AnY GivEN SUNday

What if Jesus Christ returned on a Sunday? What would He see?

These first two questions were all I can think about this morning. I was almost literally in a daze thinking about my approach for this day. It wasn't robotic or methodical but I stepped into this day with a laser focus. Every step I took was heavily evaluated. Every word I spoke, even the most simplest of salutations was strongly considered. I opened my eyes and hopped out of bed, tired but fixated on being in the right alignment for whatever the Lord had in store for me today. I couldn't even fathom being out of the will of the Lord today. Why was today so special? What made this Sunday so much more critical than any other day of my week? It wasn't necessarily. It was just the first day that I got "it". I got what we, as believers, are supposed to be fixated on every single day of our walk. Instead so many of us just focus on today, Sunday. (*Please read my earlier blog piece, "Church Clothes" and the point will be shared in much greater detail.*)

Sundays, for some, are a restart because their entire week was front loaded on self and very little attention or focus on the reason they had such grace in the first place. They're an opportunity to see their friends and meet new people. They're a reminder of who they are and to whom they belong. They're a day of rest that means a visit to the beach, a trip to the mall for a day of shopping, or maybe a nice brunch downtown. Sometimes it means any and everything but what is the norm for a believer.

For me, I need to be in the right place. I thought I always felt that way but today was different. I needed to adjust and adapt to what was being revealed to me. It was very important that I responded and did so quickly. I look around me and I see so many things that can't possibly please God because His Words don't confirm them. So many small but subtle seeds that get planted that can't likely grow anything good. So much disrespect for authority. So many bold moves that scream flesh and "me, me, me". So many puffed up chests and prideful boasts. Words attributed to God that don't sound like His voice. Servants that view ministry as something someone else should be doing because they are too busy to get involved. I see those that love to "out-praise" you but they are loathed to "out-serve" you. I see friends whose personal lives and businesses are going well and they're making great profits and everything is well. They won't admit it out loud but their actions suggest they prefer to live life on their terms and not for the purpose of the One that gives them life to live. I see all that stuff all the time but ultimately I am solely responsible for not only what I know but how I respond to what I know.

"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God." (Romans 12:1-2 NKJV)
Paul was asking the brothers to consider the mercies that they were already beneficiaries of and align themselves with what God, who gave those benefits, desired of them. All Paul is saying here, in military terms, is align your life with what you already say you believe. Assume the position. Maintain responsibility. Present yourself daily before your commanding officer and receive your instructions.

What if Jesus Christ returned on a Sunday? What would He see?

Would He find His beloved children sleeping in the pews? Would He find His beloved children in a compromising position? Would He find His beloved children in worship to another god? Would He find His beloved children texting someone or looking at You-tube videos when the word of God is being preached? Would He find His beloved children slumbering at home because they partied too much the night prior? Would He find His beloved children immediately following the biggest mistake of their lives? Would He find His beloved children right in the moment of true repentance? How would He find us?

I think I can guess how these two questions make many people feel. This probably gives comfort to may of my readers. I mean, they are probably avid churchgoers so if the Lord returns on a Sunday, they would be in a great place, right? What better place to be than the house of the Lord? I have been to many churches that are large in number, even perhaps considered a mega-ministry and have tentacles all over the world with huge television and radio deals and daily advertising and all the clout you can imagine. They are constantly building and growing in number but their programs are more important than their people and more importantly, their souls.

If He returned on Sunday, what would He see? If He returned on Monday, what would He see? What would He hear come out of your mouth early that morning? If He returned on Tuesday, what would He see? How about Wednesday, what would He see? What if He came on Thursday, what would He find you doing? Perhaps He returned on Friday. What would His eyes behold His children doing that day? If He returned on Saturday, would that heighten your chances to be found doing well?

And this is where I landed early this morning before the sun rose. This is where I was left laying under the power of what I received. Every single day in any month in any year could be the day. Some look for signs. I cannot. If I was to expire unexpectedly, there is no further opportunity to look for signs. My "day of the Lord" would have already come and my "earthly account" would be closed. I cannot say goodbye. I cannot try to fix what I broke. I cannot hit the reset button. The account is closed, the balances are tallied up and my destination has been decided. My calendar will be of no further consequence. My life is whisked away into that sweet forever and into the hands of a just God. 

Right in the neighborhood live two young girls who I would describe as "latchkey kids". They come home from school by themselves and their parents don't get home for a couple hours after they do. I am sure they were given instructions to finish their homework and do some short list of chores until their parents return. What they actually do is not likely to be part of that list. The girls leave the house and stand outside in the driveway or sometimes in the road and they dance provocatively as onlookers drive by. They do this routinely with an eye towards the end of the street. When they see their parents' vehicle get to the stop sign, they race inside and shut the door, presumably to start doing their homework. Quite the analogy huh? They forsake the instructions given and do what feels right, always with their eyes out for a sign that "Daddy" is coming home. That's a risky way to live for those little girls and for us as well. Any given Sunday, or alternative day of the week, could be the day. How do you prefer to be found by the Master?

You can speak for yourself but I personally will never see a Sunday or any other day quite the same again. My service, my walk and my approach to it are irrevocably changed. The way I view relationships has changed. The way I view how I utilize the time I have been blessed with has changed. The way I see and respond to the grace of God has changed. And I couldn't be more grateful.

“Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season? Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing. Assuredly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all his goods. But if that evil servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying his coming,’ and begins to beat his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunkards, the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him and at an hour that he is not aware of, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (Matthew 24:45-51 NKJV)

iTs LoNeLY aT tHE ToP

When I say "authority", what's the first thing that comes to mind?

If I say "We should respect authority", where do the lines get blurred? Where is your line in the sand? What is your tipping point?

The word "authority" (Merriam Webster) is defined as "the power to influence or command thought, opinion, or behavior."

When I look at the word "authority" through the eyes of Scripture, I find the greek word "exousia " (pronounced ex-oo-see'-ah) and it means moral authority, power, and weight, and denotes power conferred to a person by another, or delegated authority (such as the influence God gives to His people to act through faith)".

At face value, those two things may look pretty similar but they have a distinct difference. There is a big difference between a "dictator-type" approach (where if you ask the wrong questions or even question the authority in place at all, you will be physically removed from the conference room or forcefully taken to the gallows) and someone who stands in authority on some platform with the full understanding that they are only there because the authority or power was entrusted to them by another who has a greater level of authority.

What does a kid out of the inner city know about authority anyway? Does he see authority as someone set in place to keep him at a certain level and within a certain framework of experience, growth, and education? Or does he see authority as merely a guideline on the path to greater things? This inner city kid felt like the former was the more accurate and relevant of the two. I am sure some kids that grow up in the inner city now still see things the same way. Or maybe their experience has differed.

The last time I was back home in NYC visiting family, my sister and I were riding in from the airport. Bear in mind that this inner city kid, who admittedly grew up a lot since those childhood years, was sitting in the passenger seat as we drove through my hometown of Brooklyn. We had the windows down because it was pretty warm that day. We got to an intersection and there was a bodega on my right where several members of the NYPD were standing and talking. When we stopped at the intersection, they turned to look at us (for several valid reasons I would imagine) and I stuck my hand out of the window and waved at them as we drove off. I'm decked out in New York Football Giants gear and my hat turned to the back as I wear it at times. My sister was irate.

"Don't you ever wave at cops while you're in my car!" was one sentiment she shared for the next five minutes or so of the ride through the borough.

Some of what she said was valid, although I believe most of it came from a place I no longer lived and from a viewpoint that I no longer held. Maybe her drivers license and registration was not current. I don't know. I just know she was visibly upset and shaken. Basically, many of my family and friends from that location and friends that live in similar environments don't want the attention of the authority because it usually ends badly for them historically. From your community's HOA to your local police department to your apartment's landlord to upper management at your job, the attention is widely unwanted. My waving to those police officers was essentially like sending up flares. My little sister's message was received. But was it right?

You can't turn on the local or national news now without hearing a statement coming from the current administration which either inflames or incites people on social media and at the water coolers alike. It is very easy to look at the authority in our government with contempt and disrespect. Is this approach the proper one in God's sight?

If the manager gives an instruction for the work area but the team lead, seeing the day to day operations and having their finger on the pulse of the staff, decides to alter the instructions to fit what is currently taking place, is this approach pleasing to God or is He displeased?

These are not easy questions to ask so clearly they are not easy to answer either. Despite my upbringing and the memories that I bear to this day that make it challenging for me to look at authority as I should, it's still my goal to achieve the appropriate amount of respect for the office, more so than the person in the office. One bad board member doesn't automatically equate to one bad corporation. I struggle but make daily efforts to understand how God wants us to view the point of authority in our every day lives.

One pet peeve is how it is dealt with in our local churches. I am amazed, appalled, and very dismayed at how frequently a leader's spouse or children, a deacon, another elder, or even the church's secretary will change the instruction of the spiritual leader simply because they think they know better than the leader him or herself. That bothers me so much because I know what the end result looks like. That bothers me how casual and subtle it is and how easy we are to circumvent what has been set in place and do what we think is best, regardless of what has been instructed. We do it in the local ministries. We do it in the workplaces. We allow it to take place in our households and in family circles. We do it everywhere to the point where it has become commonplace. It is dysfunction, chaos and a frayed cord rather than a unified one. The old proverb about having too many chiefs and not enough Indians comes to mind.

We don't have to like the person or persons in authority over us but we may find it beneficial down the road to respect the position or office in which they stand unless following their instructions will cause you to sin against the Lord Himself. That's our exemption at home, at school, at work, and living as citizens of the United States of America. Besides this, His word is pretty clear.

A great literary work that I lean on in times like these is "Spiritual Authority" by Watchman Nee. I can't even tell you how many times I've read this but it has been several and I learn something new every time. His approach is that God is the ultimate authority and that the others are delegated or subject to Him. Here are a couple of his most poignant points worthy of consideration:

“Whenever man touches God's delegated authority he touches God within that person; sinning against delegated authority is sinning against God.”

“If God dares to entrust His authority to men, then we can dare to obey. Whether the one in authority is right or wrong does not concern us, since he has to be responsible directly to God. The obedient needs only to obey; the Lord will not hold us responsible for any mistaken obedience, rather will He hold the delegated authority responsible for his erroneous act. Insubordination, however, is rebellion, and for this the one under authority must answer to God.”

