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Are you old enough to remember dial up internet? It made this unique squawking sound every time you tried to get online. I remember vividly eagerly waiting to see if it would go through and connect to the wonderful world of the internet.

If that isn't your generation or jam, maybe you can relate with "your computer/phone needs to update." This process ALWAYS seems to happen to me on Monday mornings. I'm ready to start the week and get to work BUT my computer has to install it's updates first. 30 minutes later and I'm FINALLY ready to get to it. (side note- while I'm trying to write this blog my internet is being REALLY slow.....always best when the blogger is directly experiencing what they are attempting to teach)

Right now I feel like my brain is dial-up internet or installing an update.

There is so much static and noise going on in the world around us. Everyday there is some kind of news conference or dignitary telling of a new update of something else we can't do. It's exhausting. I catch myself saying 5 to 10 times a day, "I can't believe this is happening," or "this seems like a movie NOT real life." 

There is more going on right now in this world than my brain can process.

I feel like I'm downloading a file that is just TOO big for my brain to handle. 

So what do we do in a time like this?

As always for me, I NEED to get to Scripture. I NEED to get to God's Word. One of the MANY amazing things about Jesus is that He was one of us. Jesus was true human. Which means, Jesus knew what it felt like to be overwhelmed. Many times in ministry, Jesus is confronted with horrible diseases or crowds to thousands. Here are a few examples:

1. Luke 5:12-16- Jesus Cleanses a Leper^{- 12} While he was in one of the cities, there came a man full of leprosy.^[b] And when he saw Jesus, he fell on his face and begged him, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.” ¹³ And Jesus^[c] stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I will; be clean.” And immediately the leprosy left him. ¹⁴ And he charged him to tell no one, but “go and show yourself to the priest, and make an offering for your cleansing, as Moses commanded, for a proof to them.” ¹⁵ But now even more the report about him went abroad, and great crowds gathered to hear him and to be healed of their infirmities. ¹⁶ But he would withdraw to desolate places and pray 

2. Matthew 14:13-21- Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand^{- 13} Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a desolate place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. ¹⁴ When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick. ¹⁵ Now when it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a desolate place, and the day is now over; send the crowds away to go into the villages and buy food for themselves.” ¹⁶ But Jesus said, “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.” ¹⁷ They said to him, “We have only five loaves here and two fish.” ¹⁸ And he said, “Bring them here to me.” ¹⁹ Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass, and taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. ²⁰ And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up twelve baskets full of the broken pieces left over. ²¹ And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children. 
Jesus Walks on the Water²² Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. ²³ And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. 

Here are just TWO stories in scripture where we see Jesus needed to withdraw. There was SO much going on, so much loading in Jesus brain, that He needed to go away and pray. Even though Jesus is the cause of these dramatic miracles, He remains rooted in prayer and relationship with God.

Don't we need to keep coming to that realization now?

There is TOO much news and information to process at one time. We just can't do it BY ourselves. We need now more than ever to withdraw and talk to God. We need to withdraw and focus on the Bible.We need to do the things that help us keep balanced and allow our brain to keep properly processing everything going on around us.

IF you are one of the of the millions who saw Frozen 2, Princess Anna says a great line that is worth repeating. She focuses on doing the NEXT right thing. Sometimes when we are in situations like this, that is all we can do!

So what's the next right thing for you to do?

If you need some ideas, here are some thoughts: 

1. Stick to a routine. Go to sleep and wake up at a reasonable time.

2. Get out once a day, even if it's only into your garage.

3. Reach out to others. Even if you can't meet face to face, use technology for good! Dial someone up on the telephone...haha.

4. If you are around kids, enjoy them! Kids have a faith and happiness that we sometimes lose as adults.

5. Be patient with others and yourself. You haven't gone through this before so don't heap guilt upon yourself!

6. Keep bringing it ALL to God. You can and SHOULD show emotions with God. Get angry, get frustrated, be sad.......when we have real relationships with people, we show real emotions. Share those with God! 

That sinking feeling

Everyday we learn of a new reality. It began with a virus in a foreign country. Then it was crowds not being allowed at sporting events. Then it was sports itself being cancelled. Now in the last few days it's been all mass gatherings cancelled, grocery stores running out of product, and the fear of everyone "sheltering in place."

