What does it mean to be Content?

What does it mean to be content? The dictionary defines it as, "being contented or satisfied or accepting one's situation or life with equanamity and satisfaction". Synonyms are "satisfied, happy and joyous". For me contentment used to be when I had all of my family together, or after a nice meal and a nap, or generally any time when my life wasn't particularly stressful. Contentment in my life centered around good health and good things.

After a recent mission trip to Belize I really had to evaluate and study this word content, because God's idea of content and mine were two different things. I had to start asking myself, "Am I really content with my life"? I live in a country that is not content with anything. We want the newest, biggest, fastest, shiniest, next best thing. When what we possess or wear is considered out of date by our society we get rid of it and get something "newer or better". Unfortunately, we take this approach with everything in our life and I am as guilty of that as anyone.

Americans are the opposite of content. As a society we are overwhelmingly discontent. We zealously pursue earthly things only to find that when we reach our goal it offers no long term satisfaction. So we pursue the next thing, and the next thing, and we chase after these mirages of happiness only to find that the cycle of discontent continues to repeat itself.

We chase after the next greatest exercise program, diet fad or health care product guaranteed to add years to our lives. It's the world of biggie size, super size, no interest, 90 days same as cash. We work long hours to chase the promotion that we believe will change our life.....and then it doesn't. See the point? We are discontent and we live in a world that throws a million things at us telling us that what we have isn't big enough, new enough or good enough to make us happy.

I have wanted to go on a mission trip for several years and was blessed recently with the opportunity to go to Belize. I thought I was going on this trip so I could help people. After all isn't that what God calls us to do; to serve and love our neighbors? This is true, but God also knows what we need as well and He knows exactly how to deliver the goods. The team I was with did some wonderful things to help others, but the people we came in contact with helped me more than they will ever know. To say this was a life changing trip for me is a huge understatement.

In Belize, there is an open love for Jesus Christ that is much less obvious in the States. There are two things we don't publicly talk much about in America; God and politics. If you choose to talk about them you can be sure a debate will follow. In Belize they talked openly about God, and we saw signs promoting Jesus Christ many times. This led me to ask myself why at times I can be so reluctant to profess my own faith. Matthew 10:32-33 reads, "Whoever acknowledges me before others , I will acknowledge you before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven". We are not called lead a quiet life with a quiet faith. We can't hide our light under a bushel! We are called to be bold and profess Jesus Christ before men!

Extreme poverty was apparent in Belize too, but even though a little more money would make their daily lives easier, the people were content with what they had. They found their joy in Christ and their family units. They didn't find it in the possessions that we accumulate. Their daily life was not consumed with running kids all over the place to do all the extracurricular activities that American kids are involved in today. Their priority list was God, family, education, and then all the other stuff. This is the order that all Christians need to have, yet we mess the order up so easily when we get focused on worldly things.

Being content with our lives depends on where we have God on our list. Accumulating more stuff will not lead to contentment. Serving Him with what He gives us is our call. Whether we have a little or a lot, we can serve Christ! The people of Belize opened my eyes to that. There are no more excuses for why I cannot serve Jesus Christ wholeheartedly. Being content with our life comes through a sincere relationship with Jesus. Matthew 6:20 reads, "But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal." I challenge you to take a look at your own life. If you are ahead of me on this journey of faith, God bless you! I will look to you for encouragement. If you are struggling with taking this next step of service and submission to our Savior please know that I am right there pushing upstream with you. We serve a risen Christ! Let's be content and serve Him together!

Blessings!

Greg

I'm Baaacckkk! Not sure if that is a good thing or not but I have missed writing. Writing my thoughts down is quite a release for me. Sometimes we have all these thoughts and feelings floating around in this space between our ears and writing it down helps to get it out. Writing it down helps me process things, and there is a lot to process right now. I will share some of these things in the next several days and weeks as I get back into blogging again. A mission trip to Belize as well as a youth event built around service will be part of that. I will also share some of the struggles that Katie and I are going through right now as we seek out what God is calling us to do with our lives and how we serve Him. It is a scary process when you say to God, "here is my life and I will follow you" but we are growing every day in our faith and we welcome God's continued molding of our life. Till next time.....Blessings!! In his Grip, Greg

God at work here!

There is a little saying that we say sometimes in our church where one person says, "God is good all the time". The response is "All the time God is good!" It's an easy thing to forget because we get so focused on our own needs, but God is good all the time and He is working even when we can't see the immediate results. This past week God has shown my family once again just how good He is. Sometimes it is really easy to see God working in our lives, and other times it seems like nothing is happening, but recently my family witnessed it from both perspectives.

My brother and his wife have been trying to have children for a decade now. First they tried with all the normal things that doctors try; shots, invitro and the likes. Then the last seven years have been the emotional roller coaster that is called adoption in this country. I have watched Mark and Stacy endure the ups and downs that only someone suffering the same heartaches and disappointments can understand. My heart ached for them and I never seemed to have the right words to say either.

Life isn't fair and I don't understand why God seemingly allows kids to be born into families that don't want them, when there are families in this country that would love to have them. What I do know is that God is painting a bigger picture than what I can fathom and He is in control and knows what is best for us.