Let today be a day worthy of consideration as you read through these passages. Perhaps you can remember a prominent and notable figure in history by the name of Joseph. Do you remember his being sold into slavery by his brothers and although he was given nearly every benefit Potiphar had to offer, he refused to take liberties with his master's wife? How about David, called to be a king but yet to achieve the throne and refused to disrespect the current administration despite the attempts on his life? That list goes on and on and we have plenty examples. Now we simply need to follow them.

(Scripture references: Romans 13:1-5; Titus 3:1; Hebrews 13:17; Ephesians 6:1-4; 1 Peter 2:13-15; James 2:10; Acts 5:29)

I JusT Can'T.....

Giving up is painfully easy. It doesn't take much effort to just say "I quit".

Remaining in the refiners' fire until the process is done is not so easy. That takes effort.

But there's just some things that can't be compromised. There are some things that are non-negotiable. I know you have your list. Here's a few:

I just can't.......understand how we can still use a keyboard to say to people what we would never say in person.

I just can't.......believe that after all we have learned historically, most protests of significance still start with one person when so many are experiencing the same issues.

I just can't.......accept that our country could be on the verge of another World War and very few will admit the actual reasons why.

I just can't.......resist the laughter of a baby. Makes me laugh every time.

I just can't.......fathom that I'm not far from 50 years old and I still haven't achieved my dream.

I just can't.......listen to another political argument on Facebook. If you really wanted to promote change, this is not the medium you would use. You're not fooling anyone.

I just can't.......have an opinion on every issue. Maybe I'm older and wiser. Maybe I'm content letting folks figure things out without trying to jump in and "save" them.

I just can't.......endure a man without a spine.

I just can't.......find a better reason to keep going besides the fact that we still have breath in our body. That should never go to waste.

I just can't.......believe how easy it is for me to forgive others but how hard it is for others to forgive me.

I just can't.......quit and give up. Somebody somewhere is watching and they believe in me.

I just can't.......watch the train wreck that is reality TV. There are going to be battered bodies and brokenness at the end of the day. I would rather not witness it. 

I just can't.......stop thinking about home. I miss my family and NYC so much. 

I just can't.......understand how you can change a culture by keeping things exactly the same. This plan is flawed.

I just can't.......fathom that I'm not far from 50 years old and I still am struggling with some of the same mistakes.

I just can't.......stop walking fast. If you grew up where I did and the way I did, you'd understand.

I just can't.......believe that some of my "friends" actually believe everything they hear on Fox News and consider it the Gospel.

I just can't.......resist a genuine hug. Anti-hugging advocates need to understand they have a sickness. 

I just can't.......care less about whether I am accepted by clubs, organization, and social circles. I have gotten to the place where I don't view it as important anymore.

I just can't.......keep repeating myself. It's a pet peeve I can't get rid of.

I just can't.......imagine a world without comedy. You literally can find it everywhere.

I just can't.......swallow this "younger, faster, and stronger" generation that obliterates the elderly, the sick, and the unfortunate. This is not okay.

I just can't.......endure a nagging woman. They produce a sound that only grown men can hear and have the power to make a grown man run really fast.

I just can't.......with the ability of a negative post to last for weeks while the positive, enriching posts fall flat in a day or two. We live in a screwed up world. 

I just can't.......take for granted that as long as I am alive, God is telling me there's still a chance.

I just can't.......fathom that I'm not far from 50 years old.

MoMEnt oF YouR tIMe

May I have a moment of your time?

I don't want to temporarily distract you from the ebbs and flows of this life. I wouldn't dare whisk you away into the imaginary so you can escape the harsh reality of this life. I just want to talk to you...about a moment. I just want to encourage your heart. I just want to remind you of something that you perhaps didn't know.

You matter.

May I have a moment of your time to tell you how great you are? It should be something you have heard, at least, once before. It's not because of your last name or how much money you have in your bank accounts? It's not because of how influential you are at work or how you look in jeans or how spot-on your hot take is. It's because of something so much more impacting. It's because of something that doesn't fade away with time or age. You possess within you a treasure...

"Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." (2 Corinthians 4:16-18 NIV)

Got a sec? Deep down, that blows your mind and I understand why. You might have lived under the shadow of someone else's expectation and never meeting the standard. I get that you always do your best and feel like it's never enough. How many times have you asked yourself, "Why me?"

We cover it with makeup, high priced dresses, and power suits but this vessel, or your body, fades with every second. Isaiah 40:8 reminds us that the "grass dries up and the flower withers, but the Word of our God will stand forever." These bodies, just like the grass or a flower are subject to the heat of challenge and struggle and will inevitably fade. We treat accountability and responsibility as occasional catchphrases or points of contention but we were born with this. Much of our world is in disarray because we are "out of position."

It's why our days seem out of alignment and why our nights are without peace. It's why that co-worker can irk you so easily and set your whole day off-kilter. It's why that driver cutting you off on the road can raise your blood pressure to unhealthy levels. It's why even the slightest change in your routine can send you into a downward spiral.

Are you having a bad day every weekday not named Friday? Assigning blame to the devil is often a fruitless exercise. Just like getting mad at a critter that tears up your furniture and rummages through your trash but you routinely leave your front door open. Is the blame on the animal that only does what is in its nature or does fault rest on the person who didn't protect and manage what they are solely responsible for? Something to consider, just for a moment.

