Peace Be With You

 One day I was at church just sitting in a chair waiting for the service to start. The pastor came down the steps and was making his way to the front. As he passed me, he said, “Peace be with you.” Now it is very rare that I am so quick thinking when it comes to quips and jokes, but in that moment, I said, “my peace I give to you.” The pastor stopped, smiled, and said, “I like that.” Then we moved on with our days.

I thought about that exchange afterwards. What I said was for real. I did want to give him my peace. But I had also said it because of a Bible verse. John 14:27 says, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” 

Jesus left this earth and gave us peace. We can have his peace. That’s mind boggling for me to think about. Because we have his peace, we can offer his peace, and in turn our peace to others as well. 

Here’s the thing though, to offer others peace, we need to be at peace ourselves. We need to have Biblical peace, which is not just calm and tranquility. It is having peace during those times but also in the storms of life as well. When things are going wrong and our world seems to be crashing around us, we are still calm because we have peace. We know God has a plan and nothing the world throws at us can hurt us. The worst thing that can happen to us is death. If that does happen, we will be with Christ.

Once we are at peace with ourselves and our circumstances, we can offer peace to others. We don’t have to fight them. We don’t have to argue. We can turn the other cheek. We can offer to go the extra mile. We can give them our cloak as well. Through those actions people will notice there’s something different about us. Then we can tell them how to get perfect peace.

So, are you at peace right now? How can you remember to have peace daily no matter your circumstances?

https://youtu.be/QZFzcc_6Mbw

If You Are Afraid: Soccer Lessons

"If you're afraid you're more likely to get hurt."

   I once had a player who I coached who was afraid every time she went into a tackle. She didn't want to get hurt. That makes sense since soccer is a tough sport. It is full contact. And, depending on the referees, it could be total contact where you are basically tackling each other. Needless to say the amount of injuries has gone up in the past few years.

   Now, as a coach it is my job to make sure the girls are as prepared as they can be for a game. That lessens the chances of them getting injured. However, some girls still have residual fear. Some of them don't feel prepared enough. Others had a previous injury and are afraid of injuring themselves again. Whatever the reason, I have found that if a player is afraid of getting injured then she is more likely to get injured. If a player doesn't go hard into a tackle but the opposing player does go hard into a tackle then the player who didn't go hard will probably get hurt. That's just how the sport seems to work.

   It is the same way in life. Philippians 4:6-7 says: "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." If we are anxious or afraid of life we are expecting to get hurt. That also means we are not trusting God. God doesn't want us to fear. He wants us to have peace. He wants to have a relationship with us that is so good that when we are afraid we go to him. If we go to him, his word says that we will have peace in him.

   So, do you have anxiety problems? What can you do to better trust God today? I challenge you this week that whenever you feel anxious to talk to God and let him give you peace.

   Image from here.

The Random Compliment a Day Challenge

   Let’s get real about something here: do you ever feel like you are being talked about? My family enjoys saying: “were your ears burning?” That means they were talking about me even though I wasn’t there. Another thing that happens is you are actually in the room with other people and you just get the feeling that people are talking about you.

   It is like this clip from Mulan (Here watch 1:12-1:23). Okay, so maybe it isn’t that obvious but you get my point. We are talked about every day even if we do not realize it. Sometimes people are saying negative things about us, like in this clip (and, yes, I know the clip was a little obvious because Yao was talking about Mulan). But, we should not care about that because it only matters what God thinks about us (Caring and Yet Not Caring).

   However, there is that occasion where people are saying something nice about you. I’ve realized something though. Many times people say nice things behind our backs and we may not know what they actually said.

   For example: one day I was talking with the soccer girls that I coach. One of the other coaches walked by, we will call him Dude. One of the girls said “I love Dude. He makes soccer fun and he is so funny.” I said, “I see how I rate. Now he is your favorite but you also said you like G (another coach).” She said, “well Dude cannot hear me. You are right here.” I looked at her with confusion, “why does that matter?” She chimed back, “I normally only talk about people when they are not around me.” At this point I was so confused I laughed and went over to talk with the other coaches.

