Go Rockets!

The Rockets were down by 17 points to the LA Clippers in game 6 around the middle of the 3rd quarter.  The Clippers were ready to celebrate winning the series and advancing past the Rockets to play in the Western Conference finals.  Just one problem for the Clippers; the Rockets were not finished.  I stayed up till 1:15 AM watching from East Coast a game that was being played on the West Coast.  But it was worth it.  The come back by the Rockets was amazing and fun.  The Rockets not only won; they did it convincingly; 119-107.   I hope they learned something about themselves, that they are so much better than what they often settle for.  If they keep this up, who knows... we may win game 7.  Then things get interesting.  Could they go to the finals?  Can they win another championship?  Right now I am just glowing in the victory of my favorite NBA team.  GO ROCKETS!!!

Don’t Blame Christmas

Its Christmas time and that means one thing, it is the season to lose one’s mind!  Okay, maybe that was a little too dramatic, but it seems as if Christmas makes people just a little crazier than normal.  People like me who don’t enjoy decorating will spend hours decorating, why?  Because it is Christmas.  People who like to decorate, go nuts and turn their homes into a winter wonderland, why?  Because it is Christmas.  People, who like to spend, spend even more.  People, who like to eat, eat even more.  People, who feel stressed, feel even more stress.  People, who feel lonely, feel even lonelier.  WHY?  Because it’s Christmas.  Please don’t blame Christmas. 

It’s not Christmas’ fault we get this way; in fact the fault is ours.  Christmas simply magnifies who we already are.  If you are a thankful and joyful person most of the year, then at Christmas you will probably be even more thankful and even more joyful.  If you are a negative scrooge most of the year, then you will be even more of one at Christmas.  If you are down and lonely most of the year, it will be at Christmas time that your struggles will be magnified.  So to all of you who are struggling, don’t blame Christmas and definitely don’t treat it like it’s the answer to your problems (that will only cause more depression and binge eating in January). 

The answer to our struggles is not Christmas, but Christ.  He is the savior after all.  The gifts of mercy, grace, love, salvation, renewal, second chances, and spiritual strength are offered year round through our Lord Jesus Christ. If you read John 15, you will see that a branch disconnected from the tree will wither, struggle, and die.  If we are disconnected from Jesus, we too will wither, struggle, and die.  However, if we connect with Jesus, we will become like branches that are strong and fruitful.  Through Christ we will find the strength to overcome our weaknesses and struggles.  His Spirit will grow fruit in our lives each day we focus with gratitude on the saving work He did on the cross.  If you are lonely, the Spirit of God can empower you to encourage others who are lonely, so that together through Christ you won’t be.  If you are stressed, through His Spirit we find a peace and comfort that no holiday can provide. Okay, I could go on, hopefully you get the idea. Next time you look at a Christmas tree, look at its strong base and its long wiry branches with heavy ornaments hanging on them.  The reason they stay up is because they are firmly connected to the tree. No matter what season we are in, if you want strength and peace; if you want that, then connect to the vine (Jesus) and watch and see what kind of fruit will grow in your life. 

Merry Christmas! 

-Vic

Remain in me, and I will remain in you.  No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine.  Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

I am the vine; you are the branches.  If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.

John 15: 4-5_NIV

Precious Potatoes

Fredrick the II or better known as Fredrick the Great of Prussia was considered one of the greatest military minds of all time.  He is considered one of the greatest rulers of all time.  One interesting story about Fredrick is that he wanted to introduce new crops to Germany, so he introduced the potato to his people.  IF you ever notice, the potato at first glance is an ugly (dirty) vegetable that does not appeal to people right from the start.  The Prussian people said, “No thank you”, and were unwilling to grow the potato because no one wanted to eat it.  Some farmers were arrested for not growing potatoes.  So Fredrick (being a very smart tactician) declared the potato a “royal only” vegetable; that the potato was too good for ordinary people.  Therefore only the royal farms could grow them and only royal people could eat them.  He then planted royal potato farms and put guards out to protect these potato crops.  Fredrick said to his guards, “Protect these potatoes, but don’t protect them very well.”  Next thing you know, people went from hating potatoes to stealing potatoes; because if it is a royal food, it must be pretty good.   What Fredrick did with the potato was to rebrand it.  It’s not just some dirty ordinary vegetable; now it was a royal food.  And that which was despised became deeply desired. 