We spend so much time obsessing about what others say or think about us, all the while pretending that we don't care when we really do. You are the product. God is the manufacturer. You are viable and profitable. You are designed with purpose, function, and vitality. Your life was thought out with care and consideration. You are fearfully and wonderfully made. Who indeed knows you better than the originator of the hand-crafted, magnificent, God-breathed specimen that you are? When your Hyundai breaks down, you don't call Ford! When your Westinghouse is on the fritz, you don't call technical support for Target! Same premise. 

I don't care what "they" say about you. You matter. You are not worthless. You are not a failure. You don't need followers to validate your worth. You don't need to adapt to what is popular. You matter. You can't be a loser because the battle is already won for those that side with the "victor". You matter.

"But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed." (2 Corinthians 4:7-9 NIV)

May I have a moment of your time to tell you that the hotter the fire feels indicates the closer you are to the core of the issue? The more intense the challenge and resistance you are experiencing indicates how close you are to the answer you need. The ant in Proverbs 6 teaches us to work, move, and press into what we need regardless of the season. The ant consistently maintains discipline and doesn't break pattern to please man. They work towards the goal until it is fully accomplished. We are commanded in John 9:4 to work while it is day for a time will come when no one will work any longer.

Press in. Take that next step. Your breakthrough is closer than it appears. You're almost there. Keep moving. Keep pressing. Do not be denied. Hebrews 12:1-2 encourages us that all we go through has a purpose and we have a cheering session that is counting on us. We are blessed with the privilege of doing what so many before us could not do. We are finishing the race.

And in a moment, everything can change.......
Tomorrow is going to be better.

ThaT fOUr LEttER wORd

Love.

What does that even mean? I know the word "love" has been tossed around going back as far as the sixties where there seemed to be a regular stream of "love movements" for one reason or another. Not sure what was accomplished there but even now, that word is used as either a weapon to manipulate or a catchphrase to make someone feel they've done their moral duties just by uttering it. Immediately the song lyrics to a piece that was huge in my life in the late nineties come to mind:

"Love. A word that comes and goes but few people really know what it means to really love somebody."

My eyes almost instantly well up with tears when I remember where I was the first time I felt the impact of that song. I was standing with my hands and head lifted up, screaming towards the ceiling, crying out in worship, broken and wondering how I was going to get through the mess I was in. I was standing in a building so many called the "church" but I was unable to call home. I loved the people and invested so much of my life into them and their development and into our relationship and it amounted to nothing. When God changed me, they changed too. They discarded me like an old piece of cloth or an outfit that just didn't fit anymore. They forgot everything that I did. They forgot the ways that I served. They forgot the prayers I prayed. They forgot me. Eventually, I ceased to exist. Simply because God changed my trajectory.

There are so many places that this four letter word can be applied. So many spaces and gaps that this four letter word more than adequately fills. 

I can see parallels in my workplace. I believe that I have exhibited the love of God for my many employees and peers. I have listened to their gut-wrenching stories and accounts of their personal lives. I have put my hand in their hands in remote places and prayed or kept a promise to pray for them and their families. I have intervened on their behalf when they were ready to give up on the job and on people in general. When they were in situations where I could have recommended them to be disciplined for infractions or to be terminated, I advocated for them, asking for one last chance to see if I can get them back on the right track. I became a father, a brother, a coach, a mentor, a professor, and even a friend. All of those roles were rooted in that four letter word. But just like the situation in that old church, when my trajectory changed, the attitudes towards me changed too. My present and former employees have changed. My relationship with my contemporaries have changed. Everything has changed. Love reminds us that why we do what we have done and love itself fills the void of requiring the gratitude. I am quickly reminded of why I did all those things and I am very grateful that I did. Honestly, I love my employees. The fact that the love is unrequited is irrelevant.

I love people who don't even love themselves enough to look professional in their vocation but they will look glamorous for a night out on the town. I love people who believe their vacation plans are more important than soul-saving work in their community. I love people who say they worship God but they begrudge Him for perceived slights from years ago. I love people who say they love everyone but they would only help people that look like them. I love people who think I'm not who I say I am. I love people who hate Christians because they have been deceived and tricked by imposters. I love people who honestly don't love me. John 3:16 reminds us that the Almighty gave the world the gift of His only begotten Son whom He knew would be rejected and despised and abused for the purposes of redeeming a world that largely didn't want help. It was that four letter word that propelled Him to continue with His plan regardless of what He knew would come.

To me, in my humble opinion, that is what makes those that say they believe readily available when a ministry is suffering or there is a need in the community. That is what drives you to pay for the groceries of the person in front of you with no expectation of return. That is what promotes you to clean your church without having to institute a work day. That is what makes people change their plans for a pleasure trip when there is a crisis here at home. That is what drives us to cut your neighbor's grass without them asking. That is what makes you help the widows rather than just expecting her "family" will visit and do it at some part. That is what makes friends check on other friends just because they had been praying for them and they were on their minds. That is what wakes you up at 3 am to pray for someone you don't know well but are clearly in trouble. That four letter word is what makes us truly desire change when we know the way we currently are hurts and hinders others. That is what makes someone that benefited from something selfless you did look you in the eyes and although they may be unable to repay you or put into words what your gesture meant to them, they can simply just say "Thank You". That's LOVE.

"Now it happened as He went to Jerusalem that He passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off. And they lifted up their voices and said, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!"

So when He saw them, He said to them, "Go, show yourselves to the priests." And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed. And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks. And he was a Samaritan. So Jesus answered and said, "Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?" 

