Daughters are a gift from God.
All children are special, but I think daughters, like Eve, hold a special place in our heavenly Father’s heart. From the beginning, Scripture teaches us that Adam was created outside of the garden and in the wild. He was brought into the garden and was commanded to master it and to do the hard work of providing for it. This became much harder after Adam sinned. But Eve was created from Adam in the garden in order to be a helpmate. God also wanted her to make the garden a home. It was to be a place of safety, security and intimacy. While it is true that Eve was seduced by the serpent, Adam was too complacent and distracted to even care. If Adam had been more attentive to Eve and her relational and emotional needs, she might not have sensed the need to “be like God, knowing good from evil.”
I realize now that, in her childhood days, my relationship with my daughter was shortchanged. She was born during a time of uncertainty for my wife and me. For one, we were dirt poor. Second, much like Adam, I was stuck in a season of dysfunction and self absorption. God was putting me through the ringer in every way and my family was caught in the rinse cycle.
I also realize that I could not give my daughter or my wife something I did not have. I could not lead them where I would not or could not go. It wasn’t until I overcame (in Christ) the confusion of my own identity and significance that I become the father I needed to be. The sad part for me is that it took years for me to get there.
My daughter is now 33 with five children. By the grace of God, today I feel that I’m in a position to give to and serve her and her family. I love and am proud of my daughter more than ever.
Maybe you are a father and feel the same regrets I do. Well, God has assured me that as long as I am still breathing, it is never too late to get a fresh start. It is time to give those regrets to God and allow him to give you a do-over. Is God calling you to a do-over in a relationship? Don’t delay!
Imagine the possibilities!
Monday, June 29, 2009
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Experiencing God's unconditional love
I always look forward to hanging out with my son. He is 30 years old now and lives in Orange County, Calif. Because I live in Missouri, this limits our dad-son time. I call this precious time together a “Son Day.”
He is married to a beautiful blond-haired, blue eyed lady who is a gift from God. She was perfectly designed to be his wife and the mother of his children. She’s intelligent and has a successful career of her own but chooses to put God and family first. They have one of my four granddaughters, two-year-old Bella, who is also a blond California girl. I see glimpse of my son in her, which makes me love her even more.
When I think about my son, I am reminded of what God told his son when Jesus was in his 30s. God said, “This is my Son, whom I love and in whom I delight.” I wish more dads would tell their sons and daughters this. Everywhere I turn I see and hear people struggling with a huge father vacuum. The only thing vacuums are good for is sucking. That hole in their hearts end up sucking in things (pain, sin, addiction) that will not replace what only a father can fill. We can offer them a religion on Sundays but what they need is an encounter of the divine kind with their heavenly father, who fills every void.
If you have Christ in your life, God loves you and is pleased with you because you are his and for no other reason. Think about it! What had Christ done when God publicly commended him? He hadn’t raised the dead, preached any sermons, turned water into wine or even walked on water. He was 30 years old and still living at home. His mother was a widowed single mom and he had six step-siblings (Joseph was not his biological father, God was). As a carpenter, he was the main bread winner for the family and they lived on the other side of the tracks in Nazareth. But what God said about Jesus on that special “Son Day,” God also says about every one of his spiritual sons and daughters (that’s us!). God’s favor is not based on what you do but on who you belong to. Jesus’ identity and significance were defined by that special day when God claimed Jesus as his own and publicly expressed his delight in Christ. That moment helped propel Jesus to his purpose and potential. God’s favor upon us, likewise, can propel us toward our destiny.
In a few weeks I will be in California with my son and his beautiful wife and granddaughter. I will love him and be pleased with him and I will tell him so. Then I will remind him that he has a father in Heaven who loves him even more, loves him perfectly. I looking forward to the day when I will meet my heavenly father face to face and can hear him speak of us love for me. What a day that will be!
Imagine the possibilities!
He is married to a beautiful blond-haired, blue eyed lady who is a gift from God. She was perfectly designed to be his wife and the mother of his children. She’s intelligent and has a successful career of her own but chooses to put God and family first. They have one of my four granddaughters, two-year-old Bella, who is also a blond California girl. I see glimpse of my son in her, which makes me love her even more.
When I think about my son, I am reminded of what God told his son when Jesus was in his 30s. God said, “This is my Son, whom I love and in whom I delight.” I wish more dads would tell their sons and daughters this. Everywhere I turn I see and hear people struggling with a huge father vacuum. The only thing vacuums are good for is sucking. That hole in their hearts end up sucking in things (pain, sin, addiction) that will not replace what only a father can fill. We can offer them a religion on Sundays but what they need is an encounter of the divine kind with their heavenly father, who fills every void.
