From wyatt at clanwebb.com Fri Jul 1 00:11:21 2005 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Fri Jul 1 00:13:01 2005 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Dealing With the Worst Message-ID: <5382D7EE-E9FF-11D9-BB9C-000A9599B718@clanwebb.com> How often in life do we set our hopes on something with such a clear vision that it seems inevitable? We also might imagine the antithesis and it is so distasteful that we can't imagine how it would happen. Then the worst possible thing does happen, and we are devastated. It is at this critical point that we can take a lesson from the book of 2 Kings. "When the child was grown, the day came that he went out to his father to the reapers. He said to his father, "My head, my head." And he said to his servant, "Carry him to his mother." When he had taken him and brought him to his mother, he sat on her lap until noon, and then died" 2 Kings 4:18-20 The worst possible thing has happened. God gave this child and then took him. All the promise and future gone in an instant in his mother's lap. The worst in our minds isn't always as tragic as death. It can be a huge disappointment in our life. What we see as wasted potential in someone we love. It can be crushed dreams and big setback. What did this mother do? She believed deeply enough that she lay the boy's body down and went to the one man she knew could explain it to her. She went to get Elisha, the prophet, who intervened with God to grant her the gift of the boy. She goes right to the source. He tells her to take his staff back and lay it on the boy. She says "No. I go where you go. You are my conduit to God and I am not letting you out of my sight." She doesn't know how he is going to fix it, but she knows Elisha is the guy to do it. "Then he returned and walked in the house once back and forth, and went up and stretched himself on him; and the lad sneezed seven times and the lad opened his eyes" 2 Kings 4:35 Here's a some great comments from "Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Bible": "Here is the sudden death of the child. All the mother's tenderness cannot keep alive a child of promise, a child of prayer, one given in love. But how admirably does the prudent, pious mother, guard her lips under this sudden affliction! Not one peevish word escapes from her. Such confidence had she of God's goodness, that she was ready to believe that he would restore what he had now taken away." "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose." Romans 8:28 All things, men. He really means ALL THINGS. Hold one another accountable to this principle. Allen From wyatt at clanwebb.com Sat Jul 2 01:12:53 2005 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Sat Jul 2 01:13:46 2005 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Pay Attention Message-ID: <16B4A437-EAD1-11D9-8BCB-000A9599B718@clanwebb.com> I was doing a devotional with my wife last night when we came upon a subject that touched a nerve. We were discussing whether she had ever felt that she was competing for my attention. She answered yes and reminded me of a very tough time in our marriage. About ten years ago, I had my first opportunity to lead a software project at the company where I was working. It was my first chance to manage other engineers and I was eager to do well. Due to a bad combination of inexperienced folks and an overly expansive project description, this project soon became a black hole for my time. When building software, it is very normal for teams to go into a "crunch mode" near the end of the project. This is when everyone is putting in extra hours and working hard to get the product done. The trick is to manage the time so you don't burn out the team. For a twelve month project, a normal crunch period is about four to six weeks. On this project, we crunched for roughly three to four months. It was miserable for me as I was trying to save a project that was quickly getting the wrong kind of attention from senior management and I realized I was damaging my family to do it. My eight hour days went to ten hour days. Then to twelve hour days. Then to fifteen hour days including Saturdays. By the end of the project, my sleep cycle was completely shot. I was getting to work about 9 am and getting into bed at night about 5 am. There's nothing beautiful about watching a sunrise over your office desk. The side effects were horrendous. I was spending no time with my wife or our three year old son. She was basically a single mom as I was never home except to sleep and shower. My son only saw me when they brought dinner to my office. I knew it was pushing her to the limit, but I made the choice to put her off until the project was done. I have been able to avoid situations like that since, but those wounds are still healing. This was the extreme of a habit that I have struggled with my whole life. My wife does compete for my attention and time when I've got other irons in the fire. That's not right. "Each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself" Ephesians 5:33 That's pretty simple. You are to love and care for your wife just as yourself. I was falling flat on that count. Coach Bill McCartney, the founder of Promise Keepers, spoke of a sermon he heard that brought this situation home to him. The pastor said, "If you really want to know about a man, and if you want to know what kind of character he has, you need only look at the countenance of his wife. Everything he has invested, or withheld, will be there." That hits me pretty hard, too. When my wife is hurt or feeling ignored, that speaks directly to the investment I've made in her. You wife is a gift from God and should be treated as such. God is going to hold you responsible for her well being, both physically and emotionally. Don't make her fight for your attention. Make it your priority. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Sun Jul 3 00:02:18 2005 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Sun Jul 3 00:03:16 2005 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Angry? Message-ID: <64AADD38-EB90-11D9-908E-000A9599B718@clanwebb.com> Some situations have come into my life recently that makes my personality hearken back to the old days when I could kick a table over, punch a hold in the wall, or rip a phone out by the cord. Those days are gone, but the feelings are still available. I don't want to sound like Mr. Rogers, but do you ever feel that way? "A gentle answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up anger." Proverbs 15:1 I do wish at times that God would give us Mulligans for life. We could just tear off a little coupon from our Mulligan card, light it on fire and allow the smoke to rise to God. Then, we could go out and find the people that insist upon making our lives miserable and kick a little butt! Of course, we know mercy, but we don't always practice it. We know the guilt from words spoken in anger. We see the hurt inflicted upon people when we sin. We have all pointed the finger at someone and forgotten that only God's mercy keeps us from the same situation. As the commentator says, "A right cause will be better pleaded with meekness than with passion. Nothing stirs up anger like grievous words." That's a little different from the old Allen philosophy, which was, "My cause is better pleaded with indignation, grievous words, and a pounding about the head." I would like to tell you that I have an inner glow from the Holy Spirit over current circumstances. I am not there, yet. However, I haven't pounded any heads either. I wonder if Mr. Rogers ever wanted to take that trolley car and pound the castle into the ground? No, surely not. Not Fred Rogers. Hold each other accountable as brothers. Allen From wyatt at clanwebb.com Mon Jul 4 00:49:52 2005 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Mon Jul 4 00:50:41 2005 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Treasure Message-ID: <345100EA-EC60-11D9-98BE-000A9599B718@clanwebb.com> It's an odd arrangement when you boil it down. When we take a job, we are making an agreement to expend time and effort in exchange for money. What do we then do with that money? We spend it on things that then take up more of our time and effort. Some guys love to fish. They will tend to spend more money on rods, reels, tackle, and even boats. They will spend entire weekends driving to a remote area so they can fish for a day. Some guys love to rebuild cars. They will spend money on old cars, parts, tools, and paint. They will spend every evening for years working on their project. They will derive their self-esteem from what the other guys at the junkyard think about their project. For me, it's technology. We have three televisions in the house. Two of them have digital video recorders that I can program over the Internet from my office. One of them has surround sound for watching movies on DVD. We have six computers in the house. One is a laptop that we all use around the house. One is a game machine for my son. Two are used for my side projects. They are connected to a switch that allows me to control them both from one keyboard and a pair of monitors. One is a server that provides our personal website, email services, and this mailing list. The last one is for tinkering projects when I have time. I have two handheld computers for which I write software in the evenings and on weekends. I even have an iPod. I love technology and gadgets. That passion makes me good at what I do, but it can be like a virus. It consumes my time and my money. The problem with all of these situations is that whenever we invest time or money into anything, we want to believe it was a good investment. We will resist the notion that our time or money could be spent better elsewhere. Sure I've made money with some of my side projects before, but far less than I've spent on the equipment I've used to do them. That says nothing about value of the time I've invested. We put our time and money into things that interest us. Then, the things that interest us are those things that we've invested in. It becomes a self-feeding cycle that is hard to break. Jesus points this out to us clearly and tells us that we need to break the cycle for our own good. "Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Luke 12:33-34 Where you invest your time and money is where you have decided to store your treasure. Where you have stored your treasure is where your heart is. Jesus is simply telling us that we should consider storing our treasure in heaven as that is the only place treasure will be permanent. Anything we store here on Earth will be swept away. Does this mean you have to sell your fishing gear or your cars? Do I have to sell all of my computers and gadgets? No, not necessarily. That's between you and God and it's something you should pray about. What you should do, though, is to make sure that you aren't placing your treasure in things here. You had better be storing your treasure in heaven. That will help keep your heart in heaven, too. How can you tell the difference? What would you rather do if given the choice? Go to church or go fishing? Go to a Bible study or go to the auto parts store? Go help with the youth group or work on that computer that's been acting up? We need to be honest with ourselves. If the answers don't sound right, we need to fix it. God can't use us until we do. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Tue Jul 5 00:54:26 2005 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Tue Jul 5 00:55:37 2005 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Losing It Message-ID: <0265610C-ED2A-11D9-A0FE-000A9599B718@clanwebb.com> I lost it today. We ordered a pay-as-you-go cell phone for my daughter. When it came, the phone was defective. She called the company and they instructed her to send the phone back for a replacement that would take two weeks. She was also informed that they could not guarantee that the minutes we had purchased would be applied to the new phone as they have had trouble with this type of transfer. I called later and explained that we needed the phone to work right away so we had gone and purchased another one at a retail outlet so she could have it on her trip. I told them that I simply wanted to return the defective one for a refund. I had to repeat this process four times with each call being dropped or lost in transfer to "another department". Each time I had to speak to a person with a thick ethnic accent that made it very difficult to communicate. Finally, I reached a supervisor that informed me that the phone I had originally purchased was a special promotion that included a no-refund clause. My only recourse was to send the phone back and they would send a replacement in about two weeks. This is when I lost it. I made some very, very unflattering remarks to the third supervisor. I led her to believe that there were all sorts of things I was intending to do. Then I hung up on her because she kept repeating a stock phrase about how she was sorry for the inconvenience, but there was nothing else to be done. I then walked out on my deck with the cell phone in question. It now resides in a vacant lot across the street from my house. I am not proud of my behavior as it was conducted in front of my two daughters and my wife. I am now having to clean up the mess in my home that the outburst caused. It never pays, but sometimes I forget when Satan puts on the pressure. "Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, OUTBURSTS OF ANGER, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God." Galatians 5:19-21 Well, there you have it. Tonight, I am not in good company. If any of these sounds familiar, try to learn from it. We are in a battle. When we lose control, Satan wins. Blessings Allen From wyatt at clanwebb.com Wed Jul 6 00:31:19 2005 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Wed Jul 6 00:32:20 2005 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Run, Run, Run Message-ID: During most of my life, I have not lived near my extended family. While I was growing up in the Portland area, my grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins were spread across California, Arizona, Colorado, and elsewhere. This meant that most of my interaction involved a plane trip or a very long car ride by one party or another. Soon after our son was born, we moved to the Seattle area and were not even close to our own siblings or parents. Again, it meant that family was at arm's length. I really had to get used to the idea of living near family and the implications when we moved back to Portland couple of years ago. Now all of my wife's brothers and her mother are very close and we see them at least once a month. What I've discovered during all of those visits and interactions is that it's very easy to get into a "just putting in my time" mindset. Where a trip to see our parents used to be a long weekend that was well planned and meant long days with our family, now it's an hour or two that involves a lot of looking at your watch and wondering if we'll get home in time to catch the end of the Mariners game. We find that we've started counting the number of visits and the total number of hours. Pretty soon my wife and I are having discussions about which house to drive to based on where we went last, "Man, we just drove over there last week. Can't they drive here this time?" Of course, when visits are measured out like that, they lose much of their value. We start to feel compelled rather than excited to visit with family. When that happens, there's no desire to do more than the absolute minimum. We're just punching the family clock and putting in our time. While Jesus desires that we build an intimate relationship with Him, He doesn't want it to get stale. He doesn't want it to feel compelled. You should be joyful to spend time with Him. When you work on your relationship with Christ, you shouldn't feel like you're just punching a clock. You should desire the most out of it. "Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize." 1 Corinthians 9:24 Paul is telling us not to be satisfied with just running. Run to win. Strive for excellence in your walk with Christ. That's not measured in how many people you lead to Christ or how well you've memorized the Bible. It's measured in how much your heart wants to be with Him. Do you look forward to your Bible study? Do you look forward to Church? Or, are you punching your clock on Sunday to get back to the stuff you really like? "Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever." 1 Corinthians 9:25 If you're running hard in the wrong race, you may win the crown, but it will fade away. Run hard in the race Jesus has set before us. Win the crown that will last forever. Don't be satisfied with the middle of the pack, either. Run for the prize. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Thu Jul 7 00:00:00 2005 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Thu Jul 7 00:00:52 2005 Subject: [Daily Push Up] The Real Question Message-ID: If you haven't already, you'll get hit with some of the classic questions: If there's a God, why do bad things happen to good people? If there's a God, why doesn't He just prove that He's real? What if some guy in a primitive culture dies who never had a chance to hear about Jesus? Would he go to heaven? You can't seriously believe that God would punish good people just because we want to live a little differently? Nine times out of ten, these kinds of questions are not coming from those who are truly seeking knowledge. They are coming from folks who do not believe and don't want to. They throw out these questions as a distraction. They want you to tie yourself into knots trying to answer them. Then, they can point to you as proof that there's no God. They've already decided what the answer is, they just want to bring you down with them. Don't fall for it. You don't have to know how to answer every question to be a Christian. You just need to know the basics: First, we are all sinners and can't get into heaven on our own. Second, God loves us enough that Jesus came to Earth to provide a way for us to get to heaven. Third, if we believe that Jesus came, was crucified for our sins, rose on the third day and now sits with God in heaven, we are saved. You can learn the rest in time. Jesus was presented with a question from just these sort of nay-sayers. The Sadducees were a sect of Judaism that did not believe that people were resurrected after death in heaven. So, they came to Jesus to pose a convoluted, hypothetical question about what would happen in heaven to a women that had been married multiple times. They didn't really care about the answer. They were just looking to get Jesus to either admit they were right or get caught in verbal gymnastics. Jesus saw right through their attempt and told them exactly what was wrong: "Jesus replied, "You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God."" Matthew 22:29 Instead of trying to solve the hypothetical, Jesus simply told them that they were wrong. He stated that they simply did not understand the Word of God nor His power. They just didn't get it and Jesus told them so. Now, Jesus did know the answer to the question and He went on to answer it brilliantly. We may not always know the answer, but don't let yourself feel afraid of being asked questions. You will be able to tell if someone is genuinely curious or if they're just trying to hold you off because they don't want to have to deal with the central question of the Gospel: Will you accept the gift? Or turn it down? Jesus' answer to the Sadducees gives us another clue, though. The best way to prepare yourself is to "know the Scriptures" and "the power of God". Pray. Read. Grow. Don't be afraid of questions. Just make sure you're answering the real ones. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Thu Jul 7 23:55:44 2005 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Thu Jul 7 23:57:04 2005 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Believing is Dangerous Message-ID: <4E53A98B-EF7D-11D9-87EE-000A9599B718@clanwebb.com> Men who have accepted Jesus Christ must, at some time, come to the realization that by doing so they are in direct opposition with millions of people. Not friendly opposition, but deadly opposition. In light of the attacks in London, each man must take a sober, meditative look at the differences of the faiths involved. "Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom..." Matthew 5:19 "For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ." 1 Corinthians 3:11 I urge you to go to the following site and look at the comparisons. This war on terror is Biblical. http://dianedew.com/islam.htm Allen From wyatt at clanwebb.com Sat Jul 9 01:06:06 2005 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Sat Jul 9 01:09:43 2005 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Devotion Message-ID: <4CCC8607-F050-11D9-A5D6-000A9599B718@clanwebb.com> Devotion is one of those words that takes on a certain color depending upon the application. It can be an elevated word when used in the context of describing how someone feels toward another person. However, when used to describe a workaholic as someone devoted to his or her job, the hue isn't quite as pleasing. In the end, devotion, like fresh fruit or vegetables, is best when in its simplest state. I am now devoted to spending time in the Word. It is like my first cup of coffee or shaving and showering in the morning. My day would be sideways if I didn't do it. If you are having trouble with building a habit of devotion, try to envision that God has just ordained that your everyday life needs food, water, sleep, and prayer. That without these things you will die. Find time to step away from the noise, let your mind focus on God. CJ Vaughn, a great church leader from a century ago, said, "If I wish to humble anyone, I should question him about his prayers. I know nothing to compare with the topic for its sorrowful confessions." "This I say for your own benefit; not to put a restraint upon you, but to promote what is appropriate and to secure undistracted devotion to the Lord." 1 Corinthians 7:35 "But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ." 