Deeper Water - Part 6

Water in streams, rivers and canals always has a current. Sometimes the current is strong enough where you can see it flowing through the water. Other times the current is milder and, while you can’t actually see it, you can see its effects - like on floating objects.

I read a great book called Mission Drift. It was the study of several organizations and how some of them had drifted away from their original purpose and some had not. Entities like Chick-fil-A and Harvard University were included in the study and companies either fell into the category of Mission True or Mission Drift organizations. What is interesting about their findings is the companies on each side had common characteristics depending on whether they stayed True or experienced Drift. (Now that I think about it, that might be a great blog series to do at some point.) Stay tuned…

As individuals, we too can either stay “true to our mission” or we can experience “drift.” The scary part is that the drift can be very subtle, just like the slow currents of a river. We may not even notice it but over time it can change our course dramatically.

Culture has a current. In some ways it can be very obvious and in other ways it can be quite subtle. Subtle currents are dangerous because we can be taken downstream by the current without even knowing it. Our beliefs, values and even what we might consider to be sin or not can all be impacted by cultural influences.

We desperately need to explore how much of our understanding of the gospel is American and how much is biblical.” David Platt, Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream

The quote from David Platt is very challenging but also quite true. We have to be careful not to filter our beliefs through the lens of the American Dream. The Bible wasn’t written specifically to Americans; it was written to believers everywhere.

Could your deeper water be the recognition of some drift in an area of your life? Values, views about sin, prosperity etc… All of these need to be checked against Scripture and not against what culture tells us in order for us if we are to stay true to our mission. In order to stay true, we must have a strong conviction as to what that mission is. Think about what that looks like for you right now.

Stay thirsty,

Big E

Deeper Water - Part 5

Five years ago I had surgery on my right shoulder. Some of you probably remember that first night - yikes. After the surgery my Dr. told me that he ended up having to do a good bit more than originally thought and so my rehab was going to be at least 6 months before I could get back to my regular activities. I just couldn’t accept that the rehab had to be that long so I was determined to be the model patient and get back a lot sooner.

I didn’t realize it at the time but I actually found a secret weapon in my rehab process - water! I got back in the pool as soon as I could and, while I couldn’t swim anything like normal, I did what I could. In doing so, I found out that water provided the perfect amount of resistance to help accelerate the healing process and slowly build strength back into my shoulder. I cut my rehab time almost in half. My love affair with water grew even stronger… Ha.

Resistance in physical training builds endurance and strength- water, weights, pulleys and bands. They all provide different levels of resistance that help us make progress. However, resistance is not always a good thing. In our spiritual lives It can be a real impediment to making progress - like hitting a speed bump or even a wall.

Could your “deeper water” be the removal of some resistance that exists in your life that is keeping you from growing closer to God. It’s usually a particular sin that you struggle with or maybe an idol. Both of these can provide enough resistance to keep us from building intimacy with God. It takes some real soul searching and some brutal honesty to identity where this resistance is coming from.

1 Timothy 4:8  For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.

Find the resistance and remove it and you will help open up the floodgates in your spiritual life. Overcoming a pet sin or idol is not an easy thing to do but it certainly can be done if we are willing. We have to confess it and learn to hate our sin before we can really move forward in overcoming it. Confession is a great place to start. Name these sins before God today.

Stay thirsty,

Big E

Deeper Water - Part 4

In water heated to 212 degrees, you can boil an egg. Water heated to 213 degrees is super-heated and turns to steam. With steam you can run the engine of a ship and sail all over the world.

Isn’t it amazing that 1 degree of heat makes that much difference in what water can do. Boiling an egg versus sailing a ship around the world is quite a difference. Some things are like that. A little more intensity and effort can produce exponentially different results.

We put effort into the things in life that we believe really matter - relationships, our bodies, our careers, our hobbies/passions etc... Does that apply in our spiritual lives? Absolutely. Intensity and effort are not always something that we associate with spiritual matters but why shouldn’t they be? If we truly value a close and growing relationship with God, then why wouldn’t we approach it with the same vigor that we approach these other things?

Proverbs 8:17  “I love those who love me; And those who diligently seek me will find me

As Christians, we want to hear from God, understand Him and know what He wants for our lives. Sometimes getting close to Him might scare us a little because we are afraid that what He may want for our lives is different than what we want. A little distance can feel safer at times.

But the truth is that He calls us to seek him with diligence. That means with passion and intensity. Is this your “deeper water?” More passion and intensity in seeking Him? I believe that all of us would say yes to this at least some of the time.