   That conversation made me realize that we do not tell others what they think about them nearly enough. Now, I’m not saying that we should go tell people we don’t like them. What I am saying is that we are not really following the Bible and showing love/encouragement to each other when we do that. The Bible tells us that we need to build one another up (1 Thessalonians 5:11). We need to show love to others in the way that best fits them (See Love is Kind of a Funny Word blog)

   I walk though my day doing the best I can to reflect God’s glory. I am working on not caring about what others think about me, but it is still important for us to lift one another up. I’m not just saying we should lift one another up in bad times; we also need to do it in the good times. Admit it: you would love to get a random compliment from someone when you were not expecting it. And you will also have completed a random act of kindness for the day. I know when I get a compliment it pushes me to do even better. It is just something simple we can do to make the world a better place.

   So, will you choose to tell others how you feel about them? Will you give others random compliments? Will you encourage others like we are called to do?

   Hebrews 10:23-25, Proverbs 27:17, Proverbs 12:25

Are You Anxious?

How many of you have ever had a pet? I'm sure many of you have. You care for your pet and love them. You give them everything they need. Sometimes they are even spoiled. I can tell you that my dog Jak Jak is loved and probably spoiled. However, there is something that Jak Jak has that concerns me.

See, we got Jak Jak when he was 3 months old. He was the first ever puppy, not dog, in my family's household. Thus, Jak needed more attention and care. He was like a baby. He couldn't do certain things like jump on chairs that were high up. He wasn't potty trained. And he obviously couldn't get food for himself (I enjoy pretending to talk like him and I say "I don't have opposable thumbs)." So, my family and I did all these things for him. Unfortunately, Jak Jak developed such an attachment to us that when he wasn't with someone he would whine. This whining and not having someone around developed into anxiety.

Here's the thing I couldn't understand. We love Jak Jak. We give him everything he needs, plus some things he doesn't. Why did my little boy have anxiety? I didn't know and I still don't. But this situation got me thinking: why are we anxious?

We are God's children. God is a loving God. He cares for us. He gives us everything we need and some things we don't need. Yet, we still are anxious about different things. Now, you may be saying "it's different. We have many more problems than pets do. We have to provide for our families. We have to deal with annoying people at work. We have to care for the children and our parents." Yes, we do have to do all that (though I would like us to get to the point where we say we "get to" do all those things but that's a blog for another time). But, we are not required to worry about all of that. In fact, we are told not to worry about those things.

Philippians 4:6-7 says: "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Okay, the Bible says we are not to be anxious. Why? We are not to be anxious because we are to bring our concerns to God. What happens when we do that? If we let God handle our concerns, then we get peace. We don't get the peace where we have a spa day, a vacation day, or quiet. We get peace in our hearts to know that even in all the crazy of life, everything will be okay. Everything will be okay, why? It will be okay because God's got this. He has a plan. He cares for you. He loves us enough to be a part of our lives. He has a relationship with us, if we choose to have one with him. We just need to trust in him, instead of worrying.

So, are you worrying too much? What can you do when worries and anxieties come up? How can you do a better job of trusting God today?

Image from here.

Fighting with Our Swords: Independence Day

   In 1776 when men made the courageous decision to declare independence from Great Britain we began a war. It was a physical struggle. Many men lost their lives fighting for freedom.

We are also in a battle. It's not a physical battle like the Civil war was. It is a spiritual one. The Devil attacks every day. Some days it may feel like we've had great victories. Other days it feels like we fail and fall in battle.
   The Devil uses many tricks to attack us. I have found that many times he attacks by using words. He tells us what we want to hear. He says we should take that candy. He says we should lie to get what we want. He tells us many more things. Then, if we listen to him, he tells us we are not good. He says God could never forgive us.
   Whoever said "sticks and stones many break my bones but words can never hurt me" must not have been thinking about the words our brains say to us. Many times our minds tell us what we want to do then we battle back and forth. "Yes I should do it because...." "No I shouldn't do it because..." Eventually one side wins.
   How do we combat this battle with words if it is in our head? I'm glad you asked. We combat them by fighting back with words. The Devil fights with words. We need to defend and attack with The Word. We need to know the word of God so that when the devil says, "you are really hungry why don't you take your sibling's (parent's, child's, spouse's) piece of candy?" We can say: "the Lord commanded us not to steal. Plus, man does not live by bread alone."
   Fighting this fight isn't easy. Memorizing the word isn't easy. But, if we want to defeat the devil we must know what God says. God fights for us. He loves us and wants a relationship with us. In order for that to happen we need to abide with him. We need to get into the Word and pray to God so that when the devil does attack we have the armor of God to defend us.
   So, what spiritual battles are you facing today? How can you defeat the devil? Are you spending enough time with God? What can you do to encourage someone who may be fighting a battle today?

