"How are you Growing?"

This morning at 5:54 AM I was awakened with a little face starring into mine and saying, "Daddy...Daddy..."

"Yes, Anna?" I replied.

"Daddy, can you measure me so I can see how much I 'growed'?"

Well, at 6:15 I finally got up and measured her. I don't know how she knew, but she was right. She had grown a half inch since Kimberly last measured her in August.

We adults have long since given up our interest in checking the growth chart. O, perhaps, we measure our weight but for most of us, myself included, that's usually more out of frustration than excitement, but for children measuring growth is exhilarating enough to get you out of bed at 5:55 AM.

If only God could renew that childlike love for measuring our growth in us. God does not save us from our sin and ourselves so that we can sit on a shelf until we expire. He saves us so that we may grow in the promise of Jesus for the abundant life here and now as well as in the life to come. We are invited to desire, hunger and get excited over the reality that what we have in relationship with Jesus can just get better and better. As Followers of Jesus we ought to expect and anticipate spiritual growth.

One of the best ways, I know, that God ignites that desire for continued spiritual growth in us is through what the Bible points to as one of the number one ways God grows us and that is service. Service inspires us to grow and service grows us in Christ. In fact, to be a non-serving Follower of Jesus is to be a non-growing Follower of Jesus. You cannot be growing in your faith and not at the same time actively involved in serving God by serving others.

This past Sunday was once again a great example that service inspires growth and services grows us. Story after story has come in from you about that reality.

I heard that one child who was serving with her dad asked, "Why do we only do this once a year?" My answer is we do this once a year to remind ourselves and our community of what being a part of the church is to be about everyday of the year.

We have been averaging 451 people for Sunday worship and 351 of you participated in worshiping by serving on Sunday. 70% of you are involved in regular service is some way in the ministry in the church and to the community. I just want to say thank you! Thank you for being a church that understands that service and spiritual growth go hand in hand! May God keep growing us in that truth!

Philippians 2:1-11 reminds us of that:

"1If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. 3Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. 4Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.

5Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
6Who, being in very nature[a] God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
7but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature[b] of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
8And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
9Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
10that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father."

"The Choice"

Right now, at the start of a new day, I stand a fork in the road. One path leads to serenity, gratitude and hope and the other path leads to just the opposite. Too often I fall into the trap of assuming I have no choice. That is an easy trap to fall into in a society that encourages us to blame others, our circumstances and even God for the path we take. However, the reality is, each day the choice is mine. To be honest, yesterday, I chose the wrong path. I chose to go down the path of focusing on the negative, wallowing in self-pity and half way through the day I had a stress headache the size of Texas. O, yes, what a joyous day I chose.

That evening as I walked into the door of our home, I breathed a simple, yet desperate prayer, "Father, help me not to bring my bad day home. They don't deserve it." (That's the great things about the choice; you can change paths at any time). Right then I heard a little voice cry out, "Da-dee" followed by the sound of little feet on the linoleum floor. My son, who tends to be more like me when it comes to hugs--that is to say he is not real big on them--threw his arms around my legs and squeezed as tight as he could. It was like God cleansed me from my negative choice and gave me a new start even though the day was nearly over.

That is what God does for all of us at the start of each new day. He gives us a new opportunity to choose for this day. We can blame others, our circumstances and even God, but the hard truth is the path we find ourselves on each day is really our choice. Others don't have the power to "make me have a bad day". Circumstances do not have the power to "ruin my day." Even God has limited himself of that power as he loves and respects us so much that he will never violate our will even if that means letting us choose a path that takes us away from Him.

So, today, by God's grace and fully dependent on his help, I choose life.

I choose to let go of yesterday...what's done is done and me holding onto it does not do me or anyone else any good.

I choose to let go of what may or may not be tomorrow...I neither know the future or am guaranteed it, so I might as well fully embrace what I do know and what I do have and that is now.

I choose to speak what is possible with God rather than dwell on what is impossible without God.

I choose to forgive before anyone does anything to offend me knowing that I will need as much forgiveness as anyone else today.

I choose not to expect perfection of myself or others and in that way we will all be a little more free.

I choose to give myself permission to enjoy the little things God will send my way today rather than miss them in my insistence on being sour.

I choose to let God lead me rather than everything else in this world that will lead me if I do not choose Him.

I choose to let God show me at any point and in any way today when I begin to get off course and head back to doubt, cynicism and negativity.

"This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice and hold fast to him. For the Lord is your life..." Deuteronomy 30: 19-20.

What's it going to be today? Life or death? Blessings or curses? The choice is ours!

"I Give Up"

Perhaps Winston Churchill's most famous speech was his shortest. He stood and said, "Never give in. Never, never, never, never, never give in." I deeply admire and respect his sentiment in this speech. His call to perseverance is one we all need to be reminded of in this fallen world where pain, injustice, selfishness and out right evil demand our daily attention. However, I am learning that sometimes the most deeply spiritual step I can take is to just give up. Perhaps you can relate to some of my prayers to this end...

"Father, I give up on depending only on myself. I need you."

"Father, I give up trying to please everyone. I as an imperfect person will never be able to please imperfect people."

"Father, I give up trying to control that which is out of my control. I can control my feelings and behaviors and that of no one else."

"Father, I give up trying to be perfect. Even on my best days my judgments will not always be perfect, my words will not always come across the right way and my actions will not always be received as I intended."

"Father, I give up my right to demand my rights. Who am I? You are God, not I. You know better than I and if what you want is different than what I want then who am I to try to tell you otherwise."

"Father, I give up my right to excuse sin in my life. Whether my sin is to do wrong or not to do the good you tell me to do, it is sin. Sin is nothing less than shaking an angry fist in your face and it always separates me from you. I need you more than my sin."

"Father, I give up my permission to have a negative attitude toward life and others. It is easy to let what others do or say or what life sends my way to give me permission to be negative, but in you I have permission to give praise and thanksgiving in all circumstances."

"Father, I give up putting my security in possessions and money. There is no such thing as financial or job security. What we have today can be gone tomorrow."

"Father, I give up my need to hold a grudge. My unforgiveness does nothing but keep me imprisoned."

"Father, I give up any justification to ever not see everyday as your precious gift. One day life will come to an abrupt end. I would rather live each day living for what matters in death-- faith, family and Friends-- than get to the end and wish I had."

You see, I have found that while there is a time to hang on, there is a time to give up. Is God inviting you to give up in any way today? Resist the temptation to fight him...just give up...and then don't be surprised when you see God come through! Its what Jesus taught us to pray in what we call the "Lord's Prayer"..."thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven."