christ-follower

What Shape Is Your Lawn In?

Dr. Mike Journey in Christ , , ,

It Takes Diligence to Have a Green Lawn

weeds

How does your lawn look? If you live in the rural country, it’s a moot question. However, if you live in the suburbs of America, than you know what I mean. Your neighbors keep you in line regarding the condition of your lawn. They don’t want the value of their real estate to become jeopardized because of an unkempt neighbor’s lawn. So, whenever your lawn doesn’t measure up to “their” standards, you feel the internal pressure to measure up. Again, this is ridiculous if you live out in the country, but in the city you have to meet the competition and do battle everyday with your lawn or else you will be defeated.

After living in our house for about five years, I decided to discharge our lawn spray service and fertilize the lawn myself. We weren’t happy with the results and decided to save ourselves some money in the process. Little did I know what we were asking for. The first year was no problem, I applied applications three times that year and thought that this was easy and I should have discharged the service earlier than I did. The second year though brought out the enemy in masses. I never saw so many weeds in my life in the same acreage. My lawn went from 90% grass to 90% weeds over night. (or though it seems). I was stunned. Someone must have sneaked over during when we were out of town and planted them? How could this be? Wasn’t fertilizing on a regular basis? What are we doing wrong? What did we have to change? This was serious. After seeking counsel from those who were wiser than me on this subject (those neighbors whose lawns belong on the cover of homes and gardens magazines), I implemented a three front immediate attack.

First, we covered the lawn with weed and feed application. Next, we sprayed each individual weed with chemical elimination. Then, we went and hunted each weed pulling it out by its root. After which, we covered the lawn with another application of weed and feed. Then we rested. One month later we started the process over again. This time though there were substantially less weeds to defeat. Afterward, we rested again. The next month we found way less weeds to contend with but followed the same process over again. We are happy to report that our weed episode is over but not yet complete. As long as we maintain a regular, scheduled lawn maintenance program, not letting up, but diligently applying the process above, we don ‘t have to worry about being overtaken by those lawn enemies, the weeds.

And isn’t this true of the spiritual weeds in our life? When we let up on spiritual disciplines in our life, are we not more easily overtaken by the sins and cares of this world? But when we are diligent and maintain an active walk with our Lord, the weeds are few and more manageable. By exercising, celebrating, and maintaining the spiritual disciplines of life, we find ourselves on the grassier side of the lawn. And isn’t that a more pleasant experience than rolling in the weeds?

OUR PRAYER

PRAY 8

Dear Lord, thank you for the weeds in our life. We know they help strengthen our walk with you. They make us come to you for help as you transform this lowly servant into your image. Help us to walk with you as you work with us to manage the weeds in our life.  Amen.

Dr. Mike

It Will Take More Than A Moose to Change Our Direction

Dr. Mike Journey in Christ , , , , , , ,

moose 1

Have you ever denied someone that you are a Christ-follower? Maybe out of fear, or rejection, or possibly even being physically harmed?

We know the story of Peter denying that he was a follower of our Lord. Not just once, nor twice, but three times in a single night. Most likely, you or I would have behaved in the same way.  But later, when he is brought before the courts because of his witnessing for the Kingdom of God, he doesn’t deny Him. He speaks up about Him. And gladly accepts a physical beating to speak up about Him.

I remember a backpacking trip with two friends the month before we had to return to college. It was a dreary, raining day. We had been walking single file for over three hours with my turn to lead. We each had over 60 pounds of weight on our backs, covered with a hooded rain poncho, our heads looking down on the trail with each step, our feet in rhythm with each other and with the rain. The trail was narrow, muddy, and slippery. It was raining so hard that with your head bowed down and eyes narrowed to the ground you could only see two to three feet in front of you. As we walked, I came to a sudden and complete stop. My friends couldn’t stop in time and both crashed into each other and into me. Fortunately, I was able to keep standing in place while leaning backward to prevent myself from crashing into the largest moose that we have ever seen. He stood over eight feet tall, antlers wider than the trail, and his face with nose snorting and eyes questioning my sanity looked me face to face. There was less than one foot that separated his bodily presence from mine. If he took one step forward and turned one of those antlers in my direction, it would more than hurt. What seemed like an entire freshman year in college, I yelled “Moose”, then “Backup” while stepping backwards and pushing my friends to reverse their direction. (Its amazing where one finds strength in a time of emergency.) When everyone realized what was happening, we all stepped backwards in unison. Step by step, inch by inch, foot by foot, until we were a safer distance from our new found friend. After discussing the situation we realized that it would take us twice as long to turn back and take a different trail. Therefore, we decided to take our stand and wait. Fortunately, we didn’t have to wait long. Our friend took a few steps towards us and then turned off the trail and proceeded on his lonely way. I felt like a prisoner released from jail. I knew somewhere, someplace this experience would teach me a lesson for life. And it has. When you believe in something strongly, don’t back away. Stand up to your true self. However, there comes a time when you may have to back up for a better perspective of the situation; a time when you need to view the forest above the trees; a time to evaluate the situation before moving forward.