2 Corinthians 11:3 A habitual prayer life is different than a passion for golf or fishing. If you worry more about your job, golf game, fishing, investing, or some other pursuit than you do about talking with God, then you are in a rut. A rut is one of Satan's perfect tools, it is just a grave with the ends kicked out. If he can keep you in it until you die, it's just a matter of a little dirt and you are his forever. It took me years, with several failures, to get into the habit of prayer. But, when I made the decision to stop fooling myself, I did it in about five days. A prayer life is nothing more than a heartfelt conversation with God anytime, anyplace, and on any topic. This devotion will lead to a habit of drinking from the Word so much you can't keep track of how many times you do it. Then, out of necessity, you will need a place to keep your tools, just like your clubs, guns, or fishing tackle. You will want to have the best, so you will spend more time reading about resources and pros. Your devotions have it over everything else because you don't go to the Word as a distraction from life. You do it as life. Keep the faith, brothers. Allen From wyatt at clanwebb.com Sun Jul 10 00:54:27 2005 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Sun Jul 10 00:55:23 2005 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Moving Day Message-ID: It was supposed to be a relaxing Saturday. We had a fun but busy Saturday last weekend. We were looking forward to driving to see my parents and sisters next weekend. But, this weekend was supposed to be calm. Saturday was going to be sleeping in and not doing much. However, it was not meant to be. There are three facts about me that put me in the wrong position for having a calm Saturday. First, we live close to my wife's brother and his new wife. Second, they were moving to a new apartment on Saturday. Third, and the most important reason I wasn't destined to have a calm Saturday, I own a pick-up. So, the result was that we ended up spending about five hours helping my brother-in-law and his wife move to a new apartment on Saturday. However, God uses everything, brothers. When you start to lock in with Him, He uses every part of your life to teach you. He taught me something on Saturday. As we moved this couple, I could not believe the amount stuff that wasn't being used and had little to no value to anyone. I guess that's just a polite way of saying "junk". I packed, carried, loaded, and unloaded quite a few boxes of this stuff. A situation arose that made me laugh internally. There were some items that could only be moved in my truck. However, there didn't seem to be a priority on getting those items moved before we left for the day. We moved quite a bit of stuff that could easily fit in their cars. By the time we got home, we remembered that one item that had not been moved was too big to fit in a car. We will, no doubt, be getting a phone call to help again in a day or two to move that last item. It was an interesting study in priority. Some of the junk we moved was directly related to either his or her hobbies or stuff from childhood or things they just couldn't let go. Things such as food, clothing, beds, chairs, and the like were moved with the same priority as stacks of magazines, clothes that they didn't even know they had, and empty plant stands. As the truck filled up, I could see the problem that was coming. The important things might not make it, but that wasn't their priority. We run the same risk as Christians. When we are saved, we are to die to our old life and be born again as a new child of God. When we make that move, though, we will undoubtedly take some stuff with us. We'll take some childhood memories. We'll take our favorite hobbies and interests. We'll also take some of that baggage that we just couldn't leave at the feet of Jesus just yet. I plead with you, though, to not fill up the truck with this stuff and not leave room for Christ. The truck may be on it's last trip. Leave the other stuff and take the important things first. Don't be distracted by the junk. "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." Matthew 6:33 "These things" are everything else. Food, clothing, shelter, TV, golf, music, cars, computers, etc. Seek Him first. He'll take care of the rest. If you think some of this other stuff must go in the first truckload, make sure you have your priorities straight. If you get to where you are going and never get to go back, will you have what you need? Don't forget to pack Christ first. He'll make sure there's room for whatever else you need. Also, if any of you are moving, I'm busy that weekend. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Mon Jul 11 00:05:39 2005 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Mon Jul 11 00:06:50 2005 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Timing Message-ID: <30303117-F1DA-11D9-AEB8-000A9599B718@clanwebb.com> They say that timing is everything. Being at the right place at the right time is huge. The punch line to a joke, if delivered with the right timing, is the difference between a belly laugh and a snicker. Sports is all about timing. The right play at the right time means winning or losing. We spend a lot of time developing our timing. We look for just the right time to present an idea or step forward. We usually have our eye on a goal and we set our timing to get it. God thinks timing is important, too. It's probably why it plays such an important role in our lives. It's part of our DNA, somehow. We need to understand, however, that God's timing supersedes our timing. He trumps us. I certainly can become confused and frustrated when my timing and God's are not the same. Doesn't He see the obvious? Now, Lord. Now is the time. I know the right play. I know the right thing to say. Use me now, Lord. The most frustrating part is when I miss the mark just barely. My timing was just a little off. If only I had started sooner or waited a little longer. A little help here, Lord! "There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven-- A time to give birth and a time to die; A time to plant and a time to uproot what is planted. A time to kill and a time to heal; A time to tear down and a time to build up. A time to weep and a time to laugh; A time to mourn and a time to dance. A time to throw stones and a time to gather stones; A time to embrace and a time to shun embracing. A time to search and a time to give up as lost; A time to keep and a time to throw away. A time to tear apart and a time to sew together; A time to be silent and a time to speak. A time to love and a time to hate; A time for war and a time for peace." Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 You see, the timing isn't our concern. The doing is our concern. "I have seen the task which God has given the sons of men with which to occupy themselves. He has made everything appropriate in its time. He has also set eternity in their heart, yet so that man will not find out the work which God has done from the beginning even to the end." Ecclesiastes 3:10-11 Our job is to do God's will in His time. "I know that there is nothing better for them than to rejoice and to do good in one's lifetime" Ecclesiastes 3:12 "I have seen that nothing is better than that man should be happy in his activities, for that is his lot. For who will bring him to see what will occur after him?" Ecclesiastes 3:22 Guys, if you don't get into God's huddle and listen to His instructions, your timing will always be off and very few of your plays will succeed. Spend time in the Word. Spend time praying. Spend time in fellowship with other believers. Swish... Nothing but net. Allen From wyatt at clanwebb.com Mon Jul 11 23:46:13 2005 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Mon Jul 11 23:50:06 2005 Subject: [Daily Push Up] No Curve Message-ID: I wonder how God keeps up with our growth in our faith. Perhaps He has one of those big thermometers on a wall somewhere like they use for a fundraiser. Perhaps He tosses a ping pong ball in a big jar and when it's full, we die. Maybe we have a warranty and when we have so much mileage, it's off to that big car smasher in the sky. It did come to mind that one thing is for sure: No matter how He does it, He must do it. We cannot test, grade, and keep track ourselves. We can't test ourselves because the stakes are so high that we would cheat to reach the goal. I mean, if I could test myself, my criteria would always be a comparison to someone who was much worse, in my opinion, than myself. It would sound something like, "I am not so bad in comparison to the rest of the world. Therefore, I think I should go to heaven." Or like, "I'm not perfect, but nobody is. I don't do anything that thousands of other people aren't doing." Or maybe, "Hey, I did my best and that is all you can ask of anyone." Unfortunately, God doesn't grade on the curve. Testing yourself is kidding yourself. No doubt we are to test the world against scripture in order to make the right decisions, but never forget that only God passes out the official test booklet for each person. "Do not quench the Spirit; [ Do not persist in doing what you know to be wrong ] do not despise prophetic utterances. [ Do not despise scripture ] But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good; [ Test the things of this world against scripture ] abstain from every form of evil. [ If you are even tempted, use your feet ] Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." [ Only God can grade your test and post the score ] 1 Thessalonians 5:19-23 Set time aside to study. Your final exams are just around the corner. You don't want to miss graduation. The keynote speaker is Jesus Christ. Burning the midnight oil, Allen From wyatt at clanwebb.com Wed Jul 13 00:29:45 2005 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Wed Jul 13 00:30:31 2005 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Be Interruptible Message-ID: I had another engineering epiphany the other day. A common programming problem that I have to solve from time to time lends itself well to a spiritual analogy. When two pieces of technology need to communicate with each other, they need to first know the rules of communication. For example, let's say I have a program that shows me exactly what is happening during a Mariners game. I would be running this program on my computer and somewhere someone would be running another program that is keeping track of the game and allows people to ask it for information. If I were building both sides of this setup, I'd have a decision to make about how these two parts communicate. It boils down to two choices: polling or interruption. Polling would be where the program on my computer would periodically ask the program at the park if there was anything new. Every ten seconds or so, it would send a request to the other program asking, "Anything new since the last time I asked?" Now, since baseball doesn't move very quickly, the answer will usually be "Nope. Nothing new." So, the program on my computer ends up spending a lot of time asking questions with useless answers. Not to mention all of the useless chatter taking up bandwidth over the Internet. Now, I could choose to have it ask only every ten minutes, but then I might miss two or three batters between updates. Polling is easier to implement because the requester can ask only when it's ready, but it's considered inefficient because the requester spends a lot of time in useless busywork. The interruption method would be a situation where my program would simply tell the one at the park that it would like to be notified every time there is something new. The program on my computer would not have to ask any more questions at all. When something changes, the program at the park sends out a message saying, "Ichiro just got a hit." Then the one on my computer would kick into gear and show me an update immediately. Interruption is more efficient because the only communication happening is useful. There's very little useless chatter. It's harder to do, though, because the program on my computer has to be ready to get new information at any moment. Even if it's in the middle of doing something else. Hence the term. I realized that these are two ways we can model our growth with God. We can be constantly asking God, "Are you ready for me to take over that ministry? Is it time for me to become an Elder? Don't you think it's about time for you to bless me a little more?" We will only ask when we think we're ready and we want God to answer on our schedule. God will not accelerate His plan for you just because you're impatient. If you spend all of your time thinking about where you want to be tomorrow or next week, you aren't any use right now. Most of the answers you get won't be the ones you want. On the other hand, we could simply study, pray, serve where you are, and ask God to use us when He's ready. Periodically, He will lead you to a new opportunity or use you in a great way. It always happens precisely when He needs it to and only when you have been properly prepared. "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Matthew 6:34 Constantly polling God to see if He has a better assignment for you or whether He is about to bless you is a huge waste of your time. You have a place right now. You can serve Him right where you are. Grow. Learn. Let it come to you. Let yourself be interruptible by God and, of course, pay attention when the interruption comes. Don't ignore it or miss it because you were busy doing something else. Serve like this is the last assignment you'll ever have, but be prepared to get a new one at any moment. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Wed Jul 13 23:41:50 2005 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Wed Jul 13 23:44:58 2005 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Rings and Crowns Message-ID: <5BBB83E2-F432-11D9-855E-000A9599B718@clanwebb.com> I don't wear much jewelry. It's not very manly to wear more than your wife and I've never had much desire to do so. I've settled on two rings and I've been wearing them both for over a decade. As I look at them, I realize they represent two very different things. One ring I wear as a symbol of my marriage. My wife and I picked it out while we were engaged. She put it on my finger to seal our promise. I wear it proudly every day as this ring represents the love and acceptance that she gives me. I didn't earn this ring. I certainly don't deserve this ring. She gave herself to me and we wanted the world to be clear that we were committed to each other. It makes me a better person because I want to return that love. I want to live up to her expectations. I want to strive to be worthy of the gift she has given me. The other ring I wear is a symbol of accomplishment. I could not rightfully wear that ring unless I had actually earned the degree from the university it represents. I studied hard for four years to achieve that goal. I wear that ring to show that I survived that gauntlet. I earned the degree and crossed that finish line. That ring I did earn. It meant a lot to me to be able to wear the ring after graduation. It was something I worked for. It proves that I met the standard. However, in retrospect, it is clear to me that had I not been married during most of my college career, I would have likely had a much harder time. My wife kept me on a healthy schedule and kept me focused. I would have taken more time to finish my degree or, perhaps, had to finish elsewhere. I tell people that we earned that degree together, because she was my encouragement and support. So, the irony is that I honestly don't think I could have earned the second ring had my wife not given me the first. God gives us many gifts. The biggest one is a gift of His mercy and grace. It is only available to you because He loves you. You cannot earn salvation. "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith -- and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God -- not by works, so that no one can boast." Ephesians 2:8-9 I cannot truthfully say that I earned my wedding ring. That is a clear gift from a loving woman. Scripture is clear that you cannot earn your salvation, either, so don't bother trying to tell anyone that you deserve it. However, Scripture does describe some trophies that we can earn. It specifically mentions crowns that will be given to some believers when we get to heaven. The Crown of Life: James 1:12 The Crown of Glory: 1 Peter 5:2-4 The Crown of Righteousness: 2 Timothy 4:8 The Crown of Victory: 1 Corinthians 9:24-25 These are rewards that have clear instructions about how to earn them. But be clear about one thing: you cannot earn the crowns until you've accepted the gift of salvation. Being saved makes you want to live up to the Lord's expectations. We strive to be more like Jesus. As a result, it's easier for us to earn those crowns. Don't ever get mixed up about what you earned and what you were blessed to receive as a gift. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Fri Jul 15 00:09:41 2005 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Fri Jul 15 00:11:14 2005 Subject: [Daily Push Up] What to do Message-ID: <6A235DB4-F4FF-11D9-A347-000A9599B718@clanwebb.com> Every time I start a new job, I always go through similar parts of that first day. That day always starts with trying to find your new boss and trying to remember his name. There's usually some sort of orientation where you end up walking back to your desk with a benefits book, the employee handbook, and, if you're lucky, some company freebies. One place I worked went overboard with those. I walked back to my desk on the first day with logo notepads, pens, a mug, a t-shirt, a frisbee, and a deck of playing cards. When I started my current job, my manager took me on a tour of the entire company and introduced me to each person individually. That's a cute idea when you only have ten or fifteen employees. I had to meet over fifty people that day. There are a couple of dozen of those folks who I only see at company meetings. The one thing that is common on every first day I've had, though, is that part of the day where you're sitting at your desk and have nothing to do. I finished reading the entire manual for my phone. I have read through the employee handbook. I put all of my office supplies where I like them. I even set the background on my computer to a cool photo from home. But, then, there's really nothing. Sometimes it's only an hour. Once, it was half a day. It would take two or three days before those blocks of time were finally erased from my schedule. It would take that long to get me trained in the specifics of my new job and show me the ropes of the system I would be using. But, for those couple of days, I was clueless. I was excited for the new job, but I didn't know what to do. I think we can overdo the analysis of our walk with God. It's so easy to lose sight of the basics and the big picture when you're splitting hairs on what's acceptable and what isn't. You can wind yourself up until you don't know what to do anymore. The nation of Israel was given specific, detailed rules for every little thing they did. They could make sure they knew what they were supposed to do in every possible circumstance. The result is spread through the first five books of the Bible. There are pages and pages of rules about unusual circumstances or obscure situations. That kind of detail can become a burden, though. When Jesus was asked about this, he always kept it simple. " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." Matthew 22:37-39 He basically boiled down hundreds and hundreds of pages to two rules. Everything else falls under these headings. Don't get hung up on the details. Don't go looking for loopholes or feeling weighed down by a huge list of things not to do. It's all about loving God and loving your neighbor. The rest just follows. So, if a new Christian comes up to you on their first day and asks, "What am I supposed to do, now?" You can give them a simple answer. One my favorite references that reminds me to keep it simple is (ironically) from an Old Testament prophet: "He has showed you, O man, what is good. And What does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." Micah 6:8 At some point in the future, I expect that I'll experience another first day of work and have a few hours of staring at the ceiling. I'll never have to wonder what I'm supposed to be doing in my walk, though. He's made that pretty clear. Stop playing solitaire. Put away the crossword. Focus on the simple path He has shown us for being a Christian. If you didn't already, now you know what to do. Let's get to it! Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Sat Jul 16 00:52:47 2005 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Sat Jul 16 00:53:33 2005 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Plug In Message-ID: <99CD1BFC-F5CE-11D9-A9B7-000A9599B718@clanwebb.com> My wife and I have learned quite a bit over the years while we have homeschooled our son, David. We've both learned some subjects that we didn't remember well or had never experienced before. We've also learned how to teach subjects in different styles and with different methods as we've discovered the best way to teach David. I've noticed two fairly important side effects, too. When David is trying to understand a new concept, it always helps to have us there. In one case, when one of us understands the subject matter well, it's clearly helpful for us to explain and unlock the mystery for him. In another case, when it's a new area for all three of us, it's still helpful to work through it with someone else. By talking through it together, we find the solution and we've both learned something new. One thing is very clear, though. There are some subjects that just cause his brain to go into vapor lock. If he were asked to figure them out alone, he would be completely stumped. He might be able to struggle through it eventually, but it would certainly slow him down. Such struggles might even cause him to give up on the subject altogether. Even as adults, we are still learning. As Christians, we are all in various stages of maturity. These rules still hold true, though. If you are trying to figure out how to be a Christian all by yourself, you're doing it the hard way. Being plugged in to a church family will give you a better opportunity to learn, to ask for help, and to find the place God has made for you on earth. It's also good to have other folks help keep you accountable to the life you have committed to. It's much easier to stray and rationalize sin when you aren't around other Christians on a regular basis. Paul tells the Ephesians that if you don't work together as the body of Christ, you will remain spiritual infants. "It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ." Ephesians 4:11-15 Paul lays it all out here. Christ has set aside tasks for all of us in the church. You need to get involved so the church can help you discover what your task is. As we do that, we begin to mature spiritually. As you mature, you outgrow that stage of spiritual infancy where you can be swayed by the deceitful and conned by the scheming. Notice that he's describing how you should get really involved. Sneaking into the back row as the service starts and then sneaking out again immediately after it's over doesn't count. Attendance without relationships is no different than watching the televangelist on TV. He wants you to build relationships with other Christians. Follow God's direction. Don't stunt your spiritual growth. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Sun Jul 17 01:37:23 2005 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Sun Jul 17 01:38:13 2005 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Delayed Gratification Message-ID: During my career, I've had the opportunity to help create some groundbreaking educational software. I helped build products that teach kids to do math, to read, to write, and to think. One company I worked for was well known for software they created that taught kids how to think. It created a whole new market segment focused on thinking skills. We taught inductive and deductive reasoning. We taught pattern matching and many other topics. One particular activity I remember focused on thinking many steps ahead and would exercise the child's ability to achieve delayed gratification. This is the process whereby you have to realize that your actions now will have a positive effect later. You may see little or no effect immediately, but you can recognize the long range goals and how the process will work. Sometimes, it means backing up and taking a different path. The act of walking in the opposite direction of your goal in order to achieve your goal is not very intuitive. It takes some guidance to grasp that concept. If you look at the world today, it hasn't helped teach this concept much better. The shorter the time between action and payoff, the more likely people will do it. Furthermore, it's also more likely that they will ignore the consequences after the payoff. We are willing to work every day even though we only get paid every two weeks or every month. At the same time, it's harder for us to save money in a savings account for something that's a year or more from now. It's very difficult for many folks to buy life insurance or to plan for their retirement because the payoff seems so far away. How much further away must the payoff of salvation seem when compared to the pleasures this world offers? We have recognized the value of that payoff and made the decision to defer our unbounded pleasure here for a much better life later. Some have rejected Christ because they can't get past the idea of delaying gratification that long. Paul uses Moses as a prime example of the proper behavior: "By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh's daughter. He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward." Hebrews 11:24-26 Despite being saved, we face a similar choice every day. We can still give in and enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. But, there will be consequences for those actions later. Or, we can lean on God's strength and deny ourselves those pleasures as an act of obedience to God and because we know that we will enjoy a greater reward in Heaven. Our task each day is to remind ourselves about the payoff that Christ offers. It's clearly worth it, but it's easy to be distracted by the alternatives that surround us during a daily life. Our job, when speaking to unbelievers, is to explain the offer Christ has made. Jesus was quite clear. This is one of those times when you may feel that you are walking away from your goal. However, it is the only path to what we truly desire: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it." Mark 8:34-35 Remind yourself each day of the final goal. Ignore the pleasures of sin that will only satisfy for a moment. Hold out for the place that will satisfy forever. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Mon Jul 18 00:35:01 2005 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Mon Jul 18 00:35:47 2005 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Confidence or Arrogance? Message-ID: <73051C24-F75E-11D9-A1DE-000A9599B718@clanwebb.com> Most of my elementary school classmates would probably tell you that I was known as the smart kid. At first, I didn't like that label, but I had little say in the matter. My circle of friends was small and those outside of it probably thought I was weird. Eventually, I decided to embrace it and use it, though. Being that young, however, I went a bit overboard. Whenever we had competitions in class, I used the opportunity to put my superior intellect on display. We would race to see who could fill an entire multiplication table and I always won easily. We would play "Around the World" with spelling or geography, and I would always be the person who traveled the farthest. I would make a spectacle of finishing my tests so everyone in the room knew I was done. The moment that represented the peak of this attitude came in the fifth grade. While in some random gift shop I had found a small desk sign that I bought immediately. I was champing at the bit to take it to school and display it. On that Monday morning, I sat down for class, got out my pencil and paper, and then proudly placed my new sign at the front of my desk. The sign said simply, "The Genius". Is was over the next year or two that I started to notice girls. I realized that this attitude was not helping me at all in that part of my life. I also began to recognize the difference between being sure of myself and my abilities and then parading that feeling in front of people. I may have been right, but it did not increase my friendship quotient. It is a wondrous, joyous knowledge to have when you know that you know that you know that you are saved. I am more positive that I am going to Heaven than I am that the sky is blue. That is confidence. However, being saved does not make you better than the unsaved. Everyone has an equal opportunity to be saved. Accepting the opportunity means accepting a life of servant-hood to Christ. We can be confident of our salvation and we can defend the church and our faith. We should not let ourselves become arrogant, though. "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" Romans 3:23 That's all of us. You, me, your pastor, and the obnoxious guy down the street. We all came from the same place. Don't forget it. Jesus was clear on how we should behave and addresses this parable to those of us who get caught up in self-importance: "To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men ?- robbers, evildoers, adulterers ?- or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.' But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, 'God, have mercy on me, a sinner.' I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted." Luke 18:9-14 Any good thing in you comes from God. Don't ever kid yourself into thinking that you are better. It took me several years, but God brought me to the place where I could separate my confidence in the gifts He had given me from the arrogance of believing that those gifts made me better than my peers. Until you figure that out, you won't be much help to Him. Nobody wants to follow the self-righteous anymore than anyone wants to befriend the know-it-all. Believe me, I know. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Tue Jul 19 00:18:40 2005 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Tue Jul 19 00:19:26 2005 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Blank Canvas Message-ID: <54F296C2-F825-11D9-9486-000A9599B718@clanwebb.com> It's the blank canvas philosophy. You know, that attitude that young people have their whole lives in front of them and can do anything they want. They simply have to choose a direction and go. It's the prevailing theme for most graduation speeches. They tell the newly minted high school or college graduates that the world is waiting for them. They just need to go out and grab the brass ring. It's all there for the taking. For some people, a blank canvas is terrifying. They fear being ridiculed or failing. They have no idea where to start or which direction to look for help. Look around you at the people who never knew where to start, so they just didn't. Or, look at the ones that are afraid of failing, so they never tried. If you are a father or a father figure, you have a responsibility to not let that happen to your child. It is not a loving and caring thing to do to send an eighteen year-old off and tell him, "I've taught you everything I know. Good luck." There are some things we know. First, God has known us since before we were born: "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart" Jeremiah 1:5 "For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb." Psalm 139:13 Second, God has a purpose for us all: "The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me;" Psalm 138:8 "for it is God who works in you o will and to act according to his good purpose." Philippians 2:13 Finally, as fathers, it is up to us to help our children discover that purpose. "Train a child in the way he should go, and when his old he will not turn from it" Proverbs 22:6 While the Bible clearly guides us to train our children to learn about Christ and to show them how to be saved, this verse has something more in it. "The way he should go" is not the same as saying the way we all should go. Each of us has a different path laid out on God's big planner. We need to help our children discover what God wants them to do individually. This often means that your son or daughter will have a path very different from the one you envisioned. Take comfort in knowing that God's plan is better. Find out what drives them and encourage it. Help them to discover their passion and harness it. Help them to pray that God would reveal it. We aren't just here to perform basic training. We have to go deeper and help them find their specialty. Otherwise, they'll just be wandering through life wondering where to go next. You have a job, fathers. And it has a limited window of time. Don't drop the ball. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Wed Jul 20 00:44:45 2005 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Wed Jul 20 00:45:35 2005 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Go to the Mountain Message-ID: <245201D8-F8F2-11D9-8F80-000A9599B718@clanwebb.com> When I was getting ready to leave for college, I was having to gird myself up for many new experiences. I was about to board a plane for Boston and I had never been east of Colorado. I was arriving two weeks early so I could go through my condensed basic training for ROTC. At that time, I could count on one hand how many soldiers in uniform I had ever seen in person. This is not to say that I was unprepared or unable to deal with these situations. Things were going quite well for me at that point. I had graduated at the top of my high school class. I was off to a prestigious university. And, the government was going to pay for college as long as I wanted to say in ROTC. Despite my rosy situation, I still needed some encouragement and advice. Specifically, I talked with my dad about it. I felt better. I got on the plane with confidence that I could do well. At another time, I had a choice between two jobs. One paid slightly more, but the other appeared to have more opportunity with the kind of work I preferred. I struggled with the idea of providing the most for my family or doing what I loved so I would be happier for them. Again, even in the relatively good situation of having two great jobs to choose from, I needed some words of wisdom. This time, it happened to be my mom. My wife was very supportive, but didn't prefer either position. Mom helped me figure out what made more sense. In retrospect, the decision she helped me make was clearly correct. The point I'm trying to make here is that it's obvious to ask for help when there's trouble. It's not so obvious to ask for help when things seem to be going well or when the path is clear and you just need encouragement. When it comes to a relationship with Christ, all of these moments are ones that may require a visit to the mountain. That doesn't have to be a literal trip to a mountain ( but it can be ). It's the psychological aspect of separating yourself from the crowd so that you can listen to God more clearly. That can be in your bedroom or in a tent in the Cascades. Moses went to the mountain to talk with God. ( Exodus 24:15-16,18 ) Before attacking Jericho, Joshua was very probably alone while considering his options outside of camp when God sent a messenger to him. ( Joshua 5:13-15 ) Before His crucifixion, Jesus went to Gethsemane to pray. Not because He didn't know what to do, but because He wanted to commune with His father before He did it. "The Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, "Sit here while I go over there and pray." He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me." Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed..." Matthew 26:36-39 Jesus took His friends with him for support and he left the city to hear clearly from His Father. Whether things are tough and you don't know what to do or things are going well and you just need the encouragement to keep going, it can often be helpful to make a visit to the mountain and talk with God. Will you keep watch with me? Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Wed Jul 20 21:39:05 2005 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Wed Jul 20 23:35:02 2005 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Payback or Patience? Message-ID: <5E7731C4-F9A1-11D9-B304-000A9599B718@clanwebb.com> Movies are the image and character creations of our time. "Did you see that movie?" is a common question. "I love it when he says..." usually begins a line that can bring a smile or adoration. I happen to like the movie "The Godfather". It is very rich in character and story. There is much for discussion in this work, but one aspect is predominate. The act of revenge runs from beginning to end. The futility of revenge is glaring, but the inevitability occurs many times. I must admit that there are many people in my life that I would like "to make an offer they can't refuse." However, God is very clear about getting back at people. "Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay," says the Lord." Romans 12:19 Repaying evil is not in our job description. "Behold, I will cause those of the synagogue of Satan, who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie -- I will make them come and bow down at your feet, and make them know that I have loved you." Revelation 3:9 We do not have to fear the testing of God. Those that do evil do. "Because you have kept the word of My perseverance, I also will keep you from the hour of testing, that hour which is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth." Revelation 3:10 Our future as believers is based in hope, not the despair of revenge. Jesus gives us a promise of permanent presence. He gives us a pledge of security and safety. "He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he will not go out from it anymore; and I will write on him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God, and My new name." Revelation 3:12 The difference between the strength of inner confidence and the violent outburst is what should make us different. The source, of course, is Jesus Christ. Meditate on this if you have trouble with anger over how you are treated in the world. When evil is dealt to you, just smile and imagine yourself setting the giver on a tee and Jesus picking out His driver. In Christ we learn, Allen From wyatt at clanwebb.com Fri Jul 22 00:00:38 2005 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Fri Jul 22 00:02:45 2005 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Real Fellowship Message-ID: <4EF8B73B-FA7E-11D9-ADD4-000A9599B718@clanwebb.com> We often speak of fellowship rather quickly and without settling in our minds what the word means. Gathering together for corporate worship and prayer, to be sure, is a form of fellowship. But, abiding fellowship is a deeper relationship with one another than just seeing each other when we have had time to dress and act for a specific impression. Abiding fellowship is the type when one brother can sense a change in another brother and instinctively come alongside to rejoice, build up, mourn, or root out as if it were part of his own body. When one brother knows another well enough that secrets are almost impossible, then fellowship as an element exists. This type of relationship takes time and must never be taken lightly. Trust is at the foundation. This relationship includes the ability to seek out a brother and set right a wrong, to offer of resources without pause, to forgive, to love without judgment, and to come to an instant defense when the opportunity is just. "Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude. See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ. For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority; and in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ; having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead." Colossians 2:6-12 These verses are the essence of brotherhood. "Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus" Philippians 2:1-5 Be in Christ, brothers. Allen From wyatt at clanwebb.com Fri Jul 22 09:14:11 2005 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Sat Jul 23 00:02:06 2005 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Be Like the Father Message-ID: Like father, like son. The earthly interpretation of this phrase usually is invoked when the family wants to point out similar traits between a dad and his offspring. Sometimes it is a good thing and sometimes it is not. In my case, my son reflects a lot of the traits that I would like to claim came from my DNA. However, I am sure there are a few he would like to blame on me. One of the aspects I find amusing has to do with the way we approach problem solving and conclusions. When I was a kid, I would build models. So would Wyatt. The difference was that I thought the directions were in the box to use as something the squeeze the glue on before applying with a sponge. Wyatt, on the other hand, would read them. Go figure. Once the thing had a minor resemblance to what it was supposed to be, I would slap a little paint on it and call it good. Wyatt would inspect each piece and if the thing didn't come out exactly like the picture, then the thing was set aside at whatever stage it was in and declared defective. I loved defective stuff. I would slop a little paint on it, rummage through my junk, find an old firecracker, take it outside, and blow it up. What could be more cool than that? Should something need to be fixed, Wyatt would take it apart and make it a mission to fix it so it worked. I, on the other hand, would put time in to the problem until I determined it was no longer worthy of my time. I would simply declare it "broken" and move on. People would ask, "What's wrong with it?" I would sum it up succinctly, "It's broken." Wyatt will tell you that all mechanical things can be explained and therefore put right with math and physics. It is amazing and it is true. Frankly, my attitude is if it's broken, then it's broken. Enough said. In the end, we are a lot alike and a lot different. It's great. Earthly fathers and sons cannot approach the inner connection that God and Jesus portray. "I and the Father are one." John 10:30 To be one with our heavenly father is our goal. "that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me." John 17:21 We must cast off those aspects of our person that are not like our heavenly father. This is not an easy thing. We cannot give up on trying and say, "It's broken." Neither can we explain it all away with math and logic. It is a matter of the heart. In our uniqueness we must be the same. Rejoice in our differences, but relish our sameness in Jesus. Abiding in the mystery with you. Allen From wyatt at clanwebb.com Sun Jul 24 00:02:00 2005 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Sun Jul 24 00:02:54 2005 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Peace, Brother Message-ID: Heated words can often do more damage than any weapon. Watching our tongue is a real issue with some of us. We are less interested in promoting peace than we are in gaining attention to ourselves. Our wives and our children are often the victims. I offer up this formula for peace in our relationships. First, we have a source to draw form for our attitude about peace. We have peace with God. "Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, " Romans 5:1 Second, we can claim the source because Jesus left it to us in his will. "Peace I leave with you; May peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful." John 