Wise Men

We all know the story of the three wise men (kings) who traveled many miles to find the child who had been foretold (prophesied). These men risked much to be in the presence of this future king. They each brought gifts of great value with which to honor the child, and worshiped in his presence.

Many books, signs, cards and T-shirts still proclaim the message that “Wise Men Still Seek Him”. I passed such a sign recently and I asked myself – do they really?

Then I thought – do wise men seek God, or does a man become wise by seeking God? Honestly, they both may be accurate. The question for us is – do we honestly seek Him? Do we, as men, truly desire His company? Do we long to be in His presence? Do we really want to know what He has to say to us – or are we secretly afraid of what we might hear?

Our enemy would have us believe one or more of the following lies that:

God is mad at me because of sinful things in my past.

God is too busy to fool with the mundane things going on in my life.

God is going to tell me to do something I really don’t want to do – aka – He is going to really mess up my plans.

Whichever lie it is – it is still a lie. God is the most loving, patient, forgiving, caring, kind Father we could ever encounter. There is absolutely no reason to shy away from Him or fear Him. The Bible actually tells us that, because of what Christ has already done, we can come “boldly before God’s throne” to avail ourselves of His love, grace and help in our time of need.

Think about what is keeping you from bounding out of bed everyday eager to encounter the most gracious, giving and loving Person you could ever know. You were created by Him, and He deeply desires for you to live life with Him. He wants to be involved in every aspect of your life. He love you. Heck – He even likes you.

Christmas reminds us that wise men seek God, and that God is eager to be found. Let’s reject the lies and seek Him like never before. I am convinced that we will be blown away by what we find.

Merry Christmas,

Huz

Reflections I

The last few weeks have been crazy. Not only are the Holidays upon us, but we have had a frenzied pace at the office as well. Traveling during the day, trips to the grocery store (even though we just went yesterday), cooking, cleaning, decorating, wrapping, house guests coming in and others leaving, and to top it off – we “adopted” a stray puppy on a recent trip to see relatives in Memphis. And I won’t bore you with all the other activities and stresses related to ministry (revamping the website, taping a television interview, etc.).

Tis the season to really get stretched to the max.

Then, in His “still, small voice” God whispered to me through this picture from one of my favorite places on earth – the Tetons…. “I am still here – I am still in charge – I still am all you need”. The Tetons are such a vivid representation of His majesty – of His reality. Only God could create such beauty. But what really struck me about this picture was the small pond in the foreground.

The reflection of the mountains majesty is almost perfect. God asked me “why is that?” It’s really not hard to see why – because it is calm…..still.

1 Samuel 12:16 – Now therefore stand still and see this great thing that the Lord will do before your eyes.

Psalm 46:10 – “Be still, and know that I am God.

God wants us to learn to still our heart, still our mind, and still our soul for two main reasons:

1. To experience His presence in more personal and profound ways

2. To reflect His image (to represent Him clearly) to the world around us.

Genesis tells us that man is made “in the image of God”. If the water in our respective “ponds” is rippled with busyness, self-focused activities and stress – how are people ever to see that image accurately? How are we to ever experience God’s presence (joy, wisdom, peace, etc.)?

Join with me this Holiday season in making time to get alone with the Father, to retreat from the pace, to sit at the foot of the mountains – and be still…take a few breaths…relax…talk face to face with Majesty.

Then, maybe we can become better reflections.

Huz

Psalm 23:2
He makes me lie down in green pastures.He leads me beside still waters.

Psalm 89:9
You rule the raging of the sea; when its waves rise, you still them.

Enjoy the Rain

What emotions do you feel when you ponder this picture?

I can almost feel the warm rain. Not that “it’s cold and I need to run inside” kind of rain, but that rain that feels good on your skin…warm…nice.

I am actually jealous of these two buddies, just sitting around in wet clothes, enjoying their day to the fullest. It’s been a while since I just walked (or sat) in the rain. It’s been a while since I laid down in the cool grass and just “wasted” some time watching clouds drift by; or went for a long walk all by myself.

Remember that feeling of not having to hurry somewhere, or meet anyone, or get back in time for something? Those were the times I remember being able to think, to really ponder the things swirling around in my mind. The closest I get to feeling those times now is when I am traveling. I have some time all to myself in the car. If I choose, I can turn on the radio and occupy my mind with talk or music. Another option is to roll down the windows and just harken back to the good ol’ days of cruising with my friends. The wind roaring through the windows acts like some sort of sedative by blocking my swirling thoughts, and actually allowing me to think.

Seems like my mind is so full these days. There never seems to be any time to just sit in the rain and truly, deeply enjoy the silence. God lives there you know. In the silence; in the quiet places where we seldom walk. He waits for us to turn off the noise and just sit with Him….no agenda…no activity…no deadlines. The cool thing is – we can go there anytime we choose to. We can turn things off, and schedule time to enjoy those quiet times….if we want.