Everyday there is a new reason to get that sinking feeling. That wave of anxiety and worry that starts in your throat and spreads throughout your whole body like a wave. We are in uncertain times and our reality changes on a sometimes hourly basis.

And what makes it worse? Taking our eyes off of our savior. In the last few days I've noticed personally when i watch more television and coverage of this outbreak; that sinking feeling in me grows. When I am in the stores and see the empty shelves, that feeling of emptiness inside of me wells up.

My eyes aren't on God. Like Peter in the Bible, I feel like I am sinking. The story can be found in Matthew (also John & Mark),
²⁵ And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus came to them, walking on the sea. ²⁶ But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” and they cried out in fear. ²⁷ But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.”
²⁸ And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” ²⁹ He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. ³⁰ But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.” ³¹ Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” ³² And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. ³³ And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

What sticks out me to is Peter WALKS on the WATER. He overcomes the doubt in his mind to walk on water. Even though Peter knows walking on the water is "impossible" (he isn't in the midwest in the winter either), he does it. But then Peter looks at the wind. Peter turns his eyes away from Jesus. He becomes afraid while focusing on the world. And what happens? Peter sinks. Peter gets the literal sinking feeling.  He is overcome by doubt and begins to sink downward.

In this moment though,  Peter puts his focus back where it needs to be, on Jesus. Despite the panic that must have overcome him, Peter calls out, "Lord, save me."

Jesus reaches out and saves Peter. He pulls Peter out of his own doubt. Jesus again reminds Peter that despite the wind, waves, and water, that God is in control.

In this time of that constant sinking feeling, we need to keep our eyes on God. We need to keep calling out with our voices to God. We need to keep realizing that no matter what we hear, God is still in control. This pandemic may be new to us, but God is eternal. God had been with this world through everything. God isn't going to socially distance himself from us. No matter how quarantined we might be, God will still be with us.

So as Peter did, when you are sinking, call out to God. The news is going to keep coming, the virus is going to keep spreading, but God is going to keep loving. Set your eyes on God. Right now, we need that as a daily and sometimes hourly reminder more than ever.

If there is something below you, you aren't putting yourself low enough...

Is there that one chore or thing you just DON'T want to do? I think every house hold or family has THOSE things. And each person has things they don't especially like to do.

The thing I don't like doing is picking up my dog's poop.

THAT'S right, dog poop, it's my Kryptonite. When I'm tasked with this weekly project, I use the "two bag" method. One bag serves as a barrier for my hands, while the other bags is used for collecting the treasures my dog deposits.

I know it's ridiculous, but it's just something I don't like to do. BUT let's be honest, I highly doubt anyone LIKES cleaning up dog poop. I mean it's poop....

I think one of the reasons I especially dislike cleaning up dog poop is I feel that it's "below me." Meaning, I feel I'm too important of a person to be cleaning up my dog's doo-doo.

I want to use this feeling today to get at a bigger idea- service.

See the story I look at in the Bible that constantly amazes me is Jesus washing his disciples feet. To truly appreciate this story, we HAVE to know the context. This takes place a few thousand years ago. Jesus and his group aren't traveling by car, bus, or train. They are walking. They also don't have sketchers or nikes, so they are wearing sandals. They live is a desert region. So it's hot, and it's dusty, and it's dirty. At the end of each day, you can just imagine with all the walking how NASTY looking their feet are. BECAUSE also remember, it's a LONG time ago- these guys aren't getting pedicures, they don't spend too much time caring for their feet. So as I said- their feet are NASTY!

But you know who washes them? Jesus. Jesus gets down to the lowest level of a person- their feet- and Jesus cleans them. He serves his disciples- his friends- in this deep and meaningful way.

So my question for you is this- what things- whether they be a job, a chore, or a person- do you view as "below" you? AND if you are looking at something or someone that way, what does that mean for us?

For me, I think it's a pretty clear visual by going back to my undesired chore- dog poop cleanup. As much as I don't like doing it, I know that if I don't do it- I or someone else in my family is going to end up with something on their shoe.

When we see people or projects as below us, not only are WE losing- but other people are too.

I feel the Scripture from Romans 12:3 says it best-  ³ For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.

Don't think more highly of yourself than you should. 

That is a powerful and important statement. 

I feel that our risk is that when we DO think too highly of ourselves, our chances of helping others decreases. We stop seeing the needs of others BUT instead consider the inconvenience it might be for us.


