Forget the levels of hell taught by some religions or the mythological labyrinth of Greek origins.

Forget the levels of hell taught by some religions or the mythological labyrinth of Greek origins. The Ridgeview staff has just survived the Customer Service line at Sam's Wholesale. Oh my word!

The idea was that I would drop two of our guys off to renew our membership after lunch. A simple procedure, I thought. The form was already completed. The check was made out for the correct amount. So the two of them slipped inside while our media guy and I sat in the truck and talked. After several minutes, I get a phone call. It's Eddie. They need me inside because they can't make changes without the primary account holder. (How I got that honor, I'm not quite sure.)

Upon arriving at the desk, I am informed by representative that Eddie is listed as my spouse. Okay, this is ridiculous. I mean, I like the guy and everything, but we ain't sharing the same refrigerator if you know what I mean. After making that quick correction, I am informed that our account has been set up illegally. Apparently this is a great offense on par with climbing the perimeter fence at the White House. The only way we can set it up is to add more free cards and rearrange the way the primaries and secondaries are set up. Keep in mind, the account has been set up this way for almost five years now. This isn't a new account. It's been in their computer this way almost as long as I have been standing in their customer service line.

I'll shorten the story for you.

Before it's all over with, I am told the only way to set up the account is for Pam (Eddie's wife) to be living with me. I politely inform my new friend (I figure after 30 minutes with her that we could at least say we are friends. I feel like we go way back) that I already have a wife and four kids, I don't need another person living in my house. She didn't like my humor.

There it is. That's my afternoon at Sam's. Nothing particularly spiritual aside from the great amounts of patience I developed inside the "warehouse." But while I was at Sam's, it turned Fall, my kids promoted a grade in school and my wife and I celebrated our fifteenth anniversary. But seriously, we will get our wholesale prices doggone it.

Maybe you've heard the popular definition of insanity.

Maybe you've heard the popular definition of insanity--to do the same thing the same way and expect different results. By this definition, I'd say many of us border on insanity in the spiritual part of our lives. We run through our lives at breakneck speed. We focus on our wants and our needs. We complain when things don't go exactly the way we think they should. And, tomorrow, we will get up and do it all over again. Most of us would admit that we lack the peace that Scripture talks about. There is an unsettled presence in our spirit that tells us that there should be more to life than living at this pace.

Years ago, a very dear friend of mine challenged me to memorize this verse:
You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in You, all whose thoughts are fixed on You. Isaiah 26:3 NLT

There is a simple remedy to the madness. It starts by focusing your life around Jesus. That's not an easy task in a world that has become focused on distracting us from this very thing. Don't get down when you find that you are focusing on the wrong thing. Use this as a place to get back on track and turn your focus on Him.

Next, learn to accept everything that comes into your life. It doesn't mean that it has to stay that way. Just understand the truth of Romans 11:36 that says all things come through Him. Then trust Him to give you the grace, peace, patience and strength to handle ALL things.

Finally, leave tomorrow in the hands of God. He has already seen what is to come. He has promised to go before you. You and I must trust that He will never allow tomorrow to be more than we can handle. Stay steadfast and know that He is God.

God has ways of getting our attention.

God has ways of getting our attention, even people like me who can be easily distracted. So, after hearing and reading for the last three days about leadership and listening, God's got me...well, listening. He's reminding me how important listening is for me and the people I love. Whether it's my wife, my kids, the leaders at my church or some stranger who is speaking to me, everyone deserves to be heard.

I'm the leader of my church. That doesn't mean that I'm the smartest (keep your comments to yourself regarding this). It just means that I was the one who God chose to take the reigns of this organization. Since I realize that I'm not the smartest, I've got to be willing to listen and learn from those who are wiser than me. God puts these kinds of people in our lives to lead us, encourage us, challenge us and refine us. I've thought about things I have learned from Godly men who God has blessed me to know. But I've also been challenged by teenagers I've worked with, by my own kids, even by people who have no faith in God.

The Bible tells a story where God opened the mouth of a donkey to correct his owner (Numbers 22-24). That ought to tell you something about listening to...er, donkeys (you were thinking the other word, weren't you?) Listening has become a lost art in our culture. We are far too ready to speak, to state our case, to defend our ground. But, if the smartest man in the world (Solomon) was also the one in the Bible who wrote the most about listening to others (especially in Proverbs) maybe there is much we can gain from closing our mouths, opening our ears and truly hearing what others have to say. You may find you'll learn a lot more and become a little wiser in the process.

"Listening is wanting to hear." --Jim Cathcart

Belief v. reliance

Belief v. reliance. Lisa and I have had an ongoing conversation the last couple of days regarding this topic. Lisa had an interesting thought. You see, she and I have been praying continually and consistently for revival in the Church (that's big Church, universally not just Ridgeview). It's easy to get frustrated with the news you watch and the things you read in the paper. It's even more frustrating to watch the response (or lack of response) by those who call themselves believers. Here's Lisa's thought (hope I get this right Lisa)...

...maybe the problems and weaknesses we are experiencing in the church today are because we have too many believers and not enough people with total reliance on God. Modern surveys say that at least 80% of Americans believe in God. Obviously that belief hasn't translated into a fresh morality in our culture our a strengthening of our churches. The Bible says that even the demons believe in God. But belief doesn't change us (or them), reliance does.

I believe reliance is the major difference between a church that is going through the motions and one that is making a noticeable impact on their culture. It's what enables them to take what they hear on Sunday morning and turn it into lifestyle change the other six days of the week.

I believe reliance is what changed those first disciples from a common bunch of rabble to a world-changing, community-reaching, salvation-preaching band of brothers. Everybody in Jerusalem believed in Jesus (they had all seen Him) and many believed He was the Son of God. But only a few had turned their lives completely over to Him, trusting and relying on Him for their very existence.

And I believe reliance is the only thing that can save us. A believer is one who cuts Jesus out of their finances when things get tough or allows their "calendar" to keep them from worship and fellowship on a weekly basis. They are the ones who complain when the church doesn't do things the way they like or go to church week-after-week without ever finding a place to serve in the body. Someone who is relying on God understands that God is the First and Last part of all we are. He is our financial supply. He is the One around which our world, much less our schedule, is built. He is the Source of our comfort, the Provider of our talents, the Measure of our existence and the Foundation on which our only hope exists.

You can believe in God and never change who you are. You can believe in God and never make an impact on anyone that God puts in your life. You can believe in God and still live life by chance, never knowing the purpose He has for you.

OR, you can rely on Him. There's a world of difference.

I kind of feel like Moses sometimes.

I kind of feel like Moses sometimes. Not the strong, confident leader Moses. More like the one in Exodus 3 who questioned God's call. "Are You sure it's me You called Lord? Am I really the one You want at this burning bush? Isn't there someone else that could do this better, faster, cleaner than I can? Wouldn't you be better off if I was back teaching school and coaching while someone else ran this ship?"

It's times like those (maybe you have them too) when we must fix our gaze steadfastly on God. I'll never be good enough for this "call" God has placed on me. Neither will you. That's why a gaze that is fixed steadfastly on Him is our only hope. It's the Cross forgiving you and me, giving us what we need to get back on our feet time-after-time and live this life righteously.

We read this in Proverbs 24:16:
For though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again, but the wicked are brought down by calamity.

How did the righteous man respond? He got up. He bounced back. He didn't wallow in his mistake and question his identity or his call. He took his failure to His father and came back each time to reclaim what he had lost. Moses did the same thing. Killed an Egyptian and got back up. Doubted God but got back up. Struck a rock when God commanded differently. But he got back up. That's only possible when the righteous are living a life that gazes intently on God.