Depression and the Bible.

Men and women throughout Scripture dealt with real problems including struggles with mental health. Elijah, king David and Jonah just to name a few. God cares about your emotional well-being. Here the words recorded in just one of the Psalms by the sons of Korah -

"I long to drink of you, O God, drinking deeply from the streams of pleasure flowing from your presence. My longings overwhelm me for more of you! My soul thirsts, pants, and longs for the living God. I want to come and see the face of God. Day and night my tears keep falling and my heart keeps crying for your help while my enemies mock me over and over, saying, “Where is this God of yours? Why doesn’t he help you?” So I speak over my heartbroken soul, “Take courage. Remember when you used to be right out front leading the procession of praise when the great crowd of worshipers gathered to go into the presence of the Lord? You shouted with joy as the sound of passionate celebration filled the air and the joyous multitude of lovers honored the festival of the Lord!” So then, my soul, why would you be depressed? Why would you sink into despair? Just keep hoping and waiting on God, your Savior. For no matter what, I will still sing with praise, for living before his face is my saving grace! Here I am depressed and downcast. Yet I will still remember you as I ponder the place where your glory streams down from the mighty mountaintops, lofty and majestic—the mountains of your awesome presence. My deep need calls out to the deep kindness of your love. Your waterfall of weeping sent waves of sorrow over my soul, carrying me away, cascading over me like a thundering cataract. Yet all day long God’s promises of love pour over me. Through the night I sing his songs, for my prayer to God has become my life. I will say to God, “You are my mountain of strength; how could you forget me? Why must I suffer this vile oppression of my enemies— these heartless tormentors who are out to kill me?” Their wounding words pierce my heart over and over while they say, “Where is this God of yours?” So I say to my soul, “Don’t be discouraged. Don’t be disturbed. For I know my God will break through for me.” Then I’ll have plenty of reasons to praise him all over again. Yes, living before his face is my saving grace!"

- Psalm 42:1-11 TPT

For the one dealing with depression. For the one battling suicidal thoughts. Know that you are not alone. As hard as it may be keep fighting, keep reaching out. Know that God loves you and that He is the light in this darkness. I am praying for you and He is here for you.

Running With Friends.

My Crossfit coach had been bugging me to run the Mountain Heritage Day 5K for a couple of weeks. I finally relented and signed up late last night. So I was up early this morning heading to Western Carolina University where I met up with several of my friends from the gym. I got checked in, safety pinned my bid to my shirt, warmed up and waited to start. I ran with (more like chased behind) these guys for 3.1 miles of up and down (seemed like mostly up). I didn’t finish 1st or 2nd or even 3rd in our group but I did cross the finish line with the best 5K time of my life. I did pass a 9 year old in the last 50 meters so take that!

The point is these people push me to be a better version of myself. When I am ready to give up they are there to encourage and challenge me to keep pressing on. If you are the fastest/smartest/most successful person in your circle you need to make some new friends. God’s Word has a lot to say about our friends -

“The righteous choose their friends carefully, but the way of the wicked leads them astray.” - Proverbs 12:26

“As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.” - Proverbs 27:17

“Walk with the wise and become wise; associate with fools and get in trouble.” - Proverbs 13:20

“One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.“ - Proverbs 18:24

“Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.”” - 1 Corinthians 15:33

In every area of our life the company that we keep will determine the heights to which we rise. That my friend is one of the reasons why we need to be actively engaged in our church. Not as a spectator, or a consumer but as a connected, contributing participant.

Selah.

I remember.

9.11.2001

On the anniversary of the terrorist attacks I pause to reflect on that day and it occurs to me what I remember. As I scroll through the posts on social media with pictures and flags and memorials I remember.

• I remember exactly where I was.

• I remember hearing the news on the radio.

• I remember seeing the images for the first time.

• I remember that people gathered together to pray.

• I remember that people set aside their differences to focus on what unites us as Americans.

