The Reformation - Why so important?

Recently we celebrated Reformation Sunday which commemorates the beginning of the Great Reformation in the Christian church a little more than 500 years ago. This day comes and goes for many without a lot of fanfare but it is an incredibly important movement in our faith. I didn’t want to let it pass without some commentary on it. There is a little bit of “heavy lifting” in this blog but it is necessary given the topic.

How could something that began 500 years ago be relevant to us today? In modern day culture, it’s easy to fall into the mindset of wanting to embrace only the new and the different. The past is not valued as a source of wisdom and guidance because the best is always yet to come. This can be true in the church as well if we constantly trying to repackage ourselves in a more attractive wrapper. However, the past can be a great teacher and the Reformation qualifies is a great example of something that we can constantly learn from.

The Reformation was a time when the church split right down the middle. The Catholic church was the Christian church at that time and the split developed when the Protestants (who “protested”) called out the Catholic church for reform. The Catholic Church had become more about culture, money and was very man-centered with church life. The “protesters” (Protestants) demanded reform and wanted to see the church move back to seeing Christ at the center of the church’s life and thought.

Man-centered church places man’s needs at the center of the church’s mission. They present a version of the gospel that is therapeutic in nature by focusing on “self-help” guidance. The Church of emotional therapy is very prevalent today and is the result of our desire to place our needs rather than God at the center of our theology. It follows a mindset of expecting heaven on earth here and now.

God-centered worship is exactly what is says it is - centered on God instead of on ourselves and solely our human experience. It’s living reflectively in the pursuit of holiness and that pursuit of holiness is what produces a better life for us. God centered vs. man centered lives simply come down to a matter of priorities.

There is nothing wrong with the idea of “living our best life” but it should come as a by-product of pursuing godliness not just in self-discovery.

As the founding father of the Reformation, Martin Luther was a monk who struggled mightily with his own sin. He never could consider himself worthy to stand in God’s presence because he never could figure out how to completely purge himself of all sin. His prayer and devotional life was legendary but he simple couldn’t achieve a life of righteousness on his own. Through these times of frustration Luther found that the gospel was not about looking inward to self in order to find a basis for God’s acceptance, but looking outward to the great saving act of God in Christ as the only way that the sinner might come to God. The Reformation was profoundly shaped by one brilliant insight – that God’s love is unconditional and total, that it brings salvation as a gift, and that, most amazing of all, we can know this salvation for certain for ourselves. This set the basis for Protestant thought.

Reformation in the church and in our individual lives continues on today. It is something that will never stop but that doesn’t mean that the answers are always out in the future. Sometimes we need to look back to find the answers that those that have come before us have already found. Maybe they have been forgotten or repackaged but the truth is:

The ultimate goal is not reformation but transformation. Reformation is simply a tool to get there.

Stay hungry,

Big E

The Election - Unmasked

I wasn’t planning on writing on the election this week but, given the magnitude of the situation, I couldn’t resist. So much has been said that it is a little overwhelming to even know where to start so I am going to keep it as simple and straight-forward as possible. My thoughts center around one key premise that rises to the top of everything else:

The true measure of character in a political candidate lies in their policies. What they are for and what they are against reveal their political character and worthiness of office.

Character matters. It always will. Each of us evaluates character on a regular basis to know who to marry, date, befriend etc… We use different measurements for character depending on our relationship with that person. Evaluating the character for a political candidate is quite different because it is done from afar. They live in a fish bowl but yet we never actually get to know them personally. So, in order to evaluate their character we are left with the influence of the media, their stated polices and their adherence to those policies.

Judging someone’s character is always a slippery slope. Scripture tells us that there are “none righteous, not even one.” Like the candidates, we all experience pride, envy, anger, prejudices and an assortment of other sinful behavior. Given that, it puts us in a precarious position to put someone that we have never even met on the scale and make a judgment about them. I am always interested to know about their family because I figure that if a man can’t lead his own family then he certainly cannot lead this country.

In an election, that leaves us with choosing between two broken and sinful people - just like us. However, what does separate them is what they are for and what they are against. What is their stance on the sanctity of life, the role and reach of government with the economy, national defense, supporting our police, sanctuary cities, as well as things like transgender bathrooms in public schools? We know what their positions are on these issues because the candidates are very open with their policies. It is these policies that define the character of the candidates and provide us with the information that we need to make a voting decision.

Policies matter. They always will and the stakes of these policies are very high. We have the ability to make our own decisions about whose behavior we would like to emulate - politician or otherwise. We do not have the ability to choose to obey the laws of the land and the decisions handed down by the US Courts. We have to live with these and they will outlast the political candidates themselves. The legacy of those elected to office will matter to us and those coming after us. It is up to us to try to get people in office that support what we are for and what we are against.

Stay hungry,

Big E

Vail, CO - 10th Mountain Division

During World War II, the Army established a military base near Vail as an experiment to train skiers and climbers to fight in the most difficult, mountainous terrain in Europe. This was in response to the stronghold that the Germans had high in the mountains of Italy that was making it difficult for the Allies to defeat them.

