We hear all the time about how people self-medicate. We shake our heads and say that it is a shame that they can't deal with whatever the hurt is in their life in a more appropriate manner. Why is it that it is so easy to turn to something else when the hurt is so bad. "Well, if I do this activity, then the pain from the last activity will be diminished." What incredible, logical thinking that is! What is strange (ok, sad) is the amount of self-medicating Christians that there are. Now I'm not talking about taking drugs, alcohol, food or sex to self-medicate. What I'm talking about is the abandonment of the body when you get hurt. We fall into a false belief that we can teach our self at home and all will be ok. The hurt will go away if I just run away. I can't imagine trying to heal the hurt by trying to teach yourself. This is the same confused logic of taking a drug to make past hurts go away! Satan has been good at convincing us that we can abandon public teachings and the family of God, and still stay healthy in our walk with Christ. See, there is a strength in numbers. There is a healing that can only take place if we stick with each other. In Deuteronomy 32:30, which is usually taken out of context, it says that one can put 1,000 to flight and two 10,000 to flight. This is a statement of what the enemy can do to us when we do not have the power of God in our lives! It doesn't take as much work for the enemy to scatter us if we are trying to walk in our own power. And guess what, we walk in our own power when we run from the body of Christ and ignore public teachings. Yes, you can argue that we can use the TV, internet or CD's, but how easy is it to drift toward the teachings that 'tickle our ear'? Ephesian chapter 4, as well as other areas, talk about the importance of unity in the body. And to have true unity, we must actually be together. Teaching yourself only, or self-medicating, will not accomplish the unity that the body of Christ is suppose to have. And, if you have been so hurt by the family of God, and unfortunately it happens, that you can't go back to that part of the family...then go somewhere! But complete isolation or self-medicating is not healthy. Just as we would tell others that it is not safe to cover up their hurt with harmful substances or actions, I believe God is saying the same thing to us a followers of His Son, Jesus.

Well, it is October now, and guess what...we are having to build fires in the fireplace. I don't mind really. I like fire. Ok, I'm not an arsonist...I just love fire. The beauty of the flames...the heat that it produces...the things that it does to the wood. All of it. I just love fire. Today, as I was building one, I noticed something about myself. I had made a perfect prefire setup. Paper wadded up not too tight and not too loose. Small, skinny, dry pieces of kindling stacked back and forth like a Tic-Tac-Toe board. A little bit bigger pieces of wood on top of that in the same pattern. Man, I was ready. I grabbed the lighter and did my thing. I lit the paper. And as it slowly started to burn, I grabbed the bellows and started puffing away. 'Come on fire! Burn, burn, burn!' When it didn't take right away, I puffed even harder. It finally started to go. So I closed the door a little and walked away. Satisfied. I looked back at it a few minutes latter, and the dumb thing wasn't burning like I thought it should be. So I got back down there with the bellows again, and started puffing away. Then it hit me...what is my stinkin' hurry! I constantly talk about how life is a process and it all takes time, and here I am rushing something that I know takes time itself. Too often in my life I think I do the same thing. 'Ok God, You prepared the perfect setup, You have a desired outcome...now out of my way and let me puff this thing into reality." I think the problem is that I used to use Coleman fuel to help start bon fires years ago, and now I expect the same result in my home fireplace. Instant, big fire! But even using Coleman fuel was not a great answer...the fire would flare up fast but not really catch anything on fire. I know I don't really want this for my life, not to mention that is also not God's plan for my life. He wants to build the perfect 'prefire' set up in my life, then light it, and let it burn at the right speed. See, God knows that good fires take time. He doesn't need my help. He doesn't want a big fast fire that doesn't actually burn anything. He wants a fire that burns deep. One that produces His outcome. So, I think I will just let Him do that. Produce that long lasting, deep fire that is not easily put out. I will leave the fire of my life to the Ultimate Firestarter!

It's raining here today! Some may say that is good, and yet some may say that is bad. Rain has advantages and disadvantages. Good and bad. Just like anything in life. Often times we only get wrapped up in the bad and forget to look at the circumstance that we are in and try to find good. You know, life is like a big knife. A knife can be useful if you pick it up by the handle. However, if it is picked up by the blade it can be painful. Too often we continue to hold on the blade and bleed and cry because of the pain, when all we need to do is turn the knife around, grab the handle and use it for good. It's your choice. Continue to bleed or say enough...I'm going to use this circumstance in life for good. See, Satan wants you to focus on the pain and lie to you and say that it will never get better. But that's not true. God can take the bad and use it for something good. It is our choice though of whether we are going to let Him or not. So, your choice...blade or handle?