The inspiration of God often requires the perspiration of man.

This quote is spot on. God is there waiting for us to reach out to him. It takes some effort on our part but He is certainly well worth it. Even better that a trip around the world.

Stay thirsty,

Big E

Deeper Water - Part 3

Another reason that we love water is for its cleansing properties. Who doesn’t love a good shower at just the right time?1? Imagine trying to stay clean without ready access to water. It’s a privilege that we all take for granted.

During the Last Supper, Jesus washed his disciple’s feet. It was very uncomfortable for the disciples to have their master wash their feet but Jesus was teaching them through this process.

John 13:12-14 When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet.

The real meaning of Jesus’ actions was twofold. First, foot washing symbolized the purification that was about to take place by his sacrifice the next day on the cross. Secondly, washing feet was a slave’s task. Jesus washed the disciples’ feet out of humility, attempting to teach them the principle of servant leadership. Jesus then instructed the disciple’s to “also wash one another’s feet.” This commandment extends to us as well.

Does your “deeper water” involve washing someone else's feet? We are all called to serve using the different collection of gifts that we have been given. Are you using yours? Do you know what they are? A good way to think about them are the 3 D’s - Discover (your gifts), Develop (work on them) and Deploy (put them into practice.)

I have personally found no greater satisfaction in this life than serving others with the gifts that God has given to me. Yet, I believe that in this current phase of my life, there is still more out there for me. I am looking forward to finding out exactly what that might be. I see some things that God is doing and I am anxious to take the plunge into deeper water if that is where I am called.

Opportunities to serve are all around us. They can be seemingly small things to us but can be big blessings to others. We just have to be available and paying attention. Jesus showed us the way.

Matthew 20:28 …just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Stay thirsty,

Big E

Deeper Water - Part 2

Water is mentioned 722 times in the Bible so it’s not hard to find things to write about. It’s introduced as early as the second verse in Genesis 1:2:

Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

and as late as Revelation 22:17 - the 4th verse from the end of the Bible.

The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let the one who hears say, “Come!” Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life.

In this blog I want to focus on the great Old Testament story of the parting of the Red Sea. As you know, the Israelites had been in captivity in Egypt for 400 years. God had promised them deliverance and Moses ended up leading them out of Egypt to their Promised Land of Canaan. In their escape from Egypt, Moses held up his staff and God parted the waters of the Red Sea as they made it to freedom. The seas closed behind them and destroyed the Egyptian army who was pursuing them.

This story has particular meaning to each of us right now. In a sense, we have all experienced some elements of captivity during the COVID-19 quarantine and now we are starting to gain some of our freedoms back. We aren’t really accustomed to having our freedoms taken away, so it has been somewhat disorienting. Yet, we can all see the benefit of the boundaries that had to be put in place and the good that is coming out of it.

Is your “deeper water” the need for more boundaries in some area of your life? We often view boundaries as restrictive and a threat to our freedom but, truthfully, you won’t accomplish anything of greatness without boundaries. A great marriage, a great career, great fitness and great finances all come with a requirement of boundaries. True freedom in any of these areas doesn’t come without restrictions.

Take a few minutes right now and think about any areas of your life where some additional boundaries might be needed. Don’t be afraid or hesitant to impose them.

The right ones don’t restrict freedom, they produce it.

Stay thirsty,

Big E

Deeper Water - Part 1

I saw someone wearing a shirt recently that used the word - Aquaholic. That was the first time that I had ever seen or heard that term used; however, it was quite a liberating moment for me. All of my life I have lived with this undefined condition and now I know that there is actually a word for it.

Hi, my name is Mark and I’m an Aquaholic. I love the water. I like to look at it, swim in it, boat on it, walk beside it, drink it, and shower in it (at least twice per day, ha.) When I haven’t seen the coastline in awhile I get separation anxiety. I can’t really explain why but now I can simply attribute it to my newly termed disposition. 71% of the earth is covered by water so I am sure that I’m not the only one in the family. You know who you are so let me hear from you.

Water clearly has a spiritual element to it. Think of how many of the significant events and miracles in the Bible happened in and around water. Moses parted the Red Sea and John the Baptist baptized Jesus in the Jordan River. At the Sea of Galilee, Jesus walked on water, calmed the storm and fed the multitudes fishes and loaves on its shore. One of the key symbols for Christianity is even a fish.

