#38Years38Lessons

In three days, I'll be 38 years old. And while 38 doesn't actually constitute "old" in my book, there are some things I've learned. I only wish I'd gotten most of these when I was "younger". What are they?

1. Be yourself - in every situation.

2. Love wildly.

3. Admit when you're wrong.

4. Shut up when you're right.

5. Never sell yourself short.

6. Never let anyone negate your value.

7. Find God - early in life.

8. Turn to God - regularly in life.

9. Rely on God - constantly through life.

10. Find the right woman (she'll make you a better man)

11. Get involved in the church. And stay involved.

12. Test yourself.

13. Don't give up on yourself.

14. Be the kind of friend you want to have.

15. Become part of something bigger than yourself.

16. Never think you've arrived.

17. Never look down on other people.

18. Play. A lot. 

19. Laugh. Even more. 

20. Don't be afraid to cry.

21. But don't cry too much. 

22. Learn to shoot - and learn to shoot well.

23. Love your country. 

24. Be willing to die for it. 

25. Read. A lot.

26. Don't believe everything you read. 

27. Don't be afraid to make mistakes. 

28. When you make mistakes, learn from them. 

29. Ask questions. 

30. Pray the right prayers (hint: they're not about you.)

31. Teach someone something. 

32. Never stop learning. 

33. Find something to be in awe of every day. 

34. Don't be afraid to get messy.

35. Learn to trust.

36. Stay humble.
37. Listen more than you talk.

38. Realize there's more to life than what you think.

The cost of freedom we don't consider...

Today is a day that we remember and reflect on the sacrifice of those men and women who have laid down their lives for our freedom. It’s a time when we pause and consider how their great loss became our great gain.  

On a day like today, we see pictures and hear stories of those valiant soldiers who fought and died in places like Omaha Beach, the Chosin Resevoir, and Hamburger Hill. Faces of those who died in Khe San, Al Kut, Ramadi, Fallujah, and Kandahar scroll across newsstands and tv screens, and they echo in the hearts and minds of people who knew them. And through it all, we thank them for the cost they paid. What they did can never be repaid, never be earned.  

But as I reflected on those who have laid down their lives in the name of freedom, I began to realize something. The security of our freedom in America is only found in our willingness to continue paying for it.  

 

See, the freedom that we experience in our nation has never been secured with one payment. Unlike our eternal freedom through the sacrifice of Jesus, our freedom in America requires constant payment. It’s something we don’t like to think about. But it’s nothing short of the truth. 

As a father, I cannot fathom the pain of losing one of my sons on the battlefield. But I’ve spoken with many parents who have. Their resolve and their strength are utterly amazing. And each one that I’ve spoken with has told me essentially the same thing. One of the reasons they can go on; one of the reasons they can press forward is because they believe the sacrifice their child made wasn’t made in vain. They know that the freedom of many was secured because of what their son or daughter did. And they know there will be others who step up to carry on. 

My question is this: what are we willing to do to carry that sacrifice forward? I have to ask myself, what sacrifices will I make in the future to secure the freedom of others? It’s a responsibility we all have.  

We cannot and we must not simply rely on others to do for us. We must take responsibility and ownership of what has been given to us by those who went before us.  

You want to honor those who have gone before us? Then be willing to step up and sacrifice. 

Many have. Many are. Many will. And that cost is one we need to remember today as well.

 

 

 

God Is Too Big

What do you think of when you think of God?

Some people think that God is too big; that he’s impersonal, detached, removed. They say he spun the world into existence and left us on our own to figure it all out.

Some people think that God is too small. If he does exist, they argue, then why is there evil in the world? What’s with all the disease, abuse, corruption, anger and hate? To them, if God is real, then he’s too small to handle what we deal with every day.

Some people think it doesn’t matter. They don’t really care either way. This existence, this reality is all there is. We live. We die. That’s it. No more.

Some people think he is the Savior of the world; that even in our depravity he provided a way back to him. They say that way is Jesus Christ. And what we do with him is up to us.

What do I think of when I think of God?

I do believe he’s the Savior. I owe him everything for the saving grace he has given to me through Jesus. I was lost; now I’m found. In other words…I was headed to hell; now I’m headed to heaven. I was wandering through life alone; now I have a relationship with him. I was lacking purpose; now my life has true meaning!

