Awaken Ministries

This week’s post will be short and sweet as I want to share a simple, yet profound, principle that may just rock your world.

I came across this thought this week while reading the book, “Lead…for God’s Sake!” by Todd Gongwer:

We shouldn’t live our lives in a way where we list our priorities as God first, family second, job third, friends fourth, and so on. Instead, Christ should be at the center of ALL of our priorities! Living out our lives with passion for Jesus is something that should be at the center of every area of our lives, not just the “spiritual” things we do.

As I have shared before, I am a “list guy”. For too long, my mindset has been to do a task and check it off the list. I think I have done that in my relationship with Christ also. But, the more I learn about Jesus, I am pretty sure he isn’t all that interested in my “To Do” list accomplishments. He is going to look at my life as a whole and will see how I lived my short life on this earth. Did I put Him in the center of my life? Or, did I put my list in the center of my life?

My challenge for you this week is to take some time and evaluate where you are in this area. Is your faith something on your “To Do” list, or is it at the center of everything you do? Take today and tomorrow and see if your life practice is matching up to what your answer was.

More to come…
Jeremy

I have to start this week’s blog with a confession. Last week, I set a goal of being home 4 nights so that I can spend more time with my wife and daughter. Well, I didn’t make my goal. The lesson for me? Maybe I should look at my calendar and the commitments I have already made before I set goals about my time. I say that because this week isn’t looking good either. I have commitments on 4 nights this week also.

The good news? I am much more aware of how I am spending my time now and as I look down the road I can be more proactive with limiting my nighttime commitments.

Why is spending at least 4 nights a week at home with my family so important to me? Well, here is a list to help you understand my thinking:

1. My job as a middle school principal (like so many of our jobs nowadays) is pretty demanding and draining during the day. There are many days when 4:00 rolls around, I am emotionally exhausted. Then, when there are extracurricular activities or church meetings, I have to gear myself back up and go back at it. I’m not really complaining, I’m just being transparent here. When I get to go home, I get to recharge my batteries. So much stress that people face nowadays is because people don’t get opportunities to recharge. They just keep going and going and going until they either physically or emotionally break down. I don’t want that to happen to me because of the wreckage that would cause to many people around me.

2. Another reason I want to be home is a very selfish one–people inside there love me!! Why wouldn’t I want to spend time with them? Even as I write this blog, my daughter is coming in every couple of minutes to give me a kiss or just to have me watch her do something–and I am happy to oblige her! Isn’t it ironic that often we spend more time and energy trying to impress the people we work with and associate with at the expense of the people who really do love us! I’m paraphrasing John Maxwell here who has often said that he wants to be loved and respected the most by those who know him the best.

3. My last reason is that time goes by so quickly! I have had several people tell Laura and I to enjoy and savor each day with our daughter. These people aren’t saying this out of regret, but just that the days that they had with their children came and went so fast that they would love to go back and experience just one more day if they could. I heard my older brother Matt–who has three kids in the house now–talk several years ago when his kids were all very young about how he cherishes each Christmas morning with them because there are only so many more Christmas mornings that all the kids will be waking up in his house and spending the day together.

What is it that you need to start–or stop–doing today in order to disciple (yes, it is discipling) those who love you the most?

More to come…
Jeremy

So, did you find yourself grumbling less and less last week? Were you more aware of the impact of your words? I hope last week’s challenge helped you realize the impact of the words we say!

Today I want to talk about another area where Christians sometimes hinder others–when we try to be something that we aren’t.

What do I mean? Well, sometimes a story from another source says it best. The following is a quote from the August 1, 2014 “Breakpoint” commentary from Eric Metaxas. What he was discussing was research that looked for answers as to why many kids stop living the faith they grew up on when they get to be young adults. This may surprise you:

“Instead of would-be Richard Dawkins’, the typical respondent (who walked away from their faith) was more like Phil, a student Taunton interviewed. Phil had grown up in church; he had even been the president of his youth group. What drove Phil away wasn’t the lure of secular materialism or even Christian moral teaching. And he was specifically upset when his church changed youth pastors.

Whereas his old youth pastor “knew the Bible” and made Phil “feel smart” about his faith even when he didn’t have all the answers, the new youth pastor taught less and played more.

