Live it! Tim Tebow throws deep for his faith

Short of the Olympics, the Super Bowl is the world’s most-watched sporting event in the world. And advertisers pay a top dollar to catch the eyes of those viewers.

In a first for them, Focus on the Family has shot a 30-second video that will supposedly give a pro-life message. The commercial features Florida Gators superstar quarterback Tim Tebow and his mother, Pam.

Although the exact contents of the commercial aren't revealed yet, we do know that during her pregnancy with Tim, Pam contracted amoebic dysentery and there were concerns that the strong medications had damaged her child. The medical consensus was to abort the child.
She didn’t. And I suspect the commercial will have her son standing next to her saying “thanks.”

The Tim Tebow testimony is a story all on its own. This guy is one of the most talented quarterbacks ever in collegiate history. He’s won a Heisman Trophy. He’ll win another. He’ll go high in the NFL. He’ll be a superstar.

And he loves Jesus passionately. This guy brings his Lord to work, front and center, every day.

Each game, he chooses a different Bible verse to inscribe in the black grease underneath his eyes, knowing that television cameras focus on his face dozens of time while he barks out calls.

As the team leader, he’s interviewed by every major network and he never fails to give God credit for his daily walk and protection.

And he lives it. He has been on mission trips and used his platform to speak to many groups. He’s homeschooled. He’s smart. He’s unafraid. He’s spoken up for abstinence and stunned a pool of reporters who were hoping to stump him. He’s a Red Letter Christian, bringing his Lord to his workplace, his playground and his life.

Tim. The world is watching and we’ll be praying.

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• Thank you, Tim Tebow (michellemalkin.com)
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Whistling in the workshop: Creative joy in the workplace

As a boy, there was nothing I loved more than to be with my Dad while he built things in his workshop.

With precision and deft skill, Dad grasped each board.  He carefully measured twice and then with a confident cut, sawed it in two. Each piece would fit perfectly like a complicated puzzle.  Although he used the tools of his trade --  hammer, saw, screwdriver --  it was ultimately his hands that impressed me most.  They were strong, skilled, and stable. 

And his eyes danced with the thrill of making something. Whistling below his breath, he would happily construct his work of art.

In my little eyes, my dad could make anything.

As an adult, I observe God's creation with the same wide-eyed wonder.  I see his hand all around me in the most intricate ways.  From the vast stretch of the plains to the towering rise of the mountains, I behold His fingerprint. 

From the sunrise beaming on my face to the gentle breeze blowing on the back of my neck, Creation speaks His name.  

Science, once regarded as the antithesis of Christian belief, is now the proof of the intelligent design and intricate detail of a compassionate Creator.

In the "work" of Creation,  it doesn't take too much imagination to see God smiling while he worked.  With great joy, he painted the stripes on the zebra's back.  With  a chuckle, he fashioned the hyena's bark.  With a palette of happy colors he zealously, yet carefully dabbed the parrot's feathers.  With hilarity, he inflated the blowfish's gills.  With a wry smile, he stretched the neck of the giraffe.  

Like my Dad, whistling in the workshop, I have to believe that God loves the creative process.

He loves his work. So what's my excuse?

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Photo by David Rupert. Please don't distribute

without permission, which I'll gladly give.

Which bridge to cross. Which bridge to burn.

When life hits you hard, it's not always easy to remember that this is just temporary. When you are gasping for air, you forget about another world -- a place where there is no more hurt, no more fear, no more frustration.

Right now, I need eternity desperately. I long for a home away from this home. But I can't get there right now. I can't find the escape hatch.

Am I stuck?

So I look around and suddenly I see need. I see purpose. I see signficance. This planet is a place that I can make a difference, a place where I can touch lives and help bring them from a hopeless existence to one of eternal consequnce.

It was Emerson who said, "Men live on the brink of mysteries and harmonies into which they never enter. And with their hand on the door latch, they die outside."

