From wyatt at clanwebb.com Sun Jan 1 01:39:22 2006 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Sun Jan 1 01:40:14 2006 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Don't Vex Message-ID: <8ABA1087-8A98-4358-96FD-4DE423842491@clanwebb.com> I was just reading along and one of those words that pops up from time to time caught my eye. The word was "vexed". One use of this word would be at the end of a game of Scrabble when you are stuck with all those 'e' tiles and that pesky 'x'. The dictionary definition of "vex" is: To annoy, as with petty importunities; bother. I read that and I knew why the Lord had me look it up. I had been looking for a word to describe a client I have been working with for a while. But, of course, the Lord meant it for me. I am an expert vexer, or shall I say that I am very good at vexing? Anyway, my whole life and relationship seems to be vexing to God. Isn't it enough that He loves me and has a plan for my life? Isn't it enough that Jesus Christ died for my sins? It should be, but I'm not there yet. I apparently think that petty importunities are something I should drag to the throne of God. Here's my New Year's resolution: "I shall no longer vex God." "Again and again they put God to the test; they vexed the Holy One of Israel. They did not remember his power? the day he redeemed them from the oppressor, the day he displayed his miraculous signs in Egypt, his wonders in the region of Zoan. He turned their rivers to blood; they could not drink from their streams. He sent swarms of flies that devoured them, and frogs that devastated them. He gave their crops to the grasshopper, their produce to the locust. He destroyed their vines with hail and their sycamore-figs with sleet. He gave over their cattle to the hail, their livestock to bolts of lightning. He unleashed against them his hot anger, his wrath, indignation and hostility? a band of destroying angels. He prepared a path for his anger; he did not spare them from death but gave them over to the plague. He struck down all the firstborn of Egypt, the firstfruits of manhood in the tents of Ham. But he brought his people out like a flock; he led them like sheep through the desert. He guided them safely, so they were unafraid; but the sea engulfed their enemies. Thus he brought them to the border of his holy land, to the hill country his right hand had taken. He drove out nations before them and allotted their lands to them as an inheritance; he settled the tribes of Israel in their homes. But they put God to the test and rebelled against the Most High; they did not keep his statutes. Like their fathers they were disloyal and faithless, as unreliable as a faulty bow. They angered him with their high places; they aroused his jealousy with their idols. When God heard them, he was very angry; he rejected Israel completely." Psalm 78:41-59 This business of vexing can bring on a world of hurt. Be careful. Happy New Year! Allen From wyatt at clanwebb.com Mon Jan 2 00:45:10 2006 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Mon Jan 2 00:49:59 2006 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Centurion Faith Message-ID: Do you ever catch yourself praying for the wrong thing? Now, I'm not just talking about praying for a new car or tickets to the Super Bowl. That's the sort of stuff that the unsaved think you can pray for. But we know better, don't we? I'm talking about those situations when life gets messy and complicated, those situations when it takes you all night, but you start to see how the problem can be solved. It starts to become clear how the situation might be resolved and you are so excited about this plan that you start to pray for it. But, you make the mistake of praying for the intermediate steps. You pray for the little events that you are sure will lead to the solution you're waiting for. For example, if you need to fly across the country to visit a sick relative, you might start praying for a raise at work. You might start praying that your car sells so you can raise the money. That's missing the point. If you need a plane ticket, pray for the plane ticket. By praying for the intermediate steps, you're praying for God to implement your plan. In fact, you are limiting your prayers to only what you can imagine. Remember that what God wills will happen. Pray for the result you want, not the steps along the way. A Roman centurion understood this well: "The centurion replied, "Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and that one, 'Come,' and he comes. I say to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it." When Jesus heard this, he was astonished and said to those following him, "I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith." [...] Then Jesus said to the centurion, "Go! It will be done just as you believed it would." And his servant was healed at that very hour." Matthew 8:8-10, 13 The centurion understood that Jesus didn't have to see the servant or lay hands on him. Jesus simply had to will it and the servant would be well. So, have faith like the centurion. Don't try to plan for God. Just pray for the goal and let Him handle the rest. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Tue Jan 3 00:26:30 2006 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Tue Jan 3 00:27:36 2006 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Engineers and Streetlights Message-ID: <565F0878-BBCD-4A32-AABB-D1FCD7C79DFE@clanwebb.com> Have you ever spent time looking in the wrong place for something? Have you ever done that when you knew it was the wrong place to begin with? You'd be surprised how often that happens. In software engineering, there's a rule of thumb that says, "First, make it work, then optimize." It means that your efforts should be spent making your software do what you want first, then you should look for ways to make it happen faster or better. The reason this rule exists is that engineers hate inefficiency. They hate it enough that they will try to repair inefficiencies before they can ever affect anyone. In my line of work, that can mean spending a week making something very efficient and smooth only to find out that the user would have never noticed the difference. Instead, we have to force ourselves to live with inefficient code until we can figure out which parts will actually change the user's experience. Oftentimes, there are areas that just aren't worth making better. You can waste a lot of time looking in the wrong place for efficiency. It reminds of a joke I learned a long time ago: A fellow was walking down a dark street one night when he comes upon another fellow bent over looking at the ground next to the streetlight. He asks him, "What are you looking for?" "Oh, I'm trying to find a $20 bill I dropped about a block back." "Well, why are you looking for it here, then?" "Because the light is better here." This guy was looking where he wanted because it was more convenient. It certainly didn't increase his chances of finding the $20, though. He was looking in the wrong place. People do this when they start searching for something to fill that God-shaped hole in their life. They may not like what it would mean to accept Christ, so they start looking for Him elsewhere. They hope to find Him in meditation or drugs or in the New Age movement. They want to find Him somewhere on terms they like. They want God to be they God they want, not the God they need. Well, they're looking in the wrong place. If you want to find God, you have to look for Him where He is. "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you," declares the Lord, "and will bring you back from captivity." " Jeremiah 29:13-14a You have to seek Him with all your heart. That means giving up your desires of where God "should" be and following Him to where He is. You will find Him, but you have to stop looking in the wrong places. This will happen to believers, too. We don't want to admit we're wrong or admit that we've drifted, so we hope to find God where we are. Hey, buddy, if He's not where you are, then you're the wrong place. Not Him. "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened." " Matthew 7:7-8 Stop looking in the wrong places. Stop spending time where it will do you no good. Stop looking under the streetlight, when He's down the road. Seek Him with all your heart. Once you decide to do that, you'll find Him. He promised. He's waiting with open arms. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Wed Jan 4 00:26:00 2006 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Wed Jan 4 00:29:52 2006 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Decisions, Decisions Message-ID: Many people are indecisive. Some because they are very meticulous while the go about gathering facts, making comparisons, and drawing their conclusions. Their risk factor is low, but they can miss opportunity because they can't decide fast enough. Some people are indecisive because they have come the conclusion that committing to an idea just sets them up for criticism that they want no part of. These folks gather together and agree that all sides go too far and that the sophisticated approach is to embrace everything, but leave yourself an escape route in case you have to retreat. The wife of a friend once told me, "Any zealot about anything is dangerous." She would go along with the crowd until it thinned out to a point that someone might recognize her. The third kind of person is indecisive just because they are so afraid to make a mistake that the only way to be sure to avoid one is to never make a decision. Their only claim to fame is, "I don't make mistakes." I left home when I was fifteen and was forced to make decisions to survive. I have made a variety of decisions in a variety of ways with a variety of methods of reasoning. I say this to let you know that the early ones were not always smart, moral, or legal. What I will tell you is that the only real way to learn, is to experience. To experience you have to make a decision and do something. Someone at a business seminar was asked, "What percent of your decisions were correct?" The speaker, who we all took to be successful because we paid to hear his advice, said, "About sixty percent. For the other forty percent I did my best to turn it into the right decision or limit the damage they caused. With all of my decisions, I learned something that allowed me to fine tune my process." Jesus Christ stands on the other side of the door. He is eternal life. The door must be opened and He must be invited inside. It is a decision. He speaks to us from the other side of the door. He sends us messages through other people and through life experiences. He gives us a world that should get our attention, but He will not open the door and ask to come inside. It takes a decision. Jesus had a message for the church in Laodicea. "I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm?neither hot nor cold?I am about to spit you out of my mouth." Revelation 3:15-16 Once again we see that in the case of Jesus, indecision is a decision itself. Nobody can opt out of the inevitable. Too many demand too much evidence. Too many are afraid to be identified as a Christian. Too many want eternal life and the world. Take care that you don't get spit out. Allen From wyatt at clanwebb.com Wed Jan 4 22:17:37 2006 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Wed Jan 4 22:32:21 2006 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Pay Attention Message-ID: <5B28ED0E-C9EE-4222-9C91-CCADD77166CB@clanwebb.com> There are times in life when a tap on the shoulder doesn't work. Times when a whisper in the ear or a tug on the elbow just doesn't cut it. People will often escalate their attention-getting mechanism quickly. A tap turns into a grab. A whisper into a stern voice or even a yell. A tug turns into a yank. My dad referred to it as a verbal two-by-four upside the head. He had to apply many of these to me as I grew up as I was easily distracted by the world and I ignored most of the gentle reminders he gave. When my son was younger, he developed a method that worked quite well. He was energetic and loved to play with me. He'd wear me out on a regular basis. So, often times I would end up holding him or sitting with him and my mind would wander or I'd be looking across the room at something else. At those moments when he wanted my attention, he would simply place his hands firmly on my cheeks, turn my head, and with his nose about an inch from mine he would say, "Pay attention to ME!" He got his point across quickly and it worked. There are times when I'm reading the Word that I see God doing that to me. It's the scriptural equivalent of grabbing my face and saying, "Pay attention!" Proverbs 4 is titled "Wisdom is Supreme" This chapter has only 27 verses, but the writer reminds me repeatedly to pay heed: "Listen, my sons, to a father's instruction; pay attention and gain understanding." Proverbs 4:1 "Listen, my son, accept what I say, and the years of your life will be many." Proverbs 4:10 "My son, pay attention to what I say; listen closely to my words." Proverbs 4:20 What is God so hot about here? Wisdom. This chapter pounds it again and again. Wisdom is worth more than anything in the world. It will protect you and provide for you. It lead you and guide your path. Of course, this isn't just book wisdom or street wisdom, this is the wisdom of the Word of God. Learn it. Gain it. Live it. "Get wisdom, get understanding; do not forget my words or swerve from them. Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you; love her, and she will watch over you." Proverbs 4:5-6 Don't wait for God's two-by-four upside the head. Gain wisdom and be better for it. