Courageous Fathers

   Father's day: the day where dad's get mugs that say "# 1 dad," tools, or other gifts that are considered manly. We all have a father. Unfortunately some people don't think of Father's day as a good holiday. Rather, it is a reminder that their father failed. Some children have never met their biological father, never had a father, or their father hurt them in some way.
   It is very difficult for fathers in this world. They are expected to be the head of the house, be a rock to the family, and are to be an example. They have to live up to some pretty high standards considering we all have another father: our Heavenly Father. God is the best father we could ever have. But, it is also important for us to have strong examples of fathers on earth. What can we do when our earthly father is not there for us or not a good example?
   The answer is we cannot do much. It is going to take godly men like Adam Mitchell, a police officer from the movie Courageous, to step up. In the beginning of the movie Adam was not the best example of a godly father. But, as the movie went on, Adam began to change and try to be more like God. He even encouraged others to change their ways and become examples to their children. Adam stepped up and helped a friend's child by spending time with the child because the child's birth father was in jail.
   Fathers need to step up and realize that whatever they do is being watched even if they don't realize it. Fathers must be an example to children even if they don't want to be. If we don't have fathers step up, then our world is in for a rude awakening.
   So, will you choose to be an example to children? Will you step up and help children who may not have godly fathers?

   Romans 12:2, Matthew 5:16, Proverbs 20:7

   Image from here. 

The Advocate

   If you know me, you know I enjoy taking personality quizzes. Also, because I am a teacher, I like to get to know others and their personalities. That may be why I ask my family and friends to take many random quizzes like "what Disney Princess are you?" I really like Disney, can you blame me? ;)
   One quiz I took in high school and college was the Jung personality test. I enjoyed taking that test because it told me about the way I work. Through the years I have taken that quiz many times; though people say your personality doesn't change mine tends to go back and forth between 2 personalities. The most common personality type I get is INFJ. I typically take this test on the 16 personalities website. Recently, that website put names with each of the personalities. Mine is called the advocate.

   This got me thinking about how Jesus is our advocate. 1 John 2:1-2 says: "My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world." How does Jesus relate to the advocate personality? I'm glad you asked.
   People with the INFJ personality connect easily with others. That is because they speak in human terms rather than in logical ones. Looking at the Bible we see that Jesus differentiated how he spoke to people based off of the peoples' education. Most of the time he was speaking to people who were not educated. Jesus told these people Parables that they could relate to. Does that mean he told the people exactly what they needed to know in plain terms? No, he wanted people to think and seek him. Jesus did make it easy for people to understand the principles he wanted to get across because he used stories they would understand.
   Another strength the advocate has is they are altruistic. I mean, just look at what Jesus did for us. Even while he was on earth, Jesus did not really do much for himself. He went far distances and sometimes went without food just so he could tell others about how they could be saved. Then he completed the greatest act of unselfishness: he died for us. He did not die for himself, he died for us.
   According to the website previously mentioned, a weakness of the advocate is they can burn out easily. This is the dark side when it comes to unselfishness. Jesus was human while on earth. He completed so many acts that many of us may have been done after his first month of teaching. However, Jesus knew that it was important to rest. Go figure, God gave us a day of rest and he knows the importance of resting. :D Jesus spent time resting, praying, and walking with God. That's how Jesus avoided burn out. He knew he needed to step back sometimes and rejuvenate.
   Advocates are loyal friends. No matter how many times we fall away from God Jesus calls us back to him and accepts us when we return to him. He also wants to see us grow in him. He sees our potential and who we can become. He wants to help us grow into that person.
   Finally, the advocate sees subordinates as equals in the workplace. Wait, Jesus sees us as equals?! How can we be his equal? He is God. Yeah, we definitely are not his equal in that way but Romans 8:17 says: "Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory." We get the same inheritance Christ has: we get to have eternal life. We get to go to heaven. You may be saying, "sweet, I accepted Christ so I'm going to heaven to get my inheritance no matter what I do." There's a catch. 