Consider the words of Peter…

“4 And coming to Him as to a living stone which has been rejected by men, but is choice and precious in the sight of God, 5 you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” 1 Peter 2:4-5 NIV

Just as the potato was rejected, so was Jesus.  He was rejected at first.  However by faith, a rebranding of sorts occurred in the minds and hearts of some of the very people who had first rejected Him.  They had no idea that the pain and heartache in their lives was due to the fact that they were trying to live without the Son of God.  Once people realized Jesus wasn’t just some average man, they began to see that He was the best of all men; more than that, He was royalty, the Son of God.  That changed everything for people everywhere, because Jesus is not a man to be rejected.  Instead, He is the most precious of all of our relationships.  Some days we reject Jesus; we leave him out of our schedule thinking that we have more important things to deal with, that we don’t have time for Him.  Those tend to be our worst times, the days in which we try to live without our Savior.  Maybe we need to rebrand the way we see Jesus, because He is not just some man or some trivial idea that we can discard.  He is royalty.  He is the most precious of things.  Only through Him can we become royalty (children of the King), eternal, righteous, enjoying His everlasting grace and peace. 

-Vic

Who is King Lemuel, And What About His Mother?

There is no one by the name Lemuel that we can connect to the Old Testament.  Maybe Lemuel is a personal for one of the kings.  We don’t know.  There a few scholars that translate the name Lemuel as “belonging to God”.  By the wording of the proverb it seems pretty clear that he and his mother were real people; we just don’t know exactly who they were.  With that said, after reading this proverb, we have a very good idea of what kind of people they were.  The first nine verses of Proverbs 31 is advice that King Lemuel’s mother gave to him.

 These words are called an oracle; that is a big mystical word that simply means “wisdom that determines ones future”.  That of course is my definition; but I think it is on point.  Think about it, the proverbs are filled with wise teaching that if ignored could lead to destructive behavior.  For example in Proverbs 31:1-9 King Lemuel’s mother taught him to abstain from drunkenness because it would distract him as a leader, causing him to neglect his duties and his people.  My favorite part of Proverbs 31 is verses 8-9…

“8 Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. ⁹ Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.” Proverbs 31:8-9 NIV

These sound like the words from a noble woman to her soon to be princess, queen, prince, king from any number of Disney fairytale stories.  It sure sounds like any mother of a Greek, Spartan, Roman, Assyrian, or Babylonian king.  Those mothers taught their children to be ruthless and self-centered.  Whoever King Lemuel’s mother was, she was a game changer; she taught her son and now the world what a true leader is to be.  A true leader thinks of others, defends the poor and the weak, does not see women as simply objects for sexual fulfillment, nor does a leader dull his senses with drugs or alcohol that would distract from his responsibilities.  These wise teachings from Lemuel’s mother make sense now in our 21^st century world, but they were revolutionary when they were written more than 2000 years ago.  From a woman we don’t know; she changed the world not with a sword, fashion, physical beauty, or even wealth; she changed world with the wisdom she diligently shared with her children.  Godly mothers can change the world and make it better.  Happy Mother’s Day!

Grace & Peace,

Vic

TRUSTING in Luck, Axioms, Proverbs, Truisms & Cats

So you are having a bad day and then out of nowhere you receive an email alert on your phone.  You open the email and there it is; a picture of a cute cat hanging on a tree limb next to a little quote that says, “hang in there!”  YAY! Problem solved!  Your day is no longer a bad day, because you can put your trust in that little quote that turned everything around.  OR HAS IT?  Can you place your trust just in any quote or proverb, even if it has cute pictures of cats and dogs?   

The book of Proverbs often personifies wisdom as a woman.  In fact, all of chapter 8 is a poem about "lady wisdom."   We do the same thing when we personify luck as "lady luck."

