King Charles - Heavy is the crown...

On Saturday the coronation of King Charles was held at Westminster Abbey. It was the first coronation in 70 years since the coronation of Queen Elizabeth in 1953. The Abbey has been the site of every coronation since 1066. This coming Friday we get to tour Westminster Abbey which will be very interesting to visit so close to the recent ceremony.

Charles was 4 when his mother Elizabeth became Queen. He is 74 now so he has been waiting a long to to assume his role as King. People have joked that he had to wait until he was 74 to get his first job - which is somewhat true.

Outside of the UK, the Monarchy is difficult to fully grasp, We see the “Royals” in many different settings but most people really don’t know what they do. I’m certainly no expert but have gained a bit of an understanding of their role over the past few years.

The King is Head of State. They have certain public, constitutional, and diplomatic duties that they perform. However, the responsibility to govern (make and pass laws) lies with the British Parliament. The King has some authority to appoint certain positions but they don’t govern the country on a day to day basis. England’s Prime Minister reports regularly to the King and keeps him apprised on the important issues of the day.

The King’s other significant role is the “Defender of the Faith and Supreme Governor of the Church of England.” The Archbishop of Canterbury is the senior staff person over the Church. I’m sure keeps the King apprised of matters of the faith like the Prime Minister does on public affairs. I know that Queen Elizabeth had a good relationship with Billy Graham and seemed to be openly Christian. I’ll be interested to see who King Charles establishes relationships with in the community of faith.

The St. Edward's Crown, made in 1661, will be placed on the head of The King during the Coronation service. It weighs almost 5 pounds and is made of solid gold. William Shakespeare wrote in his work Henry IV - “Heavy is the head that wears the crown.” I guess that can be both literal and figurative. His roles bear heavy responsibilities.

I don’t know where King Charles stands spiritually but let’s hope that he embraces a Christian faith in his role as head of the Church of England. If he sees Jesus as the true Head of the Church and seeks him in faith daily, that crown won’t be so heavy. Let’s all pray for him in his new role. He can have a significant influence as King if he submits to our true King Jesus.

Stay Hungry,

Big E

Matt. 5:6

Tentmakers

I love how JH Outback has become such a family ministry. We have all served in different ways and at different times - but we all have made a contribution. There are many things that come to mind when we think of anything related to “JH” but none as predominant as the Big Top. Just the sight of that big ole tent brings so many happy thoughts and memories.

I have been reading through the Book of Acts in my quiet time. In Chapter 18, Paul arrives in Corinth on his second missionary journey. Corinth was the political and commercial center in Greece at that time but was also known for its wickedness and immorality. Paul later would write 2 letters to the people of Corinth - 1 & 2 Corinthians.

In Corinth Paul met a fellow Jew named Aquila and his wife Priscilla. They had just come to Corinth from Italy after all Jews were banished by Roman Emperor Claudius. Aquila and Priscilla were tentmakers just like Paul. Paul stayed with them and they worked together in their craft while Paul was doing his ministry.

Aquila and Priscilla have no great, exciting story in the Bible but they are mentioned 3-4 times in scripture. They are known as loyal and courageous Christians. Here are a few key traits that stand out about their lives:

• Couples can be very effective in ministry working together. Aquila and Priscilla were always mentioned together in the Bible - never individually. While they themselves were not the story of the day, they were great enablers for Paul as he was evangelizing in Corinth. In marriage, work and ministry, they were together.

• The home is a valuable tool for evangelism. Aquila & Priscilla risked their lives by hosting Paul in their home. We may never be put in this same situation but we will all have many opportunities to make Kingdom impact in our homes. Sometimes the impact is readily seen but there are many other times when we are completely unaware of the impact our homes can have in other’s lives. Christian homes speak profoundly to those that enter. Yours could be the most impressionable one that your guests ever visit.

• Every believer should be well educated in their faith - no matter what our roles in ministry. Aquila and Priscilla actually had the opportunity to disciple a teacher named Apollos. Apollos was a godly man but was limited in his knowledge of the faith. After they poured into him, he became an even more powerful teacher. It was only because Aquila and Priscilla had taken the time to gain a full knowledge of the faith that they were in a position to be able to help Apollos. We have the same responsibility to know what we believe and how best to communicate it to others.

Let’s all be “tentmakers” as we love and serve others. How can your home or your knowledge of the Christian faith bless someone this week?

Stay hungry,

Big E

Matt. 5:6

Rehab

Given all of the orthopedic issues I have had over the years, I have become a “reluctant” expert in physical therapy. Knee surgery, back surgery and two shoulder surgeries will do that to you. Having gone through this process a number of times, with probably more to come, I have noticed distinct similarities between a healthy body and a healthy spiritual life.

Surgery: When we get to a point to where there just isn’t really another good option, surgery is the way to go. I certainly do not regret any that I have had and am very grateful for each one.

This is true for us spiritually. The most important surgical procedure we will ever have is when we were given a new heart by the “Great Physician.” We could go on without doing do - hurting and doing things our way. Fortunately, we can surrender our wills for God’s will and wind up with a new eternal heart. What a deal!

Stretching: You all know how “religious” I am with my morning stretching routine. You probably think that it is due to self-disciplined and predictable behavior. The truth is that I am motivated to do it by the consequences of not doing it. As they say, fear is a great motivator! If I don’t stretch, I get stiff, sore and become ineffective for what I want to accomplish that day.

 Daily stretching has great application in our spiritual lives. I love this quote:

We distinguish the man of excellence from the man who settles for mediocrity by recognizing that excellence comes to the one who makes great demands on himself. The mediocre man makes very few demands on himself. Jose Ortega Gassett

Think of how our lives might look if we are willing to stretch ourselves on a regular basis. Getting out of our comfort zones and being willing to stretch involves some risk. It also provides great reward when we are willing to do so. We are not called to be reckless and abandon the wisdom and discernment that God provides but prayerfully stretching ourselves in Kingdom work, relationships etc… can produce great fruit for others and ourselves.

