Experiencing JESUS in LENT………

We are a few days removed from the beginning of Lent.

Many people will give something up. Some will give up things that are small struggles and others will give up something that majorly impacts their daily living.

It is okay to focus on what we will give up; however, it is vital to also focus on what we hope to gain from the season known as Lent.

Life is tough. It is quite easy to think about things that hold us down.

But what about what we need in our lives?

I am not equating needs with material stuff. Yes, we could all use more money, a better vehicle, or help with home repairs. But our needs are far more greater than materialistic. We have internal needs. Needs for peace and comfort in this ever changing and chaotic world. We have needs for love in a world that often tells us we are not good enough, not pretty enough, not ___________ enough (fill in the blank).

This is where having a different perspective on Lent comes into play…………..

Many people simply view Lent as giving something up. The issue with this is I know a lot of people who would not even consider themselves as “spiritual” or “Christian” who give something up for Lent. So if you are a Christian and you are reading this post–perhaps putting a different twist to LENT would be more appropriate.

What could you add to your life or do differently during Lent? Maybe you need to read Bible more or journal your thoughts. Maybe you need to try to mend some relationships that went sour. Do Lent differently. Anyone can give something up but you need to grow too!

Ponder the following questions:

—-What can I give up for Lent ? (stumbling block)

—-What can I add to my life? (for growth)

—–How can I simplify my life? (work/personal)

Any questions? Comment on here and I will get back to you!

Open/What-Is-Spiritual DIRECTION ? ! ?

Be open.

Be open to growth his year, 2013.

Set some goals. Eat better. Get more sleep. Etc, etc, etc.

What about this………Spiritual Direction. It sounds cliche. People are engaged in “spiritual direction” all of the time. Church on Sundays. Small group during the week. Listen to some Christian music while driving to work in your car.

The spiritual direction that I am referring to is one-on-one.

You must understand this: large group spiritual direction is great but it is easy to hide in the crowd on Sunday morning at church. It is easy to say “I am fine” while enrolled in a small group. However, one-on-one spiritual direction is just that–one-on-one. One-on-one spiritual direction can engage the soul of a person in ways that a corporate setting cannot.

Do you have someone who guides you in spiritual direction? A friend? Pastor? Trusted professional?

I have some people that I go to for spiritual direction. I try to get together with them monthly because consistency is key. We will be honest before God and they will speak into all areas of my life. It makes me vulnerable to change—and change is needed for those of us desiring to be like Jesus daily. Let me emphasize this: spiritual direction can be intimidating and revealing. Whoever is speaking INTO your life and peering into your heart–they have great power. Be careful whom you go to for spiritual direction. Since spiritual direction is revealing–make sure you trust the person. You do not want your business all over Facebook.

Let me give you some reasons why one-on-one spiritual direction is needed for EVERY CHRISTIAN:

—–Direction: When you are meeting with someone consistently (weekly, bi weekly, or monthly); it provides you with direction. The person aiding you can probe your intentions, help you with your struggles, and map out your goals with you.

—-Consistency: People are more successful when they are journeying with others. Accountability equals growth.

—-Creativity: Meeting with someone else in spiritual direction may bring out your creative side. Maybe a talent or idea will come to light due to meeting with someone and allowing them to see your true colors.

—-Growth: In order to grow, sometimes we need others to guide us. This is normal. We all need someone to guide us.

Need spiritual direction? Contact me. I am willing to work out a rate with you and a plan with you.

A New Year, So What??

Today is the last day of 2012.

Today, everyone will make New Years’ resolutions and will break them by January 2.

A New Year, so what?

Theme. What is your theme for 2013?

First, you are wondering how and why you should create a theme for 2013. A theme is different than a resolution. A resolution is often something that is broken in a short amount of time. A resolution is focused on the short term. A theme will give you focus for the entire year. A resolution is something that we put little thought into because it is obvious. A theme is something that shapes the whole year and is sometimes something that is only revealed through prayer.

How does one develop a theme for 2013?

Pray: Ask God to show you an area of your life that you need to focus on for the next year. Seek a broader topic (relationships/finances/health) first.