If you have Christ in your life, God loves you and is pleased with you because you are his and for no other reason. Think about it! What had Christ done when God publicly commended him? He hadn’t raised the dead, preached any sermons, turned water into wine or even walked on water. He was 30 years old and still living at home. His mother was a widowed single mom and he had six step-siblings (Joseph was not his biological father, God was). As a carpenter, he was the main bread winner for the family and they lived on the other side of the tracks in Nazareth. But what God said about Jesus on that special “Son Day,” God also says about every one of his spiritual sons and daughters (that’s us!). God’s favor is not based on what you do but on who you belong to. Jesus’ identity and significance were defined by that special day when God claimed Jesus as his own and publicly expressed his delight in Christ. That moment helped propel Jesus to his purpose and potential. God’s favor upon us, likewise, can propel us toward our destiny.
In a few weeks I will be in California with my son and his beautiful wife and granddaughter. I will love him and be pleased with him and I will tell him so. Then I will remind him that he has a father in Heaven who loves him even more, loves him perfectly. I looking forward to the day when I will meet my heavenly father face to face and can hear him speak of us love for me. What a day that will be!
Imagine the possibilities!
Monday, June 22, 2009
Humpty Dumpty was pushed!
Many are familiar with the nursery rhyme Humpty Dumpty:
Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.
All the king’s horses and all the king’s men
Couldn’t put Humpty Dumpty back together again.
The story of Humpty Dumpty provides a near-perfect allegory to the biblical doctrine of the fall of man. Despite his best efforts, nothing mankind tried could restore his broken relationship with God.
But that wasn’t God original intent. When he created life, God said that everything he had made was “good.” God was delighted with humanity, the apex of his creation and the only creature with a soul. God and man walked freely together and without inhibition.
But the harmony was short lived. Adam and Eve quickly succumbed to temptation in a desire to exhibit mastery over their own lives. Satan, in the form of a serpent, provoked them to make a dreadfully wrong choice.
To return to our nursery rhyme analogy, it’s as if Humpty Dumpty was shoved from behind. His life was shattered because an adversary pushed him in a direction he never intended to go.
But let’s be clear. I don’t intend to suggest that Adam and Eve were innocent victims. They had already received instructions from God about which tree in the garden to avoid. They purposefully disregarded those commands.
Humpty Dumpty, too, must bear some blame. What was a fragile egg doing sitting on top of a stone wall? Certainly he put himself in a place of danger.
According to the Scriptures, we have much in common with Adam and Eve and Humpty Dumpty. None of us are innocent and all of us face the same adversary.
Thousands of years later, mankind still wages an unending spiritual conflict with an enemy bent on our spiritual destruction. Our lives can bear the scars of this battle in broken relationships, addictions and unforgiveness. But there is hope. Maybe even more than you ever dreamed was possible.
This is why Cathy and I wrote our new book “God Loves Do-Overs!” It was written to give you that hope and to help you regain your future through a fresh start with God. He is able to take even the most distressing circumstance and use it for your good (Romans 8:28, Jeremiah 29:11).
With a little literary creativity, that hope can even be extended to our nursery rhyme character: “Humpty Dumpty shouted ‘Amen! God can put me back together again!’”
Imagine the possibilities!
Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.
All the king’s horses and all the king’s men
Couldn’t put Humpty Dumpty back together again.
The story of Humpty Dumpty provides a near-perfect allegory to the biblical doctrine of the fall of man. Despite his best efforts, nothing mankind tried could restore his broken relationship with God.
But that wasn’t God original intent. When he created life, God said that everything he had made was “good.” God was delighted with humanity, the apex of his creation and the only creature with a soul. God and man walked freely together and without inhibition.
But the harmony was short lived. Adam and Eve quickly succumbed to temptation in a desire to exhibit mastery over their own lives. Satan, in the form of a serpent, provoked them to make a dreadfully wrong choice.
To return to our nursery rhyme analogy, it’s as if Humpty Dumpty was shoved from behind. His life was shattered because an adversary pushed him in a direction he never intended to go.
But let’s be clear. I don’t intend to suggest that Adam and Eve were innocent victims. They had already received instructions from God about which tree in the garden to avoid. They purposefully disregarded those commands.
Humpty Dumpty, too, must bear some blame. What was a fragile egg doing sitting on top of a stone wall? Certainly he put himself in a place of danger.