Strengthening: One key way to avoid pain and injury is to strengthen our muscle groups surrounding vulnerable areas. When these areas have strong muscles around them they can rely on, it takes a lot of stress off of them.  They will perform better and last longer.

Spiritual disciplines strengthen us in the same way. We build spiritual muscles of faith and perseverance that help us in times of trial. Spiritual strength is an asset to every aspect of our faith journey.

 Jesus said “Come to me, all who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Matt. 11:28-30

Our yoke: Another lesson that I have learned from the physical therapy world is that carrying around excess body weight is a detriment to healing and contributes to future injuries. Leaner and stronger bodies are the way to go and provide the best chance to avoid orthopedic issues.

In the above passage Jesus refers to His yoke (the crossbar set on oxen used to move heavy equipment). Jesus’s yoke is light because we are able to cast our cares and burdens upon him. We don’t have to drag them around. Jesus wants us to be unburdened by the weight of sin, guilt and unforgiveness.

Rest: Finally, it’s important to give our bodies rest. God designed us that way and when we go against His design, breakdowns occur. Rest helps our bodies heal, recover and prepare for our next adventure.

Rest and solitude with God are critical for spiritual growth. We can’t live a life of intimacy with Him without it. If we lack times of rest and quiet, we may even find ourselves valiantly seeking to know more about God but not seeking him directly. Jesus says that he will “give us rest,” but He requires us to “come to Him.”

Stay healthy,

Big E

Matt. 5:6

The Source of Wisdom

In prior weeks we looked into the “value of wisdom” and the “search for wisdom.” In the book of Job, we learn that man struggles to understand the value of wisdom and often looks for it in the wrong places. The closing passage of Job 28 leads us directly to the source and path to true wisdom.

Job 28:20 Where then does wisdom come from? And where is this place of understanding? 23-28 “God understands its way, And He knows its place. For He looks to the ends of the earth; He sees everything under the heavens. When He imparted weight to the wind, and assessed the waters by measure, when He made a limit for the rain, and a course for the thunderbolt, then He saw it and declared it; He established it and searched it out. And to mankind He said, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to turn away from evil is understanding.’”

God displays His wisdom and power through His design of creation. He “imparted weight to the wind,” “a limit for the rain” and “a course for the thunderbolt.” This dramatic description of the creation process gives us insight into His wisdom and power.

Reverence and obedience lead us to wisdom. Followers of Christ should have their hearts set on seeking and living within God’s will. While we will never fully understand the mind of God, specific aspects of God’s will have been revealed to us through scripture. This revealed aspect of God’s will provides our guidance for a life of obedience. Deuteronomy 29:29 The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us… so that we may follow all the words of this Law.

God gives wisdom to those who ask in faith.  James 1:5-6 But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But he must ask in faith without any doubting…” God is delighted to share His limitless supply of wisdom with us when our hearts are set to receive it in faith. We should never doubt that He will provide.

Pursue wisdom through prayer. Our hearts can easily be deceived by false philosophies. When we allow them to coexist with God’s truth in our hearts, we become “double-minded” and “unstable” in how we live (James 1:8). Unceasing exposure to God through prayer builds discernment to help us recognize the difference.  

Pursue wisdom in God’s Word. Psalm 19:7 The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. There is no true wisdom apart from the testimony of the Lord. No one is born wise; we must acquire wisdom from God and His Word if we are to be truly wise.

We develop godly wisdom in Christian community. Proverbs 13:20 “Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm. God never intended us to walk through this life alone. God speaks to us through the lives of others and to others through our own lives. This is one of the beautiful aspects of living in fellowship with other believers.  

Stay hungry,

Big E

Matt. 5:6

The Empty Tomb

We loved having everyone at the lake this past weekend! There is nothing like having everyone together. Kate, we missed you and Charlotte.

I wrote this blog last year for Easter. The message of Easter doesn’t change so it bears repeating. God willing, you’ll see it again next year, ha. We love ya’ll!

Matthew 28: 5-7 “The angel said to the women, ‘Do not be afraid; for I know that you are looking for Jesus who has been crucified. He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said. Come, see the place where He was lying. Go quickly and tell His disciples that He has risen from the dead’”

Everything hinged on the tomb being empty when the women arrived early that morning. We have many symbols for our Christian faith - the manger, the fish and the cross, to name a few. But without an “empty tomb,” what would they really mean?

Christianity was born during Jesus’s public ministry which started around 30 A.D. His entire ministry lasted a short 3 1/2 years before his death on the cross. He was condemned by the Jews and put to death by the Romans. Amazingly, the Roman Empire became a Christian nation about 350 years after the crucification and resurrection.

Roman Emperor Constantine began to give Christians protections under his reign around 300 A.D. He was not even a Christian at that time but did come to the faith in his final days. In 381 A.D., almost 50 years after Constantine died, Christianity became the state religion of Roman Empire - the same Empire that put Jesus to death.

Christianity would have died right after the crucifixion had the tomb not been empty. The promises made in the Bible about the Messiah would not have been true if the tomb had not been empty. The Roman Empire would not have become a Christian nation three centuries after the crucifixion if the tomb had not been empty. Christianity wouldn’t have subsequently spread all around the world if the tomb had not been empty.

What would your life look like right now without an empty tomb? That is an extremely unsettling and depressing thought because the entirely of our lives are based on the fact that it was.

I Peter 1:3 "He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead."

The empty tomb fulfills the promise of a Messiah that showed us how to live and then saved us through His death. Easter celebrates the “new birth” that we all experienced when we became Christians as well as the “living hope” that helps us navigate this life as we live with the promise of eternal life with God. The empty tomb made it so.

Stay Hungry,

Big E

Matt. 5:6

The World's Most Successful Sport Team

I listened to a speech recently and learned about a famous sports team that I was not familiar with. The All Blacks rugby team from New Zealand is broadly considered the most successful sports team in the world. They have won 77% of their matches against the best teams in the world over the past 100+ years. Only 7 of the International teams that they play have ever beaten them. What has made them so successful over this long span of time?

