others in the same situation. Since he certainly would have prayed about it and sought God's wisdom in earnest, it's likely God would have given him this answer.

Second, I have often seen God use people who have been through a situation to help others go through that same situation. This is the whole philosophy of the 12-step program, no? Let people who have been there help people who are there. Whether it's addictions, relationships, illness, or anything else we can go through, we're not the first to go through it. Often, one of the most powerful forces God puts in our lives are people who have been through what we're going through.

I have a friend right now who's going through a rough time in his marriage due to some poor choices he made. His strongest advocate and wisest counselor is another man who made those same poor choices a few years ago. God has worked in my friend's heart intensely through this relationship.

Former addicts have a heart for addicts. Divorcees have a heart for those going through divorce. Moses had a heart for killers. And when he sought God's wisdom, he found how to help them. If you seek His wisdom, you will find it too.

Just say "no" to "no"

And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.- Phillipians 1:6

When my wife and I first married, we moved into an historic house in an old part of downtown Noblesville, Indiana. The house was about 100 years old and had been converted to a double. It had been a rental property for over 40 years, so it suffered from layers and layers of poor paint choices, well-meaning wallpaper, crumbling plaster, and just good old-fashioned neglect. As we settled in this house, we had grand visions for what it could be. The bedroom could be re-done in a Victorian Laura Ashley theme. The kitchen could be made nearly new with maple cabinets and a tile floor. Some of the plaster would need to be ripped down and drywalled over, and of course, the hardwood floors needed some work. The problem was that all this vision led me (not us) to start most of these projects and never finish. One day I came home from work and school, and my wife and I had a conversation about finishing some of the work I'd already begun. As I walked around the house, I noticed that there were only about 3 rooms that were untouched by my swath of destruction, most of the rooms were uninhabitable the way they sat, and my wife (who didn't know me very well at this point) had no reassurance that I would ever finish a project. So, I had to make a commitment... I would finish the work I had already begun - one room at a time. As I begun to finish jobs, it gave her more confidence to let me take on more and bigger projects, knowing I would finish what I start.

Those of us who follow Christ know what that's like. If we sit and allow God to work in our lives, he says there will be no unfinished projects. What God started in us, he promises to finish. So, what does that mean for us? It means we need to think and pray and contemplate and listen for what God’s call is in every area of our lives. And then, we just need to act. We need to drop our nets and follow Him, not walk away sad (Mark 10:17-22). In our quest to become the unstoppable force Jesus died for, we need to not say no. We need to be ready to go wherever, whenever. Just say "no" to saying "no."

Peace

Seat Belts on School Buses

Recently, WTHR Channel 13 in Indianapolis featured the topic of seat belts on school buses after a school bus rolled over in the city. Fortunately, no one was injured, but they came to IMMI and interviewed me for the piece.

Church is not really church

Forgive me for saying so, but I don't think a bunch of people sitting around looking at a stage is what Jesus really had in mind for his bride. I don’t think that a nice stage and soft chairs and good music – not too loud, not to quiet, with just the right "Jesus quotient" – is what God wants from us -his church. I don’t want to be presumptuous, but I don’t think Jesus would be happy with the mindset that a 20 minute sermon is about right, 25 is too long. Please, I’m sorry if I offend you, but I don’t think an hour and fifteen minutes on Sunday morning is really why Christ chose to hang on nails for us.

If you Don’t believe me, look at his ministry. Jesus taught, yes, but not in a cozy auditorium. He went out and taught among the people. And while he was there, he touched them, he healed them, he fed them, he was in their lives. The church would do well to try just a little to be like Jesus. The church should be a living, breathing thing – the bride of Christ – not a place we go and Do Church. The church should be a force, not a fortress. And, if we’re all in, it can be an unstoppable force for good and can help bring God’s kingdom to earth.

By the way, if you want to hear from someone who's more eloquent than I on this, please go to Rob Wegner's Blog.