Drawing together an elite group of champion skiers, mountain climbers and mountaineers, the U.S. Army created the 10th Mountain Division, America’s only mountain and winter warfare fighting unit. Their training included skiing, snowshoeing, rock climbing and cold-weather survival tactics. The men lived in the mountains for weeks, working in altitudes of up to 13,500 feet, in five to six feet of snow and in temperatures that dropped to 20 degrees below zero at night.

They served in combat for only four months, but it had one of the conflict's highest casualty rates. Arriving in Italy on January 6th, 1945, they immediately entered combat and fought in the roughest terrain in Italy. 992 of them were killed in action while another 4,154 were wounded during their 114 days of combat.

The 10th Division began the first of a series of daring assaults against the German army in the mountains of Italy where the Germans had stymied the U.S. Army for nearly six months. In a nighttime operation, they quickly took one of Germany’s key strategic positions. The Germans had not bothered with guard patrols, because the conditions were so difficult that they did not believe any American unit could climb the ridge — day or night. But the Germans were wrong, and the soldiers of the 10th climbed, silently, to the top and secured Riva Ridge with minimal casualties. The next day’s operations would prove to be very different. The American soldiers ended up victorious, but not without a price as nearly 1,000 of the 13,000 soldiers in the division died.

The Congressional Medal of Honor is the highest and most-prestigious award given to recognize U.S. military service members who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor. One soldier received the award from the 10th Mountain Division - John D. Magrath a young private from Norwalk, CT.

Paraphrasing from Magrath's official Medal of Honor citation:

• He displayed conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty when his company was pinned down by heavy artillery, mortar, and small arms fire

• Volunteering to act as a scout, armed with only a rifle, he charged headlong into withering fire, killing 2 Germans and wounding 3 in order to capture a machine gun. Carrying this enemy weapon across an open field through heavy fire, he neutralized 2 more machine gun nests; he then circled behind 4 other Germans, killing them with a burst as they were firing on his company.

• Spotting another dangerous enemy position to this right, he knelt with the machine gun in his arms and exchanged fire with the Germans until he had killed 2 and wounded 3. The enemy now poured increased mortar and artillery fire on the company's newly won position.

• Magrath fearlessly volunteered again to brave the shelling in order to collect a report of casualties. Heroically carrying out this task, he made the supreme sacrifice--a climax to the valor and courage that are in keeping with highest traditions of the military service.

John D. Magrath was killed in action that day in Italy at age 20. Though he was only a private, he bravely chose to lead. I can’t imagine what was going through his mind in those battlefield moments on the mountain.

The stories of the 10th Mountain Division and John Magrath both registered with me as I think about trials and sacrifice.. Like the military did in Vail by tying to simulate battlefield conditions, God often uses trials in our lives to prepare us for greater things:

James 1: 2-4 Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

I don’t know anything about John Magrath other than he was a courageous young man of only 20 years. But somehow, he was prepared for that moment of incredible bravery. He gave his life for his fellow soldiers and, in turn, for you and me.

Our present day self-fulfillment culture often falls short of understanding what sacrifice means. I am thankful for men like John Magrath and countless others that sacrificed for us to live in a free country. Even more, I am eternally grateful for the sacrifice that God made when he sent his son Jesus to die for us.

None of us know what sacrifices we may be called on to make in our lives. Most likely, we won’t be called upon to lay down our lives for others but sacrifice comes in many other ways as well. We will have opportunities to sacrificially give our time, offer our talents and share our resources with others. The question is if we will be prepared and willing take to make them in the moment of truth.

Stay Hungry,

Big E

Small Things

There is a day for small things for all of us. Small things matter. In a world where flash and “more” seem to rule the day, the beauty of small things can get overlooked. “Go big or go home” has its place but one who master’s the small things earns God’s favor.

Matthew 25:21 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’

Luke 16:10 “Unless you are faithful in small matters, you won’t be faithful in large ones. If you cheat even a little, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities.” 

The big things begin in the small things.

The first step in constructing a bridge over the Niagara Falls Gorge was made by a 15-year-old American named Homan Walsh. On January 30, 1848, Homan flew a kite from one side of the gorge to the other. Someone on the opposite side caught the kite and tied a stronger string to the end of it and Holman pulled the new, thicker string back across the gorge. The process was repeated with an even stronger string, then a cord, then a thin rope, then a thicker rope, and eventually a steel cable, which crossed the expanse and was strong enough to support workers, tools, and materials. Finally, a sturdy bridge, over which trains and trucks could easily pass, was completed. And it all began with a kite and a string.

“We can do no great things, only small things with great love.” Mother Teresa

As you know, I am not the most talkative person in the family. Ha. But, I learned an important lesson a few years ago when I walked past the daughter of a good friend at an event and something told me to go back and speak. I basically just said hello and told her what a pretty young lady she had become. The next day her father called me to thank me and to tell me how much that meant to her. She was going though a very insecure time as a 15 year old and it made her feel really special. It was a very small thing for me but huge for her in that moment. I’ll always remember that and hope to be a lot better at taking advantage of those small opportunities with some well-timed words.

Matthew 13:31–32 “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field; and this is smaller than all other seeds, but when it is full grown, it is larger than the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches.”

What small things can we do that - like the mustard seed - become a tree where birds can come and nest in its branches? Just think if each of us did one small thing every day that we don’t normally do.