Speaking of fish, I love the story in John 21 about the “miraculous catch.” Some of the Disciples had been fishing all night and had caught nothing. At daybreak Jesus spoke to them from the shore and and told them to cast their net on the other side of the boat (presumably, deeper water.) They did so and caught so many fish that their nets were filled and they couldn’t bring them all in the boat.

This brings up a good question to consider - what does “deeper water” look like for each of us? In other words, what area of our lives do we need to push ourselves a little farther in order to produce greater gain. For Jesus’s disciples (who were professional fishermen by the way,) it meant trusting a carpenter to help them catch fish.

“Deeper water” for us could mean spending more time with God on a consistent basis, more regular worship, discipling/evangelizing others or better stewardship of our material blessings. Maybe it is something else altogether but I am convinced that there is something more out there for each of us if we are willing the cast our nets on the other side of the boat.

We are going to continue for the next several weeks with this water theme. It’s that time of year when we all want to be around water so it will be a good reminder for us as we look for our “deeper water.”

Stay thirsty,

Big E

Daddy John

When I first met Daddy John, the thing that struck me most about him were his “loves.” In particular, he loved his family, his community (Athens), his church (First Methodist) and his school (Auburn.) None of that ever wavered in the 33 years that I knew him. He was passionate about all of them and served each in the appropriate way. He also served his country and in a time when so many take for granted the freedoms that we enjoy, I hope that more people will show more gratitude for those that have served on our behalf.

Daddy John has been referred to as Mr. Athens. To be thought of in that way in your own community is truly the mark of a live well-lived. A name like Mr. Athens could only be given to someone who had some really great qualities. He was a lover of people as evidenced by the vast number of friends that he had. He was a leader and served his community on the City Council for a number of years. He also cared for the needy as he and Ann served for years in the Meals on Wheels program.

Daddy John invested in relationships and he was infinity rich in that area. In an age when so many are focused on material things, he’s a great example of someone who focused on where God wants us - loving thy neighbor. We can all look forward to trying to follow the example that he set in that area.

He passionately loved his family and cared so much for each of his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. His love and commitment to his local community may have kept him from being physically present in your lives as much as he would have liked but the love and concern were always there. He knew that he had raised a wonderful daughter to be a wonderful mother and that you all were in great hands.

I am grateful to Daddy John for many things as pointed out above. Most of all I am grateful that he raised such an amazing daughter in Julie and then trusted me to give me her hand in marriage. He made it a point to let me know that he was happy with that decision and that truly blesses me.

We all love Daddy John and are grateful for his life. However, we all know that there is no grave that’s going to hold him down. He has gone to his celestial home and we’ll all get to be with him again. I have no doubt that when we get there, we’ll find him with many friends and telling them about the family that he loves so much.

Stay hungry,

Big E

What the Dog Saw

Matthew Gladwell wrote a book about 10 years ago entitled What the Dog Saw. It is a collection of articles that he wrote for The NY Times and basically offers a unique perspective (through the eyes of a dog) on many events that have happened over the prior decade. I thought that it would be appropriate to have a dog theme this week since we have a new addition to the family in Cody.

Dogs have a way of marking chapters in our lives - eras of time in a family that are remembered for the years that they were with us.

As you know, I am a dog lover. There are a number of reasons for that but probably the most significant is that I love the character of dogs. They have many traits that I admire and these same traits also make me think of the character of Christ. There are a few that I would like to highlight. (You will get a chance as well)

Undivided Loyalty - Dogs are incredibly faithful. They may show affection to everyone but they ultimately listen to their master.

Exodus 20:3  “You shall have no other gods before me.”

Teachable/Coachable - Dogs are learners and don’t assume that they already know everything that they need to know.

Proverbs 13:18 Whoever disregards discipline comes to poverty and shame,
    but whoever heeds correction is honored.

Desire to Please - Dogs want to be obedient because they aim to please their master.

Matthew 7:24 Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.”

Unconditional Love & Great Forgivers - Dogs love us no matter what. We may ignore them, forget to let them out or even feed them but they love us anyway. They “keep no record of wrongs” so that also makes them great forgivers.

 Corinthians 13:4-7 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

I’d love to hear from you with any other Christlike qualities that a dog has. Whoever comes up with the best one by Friday gets a $25 Amazon gift card. Don’t forget to include the supporting Bible verse.

Stay hungry,

Big E

From King to Quarantined

In a book that I am reading the author did a character study on King Uzziah. He was the King of Judah 3000 years ago and his reign is covered in 2 Chronicles. While I have read about him before, I had never really studied his life. I found some interesting and applicable things about his life and thought that I’d share them this week.