This team is taught to embrace the expectations of excellence - to aim for the highest cloud. After studying the All Blacks team, the speaker identified some key characteristics that define them.

1. No one is bigger than the team.

2. It’s an honor, not a job.

3. Better never rests.

4. Willing to eat off the floor - never be too big to do the small things that need to be done.

5. Legacy - plant trees you’ll never see.

Nothing on this list is earth shattering. We have all heard these before in one context or another. What I find interesting about the list is the common thread that runs through them - humility.

We generally associate high achievers with swagger and extreme confidence. There is a place for some of that but those that truly achieve sustained success gain their confidence from a foundation of humility. They don’t consider themselves better than others, are willing to serve others, never rest on their laurels and feel privileged to be part of something bigger than themselves.

The older I get the more I realize how toxic pride is. It’s highly destructive to individuals, teams, companies and even churches. Scripture has many warnings about pride. The one that is most prevalent to me is:

Proverbs 16:18 Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.

Today we celebrated Palm Sunday - Jesus’s triumphant entry into Jerusalem. He arrived not on a glorious stallion, but on a donkey. In Biblical times a donkey symbolized humility, peace, service and suffering. Sounds like a strong crossover to the core traits of the All Blacks team. How interesting…

Stay humble and hungry,

Big E

Matt 5:6

The Search for Wisdom

God allowed Job to be tested by Satan to see if he would renounce his faith. He lost his family and fortune in the process but ultimately stayed faithful to God.

After suffering these calamities, the topic of wisdom arises with his friends. Each friend offers their own opinion on how to find wisdom. One claims that wisdom comes from “observing and experiencing life.” Another suggests that we should “look to the past and learn from others.” His third friend claimed that wisdom is “possessed by only a few, and we must rely on those that have it.” While none of these opinions are entirely wrong, they don’t fully address the issue of finding true wisdom.  

Job offers his view in verses 12-22. He illustrates the age-old process of mining for treasure in the earth. He speaks of the extravagant lengths that man goes to find gold, diamonds, and sapphires below the earth’s surface - even risking life and limb. Job is making a comparison for what man is willing to expend and risk to find earthly treasures versus their search for wisdom.

 Job 28:12 But where can wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding?13 Mankind does not know its value, nor is it found in the land of the living. 22 Abaddon and Death say, ‘With our ears we have heard a report of it.’

Man looks for wisdom in the wrong places. This passage tells us that wisdom “is not to be found in the land of the living.” It cannot be found in the oceans or in all the precious treasures of the earth like gold, sapphires, and onyx. “It is hidden from the eyes of every living creature and concealed from the birds of the sky.” These are powerful illustrations of how man is deceived into thinking that we can find true wisdom on this earth.

Our Enemy know it exists but doesn’t want us to have it. Satan enjoys watching us pursue earthly treasure as we try to make this world our heaven. He wants us to spend our time on trivial pursuits that have no eternal significance. We play right into his hands when we drift along with the currents of the world with little thought given to the wisdom that God offers to direct our lives. If the Enemy can’t have us, then he wants us to be ineffective for God’s kingdom.

This leads to some important questions. How does our appetite for earthly treasure compare to our appetite for wisdom? What are we willing to expend and risk to obtain each?

We will increasingly value whatever we make a habit to pursue. The spiritual disciplines of prayer, studying Scripture and worship help us cultivate a desire for God’s wisdom that surpasses our cravings for earthly treasure. It’s an earnest, diligent pursuit of the mind of Christ. We are promised that our hunger for wisdom will be rewarded:

 Proverbs 2: 4-5 If you seek her as silver and search for her as for hidden treasures; then you will understand the fear of the Lord and discover the knowledge of God.

Stay hungry,

Big E

Matt. 5:6

The Value of Wisdom

I have written about wisdom before but it’s so key to our daily lives that I wanted to address it again. I wrote a 3 part series for Outback and wanted to share it with you.

The Value of Wisdom

It has been said that our world is drowning in information but starving for wisdom. The main reason for this is because man doesn’t fully understand the value of godly wisdom. The Bible urges us to seek wisdom from God above all things.

Proverbs 8:11 For wisdom is more precious than rubies, and nothing you desire can compare with her.  

In James 3:15-18, we see that there are two different types of wisdom. Heavenly wisdom is described as “pure, peaceable, gentle, full of mercy and good fruits.” Wisdom of the world is known as “sensual, demonic, full of jealousy and selfish ambition.”

Secular wisdom focuses primarily on immediate gratification. The emphasis is on self with little concern for honoring God or viewing life from an eternal perspective. One with worldly wisdom alone will lack greatly in life’s most important areas of understanding.

True wisdom is not solely an intellectual matter, but also a matter of the heart. A person with godly wisdom is one who knows how to order their life in obedience to God’s will. Life decisions are made in clear view of their eternal relationship with our Heavenly Father. Earthly values are traded for biblical values. As a child of God, we have situational discernment that reflects a godly perspective.

Solomon became the king of Israel at the age of 15 succeeding his father, David. As Solomon became the “boy” king, the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Ask what you wish Me to give you.” Given the opportunity to ask God for anything he wanted, Solomon responded with the following: “So give Your servant an understanding heart to judge your people and to discern between good and evil. For who is capable of judging this great people of Yours?” God was very pleased with Solomon’s request for wisdom instead of asking for riches, long life, or deliverance from his enemies. As a result, God blessed him abundantly with each of them.  

Solomon became known as an exceedingly wise man. He was the author of three books in the Bible – Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Solomon. The book of Proverbs is a library of instruction on how to live a godly life with the assurance of the reward of the life to come. Yet, Solomon did not always follow the path of wisdom. In his later years, he lived in disobedience to the Lord and even began to worship idols. Sadly, he exchanged godly wisdom for worldly wisdom. Solomon paid a great price as the Lord removed His hand of blessing from him.