Dig: After God has shown you the topic, ask God for the specifics. Whom will aide you on your journey? Whom will hinder your progress? God will begin to fill in the details.

Apply: Plan out how you will live out this theme on a daily basis. It may change how you manage your time or it may change how you spend your time. Perhaps your theme for 2013 will impact how much (or little) you involve yourself with the news or social media.

A theme for 2013 is important because it will shape your WHOLE year. It is vital that you have a theme for yourself (as an individual) and as a family. It is good for you to grow as a person and equally important that your family have a theme and focus for the year. Imagine what families would look like if they had a focus for the year. Sadly, too many people (including families) pass through life and go through the motions without having a theme or focus.

Remember, if we aim for nothing–we get exactly that–nothing.

“Not Ready for That”

“I am not ready for that.”

I have heard these words about following God/Jesus.

I respect that. I appreciate honesty. God knows we could use more honest people in this world.

However, I want to point out some things about “being ready for that”.

1. Jesus loves you right where you are.–You do not need to be “ready for him”. He is not your prom date and he is not taking you out for dinner. Jesus loves you right here, right now, in the moment.

2. You are loved anyway.–Jesus loves you anyway. Whether you have known him personally your entire life OR you just met him OR you never have really known him; he loves you anyway. He loves you when you are in church. He loves you when you wander far from him and have not spoke to him in quite some time. He even loves you when you use him name in vain (although he does not like it!).

3. Accept him.–Life is short. We never know when we will take our last breath. I am not speaking of Turn Or Burn Theology here. I am speaking of reality. Why wait? Why wait for the right moment to begin with Jesus? Folks, there is no right moment to wait for because Jesus is already walking right beside you.

It is easy to wait to begin a relationship with Jesus. ” Hey, let me indulge in this (name a struggle of yours) a few more times. Then I will be ready, Lord.” We just want to “have fun”. The core issue is a lot of the things that hold us down from being free are the things that distract us from reality. We then trudge though life–aimlessly–and gain no authentic satisfaction. Jesus will give you a peace that is OUT OF THIS WORLD because his Kingdom is bigger than our daily worries. When we are living in Jesus and in Kingdom living–it will transform how we spend time, energy, money, work, worries, etc.

Are you ready, friends?

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas!!!

You are reading this post on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day…..so either way…..MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

My prayer is that you did not get caught up in the busyness of Christmas; therefore, you are enjoying the beauty of Christmas.

Take away all of the gifts, cookies, fancy Christmas dinners, parties, and church functions. Yes, even the church functions can be distracting. Take away all of these things. What are you left with? Jesus.

Jesus was the point of all of these posts. Yes, my blog is entitled Java and Jesus. But the last few weeks, we have intentionally focused on Jesus and all that HE IS and ALL THAT HE CAN BE IN YOUR LIFE. Yes, we focus on the birth of Christ at Christmas but there is more to it than that.

We must let Jesus live…..in US. ALL YEAR ROUND.

It is easy to get all spiritual and holy during Christmas. People get all emotional over Christmas lights and “the perfect gift”. The air seems to be different too. Some people are actually nicer this time of year more than any other time of the year. It is temporary.

This Jesus thing is a daily thing. Being with Jesus is not limited to the sermons we hear at church or where your church is in regards to the liturgical church calendar. Jesus does not care if you are a church member or have not been to church in 25 years.

He is waiting.

And he will continue to wait.

Celebrate the birth of Christ this Christmas AND also celebrate that Jesus has never given up on you. Ever.

Reflections on Advent-Out of this World “Peace”

Greetings friends.

We are in the third week of Advent. This week’s theme is Peace. I am a little behind in my writings but it is still the third week until tomorrow (Sunday).

Peace is something all of us desire but few of us find in today’s culture. Our culture says, “more is better”. The more gifts you give at Christmas; the more giving of a person you are. The more apps on your iPhone, you are much cooler than your peers. The more hours you work at work, then you must be really productive. And my favorite one, the more you are at church during Advent/Christmas; the holier you are!! (Note: Can you sense my tone of sarcasm in the above paragraph?)