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Fri Jan 6 00:37:56 2006 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Fri Jan 6 00:45:00 2006 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Check the Branches Message-ID: <79849794-AA02-4B57-A59D-3EED13BBDF13@clanwebb.com> I grew up right after World War II. Many of the men in my life had fought. My step-father, uncles, and most of their friends had all come home to start new lives. There was a lot of discussion about the effects of war on our country, but few ever talked about any dark episodes of their own. We boys would emulate what our ideal was about the American soldier, but our image was the Hollywood version. As I grew older, I was always drawn to anything about the war on TV and in the movies. I never missed shows like "Victory at Sea", "The Silent Service", and "Combat". The good guys and the bad guys were well-defined for us as we were hunkered down in our foxholes and lobbed dirt clod grenades at one another. I feel sorry for boys today that don't have a couple hundred acres to roam and conquer. I was drawn to a History Channel presentation the other night that held an all-new meaning for me about the American soldier in World War II. The program was reviewing the fierce fighting that happened on the last small Japanese islands. The civilian population had been so propagandized about how the Americans would treat them, that they threw their children and themselves into the sea rather than fall into the hands of what they thought would be barbaric men. The film was some of the most compelling I have ever seen. The outstretched hands of soldiers pleading to women not to jump and the testimonies of the few who did not and how grateful they were for their treatment. One old man told his story of how his mother threw him off a cliff and then herself. By God's grace, he had hung up on a limb of a bush and a soldier rescued him. He told his tale with a sense of unbelief and repeated several times how that small branch and the mercy of the Americans had given him life. It placed in my mind the image of how we as Christians reach out to people, but the world has painted us so wrongly that people run away from us as if we were barbaric fanatics. These are critical moments in a Christian's life and all too often we just watch people throw themselves off the cliff into the world. "But, dear friends, remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold. They said to you, "In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires." These are the men who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit. But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit. Keep yourselves in God's love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you eternal life. Be merciful to those who doubt; snatch others from the fire and save them; to others show mercy , mixed with fear ? hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh." Jude 1:17-23 Be prepared to rescue the unsaved from the branch. Allen From wyatt at clanwebb.com Sat Jan 7 00:50:12 2006 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Sat Jan 7 00:53:44 2006 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Education Message-ID: <5BF568E9-8495-4303-9EB8-E43291CCAA40@clanwebb.com> We usually gauge wisdom in the world based on education and/or experience. Therefore our resumes, diplomas, and certificates are proof of how smart or wise, if you will, we are in comparison to the rest of the world. In my business, we are required to participate in a process of upgrading our knowledge about our field in order to keep our license. You can look at a person's business card and a string of letters can appear after their name that denotes that they have completed certain requirements and can now be referred to as certified in this or that. I smile at the thought that all the years of formal education, classes, seminars, and the rest that I have attended have produced fewer than I can count on two hands that have served to impact my life in such a way that I incorporate what I learned into my everyday life. There were a few professors or speakers that taught me something life-changing. The rest, I guess, were electives. I will admit that the total process did teach me how to think, compile, and organize to an extent that when combined with a life philosophy and a spiritual belief system has made me who I am today. How I perused it, though. Then the world slapped me right on the behind. "It's over kid. Now it's time to pay off your student loans and become a productive taxpayer." I was sure my life was over. The funeral dirge had begun and I was just part of that human chain slowly making its way, lemming-like, to the cliff's edge and then following the waddling rear-end in front of me right into the sea. Then a combination of events converged in my life. One night, while listening to a fellow speak, I stood up, took my wife's hand and, to my surprise, walked forward and publicly declared my life for Christ. At once, I was a child again and I knew nothing, but thought I knew everything. That is when my education began. "Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock." Matthew 7:24 If this finds you relying on what you have learned in the world and you gauge your happiness by how many people you manage, how much money you make, or how indispensable you think you have become then I challenge you to spend one tenth of the time you have spent becoming wise to this point in your life reading the Bible. Then look at your business card. Allen Webb Assistant to Christ From wyatt at clanwebb.com Sun Jan 8 01:04:26 2006 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Sun Jan 8 01:05:15 2006 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Never Ready Message-ID: <9201E0BE-46DC-422C-9C37-F192652473DD@clanwebb.com> I'm an applied science kind of guy. Don't get me wrong, I'm still a geek. I love having conversations about nanotechnology or how to build a digital video recorder from parts and with free software. My wife chides me for liking to read textbooks. It's true as long as there are on an area of science that interests me. However, what really excites me is seeing how that theory and science gets applied. How can biotech make my life better? How do tiny robots that fly like dragonflies affect the world I live in? Or, even better, how does learning this new software language make my job easier or make me a more valuable commodity? I figure research and knowledge don't do you much good without applying it. I could never get my head wrapped around a particular species of student that I saw while in college. There were several students who seemed to intend to stay in school forever. We called them professional students. You'd hear about them in the student newspaper every once in a while, "John Smith has just completed his fourth PhD and intends to move on to the Math department next" It really blew my mind. What were these guys doing? Were they afraid of the world? Did they just really like school? How the heck did they pay for all of that tuition? Of course, these folks would end up doing quite a bit of research and teaching many a course while pursuing their dream of wallpapering their dorm room with diplomas. But, again, much of that research was theoretical or useful in advancing the art, but it was rarely applied to real life. While those folks may make some amazing discoveries or do fantastic research work, I think they're missing out. There's something gratifying about building something that other people use. I still get chills when I remember hearing about a mother who said that her autistic child had never spoken until he started to use software I had helped create. That's getting involved. That's applying your science. I fear there are too many Christians who are professional students. They love God. They love church. They go to Bible studies. They help in the nursery. They love the whole experience. But, they never get around to changing someone else's life. Either they are afraid to witness to others (believe me, I still get quaking knees when I have the opportunity) or don't want to rock the boat or, my least favorite excuse, they don't want to "impose" their faith on others. Sorry, but that's like saying a doctor may not want to "impose" the anti-venom on you when you've been bit by a rattlesnake. If that's your excuse, you aren't doing your friends any favors. Let's connect the dots. First, we are not to just listen to the Word: "Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says." James 1:22 Read that again. You can't just listen to the sermon or read your Bible and then be done. You have to put it into action. That means seven days a week, 365 days a year. Be a doer of the Word. Then, secondly, what is one of the things Jesus asks us to do? "Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." Matthew 28: 18-20 Read that again, too. Jesus reminds us that He has the authority to give us commands. Then He commands us to spread the Word. We have to tell others and teach them the good news. We have to baptize them (incidentally, this means that you need to be baptized, too. And that sprinkled-as-a-baby stuff doesn't count). We have to teach them to obey everything He has commanded us to obey. So, don't be a professional student and ignore the applied part of our faith. Go out and change a life or two by telling them about Jesus. It's not optional. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Mon Jan 9 00:01:36 2006 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Mon Jan 9 00:02:23 2006 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Talk to Him Message-ID: Christians can be great grandstanders. Man, once we get on a roll we can make a lot of noise. Prayer in schools! Yet, we don't pray in our churches. We program ourselves to meet the needs of the people coming to church with music, preaching, missions, Sunday school, and on and on. But, we are not praying. Jim Cymbala in his book, "Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire" said: "Does the Bible ever say anywhere from Genesis to Revelation, "My house shall be called a house of preaching."?" "I have seen God do more in people's lives during ten minutes of real prayer than in ten of my sermons." "What does it say about our churches today that God birthed the church in a prayer meeting, and prayer meetings today are almost extinct?" "these I will bring to my holy mountain and give them joy in my house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations" Isaiah 56:7 "It is written," he said to them, " 'My house will be called a house of prayer,' but you are making it a den of robbers." Matthew 21:13 Men, God can take care of everything. You are not going to impress Him with works, trips, programs, or gifts. He wants to hear from us. Allen From wyatt at clanwebb.com Tue Jan 10 00:26:29 2006 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Tue Jan 10 00:27:16 2006 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Check Your Pack Message-ID: I like camping and hiking. Dad and I did quite a bit in my teenage years. One thing we learned the hard way was that without first hand knowledge of a trail, it was anybody's guess what it would be like. It was exciting and always a little scary to plan a weekend around a new trail. We just weren't sure what we would get. Whenever Dad and I would try out a new hike, we knew that there were two things that would determine how far we could get each day. First, there was the stuff we brought with us and would have to be carried on our backs. Second, there was the trail. It could be wide and level or it could be overgrown and treacherous. When we planned poorly and had bad luck with a trail, our schedule could change dramatically. Over-packing and a tougher trail than planned could result in camping in a field or under a large tree rather than near the lake we had intended. It might mean more hiking and less lounging and fishing. Good planning, however, would give us more time to enjoy our chosen destination and create better memories of the whole trip. Unfortunately, we couldn't always control the state of the trail, but we could control our packs. We got to be very good about only packing precisely what we needed. We used our clothes as pillows. We carried the smallest cookware we could reasonably use. We would even cut the friction patch off of a box of matches and pack it with ten or so matches so that we wouldn't have to carry the whole box. We knew precisely why we needed everything in our pack, there wasn't anything frivolous. We were prepared. Reading Hebrews reminded me of the time Dad and I would spend getting our packs prepared and debating exactly how much toilet paper we needed to take (we counted the sheets. A roll was too much.) "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us" Hebrews 12:1 When you've over-packed for a hike, you do start to seriously consider leaving some things on the side of the trail. You are desperate to unencumber yourself as much as possible. The beauty of being saved is that you don't have to worry about this during the spiritual hike you've embarked upon. First, Jesus has offered to carry your pack for you. You need to drop all of that baggage you are carrying. No matter how long you've spent whittling it down to what you think is the absolute minimum, the fact is that there's something you're carrying that you don't have to. Let it go. Secondly, Jesus knows the right trail to take. If you pay attention and follow the trail He marked out for you, it'll be a good hike. It won't necessarily be the easiest or the shortest, but it will be the best one. When you arrive at your destination, you will be the man He has intended you to be. Notice that the verse says "marked out". That's so cool because it means that He's had it planned all along. We just have to follow it. So, throw off that heavy pack. Fix your eyes on the Leader. It'll be a good hike. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Tue Jan 10 23:54:13 2006 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Tue Jan 10 23:56:41 2006 Subject: [Daily Push Up] (no subject) Message-ID: <168993C9-38E7-4681-8CD0-F2A34EA74AE4@clanwebb.com> Time is a big deal in our lives, but I wonder if we really grasp the concept. "I am going to make time.", "I am going to set aside time", "I am going to find time", or "Where did the time go?" Then there's time management, out of time, once upon a time, stretch time, and remember the time. Really, when you think about it, we do stuff and time passes, but we don't use time. Time is just a way to keep score. Seconds, minutes, hours, days, months, and years. We put numbers to it, but it is just the same old time. If a minute passes, how do we know the next one isn't the very same one just coming around again? Man has placed an emphasis on time because we live our lives like we are running out if it. How foolish! When God has given us eternity, why do we place such an emphasis on time? Here's a good one: "Take your time." Take it where? The only one that I can see that really works is "Do your time." Do what? Work, I say. Stop worrying that you haven't accomplished everything you have ever dreamed. "I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live. That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil?this is the gift of God. I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that men will revere him." Ecclesiastes 3:12-14 As for time, "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven; a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather then, a time to embrace and a time to refrain, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, 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 Do your time well. Give the world what belongs to the world, but give to God what belongs to God and He will give you Eternity, where time and keeping score have no meaning. Allen From WYATT at clanwebb.com Wed Jan 11 22:16:16 2006 From: WYATT at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Wed Jan 11 22:17:05 2006 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Keep Running Message-ID: <9235D846-6ACC-494E-997F-193C0964AB0E@clanwebb.com> I am not a fan of running. I'm fond of using a snarky reply when people ask me about it: "Do you run?" "Only when chased." During my junior high years, there weren't many kids available for the different sports teams so I ended up being involved with one or two that I never would have done normally. II loved playing basketball which, of course, has running. But, that's the part I liked the least. All of the conditioning in practice was torture, but it paid off when we could outrun the other team late in the game. One year, however, I somehow ended up on the track team. I don't remember the reason, but I figure they were desperate to fill out the team. At our first meet, I was supposed to run in the 4x100 relay and the 4x400 relay. We did the 4x100 relay alright. I could sprint that far and not embarrass myself too badly. When it came time for the longer relay, though, I was in trouble. I knew I had to pace myself and not burn out. The 100 had just about killed me. When it was my turn with the baton, though, the other team raced ahead. I panicked and didn't want to lose too much time. I figured I'd better keep up. So I tried. I was able to barely match the other runners for about 150 meters. At that point, I was dead. I had used everything I had just to keep up and now I was toast. I could hear my team yelling at me across the track, but I had nothing. At that moment in time, I remember the track looking like it was a hundred miles long. It seemed so big and so far to handoff point. I felt like I was running in place because I didn't seem to be covering any ground. I was crushed. I was tired, but I couldn't stop. I had to keep running even though it was about half speed. I felt helpless. I get those days in life, too. I'll roll out of bed some morning feeling like I've been working ten days straight and it's Tuesday. The week seems so long and I'm out of gas. I feel like the handoff is so far away, but I can't stop running. If you stop running in life you stop getting paid and you don't get to eat. It's miserable because you feel like there's no rest in sight and it's going to take forever to get there. I feel overwhelmed and helpless. This is precisely the time to go back to God. It's when I know I've lost sight of Him and His peace. When I do go back to Him, amazing things happen: "Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, [ uh, yeah, I remember ] and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." Isaiah 40:28-31 Once you remember that He is God and controls it all, you can depend on Him to lift you up. Remembering what He means to me and what He's done for me is refreshing and invigorating. Dive in to the Word and prayer. Soak Him up. It's like being plugged in and recharged. It doesn't mean it's going to get easy, just that He'll be with you to get through it all. There's strength and relief in that. You're not helpless and overwhelmed. You have the ultimate partner to take on whatever hurdles you have ahead. You'll hand off that baton before you know it. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Fri Jan 13 00:09:42 2006 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Fri Jan 13 00:10:26 2006 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Reason and Faith Message-ID: <3D38C9CE-3AB3-4577-9C5E-3FFEFB3BBE00@clanwebb.com> I try not to put too fine a point on my theology discussions. There is a good reason for my not doing so: I ain't that smart. With that said, as I study the Word and what other folks, who are a lot smarter than I am, have to say about it, I have come to the conclusion that we get dizzy at times when, with a little effort, we can see that some questions are not as complicated as we first thought. Question: What is the difference between reason and faith? In other words, why can't I use a logical argument to convince someone to have faith in Christ? First, we must remember that ours is not the first generation and will not be the last to ask that question. Dr. Norman Geiser in his series on faith and reason refers to Justin Martyr, Clement of Alexandria, Augustine, and Thomas Aquinas. These fellows hit the same wall back in times when there was no indoor plumbing, no forced air furnace, no telephones, and no computers. Their discussions were not held at a Thursday night one-hour Bible study. They poured their whole lives into these questions without distractions like Sunday football. I thank God for their efforts because it allowed me to come to a conclusion a lot sooner than they did. Here is what I get from their efforts: 1) Reason and faith are not on the same plane. Therefore you cannot use reason to attain faith. There is no door or ladder from the platform of reason to the platform of faith. 2) Reason can be used to introduce faith and why we have it. God's existence is self-evident. I can reason with someone that you cannot make something out of nothing, therefore something must be eternal. I can tell him that my faith in God is eternal. I can reason with him that the scripture is truth using all of the accepted tests of the written word (i.e. bibliographic test, quantity test, quality test, time span, the internal test, the external test, archaeology, and uniqueness of scripture), but in the end it will not give him faith. 3) Reason can be used to fend off attacks on our faith. There is overpowering evidence for why we believe that Jesus Christ is exactly who he claims to be. The arguments are no more fresh than the answers. Most are repetition. 4) Faith is responsive where reason is calculated. Reason defines the hole in our souls. Faith fills it. Reason reduces risk. Faith propels risk. Reason belongs to man. Faith belongs to God. Truly, how can love and reason be used in the same context? "Jesus replied, "What is impossible with men is possible with God." " Luke 18:27 This is the crux of the question and why reasoning man and faithful man are not on the same plane. Do not look outward for faith. Look inward. Allen From wyatt at clanwebb.com Sat Jan 14 00:50:43 2006 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Sat Jan 14 00:51:39 2006 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Blind and Hardened Message-ID: Over the last few months, my wife and I have started taking walks in the evening. When weather permits (not a lot, these days) we like to get out and breath deep. It's good exercise and a good chance for us to catch up on the day and just spend time together. When we started, we also asked our son if he wanted to come along. He declined. We asked every time for several weeks, and he always declined. Eventually, we stopped asking because he doesn't seem interested and there's no need to irritate him by continuing to ask. However, if he decides to join us some night, we would certainly welcome him and I'm sure we'd all enjoy the time. We didn't stop asking because we don't want him to come along. We stopped because he seemed to have his mind made up and there was no reason to continue pestering him. After doing my Bible study this last week, I saw a parallel to this situation in how God treats the unsaved. God will usually make sure that folks have the chance to hear the gospel at some point in their lives. With that information, a person has to make a decision to either accept or reject the free gift of salvation. Some folks will have more opportunities to hear the good news, but will continue to reject it. I believe that there will come a point when God will stop asking. "Even after Jesus had done all these miraculous signs in their presence, they still would not believe in him. This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet: "Lord, who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?" For this reason they could not believe, because, as Isaiah says elsewhere: "He has blinded their eyes and deadened their hearts, so they can neither see with their eyes nor understand with their hearts, nor turn?and I would heal them." " John 12:37-40 Knowing that God is love is hard to reconcile with "He has blinded their eyes" Why would God do this? Again, like a loving parent, when the child has said "no" repeatedly, the parent will stop asking. Not because they no longer love the child, but there's no point in asking if his mind is made up. When someone rejects the gospel repeatedly, it gets easier to do. Eventually, they have a hard heart and it won't penetrate until something else in their life causes them to reconsider. When that day comes, Jesus will welcome them with open arms. He never stops loving us and will always accept us. But, He also loves us enough to let us make our own decision about Him. If we tell Him to get lost frequently enough, He will eventually release you to live the life you have chosen. He loves you enough to let you decide. So, when you are witnessing, challenge folks to deal with the information you've shared. Let them know that putting the decision off or keeping their options open is the same as saying, "No, thanks." Don't let them build up a resistance to the message. Encourage them not to become hardened to the point where they no longer feel the tug. It's just too important a decision to delay. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Sun Jan 15 00:21:16 2006 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Sun Jan 15 00:27:18 2006 Subject: [Daily Push Up] The Real God Message-ID: I spoke to a friend last night. I had not heard from him for several months and he was about as low as you can get. Their business is failing. He doesn't like the business. The stress is hurting an already strained marriage. He started asking me questions out of desperation: "How do you turn everything over to God, Allen?", "I keep looking for Him to take over, but I have always relied on myself and I can't break the habit." These words should sound familiar. However, it brings into conflict two basic axioms. First, God makes men with a sense to provide and defend. Second, God tells us to rely on Him completely. We all deal with the feeling that if we let go, we will free fall into failure and humiliation. I was reading a paper by Dr. Ken Boa and he quotes Tozer: "That our idea of God correspond as nearly as possible to the true being of God is of immense importance to us. Compared with our actual thoughts about Him, our [doctrinal] statements are of little consequence. __Our real idea of God may lie buried under the rubbish of conventional religious notions and may require an intelligent and vigorous search before it is finally unearthed and exposed for what it is. Only after an ordeal of painful self-probing are we likely to discover what we actually believe about God.__ A right conception of God is basic not only to systematic theology but to practical Christian living as well. It is to worship what the foundation is to the temple; where it is inadequate or out of plumb the whole structure must sooner or later collapse. I believe there is scarcely an error in doctrine or a failure in applying Christian ethics that cannot be traced finally to imperfect and ignoble thoughts about God." I marked with the underlines the section that caught my eye and I believe it applies to my friend. We build God in our minds the way we want Him to be and, all too often, it is a distorted view. My friend wants God to show Himself before he will turn everything over to Him. His view is summed up as, "God, you go first." I can't come down on him for this view because I was there at one point and the feelings try to come back every day. Reliance on God isn't something you do once like stopping off at His office and handing in your paperwork. It is an everyday thing. It just becomes easier when you can look back in retrospect and see that He has not let you down, but provided. Now, continuing from the same paper with some paraphrasing. "Worry expends energy pointlessly?it doesn't change the reality of the situation a single bit. Worry is kind of like a rocking chair. It gives you something to do, but it doesn't get you anywhere. Worry ignores God's demonstrated faithfulness in our lives. The same God who so wonderfully clothes the flowers of the field is responsible to care for them. Every blossoming flower is a reminder of God's faithfulness to us. A field of wild flowers sprinkled across a bed of fresh spring grass is a remarkable sight indeed. These little beauties do not labor or spin (probably a reference to both men's and women's work respectively). But even Solomon's wardrobe paled in comparison. If God is so generous with something as transitory as kindling for the fire, what do you suppose he will do for us? No wonder Jesus rebukes us, "O, you of little faith," when a mere glance out of our bedroom window should teach us the futility of worry. As R.H. Mounce has said, "Worry is practical atheism and an affront to God." " My friend is in a valley: failing business, bills, stress, hurting marriage. But, he isn't at a point where he can turn it over to God because he is afraid that if he does, God won't come through. "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Matthew 6:25-34 God grows more clear, the fog lifts on His character, and His immense size becomes evident when you see Him for who He is and not who you want Him to be. Allen From wyatt at clanwebb.com Mon Jan 16 00:21:06 2006 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Mon Jan 16 00:21:50 2006 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Follow Message-ID: <87E83C33-6DC4-416F-A4B7-C4BD95D05275@clanwebb.com> Twice in our life, my wife and I have had to make a major life change when we didn't want to. We weren't actually forced to make these changes, but God had made it clear where He wanted us to go and we knew we were deciding to follow God's will or resist it. To our credit, these were two moments in our life when we knew better than to resist. Don't be mistaken, though, we've missed it on many other smaller issues. We certainly aren't perfect. Each of these events were moves to a different city that we did not want to make. The first time because it was obvious that my job could not support the three of us and the only offer I had was a three hour drive away. The second time was after a layoff and the only job offer I had was a three hour drive back to where we had been nine years before. In each event, we could have ignored the obvious and stubbornly stuck it out to the bitter end. We could have lived on credit cards and family handouts while I waited for a better job locally. Or, in the second case, we could have lived off of my severance pay until a job turned up. God is good, though. Each time we bit the bullet and made the move. In each case, it has blessed us more than we thought. And, looking back to where we were, we realize that times would have been more dire than we thought. It has only reinforced our desire to follow His direction. He's pretty much always right about that. Jonah had an even more dramatic experience that, I believe, changed his conviction in the same way: "The word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai: "Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me." But Jonah ran away from the Lord..." Jonah 1:1-3a We know how the running away went. A nasty night at sea followed by three days in a fish. That's the old two-by-four-upside-the-head treatment for sure. God, being loving, gave Jonah a second chance. The fish coughed him up on a beach and God asked again: "The word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time: "Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you." Jonah obeyed the word of the Lord and went to Nineveh..." Jonah 3:1-3a I imagine that whenever God spoke to Jonah after that, Jonah was pretty attentive. Sure, the fish story made for a great testimony for the unbelievers, but that doesn't mean he wanted to do it again. Seeing what trouble we missed and counting the blessings we've gained has worked the same way for us. Whenever you have a decision to make and you know in your heart of hearts that God has clearly marked one path, don't buckle. "Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me." " Mark 8:34 Deny your selfishness. Deny your faulty view of what's best. Just follow Him. You can't go wrong. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Mon Jan 16 23:57:24 2006 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Mon Jan 16 23:57:40 2006 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Be Ready Message-ID: <0A27BC84-4D5A-4E5F-811D-FF80029E95D6@clanwebb.com> Often I see people waiting on the Lord. It is a good thing to have patience and wait for God to reveal His plan. There are those, however, that spend their whole lives waiting without being prepared to move. Forward motion requires expending energy. Energy requires fuel. If you don't get up in the morning, shovel coal in the boiler, and add water, there will be no steam. And, without steam there will be no movement. My point is that you have to be ready to move at a moment's notice. Your mind, body, and soul have to be prepared, gauges in the green zone, wheels oiled, valves maintained, and a fire in the combustion chamber. In the meantime, you should be adding to your coal reserves. Knowledge and wisdom are the coal and, like earthly coal, it has to be mined. It takes a constant, persistent effort to keep the bin full and coal has to be dug from a reserve. "My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding, and if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. For the Lord gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. He holds victory in store for the upright, he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless, for he guards the course of the just and protects the way of his faithful ones. Then you will understand what is right and just and fair?every good path. For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul. Discretion will protect you, and understanding will guard you." Proverbs 2:1-11 This message is about mining. We are fortunate because the mine is the Word and it is rich in resources and easy to find. Even on the coldest day of the year, men must get up, get dressed, pack a lunch, and head for the mine. What a shame it is when God gives the green light and the engine is stone cold and unmaintained. There's also the danger that you could get smacked in the caboose if you can't get on down the track. Allen From wyatt at clanwebb.com Wed Jan 18 00:34:12 2006 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Wed Jan 18 00:34:24 2006 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Folklore Message-ID: Folklore is defined as: "The traditional beliefs, myths, tales, and practices of a people, transmitted orally." Many Christians practice folklore and many non-Christians are sure all of Christianity is based on folklore. The non-believer probably has more reason for their belief than the Christian folklorist. Let's see, what are some of the classics? When we die, who meets us and where does he do it? That's right, Saint Peter at the pearly gates. What does the devil look like? Yep, red guy with a pitchfork, pointy tail and horns. What does an angel look like? Chubby little guy with wings What happens when we die? We turn transparent, get a halo, rise up to a cloud to play the harp. What historical figures were possessed? People like Hitler and Manson, right? Do any of these descriptions have any basis in Biblical fact? I have heard it explained this way: Our faith minds have a gate and, all too often, we throw them open and allow almost anything in. When it comes to our Christian faith, it must have a basis that will stand up to scriptural testing. The Word is the basis for our faith, not stories passed along or fictional characters. This tendency to believe something because it is portrayed is getting more and more prevalent. The phrase, "based on a true story", is always in small letters and we open our gates and let the folklore roll. The dangerous stuff is the educated folklore. I watched a History Channel explanation of Joshua and the fall of Jericho. One thing about folklorists is that the less they have to stand on, the more resolute they seem to be in their belief. Remember the story? The spies are sent into Jericho by Joshua and then they meet Rahab. Rahab hides them in exchange for safety when the city is taken. She helps them escape by lowering them down with a sash over the wall. The Bible tells how the city was taken: "The Lord said to Joshua, "See, I have delivered Jericho into your hards, along with its king and its fighting men. March around the city once with all the armed men. Do this for six days. Have seven priests carry trumpets of rams' horns in front of the ark. On the seventh day, march around the city seven times, with the priests blowing the trumpets. When you hear them sound a long blast on the trumpets, have all the people give a loud shout; then the wall of the city will collapse and the people will go up, every man straight in." Joshua 2:2-5 The guys at the History Channel say it happened this way: Joshua needed a quick victory for his fledgling army so he picked Jericho because it was a weak little town and of little importance. Joshua, being the clever lad he was, had the priests prance around the city as a distraction while his men went back up the sash and into the city and at the right moment opened the gates and let in the rest of the army. The walls tumbling down was merely a reference to the fall of the city. Never mind the preceding chapters when the same methodology was used by God to part the Jordan river to let the army across in the first place. This is a perfect example of the start of biblical folklore. There is absolutely no basis to believe the History Channel's interpretation of the event. It sounds good and, perhaps to people with little faith in the Bible but an unearned faith in TV, it seems more plausible. However, one must ask, "Who are these guys at the History Channel?" Our kids watch this stuff and open their gates and, as we grow older, they begin to think, "Maybe the old man is a little too literal when it comes to the Bible." Bad news, boys! It's the same old question: God or the world? Allen From wyatt at clanwebb.com Thu Jan 19 01:23:16 2006 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Thu Jan 19 01:24:06 2006 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Ingrained Falsehood Message-ID: <7F09A8F2-8462-4386-9620-5BB68495622F@clanwebb.com> I've just returned from a two-day training seminar on a new technique for project management of software development teams. Yep, it was about as exciting as it sounds. However, even in the midst of mind- numbing PowerPoint presentations and pretentious consultants, I found insight into our shared faith. The premise of any new business process is that the old process doesn't work well. The consultant usually has to show that the new process will work better. In this particular case, though, the process that is generally used now has been used for half a century. So, it's pretty ingrained in all aspects of my industry and fundamental to how businesses are run and planned. Instead of trying to prove that the new process was just better than the old one, the speaker set out to show that the old process didn't work at all. He then proceeded to show us graphs, statistics, and studies to prove that the old process was flat out broken. In fact, it had never worked and we just hadn't noticed. This was a bit shocking all by itself, but he didn't stop there. He then went on to show that research that had been the source for the old process had been, in fact, arguing against that process all the time. The author had never been advocating it, but trying to disprove it. The paper had simply been misused and misunderstood all this time. Since that time, fifty years of research, writing, teaching, training, and practice had been built on bad information. This was stunning! This would be like someone demonstrating beyond a reasonable doubt that the Founding Fathers had, in fact, been advocating a more powerful monarchy and not a democratic republic. It was shocking because it was information that was indisputable, but ran against everything everybody in the room had been taught for decades. It meant that our strongly held shared beliefs had no foundation. The result is that, despite clear proof that the foundation is illusory, people won't immediately change. They will continue to cling to what they know and hope that the crazy person will just go away so everything can go back to normal. Of course it won't, but people resist foundational changes, so they'll deny it until it's too late. When we heard this explanation, though, a few of us had a slightly different response. It was something more like, "I knew it!" I have been banging my head against a wall for fourteen years and all that time I could tell that the standard process was not a structure for success, but actually impeded success. I had always felt like something wasn't right, but I everyone else said this was the way to do things, so there weren't any alternatives. Until I was informed of one. When I explain to folks that just being a "good person" won't punch your ticket for Heaven, they have a similar denial response. Being a good person as a path to Heaven is a deeply ingrained belief among many Americans. That doesn't make it true, but it does make it harder to dispel. These folks will usually wave me off and tell me I'm wrong. After all, how could all of these beliefs they've been taught since birth be wrong? Deep down, though, most know that there's something wrong with the "good person" route. The trick here, is to not only describe the correct process of salvation, but to also show that their current system isn't just less efficient, but completely broken. It's not that they won't get to Heaven as fast, but that they won't go at all! It may take showing them why the "good person" approach can't work. It would mean breaking the rules of a Heaven without sin. It would break the rule of John 14:6 "I am the way..." So, don't be afraid to back up the good news with the bad news. The good news is that you know a guaranteed way to get to Heaven. The bad news is that their way is not only not guaranteed, but is actually guaranteed to fail. It turns out the guaranteed way is the only way. Good news: "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16 Bad news (for their current situation): "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God," Romans 3:23 "Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." " John 14:6 Keep teaching. It might take a while to overcome the ingrained false beliefs, but the truth will eventually resonate and a decision will have to be made. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Fri Jan 20 00:12:46 2006 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Fri Jan 20 00:14:05 2006 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Missing the Point Message-ID: <302669B5-A692-4D9F-9204-B28F1745D37E@clanwebb.com> Well, guys, I did something last night that real men often do. I engaged my mouth before my brain could say "stop". My long-suffering wife (I'll be fortunate to be her maintenance man in Heaven) told me about a man in a prayer group that refused to pray out loud. He asserted that nowhere in the Bible did it say, "Pray out loud," so he wasn't going to do it. This was a perfect opportunity for me to have a simple, caring exchange with her and give my opinion on how I understood scripture on this point. I missed the opportunity rather badly. I have no excuse for my response other than that my wife and daughter now have another example of bad behavior. I have a low tolerance for people that "major in the minors." I felt that this guy, with all the dysfunction in the world, was nitpicking and taking time set aside to worship the God of the universe to say, "I just came this evening to let you all know you are wrong and God doesn't like the way you pray." Why go to a corporate prayer meeting when you don't believe in them? I know where my reaction came from. It's because I'm not over something that happened a long time ago and should be old news. Get out your psychology books and see if you can follow along. I was in a class learning about Robert's Rules of Order. Henry Martyn Robert came up with a format on how to run a public meeting such that if everyone agrees to a set of rules in the beginning, then it is possible to carry on some heated debate without blood being involved. There was one guy who didn't like me very much and took the opportunity to bend the rules such that he made my time in front of the class a huge embarrassment. I ordered him escorted out of the meeting by the sergeant-at-arms. Instead, he sat down on the floor in what he called an act of civil disobedience. There was a lot of laughter and everyone wondered how I would react. The teacher took over and restored order. I won't get into what happened after class because I'm not proud of that behavior and it was definitely out of order. Here's the point: The Bible does not say, "Ye shall pray out loud." But, the Bible doesn't say a lot of things. God did not inspire man to write down everything. Jesus prayed out loud with the disciples and the book of Acts has examples of the early church praying out loud. There are examples of praying alone, in solitude, kneeling, prostrate, standing, sitting, earnestly, continually, on all occasions, with a clear mind, and self controlled. Therefore, one can surely conclude that prayer is not about the mechanics, but about the heart and the mind. "Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven." Matthew 6:1 Anything said to God, with the intent to truly worship, is a prayer. No matter where you are or what you are doing. It's not about the position of your feet, arms, or backside. It's about the position of your heart and mind. Pray for me whenever and however you can. This meeting is adjourned. Allen From wyatt at clanwebb.com Sat Jan 21 00:48:48 2006 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Sat Jan 21 00:49:36 2006 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Mock Him Not Message-ID: <432155B4-EDC8-46EF-A9E2-8EF3A3C8FBBF@clanwebb.com> I remember when our son first started to challenge our authority. At the time, it was almost humorous because of his obvious intent in the situation. I don't remember the exact item at issue, but we had given him specific instructions to leave it alone. I believe it was at that point that the thought first crossed his mind to find out exactly what would happen if he did it anyway. So, he looked me straight in the eye with a hint of anticipation and reached for the item again. He could see that I was watching him and I could clearly tell that he was disobeying my directions. Despite his youth, he created a pivotal moment in our parenting relationship. He was going to find out exactly how serious I was about the rules. My decision here would send us down one of two very different paths. If I were to let it go, he would start to learn that my directions weren't ironclad. He would learn that disobeying his father had few, if any, consequences. That's not a healthy parenting situation at all. If I were to be more forceful in enforcing the rules through various forms of discipline, he would learn that my directions meant something. He would learn that there were serious consequences to disobedience. That would set up a much better parenting situation for the future. I did the latter and he wasn't happy, but the first seed of that lesson had been planted. He understands the consequences of disobeying his parents now. He knows that those consequences will always happen, no matter the excuse. We will often challenge God in the same way. We will look Him in the eye, and head towards the cliff's edge of sin to see how close we can get. We let our toes hang over the edge and lean farther and farther over the railing just trying to see how far is too far. Of course the one difference here is that we should know better. God has told us clearly that there are consequences to crossing the line into sin. That's true even if you've rationalized to yourself that it really isn't. "It's rated R, but it's a good movie. God won't mind.", "It's where these guys hang out and they're my friends. God wouldn't want me to cut off my friends, would he?", "Oh, the Bible is so old- fashioned, God surely isn't that out of touch. He loves us all and he'd agree that some of those rules just aren't appropriate now." It's so easy to do. We fling the carefully crafted reasons at Him and then head for the edge. You can't sneak by, though. "Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life." Galatians 6:7-8 You can't fake God out. The consequences are clearly defined. I suggest you don't test them. It'll hurt and it'll only prove that the lines are still where He drew them. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Sun Jan 22 00:19:41 2006 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Sun Jan 22 00:20:45 2006 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Where Are You? Message-ID: Ever think about why so much law-breaking goes on at night? Why is it that we see shadows as places that have hiding or lurking associated with them? Ever notice that we don't worry about someone jumping out of the light to attack us? You can hide in a lighted place as long as you stay out of your victim's line of sight. The image of a person walking down a well-lit street who is suddenly jumped by a monster from the bushes just isn't good theater. The writer of scary stories starts out, "It was a dark and stormy night," not, "it was a bright and cheerful morning." Vampires don't get up in the morning and go to Starbucks. Darkness, evil, wrongdoing, and scary are all about hiding. The light is about goodness, happiness, and being without fear. Hollywood has made Satan the "Prince of Darkness" not the "Prince of Wildflowers and Babbling Brooks." Something else they didn't get right: "And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light." 