Working it out is so worth it...
At least it is to those in the military promo's for the National Guard, the Army and the Marine Corps. When I watch those media ads, I have to confess that if I were a young man, I might enlist! Talk about the challenge, the demands, the skill, brawn and intellect of these amazing warriors...WOW!
About 6 years ago the wife and I took an afternoon retreat on a cold winter afternoon. One of our sons was in Boot Camp at that very moment in Camp Pendleton, CA. He was in the midst of 13 weeks of absolute grinding it out. Our hearts were consumed with concern for him, not just about the challenges of Boot Camp, but for the impending assignment that awaited him as a foot soldier in the Marine Corps. War was about to break out in the Middle East, and he was in the first class that would graduate to see action in the ground campaign to overthrow a dictator and a known enemy of the USA.
About to take our first hit on the butter pop, images flashed on the wide screen backed up by the musical cadence of victory of would be Marines scaling the most impossible rock cliffs to ascend to the summit of becoming one of the 'Few Good Men'. Our arms intertwined and locked. Our hands tightened to a clasp as we realized that our 2nd born was in the thick of scaling that mountain...his brother soon to follow. We looked at each other...together we cried quietly, the screen becoming a blur.
"I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood on their feet--a vast army." Ezekiel 37:10
Over dead and dried bones, (these illustrate the spiritual death of those who had once known and worshiped the God of the Bible), God Himself breathed life into His own people and raised up a bunch of sissy's, right? No, He raised up His people to become what they had forgotten to be...a spiritually fit fighting force, baptized with holy courage and ready to do business with the enemies that had ravaged and stolen His real life from them.
Are you tiring of the constant 'beat downs' that you are taking? Have you settled for a life of defeat, unhappiness, compromise and become no more than a rattling, dried up femur bone? Do you really believe that is what your Creator made you to become and to experience? You know better than that. If His life was spoken to you and it's message could raise you up from Death Valley to become 'Army Strong', tell me you wouldn't be willing to climb some cliffs for that assurance.
Check out www.clearpointchurch.com. Join us for some spiritually inspired 'Boot Camp' training that is designed to breathe real life into the dried up and once gallant spirit that only He can make happen in you.
Get 'strong'. There are some things worth fighting for...
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Following
Have you ever moved 'with the flow'?
Happens to me all the time at ballgames. I park the car at the "K" or Arrowhead, and after taking a look at the crowd, I become a tributary into the stream of humanity making way to Gate B. I try to act like I am my own man, that I can make my own decisions and that I am not under the compulsion of any outsider influence, but the fact is...well...I 'go with the flow'. I just stay in step with the pack of Royal Blue or Red and Gold and I am in like Flynn!
Matthew was not that kind of guy. As a matter of fact, the Bible states that at the invitation of Jesus, he pulled up stakes, closed shop and without a hint of hesitation, joined in step with the Son of God;
"'Follow me.' And Matthew got up, and followed him." Matthew 9:9
Do you find that just a tad odd? What did Matthew know that so convinced him that making money, enjoying success, wielding power and partying with the notables was so second rate? What so impressed him about Jesus that he abandoned his blue chip accounting and collection firm to cast his life lot with Christ? I wonder if I were Matthew at that exact moment if I would have been so bold.
What does it mean to 'follow' Jesus? What would happen if you and I abandoned everything, (and I mean everything) to accept the invitation to the kind of life that only knowing Jesus personally provides? As I study the Bible, I am convinced that 'following' Jesus is the only way to really live. Sometimes His routing includes me in watching what only He can do in the lives of people I know and some I have never met. At other times, as I follow, I behold such truth, experience such grace, participating in what really matters most...that I notice how He is transforming me, up close and personal.
I am learning to be a real 'disciple'. I have followed a distance for some time, but in these days, I am noticing that He is closer than 'usual'. I am trying not to lag too far behind.
Want to follow along?
Happens to me all the time at ballgames. I park the car at the "K" or Arrowhead, and after taking a look at the crowd, I become a tributary into the stream of humanity making way to Gate B. I try to act like I am my own man, that I can make my own decisions and that I am not under the compulsion of any outsider influence, but the fact is...well...I 'go with the flow'. I just stay in step with the pack of Royal Blue or Red and Gold and I am in like Flynn!