Man often places a higher priority on the pursuit of earthly treasure than the pursuit of godly wisdom. Solomon’s life provides great lessons both in establishing proper priorities and the consequences of failing to maintain them. God abundantly blessed Solomon when his heart and priorities were focused on building a heart of discernment. True wisdom is given to those who are walking in continual fellowship with God.

Stay hungry,

Big E

Matt. 5:6

Apology Accepted

Julie and I went to the first Heritage Forum for Couples at Pursell Farms this week. I have been to the Forum for men several times but this was their first couples event. The Forum is actually where I got the idea to start a family blog.

As they always are, it was a great event. We covered a lot of relational and family issues. We retook the Love languages test along with a few other tests that I had not seen before. One interesting test that we took was an “Apology Language” test. It’s relatively new but I think that it’s a great idea. Love languages really help us stay on track as a couple, but we also need help when things get off track.

We discovered that just like the 5 Love languages, there are also 5 Apology languages. These languages describe the different ways that we prefer to receive an apology. It had never occurred to me that there were differences in the ways that we accept apologies. The Apology languages are 1. Request of Forgiveness 2. Make Restitution 3. Express Regret 4. Planned Change 5. Accept Responsibility.

You can take the test here https://lovelanguages.com/quizzes/apology-language Now that I have been enlightened on this, I see a real benefit to knowing the Apology language for ourselves and spouses. I would encourage you to do it and and talk about it to make sure you are on the same page.

It’s baby week! Can’t wait to meet you Charlotte!

Stay hungry,

Big E

Matt: 5:6

A Dangerous Disease

The downside of living in affluence is that we can lose sight of how much we need God. We typically have everything we need in this world and the rest is just a click away. Self-reliance is a disease that can disguise itself in very noble pursuits.

Self-sufficiency can change our relationship with God from one of reliance to convenience.

If our relationship with God becomes merely one of convenience, then He can become somewhat of a 911 number in our life. We aren’t living in daily dependence, we just call upon Him when we need something.

This is a tough one. We are taught in our culture that we need to learn to take care of ourselves and our loved ones. Dependence is viewed as a sign of weakness. Yet, followers of Christ are called to live a life of dependence. This begs the question - can we do both? I believe that the answer is yes - but it isn’t always easy.

The church in Laodicea was rebuked in Revelation for their attitude of self-sufficiency:

Revelation 3:15-17 ‘I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot. So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will vomit you out of My mouth. Because you say, “I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have no need of anything,” and you do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked,

This is a sharp warning and one that we should pay attention to. The tragedy of self-sufficiency is that we place our trust in our own talents and temporal possessions. We forget the source of these blessings and that they could be gone in an instant. Are we in love with the gifts or the Giver?

God is the only daily reality that we can ultimately put our trust in. One of the ways to fight off this deadly disease is by putting Him first each day. This helps us develop a mindset of dependence like almost nothing else can. If we miss our daily time with Him, we should feel like we have missed something really important. If not, we could be drifting toward self-sufficiency.

This may sound like another devotional about quiet times. It’s really an encouragement for a life of dependency vs. a life of self-reliance. However, consistent quiet times build dependency like nothing else can.

Stay hungry,

Big E

Matt. 5:6

Lifeline Update

We had an amazing weekend at the Lifeline retreat. It’s always very encouraging to see the incredible work that this ministry is doing. Yet, it is also very daunting to see the tremendous unmet needs of orphans worldwide. It’s a real privilege to get to partner with such a focused and productive ministry. I am so glad that we get to do this as a family.

Numbers give perspective so I thought that I’d share some that would help you see that scale of the ministry that they do. As you know, Lifeline is based here in Birmingham but they operate in 13 states. Here is a short recap from 2022:

• Placed 121 International children in Christian homes. These were children in orphanages that now have a forever family. We gave financial support to several of these.

• This number should grow to 150+ in 2023 as most countries that allow adoptions are now fully open. China is the one big exception. They used to be their #1 country but are unfortunately still closed. There are 62 matched kids waiting to travel to the US to come home to their new families. Please pray for China to open back up.

• They also placed 75 US children.

• Their pregnancy ministry connected with about 750 women in crisis pregnancy.

• Their Family Restoration ministry trained over 300 prospective foster, adoptive and safe harbor parents preparing them for their respective journey.

• Gave aid to 1750 unadopted orphans in 32 different countries. Sadly, 99.5% of orphans never get adopted so this is a really growing ministry for Lifeline - to help care for those that never get parents.

• Huge impact in counseling, education and governmental affairs in supporting the vulnerable.

I was very encouraged to hear this weekend that some other families and even one business has followed our model for selecting families to support. We were the first to take this approach. Wouldn’t it be great to see that model really take off?

We are all in on Lifeline. There is no doubt that God has lead us to this ministry. We are going to increase our support to $75,000 this year. I am supposed to receive our next list of families on March 1 so be on the lookout for that.

Have a blessed week and remember the orphans in your prayers.

James 1:27 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

Stay hungry,

Big E

Matt. 5:6

Final Lesson from Jonah: The City - Nineveh

Warning! Do not read any further if you are not willing to be challenged with the final and most significant lessons from Jonah. ;-) I say that only because they have been challenging to me. I have some progress to make for sure.

Once Jonah is spit out of the great fish, God asks him again to go and preach to the Ninevites. He obeys this time and does so very successfully. This evil and pagan culture agrees to turn from their wicked ways as a result of Jonah’s preaching. It was quite a surprise to Jonah since it appears that he was not expecting this outcome at all.

Due to their repentance, God shows them mercy and does not destroy Nineveh. Surprisingly, Jonah becomes very angry at God’s display of grace to the Ninevites. Jonah believes that they are only repenting to avoid God’s destruction of their city, not because of any love or devotion to Him. Basically, Jonah is saying that they don’t deserve grace - like him and his people do. This reveals Jonah’s self-righteousness.