Psalm 23 reminds us that our Good Shepherd leads us to “green pastures” and “still waters” if we will follow Him there. He even reminds us that He will “restore our soul” in those places. Couldn’t we all use a little soul-refreshment; a little still water in our life?

It is up to us to deliberately carve out time from our hectic life – to sit on the dock, in the rain and just relax. We can go there, and enjoy His presence, and feel the warm rain of His love –  anytime we want.

Let’s try it very soon………………

Huz

Lookin’ Good

Yes, we tend to see ourselves differently than others see us. Sometimes we see ourselves differently than we really are. I ran into a former high school classmate a few months ago who said, “You sure were a heck of a linebacker in high school”. Rather than correct the poor sap, I just said thanks and we went on our merry way. Besides, there’s not a lot of difference in linebacker and defensive end, right? Maybe I was pretty good.

Like the old saying, “The older I get, the better I was.” We tend to have our own, biased viewpoint of things past, present and even future. Does your wife think you’re as good a husband as you think you are? Does she think you’re as poor a husband as you think you are? Have you ever just sat down, looked her in the eyes, and asked her? How am I doing honey? Where can I improve? How can I love you better?

If you’re like me, I really don’t want to know. I honestly don’t want to know specifically where I need improvement, cuz then I will be accountable to get better at it. Maybe if I just ignore it long enough, something will change. Besides, I’m not that bad. I’m surely better than whatshisname.

The thought that really bugs me though, is that I can’t play those games with Dad. God knows who I really am. He sees me when I sin, He knows the thoughts I think that no one else know about. He really sees me, and knows me – like no one on this planet.

And what continues to amaze me daily is that in spite of all that – He loves me. Not with a “Jesus loves the little children” kind of love; not with a “God loves everyone” variety love – but with a personal, “there’s nothing you can do to change my love for you” – love. He loves “me”. He likes me. He wants to hang out with me, walk and talk with me, lead me and speak to me. He loves to answer my prayers, and give me wisdom and direction. He loves me.

Whenever our enemy sends a barrage of guilt, shame, regret or condemnation, He is always there for me. He assures me that I am His beloved son, an adopted child and a joint heir with Jesus of all that is His. Nothing and nobody can change that. I can laugh at Satan’s feeble attempts to derail me with lies about who I am. Sinful, yes – but completely forgiven, accepted and redeemed.

Let’s rejoice as men, that God knows our sin. He knows our thoughts, our fears and our insecurities – but He loves each of us as if we were His only son. There is nothing we can do to make God love us any more than He already does, and nothing we can do to make Him love us any less. He love you – period.

I am convinced that we can’t truly love our wives with the love of Christ, until we know (in our heart) and experience the complete and passionate love of our Father. This week, I pray you will feel His arms around you and His presence with you like never before.

For Him,

huz

Dialogue

Do you enjoy a genuine, exciting, growing relationship with Jesus? Is your prayer life a dialogue or monologue? Do you really know Christ as a person, or are you content to know about Him?

According to recent Barna research, over 90% of Protestant Americans claim to have prayed in the last seven days. The same survey concluded that 54% read their Bible and 52% attended church in that same time span.

Don’t know about you, but those figures make me sad. What are we missing by not bounding out of our slumber and running to meet with the God of the universe every single day? What does He want to share with us? What does He want to show us about life, marriage, work, raising our kids or our true purpose on this planet?

How it must break His heart that we are so self-indulgent and independent that our sleep, or television show is a higher priority. The sin of the Eden was that of independence – choosing to go our own way and do life the way we want to and the heck with God’s ideas. It seems we haven’t really progressed much since then.

JI Packer – God guides us as we think things out in His presence.

Psalm 16:11 tells us that in His presence is fullness of joy.

Any of us need some joy? What about wisdom, or guidance or strength? It’s not rocket science. Our Father is waiting patiently to give us “all things”, if we would but listen to him and follow. He promises that if we will seek Him first, and His kingdom, that all the other things we need will be added unto us.

Seek is a verb. Seeking is a choice. He longs for time with each of us. He longs for us to experience His kingdom on earth as it is in heaven – Now.

Let’s pray that we will become more deliberate in our choosing to draw near to Him, listen to His voice and follow Him. Let’s pray that we will experience His manifest presence in our daily lives and that He will rock our world.

Like Moses (Exodus 3) we must choose to turn aside to experience His presence.

Don’t miss another day……………

Huz

Are We There Yet?

Adam had the awesome responsibility and pleasure of partnering with God as the caretaker, steward, manager, and husband of God’s Garden of Delight. Every day he talked with God, walked with God, and was the beneficiary of God’s personal attention, love, encouragement, and wisdom. How cool would that have been?

Think about it—God is so wise, so sovereign, so loving that he knew what was up the road for Adam. He knew that Adam would have a wife, a special woman, who would need someone to “husband” her also. So, instead of making Adam a cowboy, fisherman, or carpenter, he trained him, in advance, to be a skilled steward and caretaker—a husband.