   Hebrews 4:12, Matthew 4:4, 2 Timothy 3:16-17
   Image from here.

Is Jesus Safe?

   Today Christians have this mindset of I want to be safe. But we are promised we will not be safe (Blessings Blog). John 15:17-18 says "If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you."
   We will be hated because we stand for good. We are sinful creatures and we want to follow our own desires. But, once we accept Christ, it is no longer alright for us to follow those desires. Because of that, people will not like us because we stand for a code of morals. That is why we will not be safe.
   In fact, even God is not safe. "'Safe?' said Mr. Beaver; 'don’t you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you'" (Chronicles of Narnia The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe). Of course that quote is from a book but it still applies. God has never changed; he's just changed the way he deals with us. He is still the God of wrath from the Old Testament. He still hates sin and cannot be with it, which is why he's not safe if you are a sinner. But, if you accept Christ, you are his child. He will love you no matter what you do.
   How can we stop trying to be safe? We need to get out of our comfort zones. In Matthew 5:10-12 we are told: "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. ‘Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.'" The prophets were persecuted, the disciples were persecuted, and even Jesus was persecuted. Why is it that we think we won't be persecuted?
   We are going to be persecuted. Every Christian needs to answer this question honestly: "If it was illegal to be a Christian, would you still profess to be a Christian?" If you said "no," I encourage you to get into the Word. Pray and deepen your relationship with God. Ask yourself, "why am I a Christian?"  When you answer that question remember that this life is temporary. God's kingdom is forever.
   So, when you are persecuted what will you say? Will you choose to cling to Christ?

   John 15:17-18 and Matthew 10:34-39

   Image from here.

Graduation Past, Present, And Future

   I was blessed with the experience to be a Kindergarten teacher this year. Recently, we had our Kindergarten Graduation. The students worked so hard to put on an amazing program and they did a fantastic job.

   Now, my students are ready for the next step: first grade. Actually, they have a little something called a summer vacation before that. Here’s the interesting thing: my kids were ready for summer probably a month ago. They were already talking about going to the pool, going to Disney, playing with friends, and just relaxing.

   Have you ever noticed how many times we are waiting for the next exciting event? We are ready to go to middle school, then high school, then college, then the real world. Why do we want to fast forward our lives? Perhaps it is because during the season of life we are in we don’t like the challenges, we don’t like the work, we don’t like this or that. Let me ask you this: what happens if we do not have challenges?

   The answer is: we don’t grow. Challenges are difficult to face but we must face them, with God, in order to grow.

   I think that we need to stop and slow down. We need to remember to look at the past, present, and then the future.

   Looking back: We need to look back at the places we were, at who we were, and at the people who impacted us. When we look back, we should not look back with longing, regret, or sadness. We should look back and be thankful for the challenges and the people who helped us through those challenges.

   Looking at now: it is a well-known saying that “today is a gift that is why it is called the present.” Many times we want to fast forward days because we are looking forward to something. But, we should be using the present wisely. We are only given a certain amount of time on earth, and we don’t know how long that is. That is why we need to enjoy now and the moments of joy we get.

   Looking at the future: when we look at the future, it may be scary but we need to prepare ourselves for the future. We do not need to overthink about the future. This is a difference between worrying and preparing. Worrying means you are always thinking about whatever the future holds. Preparing means you are taking action in the present in order to reach your future goals. Preparing means that you are working hard, and trusting God because he holds your future.

   For those of you who are graduating I encourage you to look back at who you were and thank the people who helped you grow. Next, stop for a minute and enjoy this moment because it is fleeting. Finally, prepare yourself for the future that God had for you!

   Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

   Image from here.

Conclusion: The Fruit of the Spirit Series

   “Grow deep roots to harvest rich fruit! When your roots run deep, you cannot help but bear the fruit of the Spirit” (Michael Beckwith).

   Thus ends the journey through the fruits of the spirit. Even though my journey of writing about the fruits of the spirit has ended my study and application of them in my life has not. Because, if we as Christians stop learning about and applying the fruits of the spirit then we fail to grow in God.

