Month: May 2014

You’re Weak and It’s Okay

“But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.”
II Corinthians 12:9
“No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Romans 8:37-39
Running is my “me” time. That’s my time where I leave my cares, my concerns, my worries, my doubts, my fears at the door and hit the pavement. It’s absolutely liberating. I go outside and forget about everything that has happened and forget about my concerns about what will happen next. I spend anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour and a half soaking in sun and shaking off sweat (and some fat too).

The problem is, eventually I have to go back inside. And I have this terrible habit of crossing the threshold and picking up all those doubts, worries, concerns, cares, etc and putting them right back on my shoulders as I walk up the stairs. I have a tendency to dwell on my mistakes, my weaknesses, and let them fester inside. I beat myself up.

The problem with this is that, while our weaknesses do not define us, they do help to make us who we are…human. We are beautifully imperfect beings in need of a beautifully perfect Savior. Fortunately, Christ is perfect and wants to balance out our imperfection with His perfection. Paul goes so far as to say that we should “boast all the more gladly about (our) weaknesses.”
The term “Christian” carries such a grossly negative connotation these days because people view Christianity as hypocritical. And rightly so. Somewhere along the lines, people quit reading II Corinthians 12:9 and Romans 8:37-39 and forgot that we are all ugly on the inside but that nothing can separate from God’s love. My sin is no greater than anyone else’ sin in Gods eyes and it works the same for your sin. 
Degrees of sin is a man-made system that is false and condemning. Imagine a world where Christians were known for bragging about their own faults and imperfections. Imagine the opportunities it provides to tell people about a Savior that loves, forgives, and strengthens in spite of ourselves. Boast about your weaknesses. Don’t dwell on them. Don’t let them fester inside. Give them to God, the perfector of our faith, who can take them and use them for His glory.

The Overwhelmed Challenge

A couple days ago I started a new devotional on the YouVersion Bible App. I’m always doing a devo through the app in addition to my morning quiet time because they’re so quick and applicable. I found this devo called “The Overwhelmed Challenge” by Perry Noble and it’s been a nice time for me to dwell on trusting in God.

Today’s devotional was a really good reminder of things that cause stress and was such a good addition to what I blogged about yesterday that I wanted to share it’s contents:
The Overwhelmed Challenge
Perry Noble
Day 3: 10 Things That Cause Stress

Actually, I am not sure if these cause stress in everyone, but I know these are the 10 most common things that cause stress in me. 

1. The belief that I am in control of my life rather than knowing that HE is in control of EVERYTHING (including my life)! 

2. When I do not trust the people who I delegate authority and responsibility to and actually begin to believe the lie that, “If I want something done right then I must do it myself.” 

3. When I know without a doubt what God has told me to do but I begin to listen to the “experts” who tell me that the very thing God has told me to do is impossible. 

4. When I try to explain myself to those who don’t really want an explanation; they just want to argue. 

5. When I refuse to take some time to disconnect and rest, claiming that the devil never takes a day off while not understanding that the devil isn’t supposed to be my example. 

6. When I begin to take on the “Messiah complex” and begin to think about how much I need to do and how Jesus needs me rather than how much I actually NEED HIM! 

7. When I worry about results more than obedience!!! 

8. When I focus on the size of the problem rather than the size of God! 

9. When I fail to share my worries and concerns and admit my mistakes to others for fear that it may make me seem weak and stupid.  (The opposite is actually the case. Those around me actually love and respect me more when I ask for help!) 

10. When I become unaware of HIS presence every single minute of my life! 

Please remember and be encouraged that His plans are greater than any plans we could have for ourselves. So don’t worry, God’s got this.




Funny how God works like that sometimes. I blogged along the lines of this topic yesterday not knowing I would receive a message affirming my thoughts and feelings the very next day. 


If you don’t have the YouVersion Bible App, get it and use it: http://bible.com/app
If you want to complete Perry Noble’s devotional, “The Overwhelmed Challenge,” go here: http://bible.com/r/Eb

Take the Blinders Off

And I love you more than any other, 
so much more than anything.

Do you really though? If you’ve ever sung Martin Nystrom’s “As the Deer”, you’ve sung the lyrics above. But did you really mean it when you sang them? Do you really love God “so much more than anything.” I’ve sung these words several times throughout my life and I can honestly say that for the first time in many years, I actually meant the words when I was singing this recently.

As humans, we are inherently flawed. Let’s not get into a theological debate about this. I believe that you and I are born sinful and remain sinful for the duration of our life. Fortunately, we have a God that overlooks our inherently sinful nature and forgives us with the redeeming blood of Christ. But don’t get confused. You are sinful. I am sinful. We are sinful.

With that sinful nature, we have a tendency to place people and/or things above God. I’ve spent the last 8 years with my ex-wife above God. I had a relationship with Him. I loved Him, worshiped Him, prayed to Him, read His word, and listened for His call but I did all of this with the subconscious mindset that He was #2. It was so subconscious that I didn’t even want to recognize or admit that it was true. I wanted to do what God wanted me to do and be in His service, as long as it fit into the scheme of making my ex-wife happy.