And he said to him, "Arise, go your way. Your faith as made you well." (Luke 17:11-19)

Jesus didn't say the four letter word but the mercy he displayed was a direct result of it. The leper was considered "well" just because they had faith and gave thanks. For me, I am convinced you can be a recipient of plenty of love from all kinds of places and still be sick. 

I guess a small point here is that anyone and everyone can say it but it is a greater, far-reaching, more significant work to show it. It last so much longer than the memory of that word being spoken. That could be why Jesus asked that question of the leper in the end of the passage that, of course as usual, I heard quite differently in my head. 

"Were you not a recipient of that merciful work? Didn't you benefit from that love gift? Is it so difficult for you to appreciate what God has done and give Him thanks? You look at yourself in the mirror. You see your situation that used to be bad but now it's not. What hinders you from opening your mouth and giving God the praise for what He has done for you?

Love doesn't require that you give gratitude. Love also doesn't forget the depths from which it was given. 

What time does "love" close every night for you? Or does "love" stay open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week?

"Love suffers long and is kind; Love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up, does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails....And now abide faith, hope, and love, these three; but the greatest of these is love." (I Corinthians 13:4-8, 13)

LooK AwAy

Look away and you might not see the little girl with the multiple bruises...

Look away and perhaps you can shake off the image of the  man stealing money from a blind and homeless man's money jar....

Look away and you might not hear the screams for help from your next door neighbor again tonight...

Look away and you might avoid seeing your married friend in a clandestine meeting with another married person.

Look away and you might become desensitized to that co-worker who makes yet another inappropriate comments...

Look away and you might be able to get through the day without having to think about the plight of U.S. citizens in hurricane ravaged lands...

Look away and you might be able to convince yourself that even though it happens to a fellow human, it just isn't your problem.

Look away and you might feel about your friend's attempt to cover yet another black eye with concealer...

Look away and you certainly should be able to avoid accountability when you see a manager make yet another advance on a female associate...Nobody else will tell so why should you, right?

Look away and you might actually believe that the country is in great shape and people like yourself are the primary reason why....


Look away and you might think your neighborhood is doing fine just the way it is and no change is necessary...

Look away and just post a "Pray For....." Much easier than actually praying.

Look away and maybe you won't see that all of the things you preach to others outside of your household has yet to affect those within your household...

Look away and you might be convinced that this world is better off when everyone thinks alike, looks alike, and believes the same way...

Look away and maybe thirty years of unhappy marriage can change without you doing anything different...

Look away and you can pretend you didn't see that "shopper" tucking that item she didn't buy under her baby's blanket and walk out of the store...

Look away and chalk up your child's bullying tactics on the playground to "kids being kids"...

Look away and hurry through that timeline so you can quickly forgot that "friend" that makes another racially bias post to support being "their America".

Look away and maybe everything will be better when you look again...

FavOR aiNt fAIr

There's a saying one of my spiritual mentors, the late Dr. Myles Munroe, often quoted, that I carry with me every day of my walk. "When purpose is not known, abuse is inevitable."

That abuse stretches into many areas but one is the mishandling of the word of God. Meaning we take something that is precious and make it profane. We take an idea that the Author used in a specific context of a specific time, era, or social climate and apply it to our "right now" without thought for what the intended point of the message was. Conversely, we can do the opposite and take something meant for everyone and restrict to a specific group of people. Or we can just take religious buzzwords to exalt ourselves above others and make a mockery of God's Word, while destroying people in the process. Reminds me of the catchphrases that I heard ad nauseum for the last twenty plus years like "I'm Blessed and Highly Favored", "Favor Ain't Fair", and other assorted misused ideologies.

I look at my employees and co-workers in our building sideways when I sincerely ask them how they're doing and they respond with the now obligatory "I'm here". Now if I wanted to know your specific location at that moment, responding with "I'm here" might make some sense. But I'm not looking for where you are geographically because I know where you are. I look at people in our religious circles the same way when I pose the same question. Their response is normally "I'm blessed and highly favored" or some variation of the same. I question if answering that by describing your state or condition of being is appropriate either but we'll table that for another time. Let's look at being favored.

My circles, even in twenty plus years of ministry, might be a bit small as a sample size but I have heard the idea of being favored used either as if it is a crown for people God likes more than everyone else or used routinely as a way to avoid answering the true question: How are you?

Remember when the virgin Mary was approached by an angel from the Lord and the greeting he gave her in Luke 1:28-29? He said, "Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you. Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think of what the angel could mean."

Would it be safe to assume that Mary was confused by the greeting because it was not common? Was it something that she had never heard in her ears? People say "Favor Ain't Fair" when they laud something they have over someone who does not have it. Basically, a "believer's" way of saying "Nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, you can't have none!" This is not God's method and does not reflect His heart.

We're not favored because we have a nice car. We're not favored because we have a six figure income. We're not favored because we have fourteen children when our neighbor only has one. We're not favored because we remember the scripture address but can't live it and our peers only know a few but apply it to their lives daily.

You say you're "blessed and highly favored"? Mary was blessed and highly favored because she was being given the ability to shift and usher in something that would dramatically alter the course of life for countless people. She was being given a responsibility that would cause her to be shunned, ostracized, mocked, insulted, and disrespected. And to add to that, she had to listen to insults, lies, and even the extreme heights of brutality and then the cruel crucifixion of the same seed that she was blessed and highly favored to bring into this world. She was not favored to lead. She was favored to serve. Now how many of you still want to be "blessed and highly favored"? I'll wait.......

Favor is given for you to serve and not to lead. 

Favor takes you from your loved ones and into far away lands.

Favor put you in a pit and leaves you for dead. 

Favor takes you from comfortable homes into captivity.

Favor needs to be of service to others. 

Favor allows you to govern areas you have no prior background in. 

Favor is not designed to intimidate people beneath you. 

Favor means you will help people and they will forget their promise to you and take you for granted. 

Favor doesn't mean you're better than someone else but it does mean that you have the ability to shift situations for someone else's good and never your own.

Favor means people will use you and they're supposed to. It's activated when in the midst of someone else's need. 

Favor will help save someone else's marriage even if it means putting you in prison when you're innocent. 

Favor has pain because you're more effective easing other people's hurt than you can your own.

Favor is worthless to someone who doesn't like people. 

Favor puts you in high places only to preserve the lives of many not to exalt your position or status.

Just ask Joseph. (Genesis 37 through Genesis 50:26 for context)

Is that fair? 

BoUT tHAt (AnT) LiFe

You got to love Proverbs 6:6-8. Every time I get challenged with the seasons I go through, this scripture offers almost immediate comfort and re-focusing. It reads: "Go to the ant, you sluggard! Consider its ways and be wise! It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest."

There's no shame in saying that you have no idea what that means. It's one of those times in reading your Bible that context is very necessary. The verses that precede it could help shed some light on what this harsh sounding rebuke is coming from. Verses 1-5 read:

"My son, if you have put up security for your neighbor, if you have shaken hands in pledge for a stranger, you have been trapped by what you said, ensnared by the words of your mouth. So do this, my son, to free yourself, since you have fallen into your neighbor's hands: Go to the point of exhaustion, and give your neighbor no rest! Allow no sleep to your eyes, no slumber to your eyelids. Free yourself, like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter, like a bird from the snare of the fowler."

I don't know about you but that helps make the picture much clearer. If we continue in laziness and a sedentary spiritual and natural life, we are at the mercy of other people. We are prone to be victims to their decisions because we balked at making enough of them for ourselves.

This sounds strangely like a father warning his son against being lazy and slothful. Perhaps the father possesses a great many things and he desires to pass the profitable business down to his son but fears that he will waste the opportunity due to a lack of desire and strong work ethic. Commentaries teach us that when poverty is entertained even in the slightest, it becomes too strong to overcome and we are overtaken. They also teach us that it is our duty to be diligent in business affairs, not so that we are wealthy and able to lord our good fortune over the heads of others but that we are not an unnecessary burden to others or be proponents of scandal in your communities.

In this scenario, the ant makes us look pretty bad. Look at it down to the basics. This ant has no one looking over their shoulder offering advice, no guide on which direction they should go, no one to call the ant to account, or to offer correction when they go astray. They do everything according to their natural instinct. They provide for what is needed regardless of the external environment around them and what might be commonly done in their midst. They are diligent to work and they don't break pattern. They don't "forget" their duty. They are tireless workers. They are not subject to compromise and slackness. How often have you heard of a starving ant?

In contrast, we as humans have overseers (supervisors, pastors, parents, etc.), guides and mentors, life coaches and disciplers, teachers and all manner of leadership. We have means to receive correction and inspiration where we need it. We have access to resources and programs and opportunities under the proviso that we can get up off the proverbial (and literal) couch to seek. The ant doesn't have GPS navigation or a car to get to the nearest grocery store for supplies. They get out of the hole and seek. They look. They smell. They sense. They work. It feels embarrassing for the father to tell the son "Look at the example of the ant! Follow the example of the insect!"

There's an old saying that my dearly departed mother in law stated often "You don't miss your water until your well runs dry." It is applicable to marital relationships, family connections, or your status in the workplace, your local church, or your community. It's a metaphor for the idea that you have taken something or someone for granted. It means you don't know what you have until it's gone.

What may come to mind for you in this moment is your job and your need for more money but the countless times you may have squandered the opportunity or maybe just how you have mishandled opportunities to launch that business that's been on your heart or even something as simple as not helping your spouse with normal household duties. All those are suitable and certainly applicable but what I would offer is the idea that maybe we have become lazy in our spiritual lives as well. How do we intend to correct that? Go to the ant. Consider his ways and be wise!

SomEtHIng tO ReFLecT oN

Is it possible to provide too much information about ourselves on social media? "Baby's First Poop" and a half eaten Pork Chop with gravy and Scalloped Potatoes might be best left out of your selfies. T.M.I.

Just the way "believers" behave themselves proves that we don't understand grace so we will not readily detect when it has run out.

It could very well be plausible that there is no such thing as an "All-American". Please forward all comments and criticisms to Ancestry.com.

A person experiencing mental and emotional torment looks just like you and I, are "good people", have children and responsibilities like we do, and hold down a good job just like we do, and, wait for it, attend church every Sunday like we do. So why are they still tormented?

I'm starting to wonder if there is more than one "Jesus Christ" out there because I hear music artists who receive awards thank Him and honor Him as Lord and Savior but He can't be found in one of their songs. Maybe He uses a stage name.