Matthew was not that kind of guy. As a matter of fact, the Bible states that at the invitation of Jesus, he pulled up stakes, closed shop and without a hint of hesitation, joined in step with the Son of God;
"'Follow me.' And Matthew got up, and followed him." Matthew 9:9
Do you find that just a tad odd? What did Matthew know that so convinced him that making money, enjoying success, wielding power and partying with the notables was so second rate? What so impressed him about Jesus that he abandoned his blue chip accounting and collection firm to cast his life lot with Christ? I wonder if I were Matthew at that exact moment if I would have been so bold.
What does it mean to 'follow' Jesus? What would happen if you and I abandoned everything, (and I mean everything) to accept the invitation to the kind of life that only knowing Jesus personally provides? As I study the Bible, I am convinced that 'following' Jesus is the only way to really live. Sometimes His routing includes me in watching what only He can do in the lives of people I know and some I have never met. At other times, as I follow, I behold such truth, experience such grace, participating in what really matters most...that I notice how He is transforming me, up close and personal.
I am learning to be a real 'disciple'. I have followed a distance for some time, but in these days, I am noticing that He is closer than 'usual'. I am trying not to lag too far behind.
Want to follow along?
Friday, February 5, 2010
Bon Appetit!
Dr. Oz, Rachael Ray, Oprah, ABC News, CNN, the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times have something in common. They just can't rave enough about the acai berry!
Hundreds of endorsers combined with endorsements of more than satisfied customers testify of living large by getting small as the result of ingesting this global 'Super Fruit'. The inch long reddish, purple fruit is derived from the acai palm found in Central and South America and is credited with with resurgence of health for the overweight as an appetite suppressor. It's natural properties are said by many health and nutrition experts to build up the immune system, promote heart health, detox body toxins, and to even reduce stress. If you look in the right places, you can still get some freebie samples through this Saturday night.
Now that's how you get ready for a Super Bowl Party! Load up on acai and grab the Doritos! Who says that you have to eat the whole enchilada?
"Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you." Psalm 73:25
Go back and read those two simple sentences again...and again...and again. Think of the implications of each if they described YOUR life. Talk about a laser focus! Talk about an insatiable appetite for angel food! Try to comprehend all the things upon planet earth that you absolutely crave and let those words sink a little deeper. These words drip with soul-ish detoxification!
I am not saying that the all you can eat rib plate at Outback Steak House is a no no. Don't think for a moment that the bottom-less chips and salsa at Jose' Peppers has to be pushed aside when you dine. I've heard that you can eat a ton of prime rib on the buffet at Argosy Casino for one swipe of your debit card, and that can sure be a tempting offer, but...
Could you leverage ALL of your desires against the invitation to intimacy with your Maker? Would you? Are you?
Jesus said, "Seek first the Kingdom of God and all of these things will be added to you." Does your lifestyle and mindset invert Jesus' words? Are you prone or even captive to your affections, ambitions, appetites and wants with the sidebar hope that His 'kingdom' will one day be added to you? Be honest. No one is looking and no one knows all about you except you and your Maker. Really, where is your heart? What do you really yearn for? It's deeper than something as simple as fine dining, fashion or personal comfort, isn't it? Join me and others on a 3 week journey, Awakening 21 described at www.clearpointchurch.com. You can really know and be joined to the heart of God. This is your opportunity.
Bon Appetit is French for 'enjoy your meal'. It has become a universal welcoming of dinner guests to dine right before opening wide and stuffing the mouth full. Maybe a dose of acai and a prolonged diet in the Scripture...
Bon Appetit!
Hundreds of endorsers combined with endorsements of more than satisfied customers testify of living large by getting small as the result of ingesting this global 'Super Fruit'. The inch long reddish, purple fruit is derived from the acai palm found in Central and South America and is credited with with resurgence of health for the overweight as an appetite suppressor. It's natural properties are said by many health and nutrition experts to build up the immune system, promote heart health, detox body toxins, and to even reduce stress. If you look in the right places, you can still get some freebie samples through this Saturday night.
