What do Taylor Swift, Katy Perry, Bruno Mars and Miley Cyrus all have in common? I learned after attending a seminar that just mentioning one of their names in a blog will increase the attention you get on the web. I didn’t, however, learn who they are because I belong to the secret society of the ‘uncool’, which prevents all members from knowing anything about what is cool. It is kind of a “bizzaro world” to find I am the opposite of today’s cool young pastors. But happily I am part of the church, which is the family of God where we are all loved and accepted.
Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him. In this new life, it doesn’t matter if you are Jew or Gentile, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbaric, uncivilized, slave, or free. Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us. Colossians 3:10-11
Have you intentionally put on your new nature today? I remember when I was a football player we had a cowboy on our team who used to put his pants on two legs at a time. I asked him once why he did such an odd thing and he responded, “Well, right now the other teams coach is telling his players not to worry about us, we put our pants on one leg at a time. I am proving to them that they need to worry about me.”
Putting clothes on is an intentional act. Have you ever tried to dress a two year old? They squirm – they run away. In fact, I think they would rather be naked like some vestige left from the Adam and Eve linage from the Garden of Eden.
Putting on our “new Christ like nature” clothing is also purposeful. We clothe ourselves with tenderheartedness, mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. We make allowance for each other’s faults. And above all else we clothe ourselves with Christ’s love. Just like we decide what we are going to wear for the day every morning, we need to make the choice to put on a Christ like nature.
For some of us it is slipping on a cross necklace everyday. For others it is kneeling at the foot of our bed to dedicate the day to Jesus before we tackle the challenges ahead of us. There are so many ways to make that choice ranging from daily devotions to verse memorization to quiet time in prayer to many other practices. What purposeful steps are you taking to dedicate each and everyday to filling your life with Christ?
There are so many different ways, find the one that centers your heart on Christ. Be willing to change up your routine if your heart isn’t following your actions. And remember you are not alone in pursuing a deeper relationship with Christ, your church family (the same one that accepts my uncoolness) is there to encourage and support you.
Your friend for the rest of my life,
Pastor Tim White
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypBccI8YBH8
This morning I woke up early. After I let my dog out, and I was surprised to see my grandson, Elijah, sitting reading on the chair in the family room. I asked, “Elijah what time did you wake up? He replied, “Oh, about 7:30.” “It’s not about 7:30 yet,” I chuckled looking at the clock. He shrugged, “I don't know… All I know is when I tried to wake up my mom and dad they said they were still sleeping.”
The authoritarian image of God I had has been tempered with a love-embracing "sold out" God who wants, more than anything else, to redeem as many of us as will allow Him. To reclaim His children from the misery we create for ourselves. He went to the lengths of self-sacrifice to prepare the way, paid the price and then gave us the means to claim it. We see it lived out in our favorite movies: the hero battling all evil to save a loved one, and yet we don’t appropriate the gift for ourselves from the Author of the Story...
We loaded up the church bus, packing in kids as tight as we could. There was laughing, yelling, and singing the whole way to Pump It Up in Lynwood for their glow in the dark party. The kids played hard, sweat pouring from their little brows, smiles beaming across their faces.At 8pm, as we loaded the bus to head back to the church, one of the first grade girls, giddy with the new experience of a big kid party, asked with hope and enthusiasm, "is it midnight yet?” She was thrilled to be a part of something so fun and so new.
In less than 24 hours the kids got to hear the good news about Jesus in five different 10 minute lessons. So Sunday morning at the 11am service, as the kids began their new worship program, a different excitement, a different newness, and different glowing took place. The kids sang to God from their hearts, drenched in gratitude for the love of God. Their excitement over their first sleepover became coupled with an excitement for God that would bless their friends and community.
As I said goodbye to these children, I have put my hand out to shake their hands. I was able to shake a couple hands but can’t reach all the kids. They all run after me, just wanting to shake my hand. There are so many. I wish I could do more. I wish had more time and resources. I don’t want these children, so valuable in God's sight, just to become a number or statistic. If I had time I would tell them all -