So where do you put your trust?  Lady Luck or Lady Wisdom?  How many times has lady luck walked out on you?   Can we really count on luck?  And we live in a world that puts more trust in luck than it does in God’s truth / wisdom.   So where do you put your trust?  Luck or Wisdom? 

Luck will run out; but God is faithful.  Luck doesn’t forgive sins, luck does not heal a broken relationship, luck does not help overcome addiction; luck cannot get you into heaven. 

Luck always fails when we need it the most, but God is always faithful.  We live in a world that wants to feel good, to be happy, and feel complete.  There are so many antidotes, quotes, and proverbs floating around in cards, emails, and signs.  When it comes to wisdom, consider the source.  Can the source of that tidbit of wisdom back it up with some form of promise or truth?  God does not stoop to trying to make us feel good with fluff; instead He keeps His truth

simple and easy to understand.  If you want life, blessings, and the truest of treasures, you are not going to find it in a greeting card, a lottery win, or in a popularity contest.  The greatest of all blessings comes when we can put our trust in the one God who is always faithful and whose wisdom is always

applicable.  The book of Proverbs is filled with many quotable quotes that

encourage us to focus on things that matter most.  The word “Proverb” simply means: be like this. So read Proverbs 3:9-18, and be like that. - VIC

“9 Honor the Lord with your wealth with the firstfruits of all your crops;

10 then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine. 11 My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline, and do not resent his rebuke, 12 because the Lord disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in. 13 Blessed are those who find wisdom, those who gain understanding, 14 for she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold. 15 She is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her. 16 Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor. 17 Her ways are pleasant ways, and all her paths are peace. 18 She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her; those who hold her fast will be blessed.” Proverbs 3:9-18 NIV

What Would Cat Do

I am not a cat person, but the following video is ... well something.




If you just watched the video you will see that cats can offer more than the typical disinterested glance.  I thinks cats typically are selfish and disinterested in us humans; however the previous video clearly shows that even cats can be a better version of themselves.  I conclude with this thought... please do not be outdone by a cat.  If you see something that needs to be done then do it.  If you see an opportunity to help or even be a hero, then jump in and save the day! -vic

Whatever

Back in college I worked at a furniture store delivering beds to customers.  For whatever reason, employee morale was always low.  Whenever there was a disagreement among employees, it seemed as if the issue would go on and on until someone in the argument would say “whatever”; As if to say “I’m done with this conversation, I’m moving on.” 

Twenty years ago “whatever” really seemed to be an effective way to end disagreements.  Not only that, the “whatever” response also gave a pseudo edge to the one saying it.  However, the use of “whatever” as a response also gives the idea that the one using it seems to be disrespectful and immature.  The Apostle gives us a better “whatever” response to negative situations in Philippians 4. 

“8 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. 9 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 4:8-19 NIV

A word that ended arguments with a negative receives new life when attached to the character of Jesus.  Jesus did not just put an end to negative confrontations; in place of the negative He offered the benefits of truth and goodness.  It’s not just “whatever” to anxious what ifs; it is now “whatever is true”.  It is no longer “whatever” to the over reaction of others; it is now “whatever is noble.”  It is no longer “whatever” to the bad behavior of others; it is now “whatever is pure or lovely or praiseworthy”.  The word “whatever” is an incomplete response to a negative situation if we leave Jesus out of it.  However, when we involve Jesus in all of our responses, we then have the ability to rise above the negative and the anxious and finally then enjoy what so many people desperately want, the peace of God.  Think about such things and the peace of God will be with you. -Vic

MISSION

Something happened a few weeks ago.  I was looking at my cluttered bulletin board in my office, and I decided to clean it off.  As I did I noticed a piece of paper that had been lost, covered up by other things on the board.  This paper caught my attention, because at the top of this paper was a statement that was circled (highlighted) for some reason. So I inspected it, and this is what it said:

 

OUR MISSION: To present the gospel of Christ to the world, to prepare God’s people for works of service, to assist those who are in need, and to keep ourselves unspotted from the world. 