2 Corinthians 11:14 So why does man equate the use of darkness for evil? It has an origin: "Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the Garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden." Genesis 3:7-8 You sin, you hide. It makes it easier if you can hide with other sinners. You can sit around and reassure one another that it's really okay to do what you did. The problem is verse 9: "But the Lord God called to the man, "Where are you?" " Genesis 3:9 As a child on the farm, when I had done something I didn't want my Mom to know about, I hid under the front porch with my dog. Even then, I knew my Mom would sooner or later call out and say, "Where are you?" That verse is a killer. No matter how we act in life, we know in our hearts that there will come a time for verse 9. Where is the Lord going to find you? Hiding in the trees or running toward Him in the light saying, "Here I am!" Blessings, Allen From wyatt at clanwebb.com Mon Jan 23 00:17:56 2006 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Mon Jan 23 00:18:51 2006 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Relationship Entropy Message-ID: <2B6DD70C-1C22-4114-A8EB-EDC6EB43B77C@clanwebb.com> Relationships are more like a garden and less like a trophy. That may seem an odd analogy, but it sums up precisely what I learned the hard way as a teenager. You see, as a teenage boy on the prowl, I didn't understand how relationships were maintained. I had friends that I liked to hang out with. Since we saw each other three or four times a week, we are still friends today. Maintaining those relationships happened almost accidentally. I also liked girls and dated quite a few. As those friends will tell you, though, I never dated any of them for very long. I kept falling into the same pattern. I liked the chase. I would spend quite a bit of time getting to know a girl I liked and making her feel special. Once we were officially "going together" though, I fell back into spending more time with my buddies. It didn't occur to me that not calling her for a week might be a bad thing. I just figured that once we were more or less locked-in, I could just call on her whenever I wanted to. I suffered the results of relationship entropy. After a few weeks (a couple of months at most), the girl in question would eventually leave me and move on to someone who could stay focused. God walked me through this process several times until I finally got tired of the results and actually started to think. Once I had a glimmer of an idea of what was going on, God led my future wife into my life. This time, I told myself, I wasn't going to fall down. I was going to put in the time and effort to keep the relationship from crumbling. It has apparently worked as we dated for over a year and have been married for over 16 years. I'm just glad God waited to introduce me to my wife until I had something resembling a clue on how to treat her. It has been a continuous learning experience since then. You see, relationships need to be tended and cultivated like a garden. They aren't something you get and then put on the shelf until you want it again. I know too many folks who may be saved, but who haven't tended to their relationship with Christ. So, they have their VIP pass into Heaven, but in the meantime, they're still trying to deal with the world alone. How sad! Don't let your relationship with Christ become a victim of relationship entropy. How do you maintain a relationship? First, you have to talk: "Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 Catch that bit in the middle? "pray continually" That doesn't mean praying 24-7, it means that you are never done praying. You don't sit down to a one hour prayer and say that you're done for the year. You need to be carrying on a constant conversation with Jesus or your relationship will wither. Secondly, when you have wronged the other person in the relationship, you need to reconcile with them. When I have wronged my wife, I have to go to her humbly and ask forgiveness. If I don't, I've damaged the relationship. If I do that enough, it will disintegrate. "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:9 Confess your sin and He will forgive. Then, your relationship will be repaired. So, tend that garden. Water and feed it daily. Remove the weeds of sin that work to strangle the flowers. Don't take your relationship with Christ and put it on a shelf to collect dust. It's so much more powerful than that. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Tue Jan 24 00:18:38 2006 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Tue Jan 24 00:19:27 2006 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Game Face Message-ID: <03819EC4-7B2E-44A8-A3CC-137070ACACA4@clanwebb.com> It's only January and this is already a banner year. My favorite team is going to the Super Bowl. I know there are mixed feelings about high powered sports in the Christian community and so be it. I confess that it is a shame that as many people that were going nuts at Qwest Field over 22 guys chasing a pigskin up and down the field don't show the same enthusiasm about Jesus Christ. Just remember that those people who were there and not saved are lost and need to be found. Still, I found it fun to see millionaire men with giant egos and chiseled bodies jumping up and down like little boys after a Pop Warner game heading for the pizza parlor. There was a lot of talk about the relationships between the coach and the quarterback, preparation, toughness, maturation, and about a thing called a game face. I suppose one could write a book about the game face, but it really is just another name for attitude and focus. "This may shock you, but I believe the single most significant decision I can make on a day-to-day basis is my choice of attitude. It is more important than my past, my education, my bankroll, my success, my failures, fame or pain, what other people think or say about me, my circumstances, or my position. Attitude is that "single string" that keeps me going or hinders my progress. It alone fuels my fire or assaults my hope. When my attitudes are right, there's no barrier too high, no valley too deep, no dream too extreme, no challenge too great for me." Charles Swindoll "Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and become obedient to death?even death on a cross!" Philippians 2:5-8 I sometimes think that I want to be right so bad that when things are going wrong, my attitude turns sour just so people know that I know things are going bad. After all, I would not want people to think I was so stupid that I couldn't see my own bad predicament. "How's it going, Allen?" Man, what a loaded question! Right at that point I must make a decision to please God or people about how I see my situation. I always try to think of the story of the man who wrote the hymn, "Peace Like A River". In 1871, tragedy struck Chicago as fire ravaged the city. When it was all over, 300 people were dead and 100,000 were homeless. Horatio Gates Spafford was one of those who had tried to help the people of the city get back on their feet. A lawyer who had invested much of his money into the downtown Chicago real estate, he'd lost a great deal to the fire. And his one son (he had four daughters) had died about the same time. Still, for two years Spafford?who was a friend of evangelist Dwight Moody?assisted the homeless, impoverished, and grief-stricken ruined by the fire. After about two years of such work, Spafford and his family decided to take a vacation. They were to go to England to join Moody and Ira Sankey on one of their evangelistic crusades, then travel in Europe. Horatio Spafford was delayed by some business, but sent his family on ahead. He would catch up with them on the other side of the Atlantic. Their ship, the Ville de Havre, never made it. Off Newfoundland, it collided with an English sailing ship, the Loch Earn, and sank within 20 minutes. Though Horatio's wife, Anna, was able to cling to a piece of floating wreckage (one of only 47 survivors among hundreds), their four daughters?Maggie, Tanetta, Annie, and Bessie?were killed. Horatio received a horrible telegram from his wife, only two words long: "saved alone." Spafford boarded the next available ship to be near his grieving wife, and the two finally met up with Dwight Moody. "It is well," Spafford told him quietly. "The will of God be done." Talk about a game face! Nothing in my life has ever come close to what Jesus endured or his faithful servant Spafford faced. "Attitudes can be like cobwebs which clutter up the mind and cause us to fail in the purposes of God. Or they can be like an interstate highway to an automobile, smoothing the way to our destination." J. Hampton Keathley, III, Th. M. So... How's it going, boys? Allen From wyatt at clanwebb.com Wed Jan 25 00:07:15 2006 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Wed Jan 25 00:08:06 2006 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Grace and the Mona Lisa Message-ID: There's a great illustration about losing sight of what's important. It goes like this: If you owned the Mona Lisa and hung it in your home, eventually it would be taken for granted. Someone who had never seen it before might be surprised, but after a year or two all of your friends would know that you have it and you would have received all of the mileage out of the experience. It would just be the old Mona Lisa to most folks coming to your home. Overexposure dilutes the essence of anything. We do that with God's grace. If I were to ask you to give a definition of grace right now, what would you say? Some of our deep-thinking brothers can expound for hours on the subject, but most of us would do a lot of verbal tap dancing. Bob Deffinbaugh, Th.M. leads into a detailed study of grace this way: "As I approach this study of the grace of God I am fully aware of the fact that most Christians suppose they know all they need to on the subject. A major factor in this misconception is that quick and easy definitions have been given for grace. Grace, we all know, is God's unmerited favor. In acrostic fashion we have been taught to define grace as (G)od's (R)iches (A)t (C)hrist's (E)xpense....GRACE. These are simply inadequate, and thus we must devote this entire message to a more precise definition of grace. We will attempt to accomplish this by a series of statements or propositions which will be explained in some detail." Boy, old Bob isn't kidding. He goes on to explain, in detail, all kinds of grace including, but not limited to, common, saving, securing, serving, and sustaining. Now one thing is for sure: Bob is smarter than I am when it comes to theology, but I have a need to reduce the important things in my life to pocket size. What I mean is that I have to condense it down to something I can put in my shirt pocket so I can reach out during the day and pat it for reassurance. One of my teachers put it this way: "Grace is that unique ability, that belongs only to God, to bridge the canyon created by sin and bring that man home to himself." Jesus Christ earned it. He offered it to me. I took it. In my mind, it's just that simple. Bob makes a great point here: "Grace is sovereign. Since we have no claim on God's grace and cannot contribute anything to it, then grace must be sovereignly bestowed. As God said to Moses, "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion." Exodus 33:19 " I have an unsaved friend who told me his plan. "Just live your life and repent before you die!" This idea isn't something I care to put in my shirt pocket and depend upon. "What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace might increase? May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?" Romans 6:1-2 Review grace, friends. Ponder it. Relish it. Be grateful for it, but never take it for granted. Allen From wyatt at clanwebb.com Wed Jan 25 23:00:30 2006 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Wed Jan 25 23:01:13 2006 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Perfection Sports Message-ID: Like many guys, I'm a sports fan. I've actually expanded my sports of interest as I've grown older, but the things about each sport that interest me tend to be the same. I like sports with a strategy I can follow. I like sports that take real skill to play. I like sports with guys that are fun to root for. One thing has been the same for me since childhood, though. I've always liked sports that allow for a comeback win. I like the games where you may blow it on one play and be a hero the next. Conversely, I've also disliked playing sports that demand perfection. I even have a hard time watching sports like that. The Olympics always have sports that are judged and the only way to win is to avoid mistakes. That always seemed like a great way to crush your spirit. Imagine spending a decade of your childhood perfecting yourself as a gymnast or figure skater. You peak at the right time and get to go to the Olympics. But, on your big day you use too much resin or the ice has a divot. That's enough to make you slip and you are judged less than worthy. All of that effort to miss it by a hair. That's just too much pressure for me. I could never compete that way. No, I'd much rather play a sport where you can look like a dog most of the game and still win. I watched Jay Buhner flub a fly ball in a playoff game to allow the opponent to go ahead. In the next inning, though, he hit a home run to put the Mariners back ahead. I watched the Red Sox get outclassed by the Yankees three games in a row over a year ago. Then the Sox won four in a row. Baseball, basketball, and football have countless stories like that. I love those because it speaks to my desire to be able to redeem myself, to pick myself up off the ground and beat the opponent. Well, unfortunately for me, my relationship with God is a perfection sport. I have to be perfect to win. I'm competing in front of the ultimate judge and I need a perfect 10 to get in the door. I have one shot at it. Can I do it? Actually, that's a rhetorical question because scripture already gives me the answer: no. "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" Romans 3:23 To sin literally means to miss the mark. If you can't live perfectly you don't get in. Man, I hate it when you have to be perfect. It's just so hard! In this case, it's impossible. You might as well forget trying to earn your way in. Accept the gift. "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 See, God knew that if life were a redemption sport, we'd pat ourselves on the back. "I sure blew it early in life, but did you see that comeback in my fifties?" Nope. Won't work that way. We can't take any credit for the fact that that we will be judged as perfect. That's entirely the result of the gift of Christ's blood. I still don't like perfection sports. Thankfully, I don't have to worry about my scores in this one anymore. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Fri Jan 27 00:38:15 2006 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Fri Jan 27 00:39:01 2006 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Passion Message-ID: <25DEC58D-0DAB-409D-9B24-859C1E487022@clanwebb.com> I believe that the things we admire in other people tend to be those things that we aren't very good at ourselves. I did well school, but I admired the athletes. They didn't get the grades I did, but I sure was impressed with their ability to play the game. While helping to build software, the people that always blew me away were the artists and the sound engineers. They were creating compelling imagery and music. That ability is so foreign to me it feels like magic. Now, I marvel at my wife's ability for compassion and mercy. That can sometimes be hard for me. The one guy I always come back to when I think about how to model my Christian life is Peter. Paul was brilliant and wrote much of what we use to understand our relationship with Christ. I can identify with Paul's background. I can understand where he comes from. Peter is harder for me. He strikes me as a hard-working man with a fiery passion. You get the sense that he didn't always understand all the nuances, but he just knew that Christ was Lord and that was that. Whenever Jesus asked Peter anything, Peter always wanted to do twice as much. I want that kind of passion for my relationship with Christ. Of course, Peter's passion could get in the way, too. There's a scene I love from the Last Supper when Jesus washes the feet of His disciples. "He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, "Lord, are you going to wash my feet?" Jesus replied,"You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand." "No," said Peter, "you shall never wash my feet." Jesus answered, "Unless I wash you, you have no part with me." "Then, Lord," Simon Peter replied, "not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!" Jesus answered, "A person who has had a bath needs only to wash his feet; his whole body is clean." " John 13:6-10 You gotta love Peter. First, he says "No way! You're my Lord! You aren't washing my feet!" It always surprised me that by this point in their relationship, Peter still hadn't figured that he ought to just go along with whatever Jesus did. He knows that he is not worthy to have Jesus wash his feet, but he risks missing the whole point. When Jesus explains to him that it's necessary to have fellowship, Peter flies to the other extreme. "Wash all of me, then!" You can almost see Jesus shaking His head at Peter. "No, you don't get it. You are already saved, I just want to wash your feet." Don't miss the point Jesus was making here. He's saying that once you are saved, you still need to be periodically cleansed to maintain a good relationship with Him. He's referring to the constant confession of sin and asking forgiveness. He will always respond, but without that process you and Christ will grow distant. I think Peter got it. Just like Jesus said, Peter figured it out later. Peter knew that salvation was a one-time deal, but confession and forgiveness was ongoing. I still envy Peter's passion, but I have to remind myself that it's a marathon and not a sprint. That kind of passion can wear a guy out if you aren't careful! Be passionate, but don't burn out. Stay close to Jesus. Don't drift away just because you don't feel like admitting your mistakes. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Sat Jan 28 00:29:59 2006 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Sat Jan 28 00:30:49 2006 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Short and Simple Message-ID: <05F26A2F-2A85-4D98-99C7-C371C536B188@clanwebb.com> Did you ever want to be the one with the cool stories? Do you find yourself a little envious that you can't join in with some dramatic war story when the guys are sitting around shooting the breeze? I used to love hearing stories from my dad about his teen years and college years. He was a bit of a rebel and seemed to have some great tales to tell. I tried the rebel thing, but the worst I could muster up was sneaking out of my room late at night and going to hang out with my girlfriend. After about an hour of TV, we'd get bored and tired and I'd go home. I heard a Christian comedian when I was about 15. He talked about his years as a hippie who indulged in anything he could get his hands on. He made jokes about a pretty miserable life of aimlessness and despair. His story of conversion was pretty dramatic and the change in his life was equally shocking. It was powerful testimony and hit hard on impressionable teens like myself. I have often wondered if I missed something by not have such a dramatic conversion. I wasn't lying in a gutter or spending the night in jail. I came from a loving home and I accepted Christ as a young teen. I went from being a geeky teen who gently tested the limits to being a geeky teen who gently tested the limits and loved Christ. It just didn't seem like good theater. I knew guys who would embelish their testimony to give it more punch. They seemed to have missed the point. We're witnesses, not carnival barkers. Jesus made it simple. How do you tell someone else about Christ? "Jesus did not let him, but said, "Go home to your family and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you." " Mark 5:19 Just tell folks what He's done for you. No more. No less. Now, don't let yourself get caught fumbling, either. Peter tells us to be ready. "But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentless and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander." 1 Peter 3:15-16 This only makes sense. God can't use you as a witness if you aren't ready to tell your story. Don't stretch the truth. Just tell folks what He's done for you. In my case, I can tell you that without Christ, I would likely be working harder, possibly earning more money, but living an empty life. The things that catch my interest have no substance without Christ. Today, I am truly content. That's what He's done for me. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Sun Jan 29 00:45:56 2006 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Sun Jan 29 00:46:49 2006 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Night Seasons Message-ID: <20E4DA26-7634-47AB-94FA-532E4E4F4B54@clanwebb.com> There are times in our lives when everything looks dark. We can't open our mouths without something negative coming out. All incoming news is bad and expected to get worse. We are wounded, hunkered down, bleeding, and in full expectation of failure. We allow the worst question possible to enter our minds: "What if God doesn't show up in time to save me?" Nancy Missler, author of "Night Seasons" says it this way: "In our night seasons, we are very vulnerable because we are so anxious to hear or see something from God. If we are operating only on the fleshly level, then we become wide-open targets for the enemy's deception. Because, if what was promised does not occur, on top of everything else we are experiencing at this time, there will be indescribable spiritual anguish" This is bad because it is in the spirit that we communicate with God. If we are wounded and negative in spirit then we are in big trouble. In case you've forgotten who the enemy is: "You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies." John 8:44 Satan messes with your head on the flesh or soul level, but he can't on the spirit level. He is out to get you. It is what he does. His very purpose is to justify his own rebellion by bringing you down. Get on the offensive! "Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight." 1 Peter 3:4 If your spirit level is invaded it is because you brought it in. Only you can associate a lie with your spirit. There are only two at that level, and God is the other one. "in the hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised long ages ago," Titus 1:2 When you get into a night season, distract yourself. Run to the positive. See past the valley. Remember you are the earthly leader of your family and they watch your eyes. If you let them think your spirit has been breached then they are sunk along with you. Satan watches your eyes also and, if he gets the impression you are weak in the spirit, he will bombard you with lies and negativity causing you to drag it into your spirit and weaken your bond with God. "in everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit; " 1 Thessalonians 5:18-19 You don't have to like it, just be thankful for it. Slam the door on the bad times and hang on. Allen From wyatt at clanwebb.com Mon Jan 30 00:23:09 2006 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Mon Jan 30 00:24:01 2006 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Frame of Reference Message-ID: <1C2B8C0A-ABDA-4232-93A5-A3B7F660816B@clanwebb.com> It's all about your perspective, your frame of reference. Einstein figured out how some of the mysteries of the universe worked based on that. It may look like you and I are standing still, but if you look out the window it looks like we're moving about 40 because we're standing on a moving bus. Anyone who's been in a car accident knows that there's definitely a difference in the result if the other car was moving or not. What you describe as your frame of reference is critical to understanding what's going on. I've watched the neighbor kids play in the street and they will always defer to the biggest kid. Often, they'll do something they didn't want to simply to please this king of the playground. They might fear embarrassment or even injury if they defy him. When I walk out to the street, though, it all changes. You see, up to that point the frame of reference for all of the kids was just the other kids. They defined their behavior based on the universe consisting of just those kids. When an adult enters the equation, everything changes. Suddenly, the big kid doesn't run the show. Suddenly, being the big kid's friend doesn't buy you much. Throughout history man has done the same thing. Every society develops a hierarchy based on their frame of reference. Whoever can coordinate control of that known universe will be regarded with deference, honor, and sometimes, fear. We put a funny hat on their head. We have them wear strange clothes. We recite incantations, perform ceremonies, and enforce their wishes. Whether it is the guy with the most goats, the Pharaoh, the King, or the President, we treat them as being at the peak of our existence. That's because our frame of reference is based on what we see. It's also based on our sinful nature to believe that we know the boundaries and there really isn't anything outside of our frame. The day is coming when the adult will walk into the playground. Our frame of reference will be shattered: "By myself I have sworn, my mouth has uttered in all integrity a word that will not be revoked: Before me every knee will bow; by me every tongue will swear. They will say of me, 'In the Lord alone are righteousness and strength.' " All who have raged against him will come to him and be put to shame." Isaiah 45:23-24 Suddenly, the man we chose to serve here on earth will mean nothing. The worldly cause that we spent our life fighting for won't matter. Each and every person will have to stand before the judgement seat of God. It won't matter if you were the King. It won't matter if you were a beggar. What will matter is your behavior. Not the names of the people involved. It will only matter whether you are a child of God or not. "Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God" John 1:12 Don't be tricked by the frame of reference the world uses. Use the one God has shown us. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Mon Jan 30 23:43:10 2006 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Mon Jan 30 23:47:49 2006 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Fear Message-ID: <71DD8B8B-4738-4C65-9C7D-14E59A3578FC@clanwebb.com> There is a first time for everything, even fear. I was playing with my granddaughter last night. We were lying on the floor and she was going through her exercises as she learns to crawl. She had burped up a little, so I reached for a cloth. However, I didn't notice that her knee was on it. I pulled on it at the wrong moment and it was just like the rug-out-from-under-the-chair gag. She did a little flip move and landed on her back. At that instant I saw the fear in her eyes. She was taken aback and she looked right at me perplexed and wanting an answer. She now knew something new. She knew that something unexpected and for which she was unprepared could happen at any time from someone that, up until that moment, she felt completely secure with. She quickly recovered as I made light of the event and laughed. She laughed, too, but there it was imprinted on her mind. It was stored in her memory for recall later. It was inevitable and perhaps wasn't the first time in her short six months, but it was the first time I saw it in her eyes. "He answered, "I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid." " Genesis 3:10 This was the first time for man. Imagine the very first time fear was on earth. Before this moment, there hadn't been fear anywhere. I don't know how many times "fear" or "afraid" appears in Scripture, but I know it's a bunch. It is here to say. Man cannot remove it. In fact, many men live to be afraid and survive. They toy with it and some become addicted to it. As for me, I could easily do without it. I hate having to deal with it all the time. There are a million things that we can be afraid of in the world and it's true that there's a rush when we overcome fear. But, I resent the fact that it is so imprinted upon my mind that it keeps me from being closer to God. We will never be rid of it in this life, but we don't have to give in to it. We can give in to God, instead. Admit the fear. Point right at it and tell God that thing makes you afraid. Then admit to yourself that many of your fears are too much for you to take on every day and humble yourself. I am talking about that naked-baby-bird-in-the-nest humble and present yourself before him. "Be He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, "God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble." " James 4:6 Then wait for the nourishment and He will come to the nest with his great wings spread and feed you. "And do no be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect." Romans 12:2 And then... "Yet those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary." Isaiah 40:31 When you come to the end of your rope, tie a knot and wait for God. Allen From wyatt at clanwebb.com Sun Jan 1 01:39:22 2006 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Sun, 1 Jan 2006 01:39:22 -0800 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Don't Vex Message-ID: <8ABA1087-8A98-4358-96FD-4DE423842491@clanwebb.com> I was just reading along and one of those words that pops up from time to time caught my eye. The word was "vexed". One use of this word would be at the end of a game of Scrabble when you are stuck with all those 'e' tiles and that pesky 'x'. The dictionary definition of "vex" is: To annoy, as with petty importunities; bother. I read that and I knew why the Lord had me look it up. I had been looking for a word to describe a client I have been working with for a while. But, of course, the Lord meant it for me. I am an expert vexer, or shall I say that I am very good at vexing? Anyway, my whole life and relationship seems to be vexing to God. Isn't it enough that He loves me and has a plan for my life? Isn't it enough that Jesus Christ died for my sins? It should be, but I'm not there yet. I apparently think that petty importunities are something I should drag to the throne of God. Here's my New Year's resolution: "I shall no longer vex God." "Again and again they put God to the test; they vexed the Holy One of Israel. They did not remember his power? the day he redeemed them from the oppressor, the day he displayed his miraculous signs in Egypt, his wonders in the region of Zoan. He turned their rivers to blood; they could not drink from their streams. He sent swarms of flies that devoured them, and frogs that devastated them. He gave their crops to the grasshopper, their produce to the locust. He destroyed their vines with hail and their sycamore-figs with sleet. He gave over their cattle to the hail, their livestock to bolts of lightning. He unleashed against them his hot anger, his wrath, indignation and hostility? a band of destroying angels. He prepared a path for his anger; he did not spare them from death but gave them over to the plague. He struck down all the firstborn of Egypt, the firstfruits of manhood in the tents of Ham. But he brought his people out like a flock; he led them like sheep through the desert. He guided them safely, so they were unafraid; but the sea engulfed their enemies. Thus he brought them to the border of his holy land, to the hill