Still waiting for an answer from the ladies on why married women or those spoken for by a significant other still post selfies that are slanted and angled to accentuate their bosoms. All I have so far is "no comment".

Is the distance between driving while texting and vehicular homicide or manslaughter really as far from each other as you think?

Fantasy football has the ability to desensitize us if we let it. You know it's started when a player with a family goes down with a horrific injury on the field, we plop back in frustration in our chairs and feverishly figure out how this will affect our roster. 

Even if you hold all the facts and you are absolutely correct in your assessment of a situation, a lack of integrity and solid character makes you wrong every time.

Since the early days of civilization, many have tried to make something holy or good that at it's core is unholy. Even today's churches rent their facilities out so many of these activities can take place. 

You can tell what you worship and give the most honor to by where you spend most of your time and whom you spend it with.

The previous administration wasn't close to being my favorite and I saw a lot of negatives but it's hard to read my timeline and not wonder if Obama is the most hated and vilified President of modern times for reasons other than his politics. It made me immediately question what my "friends" think about me. Hmmm.

The true disciple learns, not so that they can teach others, but so that they can learn and grow themselves.

There are strong indications that some end time prophecy is starting to take shape. In order to have medical care, you will need to be implanted with an RFID chip in your forehead or arm. SOUL-searching!

You know something is amiss when your friend who hates reading and never liked school plays "Gynaecia" in Words With Friends.

Is it possible to stand up for the anthem, place your hand across your chest, lift your head up high and say the words in concert with everyone around you and still not believe in what you're saying? 

In times of storm and tragedy, some people say God doesn't exist because if He did, in their estimation, He would eradicate all evil and there'd only be good on Earth. If He eradicated all evil and showed no mercy or grace, Earth would be uninhabited by human beings. 

A true test of our humanity is to scroll past the islands and towns that were decimated by storms and still find a place to post a complaint about how hard our lives are.

Who regularly goes back through their timeline and looks at what they wrote and shared? Exactly. We can't get back the words we launch into the online world once they've been loosed. We can't get the rocks we have thrown at others before they land where they're thrown.

If the Bible accurately notes that the path to destruction is wide and broad and many follow it but the path to life is narrow and few even find it, why is so easy for us to follow the "crowds" and have "crowds" follow us? Where are we heading exactly?

What makes you go "Dang"? Share in the comments. We would love to hear yours. 

THe REaL AmeriCAN QuiZ

Do you consider yourself a "Real American"?
We'll find out.

52 states, 52 questions

Perhaps you will find this quiz enjoyable. Or not. Mirror Time With Mr. Yu is going to do what we always do: Make You Laugh, Make You Cry, Or Make You Think!

1) Were you born and raised in this country?
2) Do you see the American Flag as an important symbol of this country?
3) Do you like the sport of baseball?
4) On Thanksgiving, do you think about the Native American people and their plight?
5) Is the exercising of free speech something you could not live without?
6) Do you feel more patriotic at your 4th of July barbecue?
7) What is your willingness to donate to local and national charities? (Scale of 1 to 10)
8) Name every president of the U.S. starting from the first to the most current.
9) Do you connect drinking beer with loving your country? If so, why?
10) Have you ever been to a third world country? Do you prefer that place to the U.S.?
11) Whose face is on the quarter (25 cents)?
12) What do you normally do with your family on Labor Day?
13) How do you celebrate Veterans Day even if you don't know any veterans?
14) Would you prefer to live in the Midwest rather than on either coast? If so, why?
15) What is your favorite ice cream flavor?
16) How do you celebrate Presidents Day? Does any of these activities involve new furniture?
17) Is Christmas the most significant or the least significant holiday of the year?
18) Are the sound of bagpipes annoying or relaxing?
19) Can you accurately describe every aspect of the one dollar bill?
20) Is football your hands down favorite sport?
21) Do you stand up and cheer when Snoopy's float appears in the Thanksgiving Day parade?
22) Do you think Taylor Swift represents America and its values?
23) What's the #1 reason that would make you move to Canada or to some other foreign country?
24) Does "Uncle Sam" instill confidence in you or does he make you nervous?
25) When you come upon a homeless or destitute person, what is the first response of a "True American"?
26) If you could have one wish for America as a country, what would it be? (You cannot say "A Utopian Government")
27) Is blond hair and blue eyes American?
28) If you were not born in this country, would you pick any other country over the U.S.?
29) What is the address to the White House?
30) What is your all time favorite American meal?
31) If there was one book that symbolized America to you, what would that be? (Racists that dropped out of 4th grade need not answer- you're exempt.)
32) If someone says "America is evil", what is the appropriate response of a "Real American"?
33) Do you believe that if everyone said what they thought, the country and world would be a better or worse place?
34) What is the appropriate condiment for a hot dog: Mustard or Ketchup?
35) What is the appropriate condiment for a hamburger: Mayonnaise, Ketchup, or Mustard?
36) Do you know what the meaning of the stars and stripes on the American Flag symbolize?
37) When was America founded?
38) Who said "My fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country”?
39) How many stripes are on the American flag?
40) What is still the most watched TV finale in television history?
41) What is the most popular color (paint and clothing) in America?
42) Whose presidential faces are on Mount Rushmore?
43) What is the most popular music genre in America?
44) Whose face is on the one hundred dollar bill?
45) Which is not a nickname of New York City, "Melting Pot", "The City That Never Sleeps", "The Big Apple", or "The Empire City"?
46) Which is America's most popular pie, Strawberry, Apple, Pecan, or Coconut Cream?
47) What, in your hometown or where you currently live, best symbolizes what America means to you?
48) What is the least popular color (paint and clothing) in America?
49) What is America's most popular ice cream flavor, Cookies & Cream or Chocolate?
50) What is the most kind hearted act you performed this year so far?
51) What is your all time favorite candy?
52) Which American city is home to the Liberty Bell?