Now that's how you get ready for a Super Bowl Party! Load up on acai and grab the Doritos! Who says that you have to eat the whole enchilada?
"Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you." Psalm 73:25
Go back and read those two simple sentences again...and again...and again. Think of the implications of each if they described YOUR life. Talk about a laser focus! Talk about an insatiable appetite for angel food! Try to comprehend all the things upon planet earth that you absolutely crave and let those words sink a little deeper. These words drip with soul-ish detoxification!
I am not saying that the all you can eat rib plate at Outback Steak House is a no no. Don't think for a moment that the bottom-less chips and salsa at Jose' Peppers has to be pushed aside when you dine. I've heard that you can eat a ton of prime rib on the buffet at Argosy Casino for one swipe of your debit card, and that can sure be a tempting offer, but...
Could you leverage ALL of your desires against the invitation to intimacy with your Maker? Would you? Are you?
Jesus said, "Seek first the Kingdom of God and all of these things will be added to you." Does your lifestyle and mindset invert Jesus' words? Are you prone or even captive to your affections, ambitions, appetites and wants with the sidebar hope that His 'kingdom' will one day be added to you? Be honest. No one is looking and no one knows all about you except you and your Maker. Really, where is your heart? What do you really yearn for? It's deeper than something as simple as fine dining, fashion or personal comfort, isn't it? Join me and others on a 3 week journey, Awakening 21 described at www.clearpointchurch.com. You can really know and be joined to the heart of God. This is your opportunity.
Bon Appetit is French for 'enjoy your meal'. It has become a universal welcoming of dinner guests to dine right before opening wide and stuffing the mouth full. Maybe a dose of acai and a prolonged diet in the Scripture...
Bon Appetit!
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Man vs Food
Adam Richman is a monster. This guy could do a 'reverse Jonah' and EAT the whale before the whale swallowed him!
Just last night at the Don Shula Steakhouse in Miami, Richman devoured a 48 oz. steak during a live televised broadcast of Man vs Food...just to get us spirited for this weekend's Super Bowl and the crowning of another NFL Champion. Make no mistake, Richman has rightfully earned the Gold Medal of Speedy Consumption for red meat and more as the host of Man vs Food. In just EIGHT MINUTES the Champ ground down 24 ounces of premium steak and 7 plus minutes ahead of the deadline, Adam was literally knawing at the bone. Adam possesses what all men envy...a stomach of steel!
You may not know that Adam is a man of cuisine. Although a proud New Yorker, he graduated from Emory University in Atlanta, majoring in International Studies. As a student, Richman traveled through the southeast, documenting stand out food establishments as he had grown accustomed to doing while growing up in the culinary mosaic city of New York. He just loves food...all kinds of food! From pitas to pulled pork, from sandwiches to sushi, Adam eats it all.
Have you ever been hungry? Hungry for 'something more'. So hungry that menu options really didn't matter and so hungry that fighting through the urge to munch seemed second nature?
"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they will be filled." Matthew 5:6
The human appetite is confusing at times. It can really get in the way of living with laser focus. Consumption is an extraordinary drive that is not easily nor willfully disciplined. Indulgence of appetite can lead to total destruction and absolute ruin. Ask any recovering drunk or the one trying to forget the foolishness of one night of casual sex. Unbridled appetite is about "Man vs Self". Now there's a battle royal!
How about putting down the fork for just a few hours to seek the fulfillment of a divine craving that yearns to be satisfied? How about denying your tastebuds in exchange for a 'blessed-ness' that is longer lasting than a BLT at lunch? On my journey, I am asking God to re-focus my focus. Want to join in? Visit clearpointchurch.com and browse through the Awakening 21 page for more info for some spiritual menu options that can draw you into the heart of the God who loves you.
Adam loves food, but he appreciates exercise too. After every Man vs Food challenge, you can find him on the treadmill for at least an hour, not to mention the doubling up regiment of his daily workout routine. In the midst eating sides of beef just for the fun of it, he knows that his own appetite, left to itself, will cost him dearly.
Still hungry?