Stay Hungry,

Big E

The Relay

I’m reading a really good book right now called The Relay. It was actually written by a friend of mine who is in ministry and is a member at Briarwood. The idea behind the book is that the Christian life is not an individual event like a sprint or a marathon, but a relay.

“A relay is a fitting analogy for God’s Kingdom because we are all part of a succession of runners passing a single baton over time from generation to generation.

The key to a successful relay is in the passing of the baton. There have been many very talented teams that have fumbled the exchange and that takes them out of the race. A dropped baton earns a DNF - Did Not Finish.

In the Christian life the “baton” is the Gospel - God’s truths. As believers, we don’t just pass the baton when we leave this earth, we continually pass it in word and deed as we live our lives. God’s Word wasn’t meant to be passed to us and stockpile. It was meant for movement - to be passed on to others.

The elements of the exchange of the baton are very simple - the “give” from one runner and the “take” by another runner. If the give and the take are done well, you have a successful exchange. No DNF!

There is a great lesson for us in “the give and the take.” Our walks with the Lord need to involve both. It can’t be all give or all take. In order to give we must be taking in God’s truths on a regular basis in worship and community. Conversely, after we take, we must be ready to continually give since the baton is not meant to be hoarded. Giving in word and deed is a reflection of the right intake.

Writing this blog each week is a way for me to pass the baton of truth on the each of you. Someone else has given it to me and I want to share it. To whom are you passing the baton? God is placing people in your lives that will give you the opportunity to do so. Make sure that you are taking in His Word and truths so that you will be ready for the exchange.

Stay hungry,

Big E

Prosperity Gospel - Part 2 of 2

As I mentioned in the blog last week, all of us are likely guilty of falling prey to some aspects of the Prosperity Gospel. Today I want to look further into how we can avoid the confusion that this theology can create for each of us by focusing on some key truths that we need to apply in our own lives to try and avoid this mindset:

•  Matthew 6:24 “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.

As part of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus tells us very clearly that we cannot have two masters - God and money. Since slaves were common back then, this was a very familiar concept to them since they would know that a slave always belongs to his one master and no one else.

If we buy in to the “prosperity gospel,” we are essentially making money the master and God the servant since His job is to bless us as we live out our “good Christian lives.”  The true gospel has it the other way around with God as the master and money as the servant. I love the quote below from circus showman P.T. Barnum. He captures the biblical theme behind Jesus’ words as well as the practical insight into the fact that we can do a lot of great things with money when its handled correctly.

“Money is a terrible master, but an excellent servant.” P.T. Barnum

Our other two truths are illustrated in this passage from Luke. Jesus is speaking with his disciples shortly after he miraculously fed the five thousand with fishes and loaves:

• Luke 6:23-25 And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it. For what is a man profited if he gains the whole world, and loses or forfeits himself?

  Jesus was calling his disciples to follow him. For them this meant “follow” in every sense of the word since were leaving their lives as they knew them and faced all of the hostile consequences in doing so.

We are also called to be followers of Christ. As a follower, self-denial and some aspects of suffering are fundamental parts of a Christian’s life. It is in these times that God often does his work in us and our greatest growth occurs. Alternatively, the Prosperity Gospel de-emphasizes both self-denial and suffering. It takes a view of suffering as punishment from God instead of it being an instrument for our good and His glory. The avoidance of all suffering seems to be the goal. Additionally, self-denial is not viewed as a godly necessity because of the emphasis that the Prosperity Gospel puts on God’s “reward system.”

Jesus suffered and denied himself many things. As followers of Christ, we too will experience this necessary part of life. None of us desire or look forward to these times but the true gospel calls us to have a different mindset about them. Following Jesus means taking on His likeness and there are times when that produces suffering and self-denial in our lives. That is the theology of the Cross.

Jesus is not our butler; He is our Savior.

• Lastly, how we spend our time is another aspect of determining if we have bought in to certain aspects of the Prosperity Gospel. Enjoying godly pleasures is a gift from God but it cannot be the singular focus of our lives. Our culture promotes personal self-fulfillment above all else and the Prosperity Gospel promotes this mentality as well. We all love to do the things that we enjoy and be entertained but is our love of these things out of balance?

  A question that we all need to ask ourselves is - how much do we value spiritual wealth? The answer to that question will be answered by our weekly calendar. Do we place a priority on worship, small group community and personal devotional time? If our calendar’s don’t reflect that then we may need to re-evaluate our priorities.

It’s easy to get lulled to sleep by prosperity thinking because it often wears the uniform of happiness and achievement. These are good things but not always part of our walk with God.

The bottom line is that the Prosperity Gospel becomes about us rather than God. It is about our agenda and desires and what He can do for us.

The true gospel places the focus of worship on God, what we can do for Him and pursuing His will for our lives. And that makes all of the difference…

Stay Hungry,

Big E

Prosperity Gospel - Part 1 of 2

Last week we covered the flaws in “self-help theology.” The other movement that I wanted to address is the Prosperity Gospel. This theology basically teaches that God will financially prosper us if we are “faithful Christians.” The Prosperity Gospel originates from the misinterpretation of some scripture found in both the Old and New Testaments.

It’s very important that we have a biblically accurate view of prosperity. Jesus talks about money and possessions in the New Testament more than he does about prayer, heaven or hell. Many of his parables also deal with the topic. Why? Because he knew that for many of us finances would test our faith more than any other area.