   Through this journey I learned a few things that I hope you realized as well. First, all of the fruits of the spirit are connected in one way or another. Detaching them was a difficult task as was defining them. For example: if one has a gentle spirit then that person will love others. If that person loves others then the person will show self-control if someone else angers him, and so on.

   Another aspect I hope you have seen is that without God one cannot exhibit all of the fruits of the spirit. This is why one must be in constant communication with God. And, why you must have a relationship with God. God wants us to be his friend, and he wants him to grow in him. Above all else we must remember that when certain things happen in our lives, that we may not like, it is all within God’s plan for us. That is why we must trust him.

   So, are you willing to grow and exhibit the fruits of the spirit? Do you have a relationship with God in order to better exhibit the fruits of the spirit?

   Matthew 7:15-20, John 15:1, Matthew 6:19-21, Galatians 5:22-23

Peace During the Storm: The Fruit of the Spirit Series

   “Peace. It does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble, or hard work. It means to be in the midst of those things and still be calm in your heart” (unknown).

   When you think of peace what pictures, things, or people come to mind ? You may think of Martin Luther King Junior, a calm ocean, a peace sign, or many other things. But, is that what peace really is?

   Peace is “a state of tranquility or quiet,” or, “freedom from civil disturbance” (Merriam-Webster). Can we all laugh now?  That seems like it would be a good definition for peace but I disagree.

   There is a story about a king who offered a prize to the artist who would paint the best picture of peace. There were many submissions but the king narrowed them down to two. One picture was of a calm lake. Behind lake were mountains; and the sky was clear. The other picture had rugged and bare mountains. Rain fell from the sky and lightning was crashing. A foaming waterfall was down the side of the mountain. Behind the waterfall there was a tiny bush growing in a crack in the rock. In the bush a mother bird built her nest and sat there in peace. The king chose the second picture (full story here).

   Peace is not being in “a state of tranquility or quiet.” Peace is to be in the midst of trouble and trials and still know everything will work out. Peace is learning to trust in God and his plan. Think about it. There are very few times in my life where bad things were not happening. When I stressed and worried about those things I was not helping anything; and I was just hurting myself. However, when I trusted God and had peace in my heart I felt a whole lot better. When bad things happen I know that there really is nothing I can do about them. I just need to trust God and follow him. Then I will have true peace.

   So, do you believe that peace is to have no trouble or to be in the midst of trouble and still be calm? Are you worried about everything that is going on in your life? Do you trust that God has a plan for you?

   John 16:33, 1 Peter 5:7, Psalm 4:8, Galatians 5:22-23

A Birthday Reflection

   There are many times I reflect on what has happened in my life. Some specific times are when the New Year rolls around and when my birthday comes. Since today is my birthday I decided to look back on my life and see how much has changed.

   Through the past year I have had many ups and downs. However, this year, I decided to lean on God rather than worry. Because I did that, I learned different lessons about different times in life.

   Last year, during the summer I decided to go on a friendship fast. This helped me learn how to have God as my best friend. I also learned how to trust in him and have peace in him. If you are at a point in your life where you are moving on to a different chapter in life and you may lose some friends. My suggestion to you would be to learn how to have God as your bff. This means spending time with him daily and talking with him anytime you want to because he is there for you.

   In fall I made the decision to play soccer one more time. During that time I also had student teaching toward the end of my soccer season. While in soccer, I had some times that I was free. In that free time I decided to meet with all of my teammates to get to know them more. That made a huge difference on and off the field. If you are at a time in your life where you are at a certain work place, college, or you are just used to doing something more than someone else is you can come alongside that person or people and mentor them. I wanted the new players on the team to have a good time and to grow. That is what we all can do to help others.

   In winter I graduated and had student teaching. This was a scary time for me because I was leaving a place that I had been at for so long. If you are about to leave a place you have been at for a while my advice to you is to enjoy the time you have there for as long as you can. Once that time is gone, you cannot get it back.