14:27 Third, we must understand that this peace is in its purest form. "And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:7 Fourth, it has been demonstrated to us as we have been reconciled and given the message of reconciliation. "Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come." 2 Corinthians 5:17 The way of peace is new so think before you speak. But, speak to make a difference. Last, don't fear peace. Allen From wyatt at clanwebb.com Mon Jul 25 00:07:49 2005 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Mon Jul 25 00:20:40 2005 Subject: [Daily Push Up] The Inside Attack Message-ID: As the battle heats up between Good and Evil, we must make sure that our attention isn't focused on only one front. It is easy for the believer to recognize the artillery attack. That's the stuff in the news. It is the stealth attack - the poison in the water supply, the removal of the firing pins, the unlocked back gate - that can cause terrible damage. These attacks can come from the inside. One such inside attack is the slippery slope of separating infallibility from inerrancy. Let it be known that you believe that the Word of God is inspired totally and, therefore, infallible and without error. Now, to be sure, there are some arguments that will test your faith, but don't be afraid and don't be lazy. Get some answers. Find some resources. Using the Word is a great place to start. When someone is in denial that individual words were inspired. "But He answered and said, "It is written, 'Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.'" Matthew 4:4 "Great in every respect. First of all, that they were entrusted with the oracles of God." Romans 3:2 When someone tries to get you to agree that parts of the Bible were not inspired. "All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;" 2 Timothy 3:16 "for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God." 2 Peter 1:21 When someone says they'll buy that it was inspired, but maybe the author of the inspiration was leading the writer down the garden path. "In the hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised long ages ago, " Titus 1:2 "so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have taken refuge would have strong encouragement to take hold of the hope set before us." Hebrews 6:18 When someone plays word games and says that the writers were inspired, but they didn't get it right. "Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth." John 17:17 Men and women of the world, in order to set themselves apart, must either act out against truth so that we see them visually or attack with words the foundation of our faith so we will listen to them. Their goal is always the same and that is to set themselves above what we believe in order to make us feel less. This, in turn, makes them believe they should be worshipped. Get to know the Word and speak it. You don't have to memorize the Bible, but get into it enough to be able to turn to places or notes so you can read it accurately out loud. Have faith that God will only place you in situations that if you stop and think you will have something to say. Sooner or later each Christian must answer the question: "What am I willing to alter in my life to make room to study the Word?" This push up was formulated from a paper by Dr. John Ankerberg and Dr. John Weldon. It can be found at http://www.johnankerberg.org/ Be blessed in Jesus. Allen From wyatt at clanwebb.com Mon Jul 25 22:07:04 2005 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Mon Jul 25 23:10:05 2005 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Which Army? Message-ID: <1B4D77F0-FD93-11D9-B40B-000A9599B718@clanwebb.com> It is hard for us to imagine those events of the Bible that seem larger than life. I have difficulty picturing just how big Goliath was. I can't imagine what it looked like when the Red Sea parted for the fleeing Israelites. I struggle to contemplate Jesus walking on water. But, I know that these things happened. By the same token, I know the things of Revelation will happen. There are some pretty incredible events and images described in that book. It's clear that believers and non-believers will have very different reactions when Jesus returns. This time, He will come as a judge. A welcome sight for those He has saved and a frightening prospect for those who have rejected Him. When trying to picture this event, I keep coming back to a scene from "The Lord of the Rings". I always picture the battle of Helm's Deep. For those who don't know, here's the setup: The entire population of the kingdom of Rohan have fled to a mountain fortress called Helm's Deep. They have done this because a much larger army of evil orcs is marching toward them and it is their best chance to hold out. The good wizard, Gandalf, has gone to find the one third of the Rohan army which does not know of the coming battle. He promises the defenders that he will return with these men by the sunrise of third day after he leaves. So the defenders prepare to hold the fortress walls. The orcs march in. They storm the fortress during the night and, due to their overwhelming numbers, slowly beat back the defenders. The prospect of the entire kingdom being wiped out seems likely. Just as the defenders make one last charge into the oncoming hordes, the morning of the third day breaks. At that moment, Gandalf and the army he went to find appear atop the ridge in position to flank the attacking army. The sight of Gandalf and this army bring dramatically different responses to the battle below. The army of Rohan, believing they were about to be wiped out, find great hope and confidence and go on to win the battle. The orcs are terrified by this unexpected arrival and flee in the other direction only to be hunted down and wiped out by other allies. Which army are you fighting for? Remember that "neither" is not one of the choices. Make no mistake, there is no neutral ground here. You're either with Jesus or you're against Him. There is no gray area. He will be returning with a conquering army. You will either rejoice at the sight of your Savior or you will be anguished at the sight of your judge. "I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. "He will rule them with an iron scepter." He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS." Revelation 19:11-16 I gotta tell you, I'm looking forward to seeing that! Inherent in this, though, is another question. Even if you know you're going to be on the right side, are you going to be ready? Are you waiting with sword by your side and your shield ready to go? Or have you set aside the armor and weapon God gave you to dabble with the world? Will Jesus come back and find you fighting the invading army? Or negotiating and compromising with it? Saddle up! Let's go! Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Wed Jul 27 00:01:33 2005 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Wed Jul 27 00:02:23 2005 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Being Single Message-ID: <440EB8AC-FE6C-11D9-86C2-000A9599B718@clanwebb.com> Life as the single Christian isn't easy in the face of the world. The single man has many decisions to make that the married guy doesn't have to face each day. The married guy knows the woman in his life. The stark differences between married and single include: - The single guy doesn't have to be home every night. - He can hang out with the guys without guilt. - He can run with the pack and howl. The single guy is a fool if he doesn't spend time preparing for the time when the right woman comes along. Most women want a man that displays the attributes of the man they want to marry whether they marry him or not. In other words, it is easy to go for the score instead of acting like the head of the relationship. You can always find a girl with a self image that you can exploit. It is difficult to be the head of the relationship and choose to not exploit it. If you are not working out to be in shape to be a married man, then you deserve what you get when you do ask a girl to marry you. You risk being a minor leaguer your whole life. "For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers." Romans 8:29 "Now I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God." 1 Corinthians 11:3 Learn the line of responsibility. Remember the first big mistake was made when Adam tried to blame Eve. God wanted no part of the lame explanation. He put Adam in charge and it was Adam he held responsible. Get your priorities right when you are single and your married life will be much stronger. Show every woman in your life how much like Christ you can be. You will have your choice of many women and God will choose you a lifelong mate and you will move into marriage without regret. "A man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God; but the woman is the glory of man." 1 Corinthians 11:7 The reflection of your dedication to be like Christ will manifest itself in the women in your life. Be men, not predators. Allen From wyatt at clanwebb.com Thu Jul 28 00:18:19 2005 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Thu Jul 28 00:21:56 2005 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Checklists Message-ID: I love writing software. It's a creative process not unlike writing a book or composing a song. There's a familiar emotion and mindset at each stage of the process. When you build software with a team, though, there has to be more structure. We begin to write specifications. The designer will describe how each feature of the software will work and what the user can do with it. A specification writer will then turn that into a structured list describing each nook and cranny of the feature and every possible way it might be used. That includes listing and defining results for all of the unusual and weird things a user might do. The goal is to have an exhaustive list of how a feature will work so that I can write the code to make it behave that way in every conceivable circumstance. Unfortunately, you can't tell a computer to just "do the right thing" or just give it a few rules and tell it "figure out the rest". Computers only know how to follow step-by-step instructions. Software will only work right when you've written code to account for every potential situation. If it's possible, some user somewhere will try it. My code had better be prepared. This is not unlike how God had to treat the Israelites. First, He gave them the ten commandments. Then He gave Moses a rather lengthy list of very detailed rules and regulations. They cover everything from the kind of food they could eat and precisely how it was to be killed to how to handle a dead body and what cleansing process the people around the body had to observe. There were precise sacrifices for different things at different times of the year. These were God's specifications on how to be worthy of going to Heaven. There's one problem: people aren't computers. We cannot follow a list of rules like that perfectly in perpetuity. People made mistakes. They fell off the path. They fell off time after time after time. Even at the height of observance, the Jews use these rules like a checklist. They tell themselves that "If I do everything on the list and stay inside the lines God has drawn, I'll get into Heaven." It was technically true, but impossible for humans to actually achieve due to our sin nature. Besides, whenever you get into a checklist mentality, you lose the spirit of the thing. There's no motivation other than to complete the list. Each item is a chore and, if the list is long enough, it's a burden. A checklist doesn't make things easier to do, it only makes it clear when you've done something right and when you've done something wrong. Then Jesus came and set all that aside. He told us that it was about being a changed creature. We can achieve righteousness simply by believing in Him. At first, this seems like a simple trade. A checklist with just one item? I'll go for that. "Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes" Romans 10:4 However, believing in Christ and accepting Him as your personal Lord and Savior means loving Him. Loving Him means obeying Him. Then, suddenly, the desire to love and obey Christ will simply make everything else happen. Instead of feeling weighed down by the burden of a list of do's and don'ts, simply love Christ and love one another. If that is your foundation, the rest will follow. " "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." Matthew 22:36-40 So use those verses as your checklist. If you're doing those things, it's usually not hard to figure out how to do the rest. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Thu Jul 28 21:51:17 2005 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Thu Jul 28 23:35:15 2005 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Being Accountable Message-ID: <6626F594-FFEC-11D9-BBF3-000A9599B718@clanwebb.com> Accountability is a hard nut to crack for most men because we don't like to be told we need to improve or that we are headed down the wrong road. It is equally hard for us to voluntarily see out criticism. It just goes against our grain to say, "Hey, buddy, what is wrong with me?" In fact, many a fight has been started with, "Hey, buddy, you know what your problem is?" As it is in many cases with men, we get the wrong idea and run with it. Accountability has very little to do with criticism. In fact, it has more to do with "getting off each other's back and getting on each other's team." (Doug Haag). Laura Mae Gardner of Wycliffe Bible Translators International puts it this way: "The capacity of the human heart to deceive itself is beyond understanding. [Jeremiah 17:9] The only safeguards we have are the Holy Spirit, a tender conscience, a strong commitment to the truth, and loving relationships with people who are sturdy enough to tell us hard truths." Chuck Swindoll sees it this way: "It is one thing to soar high and alone as an eagle, above the level of mediocrity. But, it is another thing entirely to be so alone that we encounter winds we cannot handle. At such times, flying with a few fellow eagles is essential." Look, we all have faults, blind spots, and tendencies that can trip us up. The skin of a reason stuffed with sweet-smelling temptation can sink any one of us. It takes a brother that loves us enough to be blunt to keep us from being isolated and getting so discouraged that we fall for anything. Remember Cain's question to God? "Am I my brother's keeper?" Genesis 4:9b You bet you are. The second part of the great commandment is to "Love your neighbor as yourself." Find a brother you can trust, not one that will tell you what you want to hear. Begin a relationship. Talk to him. Meet with him until there is a level of trust that you can share with him. Then don't be defensive. Don't lie. Look for relationships. Care for and about them as Christ did for the twelve. Allen From wyatt at clanwebb.com Sat Jul 30 00:22:50 2005 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Sat Jul 30 00:23:47 2005 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Acceptance Message-ID: So much of the sin committed by men is centered around acceptance. From the time we are little boys, our desire is to be accepted. We want to be picked to be on the team. We want the letterman's jacket with all the pins. When we fall short, in our minds or in the minds of our friends, we will often do things to set ourselves apart and be recognized and accepted. Sometimes these actions are positive, but all too often they are destructive. In some cases being set apart, no matter how outrageous the behavior, is more important than anything else. All one has to do is to look at such things as tattoos, piercings, dress, recreational behavior of the time and we see most of it is about being accepted. The deal is, guys, that once you accept Jesus Christ into your life and mean it, you are accepted. It is called justification. "and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus" Romans 3:24 God has taken care of your acceptance. Wanting the attention of the world is nothing compared to the acceptance of the one who made the world. Try to imagine a vertical river. This river runs straight up and it has two docks. One at the bottom and one at the destination at the top. The dock at the bottom is Justification and the one at the top is Glorification. God built the docks and set the river in motion. The trip from one dock to the other is a journey from acceptance to being made perfect. Men start out on the bank, move to faith, and are accepted. They, however, then just sit on the dock with their feet in the water waiting for the other dock to move toward them so they can step on it without getting wet. It'll never happen. Our job is to get into the water and swim with the current toward Glorification. Many of us just sit on the dock throwing all manner of social fits to gain the attention of the dock keeper on the other end. "Look at me! I can't swim! I don't want to get wet! I'm afraid of the water! Somebody carry me! Why doesn't God send me a boat?! He would if he loved me! If you loved me you would carry me! I don't have the right suit. Why can't I just walk along the bank?..." and on and on it goes. Anything to avoid obedience. Getting into the water and swimming with the current of righteousness is the process of sanctification and it will carry you directly to the dock of Glorification. "...I am the Lord, who makes you holy" Exodus 31:13 The phrase "who makes you holy" here can be translated as "who sanctifies you" or "who sets you apart as holy" Guys, there is no substitute for obedience. Only in obedience to God do our mistakes count for anything. In obedience to God our mistakes count for growth and forward motion. Without obedience, our mistakes just cause us to slip back and farther away from the other dock. Pascal stated, "A life not examined is not worth living." Do some self-examination. Are you in the water? Allen From wyatt at clanwebb.com Sun Jul 31 00:40:54 2005 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Sun Jul 31 00:41:44 2005 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Training Message-ID: <6CA2DDA8-0196-11DA-88BB-000A9599B718@clanwebb.com> As we grow up, we develop habits. Whether those habits come from watching our parents, our friends, or TV, we simply fall in to behavior patterns that guide our responses and reactions to life. As we begin to realize that some of these habits are not healthy, we try to change them. How to you change a habit? Training. Successful training results not in a broken habit, but simply in a new one. The more you follow through with the new habit the easier it is to stick with it. Make no mistake about bad habits. They are not thrust upon us. We train ourselves to follow them. "...having a heart trained in greed..." 2 Peter 2:14 As Peter points out, our sin nature causes us to lean to the wrong side of the fence, but we train ourselves to get good at it. Changing that habit requires new training. It wasn't physical training so much as a mental training that resulted in an adventure for me last week. I was moving around some slowing traffic when I spotted the cause: a pretty serious rear-end accident. As I pulled alongside the accident, I watched the lead car pull over and the passengers begin to get out of their car. At that moment, the rear car (presumably the culprit) backed up and sped away. He did this right in front of me and I could clearly see the passengers of the other car waving their arms in disgust. In that split second when my brain put the whole situation together, I had a decision to make. Actually, that's the point here, I didn't really have time to make a full on considered decision. I had enough time to react. When we react, we fall back on our habits and the mental paths we've walked the most. Without really thinking, I hit the gas and followed the fleeing car. I really only wanted to get close enough to get a license plate that I could call in to 911. I could never read the plate, though. This guy dodged cars, turned down several different streets and finally seemed to give me the slip. He had turned in front of oncoming traffic and I could not. When I finally followed, I discovered that he had driven down a dead end street that ended at an Elk's Lodge. He had simply parked and was walking away. Here I was just hoping to get a glimpse of his plate and I pulled up and blocked his car from leaving. When he saw me drive up and open my cell phone, he took off on foot. The summary is that my description of the guy allowed the police to catch him about fifteen minutes later. I identified him and they arrested him. The policeman later told me that if I had not followed him, they would have had no idea who the driver was (the driver of the other car had given a terribly wrong description) and he may have gotten away with it. This is not to pump myself up, but to point out that in a moment when instinct took over, I fell back onto my mental habits. In this case, it was my habit to want to help folks when I can. I realized nobody else was going to follow this guy and I could. So I did. We all need to have those kinds of instincts when it comes to our faith. Whether it's a reaction to a temptation or a reaction to a brief opening you might have with someone who is searching. You need to train yourself constantly so that you will react correctly in those instances. Pray all the time. Be in the Word all the time. Surround yourselves with men who will keep you accountable. This is the kind of training that will put you in a position to react correctly when you don't have time to weigh the pros and cons. "Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives' tales; rather, train yourself to be godly." 1 Timothy 4:7 Don't spend your time on useless behavior. Train yourselves. Don't just train for the planned things in life. Train for the unexpected. Train for the split-second opportunity. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Fri Jul 1 00:11:21 2005 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Fri, 1 Jul 2005 00:11:21 -0700 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Dealing With the Worst Message-ID: <5382D7EE-E9FF-11D9-BB9C-000A9599B718@clanwebb.com> How often in life do we set our hopes on something with such a clear vision that it seems inevitable? We also might imagine the antithesis and it is so distasteful that we can't imagine how it would happen. Then the worst possible thing does happen, and we are devastated. It is at this critical point that we can take a lesson from the book of 2 Kings. "When the child was grown, the day came that he went out to his father to the reapers. He said to his father, "My head, my head." And he said to his servant, "Carry him to his mother." When he had taken him and brought him to his mother, he sat on her lap until noon, and then died" 2 Kings 4:18-20 The worst possible thing has happened. God gave this child and then took him. All the promise and future gone in an instant in his mother's lap. The worst in our minds isn't always as tragic as death. It can be a huge disappointment in our life. What we see as wasted potential in someone we love. It can be crushed dreams and big setback. What did this mother do? She believed deeply enough that she lay the boy's body down and went to the one man she knew could explain it to her. She went to get Elisha, the prophet, who intervened with God to grant her the gift of the boy. She goes right to the source. He tells her to take his staff back and lay it on the boy. She says "No. I go where you go. You are my conduit to God and I am not letting you out of my sight." She doesn't know how he is going to fix it, but she knows Elisha is the guy to do it. "Then he returned and walked in the house once back and forth, and went up and stretched himself on him; and the lad sneezed seven times and the lad opened his eyes" 2 Kings 4:35 Here's a some great comments from "Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Bible": "Here is the sudden death of the child. All the mother's tenderness cannot keep alive a child of promise, a child of prayer, one given in love. But how admirably does the prudent, pious mother, guard her lips under this sudden affliction! Not one peevish word escapes from her. Such confidence had she of God's goodness, that she was ready to believe that he would restore what he had now taken away." "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose." Romans 8:28 All things, men. He really means ALL THINGS. Hold one another accountable to this principle. Allen From wyatt at clanwebb.com Sat Jul 2 01:12:53 2005 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Sat, 2 Jul 2005 01:12:53 -0700 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Pay Attention Message-ID: <16B4A437-EAD1-11D9-8BCB-000A9599B718@clanwebb.com> I was doing a devotional with my wife last night when we came upon a subject that touched a nerve. We were discussing whether she had ever felt that she was competing for my attention. She answered yes and reminded me of a very tough time in our marriage. About ten years ago, I had my first opportunity to lead a software project at the company where I was working. It was my first chance to manage other engineers and I was eager to do well. Due to a bad combination of inexperienced folks and an overly expansive project description, this project soon became a black hole for my time. When building software, it is very normal for teams to go into a "crunch mode" near the end of the project. This is when everyone is putting in extra hours and working hard to get the product done. The trick is to manage the time so you don't burn out the team. For a twelve month project, a normal crunch period is about four to six weeks. On this project, we crunched for roughly three to four months. It was miserable for me as I was trying to save a project that was quickly getting the wrong kind of attention from senior management and I realized I was damaging my family to do it. My eight hour days went to ten hour days. Then to twelve hour days. Then to fifteen hour days including Saturdays. By the end of the project, my sleep cycle was completely shot. I was getting to work about 9 am and getting into bed at night about 5 am. There's nothing beautiful about watching a sunrise over your office desk. The side effects were horrendous. I was spending no time with my wife or our three year old son. She was basically a single mom as I was never home except to sleep and shower. My son only saw me when they brought dinner to my office. I knew it was pushing her to the limit, but I made the choice to put her off until the project was done. I have been able to avoid situations like that since, but those wounds are still healing. This was the extreme of a habit that I have struggled with my whole life. My wife does compete for my attention and time when I've got other irons in the fire. That's not right. "Each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself" Ephesians 5:33 That's pretty simple. You are to love and care for your wife just as yourself. I was falling flat on that count. Coach Bill McCartney, the founder of Promise Keepers, spoke of a sermon he heard that brought this situation home to him. The pastor said, "If you really want to know about a man, and if you want to know what kind of character he has, you need only look at the countenance of his wife. Everything he has invested, or withheld, will be there." That hits me pretty hard, too. When my wife is hurt or feeling ignored, that speaks directly to the investment I've made in her. You wife is a gift from God and should be treated as such. God is going to hold you responsible for her well being, both physically and emotionally. Don't make her fight for your attention. Make it your priority. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Sun Jul 3 00:02:18 2005 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Sun, 3 Jul 2005 00:02:18 -0700 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Angry? Message-ID: <64AADD38-EB90-11D9-908E-000A9599B718@clanwebb.com> Some situations have come into my life recently that makes my personality hearken back to the old days when I could kick a table over, punch a hold in the wall, or rip a phone out by the cord. Those days are gone, but the feelings are still available. I don't want to sound like Mr. Rogers, but do you ever feel that way? "A gentle answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up anger." Proverbs 15:1 I do wish at times that God would give us Mulligans for life. We could just tear off a little coupon from our Mulligan card, light it on fire and allow the smoke to rise to God. Then, we could go out and find the people that insist upon making our lives miserable and kick a little butt! Of course, we know mercy, but we don't always practice it. We know the guilt from words spoken in anger. We see the hurt inflicted upon people when we sin. We have all pointed the finger at someone and forgotten that only God's mercy keeps us from the same situation. As the commentator says, "A right cause will be better pleaded with meekness than with passion. Nothing stirs up anger like grievous words." That's a little different from the old Allen philosophy, which was, "My cause is better pleaded with indignation, grievous words, and a pounding about the head." I would like to tell you that I have an inner glow from the Holy Spirit over current circumstances. I am not there, yet. However, I haven't pounded any heads either. I wonder if Mr. Rogers ever wanted to take that trolley car and pound the castle into the ground? No, surely not. Not Fred Rogers. Hold each other accountable as brothers. Allen From wyatt at clanwebb.com Mon Jul 4 00:49:52 2005 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Mon, 4 Jul 2005 00:49:52 -0700 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Treasure Message-ID: <345100EA-EC60-11D9-98BE-000A9599B718@clanwebb.com> It's an odd arrangement when you boil it down. When we take a job, we are making an agreement to expend time and effort in exchange for money. What do we then do with that money? We spend it on things that then take up more of our time and effort. Some guys love to fish. They will tend to spend more money on rods, reels, tackle, and even boats. They will spend entire weekends driving to a remote area so they can fish for a day. Some guys love to rebuild cars. They will spend money on old cars, parts, tools, and paint. They will spend every evening for years working on their project. They will derive their self-esteem from what the other guys at the junkyard think about their project. For me, it's technology. We have three televisions in the house. Two of them have digital video recorders that I can program over the Internet from my office. One of them has surround sound for watching movies on DVD. We have six computers in the house. One is a laptop that we all use around the house. One is a game machine for my son. Two are used for my side projects. They are connected to a switch that allows me to control them both from one keyboard and a pair of monitors. One is a server that provides our personal website, email services, and this mailing list. The last one is for tinkering projects when I have time. I have two handheld computers for which I write software in the evenings and on weekends. I even have an iPod. I love technology and gadgets. That passion makes me good at what I do, but it can be like a virus. It consumes my time and my money. The problem with all of these situations is that whenever we invest time or money into anything, we want to believe it was a good investment. We will resist the notion that our time or money could be spent better elsewhere. Sure I've made money with some of my side projects before, but far less than I've spent on the equipment I've used to do them. That says nothing about value of the time I've invested. We put our time and money into things that interest us. Then, the things that interest us are those things that we've invested in. It becomes a self-feeding cycle that is hard to break. Jesus points this out to us clearly and tells us that we need to break the cycle for our own good. "Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Luke 12:33-34 Where you invest your time and money is where you have decided to store your treasure. Where you have stored your treasure is where your heart is. Jesus is simply telling us that we should consider storing our treasure in heaven as that is the only place treasure will be permanent. Anything we store here on Earth will be swept away. Does this mean you have to sell your fishing gear or your cars? Do I have to sell all of my computers and gadgets? No, not necessarily. That's between you and God and it's something you should pray about. What you should do, though, is to make sure that you aren't placing your treasure in things here. You had better be storing your treasure in heaven. That will help keep your heart in heaven, too. How can you tell the difference? What would you rather do if given the choice? Go to church or go fishing? Go to a Bible study or go to the auto parts store? Go help with the youth group or work on that computer that's been acting up? We need to be honest with ourselves. If the answers don't sound right, we need to fix it. God can't use us until we do. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Tue Jul 5 00:54:26 2005 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Tue, 5 Jul 2005 00:54:26 -0700 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Losing It Message-ID: <0265610C-ED2A-11D9-A0FE-000A9599B718@clanwebb.com> I lost it today. We ordered a pay-as-you-go cell phone for my daughter. When it came, the phone was defective. She called the company and they instructed her to send the phone back for a replacement that would take two weeks. She was also informed that they could not guarantee that the minutes we had purchased would be applied to the new phone as they have had trouble with this type of transfer. I called later and explained that we needed the phone to work right away so we had gone and purchased another one at a retail outlet so she could have it on her trip. I told them that I simply wanted to return the defective one for a refund. I had to repeat this process four times with each call being dropped or lost in transfer to "another department". Each time I had to speak to a person with a thick ethnic accent that made it very difficult to communicate. Finally, I reached a supervisor that informed me that the phone I had originally purchased was a special promotion that included a no-refund clause. My only recourse was to send the phone back and they would send a replacement in about two weeks. This is when I lost it. I made some very, very unflattering remarks to the third supervisor. I led her to believe that there were all sorts of things I was intending to do. Then I hung up on her because she kept repeating a stock phrase about how she was sorry for the inconvenience, but there was nothing else to be done. I then walked out on my deck with the cell phone in question. It now resides in a vacant lot across the street from my house. I am not proud of my behavior as it was conducted in front of my two daughters and my wife. I am now having to clean up the mess in my home that the outburst caused. It never pays, but sometimes I forget when Satan puts on the pressure. "Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, OUTBURSTS OF ANGER, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God." Galatians 5:19-21 Well, there you have it. Tonight, I am not in good company. If any of these sounds familiar, try to learn from it. We are in a battle. When we lose control, Satan wins. Blessings Allen From wyatt at clanwebb.com Wed Jul 6 00:31:19 2005 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Wed, 6 Jul 2005 00:31:19 -0700 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Run, Run, Run Message-ID: During most of my life, I have not lived near my extended family. While I was growing up in the Portland area, my grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins were spread across California, Arizona, Colorado, and elsewhere. This meant that most of my interaction involved a plane trip or a very long car ride by one party or another. Soon after our son was born, we moved to the Seattle area and were not even close to our own siblings or parents. Again, it meant that family was at arm's length. I really had to get used to the idea of living near family and the implications when we moved back to Portland couple of years ago. Now all of my wife's brothers and her mother are very close and we see them at least once a month. What I've discovered during all of those visits and interactions is that it's very easy to get into a "just putting in my time" mindset. Where a trip to see our parents used to be a long weekend that was well planned and meant long days with our family, now it's an hour or two that involves a lot of looking at your watch and wondering if we'll get home in time to catch the end of the Mariners game. We find that we've started counting the number of visits and the total number of hours. Pretty soon my wife and I are having discussions about which house to drive to based on where we went last, "Man, we just drove over there last week. Can't they drive here this time?" Of course, when visits are measured out like that, they lose much of their value. We start to feel compelled rather than excited to visit with family. When that happens, there's no desire to do more than the absolute minimum. We're just punching the family clock and putting in our time. While Jesus desires that we build an intimate relationship with Him, He doesn't want it to get stale. He doesn't want it to feel compelled. You should be joyful to spend time with Him. When you work on your relationship with Christ, you shouldn't feel like you're just punching a clock. You should desire the most out of it. "Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize." 1 Corinthians 9:24 Paul is telling us not to be satisfied with just running. Run to win. Strive for excellence in your walk with Christ. That's not measured in how many people you lead to Christ or how well you've memorized the Bible. It's measured in how much your heart wants to be with Him. Do you look forward to your Bible study? Do you look forward to Church? Or, are you punching your clock on Sunday to get back to the stuff you really like? "Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever." 1 Corinthians 9:25 If you're running hard in the wrong race, you may win the crown, but it will fade away. Run hard in the race Jesus has set before us. Win the crown that will last forever. Don't be satisfied with the middle of the pack, either. Run for the prize. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Thu Jul 7 00:00:00 2005 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Thu, 7 Jul 2005 00:00:00 -0700 Subject: [Daily Push Up] The Real Question Message-ID: If you haven't already, you'll get hit with some of the classic questions: If there's a God, why do bad things happen to good people? If there's a God, why doesn't He just prove that He's real? What if some guy in a primitive culture dies who never had a chance to hear about Jesus? Would he go to heaven? You can't seriously believe that God would punish good people just because we want to live a little differently? Nine times out of ten, these kinds of questions are not coming from those who are truly seeking knowledge. They are coming from folks who do not believe and don't want to. They throw out these questions as a distraction. They want you to tie yourself into knots trying to answer them. Then, they can point to you as proof that there's no God. They've already decided what the answer is, they just want to bring you down with them. Don't fall for it. You don't have to know how to answer every question to be a Christian. You just need to know the basics: First, we are all sinners and can't get into heaven on our own. Second, God loves us enough that Jesus came to Earth to provide a way for us to get to heaven. Third, if we believe that Jesus came, was crucified for our sins, rose on the third day and now sits with God in heaven, we are saved. You can learn the rest in time. Jesus was presented with a question from just these sort of nay-sayers. The Sadducees were a sect of Judaism that did not believe that people were resurrected after death in heaven. So, they came to Jesus to pose a convoluted, hypothetical question about what would happen in heaven to a women that had been married multiple times. They didn't really care about the answer. They were just looking to get Jesus to either admit they were right or get caught in verbal gymnastics. Jesus saw right through their attempt and told them exactly what was wrong: "Jesus replied, "You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God."" Matthew 22:29 Instead of trying to solve the hypothetical, Jesus simply told them that they were wrong. He stated that they simply did not understand the Word of God nor His power. They just didn't get it and Jesus told them so. Now, Jesus did know the answer to the question and He went on to answer it brilliantly. We may not always know the answer, but don't let yourself feel afraid of being asked questions. You will be able to tell if someone is genuinely curious or if they're just trying to hold you off because they don't want to have to deal with the central question of the Gospel: Will you accept the gift? Or turn it down? Jesus' answer to the Sadducees gives us another clue, though. The best way to prepare yourself is to "know the Scriptures" and "the power of God". Pray. Read. Grow. Don't be afraid of questions. Just make sure you're answering the real ones. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Thu Jul 7 23:55:44 2005 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Thu, 7 Jul 2005 23:55:44 -0700 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Believing is Dangerous Message-ID: <4E53A98B-EF7D-11D9-87EE-000A9599B718@clanwebb.com> Men who have accepted Jesus Christ must, at some time, come to the realization that by doing so they are in direct opposition with millions of people. Not friendly opposition, but deadly opposition. In light of the attacks in London, each man must take a sober, meditative look at the differences of the faiths involved. "Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom..." Matthew 5:19 "For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ." 1 Corinthians 3:11 I urge you to go to the following site and look at the comparisons. This war on terror is Biblical. http://dianedew.com/islam.htm Allen From wyatt at clanwebb.com Sat Jul 9 01:06:06 2005 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Sat, 9 Jul 2005 01:06:06 -0700 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Devotion Message-ID: <4CCC8607-F050-11D9-A5D6-000A9599B718@clanwebb.com> Devotion is one of those words that takes on a certain color depending upon the application. It can be an elevated word when used in the context of describing how someone feels toward another person. However, when used to describe a workaholic as someone devoted to his or her job, the hue isn't quite as pleasing. In the end, devotion, like fresh fruit or vegetables, is best when in its simplest state. I am now devoted to spending time in the Word. It is like my first cup of coffee or shaving and showering in the morning. My day would be sideways if I didn't do it. If you are having trouble with building a habit of devotion, try to envision that God has just ordained that your everyday life needs food, water, sleep, and prayer. That without these things you will die. Find time to step away from the noise, let your mind focus on God. CJ Vaughn, a great church leader from a century ago, said, "If I wish to humble anyone, I should question him about his prayers. I know nothing to compare with the topic for its sorrowful confessions." "This I say for your own benefit; not to put a restraint upon you, but to promote what is appropriate and to secure undistracted devotion to the Lord." 1 Corinthians 7:35 "But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ." 