The painful truth is that we have all been guilty of buying in to at least some aspects of the Prosperity Gospel.. There is a broad spectrum of this belief system that exists ranging from churches that overtly teach it to subtle beliefs that we are all routinely tempted with. The subtle aspects are the ones that I am going to focus on because they are the ones with which we all probably struggle.

It’s easy to understand why this line of thinking would be attractive to us. We live in a performance-based society that rewards good behavior and/or winning. That’s the American Way and there are many positive aspects to it. I love trying to excel in the business world and the competitive aspects of sports. However, as it relates to our faith, this belief system has a number of fundamental flaws that disqualify it as biblically accurate. 

This ideology is even more alluring because some of its key flaws are intertwined with some good aspects of our faith. For example:

• While there is certainly nothing wrong with trying to live the “good Christian” life, we have to check our motivation behind why. Are we seeking to please God purely out of our love for Him or so that we get earthly rewards? 

• God may decide to bless us financially and there is certainly nothing wrong with that. However,, the truth is that he does not financially bless all faithful Christians. Also, finances should never be a gauge for our level of spirituality. He knows what we need and blesses us as He chooses - but it may not be in financial abundance. Prosperity comes in many shapes and forms. Peace, joy, good health, marital love, family love, deep friendships all bring incredible prosperity to our lives.  

• One question that has to be asked when looking at this subject is this – “How could the Prosperity Gospel be true if it isn’t true for all believers – including those in third world countries? I know that everything is relative but I also know that there are millions of Christians who live in poverty. They may not consider it poverty by their standards but they certainly would be by ours. Nevertheless, they find joy in their circumstances with no expectation from God except to help them meet their basic needs. That is a beautiful picture of peace and contentment.

Financial prosperity can be a real blessing but it can also be a curse if we allow it to become the object of our affection or it makes us feel self-reliant and not dependent upon God. Financial abundance had to be handled very carefully and with the mindset of a steward (it’s all God’s) or we run the risk of the many warnings in scripture. Ultimately, we want to be found faithful in this important area of our lives.

Next week we will look further into potential red flags that we all need to watch out for. Until then…

Stay hungry,

Big E

Self-Help Movement

There are two distinct movements within the Christian Church that lead us in the wrong direction with respect to worship. One is the “prosperity gospel” which makes us believe that if we come to church and lead a good Christian life, God will prosper us financially. The second movement, and the one that we are going to focus on today is the “self-help movement.” This ideology convinces us that the church exists to help us life a better life.

While there are aspects of both of these ideologies that are true, they both place the focal point of our attention in the wrong place - ourselves. I’ll be the first to say that I have been guilty at times of falling into both of these lines of thinking. None of us are immune because we have grown up in and live in a “rewards based” society. As a result, the prosperity gospel is easy for us to believe - God give us rewards us for good behavior.

Self-help theology is particularly enticing in our current self-fulfillment culture. This is a culture that makes us believe that the purpose of life revolves around ourselves and finding fulfillment in this life. The idea of becoming a better person makes perfect sense so, how might we ask, could that be a bad thing? Well, it really isn’t a bad thing but it can’t become the main thing.

As a self-professed enneagram “1 Wing 9” (thanks Emily!) my whole life is a big self-improvement journey. I am enticed with self-help theology at times because it hits me right where I am wired - trying to live a better life. Earlier this week a friend from my Bible study sent this quote out to our group and it became the inspiration for this blog:

Our problem in following Jesus is that we are trying to become a better version of ourselves rather than a more accurate reflection of Him.

Wow. This one statement just got right to the heart of the issue. Anytime our theology involves a focus that is on ourselves, we have drifted off course. Our focus has to be on Christ and becoming more like him. We are called to imitate Christ and the only way that we can do that is if we know Him personally and study His word in order to know the behavior that we should be imitating.

Ephesians 5:1-2 Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.

The bottom line as it relates to “self-help” is this - If we merely aim to become a better version of ourselves, we may not necessarily grow in Christlikeness. However, if our focus is on becoming more like Christ, it will automatically produce a better version of ourselves. This way - we get it all.

Stay hungry,

Big E

The Talents - Part 2

The Parable of the Talents provides us with several great life lessons. Last week we covered the fact that we are all accountable for how we use our talents. While the “talents” referred to in the parable represents money, I believe that it really covers all of the resources that God gives us – time, talent and treasure. There are four other key lessons that I want to point out. 

1.     We are not all created equal in skills, abilities and opportunities. The parable clearly communicates this as one was given 5 talents, another 2 and another only one. The key point is what we do with what we have been given. 

2.     Bearing fruit with our talents comes only when we take action. We are all called to work.

Proverbs 12:11. He who tills his land will have plenty of bread, but he who pursues worthless things lacks sense.

God was only displeased with the man who buried the one talent that he had been given and therefore produced no fruit from it.

3.     Our efforts are intended to bring glory to God, not glory for ourselves. We might sometimes be recognized for our Kingdom work and there is nothing wrong with that but it shouldn’t be our aim. 

4.     God gives us everything that we need to equip us for what He has called us to do. However, we all battle fears and doubts to enter in and that stunts our faithfulness and fruitfulness. Fear is our enemy, not our friend.