So as you move forward throughout your days approaching Christmas, I ask you to do two things. 
1. The next time you are doing that task or chore you feel is below you- Don't feel pity for yourself. Remember that no task should be below us. 
2. Look for opportunities to help others. Not just in our homes, or schools- BUT at the grocery store, Target, a coffee shop, or your neighbor. Everyone has an extra minute to help an elderly person carry a bag. OR if you aren't in a hurry at the check out- let the mom with 2 kids go first. 

Take the opportunities YOU have to put others first. 

That's the ultimate thing Jesus did. Jesus didn't just do that when washing the disciples feet, but Jesus did that on the cross. Jesus was perfect and without sin but YET He died for all OUR sin- Romans 5:8-  ⁸ but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Jesus put us first. Let's not keep that unconventional love to ourselves, but share that with others!
 

No thanks, I GOT this

I love my kids. They each are so unique and funny and exhausting. ALL at the same time. Recently, Isaiah has entered a new phase. I call it the "I GOT this" phase. He basically wants to do things by himself. It doesn't matter to him if it's not exactly the same way mom or dad would do it, it's more important to him that he does it by himself.

WELL this last weekend, Bec and I were having the fun "what are we having for dinner" conversation. We kept batting things back and forth. We even joked with Isaiah that we might make something he didn't like. WELL- he decided- I don't need you guys. I'll make my own meal. SO he did. Here are his results:

PB & J, Yogurt, Jello, Milk, and Water...he didn't do too bad for himself! 

Isaiah's self-made dinner went well. He DID it by himself! As a parent, we are excited for little things like this when kids start doing things for themselves. HOWEVER, just 3 days later Isaiah was presented with another challenge....and again he tried to do it all by himself.

Isaiah was playing hockey in our hallway and he knocked down our HUGE creative memories wall planner. The thing is packed with calendars, bills, pens, and all kinds of other random stuff. It hangs on the wall with two nails that are at about 6 feet high. So here is Isaiah trying to get the planner back on the wall by himself...

Just a little too short there buddy....you MIGHT need some help

Now I want to use these two illustrations today to talk about our reliance on God. Like Isaiah making his dinner, we try to do a lot of things by ourselves. We can DO IT! We don't need any help! Here is the problem though- did you check the date on the yogurt? While Isaiah was eating we asked him this question. He couldn't read the date and was frustrated. He shrugged and said, "It tastes ok, so I am going to keep on eating." (And NO we aren't those parents, we KNEW the yogurt was ok but wanted him to show him he can't do everything on his own.) 

And this is what we do in life- oh well, I guess it's ok- let's keep moving on. We did it by ourselves and that's all that matters.

WHY are we so stubborn? We have a God who cares about every waking need that we have. Yet we only want to rely on God for the big things. We only want to rely on God when we look up and realize there is NO WAY we are going to put the planner back on the wall by ourselves.

And I feel this is a big challenge for believers. If Isaiah at the age of 6 is already boldly and intentionally doing things on his own, how much more are we set in our ways as we get older? How do we start changing this?  How do we rely upon God in the each and everyday tasks in front of us?  

The truth is that God is present in everything we do on a daily basis. So what we need to do is let decisions not be ME decisions but OUR decisions. The our is God and you. A saying I saw recently that I liked was: If God is your co-pilot, you should switch seats.

A good analogy for this might be the way you look at a decision once you are married. Things come up on a daily basis where a decision needs to be made. Instead of making the decision on my own, and pushing forward, I will talk things over with my wife first.

What if we started doing the same thing ourselves with God? Start looping God into a little more each day of what we do. Now instead of forging ahead by ourselves, we begin to realize the closeness of God. God is THAT close. God is there.

Sometimes, a song tells it best. This song came out a few years ago, but I think it's a great reflection on a desired relationship I seek with God:
Me And God Song

So whether making a sandwich, a big decision, or putting back up a planner on the wall- don't forget to talk to God about it :)

With great expectations can sometimes come great disappointment

There is a slight chance...from time to time....every once in awhile... I can be guilty of what I would like to call the "Clark Griswold" complex. Clark Griswold is of course the main character in National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. A character flaw that Clark has is his expectations. Clark doesn't just set high expectations- he boards a rocket (probably coated in a non-nuclear semi-permeable cereal varnish), blasts off towards space, and plants his flag right before he leaves orbit. There is no way any event or person can possibly live up to the expectations he sets.