2 Corinthians 11:3 A habitual prayer life is different than a passion for golf or fishing. If you worry more about your job, golf game, fishing, investing, or some other pursuit than you do about talking with God, then you are in a rut. A rut is one of Satan's perfect tools, it is just a grave with the ends kicked out. If he can keep you in it until you die, it's just a matter of a little dirt and you are his forever. It took me years, with several failures, to get into the habit of prayer. But, when I made the decision to stop fooling myself, I did it in about five days. A prayer life is nothing more than a heartfelt conversation with God anytime, anyplace, and on any topic. This devotion will lead to a habit of drinking from the Word so much you can't keep track of how many times you do it. Then, out of necessity, you will need a place to keep your tools, just like your clubs, guns, or fishing tackle. You will want to have the best, so you will spend more time reading about resources and pros. Your devotions have it over everything else because you don't go to the Word as a distraction from life. You do it as life. Keep the faith, brothers. Allen From wyatt at clanwebb.com Sun Jul 10 00:54:27 2005 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Sun, 10 Jul 2005 00:54:27 -0700 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Moving Day Message-ID: It was supposed to be a relaxing Saturday. We had a fun but busy Saturday last weekend. We were looking forward to driving to see my parents and sisters next weekend. But, this weekend was supposed to be calm. Saturday was going to be sleeping in and not doing much. However, it was not meant to be. There are three facts about me that put me in the wrong position for having a calm Saturday. First, we live close to my wife's brother and his new wife. Second, they were moving to a new apartment on Saturday. Third, and the most important reason I wasn't destined to have a calm Saturday, I own a pick-up. So, the result was that we ended up spending about five hours helping my brother-in-law and his wife move to a new apartment on Saturday. However, God uses everything, brothers. When you start to lock in with Him, He uses every part of your life to teach you. He taught me something on Saturday. As we moved this couple, I could not believe the amount stuff that wasn't being used and had little to no value to anyone. I guess that's just a polite way of saying "junk". I packed, carried, loaded, and unloaded quite a few boxes of this stuff. A situation arose that made me laugh internally. There were some items that could only be moved in my truck. However, there didn't seem to be a priority on getting those items moved before we left for the day. We moved quite a bit of stuff that could easily fit in their cars. By the time we got home, we remembered that one item that had not been moved was too big to fit in a car. We will, no doubt, be getting a phone call to help again in a day or two to move that last item. It was an interesting study in priority. Some of the junk we moved was directly related to either his or her hobbies or stuff from childhood or things they just couldn't let go. Things such as food, clothing, beds, chairs, and the like were moved with the same priority as stacks of magazines, clothes that they didn't even know they had, and empty plant stands. As the truck filled up, I could see the problem that was coming. The important things might not make it, but that wasn't their priority. We run the same risk as Christians. When we are saved, we are to die to our old life and be born again as a new child of God. When we make that move, though, we will undoubtedly take some stuff with us. We'll take some childhood memories. We'll take our favorite hobbies and interests. We'll also take some of that baggage that we just couldn't leave at the feet of Jesus just yet. I plead with you, though, to not fill up the truck with this stuff and not leave room for Christ. The truck may be on it's last trip. Leave the other stuff and take the important things first. Don't be distracted by the junk. "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." Matthew 6:33 "These things" are everything else. Food, clothing, shelter, TV, golf, music, cars, computers, etc. Seek Him first. He'll take care of the rest. If you think some of this other stuff must go in the first truckload, make sure you have your priorities straight. If you get to where you are going and never get to go back, will you have what you need? Don't forget to pack Christ first. He'll make sure there's room for whatever else you need. Also, if any of you are moving, I'm busy that weekend. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Mon Jul 11 00:05:39 2005 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Mon, 11 Jul 2005 00:05:39 -0700 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Timing Message-ID: <30303117-F1DA-11D9-AEB8-000A9599B718@clanwebb.com> They say that timing is everything. Being at the right place at the right time is huge. The punch line to a joke, if delivered with the right timing, is the difference between a belly laugh and a snicker. Sports is all about timing. The right play at the right time means winning or losing. We spend a lot of time developing our timing. We look for just the right time to present an idea or step forward. We usually have our eye on a goal and we set our timing to get it. God thinks timing is important, too. It's probably why it plays such an important role in our lives. It's part of our DNA, somehow. We need to understand, however, that God's timing supersedes our timing. He trumps us. I certainly can become confused and frustrated when my timing and God's are not the same. Doesn't He see the obvious? Now, Lord. Now is the time. I know the right play. I know the right thing to say. Use me now, Lord. The most frustrating part is when I miss the mark just barely. My timing was just a little off. If only I had started sooner or waited a little longer. A little help here, Lord! "There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven-- A time to give birth and a time to die; A time to plant and a time to uproot what is planted. A time to kill and a time to heal; A time to tear down and a time to build up. A time to weep and a time to laugh; A time to mourn and a time to dance. A time to throw stones and a time to gather stones; A time to embrace and a time to shun embracing. A time to search and a time to give up as lost; A time to keep and a time to throw away. A time to tear apart and a time to sew together; A time to be silent and a time to speak. A time to love and a time to hate; A time for war and a time for peace." Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 You see, the timing isn't our concern. The doing is our concern. "I have seen the task which God has given the sons of men with which to occupy themselves. He has made everything appropriate in its time. He has also set eternity in their heart, yet so that man will not find out the work which God has done from the beginning even to the end." Ecclesiastes 3:10-11 Our job is to do God's will in His time. "I know that there is nothing better for them than to rejoice and to do good in one's lifetime" Ecclesiastes 3:12 "I have seen that nothing is better than that man should be happy in his activities, for that is his lot. For who will bring him to see what will occur after him?" Ecclesiastes 3:22 Guys, if you don't get into God's huddle and listen to His instructions, your timing will always be off and very few of your plays will succeed. Spend time in the Word. Spend time praying. Spend time in fellowship with other believers. Swish... Nothing but net. Allen From wyatt at clanwebb.com Mon Jul 11 23:46:13 2005 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Mon, 11 Jul 2005 23:46:13 -0700 Subject: [Daily Push Up] No Curve Message-ID: I wonder how God keeps up with our growth in our faith. Perhaps He has one of those big thermometers on a wall somewhere like they use for a fundraiser. Perhaps He tosses a ping pong ball in a big jar and when it's full, we die. Maybe we have a warranty and when we have so much mileage, it's off to that big car smasher in the sky. It did come to mind that one thing is for sure: No matter how He does it, He must do it. We cannot test, grade, and keep track ourselves. We can't test ourselves because the stakes are so high that we would cheat to reach the goal. I mean, if I could test myself, my criteria would always be a comparison to someone who was much worse, in my opinion, than myself. It would sound something like, "I am not so bad in comparison to the rest of the world. Therefore, I think I should go to heaven." Or like, "I'm not perfect, but nobody is. I don't do anything that thousands of other people aren't doing." Or maybe, "Hey, I did my best and that is all you can ask of anyone." Unfortunately, God doesn't grade on the curve. Testing yourself is kidding yourself. No doubt we are to test the world against scripture in order to make the right decisions, but never forget that only God passes out the official test booklet for each person. "Do not quench the Spirit; [ Do not persist in doing what you know to be wrong ] do not despise prophetic utterances. [ Do not despise scripture ] But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good; [ Test the things of this world against scripture ] abstain from every form of evil. [ If you are even tempted, use your feet ] Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." [ Only God can grade your test and post the score ] 1 Thessalonians 5:19-23 Set time aside to study. Your final exams are just around the corner. You don't want to miss graduation. The keynote speaker is Jesus Christ. Burning the midnight oil, Allen From wyatt at clanwebb.com Wed Jul 13 00:29:45 2005 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Wed, 13 Jul 2005 00:29:45 -0700 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Be Interruptible Message-ID: I had another engineering epiphany the other day. A common programming problem that I have to solve from time to time lends itself well to a spiritual analogy. When two pieces of technology need to communicate with each other, they need to first know the rules of communication. For example, let's say I have a program that shows me exactly what is happening during a Mariners game. I would be running this program on my computer and somewhere someone would be running another program that is keeping track of the game and allows people to ask it for information. If I were building both sides of this setup, I'd have a decision to make about how these two parts communicate. It boils down to two choices: polling or interruption. Polling would be where the program on my computer would periodically ask the program at the park if there was anything new. Every ten seconds or so, it would send a request to the other program asking, "Anything new since the last time I asked?" Now, since baseball doesn't move very quickly, the answer will usually be "Nope. Nothing new." So, the program on my computer ends up spending a lot of time asking questions with useless answers. Not to mention all of the useless chatter taking up bandwidth over the Internet. Now, I could choose to have it ask only every ten minutes, but then I might miss two or three batters between updates. Polling is easier to implement because the requester can ask only when it's ready, but it's considered inefficient because the requester spends a lot of time in useless busywork. The interruption method would be a situation where my program would simply tell the one at the park that it would like to be notified every time there is something new. The program on my computer would not have to ask any more questions at all. When something changes, the program at the park sends out a message saying, "Ichiro just got a hit." Then the one on my computer would kick into gear and show me an update immediately. Interruption is more efficient because the only communication happening is useful. There's very little useless chatter. It's harder to do, though, because the program on my computer has to be ready to get new information at any moment. Even if it's in the middle of doing something else. Hence the term. I realized that these are two ways we can model our growth with God. We can be constantly asking God, "Are you ready for me to take over that ministry? Is it time for me to become an Elder? Don't you think it's about time for you to bless me a little more?" We will only ask when we think we're ready and we want God to answer on our schedule. God will not accelerate His plan for you just because you're impatient. If you spend all of your time thinking about where you want to be tomorrow or next week, you aren't any use right now. Most of the answers you get won't be the ones you want. On the other hand, we could simply study, pray, serve where you are, and ask God to use us when He's ready. Periodically, He will lead you to a new opportunity or use you in a great way. It always happens precisely when He needs it to and only when you have been properly prepared. "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Matthew 6:34 Constantly polling God to see if He has a better assignment for you or whether He is about to bless you is a huge waste of your time. You have a place right now. You can serve Him right where you are. Grow. Learn. Let it come to you. Let yourself be interruptible by God and, of course, pay attention when the interruption comes. Don't ignore it or miss it because you were busy doing something else. Serve like this is the last assignment you'll ever have, but be prepared to get a new one at any moment. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Wed Jul 13 23:41:50 2005 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Wed, 13 Jul 2005 23:41:50 -0700 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Rings and Crowns Message-ID: <5BBB83E2-F432-11D9-855E-000A9599B718@clanwebb.com> I don't wear much jewelry. It's not very manly to wear more than your wife and I've never had much desire to do so. I've settled on two rings and I've been wearing them both for over a decade. As I look at them, I realize they represent two very different things. One ring I wear as a symbol of my marriage. My wife and I picked it out while we were engaged. She put it on my finger to seal our promise. I wear it proudly every day as this ring represents the love and acceptance that she gives me. I didn't earn this ring. I certainly don't deserve this ring. She gave herself to me and we wanted the world to be clear that we were committed to each other. It makes me a better person because I want to return that love. I want to live up to her expectations. I want to strive to be worthy of the gift she has given me. The other ring I wear is a symbol of accomplishment. I could not rightfully wear that ring unless I had actually earned the degree from the university it represents. I studied hard for four years to achieve that goal. I wear that ring to show that I survived that gauntlet. I earned the degree and crossed that finish line. That ring I did earn. It meant a lot to me to be able to wear the ring after graduation. It was something I worked for. It proves that I met the standard. However, in retrospect, it is clear to me that had I not been married during most of my college career, I would have likely had a much harder time. My wife kept me on a healthy schedule and kept me focused. I would have taken more time to finish my degree or, perhaps, had to finish elsewhere. I tell people that we earned that degree together, because she was my encouragement and support. So, the irony is that I honestly don't think I could have earned the second ring had my wife not given me the first. God gives us many gifts. The biggest one is a gift of His mercy and grace. It is only available to you because He loves you. You cannot earn salvation. "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith -- and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God -- not by works, so that no one can boast." Ephesians 2:8-9 I cannot truthfully say that I earned my wedding ring. That is a clear gift from a loving woman. Scripture is clear that you cannot earn your salvation, either, so don't bother trying to tell anyone that you deserve it. However, Scripture does describe some trophies that we can earn. It specifically mentions crowns that will be given to some believers when we get to heaven. The Crown of Life: James 1:12 The Crown of Glory: 1 Peter 5:2-4 The Crown of Righteousness: 2 Timothy 4:8 The Crown of Victory: 1 Corinthians 9:24-25 These are rewards that have clear instructions about how to earn them. But be clear about one thing: you cannot earn the crowns until you've accepted the gift of salvation. Being saved makes you want to live up to the Lord's expectations. We strive to be more like Jesus. As a result, it's easier for us to earn those crowns. Don't ever get mixed up about what you earned and what you were blessed to receive as a gift. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Fri Jul 15 00:09:41 2005 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Fri, 15 Jul 2005 00:09:41 -0700 Subject: [Daily Push Up] What to do Message-ID: <6A235DB4-F4FF-11D9-A347-000A9599B718@clanwebb.com> Every time I start a new job, I always go through similar parts of that first day. That day always starts with trying to find your new boss and trying to remember his name. There's usually some sort of orientation where you end up walking back to your desk with a benefits book, the employee handbook, and, if you're lucky, some company freebies. One place I worked went overboard with those. I walked back to my desk on the first day with logo notepads, pens, a mug, a t-shirt, a frisbee, and a deck of playing cards. When I started my current job, my manager took me on a tour of the entire company and introduced me to each person individually. That's a cute idea when you only have ten or fifteen employees. I had to meet over fifty people that day. There are a couple of dozen of those folks who I only see at company meetings. The one thing that is common on every first day I've had, though, is that part of the day where you're sitting at your desk and have nothing to do. I finished reading the entire manual for my phone. I have read through the employee handbook. I put all of my office supplies where I like them. I even set the background on my computer to a cool photo from home. But, then, there's really nothing. Sometimes it's only an hour. Once, it was half a day. It would take two or three days before those blocks of time were finally erased from my schedule. It would take that long to get me trained in the specifics of my new job and show me the ropes of the system I would be using. But, for those couple of days, I was clueless. I was excited for the new job, but I didn't know what to do. I think we can overdo the analysis of our walk with God. It's so easy to lose sight of the basics and the big picture when you're splitting hairs on what's acceptable and what isn't. You can wind yourself up until you don't know what to do anymore. The nation of Israel was given specific, detailed rules for every little thing they did. They could make sure they knew what they were supposed to do in every possible circumstance. The result is spread through the first five books of the Bible. There are pages and pages of rules about unusual circumstances or obscure situations. That kind of detail can become a burden, though. When Jesus was asked about this, he always kept it simple. " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." Matthew 22:37-39 He basically boiled down hundreds and hundreds of pages to two rules. Everything else falls under these headings. Don't get hung up on the details. Don't go looking for loopholes or feeling weighed down by a huge list of things not to do. It's all about loving God and loving your neighbor. The rest just follows. So, if a new Christian comes up to you on their first day and asks, "What am I supposed to do, now?" You can give them a simple answer. One my favorite references that reminds me to keep it simple is (ironically) from an Old Testament prophet: "He has showed you, O man, what is good. And What does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." Micah 6:8 At some point in the future, I expect that I'll experience another first day of work and have a few hours of staring at the ceiling. I'll never have to wonder what I'm supposed to be doing in my walk, though. He's made that pretty clear. Stop playing solitaire. Put away the crossword. Focus on the simple path He has shown us for being a Christian. If you didn't already, now you know what to do. Let's get to it! Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Sat Jul 16 00:52:47 2005 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Sat, 16 Jul 2005 00:52:47 -0700 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Plug In Message-ID: <99CD1BFC-F5CE-11D9-A9B7-000A9599B718@clanwebb.com> My wife and I have learned quite a bit over the years while we have homeschooled our son, David. We've both learned some subjects that we didn't remember well or had never experienced before. We've also learned how to teach subjects in different styles and with different methods as we've discovered the best way to teach David. I've noticed two fairly important side effects, too. When David is trying to understand a new concept, it always helps to have us there. In one case, when one of us understands the subject matter well, it's clearly helpful for us to explain and unlock the mystery for him. In another case, when it's a new area for all three of us, it's still helpful to work through it with someone else. By talking through it together, we find the solution and we've both learned something new. One thing is very clear, though. There are some subjects that just cause his brain to go into vapor lock. If he were asked to figure them out alone, he would be completely stumped. He might be able to struggle through it eventually, but it would certainly slow him down. Such struggles might even cause him to give up on the subject altogether. Even as adults, we are still learning. As Christians, we are all in various stages of maturity. These rules still hold true, though. If you are trying to figure out how to be a Christian all by yourself, you're doing it the hard way. Being plugged in to a church family will give you a better opportunity to learn, to ask for help, and to find the place God has made for you on earth. It's also good to have other folks help keep you accountable to the life you have committed to. It's much easier to stray and rationalize sin when you aren't around other Christians on a regular basis. Paul tells the Ephesians that if you don't work together as the body of Christ, you will remain spiritual infants. "It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ." Ephesians 4:11-15 Paul lays it all out here. Christ has set aside tasks for all of us in the church. You need to get involved so the church can help you discover what your task is. As we do that, we begin to mature spiritually. As you mature, you outgrow that stage of spiritual infancy where you can be swayed by the deceitful and conned by the scheming. Notice that he's describing how you should get really involved. Sneaking into the back row as the service starts and then sneaking out again immediately after it's over doesn't count. Attendance without relationships is no different than watching the televangelist on TV. He wants you to build relationships with other Christians. Follow God's direction. Don't stunt your spiritual growth. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Sun Jul 17 01:37:23 2005 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Sun, 17 Jul 2005 01:37:23 -0700 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Delayed Gratification Message-ID: During my career, I've had the opportunity to help create some groundbreaking educational software. I helped build products that teach kids to do math, to read, to write, and to think. One company I worked for was well known for software they created that taught kids how to think. It created a whole new market segment focused on thinking skills. We taught inductive and deductive reasoning. We taught pattern matching and many other topics. One particular activity I remember focused on thinking many steps ahead and would exercise the child's ability to achieve delayed gratification. This is the process whereby you have to realize that your actions now will have a positive effect later. You may see little or no effect immediately, but you can recognize the long range goals and how the process will work. Sometimes, it means backing up and taking a different path. The act of walking in the opposite direction of your goal in order to achieve your goal is not very intuitive. It takes some guidance to grasp that concept. If you look at the world today, it hasn't helped teach this concept much better. The shorter the time between action and payoff, the more likely people will do it. Furthermore, it's also more likely that they will ignore the consequences after the payoff. We are willing to work every day even though we only get paid every two weeks or every month. At the same time, it's harder for us to save money in a savings account for something that's a year or more from now. It's very difficult for many folks to buy life insurance or to plan for their retirement because the payoff seems so far away. How much further away must the payoff of salvation seem when compared to the pleasures this world offers? We have recognized the value of that payoff and made the decision to defer our unbounded pleasure here for a much better life later. Some have rejected Christ because they can't get past the idea of delaying gratification that long. Paul uses Moses as a prime example of the proper behavior: "By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh's daughter. He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward." Hebrews 11:24-26 Despite being saved, we face a similar choice every day. We can still give in and enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. But, there will be consequences for those actions later. Or, we can lean on God's strength and deny ourselves those pleasures as an act of obedience to God and because we know that we will enjoy a greater reward in Heaven. Our task each day is to remind ourselves about the payoff that Christ offers. It's clearly worth it, but it's easy to be distracted by the alternatives that surround us during a daily life. Our job, when speaking to unbelievers, is to explain the offer Christ has made. Jesus was quite clear. This is one of those times when you may feel that you are walking away from your goal. However, it is the only path to what we truly desire: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it." Mark 8:34-35 Remind yourself each day of the final goal. Ignore the pleasures of sin that will only satisfy for a moment. Hold out for the place that will satisfy forever. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Mon Jul 18 00:35:01 2005 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Mon, 18 Jul 2005 00:35:01 -0700 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Confidence or Arrogance? Message-ID: <73051C24-F75E-11D9-A1DE-000A9599B718@clanwebb.com> Most of my elementary school classmates would probably tell you that I was known as the smart kid. At first, I didn't like that label, but I had little say in the matter. My circle of friends was small and those outside of it probably thought I was weird. Eventually, I decided to embrace it and use it, though. Being that young, however, I went a bit overboard. Whenever we had competitions in class, I used the opportunity to put my superior intellect on display. We would race to see who could fill an entire multiplication table and I always won easily. We would play "Around the World" with spelling or geography, and I would always be the person who traveled the farthest. I would make a spectacle of finishing my tests so everyone in the room knew I was done. The moment that represented the peak of this attitude came in the fifth grade. While in some random gift shop I had found a small desk sign that I bought immediately. I was champing at the bit to take it to school and display it. On that Monday morning, I sat down for class, got out my pencil and paper, and then proudly placed my new sign at the front of my desk. The sign said simply, "The Genius". Is was over the next year or two that I started to notice girls. I realized that this attitude was not helping me at all in that part of my life. I also began to recognize the difference between being sure of myself and my abilities and then parading that feeling in front of people. I may have been right, but it did not increase my friendship quotient. It is a wondrous, joyous knowledge to have when you know that you know that you know that you are saved. I am more positive that I am going to Heaven than I am that the sky is blue. That is confidence. However, being saved does not make you better than the unsaved. Everyone has an equal opportunity to be saved. Accepting the opportunity means accepting a life of servant-hood to Christ. We can be confident of our salvation and we can defend the church and our faith. We should not let ourselves become arrogant, though. "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" Romans 3:23 That's all of us. You, me, your pastor, and the obnoxious guy down the street. We all came from the same place. Don't forget it. Jesus was clear on how we should behave and addresses this parable to those of us who get caught up in self-importance: "To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men ?- robbers, evildoers, adulterers ?- or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.' But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, 'God, have mercy on me, a sinner.' I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted." Luke 18:9-14 Any good thing in you comes from God. Don't ever kid yourself into thinking that you are better. It took me several years, but God brought me to the place where I could separate my confidence in the gifts He had given me from the arrogance of believing that those gifts made me better than my peers. Until you figure that out, you won't be much help to Him. Nobody wants to follow the self-righteous anymore than anyone wants to befriend the know-it-all. Believe me, I know. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Tue Jul 19 00:18:40 2005 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Tue, 19 Jul 2005 00:18:40 -0700 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Blank Canvas Message-ID: <54F296C2-F825-11D9-9486-000A9599B718@clanwebb.com> It's the blank canvas philosophy. You know, that attitude that young people have their whole lives in front of them and can do anything they want. They simply have to choose a direction and go. It's the prevailing theme for most graduation speeches. They tell the newly minted high school or college graduates that the world is waiting for them. They just need to go out and grab the brass ring. It's all there for the taking. For some people, a blank canvas is terrifying. They fear being ridiculed or failing. They have no idea where to start or which direction to look for help. Look around you at the people who never knew where to start, so they just didn't. Or, look at the ones that are afraid of failing, so they never tried. If you are a father or a father figure, you have a responsibility to not let that happen to your child. It is not a loving and caring thing to do to send an eighteen year-old off and tell him, "I've taught you everything I know. Good luck." There are some things we know. First, God has known us since before we were born: "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart" Jeremiah 1:5 "For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb." Psalm 139:13 Second, God has a purpose for us all: "The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me;" Psalm 138:8 "for it is God who works in you o will and to act according to his good purpose." Philippians 2:13 Finally, as fathers, it is up to us to help our children discover that purpose. "Train a child in the way he should go, and when his old he will not turn from it" Proverbs 22:6 While the Bible clearly guides us to train our children to learn about Christ and to show them how to be saved, this verse has something more in it. "The way he should go" is not the same as saying the way we all should go. Each of us has a different path laid out on God's big planner. We need to help our children discover what God wants them to do individually. This often means that your son or daughter will have a path very different from the one you envisioned. Take comfort in knowing that God's plan is better. Find out what drives them and encourage it. Help them to discover their passion and harness it. Help them to pray that God would reveal it. We aren't just here to perform basic training. We have to go deeper and help them find their specialty. Otherwise, they'll just be wandering through life wondering where to go next. You have a job, fathers. And it has a limited window of time. Don't drop the ball. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Wed Jul 20 00:44:45 2005 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Wed, 20 Jul 2005 00:44:45 -0700 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Go to the Mountain Message-ID: <245201D8-F8F2-11D9-8F80-000A9599B718@clanwebb.com> When I was getting ready to leave for college, I was having to gird myself up for many new experiences. I was about to board a plane for Boston and I had never been east of Colorado. I was arriving two weeks early so I could go through my condensed basic training for ROTC. At that time, I could count on one hand how many soldiers in uniform I had ever seen in person. This is not to say that I was unprepared or unable to deal with these situations. Things were going quite well for me at that point. I had graduated at the top of my high school class. I was off to a prestigious university. And, the government was going to pay for college as long as I wanted to say in ROTC. Despite my rosy situation, I still needed some encouragement and advice. Specifically, I talked with my dad about it. I felt better. I got on the plane with confidence that I could do well. At another time, I had a choice between two jobs. One paid slightly more, but the other appeared to have more opportunity with the kind of work I preferred. I struggled with the idea of providing the most for my family or doing what I loved so I would be happier for them. Again, even in the relatively good situation of having two great jobs to choose from, I needed some words of wisdom. This time, it happened to be my mom. My wife was very supportive, but didn't prefer either position. Mom helped me figure out what made more sense. In retrospect, the decision she helped me make was clearly correct. The point I'm trying to make here is that it's obvious to ask for help when there's trouble. It's not so obvious to ask for help when things seem to be going well or when the path is clear and you just need encouragement. When it comes to a relationship with Christ, all of these moments are ones that may require a visit to the mountain. That doesn't have to be a literal trip to a mountain ( but it can be ). It's the psychological aspect of separating yourself from the crowd so that you can listen to God more clearly. That can be in your bedroom or in a tent in the Cascades. Moses went to the mountain to talk with God. ( Exodus 24:15-16,18 ) Before attacking Jericho, Joshua was very probably alone while considering his options outside of camp when God sent a messenger to him. ( Joshua 5:13-15 ) Before His crucifixion, Jesus went to Gethsemane to pray. Not because He didn't know what to do, but because He wanted to commune with His father before He did it. "The Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, "Sit here while I go over there and pray." He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me." Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed..." Matthew 26:36-39 Jesus took His friends with him for support and he left the city to hear clearly from His Father. Whether things are tough and you don't know what to do or things are going well and you just need the encouragement to keep going, it can often be helpful to make a visit to the mountain and talk with God. Will you keep watch with me? Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Wed Jul 20 21:39:05 2005 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Wed, 20 Jul 2005 21:39:05 -0700 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Payback or Patience? Message-ID: <5E7731C4-F9A1-11D9-B304-000A9599B718@clanwebb.com> Movies are the image and character creations of our time. "Did you see that movie?" is a common question. "I love it when he says..." usually begins a line that can bring a smile or adoration. I happen to like the movie "The Godfather". It is very rich in character and story. There is much for discussion in this work, but one aspect is predominate. The act of revenge runs from beginning to end. The futility of revenge is glaring, but the inevitability occurs many times. I must admit that there are many people in my life that I would like "to make an offer they can't refuse." However, God is very clear about getting back at people. "Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay," says the Lord." Romans 12:19 Repaying evil is not in our job description. "Behold, I will cause those of the synagogue of Satan, who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie -- I will make them come and bow down at your feet, and make them know that I have loved you." Revelation 3:9 We do not have to fear the testing of God. Those that do evil do. "Because you have kept the word of My perseverance, I also will keep you from the hour of testing, that hour which is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth." Revelation 3:10 Our future as believers is based in hope, not the despair of revenge. Jesus gives us a promise of permanent presence. He gives us a pledge of security and safety. "He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he will not go out from it anymore; and I will write on him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God, and My new name." Revelation 3:12 The difference between the strength of inner confidence and the violent outburst is what should make us different. The source, of course, is Jesus Christ. Meditate on this if you have trouble with anger over how you are treated in the world. When evil is dealt to you, just smile and imagine yourself setting the giver on a tee and Jesus picking out His driver. In Christ we learn, Allen From wyatt at clanwebb.com Fri Jul 22 00:00:38 2005 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Fri, 22 Jul 2005 00:00:38 -0700 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Real Fellowship Message-ID: <4EF8B73B-FA7E-11D9-ADD4-000A9599B718@clanwebb.com> We often speak of fellowship rather quickly and without settling in our minds what the word means. Gathering together for corporate worship and prayer, to be sure, is a form of fellowship. But, abiding fellowship is a deeper relationship with one another than just seeing each other when we have had time to dress and act for a specific impression. Abiding fellowship is the type when one brother can sense a change in another brother and instinctively come alongside to rejoice, build up, mourn, or root out as if it were part of his own body. When one brother knows another well enough that secrets are almost impossible, then fellowship as an element exists. This type of relationship takes time and must never be taken lightly. Trust is at the foundation. This relationship includes the ability to seek out a brother and set right a wrong, to offer of resources without pause, to forgive, to love without judgment, and to come to an instant defense when the opportunity is just. "Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude. See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ. For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority; and in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ; having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead." Colossians 2:6-12 These verses are the essence of brotherhood. "Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus" Philippians 2:1-5 Be in Christ, brothers. Allen From wyatt at clanwebb.com Fri Jul 22 09:14:11 2005 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Fri, 22 Jul 2005 09:14:11 -0700 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Be Like the Father Message-ID: Like father, like son. The earthly interpretation of this phrase usually is invoked when the family wants to point out similar traits between a dad and his offspring. Sometimes it is a good thing and sometimes it is not. In my case, my son reflects a lot of the traits that I would like to claim came from my DNA. However, I am sure there are a few he would like to blame on me. One of the aspects I find amusing has to do with the way we approach problem solving and conclusions. When I was a kid, I would build models. So would Wyatt. The difference was that I thought the directions were in the box to use as something the squeeze the glue on before applying with a sponge. Wyatt, on the other hand, would read them. Go figure. Once the thing had a minor resemblance to what it was supposed to be, I would slap a little paint on it and call it good. Wyatt would inspect each piece and if the thing didn't come out exactly like the picture, then the thing was set aside at whatever stage it was in and declared defective. I loved defective stuff. I would slop a little paint on it, rummage through my junk, find an old firecracker, take it outside, and blow it up. What could be more cool than that? Should something need to be fixed, Wyatt would take it apart and make it a mission to fix it so it worked. I, on the other hand, would put time in to the problem until I determined it was no longer worthy of my time. I would simply declare it "broken" and move on. People would ask, "What's wrong with it?" I would sum it up succinctly, "It's broken." Wyatt will tell you that all mechanical things can be explained and therefore put right with math and physics. It is amazing and it is true. Frankly, my attitude is if it's broken, then it's broken. Enough said. In the end, we are a lot alike and a lot different. It's great. Earthly fathers and sons cannot approach the inner connection that God and Jesus portray. "I and the Father are one." John 10:30 To be one with our heavenly father is our goal. "that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me." John 17:21 We must cast off those aspects of our person that are not like our heavenly father. This is not an easy thing. We cannot give up on trying and say, "It's broken." Neither can we explain it all away with math and logic. It is a matter of the heart. In our uniqueness we must be the same. Rejoice in our differences, but relish our sameness in Jesus. Abiding in the mystery with you. Allen From wyatt at clanwebb.com Sun Jul 24 00:02:00 2005 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Sun, 24 Jul 2005 00:02:00 -0700 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Peace, Brother Message-ID: Heated words can often do more damage than any weapon. Watching our tongue is a real issue with some of us. We are less interested in promoting peace than we are in gaining attention to ourselves. Our wives and our children are often the victims. I offer up this formula for peace in our relationships. First, we have a source to draw form for our attitude about peace. We have peace with God. "Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, " Romans 5:1 Second, we can claim the source because Jesus left it to us in his will. "Peace I leave with