It is disruptive today to say “no”.

I am not implying that we be Grinches at Christmas. I am not against gifts. Or going to church. Or iPhones. We have an iPod and iPad in this home. What I am against is the busyness that has become Christmas. Just because someone may attend every special church event during this season does not mean they are benefitting from it. Attendance does not always equate to spiritual fruit. And doing all kinds of “Christmas things” does not equate to being close to Jesus. However, if you are a Christian, your Christmas should look different than someone who does not know Jesus. You should have peace and not chaos.

Peace. Ah, where do we find it this time of year?

In Jesus.

Yet another Sunday School answer. Yet…so….true.

If we are desiring out of this world peace, we must look to the Prince of Peace. Peace this is of this world is temporary peace. Temporary peace is when your children take an extra long afternoon nap. Temporary peace is sometimes bought at the local spa or coffee shoppe. “AHHH….this is the life”.

Out of this world peace (from Jesus)– focuses on the big picture. Out of this world peace says “I will not lose my sanity this holiday season because I know the real reason for the Season”. Out of this world peace says “I do not need to keep up with the Joneses to feel like I am somebody important”. Jesus gives peace and life.

Find peace this season in not what you will do…but in how you will be…..finding peace……in the Prince of Peace.

Reflections on Advent-Love and Tragedy

We have entered into the second week of Advent.

Christmas is two weeks away. People are mapping out their game plans for Christmas Day.

This week. We focus on the love of Jesus. Christmas season tends to have us focus on nice, clean, handsome baby Jesus. Think about the Christmas musicals you have attended. Was Jesus dirty, crying, or worse yet…ugly? No. Never. That baby Jesus on that stage was SPOTLESS!

Ponder this: Jesus was both human and divine. As a baby, we was born in a stinky stable. He probably needed his diapers changed like everyone else. He was divine in that he would conquer sin, defeat Satan, and entrust His Kingdom to US

Jesus got dirty. In his love, he gets dirty.

During this week of Advent—with a focus on love, we must invite Jesus into our sins. We must invite Jesus into the places within us that need us the most.

Yesterday, our country experienced a horrible tragedy. Many innocent children were gunned down by a madman while simply going about their day at an elementary school.

I know people have a lot of questions about God in this tragedy. Allow me to provide you with some insight…..

WHERE WAS GOD? Friends, God was right there. God never leaves us despite the times we chose to ignore Him. God was there in that moment. Heroes (teaches and staff) shielded the children from danger. Casualties would have been higher if these heroes did not step up. God was there.

WELL, THIS IS ABOUT GUNS!! IF WE TAKE AWAY GUNS–PEOPLE WILL BE BETTER BEHAVED!—–This was not about guns. This about the daily battle of good and evil. Holy and unholy. This shooter who took innocent lives—he CHOSE to do evil. It is called free will. We have the ability to choose to do good or harm everyday. Some people choose to use words. Other people use weapons. Some people use their authority to bring pain and sorrow.

HOW WILL WE MOVE FORWARD? In love and in relationship with Jesus. Sounds like a Sunday school answer, yes. But where else will we find hope and love? The media? They have a job to do. Our possessions and jobs? These only bring temporary joy. Other people? They will give us peace but people will let us down. They are human! This is where Jesus comes in. He wants to walk with us daily. But we must first choose to love him AND allow him to love us.

Allow Jesus to love you today. Right now.

Reflections on Advent-Hope

Advent began this past Sunday. For those of you not familiar with Advent–Advent is a celebration of the four weeks (especially Sundays) leading up to Christmas Day. Each week has a different theme. Advent is celebrated because we celebrate the birth of Christ (Christmas) and we also anticipate the Second Coming of Jesus.

Hope is the first candle lit this year for Advent.

Hope. What a perfect topic to address.

We just witnessed a Presidential Election in November. People had hope in their respective candidates. People had hope that…..either man could make changes. Save issues with the economy, welfare, etc. People had hope.

Hope deflated.