 

There it was our mission.  Not just my mission, but our mission; the mission of every member of the Holly Hill Church of Christ.  I was reading this being reminded of our mission, and I had a thought.  The mission was on my board all along, right there in my office.  But it was covered up with so much stuff that I could no longer see it.  That is not just true about bulletin boards, it is true about life.  If we are overextended; if we are involved in too much of the world, we will miss the important stuff, like our purpose, our mission, our reason for living.  We need to refocus, to remember that we are God’s people; that we have a mission to do His will.  It is amazing what we find when we unclutter our lives.  When we simplify and get rid of the unnecessary and the negative, we might just find something useful.

Vic

He Sees What You See

 

Tony (our youth minister) and I were watching a 2 minute video online of a professional mountain biker who had a GoPro Hero Cam mounted on his helmet.  With this helmet cam we are able to see the same things from the same way that the rider could see.  So the rider is riding really fast down the hills doing flips and tricks along tall cliffs and dangerous rocks, and we can see everything from the rider’s perspective.  On the video we can hear the rider being excited and happy, and yet Tony and I were watching the same thing and we were saying things like “this guy is nuts, he is crazy, and that is so scary.”  The helmet cam gave me and Tony the same view as the rider but we went away with a completely different perspective of what just happened.  The rider was happy and excited and we were concerned and horrified.  I wonder if that is how God sees things in our lives.  He is able to see the things we look at, participate in, and strive for.  He sees what we see, but does He see those things in the same way?  I think too often we do things and we see those things as harmless, and yet God sees the same thing and is horrified and concerned that His children walk such a dangerous and sinful path.  We are blessed in that we can enter the thoughts of God by reading His Word, by which we begin to see things the way God sees them.  The more we enter His Word we begin to see things differently and in doing so we begin to see everything according to His perspective rather than our own perspective.

Vic

Campfire Story

The following is from a camp fire devotional I gave at camp this past Thursday night.  So as you read, imagine you are 8 years old sitting around the campfire in the deep dark woods of Central Florida Bible Camp.  And yes, there were bears nearby!

 

CFBC Campfire Devo

 

Campfire Story: It was a night like this…

Darker than dark (you couldn’t see anything!)

We were at camp playing capture the flag. 

We had flashlights, but we didn’t want to use them because we were being stealthy (we didn’t want to be seen; we were like spies going into enemy territory, so we stayed in the dark)

My job was to try to capture people from the other team; once they crossed the line into our area we could tag them and put them in our team jail. 

So in the darkness I could hear someone coming closer to me.  It was the other team.   I just knew it, so I stayed still. I was so quiet (quiet as a mouse).  I allowed for the noise to get closer, waiting till it got right next to me before I jumped out to capture them.  So they got closer and closer and closer… and finally I jumped out and said “gotcha” as I turned on the flashlight.  And what I found on the other side of that flashlight was not a member of the other team, it was not another kid, but a giant deer filled with pointy antlers all pointing toward me.   You know what I did next?

I screamed “aghhhhhhhhhhhhhhahhhhhhhh”!  And the deer went “aghhhhhhahhhhhhh!  (I actually have no idea if the deer made a noise because I was too busy screaming.)  It was scary!   I took off running through the woods as fast as I could go.

 

I tell you the story because when you are out in the deep dark woods, you have no idea what you will run into.  Monsters, bears, deer, it could be anything.

There is another kind of darkness; the kind of darkness that encourages us to lie, to say mean things, to cheat, or do any number of evil things.  That darkness is something that God has called us to stay away from.  We are called out of darkness and into the light. Notice what Jesus said in John 12:35…

“35 Then Jesus told them, “You are going to have the light just a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, before darkness overtakes you. Whoever walks in the dark does not know where they are going. 36 Believe in the light while you have the light, so that you may become children of light.” John 12:35-36 NIV

 

Jesus has called you to be with Him, because He is the light.  If we have him in our lives we will never be defeated by the darkness.  With Him (with His light) we will be able to defeat sin and temptation every day!  When we belong to God, we know that we are not alone; that no matter how dark life gets; we have Jesus in our lives, we have His light to guide us thru the darkness.  - Vic