God knew that the woman he created would have unique needs, and he knew that Adam (with God’s help) would be able to fill those needs. What a wonderful God!

God has wired men with God-given husbanding skills. He has also designed our wives to be so amazingly complex that we must seek God’s help to access those skills. He never intended for marriage to be lived apart from his presence, involvement and oversight. Without his personal involvement we are left to our own wisdom, ideas and best-guess efforts to make marriage work. And, if you’re like me – that typically doesn’t work out very well.

We are wired to be husbands. God supplies all the resources we need to do our job well. We can’t, however, do that job without him.

So, how much time do we spend asking, seeking and knocking? Do we really want to be awesome husbands? Are we willing to pay the price? Sadly, many men I meet with really want to have a great marriage and want to be a good husband for their wives – but, at the end of the day, simply aren’t willing to devote the time and energy it takes.

Don’t settle for second best. Don’t settle for average.

Like Jesus, we must get to the place where we are willing to lay down our life for our bride. He was desperate for God’s daily presence.

Are we?

Noise

        A few years ago my wife and I traveled back to one of our favorite places – Jackson Hole, WY. One morning we drove up to Yellowstone National Park and were once again completely captivated by God’s grandeur, His majesty, and creativity. The mountains, the rivers, geysers, wildlife (moose, elk, buffalo, etc.) make us want to get a job, pitch a tent (you can’t afford a house) and move there. We love it!

The Falls in Yellowstone are huge. They are majestic and beautiful – and LOUD. You can walk down a trail right beside them and get very wet from the spray. You can’t hear a thing.

I thought about the Falls the other day as I was struggling to pray and hear from God. There seemed to be so much “noise” in my head that blocked out what God might be speaking. I couldn’t quit thinking about my busy day at work, the couple we needed to hook up with for counseling, the blog post that needed to be written, the website I’m working on, my kids, my grandkids, etc., etc. My mind was flooded with noise. I knew God was present. I knew He was speaking. I just couldn’t hear Him.

I hate it when that happens. I so want to hear from God about all my life issues, but I can’t dial in His frequency. All I hear is static.  He reminded me that I have an enemy who desperately doesn’t want me to meet with God, and who produces most of the static in my life and in my mind. I spoke out loud a brief prayer to rebuke him from my time, and to flee from my mind. And, just like the Word says, he fled from me. What a relief. It was as if someone had turned off the Falls. All of a sudden – silence. Blessed stillness – and a one-on-One dialogue with my Father.

What noise is playing in your head? Work, yard work, do-list, vacation, in-laws, finances, politics, evening news, soccer tournament, heat and humidity…? There seem to be thousands of things that the enemy uses to occupy or distract our minds from what really matters in our life and in our marriage. Ideas that work for me (feel free to comment about what works for you) include:

1. Pray out loud to God. Silent (mind) prayers get the most disrupted for me. Thinking prayers instead of praying prayers tend to get interrupted more often for me. Use of a crafted prayer can keep me on track when I am being sidetracked. (Email me if you want a copy)

2. Resist the enemy and he WILL flee from you (see James). He cannot hear your thoughts, so remember to speak out loud. Simply tell him to leave your mind and thoughts in the name of Jesus.

3. Listen to more worship/Christian music throughout the day, and watch less news and sports. “as a man thinketh, so is he”.  “Above all else, guard your heart” – above ALL else guard what goes into your heart (mind).

If you can’t hear what God is saying because of the noise in your mind – do something about it. Don’t miss another day. You’re missing vital information….

Huz

The Perfect Gift

 

There’s nothing more fun that finding that “perfect gift” for your wife on that special occasion. And, what wife would not be thrilled out of her head to get her own pair of colorful, comfortable, stylish airpants. Yes, you will both be the talk of the beach, or neighborhood pool – trust me.

If you missed the airpants craze  a few decades ago don’t fret. There are other gifts that will make your wife feel just about as special.

Kidding aside, I wanted to encourage you to give your wife the one gift she desires most – YOU. What she really wants, in her heart of hearts, is your presence, your time, and your attention. It’s not enough to be in the room but reading the paper, or watching your favorite reality show. She would love to have your undistracted presence. Emotional presence is different that physical presence.

I want to encourage all of us to set aside some time – even 15 minutes – and really engage our wife. Look into her eyes. Ask her about her day. Listen to what she is saying when she talks about work, or the kids, or what she is concerned about. Don’t try to fix it. Don’t try to figure it out. Just listen. Respond to her questions with better words than “fine” and  “good” .

God commands us to live with our wife “in an understanding way”. How can we understand if we never engage, and how can we engage if we never set aside real time to do so? Let’s put our agendas and selfish ways aside for a few minutes this weekend and spend a little face to face time with our wife. Let’s be deliberate about loving her by giving her a very precious gift – ourselves. She was created to be by our side, to be our helpmeet, our closest friend and companion. She longs to be with you…………….. Give it a try, and see what God does in your relationship..

Huz