country his right hand had taken. He drove out nations before them and allotted their lands to them as an inheritance; he settled the tribes of Israel in their homes. But they put God to the test and rebelled against the Most High; they did not keep his statutes. Like their fathers they were disloyal and faithless, as unreliable as a faulty bow. They angered him with their high places; they aroused his jealousy with their idols. When God heard them, he was very angry; he rejected Israel completely." Psalm 78:41-59 This business of vexing can bring on a world of hurt. Be careful. Happy New Year! Allen From wyatt at clanwebb.com Mon Jan 2 00:45:10 2006 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Mon, 2 Jan 2006 00:45:10 -0800 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Centurion Faith Message-ID: Do you ever catch yourself praying for the wrong thing? Now, I'm not just talking about praying for a new car or tickets to the Super Bowl. That's the sort of stuff that the unsaved think you can pray for. But we know better, don't we? I'm talking about those situations when life gets messy and complicated, those situations when it takes you all night, but you start to see how the problem can be solved. It starts to become clear how the situation might be resolved and you are so excited about this plan that you start to pray for it. But, you make the mistake of praying for the intermediate steps. You pray for the little events that you are sure will lead to the solution you're waiting for. For example, if you need to fly across the country to visit a sick relative, you might start praying for a raise at work. You might start praying that your car sells so you can raise the money. That's missing the point. If you need a plane ticket, pray for the plane ticket. By praying for the intermediate steps, you're praying for God to implement your plan. In fact, you are limiting your prayers to only what you can imagine. Remember that what God wills will happen. Pray for the result you want, not the steps along the way. A Roman centurion understood this well: "The centurion replied, "Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and that one, 'Come,' and he comes. I say to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it." When Jesus heard this, he was astonished and said to those following him, "I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith." [...] Then Jesus said to the centurion, "Go! It will be done just as you believed it would." And his servant was healed at that very hour." Matthew 8:8-10, 13 The centurion understood that Jesus didn't have to see the servant or lay hands on him. Jesus simply had to will it and the servant would be well. So, have faith like the centurion. Don't try to plan for God. Just pray for the goal and let Him handle the rest. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Tue Jan 3 00:26:30 2006 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Tue, 3 Jan 2006 00:26:30 -0800 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Engineers and Streetlights Message-ID: <565F0878-BBCD-4A32-AABB-D1FCD7C79DFE@clanwebb.com> Have you ever spent time looking in the wrong place for something? Have you ever done that when you knew it was the wrong place to begin with? You'd be surprised how often that happens. In software engineering, there's a rule of thumb that says, "First, make it work, then optimize." It means that your efforts should be spent making your software do what you want first, then you should look for ways to make it happen faster or better. The reason this rule exists is that engineers hate inefficiency. They hate it enough that they will try to repair inefficiencies before they can ever affect anyone. In my line of work, that can mean spending a week making something very efficient and smooth only to find out that the user would have never noticed the difference. Instead, we have to force ourselves to live with inefficient code until we can figure out which parts will actually change the user's experience. Oftentimes, there are areas that just aren't worth making better. You can waste a lot of time looking in the wrong place for efficiency. It reminds of a joke I learned a long time ago: A fellow was walking down a dark street one night when he comes upon another fellow bent over looking at the ground next to the streetlight. He asks him, "What are you looking for?" "Oh, I'm trying to find a $20 bill I dropped about a block back." "Well, why are you looking for it here, then?" "Because the light is better here." This guy was looking where he wanted because it was more convenient. It certainly didn't increase his chances of finding the $20, though. He was looking in the wrong place. People do this when they start searching for something to fill that God-shaped hole in their life. They may not like what it would mean to accept Christ, so they start looking for Him elsewhere. They hope to find Him in meditation or drugs or in the New Age movement. They want to find Him somewhere on terms they like. They want God to be they God they want, not the God they need. Well, they're looking in the wrong place. If you want to find God, you have to look for Him where He is. "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you," declares the Lord, "and will bring you back from captivity." " Jeremiah 29:13-14a You have to seek Him with all your heart. That means giving up your desires of where God "should" be and following Him to where He is. You will find Him, but you have to stop looking in the wrong places. This will happen to believers, too. We don't want to admit we're wrong or admit that we've drifted, so we hope to find God where we are. Hey, buddy, if He's not where you are, then you're the wrong place. Not Him. "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened." " Matthew 7:7-8 Stop looking in the wrong places. Stop spending time where it will do you no good. Stop looking under the streetlight, when He's down the road. Seek Him with all your heart. Once you decide to do that, you'll find Him. He promised. He's waiting with open arms. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Wed Jan 4 00:26:00 2006 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Wed, 4 Jan 2006 00:26:00 -0800 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Decisions, Decisions Message-ID: Many people are indecisive. Some because they are very meticulous while the go about gathering facts, making comparisons, and drawing their conclusions. Their risk factor is low, but they can miss opportunity because they can't decide fast enough. Some people are indecisive because they have come the conclusion that committing to an idea just sets them up for criticism that they want no part of. These folks gather together and agree that all sides go too far and that the sophisticated approach is to embrace everything, but leave yourself an escape route in case you have to retreat. The wife of a friend once told me, "Any zealot about anything is dangerous." She would go along with the crowd until it thinned out to a point that someone might recognize her. The third kind of person is indecisive just because they are so afraid to make a mistake that the only way to be sure to avoid one is to never make a decision. Their only claim to fame is, "I don't make mistakes." I left home when I was fifteen and was forced to make decisions to survive. I have made a variety of decisions in a variety of ways with a variety of methods of reasoning. I say this to let you know that the early ones were not always smart, moral, or legal. What I will tell you is that the only real way to learn, is to experience. To experience you have to make a decision and do something. Someone at a business seminar was asked, "What percent of your decisions were correct?" The speaker, who we all took to be successful because we paid to hear his advice, said, "About sixty percent. For the other forty percent I did my best to turn it into the right decision or limit the damage they caused. With all of my decisions, I learned something that allowed me to fine tune my process." Jesus Christ stands on the other side of the door. He is eternal life. The door must be opened and He must be invited inside. It is a decision. He speaks to us from the other side of the door. He sends us messages through other people and through life experiences. He gives us a world that should get our attention, but He will not open the door and ask to come inside. It takes a decision. Jesus had a message for the church in Laodicea. "I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm?neither hot nor cold?I am about to spit you out of my mouth." Revelation 3:15-16 Once again we see that in the case of Jesus, indecision is a decision itself. Nobody can opt out of the inevitable. Too many demand too much evidence. Too many are afraid to be identified as a Christian. Too many want eternal life and the world. Take care that you don't get spit out. Allen From wyatt at clanwebb.com Wed Jan 4 22:17:37 2006 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Wed, 4 Jan 2006 22:17:37 -0800 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Pay Attention Message-ID: <5B28ED0E-C9EE-4222-9C91-CCADD77166CB@clanwebb.com> There are times in life when a tap on the shoulder doesn't work. Times when a whisper in the ear or a tug on the elbow just doesn't cut it. People will often escalate their attention-getting mechanism quickly. A tap turns into a grab. A whisper into a stern voice or even a yell. A tug turns into a yank. My dad referred to it as a verbal two-by-four upside the head. He had to apply many of these to me as I grew up as I was easily distracted by the world and I ignored most of the gentle reminders he gave. When my son was younger, he developed a method that worked quite well. He was energetic and loved to play with me. He'd wear me out on a regular basis. So, often times I would end up holding him or sitting with him and my mind would wander or I'd be looking across the room at something else. At those moments when he wanted my attention, he would simply place his hands firmly on my cheeks, turn my head, and with his nose about an inch from mine he would say, "Pay attention to ME!" He got his point across quickly and it worked. There are times when I'm reading the Word that I see God doing that to me. It's the scriptural equivalent of grabbing my face and saying, "Pay attention!" Proverbs 4 is titled "Wisdom is Supreme" This chapter has only 27 verses, but the writer reminds me repeatedly to pay heed: "Listen, my sons, to a father's instruction; pay attention and gain understanding." Proverbs 4:1 "Listen, my son, accept what I say, and the years of your life will be many." Proverbs 4:10 "My son, pay attention to what I say; listen closely to my words." Proverbs 4:20 What is God so hot about here? Wisdom. This chapter pounds it again and again. Wisdom is worth more than anything in the world. It will protect you and provide for you. It lead you and guide your path. Of course, this isn't just book wisdom or street wisdom, this is the wisdom of the Word of God. Learn it. Gain it. Live it. "Get wisdom, get understanding; do not forget my words or swerve from them. Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you; love her, and she will watch over you." Proverbs 4:5-6 Don't wait for God's two-by-four upside the head. Gain wisdom and be better for it. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Fri Jan 6 00:37:56 2006 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Fri, 6 Jan 2006 00:37:56 -0800 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Check the Branches Message-ID: <79849794-AA02-4B57-A59D-3EED13BBDF13@clanwebb.com> I grew up right after World War II. Many of the men in my life had fought. My step-father, uncles, and most of their friends had all come home to start new lives. There was a lot of discussion about the effects of war on our country, but few ever talked about any dark episodes of their own. We boys would emulate what our ideal was about the American soldier, but our image was the Hollywood version. As I grew older, I was always drawn to anything about the war on TV and in the movies. I never missed shows like "Victory at Sea", "The Silent Service", and "Combat". The good guys and the bad guys were well-defined for us as we were hunkered down in our foxholes and lobbed dirt clod grenades at one another. I feel sorry for boys today that don't have a couple hundred acres to roam and conquer. I was drawn to a History Channel presentation the other night that held an all-new meaning for me about the American soldier in World War II. The program was reviewing the fierce fighting that happened on the last small Japanese islands. The civilian population had been so propagandized about how the Americans would treat them, that they threw their children and themselves into the sea rather than fall into the hands of what they thought would be barbaric men. The film was some of the most compelling I have ever seen. The outstretched hands of soldiers pleading to women not to jump and the testimonies of the few who did not and how grateful they were for their treatment. One old man told his story of how his mother threw him off a cliff and then herself. By God's grace, he had hung up on a limb of a bush and a soldier rescued him. He told his tale with a sense of unbelief and repeated several times how that small branch and the mercy of the Americans had given him life. It placed in my mind the image of how we as Christians reach out to people, but the world has painted us so wrongly that people run away from us as if we were barbaric fanatics. These are critical moments in a Christian's life and all too often we just watch people throw themselves off the cliff into the world. "But, dear friends, remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold. They said to you, "In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires." These are the men who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit. But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit. Keep yourselves in God's love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you eternal life. Be merciful to those who doubt; snatch others from the fire and save them; to others show mercy , mixed with fear ? hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh." Jude 1:17-23 Be prepared to rescue the unsaved from the branch. Allen From wyatt at clanwebb.com Sat Jan 7 00:50:12 2006 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Sat, 7 Jan 2006 00:50:12 -0800 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Education Message-ID: <5BF568E9-8495-4303-9EB8-E43291CCAA40@clanwebb.com> We usually gauge wisdom in the world based on education and/or experience. Therefore our resumes, diplomas, and certificates are proof of how smart or wise, if you will, we are in comparison to the rest of the world. In my business, we are required to participate in a process of upgrading our knowledge about our field in order to keep our license. You can look at a person's business card and a string of letters can appear after their name that denotes that they have completed certain requirements and can now be referred to as certified in this or that. I smile at the thought that all the years of formal education, classes, seminars, and the rest that I have attended have produced fewer than I can count on two hands that have served to impact my life in such a way that I incorporate what I learned into my everyday life. There were a few professors or speakers that taught me something life-changing. The rest, I guess, were electives. I will admit that the total process did teach me how to think, compile, and organize to an extent that when combined with a life philosophy and a spiritual belief system has made me who I am today. How I perused it, though. Then the world slapped me right on the behind. "It's over kid. Now it's time to pay off your student loans and become a productive taxpayer." I was