The best buffet in the world and you aren’t allowed to eat

New York strip steaks, crab legs and anything you could imagine, this was a buffet for kings. Now imagine if you could look but you couldn’t eat any of it? For several summers I witness this happening. I was a cafeteria employee serving the Michigan State football players in the three week training camp before school started up. They paid and had the top quality everything. Some of these life size giants weren’t allowed to touch the food. They came in out of shape and overweight.

The result of there relaxing summer was three weeks of awfulness. They sat down and watched there teammates/coaches devour some of the best food in the world. They would sit there on their specialized diets eating hard boiled eggs, oatmeal and everything bland you could imagine. Some of these players were on watch, they had a team manager directing what they could and couldn’t eat. I might not have seen tears but you could tell on the inside these are grown men cried.

Sometimes we have to test ourselves and keep ourselves in check. Some of these football players came into camp in top notch shape, others paid the price for there actions or lack there of.

*Side note: It was also during this time I witnessed the fastest I have ever seen a person eat a large pizza. One of the players on the diet ordered a pizza hid in the bushes (The hall was right across from the training facility) and ate an entire large pizza in seconds I swear. It was amazing, it was even more amazing to see the strength and conditioning coach almost walk into him doing this. It did not end well for that player.

A moment of self reflection is key for everyone. Just like these select football players needed it, we need it. Stopping right now what is an area you need to change in your life?

Staying in shape isn’t always easy and effort needs to be made for it to happen. I have notice my health started to slip and right now I am about 20 pounds over my ideal weight. Today I need to work towards changing that habit. Just like our health can slip so can our spiritual health.

Self reflection needs to happen in faith. There was one point I was struggling in faith when I first became a Christian and honestly I was scarred to talk to people about faith because truly I didn’t know much about it. I decided to change what I was doing and try to improve on my knowledge and what I didn’t know. We have to reflect on what we truly believe.

2 Corinthians 13:5 (MSG)… Test yourselves to make sure you are solid in the faith. Don’t drift along taking everything for granted. Give yourselves regular checkups. You need firsthand evidence, not mere hearsay, that Jesus Christ is in you. Test it out. If you fail the test, do something about it.

Our faith needs a check up. We need to check to make sure we are saying and doing matchup. Do you have love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control? Following Jesus is not easy and we all make mistakes, but we are all called to work on our problems and improve. Faith isn’t attending a church service. That’s making an appearance to God, not living out faith. The Corinth church had issues but wouldn’t try to solve the issues. Paul would have to call them out. Paul is hoping the people look at themselves, what they are doing and checking does it match up with faith in Jesus?

Take a moment and look at your life? What is it you want to accomplish and work towards that. I don’t know where I would be in faith if I didn’t have that self reflection moment years ago. Life is full of choices just like a buffet. What are you willing to indulge in and what should you pass on? Choose your adventure.

Have a great day.

Dislocating my knee cap 16 times

Two months in a brace, fluid filling up in my knee with no mobility, would I ever be the same again? I remember like it happened yesterday the first time I had reconstructive knee surgery. Awaking from surgery, pondering how bad the damage was in my knee?  I was told I could be playing ice hockey in 3-6 weeks before going under the knife, caused optimism. After surgery, I asked  how long was I out for? The doctor told me three months, I thought they meant from ice hockey, they meant from walking without a brace.

I had a problem with my left knee cap dislocating from second grade to my sophomore year college. About every six months my knee cap would dislocate, I would throw it back in myself and by the time my senior year of high school I was back up to about 90 percent after a week. Every doctor told me my major knee ligaments were fine, go to physical therapy and I would be better. Finally I saw a good doctor. Dr. Dodds and Amy Worthing (Name could be misspelled) saw pictures of my knee and I will quote Dr. Dodds, “Dude, it doesn’t look good.” While she told me the same thing every doctor told me, she said there is something wrong with your knee. They went out of the room to check on some of my x-rays and I heard them talking outside the room before entering in. Dodds said, “Man it sucks to have to go into a room and tell someone they need surgery.” She then opened my door.