Phil’s loss of faith coincided with his church’s attempt to ingratiate itself to him instead of challenging him. According to Taunton, Phil’s story “was on the whole typical of the stories we would hear from students across the country.” (Metaxas)

Now I’m sure that many churches that do this really do think they are doing what is best for their kids. I don’t think a church would purposely mess this up. But, isn’t it telling that what this research showed is that teens want more JESUS and less fluff! Sometimes, we think Jesus is too polarizing for today’s generation so we must somehow work to make our youth groups “cool”.

But in reality, teens can handle and actually want so much more. Many do hunger for the Jesus of the Bible! We have to give them what they want! Hold them to high standards–not our standards but Jesus’ standards!

Your challenge this week is to think of teens in your area of influence. How can you give them Jesus this week? In my job, I work with 300 11-14 year-olds everyday. I need to answer the question above also! Let’s not lose this upcoming generation because we were trying to be “hip”!

More to come…
Jeremy

This is Sunday night when I am writing this and I publish every Monday. The weeks go by so quickly now that there is a 2-year-old in the house and I wasn’t sure what I was going to write about tonight. So, I did what I normally do when I’m not sure what to write about…I read some Scripture.

The verses that stuck out to me right now came from the second chapter of Philippians: “Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, ‘children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.’ Then you will shine like stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life. And then I will be able to boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor in vain.” (Philippians 2:14-16)

Like so many other times when I go to the Bible, I found a word that I really needed to hear!! Our world, our country, our state, our cities, our churches, our workplaces, and our families, all need less grumbling and arguing. If there is one thing that people–including myself–seem to enjoy doing, it’s grumbling. ‘Misery loves company’ is how the saying goes. I have found myself chiming in with negative comments in a conversation even when that is not how I feel about someone or a situation. I just want the other person to know that I understand their gripes.

What would happen if you and I started to take the above Scripture to heart? Well, we don’t have to guess what would happen because it tells us what would happen, “…you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.”

Wow, apparently James generation was similar to ours! I would love to “shine like the stars in sky” as I hold “firmly to the word of life.”

We are called as followers of Christ to be light in the darkness. If we aren’t any different than the rest of the world then are we truly changed on the inside?

This is a difficult challenge this week–at least for me. I am going to track–as best I can–the number of times I am grumbling and argumentative this week. I have a feeling it is going to be higher than I think, unfortunately. I’m sure my wife will help me out at home keeping track! I want to take seriously these verses as I know my words are an outflow of my heart.

Will you take this challenge also?

More to come…
Jeremy

Good questions can be very powerful things! I came across one such question this week. I was listening to Chuck Swindoll’s series on Abraham and at the end of the message Chuck asked this question:

“Am I seeking God’s will deliberately and passionately?”

Oh boy!! Do I have to answer honestly? If I answer that honestly, the answer is no, I don’t seek God’s will all that deliberately on a daily basis and I don’t seek it all that passionately on a daily basis. Why not?! If I have access to Him–which we all do through the Holy Spirit–why wouldn’t we seek His will on a daily basis?

I think the answer for me is busyness and clutter. I think that I just don’t have the time to slow down long enough to ponder ‘little’ things like God’s will for my life! When in reality, what is more important? I only get one life–and as we all know that life is very short–so why wouldn’t my prayer be like that of Moses, “Lord, teach me to number my days,”

Let me number those days and seek His will deliberately–which means with intentionality! Yes, that means that I need to use an act of my will to seek God’s will for the season of life I am in. That season has changed for me recently as I became a dad. I need to spend more time in prayer seeking what God’s priorities for this season are for me. I have not taken that time yet, I am sad to say.

I need to seek His will passionately–which means with fervor! Sometimes, I am more passionate about many more mundane things than thinking about what the ultimate purpose of my life is!!! I could think of many excuses why this is true, but they are just that–excuses.

Would you partner with me to actively dwell on this question this week? I have already partnered with one man to be in prayer about a specific thing for the next month. Will you join in this important process? I know–there are many reasons you can think of not to–but what is really more important?

More to come…
Jeremy

I was very glad to get back with my small group after missing all summer with our church softball league and then the last 3 weeks traveling to China. I forget sometimes how important those men are in my life.