Are there high expectations in there or a rabid squirrel?

I consider this a character flaw because when you set high expectations for everything you do or everything you are a part of- you will spend a lot of time being disappointed.

A recent example of this was a date Becca and I went on. We had found someone to watch our two boys and we had found someone to watch Brianna. We had a chance to get ready for our date and we were heading off to a new restaurant. Like I usually do, I was trying to figure out what kind of food sounded good to me on our way over there. We arrived at the restaurant to a PACKED parking lot. I'm talking Black Friday morning shopping PACKED. We eventually found a place to park and went in. The wait to eat? 90 minutes. What kind of place that is a sports bar has a 90 minute wait? Instead of being a rational adult and going to the next restaurant, I pouted. I wanted to eat THERE! That was the place I wanted to go. My expectation was to get a table in 15 minutes, have a nice cold beer, and a relaxing dinner with my wife.....on a Friday......during the busiest time of the evening....in a sports bar. See what's wrong with that picture? No WAY was anything there going to be relaxing or quick, but that didn't change my expectations.

I'm not saying today that it isn't good to have high expectations, BUT what I am saying is-it's good to check and see if your high expectations are also realistic ones! 

And this is the big question I am getting at today-

How often do you examine the expectations you have for yourself? For an event? For a class? 

If you expect yourself to get an A in every math class you have but you are BAD at math and don't like it, maybe an A isn't the best expectation to have.

I also feel that a lot of time these unrealistic expectations creep into our spiritual lives.

A sermon illustration I heard growing up still sticks with me to this day. It goes like this.

A man is in an area being ravaged by a hurricane and he begins praying for God to save him. The flood waters beginning rising in his area. A person comes by in their car and asks him if he wants a ride to safety- he declines. The water now is in the first story of his house. A person comes by on a boat to rescue him. He again says NO, I'm waiting for God to save me. Finally, the water is up his roof. A helicopter flies over and they ask if they can rescue him. Again the man declines and he drowns. In Heaven, he asks God why God didn't come to save him. God responds by saying, why didn't you take the car, the boat, or the helicopter?

The reality is, God is doing amazing things in our lives. Everyday. Simple, amazing things. The problem is, we don't always realize it. We are waiting for that big lighting bolt or clear sign in the clouds from God. Well, what if God is speaking to us through a friend's encouraging words?  What if God is working with us through the book we are reading? What if God is blessings us with a clear mind so we can at least get a B in that math class?

God is at work everyday. Now though, the work we see that God does is through people. It's through interactions we have for others.

We can expect God to do great things, but we ALSO need to expect to use the gifts God has blessed us with.

Clark Griswold had a crazy family- He was NEVER going to have a perfect family Christmas. It took his whole house getting destroyed for him to realize that instead of praying for perfection- he needed to see the beauty amidst the chaos. 

I challenge you today to look for the blessings in the beautiful chaos that is our lives. Also, make sure to keep a good check on your expectations. If they aren't possibly attainable- bring them back a little bit. Leave more room for God to work instead of you!

Don't forget the green trees

It's FALL! I love fall. I enjoy every year looking at the amazing color pallet that God has assembled. It amazes me every time to see yellow, red, orange, brown, and green leaves dot the landscapes all around us.

One of the plants I always notice this time of year is the bush on the side of my house. It's on the side of my house that I NEVER see, so I have to make a point to go look at it. It's a burning bush. For one month out of every year, it gets these deep red crimson leaves on it. Each time I notice the leaves turning, it always causes me to pause....stop....and look.

Now as I said, the funny thing about this plant is it's really only beautiful for one month. The rest of the year the leaves are green but the branches are brittle and kind of ugly. It's only for a short period of time in the fall that this plant is even one you would notice.

This got me thinking, how much time do we spend chasing things that only make us happy for a short period of time? I'll be completely honest, if this plant didn't grow all on it's own, I wouldn't take the time to care and water it. It REALLY only brings a little bit of happiness for a few weeks. AND the it's on the side of my house- I almost ripped it out of the ground the first year b/c I missed it's "good" month.

In our lives we spend a lot of time pursing and chasing HAPPINESS. The thing with happiness is that it's an emotion. Sometimes our emotions change by the second. We can be happy- excited to eat all the things that have been placed on our lunch tray. Then we trip and our food goes flying everywhere. Our happy lunch just became an embarrassment.