See God was at work here in ways we never imagined. About 14 days ago Mark and Stacy received a phone call about a little baby that was ready to be adopted and three days ago they brought him home. This little baby was born on March 3rd and weighed 1 lb 11 oz. Survival rates are not high for a child born at 26 weeks, but this child came home weighing 7 lb 3 oz and is 20 1/2" long. God had a plan for this child before we ever heard of him, and God had a plan for Mark and Stacy too. He was working in a mighty way and even though we couldn't see it, God saw the future and said this is the child I want you to have! God IS good all the time!

I am so proud of my brother and sister in law because even though it was difficult season for them, and they both struggled at different times with the "whys' of the matter, they always trusted God and He delivered in His good time. All the time God is good!

Please keep them in your prayers as they start this new life as a family. Philippians 4:19 says, "And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus"

Blessings to all and remember our soldiers past and present during this 4th of July weekend!

Thoughts about Resurrection Sunday!

1 Peter 1:3 (NIV)

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead

As I have been out and about this week enjoying this wonderful weather, I have been reflecting on the resurrection of Jesus. You know it wasn’t that long ago that it was bitter cold and everything around us appeared to be dead. But with the onset of warmer weather nature is experiencing a rebirth. It is growing, and full of life, and the promise of summertime is here.

After they crucified Jesus they thought he was dead too, but He is not. Because of His resurrection, those that believe in Jesus have experienced a rebirth as well. The promise of eternal life in Heaven awaits us, and we should be filled with excitement knowing that our Master is preparing a place for those that believe in Him.

Resurrection Sunday is a celebration, not a funeral, because we celebrate a risen Christ! This special day should also cause us to re-examine our faith and to look back at the cross and refocus on what it means to us as believers. When we look at the Cross we are confronted with a few things, because at the cross we see a mirror that reflects back the harsh reality of who we really are.

At the Cross, we have to face our failures. For when we see the cross, it becomes very obvious, that no matter how hard we try, we can never acquire what Christ offers on our own.
At the cross we are forced to admit that our life is an absolute mess without the grace that we were freely given when Jesus died for us. There is a reason why people choose to ignore or discount the cross; because by acknowledging the cross we are also acknowledging our own failures.

At the cross we’re also confronted with futility. We can go through life living and acting in a good and moral way, but if we don’t acknowledge Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior and accept the gift of forgiveness, then our efforts are nothing more than a futile attempt to replace what only the cross offers.

At the cross we’re also confronted with the finality of life. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” Sin separates us from God. So God provided a way to overcome that separation by sending his son to die on the cross. Jesus Christ bridged the divide that our sin causes, and for those that accept the gift of Jesus we will have eternal life with Him. For those that refuse to accept him; they will spend eternal life in Hell. That is the finality that we see at the cross.

At the cross we also find hope that we can anchor to, and we find a love greater than any other love. When the world says, stop it’s not worth it, or just quit trying because life’s too hard, we need to anchor to the cross. When we are hanging on with our last bit of strength, remember the hope and the promise that we find through Jesus at the cross.

Finally, at the cross we find the love that God has for us. I would guess that all of us would say that we would die for our children, or our spouse, or somebody else important in our lives, but I would also say that none of us would freely send our innocent child to be tortured and suffer, to be sacrificed and die. And yet God’s love for us was so deep, and so true, that he freely sent his one and only son to die upon a cross for you and me.

As we celebrate Resurrection Sunday, go back to the cross and examine your life. Think about what was done for you, and thank Jesus for what He did. Then as you go about your business celebrate the fact that Jesus overcame death and that he will be returning to take home those that believe in Him. Share that news with everyone you see! Blessings to all of you and praise be to God for the Risen Christ!

Praise in the Storm

The events this week in Haiti have caused me to reflect on several things. As we see the images pouring in through the internet and televisions we are confronted with a multitude of emotions. It is a catastrophic event that has caught our attention and jolted us out of our everyday routines. It has made us see how little of our lives we actually have any control over.

This event hit close to home for my family, and many that live in my area, as we awaited word on the well being of missionary that grew up here. Three days went by before finally hearing that she was safe. I cannot even imagine the rollercoaster of emotions that her family went through as they eagerly awaited word from her. God delivered this young lady from her situation and we give Him all the Praise and Glory for that.

I have not been to Haiti yet, but my faith has been strengthened as I have seen the reports of how some of the people in Haiti are singing songs of praise to God in the evenings. That has really convicted me. In their pain and suffering they are choosing to praise God! How often in our own lives, when we go through trial, do we find ourselves complaining to God about our situation instead of praising Him in all situations? It reminded me of a song by Casting Crowns called “Praise you in this Storm”.

I'll praise You in this storm

And I will lift my hands

For You are who You are

No matter where I am

Every tear I've cried

You hold in Your hand

You never left my side

And though my heart is torn

I will praise You in this storm

The Haitian people are torn because of their situation. You and I are torn because we feel helpless and overwhelmed with the enormity of what they face. But we serve a God who bigger than all of this and He will draw His people together through this. It is in Him that we will find our comfort. It is in Him that we will find our rest. That doesn’t make it any easier to work through all that we face, but it does give us hope.