As we grow older we realize that life is such that we may not only take three steps forward and two steps back in our journey, but sometimes its two steps forward and three steps back. But as long as we know our destination and our purpose for living, each struggle, each step, each obstacle is only a temporary delay of the inevitable. Our life is a learning process preparing us for eternity.

There is a time to step back. There is also a time not to step back. However, when it comes to living a life as a disciple of His, are you going to step back or are you going to fully accept His calling?

OUR PRAYER

PRAY 9

Almighty Dad, we thank you for always being here, for always being with us, for always guarding our steps. Help us always to walk with you. To allow you free access into our heart, mind, and soul. To allow you to lead us down paths where no matter what troubles or problems are ahead, we know you will help us through.

Help our unbelief to diminish. Help us to be strong. Provide us with directions each and every day in how we can best serve you and those you have given us to minister. Again, thank you. Amen.

Dr. Mike

Tired?

Dr. Mike Journey in Christ , , , , , ,

Keep On Keeping On

tiredSpeed is a relative term.  What may be fast for you may be slow for me. and what may be fast for me may he slow for you.  If we were all running in the one hundred yard summer Olympics race, we would all be measured under the same conditions.  There would only be one first place winner who would be considered the fastest person and everyone else would be slower in comparison.  Thank God that our Kingdom race doesn’t have only one winner.  For all who participate, receives the prize.  And the prize is not awarded to the person who gets there first, but the one who endures to the end.  So that everyone who enters the race is already a winner.

When I use to take my early morning six-mile walk around the public lake there were people who would jog, run, roller blade, bicycle, stroll. etc.  There were many times when these same people circled the lake two and three times while I would only complete one time around.  But we all finished.  The key is to just keep moving.  Find a steady pace that is acceptable to you and just keep moving.  You know when you are slowing down.  When you walk, the spring in your feet may be missing, the legs may feel tired, or the rhythm of your breathing may be erratic.  But when you become aware of it, you may do a little dance, stretch the legs, or do some deep breathing exercises, but you keep on moving.  Likewise. when we are spiritually slowing down, when the carnal self is taking charge of the situation; when we are not surrendering our will to God, when serving others becomes a chore, then we need to realize something is wrong with our relationship with God.  It’s then when we need to realize our communion with God has slowed down.  The spiritual disciplines have been reduced from a practical experience to a mental exercise.  We’ve slowed down our pace by not spending more time with God but by allocating less time with Him.  A dangerous position when you are a disciple of His.  Therefore, what shall we do?

We return back and emphasize the basic Christian disciplines: prayer, Bible study, fast, worship service, simplify, and celebrate. Not for the sake of exercise, but for the intense purpose of strengthening our relationship.  We pick up the speed again.  Our pace may be slow in comparison with some of our brothers and sisters, but then it may be fast for some of our other brothers/sisters; either way, it’s the speed we are comfortable to move at to maintain a deep relationship with our Heavenly Dad.  What speed are you moving at as a disciple of His?

OUR PRAYER

PRAY 8

Almighty Dad, thank you for calling us out of this world and allowing us to participate in the greatest race of a lifetime. We thank you for bringing people into our life to teach us the disciplines that allow us to keep focused on you.  Help us to keep in the race, not to detour or to quit, but to endure to the very end.  Let the speed that we move be at a rate that we can handle and not burnout.  Let our walk with you he steady and refreshing.  Let it always lift up you and me.  Let it always revive the soul and energize the spirit. Let it always change our heart to become more like yours.  Let everything we do, say, think, and breathe be done in your glory and honor. Our success is your success.  Your success is our success. Help us to be successful in your eyes. Again, thank you Jesus for intervening each and every day in every prayer in every way.  Amen.

Dr. Mike