Romans 12:1 begins "In view of God's mercy ..." Recently Gail and I spent a few days in Colorado
Springs at the "Marriage Get Away" in Glen Eyrie. While we were there we decided a trek up Pikes Peak would be worth it, so off we went. We reached the summit of Pikes Peak the easy way, we took the Cog Train, a leisurely 1 1/2 hour ride up the mountain. As we traversed the mountainside the view was spectacular. And it wasn't just the view, it was the company as well. In a rather serendipitous turn of events we ended up riding with one of the couples from the "Marriage Get Away". We shared our stories with laughter and tears reflecting upon our respective journeys of parenting, marriage and life. When we got to the top it was 20 degrees and slightly snowing and Gail was wearing her sandals (that's another story)! We quickly went inside where we met a couple who had just climbed the peak as a training climb for Kilimanjaro. Wow! and I just road the train ... that's humbling! Then you look around and there are youth groups, old ladies with back packs and then there's me ... looking for the oxygen bar. I may have been at over 14,000 feet but I was feeling about 14 inches tall.

Reflecting back on that excursion I have come to realize several things. When I stop and really take into view the mercy of God, Pikes Peak or any other mountain top experience doesn't compare. His creation reflects just a glimpse of his power, creativity and love for all of us. I also recognize how rich and diverse the body of Christ is and how perfect strangers with a common love for Jesus can immediately feel apart of each other's lives. We are all different, unique, gifted and filled with life and when I live in humility I open myself up to the richness of the body of Christ, allowing the grace of God to flow!

In Romans 12:1-8, Paul reminds us that taking a minute to look at all that God has done is the key to a life of worship and to living a life of humility, authenticity and integrity. Life's too short not to climb the mountain with others and with one voice shout out loud the mercies of God. Until tomorrow ...

I don't know if you have ever heard the song Thank You For Giving to the Lord by Ray Boltz, but as I reading 1 Corinthians 9:19-27 in our S.O.A.P. passage for today it just seemed to sum up thoughts about the reward of a light devoted to Christ, all the investments of time, talents and treasures laid up in heaven will one day be a crown, the prize, the reward for doing everything possible that men, women, boys and girls may come to know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. All I can say is 'Thank You"

Thank You For Giving to the Lord by Ray Boltz

I dreamed I went to heaven
and You were there with me
We walked upon the streets of gold
Beside the crystal sea.

We heard the angels singing
Then someone called your name.
You turned and saw this young man
And he was smiling as he came.

And he said, "Friend you may not know me now"
And then he said, "But wait"
You used to teach my Sunday School
When I was only eight.

And every week you would say a prayer
Before the class would start.
And one day when you said that prayer
I asked Jesus in my heart."

(Chorus)
Thank you for giving to the Lord
I am a life that was changed.
Thank you for giving to the Lord
I am so glad you gave.

Then another man stood before you
And said, "Remember the time
A missionary came to your church
And his pictures made you cry.

You didn't have much money
But you gave it anyway.
Jesus took the gift you gave
And that's why I am here today."

(Chorus)
Thank you for giving to the Lord
I am a life that was changed.
Thank you for giving to the Lord
I am so glad you gave.

One by one they came
Far as the eye could see
Each life somehow touched
By your generosity.

Little things that you had done
Sacrifices made.
Unnoticed on the earth
In heaven now proclaimed.

And I know up in heaven
You're not supposed to cry.
But I am almost sure
There were tears in your eyes.

As Jesus took your hand
And you stood before the Lord.
He said, "My child look around you.
Great is your reward."

(Chorus twice)
Thank you for giving to the Lord
I am a life that was changed.
Thank you for giving to the Lord
I am so glad you gave.

This morning was "See You at the Pole". An annual national emphasis where students gather publicly at their school's flag pole and pray. Gail and I stood on the edge of the crowd at Cinco Ranch Junior High with several other proud parents as we watched our children openly pray for their school, fellow students, teachers and principles. They worshipped God, singing at the top of their lungs, singing praises to their Lord. In 2 Timothy 1:8, Paul tells Timothy, "...do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord...". I was so proud of our students as they stood in the public arena as an expression of God's love and concern for all at their school.

In today's S.O.A.P. up passage, 2 Timothy 2:3-7, we are encouraged to learn from the examples of others, like soldiers, athletes and farmers ... maybe even students. As I read this passage I thought, "What do these have in common?" In verse 7 it says that we should "reflect" or "consider", it is the Greek work noieo (noy-eh'-o) which means to exercise your mind, think about it for a minute or two and listen to what God might be saying through their examples. ... So what do you think? Is it their faith, courage, discipline, focus? What insight has the Lord given you into this passage? I would love for you to post your response on my Sacred Journey blog. Until tomorrow ... Let's LIVE OUT LOUD like our students and live a life that shouts His love!