During the early parts of my separation, I found myself asking for God’s help and healing. I was asking for Him to work in my life and lead me the way He wanted me to go…as long as it would bring my wife and me back together. The problem is, God doesn’t work like that. We have the free will to follow His path or another path and He will not force us in either direction.

I’ve taken the blinders off. I’m no longer following the path of what I want. I still ask for God’s help and healing but now I’m also asking for His direction, without the stipulations. I’m determined to place myself completely in His hands. I’m determined to figure out exactly what it is that God wants for me and from me and see that come to fruition.

We serve a loving, forgiving God that wants to see us living fulfilled lives within His purpose. Whatever He has in store is far greater than anything we could ever imagine. It’s seems foolish to want to limit our own potential by thinking that our imagination is greater than God’s realization.

I’ll leave you with two verses that have gotten me through a lot of the past few months. Be encouraged. God has a plan for you and for me. Just make sure you love Him “more than any other, so much more than anything.”

“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are
not worthy to be compared with the glory that is
to be revealed to us.” Romans 8:18 (NASB)
“And we know that God causes all things to work together
for good to those who love God, to those who are called
according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28 (NASB)

Pace Yourself

This morning I ran my first 5k. Something I’ve been wanting to do for 2 years but always had a reason or excuse not to do it. Now, as I’ve been training and preparing, all my friends who are experienced runners have been warning me not to start off to fast or try to keep pace with everyone else. “Just steady your pace to what is best and comfortable to you,” they’d say. I was mentally ready for that race to start and when I did…I took off. I looked around and thought I was doing a great job. Keeping pace with just a few others and doing my own thing.

I’m running along just enjoying the race and the beautiful weather, feeling great. Then my Nike+ app chimes in to let me know I’ve completed the first mile in 8’15”. Now, some off you think that’s kind of slow and some of you think that’s a good moderate pace. I freaked out. My fastest mile up until this morning had been 9’13”. I had no idea that I was running so much faster than my regular pace. My adrenaline was pumping and it felt great so it never dawned on me that I may have been pushing myself a little too much. 
Obviously, I decided it would be best to slow down but it was too late. I got to about 1.5 miles and really started feeling it. My legs were quickly tensing up and my breath was getting short. I had to stop and walk. Now, my goal leading into this was, regardless of time, to run the entirety of the race…so it was very disappointing to me that I had to walk.
Often in life, we rush things. We enter into a new situation; starting high school, college, a new job, moving, marriage, divorce, etc…and we try to rush the transition process so as to avoid being uncomfortable. When things don’t work out as we’d like them to, we tend to get discouraged, thinking we’ve somehow failed. 
Patience is a virtue. Even in the moments we want to rush things and would give anything for a quick turn-around or recovery, it’s best that we remain patient and allow things to unfold as they are supposed to unfold. I like to believe that everything has a way of working itself out.
My other goal in the race, besides running the entirety, was keeping my pace below 10′ and overall time below 31′. As I started walking, my spirits dropped as I thought there was no way I would meet, nonetheless exceed, my goals. I walked about a half mile, recovered myself, and took to running again, this time at a more manageable pace. As long as I could run the remainder of the race I would feel good about it. 
As I crossed the finish line (running :)), I was shocked when my app informed me that my overall time was 30’14” and my pace was 9’43”. I was convinced I wouldn’t even get close and yet I exceeded it. Be patient and keep your head up. Everything has a way or working itself out.
Special shout-out to one of my favorite persons in the world, Jim Wilson, for running it with me!

Looking in the mirror

On December 26th of last year, I looked in the mirror and hated what I saw. Not necessarily that I hated myself but I definitely hated the way I looked. I’ve spent most of my life a little bigger than average. In high school and college, I wasn’t exceptionally overweight but I was bigger than is healthy. Since college, I allowed myself to get comfortable and balloon up to a high of 249 lbs. I dropped some of it in a failed diet attempt but wasn’t even close to being satisfied.

On December 26th of last year, I looked at myself in the mirror and said no more. I resolved that I wasn’t going to look like that anymore. I wasn’t going to yoyo diet and research trendy new ways to drop weight. I was simply going to eat to live rather than live to eat. Healthier choices, smaller portions, exercise, just take care of myself through a complete lifestyle change, NOT a diet. I’ve been seeing success because I’ve changed the way I view food and fitness. 
This morning, I stepped on the scale and for the first time in 9 years, it displayed a number below 200. I’m not going to lie, it was one of the most amazing feelings I’ve felt in a long time. Yesterday, I bought a size medium shirt and a size 34 pair of jeans, both also being the first time in 9 years. My BMI has dropped from 34.7 to 27.8. Most importantly, I feel better. I have more energy, I have greater stamina, and I no longer have back and neck pain. 
This morning, I looked in the mirror and felt good but not satisfied. I’m relishing all my progress but I’m also continuing to look to the future. I still have a ways to go in my fitness journey. And it doesn’t even end when I reach my goal weight. This is a lifestyle change. I’m not saying I never eat unhealthy foods (french fries are my weakness) but I certainly moderate it much more than I ever did before. This has been one of the greatest decisions of my life. If you’re on the fence about it or think you can’t handle the hardwork, take Nike’s advice and just do it. You won’t regret it.