Just last night at the Don Shula Steakhouse in Miami, Richman devoured a 48 oz. steak during a live televised broadcast of Man vs Food...just to get us spirited for this weekend's Super Bowl and the crowning of another NFL Champion. Make no mistake, Richman has rightfully earned the Gold Medal of Speedy Consumption for red meat and more as the host of Man vs Food. In just EIGHT MINUTES the Champ ground down 24 ounces of premium steak and 7 plus minutes ahead of the deadline, Adam was literally knawing at the bone. Adam possesses what all men envy...a stomach of steel!
You may not know that Adam is a man of cuisine. Although a proud New Yorker, he graduated from Emory University in Atlanta, majoring in International Studies. As a student, Richman traveled through the southeast, documenting stand out food establishments as he had grown accustomed to doing while growing up in the culinary mosaic city of New York. He just loves food...all kinds of food! From pitas to pulled pork, from sandwiches to sushi, Adam eats it all.
Have you ever been hungry? Hungry for 'something more'. So hungry that menu options really didn't matter and so hungry that fighting through the urge to munch seemed second nature?
"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they will be filled." Matthew 5:6
The human appetite is confusing at times. It can really get in the way of living with laser focus. Consumption is an extraordinary drive that is not easily nor willfully disciplined. Indulgence of appetite can lead to total destruction and absolute ruin. Ask any recovering drunk or the one trying to forget the foolishness of one night of casual sex. Unbridled appetite is about "Man vs Self". Now there's a battle royal!
How about putting down the fork for just a few hours to seek the fulfillment of a divine craving that yearns to be satisfied? How about denying your tastebuds in exchange for a 'blessed-ness' that is longer lasting than a BLT at lunch? On my journey, I am asking God to re-focus my focus. Want to join in? Visit clearpointchurch.com and browse through the Awakening 21 page for more info for some spiritual menu options that can draw you into the heart of the God who loves you.
Adam loves food, but he appreciates exercise too. After every Man vs Food challenge, you can find him on the treadmill for at least an hour, not to mention the doubling up regiment of his daily workout routine. In the midst eating sides of beef just for the fun of it, he knows that his own appetite, left to itself, will cost him dearly.
Still hungry?
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Belly Flop
Joey Chestnut is a man's man. He is the reigning Hotdog Eating International Champion, having downed 66 dogs and buns in 12 minutes...setting a new World Record. Normal men can't even stomach the thought of comparing with or competing against this hotdog eating freak. Joey is in a class of his own.
Each July 4th, Nathan's sponsors the International Hot Dog Eating Contest at Coney Island, New York, which has become so popular that ESPN carries it as a holiday sports television staple. On the day America celebrates freedom, crazy people belly up to the hot dog stand and start woofing em down into their Man Cave by the dozens. The crowd goes nuts, cheering on these super humans as they loosen their belts and and go where no man has ever gone before.
It's entertaining. Beyond that, you would be hard pressed to find much more value in those 12 minutes of making Hotdog Hall of Famers.
"I have food to eat that you know nothing about. My food is to do the will of Him who sent me and to finish His work." John 4:32, 34
When you look into the context of Jesus making this comment to his disciples, he probably could have enjoyed a good Chicago Dog. On a long journey, tired and hungry, Jesus deliberately situates himself in a not by chance meeting with a soul thirsty soul. The conversation is captivating. In a few short minutes, (less than 12 I am thinking), a weary woman, beaten down with guilt and trapped in cultural judgment has a captive audience with the very Son of God, and her life is transformed. She is met with God's grace when she had become accustomed to self-condemnation.
Jesus was nourished by that encounter as he was 'completing' yet another eternal assignment, joyfully. The hunger pains of Jesus just could not be satisfied at any drive thru. His disciples would learn a lesson about real appetite that afternoon. How about you?
Awakening 21 is a three week intensive, drawing folk like me and you into the heart of God for a closer, more deliberate look. It is an invitation to feast on His truth and to be nourished by being about what matters most...His agenda. It's good 'food'! Visit www.clearpointchurch.com and browse through the Awakening 21 page for how you can get in on some really fine dining!