This morning was a top down, doors off morning on the Jeep! A cool crisp, low humidity, sun shining, not a cloud in the sky morning wakes up my senses and causes me to celebrate all that God is doing. I hope that as you are Living Out Loud you too are awake to all that God is doing in your life and in his kingdom. I love to hear from each of you about what God has been saying to you as you S.O.A.P. up daily. This morning as I was reading in Luke 12 I went ahead and read the whole chapter (remember that one of the basic rules of understanding the bible is, “every text has a context”) it really brought light to the passage in today’s reading. After reading the whole chapter, I began to see a picture of God’s heart that I had not seen previously in this passage. God knows me, my needs, my wants, my desires, from the graying follicles atop my head to my band width as a pastor and leader … he knows me! We say it all the time … when you distill life down to what really matters … it’s all about relationships … “a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions”, Jesus says in Luke 12:15. It is this foundational truth that keeps me investing in eternal relationships … my love for God, myself and others! Jesus says, there is too much at stake to be idle, careless or distracted. We believe that God knows us, love us and is faithful to provide for us and because of that he says don’t be sidetracked, diverted or even hijacked by the cares of this world. My mantra for today … “God, you know me, you love me and you will provide for me!” Now go out and make it an awesome day, as you Live Out Loud making eternal investments in the Kingdom of God.

What an awesome Sunday! I hope you enjoyed Skittle Theology and thanks for sharing your Skittles! Remember, your heavenly dad can get you a 5 lb bag anytime!

Today’s passage is the same text from yesterday’s message, but even this morning as I was having my S.O.A.P. time, God was faithful to show me new things and challenge my life in new ways. The word that kept coming to mind this morning was “simplify”. As I was reading in verse 19, “do not store … treasures”. The idea of storing things is fairly pervasive in our culture, just look around in Cinco Ranch and throughout Katy. There’s a ton of storage space. I wonder what’s in all those storage rooms. Stuff that is just sitting, waiting, collecting dust because we believe that our future will be better, more secure, and more comfortable because of stuff we’ve stored up! Closets in our homes seem to get larger and larger, becoming a key selling point when we purchase a new home. Why? Well for me, I guess it is because I have so much stuff! So I need to store my stuff up for tomorrow when I might use it!

Seasonally, Gail and I go through our closet and take out what we don’t wear (or what doesn’t fit), what we don’t need or what is just taking up space. Pretty soon all that stuff that we are storing becomes stuff that costs us time and money just to keep around, not to mention the clutter. But potentially more damaging is what it does to my spirit; it can become a source of pride and worse, a place where I put my hope and confidence about the future.

Richard Foster, in his book “Simplicity” writes, “Simplicity is the only thing that sufficiently reorients our lives so that possessions can be genuinely enjoyed without destroying us. Without simplicity we will either capitulate to the “mammon” spirit of this present evil age, or we will fall into an un-Christian legalistic asceticism. Both lead to idolatry. Both are spiritually lethal. … The spiritual discipline of simplicity provides the needed perspective. Simplicity sets us free to receive the provision of God as a gift that is not ours to keep and can be freely shared with others. Once we recognize that the Bible denounces the materialist and the ascetic with equal vigor, we are prepared to turn our attention to the framing of a Christian understanding of simplicity.”

Let us all embrace simplicity so that we may give and receive with great joy.

Friday, September 22, 2006

A Beatles song is ringing in my head, “… all you need is love … da da da da da … all you need is love … da da da da da … all you need is love, love, all you need is love.” Sing it with me … O.K. stop, some of you are embarrassing yourselves right now, people are looking at you … but that’s just because they want to sing along. O.K. go ahead and sing at the top of your lungs and when you’re finished come back and we’ll go on … I love to sing, make a joyful noise, wake up the neighbors, climb a mountain and shout, this is life we’ve been given, made to be lived out, so la la la la live out loud. That could be a song …. Can you believe it that 27 times in this short passage love is used and 2 other times, beloved or friends is used simply saying that you are the ones that are loved. When reading scripture, repeating something usually means the author is wanting to emphasize a point, give more force and emotion … mmmmmm I think God is trying to tell us something. Simply put, God is love, he has placed his love in us by way of the Holy Spirit, and now you and I are supernaturally endowed with a spiritual capacity to love others! We know it, we rely on it, we live it, we sing it, we shout it! I look forward to seeing you on Sunday!

Thursday, September 21, 2006

“Good answer!” That’s phrase really struck me this morning. Jesus, time and time again, was put on the spot, challenged and plotted against but they just couldn’t get the wisest, Holy Spirit lead leader ever to give a bad answer. Like that teacher of the law, I am forever asking Jesus questions; “Now what is the best way?”, “What is the right thing to do?” or “How can I love the way you do?” What I like about this guy is it seems that he genuinely wanted to know the truth, the good answer. I think that he even had an inkling of what that might be, he just wanted to hear it from Jesus. There are times when I feel the same way. I sense the right answer, the prompting of God’s Spirit and find myself going to Jesus and saying is this true? Is this what you want me to believe, to do, to pray? But then, sometimes my questions are more out of my fear of what God might be calling me give up, to confess, and even out of my desire to protect or propagate my own opinions. I find myself listening and looking for the answer I want to hear. There are times, like the teacher, when I hear Jesus speak and it makes so much sense, it might even be what I was already being lead to do through scripture and prayer, and I find myself saying “good answer” Lord. But, even in my incessant questioning and seeking, I continually find that Jesus always give the good answer, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength … love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.” Now that’s a good answer!