My knee was jacked up but it wasn’t until they opened my knee up to see how bad it was. Each time I dislocated my knee cap they found a crack on my knee cap. I had so much scar tissue floating around with torn cartilage, it was a mess. After going to physical therapy for two months without much change. I wondered if I would ever be the same again? It’s scary to think that life can change and you don’t know if it will ever be the same again.

If I didn’t improve, I would have the same exact problems, this can happen in others areas of life and even the church. Just like I put everything I had into making my knee strong again, Paul did the same with the Corinth church. The Corinth church just like many churches today, had issues. He spent a lot of time and a couple mission trips there to help the church out. Paul put all his time and effort into making the church succeed. Yet he was worried about the church and if they ever listen to what he told and worked with them on.

Paul was concerned, 2 Corinthians 20-21…

“For I am afraid that when I come I may not find you as I want you to be, and you may not find me as you want me to be. I fear that there may be discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, slander, gossip, arrogance and disorder. I am afraid that when I come again my God will humble me before you, and I will be grieved over many who have sinned earlier and have not repented of the impurity, sexual sin and debauchery in which they have indulged.”

The church can have issues. Just like we need to work on different area’s of our own life, so does the church. If we didn’t work on issues with our own lives we would grow stagnant. Paul was worried the pride, gossip, division and disorder would still be prevalent in the church. If the church didn’t work on these issues, turn away from sin things wouldn’t improve. We all need to try to improve.

Looking back in time can be a blessing and curse. I was worried when my physical therapy wasn’t going well, but it got better and my knee fully recovered. When issues happen in the church they need to be address and if they are swept under the rug, nothing will improve. The same can be said about life. Improvement needs to happen in all aspects of life.

Where do you need improvement in your life? If you feel like you are stuck in a rut, what can you do today to start improving? If there are problems be part of the solution not the problem.

Have a great day.

Cliques, communion and the church

Christians can very well miss the point of some scriptures. We can take things out of context and miss what God is trying to communicate with us. This deals with taking Communion or the Eucharist (the giving of thanks). There is one Bible verse used often mistranslated or misused when it comes to communion, 1 Corinthians 11:27…

“So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord.”

Ouch. These are some harsh words. I have seen people hear this verse and feel so much guilt they feel they are a sinner and not worthy of taking communion. This isn’t right and needs to be explained.

The church in Corinth had issues just like every church (Remember a church is made up of sinners including the leadership, people will make mistakes). Paul starts out this section of scripture in verse 17 saying what I am about to say to you, I have nothing good to say. Paul would often commend and encourage the people before telling about the conflict or issues the people needed to work on. Paul is blunt with the people and the mistakes.

The church had a problem with cliques. The Lord’s Supper/Communion was considered an “Agape Feast” a love feast. The purpose was to show love by sharing a meal with one another. They would eat with their own group of people instead of the whole church. They were selfish people. Rich people brought a lot of food and didn’t share with poor Christians. For some of the poor Christians this might have been the only good meal they would have all week. This is why Paul said if you have an abundance of food, you can eat before you come and share your food with poor church members.

Then people wouldn’t feel worthy to take communion. It’s important to examine ourselves and remember what Christ did for us on the cross. If we sinned and therefore didn’t feel we should take communion because of sin, nobody would ever take communion in a church service. Communion is to remember that Christ died for our sins. He was our substitute, paying the price for our sins. We remember in the meal that Christ was resurrected and came back from the dead and later ascended to heaven. Last we need to look at ourselves. We need to look at our own sins before communion and give those over to Jesus. The Corinth church loved to examine everyone else but themselves. Look at yourselves before taking communion. You don’t have to be perfect but you have to be able to turn your sins to God. Every believer can take communion.

Communion is about love. It’s not a guilt time, just a little confession. Overall it’s a joyous part of worship. It’s a time of thankfulness for what the Lord did for us. Let’s not focus on cliques, and instead focus on a savior who gave his life for ours.

Have a great day.