Laura and I wanted them to meet our new daughter so we took her to meet the wonderful men in my small group. Analise gets overwhelmed around new people–especially men– and she was the timid child around them that she was around Laura and I the first couple days after our Gotcha day. I told her that these guys are ok–that in fact, she doesn’t realize it but they would probably do anything for her!

I have been so blessed that God has put other men in my life that hold me accountable and that I can share the pilgrimage that this life is with. I read this in “Experiencing God Day by Day”:

“The mark of biblical friends is that their friendship draws you closer to Christ. They sharpen you and motivate you to do what is right.” (Page 136)

I’m thankful for my small group and I pray that you who are reading this also have a small group to share life with. If you don’t have that, maybe you could join an existing group or even start a new group of your own. I could point you to some wonderful resources out there to help you out!

More to come…
Jeremy

Laura and I chose the name Analise for our recently adopted 2-year-old primarily because of what that name means. Analise means “God’s grace is abundant” and we knew that God’s grace was part of the entire 18 month process that led her to be with us.

But, she has given me such a bigger and better view of God’s grace in the short time she has been in my life that I now know another reason why she was given this name!

I have written about grace several times in this blog because I am so aware do how much I am in need of His grace. Analise has given me another view altogether. Now that I am a father for the first time I have been given a glimpse of how God sees me.

I have always seen myself as the the child of grace, but now as a dad I am a giver of grace! When Analise is crying at 2:00 in the morning I give grace. When she is not quite ready to be fully attached to me–the first male figure in her life–I give her grace. When she doesn’t want to be near me for hours but then all of a sudden looks at me with her big, brown eyes and says, “Bapa!” I show her grace and swoop down to her and kiss her and tell her how much I love her! When she cries for 9 hours on the plane ride home I REALLY give her grace!!

The biggest thing I have learned is that I have a tiny bit of a better understanding of how God loves me because no matter what Analise does I don’t love her any less. I still love her and want the best for her–just like how God still loves me and wants the best for me as I screw up time and time again. He is patient with me and because of that I can be patient with her.

I think fatherhood has helped me see–just a tiny bit–of just how much God loves me.

What are your stories of how parenthood has shown you a better understanding of God’s grace? I would love to hear them!

More to come….
Jeremy

(Note this will be short as I am still in China)

In the new season of life that began for me August 18th–fatherhood for those reading this who don’t know me well–it has become very evident to me that I will have to alter the way I do…almost everything!

I mean this is a good way, of course, as my wife and I have wanted to start a family for years now. But, I have had the time to read, study, and contemplate what Jesus taught pretty much at my leisure before.

Now, I will have to seek out new ways of keeping my relationship with Jesus fresh in this season of fathering a toddler.

Thankfully, I have many role models who have already raised children or who are doing so now in a God-honoring way.

I also have been doing “training” for years and it is now time to put that training into practice for fatherhood. “Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ,” (Philippians 1:27).

Let a new era begin!

More to come…
Jeremy

I think how we view Romans 8:28 says a lot about how we see God. What are your first thoughts when you read, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

At first reading that looks looks like the golden prosperity gospel verse. Superficially, it looks like God will take care of you and everything will work out just as you want it to work out. Life will be easy because God loves us.

But, the problem with that interpretation is that we are forgetting who wrote The Book of Romans. I don’t think anyone would say that Paul had what we would consider in present day America to be an easy, victory-laden life.

Let’s review, Paul was beaten, rejected, isolated, stoned, imprisoned, and killed. Wait, given those facts we may have lost many people who claim this verse. That is not their interpretation of all things working for good.

That is the point! God doesn’t view us as only temporary beings that are here today and gone tomorrow. He views us as we really are–eternal beings on our earthly pilgrimage. So, when God is talking about working for our good, He is talking about working for our eternal good and HIS will–not ours! His plans are what He is bringing about. Our good comes in fulfilling our part of His plan.

How blessed we are that He allows us to help Him bring about His work!

This week, your challenge is to read and meditate on Romans 8:28 daily and think of how God has worked for His good through your life. Even better would be to share with your spouse or a good friend how you have seen God working through them for His good! It is great to be an encourager!!

More to come,
Jeremy