Ephesians 2:10 We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. 

We certainly don’t earn our way to heaven by using our talents effectively. We are saved only by grace through faith. Our good deeds are not a requirement of our salvation, they are the evidence of it.

Our ultimate goal in life is to hear these words one day from the end of this parable:

‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’

Stay Hungry,

Big E

The Talents

The last few weeks has been a very fruitful time for us. One of the very few things that hasn’t been canceled so far this year is the trip to The Cove (Billy Graham’s retreat) that Julie and I took a couple of weeks ago. That trip was a great time of reflection and clarity for us, particularly around some of the ministry items that I have been thinking and praying about for awhile. God woke me up at 4:30 both mornings and put things on my heart that we are excited to act on. 

These things aren’t a dramatic change in my career or anything like that. It’s more of an issue of expanding our ministry of giving and finding a way that we can do something together as a family. I believe that God has laid something on my heart that is a perfect fit for where we are in our lives right now. We look forward to getting together soon and sharing our plans with each of you. 

Giving is a form of worship. Some of us have the spiritual gift of giving while others have other dominant gifts. In spite of what our primary spiritual gift might be, we are all called to give.

This is not because God needs our money to accomplish His purposes, it is because He doesn’t want the money that He has entrusted us with to have us.  

The Christian life calls to think like stewards and not owners of the resources that we are blessed with. The Parable of the Talents helps us understand the difference between the two mindsets.

The Parable of the Talents: A man going on a journey gives portions of his estate to three servants. The men received the talents according to their own ability - one is given five talents. another two talents and another just one. Each will make their own choices regarding what to do with the Master’s money and will do so with the knowledge that they will someday have to give an account when the Master returns.

Upon the Master’s return he asks them each what they did with the money. The first and second workers invested their talents and doubled their money receiving the Master’s praise. The third servant, who was given just 1 talent, safeguarded his money but did nothing to increase it. As a result he was condemned by the Master for his inactivity.

Steward vs. Owner Lesson 1 - A steward lives for the day he will return the Master’s goods to Him with a full account of how they invested them. An owner believes his possessions are his to spend in any way he sees fit.

In truth, all that we have–our material goods, our abilities, and even our very lives–belong to someone else. We are merely holding them for the day of reckoning. Just like in the parable, we too will have to give an account for how we used the “talents” that God has given us. I want to be found faithful, how about you?

Stay hungry,

Big E

Lessons from JH Ranch - Part 8 of 8

The Law of Diminishing Returns is based on the idea that:

“The more that you do anything, the less it satisfies.”

This is one of the key truths that we have to remember about the “little g” gods that we create for ourselves. It is one of the hardest lessons to accept in this life. We all want to achieve and grow but yet, unless we have the right persecutive on the “why” behind what we are pursuing, it will surely lead to frustration and emptiness.

It’s often the “what” that gets all of the attention. We become fixated on the “what” and give little thought to the “why.” There are many examples of athletes, entertainers and business leaders that have become singularly fixated on the “what” and have obtained it through incredible focus and effort. However, they become disillusioned when they actually achieve or obtain it. They end up empty and depressed because they have the wrong “why” driving their “what.”

How do we avoid letting the “what” get all of the attention? I believe that the verses below provide the answer:

2 Corinthians 5:7-9 Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord— for we walk by faith, not by sight —we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord. Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him.

This passage encourages us to “walk by faith and not by sight.” The “little g” gods in our lives are things that we can see and become very easy to focus on. Walking by sight alone results in simply focusing on the “whats” of this world. However, if we take the harder but exceedingly more rewarding route of “walking by faith,” then the right “why” becomes the motivation behind our “whats.” There is certainly nothing wrong with being ambitious and driven but it is the correct “why” that makes all of the difference.

The “why” is described in this passage as well - “to be pleasing in Him.” Walking by faith will motivate us to be pleasing to Him in all that we do. The “whats” in our lives aren’t always bad things but they have to be driven by our “why.” When we do that, the “whats” won’t be “little g” gods but will actually be ways of expressing God’s glory through our actions in working to please Him.

Examine the “why” behind the “whats” in your life. If the “why” is to be pleasing to him, then we are headed in the right direction.

Stay hungry,

Big E

Lessons from JH Ranch - Part 7

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

Are there any more powerful or clear words in the Bible than this verse? This is the very first of the Ten Commandments that God gave to us and it was first for a reason. He is very serious about it. He follows that with the second commandment which ties into the first regarding idols:

Exodus 20:3-6 You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.

When we read the Old Testament, we read a lot about how Israel bowed down to idols. They made golden calves and different types of poles symbolizing all kinds of gods. It’s easy to put ourselves above them by thinking that we would never do anything like that but, the reality is that we have our own version of “golden calves.” We make idols out of many things - career, money, image, our appearance, hobbies, sports teams etc…

Something that I find interesting about the first commandment is that God said that “you shall have no other gods before me.” By mentioning “other gods,” doesn’t that make the presumption that there are “other gods?!?”

Well, the answer is yes and no. Notice that the letter g in “other gods” is not capitalized. When we refer to the true God, we always capitalize the G. There is only one “big G” God; however, there are manmade “little g” gods. “Little g” gods are the idols of our culture and are created by man just like the golden calves of the Israelites.