According to the Scriptures, we have much in common with Adam and Eve and Humpty Dumpty. None of us are innocent and all of us face the same adversary.
Thousands of years later, mankind still wages an unending spiritual conflict with an enemy bent on our spiritual destruction. Our lives can bear the scars of this battle in broken relationships, addictions and unforgiveness. But there is hope. Maybe even more than you ever dreamed was possible.
This is why Cathy and I wrote our new book “God Loves Do-Overs!” It was written to give you that hope and to help you regain your future through a fresh start with God. He is able to take even the most distressing circumstance and use it for your good (Romans 8:28, Jeremiah 29:11).
With a little literary creativity, that hope can even be extended to our nursery rhyme character: “Humpty Dumpty shouted ‘Amen! God can put me back together again!’”
Imagine the possibilities!
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Living for the line
I have a friend who is in critical condition in the hospital. He is a man with a heart after God’s own. I am selfish in that I want a miracle. I want him to recover and continue to be my friend. But I am not God.
When I ask God, “Why me?” He normally answers, “Why not you?” When I see my good friend on death’s door, I asked God “Why?” again. He answered this time with compassion, “Trust me. I see the big picture, the beginning from the end. I know what is best in light of eternity.”
Try this: Put a dot on a page and then draw a line from the dot as far as you can to the right. The dot represents our lives and the line represents our eternity. This illustration helps us see that eternity is a very long time compared to our short lives. What we do now either echoes for eternity or simply disintegrates in the dot. Most people spend their lives living for the dot and not for the line.
Here’s a principle: Don’t fear failure. Instead, fear wasting your life on the things that do not matter.
My friend has invested his life in the line. In my opinion he has more to do in the dot, but God knows best. I will keep you updated on what God will do. Either way my friend wins. Thank you for joining me in prayer.
When I ask God, “Why me?” He normally answers, “Why not you?” When I see my good friend on death’s door, I asked God “Why?” again. He answered this time with compassion, “Trust me. I see the big picture, the beginning from the end. I know what is best in light of eternity.”
Try this: Put a dot on a page and then draw a line from the dot as far as you can to the right. The dot represents our lives and the line represents our eternity. This illustration helps us see that eternity is a very long time compared to our short lives. What we do now either echoes for eternity or simply disintegrates in the dot. Most people spend their lives living for the dot and not for the line.
Here’s a principle: Don’t fear failure. Instead, fear wasting your life on the things that do not matter.
My friend has invested his life in the line. In my opinion he has more to do in the dot, but God knows best. I will keep you updated on what God will do. Either way my friend wins. Thank you for joining me in prayer.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Vision in times like these
The temptation during these challenging days is for all of us to have a bunker mentality and “hunker down” until the good times return. Yet I believe God would have us take the opposite approach. Since God’s plan and purpose are not subject to our limitations, I believe God wants us to “rise-up” and dream! At People Matter, we believe that we have been called for such a time as this.
In this light, we have been wrestling with several questions:
• What is God asking of us that is an impossible mission without his intervention and blessing?
• Why has God brought us on the scene for such a time as this?
• What will it cost of us for us to meet God’s expectation, plan and purpose?
• If we had unlimited resources and complete freedom to fail, what would we attempt for God?
The Bible is clear that without the ability to see clearly, hope is lost. We have learned that when we give God our passion and our heart, then he gives us his vision. When we seek to embrace that vision, we will often come to a place of need, looking to God for the results. He promises to meet all of our needs in his timing. More often than not, the need is not met by miracles, but by the generosity of God’s people.
So have faith in what you cannot yet see. Dream the impossible dream. Soar on wings like eagles. Rise-up to your potential and destiny in such a time as this. We do not know what the future holds, but we know who holds the future.
It is going to take that kind of unwavering faith if we are going to see our world transformed!
Imagine the possibilities!
In this light, we have been wrestling with several questions:
• What is God asking of us that is an impossible mission without his intervention and blessing?
• Why has God brought us on the scene for such a time as this?
• What will it cost of us for us to meet God’s expectation, plan and purpose?
• If we had unlimited resources and complete freedom to fail, what would we attempt for God?
The Bible is clear that without the ability to see clearly, hope is lost. We have learned that when we give God our passion and our heart, then he gives us his vision. When we seek to embrace that vision, we will often come to a place of need, looking to God for the results. He promises to meet all of our needs in his timing. More often than not, the need is not met by miracles, but by the generosity of God’s people.
So have faith in what you cannot yet see. Dream the impossible dream. Soar on wings like eagles. Rise-up to your potential and destiny in such a time as this. We do not know what the future holds, but we know who holds the future.