After King Solomon died, the nation of Israel basically had a civil war like we did in America in the 1800’s and they ended up splitting into a northern kingdom (Israel) and a southern kingdom (Judah.) Uzziah was the 10th king of Judah so this gives some perspective on the time line of his life. He became King at 16 and ruled for 52 years. This is what is initially said about him:

 2 Chronicles 26: 4-5 He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, just as his father Amaziah had done. He sought God during the days of Zechariah, who instructed him in the fear of God. As long as he sought the Lord, God gave him success.

Uzziah was very successful as king as long as he sought God’s guidance. He learned well from his father and then was able to apply that leadership during his reign. He had great military victories and was a visionary who was able to oversee major construction projects in both Jerusalem and his conquered cities. As the passage says above, he was teachable, feared the Lord and God blessed all of his efforts.

However, success sometimes comes at a price and it does so for Uzziah.

2 Chronicles 26: 15-16 …His fame spread far and wide, for he was greatly helped until he became powerful. But after Uzziah became powerful, his pride led to his downfall. He was unfaithful to the Lord his God, 

Pride creeped into Uzziah’s life with all of the success and power that he had and it became his downfall. The culmination of his fall occurred when he decided to go into the temple and burn incense at the altar - a task solely reserved for priests per Old Testament law. He considered himself above this and even as he was still in the temple, he broke out with leprosy and had to live the rest of his life in quarantine (a lot worse that just a couple of months like us, ha.)

There were specific reasons for Uzziah’s fall that we can all take to heart. The first would be the at some point he began to prioritize the “external over the eternal.” While there wasn’t anything wrong with the great military and building success that he was having, at some point his successes began to own him. He started drinking his own Kool Aid and he must have forgotten who was enabling him to achieve all of these things.

Secondly, his character did not keep up with his accomplishments. This can come in any of our lives as the result of a failure to continue to work on our own Christian character. Pursuing Christlikeness is a lifetime pursuit and we must never stop in that effort. We should never be content in our present level of sanctification (righteousness.) It can be easy to slip in this area if we use the world as our standard - relativism. It’s not hard to point to others shortcoming to make us feel good about ourselves. But, the truth is that our standard for righteousness is not the world but Jesus. His life is our model and it’s hard to be prideful if we re comparing our righteousness to his.

Stay healthy, humble & hungry,

Big E

How Will You Remember This?

9/11 is a day that I will never forget. Though it was now 21 years ago, I remember everything about that day - where I was, who I was with and how I felt. There are but a few of those events over the course of ones life that impact you enough to where you have that type of recall. Years from now COVID-19 will likely be one of those events for each of us.

When it is all over with, what will we remember it for? Will it be with anger over the events that were cancelled and we had to miss out on? Will it be with frustration over the disruption to our normal lives? Or, maybe, will we look back at it very differently (assuming that we don’t get sick) and remember it as a time that we connected with our loved ones and God in a different way.

It’s easy to feel like life, as we know it, has been interrupted - like someone hit the pause button and they’ll “push play” again when all this passes. But, life hasn’t stopped. This is life - another chapter for each of us in our story. Every generation that has lived before us has their own stories just like we will. The common denominator in all of them is that God is in control all throughout.

This verse below keeps coming to my mind:

Psalm 118:24 This is the day which the Lord has made;Let us rejoice and be glad in it.

God had given us this day - this time. No pause button has been hit. Life today is different but can be even more full than under what we consider to be “normal” conditions. There is also a temptation to find ways to “pass the time” but there is also a great opportunity to “invest” our time. How can each of us make an investment that bears fruit during this time? Reading, connecting (even over the phone), quiet times - basically, most of the things that we usually struggle to make time to do. It’s now within our grasp

Over the past 10 days or so, we have been going through the book of James a few verses at a time after dinner each night and it has been really rich conversation. It reminds me of the JH Ranch days when we would study James in the AM. I am also reading a really good book right now called Finishing Strong. I want to challenge each of you to add at least one thing of spiritual value to your daily routine that you don’t normally do. You will be blessed by it and it might even become a long term habit/discipline. I would love to hear from you on this so please let me know.

INVEST YOUR TIME, DON’T JUST SPEND IT AWAY.

Stay hungry and healthy,

Big E

Ambassadors for Christ - 2 of 2

“You are either a missionary or a mission field.”

Wow, those are very direct words. The first time that I heard them I had to stop and think about exactly what they meant to me. Now that I have heard them repeated a number of times over the years, I realize just how true this phrase is.