I do think he’s too small. Too many times in my life, I don’t make a relationship with him a big enough deal. I need to place more urgency in pursuing him.

And ultimately, I do think God is too big. He's too big to fit in any box I try to put him in. Simply put: He is God. I am not.

C.S. Lewis once said (in my paraphrased words) that if the Christian faith is all for nothing, then nothing has been lost. But if our faith is for everything, then everything matters.

Is God too big? Big doesn’t even begin to cover it!

What Is Right?

I’m 37 years old. I’m white. I’m a man. I have a wife, three sons, and a Golden Retriever. I grew up in Texas and I served in the Marine Corps. I own a gun. I am a Christian. I believe fully in the Bible and I am a member of an evangelical church. And I’m tired of being told by the world that I am wrong.

By now you’ve heard the cases of the wedding service companies who are being told by the government who they can, and really must provide services for. You can read more about it if you want; but basically, these are companies that are taking a stand on what has been the hot topic for discussion in today’s world for the past decade or so – gay marriage. They’ve basically said, “We believe homosexuality is wrong, and we won’t support it.” The government (and seemingly society) has said, “Too bad. You have to.”

I’m on the companies' side of this issue. But there’s a much bigger issue at play here. And it isn’t about gay marriage at all.

In today’s culture, there’s an undercurrent that is eroding our core. It’s all about ‘acceptance.’  I’m told that I must accept everyone, no matter what they believe, or how they act. I’m told that if I stand up for what I believe, then I am the one that’s wrong. The problem with that? It’s wrong.

THERE IS A STANDARD WE TOO OFTEN IGNORE

Now, that begs the question, “What is right and what is wrong?” How can any person define those? The answer? No person can. Sure, we know what feels rights or what feels wrong. But without a standard on which to measure right and wrong, it’s all relative. If that’s what we go on, then what’s right for you is right for you and what’s right for me is right for me. Again…that’s wrong.

In order to measure right and wrong, there has to be a standard. That standard cannot change. It can’t be one thing today and another thing tomorrow. It must remain constant, unchanging…eternal. That standard is the Word of God.

Now, if you read that and you think, “But the Bible also says …” Please don’t. Don’t rip passages of Scripture out of context and use them as weapons in your arsenal to tell me I’m wrong. That’s one of the things I’m most fed up with from the world. Study what you’re getting ready to quote first. Read the context. Then we can talk. But the fact is, God’s word sets a standard for us that is unchanging.

THERE’S NOTHING WRONG WITH STANDING UP FOR WHAT IS RIGHT

The problem in today’s world? What’s truly right is seen as wrong. I’m told by the world that my right is wrong. I’m told that I can’t stand up and say something like, “Gay marriage is wrong,” or, “Abortion is wrong.” I’m told that if I do stand up for what I believe, I somehow now hate everyone who is different to me.

I’m told that if I say those things, I’m all of a sudden judging. And I’m even shown passages from my own Bible. “Thou shalt not judge.” But pointing out wrong is not judging. Judging is condemning someone for what they do. Pointing out something that is wrong is an act of love.

WHAT IS LOVE?

But again, our world has a whack view of love. We confuse love with acceptance, and we confuse acceptance with approval. So we’re told that if we truly love someone, we must approve of every action, belief, and stance they have. Unless that person is 37, is a man, is white, owns a gun, and is a Christian.

I’m tired of being told I should feel bad for who I am and for what I believe and that I should approve of everyone else’s behavior. You know what? I don’t feel bad. I don’t feel bad for pointing out wrong, because it means I’m trying to show people what’s right.

Now, I know that the Christian community has done itself no favors in this area. I know that are idiot Christians who do nothing but rant and rave and point fingers of judgment at the world around them. And trust me, nothing makes me angrier than those people who shout words of hate towards people they don’t see eye-to-eye with. That’s not what love really is. Love is having guts enough to show someone the right way.

But that doesn’t change the fact that there is a right and there is a wrong; and it’s my responsibility as a follower of Jesus to love people enough to point them to the truth. Does that mean I’m right all the time? Of course not! But then, no one is.

But that doesn’t make me wrong. It makes me desperate to help people understand a relationship with God – who is really the only one who is right.