God challenges Jonah on this. He is saddened by the evil and lostness of the Ninevites and asks Jonah why he is not as well. Jonah is being exposed not only for his self-righteousness but also for the presence of an idol in his heart. Nineveh was a hated enemy of Israel and Jonah couldn’t bear to see God offer them any favor. His national interests had become more important than his faith interests.

It’s no secret that our faith is currently under attack. We see this in many ways and it’s not difficult to identify the various enemies in our culture. This is our “Nineveh.” The question is how are we going to respond? God called out Jonah for his lack of compassion for the Ninevites. Jonah wasn’t sad for them; he wanted their destruction. What do we want for the enemies of our faith?

I’ll be the first to admit that it is easy to dismiss these people. We look at them, shake our collective heads, and think “they’ll get what they deserve one day.” But, if we do that, aren’t we doing the same thing that Jonah got called out for? And, wouldn’t we also be participating in a form of “cancel culture” that we all dislike?

As followers of Christ, we are called to develop a Christlike heart. This means that we love what He loves and hate what he hates. God doesn’t hate sinners - He hates sin. God loves the humble, but hates self-righteousness. Jesus told us to love our neighbors and this includes the enemies of our faith. We should pray for them and let them see the love of Christ in us at every opportunity.

This is a challenging message, yet it is a message of truth. 3000 years after Jonah, it’s no less true today.

Stay hungry,

Big E

Matt. 5:6

Lessons from Jonah - The Great Fish (1:17-2:10)

When Jonah requested to be thrown into the sea, was he repenting and saying that he deserved death for his sins against God or was he saying that he would rather die than have to obey and go to Nineveh? We don’t know for sure but the answer is prob somewhere in the middle. He also seems impacted by the good character of the seamen so maybe his motivation was out of guilt. Since he wasn’t seeking God in the moment, he probably wasn’t in true repentance. We see from the rest of the story that his journey away from his main problem of self-righteousness will take some time.

Ironically, Jonah refused his original mission to go to Nineveh because he didn’t want to be involved in extending mercy to the pagan Ninevites. He is now confronted with that exact same situation on the ship with extending mercy to the pagan sailors. Except now, extending mercy to his fellow shipmates will require the sacrifice of his own life - or so he thought.

Substitutionary Love: The best and most rewarding type of love involves substitutionary sacrifice. This is how God loves us. Since we are created in God’s image, this is why this type of love is so rewarding. Jonah made a substitutionary sacrifice for the sailors while Jesus became the substitutionary sacrifice for our sins.

When we fully grasp the substitutionary sacrificial love that Jesus showed to us, we are able to reproduced this in our own relationships. The truth is that we live most fully in this world through sacrificial love. You can give without loving but you cannot love without giving.

Successful parenting and marriages require frequent and ongoing sacrifices and substitutional love. We must regularly put the interests of others interests ahead of our own. Our culture defines love as a transaction for self-fulfillment - you stay in a love relationship as long as you are profiting from it. Substitutionary love doesn’t use others to meet their own needs.

Fully Understanding Grace: Jonah found God’s grace, but he first had to get swallowed by the fish. He was left alone with God and nothing else. Jonah had to be brought to the end of himself both in the water and his faith. He had to go down before he could go back up. We learn the greatest secrets of God’s grace when we are at the bottom – forcing us to completely depend on Him. We don’t realize that God is all we need until He is all we have.

Towards the end of his stay in the fish, Jonah finally realizes that “salvation comes only from the Lord.” He cannot save himself with his own righteousness. Only then is he is redeemed and spit out of the fish. But, his repentance is only partial. Fortunately, God is patient with him – and us.

Grace is not an easy concept to embrace in current culture. It isn’t thought to be necessary. People are taught to be accepting. Moral standards are relative to each. No one has a right to make us feel guilty. Jonah lacked in understanding grace because he thought he was righteous and didn’t need it.

When we fully appreciate our need for grace, we are able to understand the greatness of grace. We don’t learn these things by being told; we have to be shown as God was showing Jonah. We have to find ourselves in the belly of the whale with no other options.

The doctrine of grace sets Christianity apart from all other faiths. Other religions come with the burden of one having to secure their own salvation. God provides unearned but costly grace. It is an understanding of this grace that makes us a Christian – not the fact that we are religious, moral, or nice.

Let grace be the background music of your life.

Stay hungry,

Big E

Matt. 5:6

Lessons from Jonah - The Crew (1:5-16)

One of the many ironic aspects of Jonah’s situation was that he disobeyed God’s call to go and witness to the pagan people of Nineveh and then found himself talking about God to the exact same sort of people that he was fleeing from. The sailors were most likely a pagan crew that had assembled from parts far and wide. As a staunchly “religious” man, they weren’t his kind of people.

The experienced sailors knew that storm was not natural and must be sent from “the gods.”As the storm hit, they were terrified yet Jonah was in the bottom of the ship sound asleep. Jonah wanted to escape the reality of his situation. While Jonah is thoroughly self-absorbed in his own problems, the sailors begin to seek the “common good” of all. They each pray to their own god, Ironically, the religious man Jonah isn’t praying to his.

The sailors then call on Jonah to pray to “his god.” He appears to have no interest in their “common good.” The captain was basically challenging Jonah with “you are a man of faith, why aren’t you using your faith for our good?” It was now the pagan sailors pointing the religious man Jonah back toward God.

The Christian church should seek the “common good” of their communities. This is a topic that I have found myself challenged with over the past several years. People outside our community of faith have a right to evaluate the church on its commitment to the good of all. people. We should be a model for loving and serving others.

Jonah had much to learn about seeking the common good of others. Jonah fled because he did not want to work for the good of the Ninevites. He only wanted to serve the interests of other believers. God shows him here that He is the God of all peoples. Jonah needed to see himself as part of the whole human community and not just a member of the faith community.  This is a call to us as well.