"You must be ready for everything life can throw at you." What a stupid, unfair expectation to place on people. There is no way that you can truly do this, so why stress yourself out. However, there are somethings you can be ready for. Be prepared, be prepared (you know, the little goat on Hoodwinked). I'm leaving tomorrow for Jal, New Mexico with the Xtreme Team. (www.radicallysaved.com) We have a week of teaching, preaching, training, equipping, and breaking. As always, I'm very excited to get to share my Jesus with people, but I have to be ready. I always work out harder on my BowFlex before I go. I always pray harder before I go. I always find out a little something about the town I'm going to, before I go. We know we are going into a battle this next week. Satan doesn't want anyone else to give the control of their life to Jesus, so he is going to fight hard. As followers of Jesus Christ, we all should know that we are in a battle everyday. Just as I prepare before a week of ministry, we should prepare ourselves daily for the battle that we are going to face. Start now. Pick up your Bible. It's that book over there...the one with the dust...under the newspaper...good job. Start reading. Right now we, friends and I, are reading through 1 and 2 Samuel. Reading the Bible will help prepare you for what you will face. Now pray. Yes, I know you like to talk. Just try talking to God. It is simpler than dialing the phone. Point is...prepare yourself. Don't wait till you are neck deep in trouble before you cry out to God. I went once to an outreach totally unprepared (didn't touch weights at all) and nothing broke, popped, or ripped like it should have. I wasn't prepared. So, prepare yourself for the things you know are coming up...like spiritual battle. Just like it is not all muscle that breaks things when we do what we do, it is being prepared with God's Power...just gritting your teeth and holding on won't take you through these battle either. Trust in the LORD with all your heart...through Christ who gives me strength...for those who revere My name, the sun of righteousness will shine upon you and you will receive healing and will leap like a calf released from the stall.

Oh man! I almost forgot...to enjoy summer that is. I can't believe that the calendar says that it is September already. If only I had....oh, never mind. I can't live in the past, right? Instead, as the leaves and the temperature change, I need to also. I have found that the only, yes only, constant in life is Jesus Christ. You can get out of taxes, and death...well just one word...rapture! So, the only constant is Jesus/God. The Bible says that He is the same yesterday, today and forever. Um, that means He doesn't change. It, the Bible, also states that He doesn't change like shifting shadows. Again, He doesn't change. However, He expects us to change. Whoa, you say. That's not fair. He doesn't have to change and I do. Well, yes. See we have to change to His image, His likeness. We were, after all, created in His image. We have just made the choice to cloud that image to the rest of the world. So, we have to change. Just like the leaves on the trees, we have to change. And it must be visible. The reason leaves change color is because of a wonderful process called death. For us to change into the likeness of Christ we have to also go through the death process. Not physically. I'm not advocating suicide! I mean spiritually. Jesus says that we must pick up our cross daily and follow Him. Crosses meant death back when they used them. Jesus also made it clear that nothing else in life, including family, jobs, money, clothes, etc., should mean as much to us as He does. To change into the likeness of Christ, to regain that clearer image of Him...we must die. I challenge you. Die this week. Let those leaves of your life start changing color. Let the people around you start to see that there is something going on in your life.

Back to school! The sound of sorrow for many kids and yet the victory chant of many parents. To me, it just means the chance to get back to something normal. Something that might bring a usable schedule back into my life. I have found that summer is hard. It creates a chance to relax, but maybe not get you to the place where you need to be. Either spiritually or physically. Just like the lines on a road, boundaries are good. Living our life outside of boundaries, what many call 'freedom', we are lost. If you don't believe me, next time you drive, take your car over one of the lines on the road. Either one. Doesn't matter. Yeah, see. Boundaries are a good thing. Jesus has boundaries set up for us in scripture, not to restrict all our 'fun', but to protect us from on coming traffic. So, school starts in 2 days, for this parent it is certainly a victory chant...but for different reasons. I'm glad that I can come back into a schedule, some boundaries, a place where God can protect me and teach me. Maybe we need to all look forward to school this year.

Here is an excerpt from a wedding that I am helping with. This is will be attended by those who don't necessarily have the same views as I do. But my good friend, who is an agnostic, is getting married and wanted me to be a part of her wedding. She wanted me to say something on love. So, here goes...

Love is something that is sought after by everyone. We seek love when we are infants, we seek love as adolescents. We continue to seek for love through our teens and into adulthood. Often times we do things in our quest of love that no normally sane person would do. We say, do and smell certain ways just in hoes of someone loving us. If we were more patient and took time to really meditate on the this topic, we could save ourselves a world of hurt. If we allowed our minds to be enlightened with truth, we would know that true love has been waiting there for us all along. We don't have to do anything to impress it. It just loves us for who we are. This couple have had a taste of this with each other. They have seen that true love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it doesn't boast, and it isn't proud. It's not rude, self-seeking or easily angered. Love doesn't remember wrongs. It doesn't delight in evil but is excited about truth. It always protects, trusts, hopes and perseveres. And love never fails. When we put into practice these attributes of love, and love lives up to its name (which it will), our lives together will be beautiful.

