Cleaning

As soon as it starts warming up outside it seems to energize everyone to start organizing, cleaning, and getting rid of stuff they don't need or that isn't of any good use anymore.  Yard sale signs are everywhere, people are donating things, and even trashing stuff as they see fit.

This got me thinking.  Most people are pretty good at realizing the things they need to keep, things they could give away to help others, and of course the crap they need to get rid of.  Some people are qualified to be on the A&E show "Hoarders" where they desperately hold on to everything in their possession regardless of how it effects their lives.

In the same way, it would be interesting if we took a look into our personal life.  Not just our personal belongings, but our interior world.  What are the great qualities that we currently have that we should definitely hold onto? Is there any wisdom that we could pass along to someone that would help them out?

Now for the tough part, are there any things in our life we need to get rid of completely but have a hard time letting go? Maybe it is that grudge you have held for years, or the porn you watch that no one knows about, or the intense negative attitude that leaves you nearly depressed?  Just like the guy on Hoarders, it's tough to let go, especially if it's been with you for awhile.

Some things we will be able to let go of on our own. For me, after a certain point, I needed help to get me through, and I got it.

So...which one is it?

I've beginning to learn that a lot of things in this life, at their core, are neutral.  This covers a lot of different things, but I'm going to keep it to one topic for now so you'll actually read the whole post.

Money.  This is something everyone can relate to, especially when I'm considering selling plasma with the way these gas prices are headed (I'm joking, but seriously...).  So many thoughts exist on this topic, and it especially gets tricky when money is discussed in Christian contexts.

The go to quote that I hear is, "Money is the root of all evil."
That line is close to what a Bible verse says (1 Timothy 6:10), but with some distinct differences,
"For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil."

Catch the subtle differences?  Money by itself is not evil, but the love of money is a root to all kinds of evil.  The real issue here is where a person's heart is.  A millionaire is a millionaire, but differences in attitudes and where their heart is affect things.  This can lead them to one extreme or the other, a great philanthropist, or "that guy" who has so much money us normal people can't even fathom what we would do with that much cash!  If a Christian is poor it doesn't necessarily mean that they feel they must be poor to be a "good" Christian and if Christian is rich he isn't inherently corrupt and a hypocrite.  Those profiles exist but we can't peg that on the whole lot, see my recent post "Generally Speaking" for more on that.

It comes down to stewardship, or managing for an easier term.  Manage well, and it will be rewarded.  So, which one is it? Will we use money wisely to help build up our families and our neighbors, or will we fall into an unhealthy attachment to it (ok, you got me, just a long way of saying "being greedy")?

P.S. - One guy who knows his stuff and is refreshingly straight-forward and helpful with financial matters, see Dave Ramsey's work.  

Generally speaking...

"If you don't have anything good to say, don't say anything at all."  When I first heard that when I was younger, I probably thought, "Man, that probably cuts out like half of my conversation!"  Being, cynical, critical, and an overall skeptic seems to be a popular route these days.  We hear all kinds of messages where there is focused more on bashing the opposition that promoting the ideas they believe in.  Not only that but there seems to be less and less middle ground.  Take politics for example, for a person's vote to matter for all practical purposes they have to choose one end of spectrum or the other in a sense.  Tim Keller, a highly respected author and minister in NYC found research that showed that America is getting more religious and less religious at the same time.  What? Yes, the Christian population is growing and so is the population of groups that subscribe to alternative value system (atheist, etc.)  I feel like one of the problems that arises when this happens in any context is one party will freely use a single example from the other side and apply that person's thoughts, actions, whatever, to the whole group.

When that happens, how fair is that?  Say there's a guy I know with the last name, let's say Miller. I see him out at a restaurant and he's had a few drinks, cusses out his waitress, smacks his kid as he leaves because he is crying, and then peels off in his car to go home.  What if, from now on, anytime I meet a guy with the same last name I assume he's a belligerent alcoholic who abuses his kid? Ridiculous right?  The same thing can  happen (of course on a smaller scale) all of the time.  An easy example would be Christianity.  Many people see a person to be a hypocrite who claims to be Christian and assume that all Christians are hypocrites. There are some issues here, one is the assumption that people who are Christian ever claim to be perfect. 

On a side note I would like to say that taking the Lord's name in vain goes beyond dropping the GD bomb.  There are plenty of people who have never had that word in their vocabulary but will wear the label of Christian without ever having a relationship with God or even understanding what it means to have one.  A politician for example could claim the Christian tag just to get a better voter turnout for his campaign.

All of that to say, just as an encouragement, to take a look at people as individuals to find out what they are about instead of throwing them under the bus from the get go if they don't match right up initially with every tag or label you would place on yourself.

Where you at?

At one point in time every time I heard the question, "Where you at?" I couldn't help but think of those old people in the Boost Mobile commercial, remember that one?  With each day that goes by it feels like it is getting easier and easier (almost to a fault) to know the locations of our friends at all times.  With GPS, iPhones, and with Facebook "Check-ins" we can let people know where we are at and tag others with just a few taps on a screen.