Today I remember that time is precious, tomorrow is not promised and we should love the people around us as if it were our last day. Or theirs. I remember that prayer is still important and I believe it makes all the difference in the world.

I also remember that they enemy's ploy is to divide us - racially, economically, politically, generationally and the list goes on and on. From broken families to a broken nation he is sowing his discord every chance he gets. Even in the church.

The Church is God's plan to share His redemption with all of humanity. Let's fight together - against the enemy and for one another. Let's forgive like we've been forgiven and love like we've been loved. Let's live with faith and not fear. Let's give the world a little glimpse of heaven and live like people's eternities hang in the balance. Let's remember that we matter, and remember that what we do matters.

“This is why it is said: “Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.” – Ephesians 5:14-17 NIV

What's Your Worldview?

As a pastor one of the most painful things to watch is when someone begins to struggle with and question their faith. This is especially difficult when it is a young person making the transition into adulthood. As a parent my GREATEST hope for my children isn’t for them to be successful, rich or even happy. My greatest hope is for them to know and love God.

One of the things that I have noticed over the years is that there has been a radical shift in perspective. My generation largely viewed ‘truth’ as something existent outside of self. It was absolute, unchanging and not subject to personal opinion. For instance the ‘truth’ of gravity really doesn’t care if you believe it or not. It just is.

Today many view ‘truth’ as something personal, internal and malleable. What is ‘true’ for one may or may not be ‘true’ for another. What is ‘true’ today may not be tomorrow. Herein lies the million dollar question…

Do we view God through the eyes of our worldview or do we view the world through God’s eyes?

If God must fit within my worldview then he/she/it is really no god at all; no bigger than my understanding or imagination and no more powerful than I am. This was the realization I had at the age of 18. I had an epiphany that if there was truly a God then He was at the center of everything and I was not. He was not subject to the whims of my emotions or limited to the finite capacity of my mind. If there really was an eternal being that held time and space in His hand then He was the author of ‘Truth’. More accurately He is TRUTH.

“As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” - Isaiah 55:9 NIV

I recently met a young man, newly saved, who had attended church as a teen. Since God didn’t fit within his worldview he admittedly embraced a pagan lifestyle to the extent of serving as a pagan priest. In his desire to break with all things Christian he set up a meeting with a pastor to vent and share his ‘truth’. In that meeting he found love, and more importantly found LOVE. When we stop trying to force God into our worldview and make Him Lord of our lives everything else comes into focus.

I am so thankful that it is not my place to judge God, or anyone else for that matter. I am grateful that ‘Truth’ is constant, because He is constant.

“Do not be deceived, my dear friends! Every good gift and every perfect present comes from heaven; it comes down from God, the Creator of the heavenly lights, who does not change or cause darkness by turning. By his own will he brought us into being through the word of truth, so that we should have first place among all his creatures.” – James 1:16-18 GNT

Do the Hustle.

Last year, as a ministry staff, we believed that the Lord was saying that 2019 would begin a season of Miracles, Breakthrough and Long-Awaited Harvest. Praise the Lord we are seeing that come to pass. What many of us failed to realize is that many of answers came with conditions – i.e. hard work. A good friend of mine pointed out that harvest is one of the busiest seasons in the life of a farmer. If the crop isn’t gathered in quickly the harvest can go from ripe to rotten in the blink of an eye.

I guess another way we could say it is that you, ‘got to strike while the iron is hot.’ Another friend of mine is a blacksmith and I've had the opportunity to work with him on a few occasions. You have a limited time to work the metal once it comes out of the fire. Another friend of mine is a successful business owner. He once told me that his success wasn’t because he was the best or brightest in the room, but that he would ‘out hustle 99 out of 100 people.’ I believe it. Someone once said that, ‘good things come to those who wait.’ I agree, but when it’s time for action patience will cause you to miss your opportunity.