The BIBLE

We have been watching the video series “The BIBLE” throughout the summer.  We started with God creating the world in Genesis.  All that God made was good. God is good all the time; His purpose and will is very good. And yet we quickly see how man has a way of ignoring the good that God makes.  By ignoring God we create destruction and death.  The Bible is filled with God’s promises to His people whether it was to Abraham or Moses we see how each time God kept His promises to His people.  The further we go through scripture the more God promises are not meant just for people thousands of years ago but for us today.  As John wrote so beautifully nearly 2000 years ago “For God so loved the world that He gave is only son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life”.  These words of promise are meant for all of us, they are words of promise and fulfillment all in one verse.  The video series we have watched on Sunday nights is not perfect and has its flaws and yet it also proclaims God’s great love for you and me.  Many people who watch this series will have many questions. Therefore as the world watches this series we have been given an opportunity to open the Bible and answer those questions with God’s perfect Word.  It is my hope God will give us more opportunities to proclaim His great love.  -Vic

Darkness & Reverence

“2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.” James 1:2-5 NIV

 

The electricity went out after a massive ice storm hit Texas back when I was about 8 years old.  We lived out in the country, and each night the power was out, it was pitch black.  I couldn’t find anything because of the darkness.  It was so dark that I bumped and bloodied myself several times, because I couldn’t see anything.  I began to move differently in the darkness. I learned something from the darkness.  So that I would not fall down stairs or bump into walls, I had to reach out to find something that would guide me.  The darkness taught me to REACH OUT.

What if all of this that we see in this world is actually just darkness?   What if all of the pain that happens in life is part of that darkness? What if all of the trials, hurts, and sicknesses are also part of the darkness? 

If that is so, then the darkness has taught us to reach out to the one thing that is real; the only thing that can guide through the darkness.  What if the darkness teaches us to reach out for God? 

I learned something about reverence from the darkness; no matter how bad it gets or how dark life gets, fear of God teaches us to never give up on Him, and we never stop reaching out to Him. – Vic

FEAR THIS…

As Christians, we have chosen to follow the unusual rather than the accepted path of the world.  Jesus said…

“13 Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life and only a few find it.” Matthew 7:13-4 NIV

The truth is that following God is unusual; it’s not the norm.  In the verse you just read Jesus said that living for God is the way of the few.  It is not the norm.  Most people do not follow the Bible or respect God, or fear God.  I want to share with you two conflicting truths:

The first truth is that it’s impossible for the world (for people) to survive & thrive without God. 

The second truth is that it is normal for people to try and live without God and the Bible.  Which means most people will not survive their sin, nor will they enjoy the blessings of that eternal love relationship that we can have with Him.

I’m not saying this because I want to be part of some exclusive group or church.  I’m just stating a sad reality; it’s just not the norm for people to live for God.  And here is why I think that is the case… Most people do not fear God. 

What I mean by “fear” is that they do not respect God; they do not appreciate that God loves them and wants to save them.  Without God, we are in trouble.  God is our only hope!  I heard a story about a first grader who stood up in front of his class to give his very first speech, “What I Want To Be When I Grow Up.” He said, “I’m going to be a lion tamer and have lots of fierce lions. I’ll walk into the cage and they will roar.” He paused for a moment, thinking through what he just said, then added, “But of course I’ll have my Mommy with me.”  Children are brave when their parents are around, but when a child feels lost or alone, they get scared.  Why?  Because they believe that the only hope they have, the only place that is safe is with mom and dad.  They have godly fear of their parents.  The fear I’m talking about is about having an appreciation of that special relationship that a child has with his or her parents.  That fear drives them to stay near to parents, to want to please their parents, and to obey their parents.  If we can learn to fear God the way a child fears their parents, it means we have found that small gate, that narrow road, that path too few people choose to follow.  If we fear God, we will joyfully follow that wonderful and unusual journey that leads to life. 

- Vic