Rather than look at our current existence as a holding cell, it should be a launching pad not just for eternity, but for significance.

Each day we wake up to the same two choices: Which bridges to cross and which bridges to burn. I have a past. Boy, do I. And that can drag me and beat me down. But I have a future. I wonderful, amazing life ahead of me.

I have a bridge to cross. How about you? Can we go together?

Comment here.

I’m not religious, but I’m certainly not spiritual either

Have you noticed how acceptable the “spiritual” label is in today’s culture?

"I’m not religious, but I am spiritual,” tumbles out of people’s mouths and others nod in serious-looking agreement.

It’s very cool to be spiritual – taking long walks on Sunday mornings, burning bohemian scents in your living room, or connecting to unseen planetary energy. And spiritual people have awesome pets.

Spiritual people love the stars and the stillness of night, and yet never wonder about what or Who is at the edge of space. They are enamored with the mystery of the planet, but do not even want to think about its origins. Instead they pin their hopes on the random selection of billions of years.

Ashamed that man has occupied this round sphere, they give their time and offerings as a guilt payment for our invasion. They donate their money to save endangered species – especially the cute ones -- but wouldn’t dream of standing up for an unborn baby.

Spiritual people cook a few meals or spend a few dollars for the homeless during the holidays. They donate to an arts project to people get in touch with themselves. They're sensitive to the plights of the world around them, speaking for justice as if it comes without natural law. But they rarely get personally involved, after all, what’s the government for?

Spiritual people have free reign in the workplace. They put dream catchers or prisms on their desks. They are the first to speak out for diversity. But let the talk turn to the Bible or a church service and the wall of separation comes down like the curtain on the final act.

I’m not religious. But I’m certainly not spiritual either.

I’m a servant of the King.

There's no such thing as "all of a sudden"

When personal tragedy hits, we often are shocked to the core.

Where did that come from?

When we are hit with a failed relationship or a big bill or the loss of a job, we go into a nerve-rattling state of unbelief.

Who could have seen that one coming?

But the truth of the matter is that there really is no such thing as “all of sudden.” When we objectively look back at our past, we can see the missteps, the disobedience and the bad choices that led to the current predicament.

There things in my life that need to be fixed – right now before they get to crisis. And I’ll bet you have similar issues. Gathering steam, these unresolved issues are pulling together and looking for escape. They could be under the surface. They could be right in front of your face.

Ignorance isn't bliss. It might even be tragic.

These issues might include an unchecked sin. David’s sideways glance which turned into a lingering stare at the bathing Bathsheba led to adultery, deception and murder. He lost four of his sons and almost his kingdom over an unchecked passion.

It might an angry word that was left hanging, unconfessed and unresolved. Like an alien seed in a prize crop, it can sprout at the worst time.

It might be a relationship that needs to be patched up. A friend. A brother. A Coworker that you wronged or that wronged you. It doesn’t matter.

I have ignored things in the past and left them unresolved. They gnawed away in termite-like determination, felling my once strong oak tree person. And I crashed under the weight of my own neglect.

I’m learning my lesson.

Slowly.

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Responding to disaster

What is the proper "Christian response" to disaster? As Red Letter Believers, those who strive to believe, follow and live the words of Christ, how should we react to tragedy in different countries.?

50 years ago it would have taken a few days for us to hear about such things. 100 years ago it would have taken weeks. And the churches response was naturally slow and laborious.

But today, we get the news instantly as the images are played on our televisions and computers. Does this mean that technology has raised the ante? Are we really expected to respond with our time, money and prayers?

Jesus said "From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked."