“The reason most people do not recognize an opportunity when they meet it is because it usually goes around wearing overalls and looking like Hard Work.” – Anonymous

The apostle Paul understood,

“There’s an amazing door of opportunity standing wide open for me to minister here, even though there are many who oppose and stand against me.” – 1 Corinthians 16:9 TPT

When God provides an opportunity we have to seize the moment. That’s not the time to be patient, that’s when it’s time to hustle.

“Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.” – Ephesians 5:15-17 NIV

Every day is a gift from the Lord, what you choose to do with it is your gift to Him. I believe God has GREAT things in store for you!

When bad things happen to good people.

When I was eight years old my parents went through a bitter divorce. I was clueless and had never even seen them speak a cross word to one another. My little world came crashing down overnight. My mom moved from southern to northern California so I only got to see her on holidays and summers. In the seventh grade I decided to move in with her and my step dad and go to school there. It was a tiny school out in the country with less than 10 people in my class. It was so small in fact that they joined classes to save money on staff and so we were in the same room as the eighth graders. One of those students happened to be the girl that is now my wife.

I would never wish divorce on any couple or family. But I also wouldn’t change my situation in a million years because God brought something beautiful out of the brokenness.

My wife and I had been married for only nine months when her mother, 47 at the time, was diagnosed with cancer. Two weeks after getting the news that she was sick my wife and I packed up our little apartment on campus in Reno, NV and headed east for North Carolina. She finished her race less than a year later and went home to be with the Lord. People aren’t supposed to die at 48 and our girls never had the chance to meet their Grandma Linda. But in that time of caring for her family we found a church that forever changed our lives. What we thought would be a short intermission became a life calling.

It seems everyone has been touched by cancer’s curse at some point in their life. It’s an ugly disease and it’s just not fair. Let me be clear that I DO NOT BELIEVE that God gave my wife’s mother cancer. But in the midst of the tragedy he was at work guiding our path toward yours.

See if my parents never divorced then I wouldn’t have met my wife. If my wife’s mother hadn’t become sick we never would have moved to Western North Carolina, went into ministry and started writing this blog.

He is the God of meaning in meaningless situations. He is the God of hope in hopeless circumstances. He is the God of purpose in the middle of life’s messes. He is the great redeemer and we can trust that He is bigger than whatever it is we are dealing with. We can trust Him.

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

Jesus is proof of the lengths that God will go to, lovingly working for your good because you are called according to his purpose. If you have made it through and can see God’s hand praise him for what he’s already done. If you are in the middle then trust that he is in control, he loves you forever and he IS taking care of you whether you can see it or not.

My favorite person's favorite verse.

My wife is my favorite person in the world. One of her favorite verses from the Bible is Philippians 4:8. Therefore this in one of my favorite verses.

“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things.” – Philippians 4:8 NIV

When Paul says “finally” he is saving the best for last. I was recently chatting with a friend and he said that life is about 10 percent what happens to you and 90 percent your attitude about it. I believe he is correct. There is always a reason to be negative, critical, frustrated, discouraged. But there is always a reason to be thankful, hopeful, appreciative, encouraged. Both are true in every area of our lives – our careers, our relationships, our finances, our church…

I think for most of us it is easy to dwell on the bad. Most of our time spent on ‘what ifs’ don’t lean toward the good. But the Apostle Paul continues his instructions –

“Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.” – Philippians 4:9 NIV

He uses the word ‘practice’. People who want to become better at something practice. People who want to become great at something practice and practice and practice. Some of us have practiced worry for years. We have become quite exceptional at it. God is willing and able to help us renew our minds, after all He is the ‘God of peace’.

There is always a reason to be positive because there is always GOD. In every situation He is always in control, He always has a purpose and He always loves you. Will you purpose in your heart today to join me on a journey of practicing a positive life? Let’s take our negative thoughts captive, make them obedient to Christ and choose to focus on good and Godly things! It may not be easy, especially at first, but I promise it will be worth it.