Just this weekend I was able to attend a winter retreat with an organiztion called Athletes in Action.  One of the tight things about the whole experience was to see a crew of about 300 college athletes from all different locations within the Great Lakes area.  There were ballers from all locations, Kentucky, Cincinnati, Ohio State, Michigan State, Marshall, and Pittsburgh just to name a few.  We not only came together from different locations physically, but also spiritually.  We were a living definition of diversity.  Some people grew up in the hood, some in the suburbs, and some grew up without a father.  Some had grew up in the church, some even pastor's kids, while others barely had a clue who God was and had only bad impressions of people who at least called themselves Christians.  The whole spectrum, I'm telling you.

The crazy part for me, when I was taking this all in, was the fact that just about every status in this world, including being a college athlete, requires certain skills, credentials, experience, and pieces of paper (diplomas/degrees).  I feel like this is why I have struggled at times, as I'm sure others have, wrapping my head around the fact that God does not require us to have a skill set or a resume' that's legit in his eyes.  When we think we can get to that point, we need to remember that it is impossible to build a resume' on our own that will earn us a spot in heaven. We have it twisted.  God asks us to stop trying for a second and recognize we need some back up, better yet, a spot on the roster without a reference or tryout.  Where we have been, no matter what we have done, or what we have said in the past doesn't effect his desire to recruit us.  In other words, we don't have to go through a spiritual version of P90X to get jacked in order to start a walk with God, he can meet us wherever we are at, either literally or relation to him.  This video is my boy Lecrae's real life story in a rap, definitely some real talk, check it...

Blow your high!

Not to long ago I came across the classic hit song "Higher" by Creed.  It's fair to say the lyrics are talking about Heaven when they are rocking out the chorus.  Many times being "high" is considered a good thing, athletes want to move up on the depth chart, a businessman wants to be higher on the corporate ladder and almost everyone can appreciate a view that is only possible from high up.  After doing work in the gym or after a run our bodies produce a natural high through endorphins, it feels good, unless of course it's been awhile and you're too distracted by how out of shape you are too enjoy it.    

It's no wonder that we can get things twisted sometimes into feeling like anything that gets us "high" is automatically a good thing.  As well all know, there are some highs that can really screw us in the long run if we are not careful.  One of the first ones that probably comes to mind is the high that people get from smoking weed, however, it is a much wider range than that.  Some people can get a high from gambling, and everyone is prone to getting gratification from fulfilling a lust on some level. It can start with that extra long look at the opposite sex and escalate on from there.  The problem with these highs is that they can feel awesome...for a little bit.  Even though they are so temporary, they last just long enough to bait us into the next time, convincing us that more of the same will eventually fulfill us.  The reality of it is even though it feels like we are gaining something, the whole time our fake high of choice is stealing from us slowly but surely. It can involve our money, our time, our relationships, and most importantly our minds and hearts.

     

So what?  No one is perfect, everyone has a vice, that's just a part of life...or is it?  In Psalm 39, David reaches out, 

     “Lord, remind me how brief my time on earth will be.
      Remind me that my days are numbered—how fleeting my life is."

It is no secret that EVERYONE is only here for awhile, so why not try and make the most out of each day?  One solid approach I've come across is written in Col. 3:2, "Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things."  Love ya'll.

Check this song that is very relevant to this topic, by Lecrae, "Blow your high" (lyrics here)

Are you Perpin'?

Perpin' - The act of bragging and or lying in conversations about things that one posesses to impress people, a person who is usually perpin, has nothing but a wide imagination and a desire to fit into the "in crowd". (Urban Dictionary)


How many times do we see it? Somebody talks about something they believe in and then proceeds to do something that makes you sit there and think, "wow, yet another person that is full of it."  How many times do we hear it? We all have at least heard about if not experienced the go-to phrase by some parents, "Do as I say, not as I do."  Clearly, there is some serious space between what people genuinely want to be and what ends up actually happening in their lives.  Why is this so? Well that is one deep question.  No one-liner answer comes to mind, but life is rarely that simple. 

One thing that helped me at least chip away at this was seeing how strongly we believe something be put on one of three levels.

1. Public convictions - This includes what you want everyone else to think you believe and how you want them to see you.  Basically this is your reputation and how you handle it, some care more than others, just look at how different people manage their Facebook profile. 
2. Private convictions - These go a little deeper in the sense that these are the values that you really want to live out.  In an honest heart to heart with a best friend, you'd still tell them, "Yes I really believe in ____."
3. Core convictions - This is the real deal, these beliefs are called "core" because they are so deeply rooted in you that they show up in your actions.  There is no slick talking with core convictions, they are either there or they aren't. (For more check this book by John Ortberg)

You may be asking, "Who cares what level the different beliefs we have go under?" Well, WE need to. Taking a look at our actions and seeing what is showing up in how we live can be a good thing, whether it ends up being an encouragement or a wake-up call.  No one is perfect, bottom line.  There are Atheists that are "practically Christian" judging by their actions just like there are Christians who are "practically atheists" because no one could tell one way or the other, I've been there at times. 

I'll end with a little would you rather...Would you rather hear someone TALK about how they have a heart for God and others or see them DOING something that would tell you that without them saying a word?  Let's keep the Perpin' to a minimum! Peace!

(Comments welcomed)