Long Division

Why are we doing this was a thought as we sat in math class and used long division. Math was often like this, we did the work and were not sure why we did functions, proofs, finding x etc. What was the point? It didn't make any sense why we had to do it. When I look back from long division on, it was a challenge, but even at a young age long division got easier with time.

In life we have to deal with division of a different kind, sometimes it's a long division. I have seen this happen between friends, family, marriages, the church and people I love dearly. It's a sad state to see division of any kind, but God is still God and can bring us out of division when we trust in him.

1 Corinthians 1:10...
"I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought."

My church has been in the process of hiring a worship minister. After much prayer and consideration I saw our leaders move forward with this process. It's not an easy process feelings have been hurt and not everyone saw eye to eye with it and voiced concern. It's not an easy task as we move forward. When I read this verse it just sunk in. The church needs to be an example to the rest of the people. United we stand needs to be a statement for the whole church. There are things that we don't always understand but it still means we need to move forward united.

A question we have to ask ourselves with life...Are we causing division or unity? With what we say is it making a situation better or worse? I have seen marriages struggle and end in divorce. I have seen marriages I thought were going to end in divorce be remarkably saved and improved.

Life is full of long division and not just in math. Yet division can go away when we all move towards the same goal. We never will always agree with everyone, but there is beauty when we trust what we don't always understand.

Are you the one that is creating division in your life, among your loved ones, among the house of Jesus? If so what can you to help to be unified? You can be divided or united. Which do you choose?
Have a great day.

You think you’re better than me

Who rules? O’Doyle rules! O’Doyle rules! O’Doyle rules! If you have no idea what I am talking about…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CsNgRmsx-14

A family thought they had it best, sadly their run came to a tragic end. You could say, that’s not me. I never did anything like that. While it’s just a movie, there is enough bullying you have experience in one of three ways, as the bully, the bullied or the stand by guy (Person who just watches but doesn’t do anything about it). Who is at fault more, the bully or the one who stands by and doesn’t nothing about it? Either way, it’s still wrong.

What makes one wrong better then another one? Paul talks a lot in chapter 3 of Romans about sin and how we all sin. I am not perfect. I am not Jesus, yet I live my life for him. Christians have a tendency to struggle with different sins and yet are completely judgmental against other sins. We pick and choose what is the deeper sin. Some might say…

·         I might smoke but I never watch rated R movies
·         I get drunk once every while but I have never done drugs
·         I look at porn but I didn’t have sex before marriage
·         I lie and gossip but I always encourage people when I see them face to face

Hypocrisy can look different in someone else’s eyes. This is a point Paul brings up in Romans 3:19ish-20 (The Message), “And it’s clear enough, isn’t it, that we’re sinners, every one of us, in the same sinking boat with everybody else? Our involvement with God’s revelation doesn’t put us right with God. What it does is force us to face our complicity in everyone else’s sin.”

Just because you claim God and Jesus doesn’t mean you are perfect. Christians should never come across as perfect. One of the sad stories you hear is when a couple with kids goes to get divorced or live in a sham of a marriage and nobody has a clue. People are shocked and have no clue. Why? With all of the Sunday School, small groups, life groups, c groups and whatever else groups Church’s come up with, if you’re not honest, it doesn’t create true community. People put on a show that they have it all together, I noticed the one’s that think they have it all together are usually the opposite when people aren’t around.

There is a book for parents with young kids Everyone Poops, there could be one titled Everyone Sins. Paul makes sure we understand this from the greatest to the least, everyone sins. If you think you are better than anyone else, you are wrong. If you’re a Christian you are still a sinner. Shoot, Christians are attacked more because you know some things you do are sins.

Just like a bully, you can be wrong for being a bully and wrong for not doing anything to stop a bully. Generally, no one sin in greater than any other. You are not a greater person then your neighbor. So get of the judgmental horse and have a huge piece of humble pie. Rather than being so quick to judge others, what are ways you can improve as a person? Maybe it’s time to be honest with someone, or to quit judging and focus on getting something that is wrong with you right. You can’t expect others to improve when you aren’t even willing to improve yourself. You are a sinner just like everyone else, so there are still things in life you can improve. Don’t judge, just focus on what you can improve in.

Have a great day.

Against all odds (More than just the autobiography from Chuck Norris)

I love the underdog. I love teams and people that aren’t expected to do anything and they surprise the world. Kurt Warner was a minor league quarterback, a backup quarterback, at one point worked at a grocery store, but after the starting quarterback went down he stepped in and the rest is history.

Being a Michigan State, Lions, Tigers and Chris Kaman (He played for the Clippers a lot of years and then had to go to the Hornets) fan I get used to being the underdog. It builds character and courage to fight through the bad moments.

This happens outside the sports realm and into all aspects of life.

Paul was traveling as a prisoner to Rome. They were on a boat and things took a turn for the worst. A huge storm hit them and they were basically goners. They didn’t see the sun for three days and lost hope. They threw over cargo and almost everything including the ships tackle. Many thought they would die.

This wasn’t the case as Paul talks in Acts 27:23-25…

“Last night an angel of the God whose I am and whom I serve stood beside me and said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand trial before Caesar; and God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you. So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me.”

The people would be safe. There was less than a glimmer of hope, yet God took care of Paul and took care of the people. Keep up your courage. What do you need courage in? Courage goes beyond being an underdog is sports. The people on the boat lacked courage, yet God came through for them. Take courage even through the worst of times.

Some people that have amazing courage to me…

Single parents – For whatever reason, this is nearly impossible to go through.  Hailee and I were teaming up to feed Nolan, change and get Nolan back to sleep.  We both said the same thing, I couldn’t do this alone.