Bonus Question: What is the one thing about this country that makes you the most proud?

COmmiTMenT iSSueS

Do you have "commitment issues"?

One of my favorite mottos is "Relationship Over Religion". I used it (and perhaps invented it) continuously during a weekly series on discipleship that I was teaching about four or five years ago. It stuck and I look at the world I live in through that lens. It's even the title of an earlier blog with more detail on where that idea comes from.

I look at my three beautiful grown daughters and the issues they struggle with in relationships in their quest to find a "good man".

I look at my niece who is about to be married and is finding it difficult to locate family that will support her on this incredible journey towards a new life with her soon to be husband. "Family" has become unreliable.

I look at some of my employees who are desirous to have more money and a better position but they are averse to the grind of being consistent and laying the groundwork for a fruitful career. They just appear to want something for nothing.

I look at so many friends and acquaintances that I have in ministry all around the country. Most of their complaints are identical. There are many needs that require immediate attention but no one wants to put the effort in. They all have too many outside "commitments" and it's just not priority for them to do anything for the Church. It does not appear to rank high on the priority list.

It all boils down to the same heart condition. An inability to commit.

So many young men don't know how to commit because they have never seen it modeled or mirrored in their upbringing. "Family" can be so familiar with their fellow family members that it breeds contempt. (See Jesus when He tried to take His ministry to His countrymen. He couldn't affect change because they only saw Him as Joseph, the carpenter's son.) Employees often can't commit to the company vision usually they can't see themselves in it or they have yet to understand who they are personally so they can be fulfilled.

Religion is a system of beliefs constructed by man for the benefit of men. God never required this and it rarely if ever meets His purposes or lines up with His ways. It is flawed because men use their own logic to justify it. Think about that passage in James 1:23-26 in this context. Religion allows man to do what they think is best and expect God to find it acceptable. That old saying "The path to hell is paved with good intentions" comes to mind. If you have a warped perception of things, every idea and concept that comes out of that is also warped by extension. If you don't change your mind, you really can't change your trajectory.

"For if a person just listens and doesn't obey, he is like a man looking at his face in a mirror; as soon as he walks away, he can't see himself anymore or remember what he looks like. But if anyone keeps looking steadily into God's law for free man, he will not only remember it but he will do what it says, and God will greatly bless him in everything he does. Anyone who says he is a Christian but doesn't control his sharp tongue is just fooling himself, and his religion isn't worth much."

If his/her lifestyle doesn't measure up to what he/she professes, their religion is worthless. I believe it translate the same in relationships. If a wife talks a good game with her girlfriends on a girls night out but disregards and neglects her duties at home, her profession is worthless to her husband.

People are obsessed with having options. It is safer to worship more than one God. It is safer to have multiple places to worship in the event that someone rubs you the wrong way or does something you don't like. It is safer to have a "side piece" in case your main squeeze missteps. It is safer to avoid commitment so you don't get hurt and retain all of your heart. It is safe but not realistic for long term personal and spiritual growth. In order for fruit to be produced, a seed has to "die" so that it can truly live.

Sad to say, commitment is the new dirty word. And from the looks of things, that sentiment is lining up with the deterioration of our moral fiber.

• More than 50% of marriages end in divorce in the U.S. and that number is climbing. 

• More than 45% of employees in the workplace are not engaged with the company. 26% are actively working to remain disengaged from their companies.

• Recent statistics seem to indicate that 50% of Americans do not have a church home and less than 20% are actually attending church regularly. But more than 75% of people polled identify as Christians.

Although I am a self professed numbers guy, this is one time where that doesn't move the needle for me. I am more concerned with the reason why the commitment is so tenuous at best. We may ask more questions than we get answers but I wanted to use this piece to open up the avenue for discussion and perhaps accomplish some kind of breakthrough in this. Please use the comments section to ask your own questions or share your answers that others might gain positive perspective from it. If you choose to do neither, at least, consider this in your own personal situation wherever this applies.

I'd like to leave you with some questions to ponder:

1) When looking for a home church for you and your family, what factors do you take into consideration?

2) Ladies: In your mind, what is the definition of a "good man" and where does that belief come from?

3) Gents: In your mind, what is the definition of a "good woman" and where does that belief come from?

4) How do you describe "family"? Are they blood related, not blood related, or both?

5) What are the important factors that help you decide on whether you will commit to an organization or a relationship?

6) If you have a solid friend or friends in your life, how committed are you willing to be to sustain the relationship(s)? (Scale of 1 to 10, 1 being the minimal and 10 being the maximum commitment)

7) How do you view the place where you work? Do you find pleasure and fulfillment in hard work? Do you believe the company has undervalued you and your faithful service?

8) If you're in a serious romantic relationship, what are your expectations? Are the expectations equal between both you and your partner?

9) What area (s) are you having a challenge with commitment? Are you willing to help fix them or have you given up?