97 million!

That was not the amount of people that know at least 10 verses from the Bible (and use them appropriately, Nancy Pelosi). That's not the amount of evangelical Christians in the USA (that's only 79 million). And it's not how many Cokes I have drank in my life. No, that is the overwhelming number of people who voted on the David v. David battle for the American Idol title. I understand that the voting for this 'title' is not exactly the top notch voting that say the people of Florida are accustomed too, but this is crazy. Yes, people can vote more than once, but still, 97 million people had this number on their speed dial. I have no problem with some guys singing. And someone doing the American thing and make a buck off it, but I would hope that we could put this energy into something a little more necessary in life...like telling people about our King and Savior Jesus Christ. Have we made that many phone calls to people who need the rescue of their soul by Jesus? Have we had as many conversations around the 'water cooler' about what God has done in our life as we have about which David will become our idol for the year?

Then lets move on to what the Bible says about this...Exodus 20:1-6

1 Then God gave the people all these instructions
2 “I am the Lord your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of your slavery. 3 “You must not have any other god but me. 4 “You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea. 5 You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations of those who reject me. 6 But I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those who love me and obey my commands.

Well, I didn't say it...don't yell at me. I don't know if I would want to be the one who stands before God (which we will) and explain to Him that our claim to fame was that we were someone's idol, or to even say that I voted for an idol and talked about this idol more than I did the One I stood before.

I know I will get some stirred up about this and some will tell me to get off my soap box, but I won't...My calling is to bring the Light into a dark world...and this seems dark. I will stand with His torch held high and my head held low in humility as I do what God has called me (us) to do, and I hope that some join me. The only glory that is to be given is to God!

"Are we there yet?" The four words that every parent dreads to hear as you drive your kids any distance. It could be a trip you have taken with them 50 times or a brand new route, but someone will always ask that question. There are times even as adults we feel that way. Hop into a taxi in a city, one bigger than Northport, and tell the cabbie that you haven't ever been here before and that you want to go to a certain address. He will certainly give you the scenic route and assure you that this is the fastest way there. The whole time you will be thinking, "are we there yet?" How about coming home from a long trip, when you are tired, miss your bed and want to get home. The one thing that goes through your mind as you travel the last few miles is...yes, you get the idea.

I was reading in Proverbs (one chapter for each day of the month) and came across this same scenario in our walks with God. It says several times throughout this book of wisdom, that God is the director of our paths. For example, in case you don't take my word for it, Proverbs 20:24 says, "A man's steps are directed by the LORD. How then can anyone understand his own way?" Unfortunately, our ways aren't God's ways and our thoughts aren't as His. See, we come into this situation where we have to realize that our paths, our steps, our travels are directed by Him. We try and try to find reason for what we are going through. Or try and try to sort out what the next few days or years will look like. Or we try and try to figure out exactly what it is that God wants us to be doing (ouch that last one hurt) and all along we are the whining little kid in the back saying, "Are we there yet?" God asks for us to put our trust in Him, follow His paths (the ones that He directs for us) and not to keep asking those four silly words.

I found also in Proverbs, this time chapter 19 verse 23, what I believe is partly the answer to this. It says, "The fear of the LORD leads to life: Then one rests content, untouched by trouble." I think that when we sit back and cry out those four words to God, we are not very restful or content. The reason is, we aren't fearing God. Fear, in this case, is defined as what stimulates us into holy and righteous living (2 Corinthians 7:1). We don't trust God for the outcome. We are more concerned with how long until we get there than to be resting contently. If we are being touched by trouble, is it because our trust is somewhere else other than in the One who directs our paths?

I have always disliked the bumper sticker that says "God is my co-pilot". Dude, no wonder your life sucks! Let Him climb into the drivers seat and take over your life. Trust in the LORD with all your heart, don't lean on your own understanding, acknowledge Him in all things you do and He will direct your path. Get rid of the things (namely sin) that slow you down. Focus your eyes on the cross. Let your life be one that is striving for holiness, which can only come when we let God control the steering wheel. Have a healthy fear of God, and stop asking, "Are we there yet?"