The Danger Of Newfound Freedoms

I have felt this on my heart recently. You may not need to hear this as much as I need to write it down, and I might have mentioned this to one or two of you before... 

Recently, you might have heard of a fatal crane collapse at Lyondell/Citgo Refinery in Pasadena, TX. 

My father-in-law, a safety manager at this particular plant, watched the whole thing take place... 

He saw the crane begin to waver...

Heard the groaning of the thick steel as it teetered precariously...

He was sending the call for help before the 2nd largest crane in the world crashed to the ground...

He prepped all four fatalities to be transported...

He sat up most of the night unable to sleep as each time his eyes closed he saw the falling crane over and over...

As the investigation ensued, the reports came back that it was the crane operator's first day to run this crane...

The Supervisor of the project had taken the day off...

So the entire crew on the crane that day was new to that particular project...

They were not new to the crane, but they were new to the project...

For some reason, they could not get the counter weights fastened securely to the backside of the crane...

So the order was given to tilt the crane more and more to one direction so they could fasten the clips to the crane itself...

Once it reached a certain angle, the crane could no longer bring itself upright...

And it began...

A painfully slow wavering...

A giant piece of steel that had no control of its movement any longer...

Those on the ground could hear the creaking, but they could not stabilize it...

They could see the uncertainty of its movements...

They could even see the look of terror on the face of the crane operator as he realized what was happening, unbuckled his seat belt, and tried to jump to safety...

All because there was a lack of counter-weight...

This crane fell...

Lives were lost...

Families were shattered...

Because of the unbalanced movements of newfound freedom...

I'm sure the crane felt great without the weights..

But there was imminent tragedy just after the abused freedom...

You know the situations...

You can hear the creaking as the wind begins to move that which should be strong enough to move the world...

You can see the wavering of the unweighted phenom...

No one questions his ability to produce...

No one has any doubts about his ability to do great things...

But all you can do is watch in horror as you realize with great despair that he has removed the counter weights and is feeling the false security of newfound freedoms...

Those things that seem to weigh you down and seemingly impede your instant success are the very things which will keep you from toppling and crushing everything beneath you...

Beware the peril of newfound freedom...

I have seen this principle in my own life...

I was raised in the home of an incredible man and woman of God...

Dad was a church builder of the like I have rarely seen since especially in my generation...

There were no gray areas with mom and dad...

The rules were never changed, or even bent a little for my siblings and I...

What a fine Christian example they have been in my life...

Time passed...

I became older...

Left home to attend Bible college...

Fell in love...

Married a beautiful girl...

Sat under another awesome pastor, Rev. Ron Macey...

For three years I listened...

Observed...

Cheered him on as he preached...

Thought to myself, "When I pastor I will ____________"

Then it happened!

A little church elected me as their pastor...

And I had IT!!

IT!!

Newfound freedom was mine...

I could do whatever I wanted...

No one telling me yes or no...

And I began to explore said freedom...

I began to look into all areas of life for inspiration...

Direction...

Friendship...

Etc...

I began to test certain boundaries...

See what the difference would be if I allowed this or that 'thing'...

It has led me to the realization...

While, as Apostolic ministers, we will never all agree on all of the 'standard' issues, there are some things that are non-negotiable...

In recent discussions with a minister friend of mine, we began exploring the subject of the "Emergent Church"

I told him, there are some new methods out there that might not be so bad in and of themselves...

But everything has its price...

I want to have a true Apostolic church in this present day...

To all of the young men out there who might read this, please be careful with your newfound freedom...

There are some things that are non negotiable!!

How long has it been since you have laid in the presence of God, unable to move, broken, unable to say anything but a sobbing "I love you Jesus" ?

Since you were in a church service where the power of God was so thick that no one could leave?

Since you saw a physical healing take place?

Since you were used in the operation of the gifts?

The church that I see emerging is a powerless one...

It is being built on absolutely no foundation...

When the current trends are no longer hip, what will it cling to?

The Apostolic message of the Cross, the New Birth, and consecration to God is timeless!

While creation changes, the Creator never does...

Be careful when you are presented with newfound liberties!

Your church... Your ministry is an algebraic equation where for whatever is subtracted from one side, something of equal value will be subtracted from the other...

You will give up something in the Spirit for every consecration in the flesh you remove...

I have seen it...

Please be careful with newfound freedoms...

The Borrowed Hankie

It was Wednesday…  

The day of her Play Date with Jesus…

She had chased the butterflies from the fields of Heaven down into the pit of my stomach where they performed an erratic flight pattern of epic, Blue Angel fighter jet proportion...

I worried that my words would be interrupted by my emotion, and I would be overcome with tears as I eulogized an angel…

The previous day, knowing Annaleigh deserved only the best, I picked up my new suit from the tailor, not taking the time to try it on.  (A display of a completely different kind of trust…)

Normally, tucked within the inside pocket of my suit, is a fresh handkerchief, but not today…

As the family gathered before the service, I asked if anyone had a hankie I could borrow…

Dad, with a mischievous grin, pulls one from his suit jacket and says, “Don’t worry. I have not used it.”  I believed him not….  J

I briefly glanced at it before tucking it into my jacket pocket, joining the family in prayer, and entering the service.

Apprehension was just beneath the surface of my relatively calm demeanor as I walked to the stage to deliver my portion of the service.

For the next few moments, it was my privilege to speak about the precious life of Annaleigh and the joy she shared with so many.

When I finished, I walked from the stage, dropped off the bubbles that I had promised Annaleigh, rang the door bell of her playhouse, and took my seat.

