The Set Up

Those of you who know me personally know that I have had a real roller coaster ride in my professional career since the implosion of Arthur Andersen. It seems I have had the worst luck when it comes to the number of sweeping layoffs and timing that anyone could have. But my luck is nothing compared to the story of a man named Lazarus found in John 11.

I remember very distinctly driving home from my last day at my last job. I was just notified, without any advanced notice that the region I led for the oil field services company was being merged with another and I was the new guy and odd man out. I had just accepted this position four months earlier and couldn’t have felt I could find a better job for me. On one of the freeway exit ramps, I said, “Ok, God. I don’t get this. Why didn’t you keep this from happening?” After all, I am a faithful servant, tither and generous giver. Why does stuff like this happen to me? I felt very distinctly and with as much love and compassion He knew I would receive, I heard Him say, “I know you don’t get this. But if you had enough faith you wouldn’t need to understand.” Gosh, I hate it when that happens.

You see, I had already had enough witness about keeping a good attitude while being unemployed and we really considered this last job to be a gift from God. I had no oil field services operations experience yet was hired to lead an entire region. The job came as the economy was dropping like a rock and the energy industry was slowing tremendously. It sure didn’t make worldly sense that I got that job.

So back to the parallel from the story of Lazarus. About a week after I was laid off, I was playing Bible roulette and opened it up to John 11. Please read that story since I am not going to put it all down here. Here is what struck me about the story. Jesus loved Lazarus and his sisters Martha and Mary. He knew that Lazarus was sick but didn’t come to his rescue before he died. At least three times in the story, the people in the story said that Jesus could have kept this from happening had he been there. This is exactly how I felt. How many times have we said, “God? Where were you and why did you let this happen?” As believers, we so much want to be spared the pain of life. After all, we are believers in the God of the universe so we know He could keep anything from happening with just a word. But if he healed Lazarus when he was just sick would that have been a miracle. Surely not in today’s society. It would be called medicine.

So the story goes on that Jesus calls Lazarus from the grave four days after he has been dead. A good friend of mine likes to say that he surely stinketh by then. I know that when I go through tough times, after a certain amount of time, I begin to reek of my troubles. But Jesus called him out from the dead and Lazarus appears from the grave.

How much can you relate to how Lazarus’ friends felt? If Jesus had just come when he was notified, this never would have happened. But neither would the miracle. God still performs miracles for us every day. However, it is easy to forget that miracles can’t happen unless there is a crisis. If there is any way that we can explain something in worldly terms, we will do it. Even the strongest of believers fall into this trap. I know I sure do. So the next time a hardship falls on you, start looking for the ways that God will turn this into good in your life or in someone else’s life. Feel honored that He has chosen you to tell the story of how God performs great works in your life. Feel trusted by God to use this hardship in your life to spread His good news. You can bet Lazarus told a few people about what happened to him.

From Porn To Pure

A recent reply by God’s Speed to one of my posts brought about another thought that has kicked around in my head for some time. It is the affects of receiving the Holy Spirit in your heart. The Holy Spirit which was left to us to take the place of Jesus is the one who urges us to do right instead of wrong. The Spirit lives in our hearts after we receive Jesus as our Lord and Savior.

So if we have God (in the form of the Holy Spirit) living in our heart, why do we continue to sin? For several years, I helped minister to men who were suffering from sexual impurity. I came with strong credibility since I had viewed pornography since I was in my early teens. I continued to do so into my 40’s and after I had accepted Christ into my life. I had hated this habit of mine for years but just couldn’t get beyond it. Then, it happened.

I was dating the woman who is now my wife when she came to me with a look on her face that I will never forget. She had found out about my sin and was not willing to have that as part of her life. So either my habit had to go or she was gone. At that moment, my head which is the part of me that decides what to do was convinced. My sin is a problem. While my heart had been telling my head that for a long time, my head wasn’t convinced until I understood the cost and/or consequences of my sin.

In an instant, the decision was made. I was done with pornography. Just as I learned that putting my hand on a hot burner would cause pain and consequences, I learned that my sin has consequences I was no longer willing to experience. What I also learned was that when two become married, the two become one. Using my hot burner example I realized that my sin might not burn my hand but would cause enormous pain on my wife’s hand.

Since the day my heart and head aligned I have been done with porn. That was almost half a decade ago. My prayer for those who suffer from porn addictions is that through some seemingly small event their hearts and their heads become aligned and they are free from the bondage and consequences of pornography.

If you need help with this issue a great place to start is www.xxxchurch.com or you are welcome to contact me.

Where's Your Bottom

As the title of this blog indicates, I found my bottom in early 2004. Since then I have lived for Christ and not for me. My life now has more meaning than it ever did before. I feel more fulfilled even though I lost many of the things I thought I was living for.

Several sources outside of the Bible played a part in my transformation. Here are two of them:

• Loose That Man and Let Him Go by T.D. Jakes
• The Blessed Life by Robert Morris

Once I gave up my will and started seeking to live like Christ, God has blessed me more than I could ever imagine. He has protected me, supplied me with all I need and brought me a wonderful godly woman who prays for me daily. I have a life now I never thought I would have after all of my failings. Thank God for being in control. He let me find my bottom so I would stop living for me and live for him.

Have you found your bottom? If so, I would love to hear your story. I am in the process of gathering stories of people coming to Christ after finding their bottom and how their life has been transformed by that event in their life. I plan to group these stories together and share them with others so please understand if you post your story out here, you are giving me the right to reuse it.

John 16:33 (NIV)

I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.