The word “missionary” is simply a biblical term rooted in the idea of “being sent.” We tend to associate the word with people who vocationally chose to serve God by working for a church or a missions agency. That is why we might struggle to think of ourselves as “missionaries.”

Matthew 28: 19-20 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.

This passage is known as “The Great Commission.” These are Jesus’ final words in the book of Matthew and they are repeated at the end of the book of Mark as well. Jesus was speaking to his disciples and “sending them out” before he ascended into heaven.

Were these words intended only for Jesus’ Disciples or were they meant for all Christians?

The truth is that all believers are called to missions - which is to proclaim the name of Jesus Christ to all the world. Though our specific “mission fields” are all different, the calling to be a missionary/disciple applies to each of us. Our words, actions, and lives should reflect our faith in Christ. This takes place at home, school, work, community, activities etc.. Our mission fields are wherever God has us at the moment.

This life is just one big, unending mission trip.

A wonderful example of this is how God has given Paul and Catherine a special mission field for this chapter in their lives with the early birth of Emma. This journey has given them the opportunity to be a witness to so many people with a unique platform and they have taken full advantage of it. I want to thank you both for setting such a great example for all of us.

Stay hungry,

Big E

Ambassadors for Christ - 1 of 2

The Global Missions Conference at Briarwood is always one of my favorite weeks of the year. I enjoy the whole week beginning with the incoming parade of flags from all of the different countries on the first Sunday until they parade them out on the following Sunday. It’s really a special time for our church as we truly get to hear from and get a taste of the “front lines” of global missions.

The week always seems to have a duel effect on me. One one hand, it inspires me to want to be a greater part of what they are doing across the globe. On the other hand, it makes me feel very small in terms of what I am doing for God’s kingdom compared with them.

These people are truly “all in.” They have made huge sacrifices in their lives and, in some cases, are putting their life and the lives of their family at risk. They have elected to bypass the opportunity to amass riches in the business world and pursue many of the luxuries that we get to enjoy. By comparison, we spend a great deal of time and energy pursuing and enjoying these earthly pleasures. That doesn’t make us bad people but it should cause us to ask ourselves some important questions like:

What is my role in all of this?

I think that we must go to scripture to help us look for answers on these big life questions. Let’s look at the direction that the Apostle Paul gives us:

2 Corinthians 5:20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.

Ephesians 8-10  Through followers of Jesus like yourselves gathered in churches, this extraordinary plan of God is becoming known and talked about even among the angels!

In these letters Paul refers to all believers as “ambassadors for Christ” and part of an “extraordinary plan of God.” That means that as “ambassadors” we all have a role and, since God has an “extraordinary plan,” we have an opportunity to be a part of His plan.

Thinking about it like an SEC football game, there is a wide variety of levels of participation - you’ve got the players & coaches who have sacrificed greatly and are in full participation; you’ve got the support staff of trainers, field crew, stadium workers etc… all actively playing their roles; you’ve got the fans in the stadium cheering their team on; you’ve got the tailgaters that enjoy the fruits of gameday but never even enter the stadium (this is me now on college gameday, ha) and, lastly, you’ve got the people hanging out downtown that are oblivious to the game with no real interest in it at all.

If you had to pick from one of these to describe your present role as an Ambassador for Christ in the extraordinary plan of God, which would it be? Are we on the field or even in the stadium? Maybe are we just enjoying the tailgate while others labor and sacrifice. That would, at least, be better than being downtown and oblivious to the fact that a game is even being played, wouldn’t it?

Next week we will look at what our roles could look like in this “extraordinary plan of God.” The mission field is not just what I going on globally but is also right here in front of us in our everyday lives. We don’t want to miss it.

Stay hungry,

Big E

Our Family

This week we welcomed Emma Holcomb Barber into our family. She is a wonderful addition and has already added much joy to each of our lives. We will all be praying for God to help her grow and develop over these next few months at St. Vincent’s and we are very grateful for the wonderful caregivers that we have been blessed with to help her in her journey.

While we don’t know exactly where this journey is going to take Emma, the truth is that none of us really know where our own journey is going to take us. God has given each of us the gift of today and He wants us to take full advantage of the present as we trust him for our tomorrows. Emma inspires me to be fully present.

Jesus gave us two simple commands - love God and love His people. During this past week, it has been such a blessing to see the love for each other that we have in our family. You have modeled what the Apostle Paul speaks of in the verses below. While this passage is commonly thought of in a marriage, it is truly intended for all of our relationships.