   According to this verse we need to share in his sufferings.  Advocates expect workers to be as motivated and reliable as they are. In short we are to act like Jesus. How can we act like Jesus? He is God and he is perfect. That does not mean we are to be perfect. It just means we are to try and be like him. Jesus knows we will not be perfect, that's why he died on the cross, and because he loves us. We just have to continue to grow in him and try to be like him.
   Why does it matter that the advocate personality sounds a lot like Jesus? It matters because without Jesus having these attributes we would not be saved. Why should you care about these personality types? It helps you know yourself and others, which is what Jesus calls us to do. He calls us to love others which means getting to know them.
   So, do you know how important it is for Jesus to be your advocate? How can you grow in Jesus?

   How can you use personality types to show love to others?

   Image from here.

Good Grain

   Imagine you had to go out and harvest items in order to make dinner. In Bible times they had to do just that. They did not have a store they could go to in order to buy food. They had to work for their food.
   One activity they had to do was grain threshing. It kind of reminds me of searching for gold in one of those strainer like pans. Except, rather than sifting, they threw the grain up in the air. Why did they throw the grain in the air? In Psalm 1 we find the answer: "Not so the wicked, They are like chaff, that the wind blows away." Chaff is not a word that we hear too often nowadays. Chaff is the parts of the grain we don't use in the bread. The grain is the good part that we need to make bread.
   Why should you care about grain and chaff? I am not saying you should. What I am saying is that there is another lesson in this activity. Each day you go out and work in some way, shape, or form. I am sure that you don't come home from work every day saying, "I can't wait to go back. I love my job." More than likely you wake up thinking, "Oh I have to deal with that situation again." Or, "I cannot believe I have to work with that person." Those thoughts are like the chaff. We must hold on to the grain, which are the good thoughts.
   We have a choice. We can choose to focus on the positive each day, the grain. Or, we can focus on the negative things, the chaff. I don't know about you but I don't want to focus on something that won't produce anything. Grain gives life because it makes bread. Chaff will just bring death if that is all we focus on.
   So, do you focus too much on the negative? What can you do to stop focusing on the negative chaff? How can you focus on the good grain today?

   Philippians 4:8 and Proverbs 17:22

   Image from here.

The Extra Mile

   Picture that you have just finished the last thing you need to do after work. It is a Friday and you are ready to go home to your family and enjoy the weekend. You grab your coat and pack your bag. You pull your keys out and start to walk away when suddenly you hear your co-worker. He asks you to help him finish part of this project.
   Now, you had just put in a full day of work. You were diligent and finished all of your tasks. Then this co-worker has the gall to ask you to help him! You have a choice. You could stay and help him or you could make up an excuse and say you had to get home. I just want you to think about what you would do...
   Meanwhile let's look at what the Bible says about this. In Matthew 5 Jesus is giving instruction to people. He begins to talk about the idea of "an eye for an eye" in verse 38. He says that if someone strikes your right cheek let him strike the other as well. He goes on to say "If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles" (Mat.5.40). Now, some of you may be saying "what does that mean? How can someone force me to go a mile?" Others may be saying "my coach, or trainer, would make me do that." Still others may be saying "If I had to go a mile, let alone two, I would fall over and God would take me to heaven!"
   Let's look at the context of this verse. Back in this time the Roman Empire was in charge. Roman guards had a lot to carry at times. It was legal for a Roman soldier to pull someone at random to help him carry his things. The soldier could only force that person to carry his things for a mile. Thus, Jesus was saying to go another mile with that soldier. Think about that: it is an inconvenience for you, it is a very hard job, and you are pulled away from what you need to do.
   Back to my first situation: what would you do? Would you have stayed to help your co-worker? Jesus would say that not only should you stay but you should also help him finish the project! You may be asking "why should I help? What if my co-worker takes all of the credit?" He may do that but we cannot control the actions of others. We can only control our own actions. Who knows? Maybe your helping the co-worker out will lead the co-worker to Christ.
   So, when people ask you to help will you help? Will you follow the teachings of Jesus? Will you choose to go the extra mile?

   Matthew 5:38-42 and Colossians 3:23

   Image from here.