How do we know if we have any “little g” gods in our lives? The best definition that I have ever found for an idol is - anything that competes with our affection for God. In other words, do we have any “gods” that rival our love for God. None of us would ever want to admit that but the truth is that we probably all struggle with this at times.

To determine if this is a real issue for us requires an honest self-check. A practical way to evaluate it is to identify the things that disproportionately occupy our time, thoughts or money. Idols live in those places. It requires a change in behavior or perspective to overcome these “gods” that we have created.

I challenge you this week to think about that and see if some action is required on your part. May God help us not to exchange His glory for lesser things - “little g” gods.

Stay Hungry,

Big E

Lessons from JH Ranch - Part 6

G.O.D. - Gratitude, Obedience, Dependence

So I have a confession to make. I have started listening to Rat Pack music - you know, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin etc… I still have a wide range of musical tastes that is usually dictated by my environment - lake (country) and so on. But, I love to listen to that style of music when I play golf. It kind of makes me feel like I am getting older (which I am) but it just seems to fit.

The anthem of that era is Sinatra’s song “My Way.” Everybody knows that one and I love it like everyone else. But, like many great songs, the lyrics fall short from being great as well. Don’t get me wrong, I love the song’s spirit and inspiration to be original but the closing stanza leaves me flat.

For what is a man, what has he got
If not himself then he has not
To say all the things he truly feels
And not the words of one who kneels
The record shows, I took the blows
But I did it my way

The writer of those lyrics is trying to bring a powerful close to the song. In trying to attribute strength to a man, he stresses that all a man really has is himself, that kneeling is weak, and that we alone have to absorb the blows of life. Fortunately, as a Christian, none of these things are true. We are not on an island unto ourselves; we choose to kneel to our Maker and it was Jesus who took the our blows for us.

It’s easy for most people to recognize God as Creator - I mean, who really wants to believe that we all came from monkeys? Recognizing Jesus as our Savior is another step in faith - who doesn’t want to be saved?!? But, this is where is gets harder - do we really want to recognize Him as Lord who governs our lives? Here is a truth that we all need to be aware of:

Everybody wants a Savior, not everybody wants a Lord.

In order to have a Lord, we must be willing to yield, submit and surrender to Him. That comes into direct conflict with what culture tells us about being independent and living a self-centered life devoid of any other authority. But what culture won’t tell us is that a life of total independence actually leads us to bondage as we become imprisoned by desires that can never be completely satisfied. Having a Lord requires that we live with humility, not worldly pride. It means living in obedience and dependence on Him. And this is what leads us to freedom.

Live life “G.O.D.’s way” which is with gratitude, obedience and dependence.

Stay hungry,

Big E

Lessons from JH Ranch - Part 5

All of you will remember this view from the Cross from your time at the Ranch. There is nothing like being up there! I love the pile of sticks and rocks at the base of the Cross representing our sins and burdens that we are turning over to God. One other thing you might remember is the acronym G.O.D. - bracelets, necklaces, shirts etc… Do you remember what each letter stands for? The G is for gratitude, the O is for obedience and the D is for dependence. We will cover each these over the next few weeks.

G - a heart of Gratitude. How appropriate it is that we cover this one this week with the homecoming of baby Emma. What a special moment for our family all being over there this week and seeing her in her home with her family. it’s a perfect picture of gratitude to God for her journey since her birth on February 20th. Catherine and Paul do a wonderful job of chronicling that journey so I won’t even begin to try. I just want to express how grateful I know that we all are for her homecoming.

Events like this and others make life rich. They don’t happen every day and that makes them special. But the area that I want to focus on today is more on the ordinary side of life - the daily life as a Christian.

"In ordinary life, we hardly realize that we receive a great deal more than we give, and that it is only with gratitude that life becomes rich." Dietrich Bonhoeffer

I love this quote about gratitude. It points us to the many things that we should be grateful for every day that it might be easy to take for granted - none more that our own salvation. A new Christian might live with a real glow for a period of time once the realization of exactly what that means hits them. But, the newness may wear off and we may come to expect certain things from God that inhibit our ability to be truly grateful that we have been saved.

In turbulent times like we are now it is even more difficult to live daily with a heart of gratitude. We get sidetracked and caught up in the affairs of this world. Some of those affairs create fear and anxiety often which stand in the of a grateful heart. However, now more than ever we need to remember daily the promises in this verse:

Hebrews 12:28 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe

We are receiving a “kingdom that cannot be shaken!” That’s a great thing to remember when we allow ourselves to become absorbed with temporal issues. Our Government, economy, culture and our health can all be shaken but God’s Kingdom cannot be. As believers, we are already a part of this “unshakable Kingdom.” Remembering this each day should produce gratitude in our hearts that our “wagon” is not hitched to any of these other things.

Thank God today for your citizenship in that “unshakable Kingdom” and then go live in such a way that someone else will want to know why you have such a grateful heart.

Stay hungry,

Big E

Lessons from JH Ranch - Part 4

I heard but I forgot, I saw and I remembered, I did and I understood.

This may be the most memorable of all of the sayings from JH. As you know, I’m always curious as to where these quotes come from so I found out that this was taken from an old Chinese proverb. I know that China isn’t very popular these days but, I guess that we need to give credit where credit is due. “Chy Nahhh” as Trump would say. Ha.

