Cheating

photo credit: Legozilla via photopin cc

I bought Andy Stanley's "Choosing to Cheat: Who Wins When Family and Work Collide?" on the recommendation from my friend Russ. With work, ministry and family all getting busier, I felt I needed to address how to separate and view each section of my life.

It is a short book and the premise is basic - choose to cheat work and not family. There are many stories from Andy's life and those that he ministers to that he shares to punctuate this point. What I appreciate the most is the example Stanley takes from Daniel on how he dealt with making a choice to do the right thing.

"But Daniel was determined not to defile himself by eating the food and wine given to them by the king. He asked the chief of staff for permission not to eat these unacceptable foods." Daniel 1: 8

Stanley does not advocate cutting corners at work or anything like that. But with the demands of the marketplace these days, most people are expected to work overtime, weekends and go on trips that usually take them away from family. But taking cues from Daniel, Stanley encourages those who are faced with choosing between work and family to ask work to put family first.

Each person is in a different scenario, but the basic framework is 1) Make up your mind that you want to prioritize family 2) Develop a plan 3) Deliver the plan diplomatically. Of the third point, Daniel did 3 things:

1. He asked for permission to change
2. He listened to his supervisor's objections
3. He proposed a test taking account of his supervisor's objections

So for those who want to protect family from the demands of work, you can:

1. Address the issue directly with supervisor
2. Ask, don't demand
3. Offer alternatives

Ask for a trial and don't give up. Maybe the first alternative is not accepted, but it may mean another alternative might the right one. I recommend reading the book if you need help on making your mind (preference vs. conviction) to cheat work instead of family. It is a helpful resource to those who struggle with the boundaries between work, ministry (or any other category) and family. 

As Certain as Death

"...and had revealed to him that he would not die until..."

I like certainty.  I can handle a bit of randomness and spontaneity, but in general, I function just fine when things are certain.  However, when it comes to following Jesus, faith is required in daily living and a lot of time, it means there will be a lot of uncertainty.  I guess that is why this verse in Luke 2 stands out to me.  Would it be cool to be Simeon receiving a clear truth that will come to pass since everyone dies?

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Thinking back and re-reading the passage in context, I'm not too sure it was entirely cool. God is telling Simeon that he won't die until he sees the Promised One out of a prophecy from hundreds of years ago. Everyone in the culture is looking forward to this One who will fulfill the prophecy. It sounds much like stuff stories are made out of, like our present day Harry Potter, The Matrix or Star Wars. How hard would it have been to wait on this guy to show up?

The nature of knowing God's will and praying/waiting for it to happen is complicated and different for each person. It may require extreme patience or impossible things to happen before the prayer is answered. But I think the outcome is the same if we are faithful to God's process.  Simeon got to see Jesus in his lifetime and I'm sure what God is bringing to pass in your life will be true as well.

Questions that we wrestled through at our small group tonight:  What has God told you that He will totally come through on? Are you finding it hard to believing Him to bring it to pass? 

I Have a $25 Monthly Allowance

... and I'm 34 years old.

I started to have an allowance when I was in Grade 6 (I think) when my parents would give me a dollar a week. It was amazing- a whole world of 10 cent candies was opened up to me.

Life with no budget... you have no idea how things are going financially. Picture by kenteegardin

But now that I am in my thirties, I have a monthly allowance all over again and I couldn't be more happier and content. Why?

1. It means I budget. I didn't always budget - as long as my expenses didn't exceed my income, I was happy. But living without a budget, especially when married and have children, wasn't practical and does not lead to any savings. 
2. It is a guilt-free set amount for my use only.  When we didn't have a personal category in our budget, every line item was shared with the family (ex/ groceries, clothing, eating out budget, etc). This resulted in healthy checks of how my spending impacted the rest of the family.  However, it made me feel guilty when I wanted to buy something just for myself that was more of a luxury instead of a need. Now, there is no such guilt because it is built into the budget. 
3. It helps me practice delayed gratification. In this day and age, advertisers and culture want you to buy things this instant. I have a $25 monthly allowance.  Now, if I want something costing $70, I have to wait 3 months or, if there already, consider if it is worth using 3 months of funds.
4. It helps prioritize my hobbies and interests. With a set amount, I now evaluate whether or not I want to read an e-book (that can take me 3 days to 10 days to finish/enjoy), a video game (months), a board game (years) or buy some comfort food (10 minutes, if that).  

With something that automatically tracks our expense (we use mint.com) it is really easy to track and with the roll over option (results of one months budget carries over to next month) it has been rewarding to do. Keeping a budget actually has been enjoyable.


Do you have a personal allowance and, if so, has it been successful in helping you enjoy being financially responsible?  If not, do you think it will help?

Jesus Changed My Life

How? The best way to describe it would be to list what I would be like if I did not follow Jesus. 

• I probably would be more selfish.  I can honestly say that Jesus changed and continues to change how I view myself and treat others.  If I did not give my life to Jesus, I would only think of me and at the expense of my wife, my daughter, my friends, and, really, everyone I know. 
• I would not be compassionate.  Jesus has caused me to care for people who I do not know in addition to people who I know.  This has led me to be involved in serving the needy in my hometown, to sponsor two children in India through Compassion, to be working with people to help the world to discover Jesus, and to learn more about the needs of the world.
• I would be a bitter man and have an anger management problem.  With following Jesus, I have learned to forgive (meaning I let go of my right to respond with what whoever caused hurt or damage to me).