Chestnut's new World Record of 66 hotdogs meant that he ingested nearly 10,000 calories in just 12 minutes, (men are supposed to max out at 2,500 each DAY!). Add to that a cumulative 858 grams of fat and 450 mgs of sodium, not to mention the carb overdose and you have to be happy that July 4th at Nathan's on Coney Island happens only once a year. I wonder how Joey trains...
Each July 4th, Nathan's sponsors the International Hot Dog Eating Contest at Coney Island, New York, which has become so popular that ESPN carries it as a holiday sports television staple. On the day America celebrates freedom, crazy people belly up to the hot dog stand and start woofing em down into their Man Cave by the dozens. The crowd goes nuts, cheering on these super humans as they loosen their belts and and go where no man has ever gone before.
It's entertaining. Beyond that, you would be hard pressed to find much more value in those 12 minutes of making Hotdog Hall of Famers.
"I have food to eat that you know nothing about. My food is to do the will of Him who sent me and to finish His work." John 4:32, 34
When you look into the context of Jesus making this comment to his disciples, he probably could have enjoyed a good Chicago Dog. On a long journey, tired and hungry, Jesus deliberately situates himself in a not by chance meeting with a soul thirsty soul. The conversation is captivating. In a few short minutes, (less than 12 I am thinking), a weary woman, beaten down with guilt and trapped in cultural judgment has a captive audience with the very Son of God, and her life is transformed. She is met with God's grace when she had become accustomed to self-condemnation.
Jesus was nourished by that encounter as he was 'completing' yet another eternal assignment, joyfully. The hunger pains of Jesus just could not be satisfied at any drive thru. His disciples would learn a lesson about real appetite that afternoon. How about you?
Awakening 21 is a three week intensive, drawing folk like me and you into the heart of God for a closer, more deliberate look. It is an invitation to feast on His truth and to be nourished by being about what matters most...His agenda. It's good 'food'! Visit www.clearpointchurch.com and browse through the Awakening 21 page for how you can get in on some really fine dining!
Chestnut's new World Record of 66 hotdogs meant that he ingested nearly 10,000 calories in just 12 minutes, (men are supposed to max out at 2,500 each DAY!). Add to that a cumulative 858 grams of fat and 450 mgs of sodium, not to mention the carb overdose and you have to be happy that July 4th at Nathan's on Coney Island happens only once a year. I wonder how Joey trains...
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Tailgating at Home
A feeding frenzy will be breaking out this Sunday in a neighborhood near you!
Family and friends will gather from sea to shining sea and engage in a feast that is second only to Thanksgiving Day in the good 'ole USA. Why? It's SUPER BOWL SUNDAY, that's why! SB Sunday is a national holiday that non-footballers jump in on. Whose playing anyway? Who cares? Let's EAT!
From Turkey Day, through Christmas and on to Super Bowl Sunday the average American will gain from 5-7 pounds of pure lard. Frito-Lay, the largest potato chip producer in the world ups its production of chips by 10 million pounds just to meet the demand of Super Bowl Sunday. Jason Day's Kitchen in Roeland Park, Kansas goes big on Super Bowl Sunday with the annual 'Bacon Explosion' pork roll. That munchie will add 5,000 calories to your waistline, blood sugar and left and right ventricles, and will cost you at least an hour on the stair stepper to after the Post Game.
"He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never thirst." John 6:35
NEVER go hungry? NEVER thirst? Jesus said that it is possible to stuff our faces and live an empty life. Real nourishment of the soul is what all of us really are after. Tailgating at home just magnifies that fact when you think about it. What would happen if we laid off the Lays and opted for the soul food Jesus offers? I am anxious for a fresh touch from Him that is moving my appetite from the snack tray to the Bible Book. Want to join me? Visit www.clearpointchurch.com and click on the Awakening 21 icon. It's an invitation for feasting that you might want to pull up a chair to.
An ad for during last year's Super Bowl was sponsored by the United Way through spokesperson, Tom Brady, New England's Super Bowl Champion. If you texted the word "FIT" to the designated number you would contribute $5.00 to the UW Youth Fitness Fund. Try that with a hot wing in one hand and burrito wrap in the other!