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.” – 1 Corinthians 13:4-8

It is the joys and sorrows of this life that make love come alive. I have had the opportunity to witness and be a part of this love many times over the past year - a wonderful trip to the UK with Julie, Emily’s return from JH Ranch, Lauren’s “Sweet Sixteen” birthday, Paul, Catherine & Annie’s move to Birmingham, Will & Kate’s wedding and now, the birth of Emma.

Nothing gives me greater joy in this life than to see this love in action in our family. Thank you all for richly blessing me. I am so proud of each of you and so thankful that God brought you into my life.

This life has its uncertainties.. We cannot be sure of our tomorrows but we can know that God has ordained them for us and He is there with us as we step into each new day.

Love never fails,

Big E

H.U.N.G.E.R. - R is for...

Repentant - We must pursue true repentance if we want to stay hungry for a deeper relationship with God. 

The most common translation of the word "repent" is "turn" or "return". In this sense we are "to turn from evil, and turn to good." Since sin separates us from God, repentance also “returns us to Him.”

Acts 3:19 Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord,

Repentance must occur in our personal lives for spiritual growth. A lack of repentance will be a “road block.” for us. Without repentance, our prayer lives will not be as fruitful, we will struggle growing closer to God and we will not be as useful to Him.

C.S. Lewis “We must lay before Him what is in us, not what ought to be in us”

Sin Management vs. true Repentance

Sin management is simply trying to “sin less” to eliminate sin that we view as unacceptable to God. True repentance is regularly confessing our sins “by name.” It’s important to name them before God. He already knows what they are, of course, but this practice recognizes our dependence upon God’s grace and helps us create a healthy dislike for those sins.

Religion vs. the Gospel

In 'religion' the purpose of repentance is basically to keep God happy so he will continue to bless us and answer our prayers. This means that 'religious repentance' is selfish and self-righteous. On the other hand, the gospel tells us that the purpose of repentance is to fully recognize our need for a Savior and grow in dependence upon Him. In religion we are mainly sorry for the consequences of sin, but in the gospel we are sorry for the sin itself. The more we see our own flaws and sins, the more amazing God's grace appears to us and the more grateful we are for it.

Luke 5:31-32 Jesus answered them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”

Repentance is not admitting defeat. It is part of a healthy walk with the Lord. He knows that we cannot live perfect lives but he does want us to try to live holy lives. Repentance helps us turn away from sin and turn to Him.

H - Humility

U - Uncommon

N - Never be satisfied with our present level of sanctification

G - Growth Oriented

E - Eternal perspective for the Everlasting Adventure

R - Repentent

Stay Hungry,

Big E

H.U.N.G.E.R. - E is for...

Eternal Perspective for the Everlasting Adventure……. (thanks Emily!)

The truth is that we are being prepared for eternity. This world is built on immediate gratification and living for the present. If we are only focused on the “now” then we are living with a temporal perspective. There is certainly nothing wrong with enjoying the blessings of this life but a temporal perspective will produce a life that looks very different than what God has called us to. I believe that living the life that God wants us to will produce a life lived with an eternal perspective.

So, then what does that really mean and how would that be reflected in how we live our lives? Great questions - I’m so glad that you asked. Ha.

An eternal perspective is a way of seeing the purpose, pleasure and pain of our lives as part of God’s greater story - our Everlasting Adventure (thank you JH.). It is seeing through the daily grind, the highs and lows of life, to our eternal destiny. It impacts how we think, view relationships and spend our time. Everyone is destined for eternity: some will experience eternal life with Him.

 “...You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God. . . . In keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness. So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him” 2 Peter 3:11-14

Living life with an eternal perspective will produce certain desires and characteristics in us. We certainly won’t ever be perfect in these areas, but over the course of our lives, we will be able to see their impact.

1. Vibrant and consistent personal devotional time with God. We will crave personal time with God and being exposed to His goodness. Our lives won’t feel complete without it.

2. Christian Community - We will crave to be around other believers in worship, small groups and individual relationships. Christianity is not just a relationship with God but also with God’s people. We need the encouragement and accountability that those relationships bring.

I Thess. 5:11 Therefore encourage one another, and build up one another, just as you are doing. 

Proverbs 13:20  He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm. 

3. Knowing our spiritual gifts and how to use them for for God’s glory in serving others. We are created to do good works. We are His workmanship and the tools that he uses to transform lives. 

1 Timothy 6: 17-19 Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or put their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy. Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed.