And we are told that the generosity shown to the suffering will expand the gospel

Thanks to the Gospel Coalition, here are few places where you can give:

1. Compassion International
2. Feed My Starving Children
3. Food for the Hungry
4. World Vision
5. World Relief
6. Samaritan’s Purse
7. Love a Child
8. Northwest Haiti Christian Mission
9. Compassion Weavers
10. Mennonite Central Committee
11. Water Missions International

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Samaritan's Purse responding to Haiti earthquake (newswire.ca)

Fault Lines (redletterbelievers.blogspot.com)

Coming Clean: Mark McGwire admits he cheated

Even if you aren't a baseball fan, you still need to read this.
Mark McGwire, the big first baseman who played St. Louis Cardinals and Oakland Athletics revealed a secret that he has kept to himself for 11 long years. He cheated.

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

In 1998, McGwire broke Roger Maris's single season home run record by clubbing 70 round-trippers. Today, he admitted that he did so while on steroids, enhancing his performance.

McGwire retired in 2001 and since, has remained in almost total seclusion. Rather than living the life of a true American hero, he has lurked in his palatial home, watering the lawn and reading. He could have repeated the home run trot well into his senior kids, talking to school kids an business groups. He could signed baseballs and patted Little Leaguers on the head. But he couldn't. "I hid it from everyone," he said in a phone interview. He also admitted, "I wish I had never played."

Every day, the truth haunted him. The trophies. The baseballs in cases on the mantle. The photos of him shaking hands with dignitaries were all reminders of the truth. He had money. He had a beautiful wife. He had everything but peace.

Baseball fan or not, you can relate to his pain. If you've ever had a secret, a deep, dark secret, you know the agony. The truth never goes away... It's there when you go to sleep. Its there when you wake up. It's everywhere.

The truth/deception struggle is every where. If you are an employee, there is many opportunities to shade fact, to tell a lie, or not be honest. The same works for other interpersonal relationships. And certainly businesses and corporations engage in continual truth bending.

The problem is that truth will eventually come to light. "I never knew when, but I always knew this day would come," McGwire said.

I don't think McGwire chose to lie in a single moment, but instead slid into it a little at a time. Tom Drout said this, "Failure to embrace and act upon truth will always result in deception."

The key is to love truth -- and let it stand for what it is. If we are people of the truth, we will never have to spend energy on a lie.

Mark McGwire will pay a heavy price for his deception.
And so will you and I , unless we all embrace the truth.

What do you think? Comment here.

Fault Lines

Image by sevenblock via Flickr

Earthquakes come suddenly and without warning. Scientists with all of their sophisticated equipment still can’t predict when one will occur. They only know that earthquakes will hit at some point but they can’t say when. A couple of big California earthquakes reminded us of this fact last week.

And like earthquakes, so is life. “Life happens.” We can expect to have our fair share of pain and anguish because that's just part of the equation. But the real issue is timing. We have no idea when we'll get hit.

We see the fault lines in our homes and in our lives. They exist in the workplace too. They are often fragile, precarious and prone to rupture than in other parts of our lives. So our faith and hope must remain steadfast in God while we plan in earnest for the inevitable disruption resulting from life’s seismic events.

There's a distant rumble that may soon shake your life. Are you ready?

Comment here.

"My prayer is not that you take them out of the world, but that you protect them from the evil one."

Jesus, John 17.15

Christian party poopers

'One man's theology is another man's belly laugh.'
-Robert A. Heinlein

There far too many dour – yet sincere – Christians, who only know the life of sorrow and penitence. They are permanently prostate –– repenting of unknown sins, confessing long-forgiven attitudes and humbled because of their own humanity.

Red Letter Believers are people who know how to celebrate.

Jesus says to you, 'Get up! I have come to give you joy. I have come to give life -- in abundance.'

God didn’t save a wretch like me just to keep me a wretch. He took me, wiped the crud from my eyes, scraped the ugly scum from my heart and put a smile on my face. He put me in a seat right next to him and told me to eat up. He gave me this world and told to relish its wonders.

"'Therefore you now have sorrow; but I will see you again and your heart will rejoice, and your joy no one will take from you.' - John 16.22

He put people in my life and told me to influence them with his power and his grace. He put sinners in my way so I could love them and show them a better way.