The borrowed hankie had never left my pocket…

I meditated on that fact for a few moments, and God began to speak…

“Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.”

“Son, when I am with you, you do not need props to handle your grief.  See, you did not need the borrowed hankie, for My strength held you together during your time of sorrow.”

HE never leaves us…

HE never forsakes us…

In your moments of stress, worry, and uncertainty, turn to Him…

All it takes is a slight turn….

For HE is there…

As close as the mention of His name…

Many times, in ways similar to me borrowing Dad’s hankie, we add things to our lives in effort to prepare for our emotional crises…

Things such as money…

Things such as relationships…

Things such as possessions…

You know what yours are…

We become frantic when we cannot see them…

They become the security blankets of our lives, and we panic when they are not present…

“I can’t deal with this situation without my _________!”

When, God says, “If you will trust ME, you will not need THAT.”

God, help me to lay down all of the unnecessary things that weigh me down and learn to trust You.

After all, who wants a borrowed hankie anyway?!?

I Will Act Now

In the busy-ness of our business, we often find ourselves wondering, “What next?”  After all, there are reports to run, stuff to sell, teams to train, fires to extinguish, plans to write, emails to read, emails to send, and on, and on, and on….

When we look at our in-box, legal pad, or iPad, we are often intimidated by the sheer amount of ‘stuff’ that we need to do.  You aren’t the only one who has spent an afternoon compiling a list of tasks, then, realizing that the day has ended, you place the legal pad on your desk with intentions of attacking it ‘first thing in the morning.’ 

Yeah, right…  The morning arrives with more calls, letters, messages, emails, blah blah blah, and your organized to-do list becomes lost beneath the last email you printed.

Og Mandino, in his book, ‘The Greatest Salesman In The World’, penned the following words:

 “I will act now. I will act now. I will act now. Henceforth, I will repeat these words each hour, each day, everyday, until the words become as much a habit as my breathing, and the action, which follows, becomes as instinctive as the blinking of my eyelids. With these words I can condition my mind to perform every action necessary for my success. I will act now. I will repeat these words again and again and again. I will walk where failures fear to walk. I will work when failures seek rest. I will act now for now is all I have. Tomorrow is the day reserved for the labor of the lazy. I am not lazy. Tomorrow is the day when the failure will succeed. I am not a failure. I will act now. Success will not wait. If I delay, success will become wed to another and lost to me forever. This is the time. This is the place. I am the person.”

I encourage each of you to purchase and read this book.  You can find it here: http://www.amazon.com/The-Greatest-Salesman-World-Mandino/dp/B000GR1ZXI/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1334952496&sr=1-1

It seems we get stuck in the mode of meeting, compiling, strategizing, and never get around to doing the things we put on our list. Act now!

I am inviting each of you to join me on a journey to personal productivity…  A clean desk…  A sense of accomplishment…  A less stressful work environment…

C,mon!  It will be fun! 

For the next few weeks, I will be forwarding on my book recommendations, ideas, tips and tricks to becoming a more organized, productive individual. 

If you have read this far, you want that badly, anyway…

Let’s grow together… 

Stay tuned.

Coming Attraction!

Quarterly book reviews!

I will be posting my thoughts regarding various books/authors and making recommendations for your reading lists.

There will be books of various different genres. If you have a favorite book or author, feel free to let me know!

Enough of this... I have to go read a book....

What Christmas Could Not Do - A Tribute to the life of Annaleigh Smith

I love the holiday season. Few occasions present themselves to us in this life that provide such joy, peace, and happiness.

Families eat together...

Remember the birth of our Savior...

Play dominoes and cards...

Watch football...

Tell the same old, tired jokes...

Exchange gifts...

Gossip...

I treasure these special times when we attempt to unplug from the hustle of life, clear our minds, and reflect on the blessings of God.

This past Wednesday, at the bidding of a fifteen month old little angel, we were given a special, unexpected moment in time.

When we were first informed of Annaleigh’s drowning, we immediately felt the panic, hurt, fear, uncertainty, and questions which are natural to situations such as these. Soon, however, we realized that God was truly in control, and began to trust Him.

As I sat in the hospital, waiting on the helicopter to arrive with Annaleigh, I immediately sensed that we were about to have a special moment in life. We were going to witness sweet Annaleigh do what Christmas could not do.

It would be the performance of a lifetime.

For the next 36 hours, she battled. Not for herself, but for those of us gathered near her. We thought we were there for her, but in all reality, she was there for us.

36 hours of prayer...

Friends, family, and colleagues, united around one cause...

No arguing about political candidates...

No debate regarding the upcoming election...

No cards or dominoes, but we did manage to work in the same, old, tired jokes...

36 hours of unity...

People on every continent across the globe... focused...

New friendships created...

Old friendships renewed...

Reconciliations...

New commitments made...

Old commitments rekindled...

Each tremor of seizure in her hands, was Annaleigh stepping to the conductor’s pedestal, orchestrating the performance of her lifetime...

36 hours of healing

36 hours of love revival

36 hours of preferring others

36 hours of devotion and servitude

To the naked eye, her little arms, spread beside her body seemed so weak...

But with each tremor, she was gripping families, friends, acquaintances, and colleagues and pulling them together. With each moment, with each breath, she did what Christmas could not do...

Thank you, Annaleigh, for the giggles...

Thank you, Annaleigh, for the smiles...

Thank you, Annaleigh, the clarity of life...

Thank you, Annaleigh for the performance of your lifetime.

See you soon.

Kim and I will bring bubbles...