Jonah’s story teaches us that God cares how we relate to and treat people who are different from us. God calls us to treat people of different races and faiths respectfully, lovingly, generously and justly. The captain was right to challenge Jonah to help the people around him just like we should not be oblivious to those that are in need around us. We are supposed to be recognized and known by our fruit. Jesus reveals this to us in Matt 7:16 You will know them by their fruit.

Who is my neighbor? Jesus told the parable of The Good Samaritan in response to the question of - Who is my Neighbor? The Good Samaritan risked his life and reputation to sacrificially love someone seen as his enemy. Jesus instructed us at the end of the parable to “go and do likewise.” The means that we see every human being is created in the image and likeness of God.

Our role in life is not just to build up the church. We must also work sacrificially for the common good of our communities.

It is easy for us to reject or dismiss those that don’t believe what we believe. We might even feel hostile towards them. But, when we do this, we are merely participating in a form of cancel culture. Christians should be humble and respectful of all people regardless of their beliefs. There is an opportunity to learn from everyone and we should appreciate the contributions of all people. Jonah is learning this the hard way. It’s also a lesson that I am trying to learn and apply in this season of life.

Stay hungry,

Big E

Matt. 5:6

Lessons from Jonah - The Storm (1:1-4)

I just finished a great book by Tim Keller called Rediscovering Jonah. I have never studied Jonah before but really enjoyed the behind the scenes look into this well-known story. As you might imagine, there is a lot more than meets this eye here. Most of us view the story of Jonah as one of simple disobedience. This is partly true but there are many more life lessons for us. I plan to spend the next few weeks covering some of my key takeaways.

While some may few Jonah as a fable, there are a lot more reasons to believe that the Book of Jonah is a historical account written by Jonah himself. There is an Old Testament reference to Jonah as a prophet in 2 Kings 14:25. Also, Jesus compared his 3 days between his death and resurrection to Jonah’s 3 days in the great fish in Matthew 12:38-41.

You know the story - God spoke to Jonah and asked him to go to Nineveh to try to get the people to repent. Nineveh was the capital of Assyria and a powerful force in the region. However, they were a very violent and cruel culture. God threatened to destroy them if they didn’t repent. He called upon Jonah to deliver the message.

Jonah clearly did not want to go to Nineveh. I’m sure that he feared for his life as a Hebrew going to preach to the wicked Gentiles, but we will learn that there were other reasons for his disobedience. Instead of going to Nineveh, he ventured out in the complete opposite direction to board a ship to Tarshish. This would be the equivalent of us heading for Seattle, Washington after being instructed to go to Atlanta.

You can’t run or hide from God. Soon after the the ship set sail, God sent a great storm that terrified everyone on board. When we violate the laws of God, we are violating our own design. God designed us to know, serve and love him.

Unrepentant sin hardens the conscience. It locks us in a prison of our own defensiveness and rationalizations. It eats us up slowly from the inside out. We cannot bribe or rationalize ourselves out of a storm. The storm is a product of our sin and cannot be tamed. Numbers 32:23 tells us that “our sin will find us out.”

Acts of disobedience invite storms into our lives. Sin often has storms attached to them. It leads us right into them. We see this theme in the Old Testament with the Israelites. Proverbs is full also of warnings on the consequences of disobedience. This is NOT saying that every difficult thing that comes into our live is the result of disobedience – a punishment for sin.

Every difficult circumstance is not the result of sin but sin often results in difficult circumstances. God uses circumstances in our lives for His purposes – to teach us many things. Romans 8:28 promises that God uses every circumstance for our good. Storms can develop things in us like nothing us can – faith, hope, love, patience, humility and self-control.

Genesis teaches us that God did not create the world for suffering and pain. Evil entered the world only when man turned away from Him. God’s salvation came into the world through suffering. His saving grace and power can work through our storms. Wouldn’t it be hopeless to imagine that our storms are random and meaningless? We can be assured that they have a purpose behind them

Pastor John Newton wrote – suffering now prevents greater ills later. The greatest danger of all is that we never become aware of our blindness, pride and self-sufficiency. God wants to wake us up to our condition so that we can do something about it. In some cases, he uses storms. There is love from Him deep in the heart of storms.

The root of Jonah’s disobedience was his mistrust of the goodness of God. He did not believe that God had his best interests at heart. All sin is grounded in a refusal to believe that God is more dedicated to our good, and more aware of what that is, than we are. We assume that if we give Him complete control, we will be miserable. If I obey God, I’ll miss out on things I need to be happy. 

Adam and Eve was a good example of this. The serpent told the human race that disobedience was the only true path to happiness. We have bought into this theory ever since. One of the main reasons that we don’t trust God enough is because we trust our own wisdom too much.

Stay hungry,

Big E

Matt. 5:6

The Problem with Good Intentions

This is my last installment of the the “kick off the year” series. I had planned to move on from this after last week but I read a blog from Richard Simmons on “good intentions” and it was just too good not to share. What you will read below came directly from his blog.

“I find that as we enter a new year, we all have good intentions about the future. The problem is that good intentions often are inconsistent with our behavior. They are good thoughts that are not backed with actions. As John Maxwell says, there is a major difference between good intentions and intentional living.”

“Over the years one of the greatest truths I have learned is that if you really want to grow and develop any area of your life, you have to be intentional about it. You have to plan for growth or it will never happen, and this is true in every area of your life.”

“Most people really don’t get this and it explains why there is such a gap between the life we dream of and aspire to and the life we actually end up living. This seems to be a reality of life.”

“The Bible gives us a simple explanation of effective living. We are told life is about going down certain pathways. Every path leads to a certain destination.”

“In Isaiah 2:3 we are told God desires us to ‘walk in His paths.’ In Proverbs 4:26 we are instructed to ‘watch the paths of your feet, and all your pathways will be established.’ We are then told in Psalm 36:4 that a person often ‘sets himself on a pathway that is not good.’”

“Intentional living requires us to get on paths that leads to our ultimate well-being. That leads us to the life that God has planned for us.”