Demon: When You Don't Have a Choice

   If you saw this title, and image, what would you think of the book? We are told not to judge a book by its cover yet we seem to do it all the time. Let me tell you a little bit about this book and lessons I have learned from it.
   The whole story is about a demon who tells his story to an editor. This editor really wants to be a writer but none of his books did well. In the end this editor realizes how much we take for granted. We can have a relationship with God! Can demons have a relationship with God? No, they are trapped in a place without God.
   Humans have a choice. We can choose whether we will walk with God or not. Meanwhile demons chose once and they are now stuck with their choice. Some of us may say: "Well I'm a good person, I don't need God."
   Ha, this book throws that idea out the window. If we choose to do this life on our own then we will be judged by our actions. If we even had one sin, either by commission or omission, then we cannot be with God.  He cannot be with anything that is not pure or unholy. We would end up being like the demons that chose to follow Lucifer.
   God is gracious toward us. We get chance after chance to choose his way. We get chance after chance to choose to follow him. Meanwhile demons don't. How can we be so ungrateful or prideful to think that we can get to heaven on our own when the demons don't get a second chance? If we choose to do this on our own we will go to Hell just like the demons.
   I encourage you to check out this book. It gives you a new perspective on God, demons, and people from the Bible.
   So, have you chosen to walk through this life with God? If you haven't, will you choose to walk with him today? 

   Romans 3:10 and Proverbs 3:5-6
   Image found here.  

Making Mistakes

   One day I was out watching my students at recess. I saw one child playing on a piece of playground equipment. This child is very strong and outgoing. He had gotten himself up on top of a pole. He then grabbed another pole and was trying to get across to this other pole to the point where his body was horizontal across these two poles.
   Now, with today's standards many parents would probably be saying "you need to stop him, that is dangerous." I thought about stopping him but I knew he would learn a lesson no matter what happened. He did make it across to the other pole and then he celebrated. He worked hard to get where he wanted to go and was rewarded because he made it.
   I know there are parents out there who want to protect their kids. I'm not saying that some protection is wrong. What I am saying is what I say to my students, "you need to try. If you try your best and you mess up will Miss Scheuing be upset?" The students always say, "no." My students know that they learn by making mistakes.
   I think that we have forgotten that in this day and age. We are so afraid to mess up that we stay inside our comfort zone. We end up missing opportunities because we choose to not do new things. My students would not be rewarded with the ability to read if they did not try something new. My players would not have the skills they have today if they did not join a new team or try a new drill. I would not be rewarded with all the gifts and opportunities God has given me if I stopped trying new things.
   Making mistakes is okay. It may not be fun, but if you make a mistake you are more likely to try something new next time. Above all else, when you make a mistake remember, "there was only one perfect man and he walked on water. Can you do that?"
   So will you choose to step outside your comfort zone to gain new opportunities and grow? Will you guide and encourage others to step outside their comfort zones? How can you step outside your comfort zone today?

   Joshua 1:9, 2 Peter 3:18, Romans 5:2-6

   Image found here.

Where Do You Find Hope?

   Almost any of us who know the Easter story know that one of the main themes is hope. But that is only one story that has the theme of hope. Think about any of the stories you know where hope is a theme. Some may have happy endings, while others may have sad endings. Everyone has hoped for one thing or another in their lives. But, are we hoping for the right thing?

   We all have our own story here on earth. There are ups and downs in our stories. And, there are times we may not have hope. There is only one story that gives us true hope. And, it starts with God creating the world. Then man fell into sin. There was little hope in the world, except for a promise that God would send a perfect lamb to be sacrificed on our behalf. God sent His only son to die on the cross for us. The true story of hope is found in the Bible.

   But, there is one other great thing about this story of hope found in the Bible: it’s not over yet. God gives us a chance to be a part of the story. He gives us our hope in Christ because we know he is coming back. It is our job to make sure that others have the chance to know about this hope in Jesus. But, Jesus coming back isn’t even the end of the story either. When he comes back we will get to live with him forever. See the true story of hope never ends. It’s amazing to think about isn’t it? Hope you all have a happy Easter.

   Mark 8:31, Luke 24:6-7, Revelation 21:4