It is going to take that kind of unwavering faith if we are going to see our world transformed!
Imagine the possibilities!
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Do we really love God?
Cathy and I have been married over 38 years, but we know that we can’t take our relationship for granted. Recently, we realized that a hectic ministry schedule had robbed us of personal time together. She told me, “Dan, I know you love me. But are you in love with me?”
The question set me back for a moment. I realized that she needed more than my sincere words of love and appreciation. She needed me to love her with all of my heart, soul, mind and strength. She knew that I used the word “love” often when referring to my favorite football team, pizza or car (I think we de-value the word love when we use it this way). The kind of love Cathy was speaking of – and that the Bible commends – demands our complete devotion.
In the same light, what would we say if Jesus asked us, “Are you in love with me?” Before we answer, we must consider that he calls us “to love the Lord your God with all of your heart, soul, mind and strength” (Mark 12:29-30). In John 21, Jesus asked Peter, “Do you truly love me?” Jesus used the Greek word “agape” for love. This word means “a deep unconditional, sacrificial devotion.” It is the kind of love Jesus had for us when he chose to die on a cross in our place. Peter’s response was, “Yes Lord, you know that I love you.” Peter, however, used a different word than Jesus. He said that he loved Jesus with a brotherly love. To paraphrase, Peter said, “Yes Lord, you know that I am very fond of you. You’re my buddy.” Of course, Peter went on to grow in his love for Jesus and ultimately laid down his life for the savior. He learned what it meant to fall in love with Jesus.
As believers we must search our soul and ask, “Are we in love with Jesus or are we just fond of him?” I think too many are merely fond of God. They don’t really know him or trust him, but choose to admire him from a “safe” distance. We can’t love a God we don’t know. We cannot give away what we do not possess. So fall in love with Jesus, and the people around you will fall in love with the Jesus in you.
Imagine the possibilities!
The question set me back for a moment. I realized that she needed more than my sincere words of love and appreciation. She needed me to love her with all of my heart, soul, mind and strength. She knew that I used the word “love” often when referring to my favorite football team, pizza or car (I think we de-value the word love when we use it this way). The kind of love Cathy was speaking of – and that the Bible commends – demands our complete devotion.
In the same light, what would we say if Jesus asked us, “Are you in love with me?” Before we answer, we must consider that he calls us “to love the Lord your God with all of your heart, soul, mind and strength” (Mark 12:29-30). In John 21, Jesus asked Peter, “Do you truly love me?” Jesus used the Greek word “agape” for love. This word means “a deep unconditional, sacrificial devotion.” It is the kind of love Jesus had for us when he chose to die on a cross in our place. Peter’s response was, “Yes Lord, you know that I love you.” Peter, however, used a different word than Jesus. He said that he loved Jesus with a brotherly love. To paraphrase, Peter said, “Yes Lord, you know that I am very fond of you. You’re my buddy.” Of course, Peter went on to grow in his love for Jesus and ultimately laid down his life for the savior. He learned what it meant to fall in love with Jesus.
As believers we must search our soul and ask, “Are we in love with Jesus or are we just fond of him?” I think too many are merely fond of God. They don’t really know him or trust him, but choose to admire him from a “safe” distance. We can’t love a God we don’t know. We cannot give away what we do not possess. So fall in love with Jesus, and the people around you will fall in love with the Jesus in you.
Imagine the possibilities!
Saturday, June 6, 2009
You are what you think
The Apostle Paul wrote, “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing f your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will” (Romans 12:2).
Soon after my twin brother was born, my parents learned we both had a birth defect. Our ear passages were blocked and we were incapable of hearing clearly. As we learned to speak, what others heard was not actually what we were trying to say. We could see the ridicule as we became the brunt of many cruel jokes. Even though we were overall quite healthy, that one condition overshadowed everything.
Some years later, after having our tonsils removed, our hearing was completely restored. Although we were thrilled by this miracle, now we could hear the ridicule. However the greatest battle my brother and I faced was not the cruelty, but the lies in our own minds. We later came to the realization that our value and significance was not found in the words or jokes of man but the truth of God. We could not allow our potential or destiny to be defined or determined by a lie or physical condition. God would later use it to propel and compel us to our “Greater Yes!”
When we allow our thoughts to dwell in fear, doubt, worry and self-dependency, we get stuck. God wants to transform us from the inside out. It begins by first transforming our minds. Thought and words have the power to propel or repel. Proper thinking leads to proper speaking, feelings and living – which lead to powerful potential.