“Everyone is on a path right now, whether we realize it or not. And this path is taking each of us to a certain destination. The path we are on is not a respecter of person; it does not care who you are or where you are from. It leads where it leads regardless of one’s talent, wealth, physical appearance, or social status.”

“When you meet someone who is leading a truly extraordinary life in all areas, how do you think this person’s life has come to pass? Do you believe that it was an accident or a stroke of good fortune? What we always discover is that people are where they are in life as a result of a series of decisions which together have formed the path leading to their present circumstances.”

“On the other hand, when you see people floundering in their personal lives, quite often their stories reveal a pattern or path as well. It is amazing how we can deceive ourselves into thinking that life is simply a series of unrelated decisions and that somehow we will just end up with all of our hopes and dreams.”

“Think about the various paths you are going down. Right now, for example, you are on a physical health path and it is taking you in a specific direction. In all likelihood, this path will impact the length of your life and the quality of your life in old age.”

“Likewise, your marriage is on a certain path at this very moment. It will determine the kind of life you will experience with your spouse as the years go by. If you have children at home, you are on a child-rearing path that will determine the type of adults your children will become. We are each on a financial path, a moral path, an intellectual path, a career path, and a spiritual path. The paths we are on always determine our end results. Always!”

“As I said earlier, I have concluded that one of the primary reasons we have such great discrepancies between what we actually desire in our hearts and what we end up doing with our lives is because we live with great intentions. We have somehow been deceived into thinking that great intentions will get us where we want to go in life.”

“In the July 2010 Harvard Business Review, there is an article written by a Rhodes Scholar who attended Harvard Business School and who later taught there. Christiansen writes,

‘Over the years I have watched the fates of my Harvard Business School classmates from 1979 unfold. I have seen more and more of them come to reunions unhappy, divorced, and alienated from their children. I can guarantee that not a single one of them graduated with the deliberate strategy of getting divorced and raising children who would be estranged from them.’”

“Yet, they went down a path that led to this consequence.”

“Every couple enters into marriage with great intentions for their future together, but without realizing it, so many get on a path that leads to divorce.”

“We all have good intentions for our lives, but at the end of the day, it is the direction of the path, not good intentions, which will ultimately determine our destination in life.”

“So as we enter a new year, I challenge you to examine some of the most important areas of your life and come up with a plan for growth, and then begin to execute the plan. If you really want to grow and develop any area of your life, you have to be intentional. You have to plan for growth, or it will never happen.”

Wise words for living.

Stay Hungry,

Big E

Matt 5:6

"Kiwi, please."

Most of you have had the opportunity to eat at Upbeet in Atlanta. With all due respect to Chopt, Upbeet is an elite place for salads and in a league of their own (thank you Emily!) If Julie and I get anywhere near Atlanta, we find time to get by there to pay homage to “God’s garden.”

On a recent visit, we were excitedly going through the line - you know how it works. That process seems foolproof since we get to actually see all the options and add anything we want to our “build your own” bowl. The visual stimulation is just part of the fun and it’s guaranteed to produce the final product we are looking for. What could possibly go wrong?

To say that Julie gets excited in the Upbeet line would be an understatement. We all love her great passion for life and this is one of the places that it is on full display. This particular day she might have set a record for the most number of different items in a bowl. She hit her quota on toppings before we even got out of the fruit section. It was something to behold.

Well, sometimes our eyes deceive us. We see things that look great and highly desirable but turn out to be not what we thought. In this case it was the “kiwi.” Who doesn’t love kiwi? It seems like it is a fruit that doesn’t get enough play. I’m not sure why but maybe because it is grown exclusively in other countries like China, New Zealand, France, Greece and California :-).

The “kiwi” was positioned at the end of the fruit section. It was nicely chopped up and ready to be deployed by all takers. The unique shade of green catches your eye as you move through the line. With edamame on my mind, I had already moved on to the vegetables as Julie was pointing and asking for some “kiwi.” The server obliged and we happily continued with our salad artistry.

We usually dine in at Upbeet. With all of the anticipation and creativity that goes into salad sculpting, it seems almost cruel to have to get it “to go.” Eating in the car on the way home is not ideal, but it’s not a bad option since we were in a hurry. However, it took only a few minutes to notice that something seemed awry. The normal Julie Edwards excitement was missing. We were merging onto I-20 with a full head of steam when Julie confessed that the “kiwi” that she ordered was actually green peppers.

If you think about it, green peppers are exactly the same color as kiwi. When they are both cut up, they look almost identical. Upon review, the fact that they were located by the other fruit options in the transition area to the vegetables seems kind of unfair. It was a mistake that could have happened to anyone. I hated that we didn’t have time to go back and correct it for my sweet and unsuspecting wife. The good news is that we were able to laugh about it and find “life lessons” from it.

Sin is often like kiwi. It parades itself attractively and is often disguised as something that we think we really want/need. Sometimes the feedback comes right away that we have fallen for deception (green peppers) and other times it’s not until we suffer more severe consequences to learn our lesson.

Experience is the hardest kind of teacher, it gives us the test first and the lesson afterwards.

It was sad to see Julie’s disappointment when she realized that the salad could not be salvaged. The little pieces of green peppers had infiltrated the whole salad. The bowl was full of incredible goodness with so many of her favorite things but the pesky little peppers ruined the day.

Sin is like this as well. A single troublesome sin that we continuously struggle with can ruin the moment - or much, much more. Sin always involves deception because, in the moment of truth, we are willfully choosing something other than obedience. We are effectively saying that we know what is best for us more than God does.

We have awareness of some of our sin. At times, we are willing to “make friends with sin” when we are living in unrepentance. Pet sins like envy, lust, and pride can become fixtures in our lives and character. In some cases, we may have blind spots and not even be aware of our sin. It’s been said that “a person’s heart is never is such a hopeless state as when they are totally unaware of their flaws.”