“The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” – 2 Corinthians 10:4-5 NIV

THRIVE!

“Beloved, I pray that in every way you may succeed and prosper and be in good health [physically], just as [I know] your soul prospers [spiritually].” – 3 John 1:2 AMP

What an amazing passage of Scripture. I believe that God wants to touch EVERY area of our lives. He is not just a spiritual Savior that will one day deliver us at death into glory. He cares about our physical, emotional, relational, financial AND spiritual well-being today.

So why are so many of us walking around sick and tired of being sick and tired? Well some of it has to do with the impact of sin on our world, but some of it might have to do with our lifestyle choices. Here are four areas that can cause us to live beneath our God given potential -

1. Exercise – Most of us don’t get near the amount of movement that our bodies were created for. Think of how much our lives have changed in the last couple hundred years. We built our own houses from trees we cut down by hand and ate food that we hunted, gathered or grew. Every day required hours of physical activity just to live. I’m not advocating that we go off the grid but we do need to find ways to move more. I’ve heard people tell me that they walk 5 miles a day at work. That is certainly better than sitting behind a desk but just to put that into perspective the average turtle walks at just over 1 mph and can ‘run’ at 3-4 mph. So in an 8 hours shift the turtle is leaving you in the dust. My suggestion is that you find something you enjoy doing and sweat for at least 30 minutes a day.
2. Food – Much of what we eat isn’t actually food. It’s highly processed frankenfood that is basically devoid of any nutritional value. You can’t put garbage in the magnificent machine that God created and expect it to perform at peak levels. Drink more water, eat more vegetables, fruits, whole grains and lean proteins. Shop primarily from the perimeter of the supermarket. Plan your meals ahead of time and avoid the dreaded drive thru. Full disclosure – This is one of the areas I am working on to do better! 
3. Rest – Did you know that many pro athletes sleep 10+ hours per day when training? They know that sleep is necessary for optimum health. We are chronically sleep deprived and it affects us more than just physically. If you wake up tired on a regular basis and need coffee/energy drinks to keep you going throughout the day you need more sleep. Now God may not sleep but even he set aside a day a week to rest! Make it a priority. Try setting an alarm to go to bed, monitor your caffeine intake and how it affects you, limit screen use in the evenings and turn your phone off at night! 
4. Stress – Speaking of phones I have a love/hate relationship with mine. It allows us to stay connected with family and friends and increases productivity but it also makes it really easy to take work home with you. People expect to be able to get a hold of you 24/7/365. That isn’t reasonable. That bears repeating. It is not reasonable to work 7 days a week. You need downtime. Find something that helps you de-stress. Exercise, sew, read, fish, whatever helps you relax and schedule time to do it. Caring for your soul isn’t selfish. It’s hard to effectively help others if your life is a wreck. Listen to what Jesus said –

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” – Matthew 11:28-30 NIV

Is it possible that we are carrying and caring about burdens that God hasn’t called us to?

“So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” - Matthew 6:31-33 NIV

One last passage I want to share with you to lighten your load.

“For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.” – 1 Timothy 4:8 NIV

So if you are sick and tired of being sick and tired don’t despair. There is ALWAYS hope in Jesus. My suggestion is that you find one small thing in each of these areas to change and start there. Don’t sign up to run a 5K this weekend, go vegan, turn off the internet and throw your phone away. My guess is the wheels would come off that bus in less than a week. Maybe park farther away when you shop, pack a salad for lunch two days a week, go to sleep 30 minutes earlier, do something you enjoy and spend some time with God each day. You’ll be amazed at how little changes can make a big difference.

I love you, God loves you and we both want to see you THRIVE.

Distressed or De-stressed?

