Struggling to breathe

As I strive for a better life, breathing can be tough. One of the ways I have tried to improve my health is to focus on getting in better shape. Every week I am usually swimming between 3-4 days a week and hitting the gym 1-2 days a week. Swimming is not always easy. One of the ways I improve in swimming is limiting my breathing. There is a t-shirt that says, “Swimming the only sport where your coach yells at you for breathing.” I completely understand this t-shirt. Learning how minimize breathing is part of really good training. Even while getting better shape and feeling better about my health, I still am struggling to breathe.

Over the past year, bitterness and anger slowly entered my life like it never has before. During this time I dealt with so called church leaders who wouldn’t even act like I was there. Every Sunday and through the work week I would see these people and if I didn’t start a conversation with them, they wouldn’t talk to me. I tested this scenario out. These couple of church leaders, I would purposely not talk to them and see if they would start a conversation with me. Six straight weeks went by when I would see these people throughout the church, they would see me, but say nothing. Once they even went as far to talk and have a conversation with the person directly behind me for a several minutes. They never acknowledge me.

After six straight weeks (Not kidding), I finally said this is ridiculous. Finally I started to talk to these people again. I conversed with them, but I notice they never responded. They would answer me, but it was a one-way conversation. I asked how they were doing, prayed for them and tried to show love. They would never talk back to me. They never asked about me. During this time twice my kids were in the ER/hospital. Once my daughter was in the hospital for several days. It was a scary and tough time. I had other ministers, church leaders and friends in town that came and visited my family, none came from my own church I served at (Other then Mark Willham, one of the most amazing men I have ever known and Kris who was awesome).

Finally the day we were leaving, the minister at my church visited my daughter. I was so thrown off by this. The previous year, my son broke out and was red all over. He ended up staying in the hospital as they weren’t sure what it was. My senior minister said I hope he is alright but I am not coming up there because I don’t want to get sick. Later that day another person from our church posted on Facebook being so thankful that the minister of the church came up to the hospital to visit them when they were so sick. It was the same hospital we were at. The senior minister was willing to get sick from a church member in the hospital, but wouldn’t check on a staff members family. Bitterness, anger and hatred crept in more and more.

I thought I was over this, I am in a better place and started to enjoy life more, I was wrong. There was a fundraiser dinner Hailee and I attended last week. Several of these church leaders were at this same dinner. That same bitterness/anger/hatred I thought was gone showed it’s head again. I couldn’t stand even seeing these people. Some came up to talk to my wife, and I couldn’t even stand looking at them, I had to walk away. I am still broken. As I struggle God shows me this…

Ephesians 4:2-3…

“Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make ever effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.”

I have to admit, I have failed at this. I am broken and have struggled with this. I thought I was over it, but now see I still am a work in progress. I can’t fix others, but I can work on me.

Today, I am going to start working on this and keeping this verse at the center of my mind. None of us are perfect and I need to focus on being humble and gentle. Keeping peace is my goal today, how about you?

Good or bad

We have a chance to be good or bad. My son Ty can be one of the most lovingly and sharing kids. It's normal of him to go somewhere and not eat all of his food so he could share some with brother and sister. He will go to the doctors office and always get a little sticker for his siblings. Yet while he can be good, he can also be bad.

Ty had some issues with listening to his Sunday School teachers. He bent one of his teachers fingers around and also was repeatedly hitting his teacher. Not the behavior we expect. For the good he can do, the bad he can also do. We can be the same way. While we might not hurt our teachers like Ty did, we have plenty of choices to do good or bad.

What we do can effect us in positive and negative ways. Listen to what Paul says in Romans 6:21-23...
What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

There are bad things we do that result in bad. This is what happens with sin, we can do things and face the punishment in the end. When you do bad things, bad results often happen. When you do good, good things can follow. Doing bad things against God's will is sin, nothing good happens from sin. Yet with faith in Christ, we are offered something even better, eternal life. You don't have to be ashamed anymore when you have Christ. You can be good.