Where else would we go but the book of James for a scripture reference that captures this phrase? James is the book that is studied the most at the Ranch. Look at the awesome truths in this passage.

James 1:22-25 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.

Hearer: Hearing God’s truths is great. We certainly need to hear the Word of God taught to us by people that know how to teach it properly. It is a big part of our weekly worship and having a steady diet of this “solid food” is a big key to our spiritual growth. But, hearing it alone doesn’t transform our lives the way that God intends them to be transformed. The passage above tells us that we are “deceiving ourselves” if we think otherwise.

Seer: Seeing the love of Christ in others is very powerful for all of us and it impacts us in such a way that we remember it. We have all experienced the blessing of someone modeling that for us either by being ministered to personally or by seeing them minister to someone else. It inspires us to want to go and do the same. Seeing is impactful and memorable.

Doer: On Father’s Day a few years ago, Will and I had the chance to go to Kangaroo Lake near the Ranch. I had never been there before but had always heard about how beautiful it was. When we got there, I had the opportunity to see the incredible place that it is. But, what made all of the difference was the climb to the highest peak overlooking the lake. We hadn’t really planned to do it but we kept going and going until we reached the top - snow and all. The experience of making that climb brought a whole new perspective to that place and is something that will always be with me. I’ve heard about many beautiful places in this world and gotten the opportunity to see quite a few; but, I’ll never forget the experience that day of doing.

This is the life that God is calling us to. Hear my truths, see my goodness, then go and be a “doer.” Doing is the evidence that the truths that we have heard and seen have taken root in our hearts and are transforming us into the image of Christ. Christ was a doer. We are to be an “imitator of Christ” as we go and do the same.

What can you do this week that provides the evidence of what we have heard and seen?

Stay Hungry,

Big E

Lessons from JH Ranch - Part 3

Another famous quote from the Ranch is:

A life not evaluated is not worth living.

I was curious where this came from and found that is was actually said by the famous Greek philosopher Socrates. Unfortunately for him, it was said at his trial right before he was put to death after being accused of trying to inspire youth to think for themselves.

Nevertheless, it does have great application for us - particularly in the culture that we live in now. We have so many options for keeping ourselves occupied with technology etc… that it is very easy to go for long stretches of time without any real reflection into our lives.

So, what are the consequences of “a life not evaluated?” We covered one of them a couple of weeks ago when we talked about “drift.” We can easily drift off course if we don’t spend some time reflecting on where we are and where we are heading.

Another way that we can be impacted is to lack in spiritual maturity as is addressed in the verses below:

1 Corinthians 3:2 I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready,

Reflection time helps us move from milk (immaturity) to solid food (maturity.) It exposes areas of our lives where immaturity and sin might be hiding. These things are easy to mask if we never unplug and have quiet times of reflection.

Hebrews 5:14 But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.

Maturity is built in many ways but one of those is by facing the issues that we need to deal with and taking them head on - kind of like that 109 mile bike ride that Catherine is about to embark on in the picture above. God sometimes uses journeys like that to prepare us for even greater journeys with higher stakes.

All of us have had some great refection time up at the cross at JH. Find a place this week where you can quietly reflect on your life and see what God has for you right now. Dine on on “solid food” with him!

Stay hungry,

Big E

Lessons from JH Ranch - Part 2

None of us can go to the Ranch this Summer but maybe this blog series can bring parts of it to you. There are several mottos from the Ranch that we are all familiar with. One of the main ones is:

“You only live life once, but if you live it right, once is enough.”

I was curious where that quote came from so I looked it up and found out that it is attributed to Mae West - a famous actress that was popular many years ago. It is clever and inspiring but there’s nothing really spiritual about it unless you take it in the context of greater teaching like the Ranch does.

The Bible verse that is quoted in conjunction with the phrase at the Ranch is:

Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to proper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

This verse from the Old Testament is one of the top 5 most quoted verses in all of scripture. It’s right up there with John 3:16. That surprised me a little but, as I think about it, I can understand why it would be so appealing to so many as a message of hope. But like many verses in the Bible, they need to be studied in the context of a passage to understand its full meaning.

Here’s the actual context: the Israelites were in exile, a punishment from God as a result of their disobedience. The prophet Jeremiah confronts the false prophet, Hananiah, who had boldly proclaimed that God was going to free Israel from Babylon in two years (spoiler alert: God doesn’t do this).

Jeremiah calls out Hananiah’s lie and then states the promise we read in 29:11. God does indeed have a good plan for the Israelites, and it is a plan that will give them hope and a prospering future. However, before he shares this promise, he gives them this directive from God: “seek the peace and the prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” (29:7)

This is not at all what the Israelites wanted to hear. They didn’t want to hear that they should find peace in their present circumstances, they just wanted to be told that they were going to be freed from them. Instead, God’s plan was for them to stay right where they were, and to help prosper the nation that had enslaved them. Oh and by the way, this will last for a period of 70 more years. What a crushing thing to be told!

God knows the plans He has for us. And ultimately He will give us a glorious future. But as we walk out our lives on this crazy earth, let’s remember that the best growth comes through persevering through trials, not escaping them entirely. And when we learn perseverance, we find surprising joy.