My oldest daughter has been on a mission trip for the past month to Greece and this morning left for her next assignment in France. She had to catch an early morning flight from Athens so she got everything ready the night before. She grabbed her bags, left her key to the apartment on the desk, locked the door behind her and headed downstairs to meet her ride. Except her ride was late – 15 minutes, 30 minutes, she started making phone calls, knocking on the door, downloading a taxi app. Here mom and I started reaching out to everyone we could think of through Messenger, Skype, texting, carrier pigeon… 45 minutes late and no word.

Now mind you it is the middle of the night in Greece and everyone is fast asleep. We were all becoming increasingly concerned that she is going to miss her flight. With each passing minute and every failed attempt to contact someone the stress level was swelling. So with our daughter on speaker phone the three of us stopped to pray. I reminded my girl, my wife and myself that God was in control when we weren’t and that the worst case scenario, missing her flight, wasn’t really that big of a deal. We could buy another ticket for later today or tomorrow for less than a hundred bucks. That brought everything into perspective and we were able to collectively exhale. We shot out a quick message to our friends asking them to join us in prayer.

Within a minute or two the phone rang, my friend in Greece was making calls and her ride was 5 minutes away. We started checking travel times, boarding times and when the gate closed and she had JUST enough time to make her flight. Then we checked the flight. Wouldn’t you know that it was delayed by about 30 minutes and she had plenty of time?

God is in control of all things, well almost all things.

See he has given us control of our own perspective and that makes all the difference in the world. We can’t always control what is happening around us but we can control whether we react or respond. In the chaos of life we have the choice to become distressed or de-stressed.

“The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” – Jeremiah 17:9 NIV

Sometimes things don’t go according to our plan, but rest assured they always go according to God’s.

“I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” – Philippians 4:12-13 NIV

The Joys of Confrontation.

CONFRONTATION.

Most people will do just about ANYTHING to avoid it. Years ago my friend Brian Cagle preached a message and made this statement –

“Love is not the absence of confrontation.”

Now I’ve forgot more sermons than I can count, but there have been a few like that one that stuck in my heart like an arrow. Healthy confrontation has the potential to free us from the chains of living beneath our Spirit filled life. When we take a look at Scripture we see that God is a confrontational God –

• He confronted nothing with creation.
• He confronted darkness with light.
• He confronted the devil with Job.
• He confronted Jericho with Joshua.
• He confronted Jonah with a storm and a fish (definitely a Megalodon).
• He confronted Goliath with David.
• He confronted David with Nathan.
• He confronted Peter with the truth.
• He confronted sin with the cross.
• He confronted Paul with blindness.

Now God is love, and God uses confrontation therefore Godly confrontation is an expression of love. Jesus perfectly represented His Father while on earth and He confronted people on a fairly regular basis when it was in their best interest.

Here are some quick thoughts about Godly confrontation.

1. The key word is Godly. Have his heart for the person and the situation.
2. Make sure it’s a two-way street. If you can’t receive it then you probably aren’t ready to share it. Remember Jesus said something about a log and a speck. (Matthew 7:5)
3. Focus more on their potential than the problem. This is not about getting something off of your chest but rather helping to lift someone else up.
4. Pray, pray and pray some more. It takes the right timing, tone and touch to effect lasting change. If the Holy Spirit isn’t convicting there is a good chance you will only bring condemnation. After all where the Spirit of the Lord is there is FREEDOM! (2 Corinthians 3:17)

“An open rebuke is better than hidden love! Wounds from a sincere friend are better than many kisses from an enemy.” - Proverbs 27:5-6 NLT

Teaching Old Dogs New Tricks.

I want to brag on one of my best good friends Danny. He is part of our Pastoral staff here at LifeWay and we are so fortunate to have he and his sweet wife Ronda on our team. One of the things that most impresses me about Danny is his willingness to try new things. Here is a perfect example -

As we age we tend to take fewer risks. A friend of mine who is a Christian Counselor recently said, 'We view our tomorrow through the lens of our yesterday.' In other words we have a habit of projecting yesterday's failures and pain onto tomorrow's possibilities. The end result is we miss out on the adventure of life. Danny has started and sold businesses, traveled around the world sharing the love of Jesus and just last year jumped out of an airplane just for fun.