Wednesday, September 20, 2006

Soren Kierkegaard, in his book The Sickness Unto Death, writes that in life we may, “… get married, beget children, be honored and esteemed” and yet we “… may fail to notice that in a deeper sense we lack a self … The biggest danger, that of losing oneself, can pass off in the world as quietly as if it were nothing; every other loss, an arm, a leg, five dollars, a wife, etc. is bound to be noticed.” pp 62-63 In my S.O.A.P. up journaling today it was so evident that God was saying to me, “Look how easy it is for the next generation to loose a sense of who they are in God’s eyes.” Men and women who knew God and were responsible for passing the spiritual DNA to the next generation didn’t fair too well. That sense of belonging to something greater than ourselves, that sense of knowing who and whose you are was lacking. This loss set a generation a drift and broke the heart of God. They were forced on a journey to find themselves and their God, to know him and to experience him, both in his anger and his compassion. We live in a time where many men and women do what is right in their own eyes, making, creating, fashioning gods that reflect each individual want. How will that effect today’s children? What will this next generation be like? Will they lack a sense of self? Will they know their God? Will they remember the experiences, the deserts, the trials of life that have shaped the past?

For me, “Live Out Loud”, is an investment in the spiritual journey of future generations. I want my children and the children of our church and community to know that they are “fearfully and wonderfully made”, loved by God and created for a purpose, so that it won’t be written of them, “another generation grew up, who knew neither the Lord nor what he had done for Israel.”

Tuesday, September 19, 2006

When Gail and I were first married and Emily was just about 18 months old, we faced a time when we were in need, hungry, broke and humbled … God used that place and time in our lives, to test us … to teach us and even to take us to a place of dependence, faith and trust in the one Love, Lord and Leader of our lives! We learned that God is faithful to provide all our needs and to bless our lives as we humble ourselves before him. Some things have changed in the last 18 years; we now have three awesome children (that’s the dad speaking), a great church and wonderful friends, a fantastic community, and blessing upon blessing. Then as I was “S.O.A.P.ing up” this morning, I was reminded how easy it is to take credit for the good in my life, Deuteronomy 8, verse 14 reads, “… then your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.” … and in verse 17 and 18, “you may say to yourself, “My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me … but remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth …”

Just as empty pockets can test a faithful heart, full pockets can tempt a faithful heart. I confess how easy it is for my pride to cause me to stumble, how easy it is to take credit for the good in my life and all the while God says, “Jerry, remember what I taught you in the desert? Don’t forget the lessons of your youth or you will find yourself once again a slave to your own folly.” Every good and perfect gift comes from God and I never want to forget that every day, he gives breath to my lungs and rhythm to my heart. He sustains me and blesses me, giving me the capacity to be a blessing to others. It is for his glory alone that we live!

Until tomorrow …

Monday, September 18, 2006

During the next several weeks as we Live Out Loud, I will be sharing thoughts, prayers, and leadings from the Lord as, like you, I S.O.A.P. up daily in God’s word. If you want to know more about how to “S.O.A.P up” just click here. In your Life Group this week you will receive a Daily S.O.A.P. guide, if your group hasn’t met yet or you’re not in a group, I have listed the passages for this week below. You can also find them on our website www.thefellowship.org

Monday, September 18 - Genesis 22:1-18

Tuesday, September 19 – Deuteronomy 8

Wednesday, September 20 – Judges 2:6-3:4

Thursday, September 21 – Mark 12:28-34

Friday, September 22 – 1 John 4:7-12

As I was “Soaping up” this morning in Genesis 22, I thought of the emergency broadcasting system’s old way of testing where they would come on the airways and say “this is only a test” and then begin some obnoxious sound that would cause you to turn your radio way down or off. This story begins with a test and Abraham’s response was to tune God in not turn him off. That’s my prayer for all of us … that we would not turn God off in the midst of his testing because we will miss out on the blessing. The test brought out the truth about where Abraham put his trust! Between now and October 22^nd I am going to be tested and the truth will be seen about where I put my trust! I think that is true for all of us who desire to grow in their relationship with Christ. The most exciting thing I got from this passage was at the end when God told Abraham … “all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.” Wow! Thousands of years later, I have received the blessing of salvation because Abraham obeyed God. What blessing is yet to come to others because of my obedience to God, I will never know unless I put my complete trust in the Lord. As the old hymn says, “Trust and obey, for there’s no other way, to be happy in Jesus, than to trust and obey.”

Feel free to pass this on and invite others to SOAP up daily.