You can do bad or you can do good. What do you regret in life? What if you didn't have to be haunted by those regrets? This is what Christ offers, no matter how much bad you have done, you can be modified. You don't have to be the person of your past and you can be a better person in the future. I love Ty, hopefully we will see him do more good and less bad. What about you?

Have a great day.

Why haven’t the Lions won a Super Bowl and why did Peyton Manning have to leave?

Anybody that knows me knows I am a Lions fan through it all.

Through the good times and the bad.

It’s too bad it’s a lot of bad, but we show signs of improvement.

When people ask, why haven’t they won a Super Bowl yet, you could list numerous things.

Lack of talent, hiring awful coaches, making Matt Millen president and the list can go on and on.

Just like with Peyton Manning leaving the Colts.

Many different things that led to that happening.

Sometimes we find out things as they happen, other times we have no clue and we just guess.

Sometimes this happens in more serious situations then in a sports game.

People get wrapped into things like riots and such based off pretty pointless things.

This happened as people rioted after MSU lost a basketball game.

People were expelled for some of their actions in the riots.

Bad things can happen and people can be involved in them for the wrong reasons.

This happened to Paul in the Bible.

A group of people didn’t like Paul and the result ended up getting a group of people together and were beating him, trying to kill him.

Soldiers were called into handle the situation.

Once they were able to get through the crowd and get to Paul they arrested him and ask what was going on and why was this man being beat.

Acts 21:34…

“Some in the crowd shouted one thing and some another, and since the commander could not get at the truth because of the uproar, he ordered that Paul be taken into the barracks.”

Why was Paul being beat?

They couldn’t get the same answer.

Some didn’t even know why this get started and yet they were beating him.

It’s amazing how some things happen when not everyone knows why they are happening.

Ever feel like that happens in life?

People respond to things and have no clue what the full story is?

How gossip can overtake people is sad.

Bad things happen in our lives all because people react before hearing the full story.

We are people that like to be quick to react long before we listen.

How can we change for the better?

People were beating Paul without have the reason why he started to get beat.

James 1:19…

“My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.”

Lives could be changed if we did this.

Do you think you are react before you listen?

Imagine the difference we could make in this world if we just listened first.

Do you think the world and our lives would improve if we listened to the whole story?

Have a great day.

All you need is love

Love is so simple yet so hard.

It’s such a simple command, to show love.

What does this look like?

Love – showing affection, adoration, fondness, passion, respect, care and many other things.

What does love look like to you?

Some of the simplest statements and verses in the Bible are hard to do.

Showing love.

Jesus tells us this in John 13:34-35…

“A new command I give you: Love one another.  As I have loved you, so you must love one another.  By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

Is love one of the first things you associate with Christians?

Most of the time, I think the answer is no.

Why?

Because we all struggle to show love.

Today, I was at the gas station and went to pump gas and found out that this gas station I have frequently visited over the past three years went to pre pay only.

I wasn’t happy with that fact and the fact I wanted to fill up my gas tank and now that was going to be a challenge.

I wasn’t happy, I wasn’t mean but I was being very short with the teller.

I was not showing love.

I think about the little things like this.

Anyone can show love at a church Sunday morning, but how does that love show the rest of the week?

Today I failed at that moment.

In this couple of verses it states people will know you are a Christian because of your love.

Notice how it says love and not your view on politics, homosexuality, gossip, you ex-girlfriend or spouse and the list can go on.

Why is such an easy command and something we are supposed to be known for so hard to do?

Because of us.

We don’t want to show love to that neighbor that has treated us like dirt.

We think we are right and when someone doesn’t see things our way.

It’s easy to love the people we like or want to impress, it’s hard to love the people that don’t like us or treat us with respect.

Love is an area I can improve in.

If you’ve dealt with Christians that do not show love, on behalf of them, I’m sorry.

Christians aren’t perfect and we can improve.

Christians are supposed to be known for their love.

Are you ready to start making that happen?

Have a great day.