There are a lot more things that would be different.  For those who know me, if I did not know Jesus, what kind of person do you think I would be right now and why?  

I Do Not Know God

If we insist upon trying to imagine Him, we end with an idol, made not with hands but with thoughts; and an idol of the mind is so offensive to God as an idol of the hand.  Knowledge of the Holy, Tozer, pg.8

I have followed Jesus for over 25 years now and I have taken for granted that I know God. But when I read this I am shocked back to the truth that I can not know God completely because he is far, above and beyond like anything on this earth. Anything I use as a reference will be a poor likeness of God.

I do not know God... but I want to.

In fact, I yearn to and it seems that there is a craving in each person to do so as well. They may not label is as wanting to "know God", but it may come out in other forms like craving purpose, meaning and intimacy. "The yearning to know What cannot be known, to comprehend the Incomprehensible, to touch and taste the Unapproachable, arises from the image of God in the nature of man... the soul senses its origin and longs to return to its Source." Tozer, 9.

So how can one know? Is it to read the Bible? Obey it? On its own - no.  We need Jesus. Without Jesus, there is nothing to bridge the gap that separates us from God in the first place - the reason why he is unapproachable in the first place.

But with Jesus we have access to know God. Then we can go on and do what Tozer suggests and instead of asking, "What is God like?" we should be asking "What has God disclosed about Himself that He has declared true?" Specifically, we know him by his attributes.

My plan is:

• Study God's attributes (i.e. read the rest of Tozer's book!)
• Do a word study on God's attributes as I learn about them
• Blog about each attribute
• Identify things I take God for granted for and erroneously applied to Him 

What are some suggestions that have worked to help you know God more by focusing on his attributes?

Photo by kloan

Occupiers, 1% and Proverbs 11

Photo by My Pickz

As I read Proverbs 11 this morning, I was struck how the words strike a chord with current events of today, specifically in the age of Occupiers vs. the 1%.  How much would the world be different if parties on both sides followed and lived out this chapter?

"The Lord detests the use of dishonest scales, but he delights in accurate weights."
"Honesty guides good people; dishonesty destroys treacherous people."
1%: You won't be facing criticism of making your money off the backs of the poor and the oppressed and be accused of using fear to get your way.

"Riches won't help on the day of judgement, but right living can save you from death."
1%: What are you doing with your riches?  Are you using it for right living?  You won't be depending on riches for happiness or fulfillment.
Occupiers: Are you aspiring for the riches the 1% has or are you working like an ant?  You won't be depending on riches for happiness or fulfillment.

"Without wise leadership, a nation falls; there is safety in having many advisers."
Occupiers: Does everyone have a voice or should there be a separation of those who are wise and those who should not be listened to?  Wisdom will shine through in interviews and solutions.
1%: Are you a power hungry CEO or do you have many advisers that you listen to and consult to make great policies and lead well?  By garnering the collective wisdom of a team, you will offset your personal weaknesses.

"Evil people get rich for the moment, but the reward of the godly will last."
"Give freely and become more wealthy, be stingy and lose everything."
1%: Who and what are you living for?  Are you leaving a legacy that will help others after you?  The bottom line will no longer just be a personal gain, but a gain for society.
Occupiers: Are you influencing the 1% to live a godly life or are you secretly want to be rich?  Develop a giving attitude early on and you will find it easier to give when you have wealth.

"Trust in your money and down you go!  But the godly flourish like leaves in spring."
All: Are we trusting in money?  Are we thinking that money will solve all our problems?  Are we striving to be more like Jesus?

I am reminded that in writing this that this is just not for two sectors of society - the 1% or the Occupiers, but for all of society - for me.  I believe that if these proverbs are followed, there will be an acceleration of the shrinking gap between rich and poor.   Society as a whole will be caring about the lives of people because they hold onto the sanctity of life.

But it will take more than just living a lifestyle - because it is evident through history that we can not do it with ideals.  This can only happen if we follow Jesus.

There are obvious many more ways to apply these verses - these are just my personal thoughts.  What do you think would the world look like if we applied Proverbs to our lives and followed Jesus' teaching?

Be Like an Ant

Take a lesson from the ants, you lazybones.  Learn from their ways and become wise!  though they have no prince or governor or ruler to make them work, they labor hard all summer, gathering food for the winter.  But you, lazybones how long will you sleep?  When will you wake up?  A little extra sleep, a little more slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest - then poverty will pounce on you like a bandit; scarcity will attack you like an armed robber.  Proverbs 6:6-11 (NLT)

Photo by grytr

This was part of my daily reading plan and it struck me how relevant this passage is to today's current reality.  In the midst of economic hard times, political upheaval and revolutions, this lesson struck a cord with me - be like an ant.

Regardless of who is in power or leadership over me (be it a prime minister, a boss, another authority figure or lack of ), I need to be working hard and doing what I need to do to bring food to the table.   And I can't help wonder if these instructions were followed by the masses - would it solve some of the problems that we are collectively facing?

The problems are multi-faceted and more complex to be solved in any one way, but I think an ant work ethic would do away with an entitlement attitude, excess spending on luxurious items, and a proper focus on human life over materialistic things.  More importantly, the church needs to have an ant work ethic in focusing on what Jesus is all about - His mission to bring that one lost sheep back into the pen.