Family and friends will gather from sea to shining sea and engage in a feast that is second only to Thanksgiving Day in the good 'ole USA. Why? It's SUPER BOWL SUNDAY, that's why! SB Sunday is a national holiday that non-footballers jump in on. Whose playing anyway? Who cares? Let's EAT!
From Turkey Day, through Christmas and on to Super Bowl Sunday the average American will gain from 5-7 pounds of pure lard. Frito-Lay, the largest potato chip producer in the world ups its production of chips by 10 million pounds just to meet the demand of Super Bowl Sunday. Jason Day's Kitchen in Roeland Park, Kansas goes big on Super Bowl Sunday with the annual 'Bacon Explosion' pork roll. That munchie will add 5,000 calories to your waistline, blood sugar and left and right ventricles, and will cost you at least an hour on the stair stepper to after the Post Game.
"He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never thirst." John 6:35
NEVER go hungry? NEVER thirst? Jesus said that it is possible to stuff our faces and live an empty life. Real nourishment of the soul is what all of us really are after. Tailgating at home just magnifies that fact when you think about it. What would happen if we laid off the Lays and opted for the soul food Jesus offers? I am anxious for a fresh touch from Him that is moving my appetite from the snack tray to the Bible Book. Want to join me? Visit www.clearpointchurch.com and click on the Awakening 21 icon. It's an invitation for feasting that you might want to pull up a chair to.
An ad for during last year's Super Bowl was sponsored by the United Way through spokesperson, Tom Brady, New England's Super Bowl Champion. If you texted the word "FIT" to the designated number you would contribute $5.00 to the UW Youth Fitness Fund. Try that with a hot wing in one hand and burrito wrap in the other!
Monday, February 1, 2010
Calorie Count
I believe that there is ONE thing that can bring a smile to a stoic face, and can enliven the most despondent spirit and put the gleam back in the dreamless eye...a Snickers candy bar!
That 2.1 ounce piece of chocolate thunder, peanut clustered joy packs a walloping 280 calories loaded with 37 carbs of which 27 of are sugar! Yeah! You are smiling right now just thinking about it, eh? So am I!
Isn't that what most of us do? When we are yearning for soul satisfaction, we settle for a Snickers candy bar instead...or a bag of microwave popcorn, or an escape into a movie theater, or maybe a six pack of Bud Light with the boys. When we realize that our desires exceed our grasp, when our longings are not satisfied with high octane performance and when relationships don't deliver on our expectations, we lower the bar and quench the appetites that we can satisfy. In other words, we settle for something less...much, much less.
"He has filled the hungry with good things." Luke 1:53
I have just begun a new adventure with God. I have known that only an intake of Him really satisfies, but this time I am taking aim on my 'appetites' with a more intense intention. I am taking the next 21 days to regulate my calorie count so that I can increase my inner man sensitivities toward knowing God more personally and His will more accurately. Want to join me? Check out www.clearpointchurch.com and look for the Awakening 21 icon for more info.
Did you know that the 'Snickers' candy bar was named after a horse? Maybe that is because after having enough of them, I am resembling one.
That 2.1 ounce piece of chocolate thunder, peanut clustered joy packs a walloping 280 calories loaded with 37 carbs of which 27 of are sugar! Yeah! You are smiling right now just thinking about it, eh? So am I!
Isn't that what most of us do? When we are yearning for soul satisfaction, we settle for a Snickers candy bar instead...or a bag of microwave popcorn, or an escape into a movie theater, or maybe a six pack of Bud Light with the boys. When we realize that our desires exceed our grasp, when our longings are not satisfied with high octane performance and when relationships don't deliver on our expectations, we lower the bar and quench the appetites that we can satisfy. In other words, we settle for something less...much, much less.
"He has filled the hungry with good things." Luke 1:53
I have just begun a new adventure with God. I have known that only an intake of Him really satisfies, but this time I am taking aim on my 'appetites' with a more intense intention. I am taking the next 21 days to regulate my calorie count so that I can increase my inner man sensitivities toward knowing God more personally and His will more accurately. Want to join me? Check out www.clearpointchurch.com and look for the Awakening 21 icon for more info.
Did you know that the 'Snickers' candy bar was named after a horse? Maybe that is because after having enough of them, I am resembling one.
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