Fortunately, while we are responsible and accountable for our character, we are not dependent upon it for salvation. God doesn’t love us because we are good, he loves us because He is good. Pastor/Author Jerry Bridges said it so well:

“Our worst days are never beyond the reach of God’s grace and our best days are never beyond the need for God’s grace.”

Beware the “kiwi,”

Big E

Matt. 5:6

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! You may have put some thought into New Year’s resolutions or maybe even updated your 5 F’s (faith, family, friends, finances & fitness) goals. While it’s never a bad time to reflect, the start of a New Year always seems like a great time.

I had the opportunity to attend a Leadership conference at Highlands College recently. I went to hear John Maxwell who is probably the most published and recognized author/speaker on leadership - especially in the Christian world. I really enjoyed it and believe that everyone can find some really good application in it.

The title of his talk was “Certainties from the Second Half.” Dr. Maxwell is 75 years old so he was trying to share the some keys from his life experiences with a younger audience. Here are my takeaways from his talk:

• Attitude is the difference maker. Attitude isn’t everything but it is the main thing.

• Adding value to others adds value back to us.

• Focus on the sowing not the harvest. The harvest will come with effective sowing.

• Personal growth is the only guarantee that tomorrow will be better. Aging is inevitable - growth is optional.

• Everyone needs forgiveness so forgive everyone. Trademarks of a Christian - giving and forgiving.

• Everything rises and falls on leadership. Requirements of a leader - good leadership skills and great values.

• Intentional living maximizes your life. Live well, lead well. leave well.

• One is too small of a number to achieve great things - bring others along.

• Your perspective becomes your world. Make sure that you have clarity and truth in your perspective.

• Consistency compounds results. The right actions consistently done over time produce exponential results in every area of life.

• Success is having those who know you the best - love and respect you the most.

• Significance satisfies in ways that success cannot. Once you have tasted significance, success will never satisfy.

• Our faith is real.

Isaiah 43: 16, 18-19 This is what the Lord says—he who made a way through the sea, a path through the mighty waters…“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.

What “new thing” is the Lord going to do in and through you in 2023? Have an incredibly blessed year! We love all of you and are so thankful for you.

Stay hungry,

Big E

Matt. 5:6

Are You Ready for Christmas?

During the Advent season, each of us will be asked a certain question on probably at least one occasion: “Are you ready for Christmas?”

On the surface, it doesn’t seem to be a question of any real depth. We know the answers most people are looking for when they ask. Have you finished buying presents, decorating the house and getting the food ready?

If we take that question deeper as it relates to the real meaning of Christmas and the Advent season - what should our answer be as followers of Christ?

The word “Advent” originates from the Latin word adventus, meaning “coming” - the coming of Christ. The Advent season is actually designed not only for us to celebrate Christ’s birth but also to anticipate the fact that He is coming back again one day.

I think that the “coming back” aspect of the Advent season gets a little lost on us. His birth is certainly to be celebrated but the fact that He is coming back is as well.

Jesus’ birth brings our Savior to this world. His return will bring us to His world.

In light of His return, how then should we be prepared to answer the question - Are we ready for Christmas? As mature believers, we could respond with our theology - what we believe and why. Or maybe we can respond with our list of good deeds over the past year – our resume.

One of the beautiful things about the Advent season to me is the purity and simplicity of the message that it brings. The lessons from The Little Dummer Boy hold many of the answers:

Lesson 1 - We are all called to seek Jesus with a childlike faith.

Matthew 18:3-4  And Jesus said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 

Lesson 2 - We must come to Jesus in our poverty.

The boy came to Jesus in his poverty and identified with Jesus as “a poor boy too.” Two poor boys - a beautiful connection between him and the King of the universe. Neither had any earthly possessions at all – so simple, humble and pure.

We may have a nice resume of good deeds and try to live the “good Christian” life but we are all inadequate, broken and desperate for a Savior. This is our poverty.

Lesson 3 - The boy gave the best of all that he had to the King - his talent.

Do we do that? Do we give the “first fruits” of our time and talent to our Savior? God has blessed us and equipped us each uniquely. Do we fully understand our unique giftedness and how to use those gifts as the hands and feet of Christ?

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

Lesson 4 - Each of our lives a certain tenor to them. We are all beating our drums each day as we live our lives. What are others hearing from us? How are our lives speaking to them - the flavor, message and substance.

Are we ready for Christmas?!? Hopefully, we all have some “Little Drummer Boy” in us.

Merry Christmas,

Big E

Matt. 5:6

No Room in the Inn

I didn’t get to participate in the Walk Thru Nativity this year. I missed being a part of it. It’s a great tradition of the Christmas season.

One of my most memorable roles over the years was playing the Innkeeper. I was the bad guy having to tell Mary and Joseph over and over again to move along since there was “no room in the inn.” I felt like such a heel having to do that. I’m looking at Mary’s pregnant tummy that is holding none other than the Savior of the world and rejecting them time and time again.

We all have our “innkeeper” moments when we don’t make room for Jesus. The Innkeeper in the story of the Nativity had no way of knowing that he was turning away God’s son. That excuse just doesn’t work for us. We don’t suffer from a lack of awareness - just maybe a lack of desire, motivation or discipline.

My “innkeeper” moments come often as a result of things that I would consider mostly good. At times I will place a higher priority on hobbies, working out or career instead of spending time with God. I know which is more important but that doesn’t always translate into making the right choice.

Spending time with God is not hard - though we often try to make it that way. He doesn’t require an appointment or any preparation. He doesn’t care how we are dressed or even what mood we might be in. It’s truly “come as you are” - just come. One truth that I have learned in life is - the things that are easy to do, are also easy not to do.

Matthew 13:22 And the one sown with seed among the thorns, this is the one who hears the word, and the anxiety of the world and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.

The busyness and worries of life choke out our desire to make room. A steady pattern of this will lead to unfruitful lives. Making room for God each day keeps our hearts turned toward His like young sunflowers that are looking to grow by turning throughout the day to face the sun. This should be us - always seeking to stay in right relationship with Him.

Make room,

Big E

Matt. 5:6