“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.”

- Isaiah 43:18-19 NIV

There are a thousand reasons why you can't   (fill in the blank)  . But you only need one reason why you can - Because God said so. If you have a dream that He placed in your heart then go chase it down and don't let anyone stop you. Especially YOU! God's plans for your tomorrow aren't held captive by your yesterday. We have to be willing to do something different, to welcome change and embrace the unknown if we are going to grow, to live, to flourish. When we try something new and step into unfamiliar territory it may feel a little scary, a little unnatural, perhaps like riding a hoverboard for the very first time. But with a little practice we'll be flying around like an old pro in no time at all.

A Word Please.

One Word from God can change everything.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” - John 1:1-5 NIV

It can create the heavens and the earth. It can calm the fiercest storm. It can even bring the dead to life.

“… and the darkness has not overcome it.”

Last year I asked God for a word for 2019 and He spoke 3 things. The Holy Spirit said that 2019 would be a year of miracles, breakthrough and long awaited harvest. I know it was a word for me, my family and our church. I also believe that if you are reading this then it is a word for you as well. I am not a believer in coincidence, but I am trust absolutely in God’s sovereign guidance.

“For with God nothing is ever impossible and no word from God shall be without power or impossible of fulfillment.” - Luke 1:37 AMPC

So now begins the journey of asking God what that means specifically for each of us and for all of us. If we are willing to ask I know that God is ready to speak.

New Year's Resolutions.

The first day of the New Year.

A gogillion people are going to make a resolution. Read more, eat healthier, exercise regularly, start school, stop smoking and the list goes on and on and on… By the end of January the vast majority of those people will have slipped back into the same old habits. The only difference is the disappointment and guilt. It eventually subsides until we start the whole process over again next year. Wash, rinse, repeat.

It reminds me of a story from the Bible. The Ninevites were supremely wicked and God’s judgment was imminent. In His grace he sent the prophet Jonah to warn them and give them a chance to change. Now most of the time we focus on Jonah, who fled from God, got tossed into the ocean, eaten by a fish, puked up on shore and finally did what God requested. But I want to look at the people from Nineveh today. To put it mildly they definitely had room for personal improvement. When confronted with their shortcomings there were a couple of things that they did AND a couple of things they didn’t do.

Here is what they didn’t do –

1. They didn’t make excuses and justify their actions.
2. They didn’t pass the buck and blame others.

Here is what they did do –

1. They accepted responsibility for themselves.
2. They enacted a plan to make lasting changes.

“Jonah obeyed the word of the Lord and went to Nineveh. Now Nineveh was a very large city; it took three days to go through it. Jonah began by going a day’s journey into the city, proclaiming, “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overthrown.” The Ninevites believed God. A fast was proclaimed, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth. When Jonah’s warning reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his royal robes, covered himself with sackcloth and sat down in the dust. This is the proclamation he issued in Nineveh: “By the decree of the king and his nobles: “Do not let people or animals, herds or flocks, taste anything; do not let them eat or drink. But let people and animals be covered with sackcloth. Let everyone call urgently on God. Let them give up their evil ways and their violence. Who knows? God may yet relent and with compassion turn from his fierce anger so that we will not perish.”” – Jonah 3:3-9 NIV

The Ninevites didn’t start well but they sure did finish well which brings me to my point –

“The end of a matter is better than its beginning, and patience is better than pride.” – Ecclesiastes 7:8 NIV

I want to encourage you to be the best possible you that you can be. God has put so much inside of you and has great plans for your life. Look for an area to improve, set a goal, make a plan and gather some people around you to make it happen. Starting is important, but it’s how we finish that really matters.

2019 IS YOUR YEAR!!!