The Apostle Paul’s words challenge our thinking: “Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious – the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse.” (Philippians 4:8 MSG)
Imagine the possibilities!
Soon after my twin brother was born, my parents learned we both had a birth defect. Our ear passages were blocked and we were incapable of hearing clearly. As we learned to speak, what others heard was not actually what we were trying to say. We could see the ridicule as we became the brunt of many cruel jokes. Even though we were overall quite healthy, that one condition overshadowed everything.
Some years later, after having our tonsils removed, our hearing was completely restored. Although we were thrilled by this miracle, now we could hear the ridicule. However the greatest battle my brother and I faced was not the cruelty, but the lies in our own minds. We later came to the realization that our value and significance was not found in the words or jokes of man but the truth of God. We could not allow our potential or destiny to be defined or determined by a lie or physical condition. God would later use it to propel and compel us to our “Greater Yes!”
When we allow our thoughts to dwell in fear, doubt, worry and self-dependency, we get stuck. God wants to transform us from the inside out. It begins by first transforming our minds. Thought and words have the power to propel or repel. Proper thinking leads to proper speaking, feelings and living – which lead to powerful potential.
The Apostle Paul’s words challenge our thinking: “Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious – the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse.” (Philippians 4:8 MSG)
Imagine the possibilities!
Monday, June 1, 2009
Mission possible
I have been studying lately from the book of Esther. God asked her to fulfill what must have seemed like a doomed mission. She was to deliver her people and to represent him. But she faced numerous obstacles. She would have to confront the king and risk death. She would have to persuade him to reverse a previous command. She would also be in direct opposition to the king’s No. 2 man. (Read the whole incredible story for yourself in the book of Esther.) Esther could have starred in the first “Mission Impossible.” Yet all hope was not lost.
Nothing comes into our life that has not first come through the hand of God. His work and plan always have a redemptive purpose because he is in the restoration business.
Like Esther, it is time for believers to rise to our mission impossible. Esther’s uncle, Mordecai, challenged her to rise to her potential and destiny, saying, “For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will rise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to this royal position for such a time as this” (Esther 4:14).
Instead of choosing self preservation, Esther chose to rise to the occasion.
“Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai; Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my maids will fast as you do. When this is done I will go to the King, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish” (Esther 4:15-16).
If it is true that nothing comes in our life that does not first come through God’s hand (and it is true), then even the disaster that strikes us is intended for our good. God allows adversity according to our need. God is able to take our rejection, shame, distorted thinking, unwise choices, guilt and blame and to use them for his good purposes. If God can turn Esther’s and Mordecai’s crisis into a victory, then he can handle our challenges as well.
What did it take for Esther to fulfill her God-given potential and destiny? And how about us?
1. It takes our passion – we must give of ourselves wholeheartedly.
2. It takes our focus – we must see God’s big picture.
3. It takes our preparation – we must get ourselves ready to face our destiny.
4. It takes our courage – we must take the first step forward.
5. It takes our obedience – we must obey God because he commands it.
6. It takes our risk – we must reach for the fruit that is out on the limb.
7. It takes our trust – we must put our trust in a God we can know.
Imagine the possibilities!
Nothing comes into our life that has not first come through the hand of God. His work and plan always have a redemptive purpose because he is in the restoration business.
Like Esther, it is time for believers to rise to our mission impossible. Esther’s uncle, Mordecai, challenged her to rise to her potential and destiny, saying, “For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will rise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to this royal position for such a time as this” (Esther 4:14).
Instead of choosing self preservation, Esther chose to rise to the occasion.
“Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai; Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my maids will fast as you do. When this is done I will go to the King, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish” (Esther 4:15-16).
If it is true that nothing comes in our life that does not first come through God’s hand (and it is true), then even the disaster that strikes us is intended for our good. God allows adversity according to our need. God is able to take our rejection, shame, distorted thinking, unwise choices, guilt and blame and to use them for his good purposes. If God can turn Esther’s and Mordecai’s crisis into a victory, then he can handle our challenges as well.
What did it take for Esther to fulfill her God-given potential and destiny? And how about us?
1. It takes our passion – we must give of ourselves wholeheartedly.
2. It takes our focus – we must see God’s big picture.
3. It takes our preparation – we must get ourselves ready to face our destiny.
4. It takes our courage – we must take the first step forward.
5. It takes our obedience – we must obey God because he commands it.
6. It takes our risk – we must reach for the fruit that is out on the limb.
7. It takes our trust – we must put our trust in a God we can know.
Imagine the possibilities!
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