4. Great stewards of the possessions that God has entrusted us with. We are called treat our material blessing likes stewards instead of owners. A steward recognizes that it is all God’s and we are just managing it for Him. This brings a whole new perspective on how we view “possessions.”

Malachi 3:10 Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.

Some might view living with an eternal perspective as a loss of complete freedom to enjoy this life. That pursuit will always be a frustrating venture that wealth, fame and power cannot satisfy. I believe that the opposite is true. An eternal perspective frees us from the bondage of trying to make this world our heaven.

Matthew 5:6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for rigorousness for they shall be satisfied.

Stay hungry,

Big E

So here's the thing...

I worked last week on the R in HUNGRY and had it mostly ready to go. But then I started thinking about the Y (I’ve actually been thinking about the Y for awhile) and just haven’t really been able to come up with the right word. So, instead of HUNGRY, I am going to go with HUNGER. That works because that is the word in the verse - Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

I’ll be working on the E this week and then will finish with the R next week. Meanwhile, for those of you who read this, I have a contest for you. Whoever guesses what the E is gets a $25 Amazon gift card. You get one guess and you have to text it to me by Saturday.

Hint - it’s actually 2 words with the first one beginning with E and the second one a different letter.

Have a blessed week and…

Stay hungry,

Big E

H.U.N.G.E.R. - G is for...

Growth oriented. In order to “stay hungry” we must seek growth in the right areas of our lives.

As we mature as believers, we will change. Sometimes those changes are very small, almost unnoticeable - like a large tree that may still be growing a foot each year. Other times they can be significant and powerful.

I love this quote about growth:

Healthy things grow and growing things change.

Ephesians 4:14-16 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

This passage paints a great picture about the fruit of spiritual growth for followers of Christ. Maturity help us to avoid the influences of the secular world because our ears are trained to hear the voice of Christ over the voices of culture. It also tells us how mature believers find their place in the body of Christ - where we live and serve. We are part of the same family but we are also part of the body of Christ.

I want to share some key principals about growth from a sermon that I listened to by John Maxwell.

1. Growth must be intentional. We cannot expect for it to just magically happen. There has to be conviction and motivation but also discipline. “Motivation gets us going but discipline keeps us growing.”

2. We have to decide which areas we really want to grow in. We can be hyper-focused on growth but, if it’s not in the right areas, then we may be winning a battle but losing a war. We have the weigh our priorities in the greater context of what is most important. Some individual goals can be very noble aspirations but they may not be in the best interests of our greater vision and purpose.

3. We must create a growth environment. Like the picture of the plant above in a greenhouse, we must put ourselves in an environment that gives us the best opportunity to grow. That could mean that some environments needs to be reduced or eliminated from our lives - for a season or forever. We have to ask ourselves if the environments that we are in are contributing to or taking away from our growth. Think community.

Growth doesn’t always come easy but it does come if we seek it intentionally, in the right areas and in the right environments.

Stay hungry,

Big E

H.U.N.G.E.R. - N is for...

Never be satisfied.

Wait a second, as Christians aren’t we called to be content? How about this verse?

1 Timothy 6:6 But godliness with contentment is great gain.

This is true but it is referring to material things. What I am talking about is the idea that we should “never be satisfied with our current level of sanctification (aka holiness.”)

Timeout again. We know that our deeds don’t save us - our faith does. So, if we are saved, then what else really matters?

That is a great question and one that we need to explore scripture to answer but here is the basic thought:

Saved Christians will have a desire to grow in holiness, obedience and dependence upon God as we mature in our faith. A saving faith won’t be satisfied with the status quo.

This passage tells us why:

2 Peter 1:5-11 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins. Therefore, my brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Another way to say this might be that our lives should have an “upward trajectory” showing Increasing evidence of a saving faith that is marked by spiritual maturity and fruitfulness. This won’t happen by being content with the status quo. The result of this is that we will become more useful to God in His purposes here on earth.

In order to be diligent is pursuing moral excellence we have to be willing to regularly examine our priorities and make sure that they are consistent with God’s calling for us. Take some time to do that right now. What adjustments do you need to make?

So can we ever be satisfied??? Yes, there is one way:

Matthew 5:6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

Stay hungry,

Big E

H.U.N.G.E.R. - U is for...

Uncommon. An interesting word to think about. Most of us like to think of ourselves as “uncommon” or special in some ways but we also want to think of ourselves as “common” in some ways - not like an outcast.