Those coming from poor situations – It’s hard to have nothing and to make something with your life, it takes a tremendous amount of hard work.

Those with physical or mental disabilities – the strength of what some people have to go throw everyday is beautiful.  When you see people overcoming and not being a slave to a disability and do something awesome it’s a masterpiece.

Kids of divorced families – Stats of shown that the kids of divorced families don’t usually fair as well kids with parents that don’t divorce.  If you are a child of divorced parents you can overcome and do so much with your life.

Paul was able to keep the men’s courage. If you are struggling through life right now, take courage.

Know that through much pain can come much joy. God is there for you even when you don’t feel like it. Take courage. What do you need courage in?

Stay strong, fight the good fight, do everything in your power to make things better and when you come up short, you can always rely on God and Jesus. If things are going good for you….encourage!

Help someone else out. Lift them up with your words, make this world a better place with how you treat other people. Life can get better. Take courage!

Have a great day!

You'll be divorced in three months

There are people that don’t care about you or what you stand for.

Some of those people will say things to your face or behind your back.

You could be doing good and they could start talking behind your back to make things worse rather than better.

I got engaged at the young age of 19 and most people were surprised when I told them I was engaged.

I went around my job one day and told people that I was getting married.

One person told you the way things would be said this phrase…

“You’ll be divorced in three months.”

Wow.

I couldn’t believe someone would be that bold to say that.

You will be divorced in three months?

That’s messed up.

We had a conversation and she told me that her friend and her husband were together everything was going great and they got divorced quickly.

I said will it’s different because we believe in God and are faithful people.

She said, “So were they.”

10 years later, I do not write this to say hey been married 10 years but rather to say there are some people that will lift you up in life and others that won’t..

Some people will be against you.

Paul and Barnabas were doing some pretty cool things in Iconium.

They were speaking about the Gospel of Jesus and many people believed.

Yet there were people that weren’t happy with this fact.

It said this in Acts 14:2, 4-5…

“But the Jews who refused to believe stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers…The people of the city were divided; some sided with the Jews, others with the apostles.  There was a plot afoot among the Gentiles and Jews, together with their leaders, to mistreat them and stone them.”

There will always be people that are for you and some that will be against you.

People will question what you believe, what you do with your life and who you are trying to be.

Some people will encourage and some will not.

There are deceivers among you.

Will you let that affect you?

People will get other people that are deceivers that try to ruin a good thing.

I have seen this happen to me and I have done this to others.

The people against Paul were poison.

They took the good things Paul was for and made people against them.

Are you in this situation now?

Paul and Barnabas didn’t let these people that tried to kill them stop them.

Are you letting poisonous people destroy your life or are you fighting the good fight and staying strong.

With man there are only certain things you can do.

With God nothing is impossible.

Stay strong even when people are against you.

Not everyone is going to be happy with you or what you stand for.

With God nothing is impossible.

Are you for or against the one that makes everything possible?

Some people will say thing to irritate you maybe it’s like saying your marriage will only last three months or something like that.

If you are going through a rough time right now, I pray for you and lift you up.

Hang in there during the tough times, something good is just around the corner.

Have a great day.

Stubborn as a mule

We are stubborn.

We often have the abilities to make lives better and happier but we choose not to.

Why?

Because we are mad, angry and not so forgiving.

We could be, but we aren’t sometimes.

Why do we have trouble forgiving other people?

We feel hurt, angry and mad.

Sometimes we just have trouble to forgive other people.

Some of the hardest times of my life weren’t what I went through, but forgiving people that have hurt me deeply.

I grew up in a house with abuse going on, witnessing my parents getting in a fist fight in front of us (My siblings and I).

One time, they were arguing in the kitchen while I was sweeping the kitchen floor.

My mom was angry and yelled at my dad, “Why don’t you just have another beer that always seems to cure all your problems!”

My dad backhanded the beer and it was going right at me.

I ducked and the bottle that was going right at me hit off the wall broke and splash beer and broken pieces all around me.

I didn’t know what to do, I started to swept it up and my mom yells, “Joel, don’t clean that up, make your father!”

My father yells, “No go ahead and clean it up!”

I am confused.

Finally they both said, Joel leave us and go upstairs.

There was a lot of hate, hostility and anger in the household and it rubs off on you.

One of the hardest yet easiest things in life was forgiving my parents.

They made some mistakes and I thank God for getting us through a situation that today CPS would have probably been called for.

I have forgiven my parents for the abuse and the situations my brothers and sister grew up in.

I can forgive people because of one name, Jesus.

Yet could the forgiveness be because of me.

When Jesus first appeared to the disciples after coming back from the dead, he breathed on them and told them this in John 20:22-23…

“Receive the Holy Spirit.  If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”

We/I have the ability to forgive because of Jesus.

In the Bible Knowledge Commentary it said, “Forgiveness of sins is one of the major benefits of the death of Jesus….Jesus was giving the apostles (and by extension, the church) the privilege of announcing heaven’s terms on how a person can receive forgiveness. If one believes in Jesus, then a Christian has the right to announce his forgiveness. If a person rejects Jesus’ sacrifice, then a Christian can announce that that person is not forgiven.”

Bold statement, forgiveness is and can be in our hands.

We have the ability to forgive people.

Those who have done us wrong, those who are struggling with past sins and mistakes, we can forgive.

We can forgive because of Jesus.

The only reason I do not have hatred towards my parents is because of Jesus.

Jesus forgave me for my sins and I can forgive others because there is one who forgave me.

Who do you need to forgive, show grace too?

Today is a great day to get that hate, anger and hostility out of your system.

Forgiveness is so easy, just do it.

You will be amazed at how the burdens can come off your chest when you forgive.

Have a great day.