I just trust that the Power of True Love will shine through this ceremony in a way that common words can't. I know that my True Love is that powerful!

I was watching our new kittens the other day. Yes, we have more animals. But these are going away. I was watching them trying to nurse on mom. They just barely have their eyes open and are not fully focused on what they see. One kitten was nosing around by moms tail and couldn't figure out why it wasn't getting fed. I thought 'just use your eyes'. Then I remembered, the kitten doesn't have good focus yet. Often times we do the same thing. Nosing around in places we shouldn't, wondering why God isn't feeding us like He should. Maybe we don't have clear vision of where the 'food' is. Maybe our eyes aren't focused as to see the source of food. Hebrews 12:2 says, "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." Keep our eyes focused on the right thing, Jesus, and we will get fed the good food He has for us. He does say that He is the bread of life. He also says that He is the living water. We don't go away unsatisfied when we are truly focused on Jesus. It's time to grow and let our eyes become focused in the right direction...not the tail end of a momma cat.

As we stood and watched an amazing display of power through the blowing up of fireworks, it made me think of something. Ok, actually it was before this that I thought of it. The ooh-ah factor of fireworks is not in the packaging, it is in the contents of the package. No one looks at an unexploded firework and marvels at it. No, it is after it is lit, and the energy that was inside is released, then the screams and cheers are heard. Our lives are the same way. We spend more time making the package look good then we do letting the energy come out. Too often, we allow Satan to lie to us and say that the only power we have is in how we look, smell or act. Guess what? News flash! Satan is a lying, deceiving punk who hates you and me. He doesn't want the true potential that God has placed in us to really come out. He knows that if he can keep people believing that they are nothing and that true joy is in the packaging, then he has us beat. God has given each of us an ooh-ah factor that is rarely seen. That is because we are comfortable sitting in our self-contained package and not wanting that power to get out. Yeah, it is messy when it is released. Yeah, that great little package you have worked on perfecting will be destroyed. But, the world will never see the power of Jesus if we don't let that package blow up and the energy inside come out. We were not made to contain the ooh-ah factor and keep it for ourselves. We were made to get lit on fire and explode - showing the brilliant colors and power that God has placed in us.

As the trees start showing their fresh fruit and the little bushes do the same, it makes me start to think. Well, actually I was thinking before this, it doesn't take a tree to get the juices flowing! Anyhow, I love this time of year. I love seeing the cherries turn red and the strawberries get bigger, because it means that I will be able to taste them and enjoy something wonderful. When I see this, it makes me remember something about Jesus. The Bible says to taste and see that the LORD is good! Taste and see. You know, once you sink your teeth into the sweetness of a strawberry, you want to have more. You go back for that taste. It's the same when you REALLY taste the LORD. Some may have tasted what they thought was Him, and left with a bitter taste in their mouth. Here's the thing...that wasn't a true taste of God. God is good. If you have left with that taste in your mouth that wasn't good, go back anyhow. Find Jesus for who He really is. Just like with a strawberry or cherry, one bad one doesn't stop you from eating more. You just search around until you find that good looking red one, and then you taste it. Then you go for even more. Go back for more of Jesus. He never leaves a bitter taste. Remember though, He is not here to be formed into what you want Him to be. If He brings correction into your life, don't run away and say He is bad. Just because He doesn't fit our mold of what we think He should be like, doesn't remove the sweetness of who He reaaly is. And for those who claim to be a disciple of Jesus Christ, how are we presenting that sweet God that we serve? Make sure that we don't taint the flavor of our Savior to those around us. We may be the only Jesus some will ever see. Make sure that they can taste and see that the LORD is good.

I got to play football with my kids the other day! It is always amazing to watch and listen to them as they do anything fun. They are constantly giving me a running commentary on what is going on and what they just did. "Then the ball went up like this and I ran back for it but I tripped and then I rolled and then the ball hit me on the arm and then it bounced back up and then..." Well, you get the idea. What is so interesting about this, is that I'm standing there the whole time. I was the one who threw the ball. I saw it happen at the same time and speed they did. I thought this was kinda weird until I realized why they were doing it...they loved what they were doing and wanted to tell anyone who would listen. They wanted to say out loud what had just happened in the physical. They want these moments to be burned into their minds as well as mine. You know, we can learn a lot from kids. Like the fact that we should be shouting out the things that Jesus Christ is doing with us and for us. We should be giving people the play by play of what we are doing with Him. "And then Jesus reminded me through a friend that He is in control even when we see life as out of control and then Jesus gave me this calm that only He can give and then He reminded me of areas in the past when He has taken care of situations that seem unbearable and then Jesus let me know that what I am doing is for His glory not mine or anyone else and then Jesus..."