The heart of Jeremiah 29:11 is not that we would escape adversity or suffering if “we live life right” like the motto says, but that we would learn to thrive in the midst of it.

Stay hungry,

Big E

Lessons from JH Ranch - Part 1

One of my favorite songs from the Ranch is King of My Heart. In the song the refrain is:

You are Good, You’re Good, Oh…

I’ve been thinking about those words a lot lately. In the midst of all the things going on right now, it’s so refreshing to know that we have a God that is “good.” On the surface, that may not seem very profound. However, when we face a world that is broken with sickness, division, and moral corruption, it is wonderful to know that something is truly “good.”

Good is defined as morally excellent, virtuous, pious, and righteous. We see glimpses of that in ourselves and in others but ultimately we will be let down. Our own morality, other people and even our mortal bodies will fail us at times. Our Government is rife with dysfunction and even has strong factions that are profoundly against many of our beliefs. Yet, God is good. He’s good. Oh wow.

I’ve found that I have had to remind myself of this several times over the past few months. Every time that I do, it always helps me process whatever I am feeling in that moment. It gives me a new perspective because I am reminded that, while I live in a sinful and broken world as a sinful and broken man, He is good, He’s good.

Romans 8:28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

I know that all of you are familiar with this verse. It’s often quoted in the midst of unfortunate circumstances when we need to be reminded that even though something that we are going through may not be “good,” God works all things together for good for those that love Him and have been called as Christians. Now is one of those times that we need to remember this verse. We may not like all of our circumstances but He works them all together for good. Why? because He is good, He’s good. Oh yeah.

Stay hungry,

Big E

Mission True vs. Drift

I mentioned in a recent blog a book that I read called Mission Drift. it is an excellent book that profiles organizations that have either been successful in staying true to their missions over time or had gone the other way and experienced drift. I’d love to do a whole series on this but I know that it would be a little more business oriented than the purposes of this blog so I am just going to summarize the key points this week that we can apply personally and as families.

Mission True is defined as follows:

They know why they exist and protect their core at all costs. They remain faithful in what God has entrusted them to do. Their values and purposes (heart and soul) do not change.

The organizations that stayed true to their missions all had common characteristics. Here are some of the key ones that I believe all have direct application to us:

• They believe that the Gospel is their greatest asset. We all have gifts and abilities but our ultimate dependence is on Christ, His message and what He did for us.

• They are willing to make hard decisions that protect and advance their mission. We have to be willing to make tough choices at times that may be unpopular and counter-cultural.

• They are fully aware of the possibility of drift and put in safeguards to prevent it. We all need self-imposed boundaries in our lives and for our families.

• They have great clarity in their mission. The more clear your mission is, the more real it will be to you and the easier it will be to stay on course.

• They understand their top priorities and are able to weed out things that compete with their focus on them. Sometimes we have to let things go that may not necessarily be bad but compete with our focus on our highest priorities.

• They establish the culture in their lives and families as opposed to it being done for them. Drift easily occurs if we aren’t the ones setting the tone that is in line with our mission. We establish our own rituals and practices.

• They surround themselves with people who respect their mission and are like-minded. This is not to say that we don’t have friends who are unbelievers and are willing to invest in other people’s lives that may be very different from us. This is really about our support system that comes from Christian brothers and sisters.

• They pursue excellence in their work. We are all called biblically to do our best in the work that God has provided for us.

• They are boldly willing to share and live out their mission before others. However, we also have to know that not everyone will respect your grind because they don’t share your same mission or vision.

I love all of these. There are probably a couple that register with you right now that may need some attention in your life. Think and pray about something that you can do this week to get back on track in those areas.

P.S. I am excited about a new series that we are going to start next week for the rest of the Summer - Lessons from JH.

Stay hungry,

Big E

Deeper Water - Part 7 of 7

Over the past several weeks, we have looked at a number of opportunities for us to enter into “deeper water” in our relationship with God. Serving others, establishing some needed boundaries and pursuing God with more diligence, passion and intensity are just some of the ways that we can do that. We have also talked about the headwinds that can keep this from happening like unrepentant sins, idols and the slow “drift” that can occur as a result.

If you go back to the story that we started with in Part 1 (The Miraculous Catch,) there are a few key lessons for us to take away. Simon Peter and his crew had gone all night without catching any fish. We, too, all experience dry spells in our spiritual lives. We don’t feel particularly close to God, we aren’t really serving others as we have been gifted to do so and maybe we have even allowed ourselves to get caught up in the currents of culture and drifted downstream.

Regardless of what the cause is, the cure (Jesus) is always there waiting for us. Jesus called out to Simon Peter and suggested that he cast his net on the other side up the boat into deeper water. It required two things from Peter to obey Jesus - overcoming pride by admitting that he can’s do this on his own and having faith in Jesus (the carpenter) that he knew what he was talking about.

We have the same struggle. We want to do it all on our own sometimes and may not want to involve God until we get in a trouble spot. We are calling on God on an “as needed” basis and that is not the foundation of a healthy and growing relationship. Consistent pursuit of God is required. If we are paying attention, he will call out to us and tell us where to cast our nets.

I challenge you to look for your “deeper water” this Summer. Summer is a great time to have a project and this one could be extremely valuable and even life changing.

Stay thirsty,

Big E