   In Spring I began to substitute at various schools. This was also a scary time for me because I did not know the schools, children, discipline codes, or teachers. I am thankful for this job but it is not an easy one. This lesson comes in the form of past lessons I have learned. 1. Look for the positive in everything. And 2. Get out of your comfort zone. If you are entering a new place or job look for the positive in everything because if you do not you may be wondering why you chose this job. Also, you need to learn that there are times you need to get out of your comfort zone and trust in God.

   So, as you can see it is not easy to always trust in God but that is what you need to do when you reach these points in life. Are you willing to trust God in everything? Will you look for the positive no matter what?

   Proverbs 3:5-6, Joshua 1:9, Proverbs 27:17

Caring and Yet Not Caring

   For those of you who don’t know I am a deep thinker. I love to learn new things and think about many different things. There is one question I have always struggled with. I have posed this question to many of my friends and people who I look up to and none of them had the answer. The question was: how do we care about others but not care about what they think about things and us?

   It has literally taken me years to figure out this answer and I will explain to you why. For so long I said I care about others, because that is what God calls us to do. And, I still do care about others. But, I never understood how I could care about someone and not care what they think about me. I mean if someone would say that they think I’m too sarcastic. Should I just say to them “well I don’t care what you think?” If I did that I may lose my friendship with that person.

   But, I have finally figured out the answer to this conundrum, which is actually quite simple. The answer is to have peace in God. Let me explain this answer. If someone would say to me “you are too sarcastic.” I have two choices. If I don’t have peace in God, I could let it go to my head and try to change for them. But, if I do have peace in God then I can just say “okay.” I don’t have to say anything more because if I do then I could either hurt myself or that person. If I know who I am in God, and I have peace in him, it doesn’t matter what other people say about me.

   Now, there is a little thing we need to remember in here. Sometimes what people say about us is true and they are trying to keep us accountable. So, when someone does say something about us we need to reflect on if they are correct or not. Good friends will try to keep us accountable and make us better.

   There you have it. When people say things about us we have two options. We can either change ourselves over and over again for others. Or, we can know who we are in God. But, we need to reflect on what that person said. If the person really does care about you he may just be trying to keep you accountable.

   So, do you care too much about what others think about you? Do you know who you are in God? Has anyone ever tried to keep you accountable and you haven’t listened to them? Are you keeping others accountable?

   John 13:34-35, John 1:12, Galatians 6:1-5

Dancing with Jesus in the Storm

   There is a quote that I have used in other blogs that goes like this: “Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass it’s about learning how to dance in the rain.” Many times people want all of their troubles to go away. Any time we have problems we think “God is horrible.” But, when things are good we say “we are blessed.” Or, we don’t give any praise to God.

   Many people have problems when they face the storms and rollercoasters in life. That is because those people do not know the secret of how to deal with those problems. In order for you to discover what that secret is I’m going to take you through a lesson I taught to my students during student teaching.

   Close your eyes and, if possible, play this music on this link (if you cannot play the music then just read on). When you heard the music you may have pictured a calm ocean. A gentle breeze blows across your face. How do you feel? You probably feel peace, calmness, or tranquility.

   Now, play the music on this link (once again if you cannot play the music just read on). What did you picture when you heard this music, or how did you feel? You may have pictured a person heading off to war. You may have felt pumped up or angry. But, you probably did not feel peace.

   Believe it or not, I actually felt peace more during the second song. That song is what played before every single one of my soccer home games. We would walk out to that song and it would get me in the zone. That song reminded me that, even though I was nervous for the game, I knew what I was doing. I had prepared for this by practicing my goalkeeping skills. Thus, I felt peace.

   And yet, as I have stated before, goalkeeping is a stressful position. How then could I have felt peace? I felt peace because I was prepared and I knew that no matter what happened God was with me. I was in the middle of a place where there was a lot of pressure but I felt peace.

   When problems come in life we need to remember to keep our eyes fixed on God. We cannot focus on the problem and say “God is horrible.” We need to trust in God because he can use all of these things for good. He has a plan. We can know that everything happens for a reason. That reason may be to help us grow, to help us trust in God, or to reach someone else for Christ. But, whatever the reason may be, it is vital for us to learn to dance with Jesus during the storm.

   So, when trials come in life do you trust in God or turn on him? Do you know that peace is not found in the calm times in life but in the storms when we trust in God? Are you working on improving your relationship with God so you can have peace when problems come?

   Philippians 4:6, Proverbs 3:5-6, Romans 8:28