Another thing I thought about was what Jesus said in Matthew 25:34-36 (NIV)

"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'

There has been an outpouring of compassion from around the world for the Haitian people, but it can’t and shouldn’t stop here. There will be needs in Haiti for years to come and we will need to help. There will be opportunities in the months to come to help, so pray that God will reveal to you the ways that you can help if that is His plans for you. Be sure to check out any organizations that you choose to financially support. Unfortunately, in times like these, there are people who will take advantage of every situation.

My hope and prayer is that this situation will also help us to focus and be aware of the needs we have around us everyday. It shouldn’t take a crisis event like this to cause us to reach out and lend a helping hand to those in need. We have people around us everyday that need us to model what Jesus said in Matthew 25:35-36.

There will be some good that will come out of something like this if it causes us to change the way we live our lives and how we see the people around us. We need to put God first and be the hands and feet of Jesus every single day, not just when there is a major event.

Continue to pray for the Haitian people and all the orphans that are in Haiti. Pray that through this, the government of Haiti will truly begin to work to help the people of Haiti. Pray for the people that are there serving our Lord and Savior and remember to praise our God who is our hope in this storm.

Greg
John 16:33

Is your life worth imitating?

"I am not writing this to shame you, but to warn you, as my dear children. Even though you have ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel. Therefore I urge you to imitate me." 1 Corinthians 4:14-16

The Apostle Paul wrote this in his first letter to the Corinthians. Paul is writing to a church that he planted and laid the foundation for. Although there were others that watered and cultivated this church while Paul was away, he considered them his children and He was there Father in the Gospel.

As I read this text, I thought about my role as a Father. It certainly is littered with poor choices and harsh words. There have been times when I should have used the "count to 10" rule several time in a row. But what I see with Paul is how he chooses to admonish and warn instead of shame. Paul is admonishing and warning the Corinthians with love. To shame someone is to put them down, and to belittle them . To shame someone is to place yourself at the opposite end of love. We shame our kids and our loved ones when we say things like, "That was stupid, why did you do it that way" or "What were you thinking". I am sure you get my point and you could probably come up with many others that you have either used or been the target of.

The whole thing for me comes down to these words "be imitators of me". Back in Paul's day children were expected to learn a trade from their Fathers, but also appropriate behavior. Children learned by imitating their Fathers. Thousands of years haven't changed that because they still imitate us, but what they are imitating has changed tremendously. When we look at our kids we need to look at what we are modeling for them. Are we giving a pattern worth imitating? The state of our world says no! The do as I say, not as I do method of parenting doesn't work, and I know for me I have become fully aware of my need to change the pattern that I am leaving. We need to be living our lives in a manner that is worth imitating.

I challenge you to take a hard look at your life this week and ask yourself if your pattern is worth imitating? A word of warning: Don't do it unless you're prepared to accept the answer.

In Christ,

Greg

3 John 1:4

Change

I have to apologize for not keeping up with my weekly post, but the last several weeks have been a bundle of frustration, anticipation, joy and excitement. These last few weeks could best be described with one word….Change. We live in an ever-changing world and we go through this life trying to avoid change as much as we can. We like our lives planned out so we know exactly what we are doing and when. We have our daily routines, we travel the same routes, we do the same things with the same people, and we punch in and punch out at work. When something happens to mess up our routines though…look out!

Change starts the moment we are born, and our lives and bodies continue changing until we die. Change is a part of every life. Resisting it is as futile as it is frustrating. John Foreman once said, “Today is all that we will ever have in this life. If we spend our time obsessing about the future or regretting the past then we will never live. Tomorrow will always be tomorrow and yesterday cannot be changed. The wise man seeks God in the now and brings both his regrets and fears before Him. The freedom that we are offered is truly amazing: to live, today, free from even our own fallen desires. This is where I want to be.”

James 1:17 says “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows” The one thing that doesn’t change in life is God and His love for us. His word doesn’t change, nor does His promise to us, even though many people try to change His word to justify their own bad choices. Whatever God is, He always is. There are no “sometimes” attributes of God. All of his attributes are “always” attributes. He always is what He is. Malachi 3:6 reads “I the Lord do not change”.

When we get to the point in our life where we begin to understand that God is in control of everything, then we begin to accept the fact that change is a part of life. If we believe that He is the Creator and the sovereign God, then we have to believe that we are going through a season of change for a reason, and that ultimately He will reveal that to us. Trusting and putting our faith in an all powerful and all knowing God is a difficult thing to do sometimes, but when we do it then the changes that life brings can be seen in a different light.

The last few weeks have been a time of growth for me. I am thankful every day for the blessing’s I have been given and for the sacrifice that Jesus Christ made. Hebrews 13:8 says, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever”. Isn’t it great to know that in a world that constantly changes we can find rest in the one that remains the same?

Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father;
There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not;
As Thou hast been, Thou forever will be.

In Christ,

Greg

Psalm 102:25-27