The Grace Party is a raucous party. It’s full of people who have begun to live again. It’s a party other sinners are drawn to, because they too, want to live.

If you aren’t sure you’re a legalist, just look at your face! Then look at faces of the company you keep. Sour? Condemning? Critical? Then look at your "parties." If there's no joy, no life in them, then its time to put away your rule book and find the authentic Jesus.

He came to take the pooper out of your party!

Comment here if you agree -- or disagree.

Were you born for this?

What if you could not only witness the miraculous, but because of your obedience, could actually help to make it happen?

I’m about 3/4 of the way the Bruce Wilkinson book, “You Were Born for This.” Wilkinson, of “Prayer of Jabez” fame, writes in ways that force you to think outside of your own personal Christian experience and to ‘push God’s limits,’ so to speak.

The premise in this book is that as Christians, we are often too content to wait and watch for God’s miracles. We believe Him to be capable of anything – as long as it doesn’t inconvenience us. Instead, Wilkinson provides a compelling argument for you and I as "delivery agents" for these miracles.

When we see need – and it’s all around us – what do we do? Do we pray and hope that God does something, or do we roll up our sleeves and actually make things happen. He is always ready to bless, to change situations and is waiting for us to deliver the goods.

With the New Year, I am reevaluating my life. Who knows what changes will come and I might be the one in need of some of those miracles.

But am I willing to be God’s vessel? What about my workplace? Do I expect God to do things and am I willing to be obedient? What about my home, my neighborhood or my town?

This isn’t a book that falls on either side of the “signs and wonders” argument. It morphs all those arguments.

Wilkerson proposes a change in our language. Instead of asking, “How are you doing?” ask, “What can I do for you?”

The results might be a challenge to our private time, our finances and our ordered world. But they might just launch us into a whole new exciting world, one that we born for.

What do you think about ‘forcing‘ the miraculous? Comment here.

• Love humanity by loving your neighbor (highcallingblogs.com)
  Five signals
  
  The Prayer of Jabez
  
  
  
• If you're still wondering what you were born to do...read YOU WERE BORN FOR THIS (cballan.wordpress.com)
• If you're still wondering what you were born to do...read YOU WERE BORN FOR THIS (cballan.wordpress.com)
• She Stepped Forward (highcallingblogs.com)

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The Hound of Heaven never quits, so why should I?

Francis Thompson was a brilliant man. Born to successful parents, he first studied for the priesthood then later earned a medical degree. His mind was engaging and captivating. He could write the most beautiful verse that touched on many hearts.

He was also an opium addict.

You see, despite his privilege, his education and his ticket to wealth, his addiction forced him to the streets and he took to selling matches and newspapers for a living. He lived in filth and destitution. He was a tortured soul.

And he was on the run from God. His most famous work, The Hound of Heaven, tells the story:

“I fled Him, down the nights and down the days
I fled Him, down the arches of the years;
I fled Him, down the labyrinthine ways Of my own mind
and in the mist of tears I hid from Him...”

Thompson was haunted by the story of Jacob. Exodus tells the story of a dream that Jacob had one night, of a ladder perched between heaven and earth with God Himself at the top of the ladder. When Jacob awoke from the dream he said, “Surely the LORD is in this place, and I was not aware of it.”

God shows up in places we don’t expect him, places we weren’t even aware. He beckons. He calls us by name. His pursuit never quits.

Thompson eventually turned to Jesus and found a sweet surrender.
Rise, clasp My hand, and come!
Halts by me that footfall.
Is my gloom, after all, Shade of His hand, outstretched caressingly ?
Ah, fondest, blindest, weakest, I am He Whom thou seekest !
Thou dravest love from thee, who dravest me."

People have given up on me in the past -- those who I never thought would quit, did. And this has made me to reflect. Am I a quitter too? Have I given up on people at work, in my neighborhood and in my family. God didn’t give up on me. What gives me the right to give up on them?

What do you think?
Comment here.