Our hope in humans will be deflated. People will let us down. People will move away or change jobs and no longer work in the same office as us. People will die or they will forget your name when you run into them at the grocery store or mall.

Where do we place our hope these days?

Jesus.

Jesus is the Truth, the Life, Wonderful Counselor.

One thing that is very beautiful and disruptive during this Christmas season—-is to do some things different. I know people have traditions and while that is fine and dandy–we must ask why these traditions exist. Invite Jesus into these activities. Should I do this and why am I doing this? Some people do things just because it is expected of them.

Be different.

Look for hope.

However– looking for hope will make you vulnerable.

Being vulnerable is perfect because this is when we are most open to being changed by Jesus. We are exposed. Our weaknesses are known. We will reach out and need assistance from Jesus and fellow people on the journey.

Advent season—should be a time of renewal.

Where are you placing your hope these days?

How We View God

Our viewpoints shape how we go about the day.

Call them world views. Label them as “the lens we see the world through”.

What we believe about the world…..it shapes how we view God.

Allow me to give you some examples:

—You have been hurt by others. Whether this is abuse, a broken heart, or some painful words–we sometimes make agreements with what we have encountered and we chalk it up as “just suck it up and deal”. The problem with this is we do not address the problem. The problem lingers and Satan moves in.

1 Peter 5:8 “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour”.

A roaring lion? Enemy? What sticks out here is we need to be alert and of sober mind. So we must be careful and filter what other people say to us. Is this true and is this true of how God views me?

—Your view of love is distorted. Being hurt by others can mess up our view of God; however, a bigger issue on how we view God is our view on love. Many movies and books are made that sell distorted views of love. Maybe you have been sold the idea that our relationships should consist of no arguments and no disagreements because this is “unholy”. Quite the opposite. God wants us to address the things in our hearts that bother us. On the flip side, you may have been taught that your relationship(s) are supposed to be full of turmoil often. In life, we will all have disagreements but turmoil all the time is not healthy. Know this–abuse of ANY kind is not acceptable. If you are being abused, seek help. And if you are abused, that too will distort your view of God and His love.

Romans 8:39–Neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Nothing can separate us from God’s love. No person. No situation. NOTHING!
We must develop a healthy approach to how we view LIFE: events, situations, life changes, people.

What does healthy look like?

Healthy is making Jesus/God/Holy Spirit—our top priority. Our worldviews and how we approach life will align with God. We will view our relationships in a different light.

We will no longer view life as “what can we get out of it”. Instead, we will view life as “what can we contribute to better ourselves and society”.

Jesus is Bigger Than the Government

We are only a few days removed from the Presidential Election. Many are celebrating their candidate’s win; others are upset over the results. I will not lie–I am not happy with the results. But I have faith. I have faith because Jesus is bigger than the government.

When you take a look at Scripture, Jesus is consistently talking about the Kingdom of God. Jesus is not concerned with getting all political because Jesus knows that the Kingdom he speaks of it out of this world. Many people expecting the Messiah (Jesus) to come onto the scene and overthrow the government. Jesus mixed things up a bit. Sometimes Jesus would work behind the scenes and do God’s work. In other situations, Jesus would go right to leaders (political and religious) and give them the truth.

Jesus did what was needed–not what was popular. He did not worry about what people thought of him. Jesus could have played the political game and rode his way around Jerusalem like a king. But Jesus had other plans. He knew what was needed. He picked average people to carry out an extraordinary mission: restore humanity. Restoring humanity would take Jesus through the wilderness, ignoring Satan, getting sold out by his own followers, and getting nailed to the cross as a criminal.

Jesus was different.

And this is why Jesus is bigger than the government—regardless of whether our President is Republican or Democrat.

Jesus wants to restore people’s hearts. Jesus desires to give each of us a purpose in life. We are not here by accident and we should not spend the rest of our lives taking up space. We must move forward.

Jesus is bigger than the government because he brings authentic hope and change. The government deals with laws. Jesus deals with the heart, mind, and soul. The government promises provisions for all people. Jesus promises peace that no government, person, and society could deliver.

Jesus is bigger than the government.

Where do you put your hope these days?