What we really need is something more stable, more permanent. Which brings me to an illustration to think about.

Something that gets lost to me in fall is evergreen trees. While all the other trees around us are changing to all these glorious colors, there are the evergreens. Not dropping anything and just remaining green.

Evergreens might get a bad rap BUT they share some great qualities that God has also.

God is constant. God isn't going to drop us like a leaf. God is going to remain the same, even as everything else seems to change. No matter what our mood, emotion, or day is like- God cares and loves us.

Let that sink in for a second.

No matter your emotion....God loves you.

See the words happiness and joy are different. They may get mixed together a lot, but they have their own personality. One of the definitions of joy that the dictionary gives is- a source or cause for delight.

If we look into the Bible, we even get a deeper meaning of joy. Check out what it says in Psalm 30:5- For his anger lasts only a moment but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may stay for the night, but joy comes with the morning. And in Nehemiah 8:10- Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”

In these two instances we see anger, and grief. But the joy that comes from the Lord overcomes both. 

That is where joy comes from. It is the knowledge that Jesus took away all our sins. We are forgiven. With our belief in Jesus, we are saved. THAT is joy. That is something that lasts, that is unchanging, and that can't be taken away!

So this fall as you look around at all those beautiful trees that will bring you a little bit of happiness- don't forget the evergreens. Don't forget the constant in all our lives. That constant is God. That joy is from God.  

The illusion of control

This summer, Isaiah got to go to Valleyfair for the 1st time. He loved it! He had been to fairs, and been on rides before- but something was different. He could go on the rides as many times as he wanted. He didn't need tickets! The wrist band was paid for, so he could keep going on the rides over and over again. He of course loved it. His favorite ride though kind of surprised me. It was the antique autos ride. Here is what the ride looks like:

The part Isaiah liked was the control. He got to steer the wheel and push down the gas peddle. It was like he was driving a car. Well, as you can see in the picture, there is some definite irony in this. He had some control, but only to a point. The car is restricted along the path because of the track in the middle. The car stays on the track, but it was enough that Isaiah felt he had control.

I look at our lives as being similar to this. We feel we have control of things. Our family, our job, our homework, our school, our relationships- we have control over these right?!? Sure...to a point....but mostly no. We don't have control, it's simply an illusion.

The reality is that things happen. We get fired from a job, we get dumped, we turn in a homework assignment that we think is going to be an A and it comes back a D. We really aren't in control of everything, we just wished we were.

But here is where the good news comes in. Just like there is a track with the car that Isaiah was driving, we have a constant in our lives too. That person is God. Isaiah could swerve back and forth, floor it, or stop- the track is still there. The same is true in our lives with God. No matter where we are, or where we are going- God is there alongside of us.

A great Biblical reminder of this is Daniel in the Old Testament. Daniel was told that he couldn't pray to God. The country had made a decision that everyone should pray to the king and not the one true God. This was something out of Daniel's control. Daniel also couldn't control the consequences if he was caught praying to God. What did Daniel do? He still prayed. Not to the king, but to God. And you know what? Daniel got caught. He couldn't control who saw him. The punishment was being thrown into a den of hungry lions. Daniel certainly couldn't control what the lions would do. But you know what? God could. God could control them. Daniel didn't end up being a snack. God protected him.

And that's really the big thing in here to learn and remind us. We aren't in control, BUT we have a God who is. There was absolutely nothing Daniel could have done to protect himself from those lions. His only hope was God. But the great thing about Daniel? He had realized that already. He kept on praying to God even when it was illegal!

So how do we remind ourselves of this every day, that God is in control instead of us?

Well, please don't do the Carrie Underwood and have Jesus take the wheel while you are driving. That may be a recipe for disaster.

Instead, remind yourself right now, God is taking care of you. If God cares for birds and plants, God is going to care for you immensely more. (Us> Birds & Plants)

God is also present. Just like the track was there for Isaiah and his car, God is there for you. Unexplained things will still happen, but also remember that not all of them will be bad! Sometimes, great things happen that we have no idea would. Thank God for those. And when those bad unexplained things occur? Ask God to help get you through it.

We aren't in control. It's just an illusion. And you know what? That's ok! Think of yourself in your worst moment... Not a pretty picture is it? Probably a good thing you aren't in control all the time right? Let the God of the whole universe handle that instead!