you; May peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful." John 14:27 Third, we must understand that this peace is in its purest form. "And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:7 Fourth, it has been demonstrated to us as we have been reconciled and given the message of reconciliation. "Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come." 2 Corinthians 5:17 The way of peace is new so think before you speak. But, speak to make a difference. Last, don't fear peace. Allen From wyatt at clanwebb.com Mon Jul 25 00:07:49 2005 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Mon, 25 Jul 2005 00:07:49 -0700 Subject: [Daily Push Up] The Inside Attack Message-ID: As the battle heats up between Good and Evil, we must make sure that our attention isn't focused on only one front. It is easy for the believer to recognize the artillery attack. That's the stuff in the news. It is the stealth attack - the poison in the water supply, the removal of the firing pins, the unlocked back gate - that can cause terrible damage. These attacks can come from the inside. One such inside attack is the slippery slope of separating infallibility from inerrancy. Let it be known that you believe that the Word of God is inspired totally and, therefore, infallible and without error. Now, to be sure, there are some arguments that will test your faith, but don't be afraid and don't be lazy. Get some answers. Find some resources. Using the Word is a great place to start. When someone is in denial that individual words were inspired. "But He answered and said, "It is written, 'Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.'" Matthew 4:4 "Great in every respect. First of all, that they were entrusted with the oracles of God." Romans 3:2 When someone tries to get you to agree that parts of the Bible were not inspired. "All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;" 2 Timothy 3:16 "for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God." 2 Peter 1:21 When someone says they'll buy that it was inspired, but maybe the author of the inspiration was leading the writer down the garden path. "In the hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised long ages ago, " Titus 1:2 "so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have taken refuge would have strong encouragement to take hold of the hope set before us." Hebrews 6:18 When someone plays word games and says that the writers were inspired, but they didn't get it right. "Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth." John 17:17 Men and women of the world, in order to set themselves apart, must either act out against truth so that we see them visually or attack with words the foundation of our faith so we will listen to them. Their goal is always the same and that is to set themselves above what we believe in order to make us feel less. This, in turn, makes them believe they should be worshipped. Get to know the Word and speak it. You don't have to memorize the Bible, but get into it enough to be able to turn to places or notes so you can read it accurately out loud. Have faith that God will only place you in situations that if you stop and think you will have something to say. Sooner or later each Christian must answer the question: "What am I willing to alter in my life to make room to study the Word?" This push up was formulated from a paper by Dr. John Ankerberg and Dr. John Weldon. It can be found at http://www.johnankerberg.org/ Be blessed in Jesus. Allen From wyatt at clanwebb.com Mon Jul 25 22:07:04 2005 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Mon, 25 Jul 2005 22:07:04 -0700 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Which Army? Message-ID: <1B4D77F0-FD93-11D9-B40B-000A9599B718@clanwebb.com> It is hard for us to imagine those events of the Bible that seem larger than life. I have difficulty picturing just how big Goliath was. I can't imagine what it looked like when the Red Sea parted for the fleeing Israelites. I struggle to contemplate Jesus walking on water. But, I know that these things happened. By the same token, I know the things of Revelation will happen. There are some pretty incredible events and images described in that book. It's clear that believers and non-believers will have very different reactions when Jesus returns. This time, He will come as a judge. A welcome sight for those He has saved and a frightening prospect for those who have rejected Him. When trying to picture this event, I keep coming back to a scene from "The Lord of the Rings". I always picture the battle of Helm's Deep. For those who don't know, here's the setup: The entire population of the kingdom of Rohan have fled to a mountain fortress called Helm's Deep. They have done this because a much larger army of evil orcs is marching toward them and it is their best chance to hold out. The good wizard, Gandalf, has gone to find the one third of the Rohan army which does not know of the coming battle. He promises the defenders that he will return with these men by the sunrise of third day after he leaves. So the defenders prepare to hold the fortress walls. The orcs march in. They storm the fortress during the night and, due to their overwhelming numbers, slowly beat back the defenders. The prospect of the entire kingdom being wiped out seems likely. Just as the defenders make one last charge into the oncoming hordes, the morning of the third day breaks. At that moment, Gandalf and the army he went to find appear atop the ridge in position to flank the attacking army. The sight of Gandalf and this army bring dramatically different responses to the battle below. The army of Rohan, believing they were about to be wiped out, find great hope and confidence and go on to win the battle. The orcs are terrified by this unexpected arrival and flee in the other direction only to be hunted down and wiped out by other allies. Which army are you fighting for? Remember that "neither" is not one of the choices. Make no mistake, there is no neutral ground here. You're either with Jesus or you're against Him. There is no gray area. He will be returning with a conquering army. You will either rejoice at the sight of your Savior or you will be anguished at the sight of your judge. "I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. "He will rule them with an iron scepter." He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS." Revelation 19:11-16 I gotta tell you, I'm looking forward to seeing that! Inherent in this, though, is another question. Even if you know you're going to be on the right side, are you going to be ready? Are you waiting with sword by your side and your shield ready to go? Or have you set aside the armor and weapon God gave you to dabble with the world? Will Jesus come back and find you fighting the invading army? Or negotiating and compromising with it? Saddle up! Let's go! Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Wed Jul 27 00:01:33 2005 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Wed, 27 Jul 2005 00:01:33 -0700 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Being Single Message-ID: <440EB8AC-FE6C-11D9-86C2-000A9599B718@clanwebb.com> Life as the single Christian isn't easy in the face of the world. The single man has many decisions to make that the married guy doesn't have to face each day. The married guy knows the woman in his life. The stark differences between married and single include: - The single guy doesn't have to be home every night. - He can hang out with the guys without guilt. - He can run with the pack and howl. The single guy is a fool if he doesn't spend time preparing for the time when the right woman comes along. Most women want a man that displays the attributes of the man they want to marry whether they marry him or not. In other words, it is easy to go for the score instead of acting like the head of the relationship. You can always find a girl with a self image that you can exploit. It is difficult to be the head of the relationship and choose to not exploit it. If you are not working out to be in shape to be a married man, then you deserve what you get when you do ask a girl to marry you. You risk being a minor leaguer your whole life. "For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers." Romans 8:29 "Now I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God." 1 Corinthians 11:3 Learn the line of responsibility. Remember the first big mistake was made when Adam tried to blame Eve. God wanted no part of the lame explanation. He put Adam in charge and it was Adam he held responsible. Get your priorities right when you are single and your married life will be much stronger. Show every woman in your life how much like Christ you can be. You will have your choice of many women and God will choose you a lifelong mate and you will move into marriage without regret. "A man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God; but the woman is the glory of man." 1 Corinthians 11:7 The reflection of your dedication to be like Christ will manifest itself in the women in your life. Be men, not predators. Allen From wyatt at clanwebb.com Thu Jul 28 00:18:19 2005 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Thu, 28 Jul 2005 00:18:19 -0700 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Checklists Message-ID: I love writing software. It's a creative process not unlike writing a book or composing a song. There's a familiar emotion and mindset at each stage of the process. When you build software with a team, though, there has to be more structure. We begin to write specifications. The designer will describe how each feature of the software will work and what the user can do with it. A specification writer will then turn that into a structured list describing each nook and cranny of the feature and every possible way it might be used. That includes listing and defining results for all of the unusual and weird things a user might do. The goal is to have an exhaustive list of how a feature will work so that I can write the code to make it behave that way in every conceivable circumstance. Unfortunately, you can't tell a computer to just "do the right thing" or just give it a few rules and tell it "figure out the rest". Computers only know how to follow step-by-step instructions. Software will only work right when you've written code to account for every potential situation. If it's possible, some user somewhere will try it. My code had better be prepared. This is not unlike how God had to treat the Israelites. First, He gave them the ten commandments. Then He gave Moses a rather lengthy list of very detailed rules and regulations. They cover everything from the kind of food they could eat and precisely how it was to be killed to how to handle a dead body and what cleansing process the people around the body had to observe. There were precise sacrifices for different things at different times of the year. These were God's specifications on how to be worthy of going to Heaven. There's one problem: people aren't computers. We cannot follow a list of rules like that perfectly in perpetuity. People made mistakes. They fell off the path. They fell off time after time after time. Even at the height of observance, the Jews use these rules like a checklist. They tell themselves that "If I do everything on the list and stay inside the lines God has drawn, I'll get into Heaven." It was technically true, but impossible for humans to actually achieve due to our sin nature. Besides, whenever you get into a checklist mentality, you lose the spirit of the thing. There's no motivation other than to complete the list. Each item is a chore and, if the list is long enough, it's a burden. A checklist doesn't make things easier to do, it only makes it clear when you've done something right and when you've done something wrong. Then Jesus came and set all that aside. He told us that it was about being a changed creature. We can achieve righteousness simply by believing in Him. At first, this seems like a simple trade. A checklist with just one item? I'll go for that. "Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes" Romans 10:4 However, believing in Christ and accepting Him as your personal Lord and Savior means loving Him. Loving Him means obeying Him. Then, suddenly, the desire to love and obey Christ will simply make everything else happen. Instead of feeling weighed down by the burden of a list of do's and don'ts, simply love Christ and love one another. If that is your foundation, the rest will follow. " "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." Matthew 22:36-40 So use those verses as your checklist. If you're doing those things, it's usually not hard to figure out how to do the rest. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Thu Jul 28 21:51:17 2005 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Thu, 28 Jul 2005 21:51:17 -0700 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Being Accountable Message-ID: <6626F594-FFEC-11D9-BBF3-000A9599B718@clanwebb.com> Accountability is a hard nut to crack for most men because we don't like to be told we need to improve or that we are headed down the wrong road. It is equally hard for us to voluntarily see out criticism. It just goes against our grain to say, "Hey, buddy, what is wrong with me?" In fact, many a fight has been started with, "Hey, buddy, you know what your problem is?" As it is in many cases with men, we get the wrong idea and run with it. Accountability has very little to do with criticism. In fact, it has more to do with "getting off each other's back and getting on each other's team." (Doug Haag). Laura Mae Gardner of Wycliffe Bible Translators International puts it this way: "The capacity of the human heart to deceive itself is beyond understanding. [Jeremiah 17:9] The only safeguards we have are the Holy Spirit, a tender conscience, a strong commitment to the truth, and loving relationships with people who are sturdy enough to tell us hard truths." Chuck Swindoll sees it this way: "It is one thing to soar high and alone as an eagle, above the level of mediocrity. But, it is another thing entirely to be so alone that we encounter winds we cannot handle. At such times, flying with a few fellow eagles is essential." Look, we all have faults, blind spots, and tendencies that can trip us up. The skin of a reason stuffed with sweet-smelling temptation can sink any one of us. It takes a brother that loves us enough to be blunt to keep us from being isolated and getting so discouraged that we fall for anything. Remember Cain's question to God? "Am I my brother's keeper?" Genesis 4:9b You bet you are. The second part of the great commandment is to "Love your neighbor as yourself." Find a brother you can trust, not one that will tell you what you want to hear. Begin a relationship. Talk to him. Meet with him until there is a level of trust that you can share with him. Then don't be defensive. Don't lie. Look for relationships. Care for and about them as Christ did for the twelve. Allen From wyatt at clanwebb.com Sat Jul 30 00:22:50 2005 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Sat, 30 Jul 2005 00:22:50 -0700 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Acceptance Message-ID: So much of the sin committed by men is centered around acceptance. From the time we are little boys, our desire is to be accepted. We want to be picked to be on the team. We want the letterman's jacket with all the pins. When we fall short, in our minds or in the minds of our friends, we will often do things to set ourselves apart and be recognized and accepted. Sometimes these actions are positive, but all too often they are destructive. In some cases being set apart, no matter how outrageous the behavior, is more important than anything else. All one has to do is to look at such things as tattoos, piercings, dress, recreational behavior of the time and we see most of it is about being accepted. The deal is, guys, that once you accept Jesus Christ into your life and mean it, you are accepted. It is called justification. "and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus" Romans 3:24 God has taken care of your acceptance. Wanting the attention of the world is nothing compared to the acceptance of the one who made the world. Try to imagine a vertical river. This river runs straight up and it has two docks. One at the bottom and one at the destination at the top. The dock at the bottom is Justification and the one at the top is Glorification. God built the docks and set the river in motion. The trip from one dock to the other is a journey from acceptance to being made perfect. Men start out on the bank, move to faith, and are accepted. They, however, then just sit on the dock with their feet in the water waiting for the other dock to move toward them so they can step on it without getting wet. It'll never happen. Our job is to get into the water and swim with the current toward Glorification. Many of us just sit on the dock throwing all manner of social fits to gain the attention of the dock keeper on the other end. "Look at me! I can't swim! I don't want to get wet! I'm afraid of the water! Somebody carry me! Why doesn't God send me a boat?! He would if he loved me! If you loved me you would carry me! I don't have the right suit. Why can't I just walk along the bank?..." and on and on it goes. Anything to avoid obedience. Getting into the water and swimming with the current of righteousness is the process of sanctification and it will carry you directly to the dock of Glorification. "...I am the Lord, who makes you holy" Exodus 31:13 The phrase "who makes you holy" here can be translated as "who sanctifies you" or "who sets you apart as holy" Guys, there is no substitute for obedience. Only in obedience to God do our mistakes count for anything. In obedience to God our mistakes count for growth and forward motion. Without obedience, our mistakes just cause us to slip back and farther away from the other dock. Pascal stated, "A life not examined is not worth living." Do some self-examination. Are you in the water? Allen From wyatt at clanwebb.com Sun Jul 31 00:40:54 2005 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Sun, 31 Jul 2005 00:40:54 -0700 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Training Message-ID: <6CA2DDA8-0196-11DA-88BB-000A9599B718@clanwebb.com> As we grow up, we develop habits. Whether those habits come from watching our parents, our friends, or TV, we simply fall in to behavior patterns that guide our responses and reactions to life. As we begin to realize that some of these habits are not healthy, we try to change them. How to you change a habit? Training. Successful training results not in a broken habit, but simply in a new one. The more you follow through with the new habit the easier it is to stick with it. Make no mistake about bad habits. They are not thrust upon us. We train ourselves to follow them. "...having a heart trained in greed..." 2 Peter 2:14 As Peter points out, our sin nature causes us to lean to the wrong side of the fence, but we train ourselves to get good at it. Changing that habit requires new training. It wasn't physical training so much as a mental training that resulted in an adventure for me last week. I was moving around some slowing traffic when I spotted the cause: a pretty serious rear-end accident. As I pulled alongside the accident, I watched the lead car pull over and the passengers begin to get out of their car. At that moment, the rear car (presumably the culprit) backed up and sped away. He did this right in front of me and I could clearly see the passengers of the other car waving their arms in disgust. In that split second when my brain put the whole situation together, I had a decision to make. Actually, that's the point here, I didn't really have time to make a full on considered decision. I had enough time to react. When we react, we fall back on our habits and the mental paths we've walked the most. Without really thinking, I hit the gas and followed the fleeing car. I really only wanted to get close enough to get a license plate that I could call in to 911. I could never read the plate, though. This guy dodged cars, turned down several different streets and finally seemed to give me the slip. He had turned in front of oncoming traffic and I could not. When I finally followed, I discovered that he had driven down a dead end street that ended at an Elk's Lodge. He had simply parked and was walking away. Here I was just hoping to get a glimpse of his plate and I pulled up and blocked his car from leaving. When he saw me drive up and open my cell phone, he took off on foot. The summary is that my description of the guy allowed the police to catch him about fifteen minutes later. I identified him and they arrested him. The policeman later told me that if I had not followed him, they would have had no idea who the driver was (the driver of the other car had given a terribly wrong description) and he may have gotten away with it. This is not to pump myself up, but to point out that in a moment when instinct took over, I fell back onto my mental habits. In this case, it was my habit to want to help folks when I can. I realized nobody else was going to follow this guy and I could. So I did. We all need to have those kinds of instincts when it comes to our faith. Whether it's a reaction to a temptation or a reaction to a brief opening you might have with someone who is searching. You need to train yourself constantly so that you will react correctly in those instances. Pray all the time. Be in the Word all the time. Surround yourselves with men who will keep you accountable. This is the kind of training that will put you in a position to react correctly when you don't have time to weigh the pros and cons. "Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives' tales; rather, train yourself to be godly." 1 Timothy 4:7 Don't spend your time on useless behavior. Train yourselves. Don't just train for the planned things in life. Train for the unexpected. Train for the split-second opportunity. Wyatt