I chose this word because I believe that the sum total of what it tells us in the Bible about the Christian life is that it is “uncommon.” We live in the Bible Belt deep in the Heart of Dixie so it may not really feel that uncommon to be a Christian. However, I think that we feel it more frequently as our society continues to become more secular.

There are a couple of key passages in the Bible that refer to Christians as being “uncommon.” One key reference is where we are told that we must “enter through the narrow gate” and that the “road to destruction (hell) is wide.” I certainly don’t have all the answers on what Jesus was saying here but I think that we can connect some of the the dots:

Matthew 7:13-14  “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

The Narrow Gate leading to eternal life with God.

Jesus also responded this way in Luke when He was asked a question about how many are going to be saved:

Luke 13:23-25 Someone asked him, “Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?” He said to them. ‘Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. When once the master of the house has risen and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, open to us,’ then he will answer you, ‘I do not know where you come from.’

These are powerful words that can be tough to wrestle with. In spite of that, God gives us the Bible for a reason and we must try to understand His message on this.

In the passage from Luke above, Jesus uses the word “strive” to enter through the narrow door/gate. Some may interpret that to mean that we should “strive” to be “good enough” to earn enhance through the “narrow gate.” This cannot be the case because we know that we can’t be saved by our works. Our works don’t earn our salvation, they are the evidence of our salvation.

So then what is this “striving” about as it relates to to gate?

Part of the striving is finding the right gate to enter. We should make every effort to make sure that we enter the right gate by seeking the truth. We cannot allow ourselves to be deluded by the false believes that this world offers. I am not referring just to other religions but also to false ideas of what Christianity is. Faulty theology can lead one through the wrong gate. Jesus is the narrow gate - the right gate for us to enter. There are no other avenues.

The striving and the battle is also against ourselves. Part of a saving faith is being willing “to deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” This was Jesus’s charge in Luke 9:23. A true saving faith points us to Jesus and not to just ourselves. The Christian life is not about self-fulfillment and using the Church to help us have a better life in this world. It’s about self-denial (submission) and the humility that comes with receiving the greatest gift that we could ever receive - entrance through the Narrow Gate.

Do you feel “uncommon” sometimes? A true Christian should. We are in this world but not “of it.” In fact, we were made for another world.

Stay hungry,

Big E

H.U.N.G.E.R. - H is for....

Since we are kicking off a new year, I wanted to start a new series that would extend beyond the length of the typical New Year’s resolution. I actually looked it up and studies show that most people fail by January 12th! Wow. Only 8% of people actually accomplish their New Year’s goals.

Why is that? A simple answer might be that people put all the focus on the “what” instead of the “why” and the “how.” If we aren’t fully committed to the “why,” then the “what” (dreams, goals etc…) will fall by the wayside. I love this quote as it relates to the “how.”

Ambitious people create and focus on goals; high achievers create and focus on processes.”

Matthew 5:6 says:

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.”

As this verse tells us, our “why” (hunger) is to live our lives in pursuit of the righteousness of God and that is the path to being satisfied. Culture tells us otherwise. It tells us to live our lives pleasing self (self-fulfillment) and that is the path of being satisfied. Most of us spend our lives trying to do both and get confused when one path conflicts with the other. That is why it is so critical to know and be committed to our “why.”

Today we are going start an acronym series on the word H.U.N.G.R.Y. It will last 6 weeks so I think we are safely beyond the typical New Year resolution fail dates. Ha.

The H in H.U.N.G.R.Y. is for the word humility. I know that it may seem counter-intuitive to talk about humility when the word hungry screams passion, energy and personal achievement. However, humility is often misinterpreted and it certainly doesn't mean living a passive life or one without passion. Instead, humility actually helps us properly direct our passion.

The opposite of humility is pride and God hates pride. We know this because it is says so 22 times in the Bible.

Proverbs 6:16 "There are six things which the Lord hates, yes seven which are an abomination to Him."  He mentions pride first.

Proverbs 8:13, "The fear of the Lord is to hate evil; pride and arrogance and the evil way…

In fact, we actually place ourselves in opposition to God with our pride:

1 Peter 5:5 …for God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble. 

Pride can easily creep up on us because many of the prideful areas in our lives are often really good things – blessings from God that we are trying to take too much credit for. God is the one that gives us the ability to succeed and prosper. Remembering where our blessings come from and having a teachable spirit help us remain humble before Him.

1 Peter 5:6  Therefore, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time.

The last part of this verse reminds us of our “why.”

Stay humble and hungry,

Big E