sure my life was over. The funeral dirge had begun and I was just part of that human chain slowly making its way, lemming-like, to the cliff's edge and then following the waddling rear-end in front of me right into the sea. Then a combination of events converged in my life. One night, while listening to a fellow speak, I stood up, took my wife's hand and, to my surprise, walked forward and publicly declared my life for Christ. At once, I was a child again and I knew nothing, but thought I knew everything. That is when my education began. "Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock." Matthew 7:24 If this finds you relying on what you have learned in the world and you gauge your happiness by how many people you manage, how much money you make, or how indispensable you think you have become then I challenge you to spend one tenth of the time you have spent becoming wise to this point in your life reading the Bible. Then look at your business card. Allen Webb Assistant to Christ From wyatt at clanwebb.com Sun Jan 8 01:04:26 2006 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Sun, 8 Jan 2006 01:04:26 -0800 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Never Ready Message-ID: <9201E0BE-46DC-422C-9C37-F192652473DD@clanwebb.com> I'm an applied science kind of guy. Don't get me wrong, I'm still a geek. I love having conversations about nanotechnology or how to build a digital video recorder from parts and with free software. My wife chides me for liking to read textbooks. It's true as long as there are on an area of science that interests me. However, what really excites me is seeing how that theory and science gets applied. How can biotech make my life better? How do tiny robots that fly like dragonflies affect the world I live in? Or, even better, how does learning this new software language make my job easier or make me a more valuable commodity? I figure research and knowledge don't do you much good without applying it. I could never get my head wrapped around a particular species of student that I saw while in college. There were several students who seemed to intend to stay in school forever. We called them professional students. You'd hear about them in the student newspaper every once in a while, "John Smith has just completed his fourth PhD and intends to move on to the Math department next" It really blew my mind. What were these guys doing? Were they afraid of the world? Did they just really like school? How the heck did they pay for all of that tuition? Of course, these folks would end up doing quite a bit of research and teaching many a course while pursuing their dream of wallpapering their dorm room with diplomas. But, again, much of that research was theoretical or useful in advancing the art, but it was rarely applied to real life. While those folks may make some amazing discoveries or do fantastic research work, I think they're missing out. There's something gratifying about building something that other people use. I still get chills when I remember hearing about a mother who said that her autistic child had never spoken until he started to use software I had helped create. That's getting involved. That's applying your science. I fear there are too many Christians who are professional students. They love God. They love church. They go to Bible studies. They help in the nursery. They love the whole experience. But, they never get around to changing someone else's life. Either they are afraid to witness to others (believe me, I still get quaking knees when I have the opportunity) or don't want to rock the boat or, my least favorite excuse, they don't want to "impose" their faith on others. Sorry, but that's like saying a doctor may not want to "impose" the anti-venom on you when you've been bit by a rattlesnake. If that's your excuse, you aren't doing your friends any favors. Let's connect the dots. First, we are not to just listen to the Word: "Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says." James 1:22 Read that again. You can't just listen to the sermon or read your Bible and then be done. You have to put it into action. That means seven days a week, 365 days a year. Be a doer of the Word. Then, secondly, what is one of the things Jesus asks us to do? "Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." Matthew 28: 18-20 Read that again, too. Jesus reminds us that He has the authority to give us commands. Then He commands us to spread the Word. We have to tell others and teach them the good news. We have to baptize them (incidentally, this means that you need to be baptized, too. And that sprinkled-as-a-baby stuff doesn't count). We have to teach them to obey everything He has commanded us to obey. So, don't be a professional student and ignore the applied part of our faith. Go out and change a life or two by telling them about Jesus. It's not optional. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Mon Jan 9 00:01:36 2006 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Mon, 9 Jan 2006 00:01:36 -0800 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Talk to Him Message-ID: Christians can be great grandstanders. Man, once we get on a roll we can make a lot of noise. Prayer in schools! Yet, we don't pray in our churches. We program ourselves to meet the needs of the people coming to church with music, preaching, missions, Sunday school, and on and on. But, we are not praying. Jim Cymbala in his book, "Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire" said: "Does the Bible ever say anywhere from Genesis to Revelation, "My house shall be called a house of preaching."?" "I have seen God do more in people's lives during ten minutes of real prayer than in ten of my sermons." "What does it say about our churches today that God birthed the church in a prayer meeting, and prayer meetings today are almost extinct?" "these I will bring to my holy mountain and give them joy in my house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations" Isaiah 56:7 "It is written," he said to them, " 'My house will be called a house of prayer,' but you are making it a den of robbers." Matthew 21:13 Men, God can take care of everything. You are not going to impress Him with works, trips, programs, or gifts. He wants to hear from us. Allen From wyatt at clanwebb.com Tue Jan 10 00:26:29 2006 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Tue, 10 Jan 2006 00:26:29 -0800 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Check Your Pack Message-ID: I like camping and hiking. Dad and I did quite a bit in my teenage years. One thing we learned the hard way was that without first hand knowledge of a trail, it was anybody's guess what it would be like. It was exciting and always a little scary to plan a weekend around a new trail. We just weren't sure what we would get. Whenever Dad and I would try out a new hike, we knew that there were two things that would determine how far we could get each day. First, there was the stuff we brought with us and would have to be carried on our backs. Second, there was the trail. It could be wide and level or it could be overgrown and treacherous. When we planned poorly and had bad luck with a trail, our schedule could change dramatically. Over-packing and a tougher trail than planned could result in camping in a field or under a large tree rather than near the lake we had intended. It might mean more hiking and less lounging and fishing. Good planning, however, would give us more time to enjoy our chosen destination and create better memories of the whole trip. Unfortunately, we couldn't always control the state of the trail, but we could control our packs. We got to be very good about only packing precisely what we needed. We used our clothes as pillows. We carried the smallest cookware we could reasonably use. We would even cut the friction patch off of a box of matches and pack it with ten or so matches so that we wouldn't have to carry the whole box. We knew precisely why we needed everything in our pack, there wasn't anything frivolous. We were prepared. Reading Hebrews reminded me of the time Dad and I would spend getting our packs prepared and debating exactly how much toilet paper we needed to take (we counted the sheets. A roll was too much.) "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us" Hebrews 12:1 When you've over-packed for a hike, you do start to seriously consider leaving some things on the side of the trail. You are desperate to unencumber yourself as much as possible. The beauty of being saved is that you don't have to worry about this during the spiritual hike you've embarked upon. First, Jesus has offered to carry your pack for you. You need to drop all of that baggage you are carrying. No matter how long you've spent whittling it down to what you think is the absolute minimum, the fact is that there's something you're carrying that you don't have to. Let it go. Secondly, Jesus knows the right trail to take. If you pay attention and follow the trail He marked out for you, it'll be a good hike. It won't necessarily be the easiest or the shortest, but it will be the best one. When you arrive at your destination, you will be the man He has intended you to be. Notice that the verse says "marked out". That's so cool because it means that He's had it planned all along. We just have to follow it. So, throw off that heavy pack. Fix your eyes on the Leader. It'll be a good hike. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Tue Jan 10 23:54:13 2006 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Tue, 10 Jan 2006 23:54:13 -0800 Subject: [Daily Push Up] (no subject) Message-ID: <168993C9-38E7-4681-8CD0-F2A34EA74AE4@clanwebb.com> Time is a big deal in our lives, but I wonder if we really grasp the concept. "I am going to make time.", "I am going to set aside time", "I am going to find time", or "Where did the time go?" Then there's time management, out of time, once upon a time, stretch time, and remember the time. Really, when you think about it, we do stuff and time passes, but we don't use time. Time is just a way to keep score. Seconds, minutes, hours, days, months, and years. We put numbers to it, but it is just the same old time. If a minute passes, how do we know the next one isn't the very same one just coming around again? Man has placed an emphasis on time because we live our lives like we are running out if it. How foolish! When God has given us eternity, why do we place such an emphasis on time? Here's a good one: "Take your time." Take it where? The only one that I can see that really works is "Do your time." Do what? Work, I say. Stop worrying that you haven't accomplished everything you have ever dreamed. "I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live. That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil?this is the gift of God. I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that men will revere him." Ecclesiastes 3:12-14 As for time, "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven; a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather then, a time to embrace and a time to refrain, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, 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 Do your time well. Give the world what belongs to the world, but give to God what belongs to God and He will give you Eternity, where time and keeping score have no meaning. Allen From WYATT at clanwebb.com Wed Jan 11 22:16:16 2006 From: WYATT at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Wed, 11 Jan 2006 22:16:16 -0800 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Keep Running Message-ID: <9235D846-6ACC-494E-997F-193C0964AB0E@clanwebb.com> I am not a fan of running. I'm fond of using a snarky reply when people ask me about it: "Do you run?" "Only when chased." During my junior high years, there weren't many kids available for the different sports teams so I ended up being involved with one or two that I never would have done normally. II loved playing basketball which, of course, has running. But, that's the part I liked the least. All of the conditioning in practice was torture, but it paid off when we could outrun the other team late in the game. One year, however, I somehow ended up on the track team. I don't remember the reason, but I figure they were desperate to fill out the team. At our first meet, I was supposed to run in the 4x100 relay and the 4x400 relay. We did the 4x100 relay alright. I could sprint that far and not embarrass myself too badly. When it came time for the longer relay, though, I was in trouble. I knew I had to pace myself and not burn out. The 100 had just about killed me. When it was my turn with the baton, though, the other team raced ahead. I panicked and didn't want to lose too much time. I figured I'd better keep up. So I tried. I was able to barely match the other runners for about 150 meters. At that point, I was dead. I had used everything I had just to keep up and now I was toast. I could hear my team yelling at me across the track, but I had nothing. At that moment in time, I remember the track looking like it was a hundred miles long. It seemed so big and so far to handoff point. I felt like I was running in place because I didn't seem to be covering any ground. I was crushed. I was tired, but I couldn't stop. I had to keep running even though it was about half speed. I felt helpless. I get those days in life, too. I'll roll out of bed some morning feeling like I've been working ten days straight and it's Tuesday. The week seems so long and I'm out of gas. I feel like the handoff is so far away, but I can't stop running. If you stop running in life you stop getting paid and you don't get to eat. It's miserable because you feel like there's no rest in sight and it's going to take forever to get there. I feel overwhelmed and helpless. This is precisely the time to go back to God. It's when I know I've lost sight of Him and His peace. When I do go back to Him, amazing things happen: "Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, [ uh, yeah, I remember ] and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." Isaiah 40:28-31 Once you remember that He is God and controls it all, you can depend on Him to lift you up. Remembering what He means to me and what He's done for me is refreshing and invigorating. Dive in to the Word and prayer. Soak Him up. It's like being plugged in and recharged. It doesn't mean it's going to get easy, just that He'll be with you to get through it all. There's strength and relief in that. You're not helpless and overwhelmed. You have the ultimate partner to take on whatever hurdles you have ahead. You'll hand off that baton before you know it. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Fri Jan 13 00:09:42 2006 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Fri, 13 Jan 2006 00:09:42 -0800 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Reason and Faith Message-ID: <3D38C9CE-3AB3-4577-9C5E-3FFEFB3BBE00@clanwebb.com> I try not to put too fine a point on my theology discussions. There is a good reason for my not doing so: I ain't that smart. With that said, as I study the Word and what other folks, who are a lot smarter than I am, have to say about it, I have come to the conclusion that we get dizzy at times when, with a little effort, we can see that some questions are not as complicated as we first thought. Question: What is the difference between reason and faith? In other words, why can't I use a logical argument to convince someone to have faith in Christ? First, we must remember that ours is not the first generation and will not be the last to ask that question. Dr. Norman Geiser in his series on faith and reason refers to Justin Martyr, Clement of Alexandria, Augustine, and Thomas Aquinas. These fellows hit the same wall back in times when there was no indoor plumbing, no forced air furnace, no telephones, and no computers. Their discussions were not held at a Thursday night one-hour Bible study. They poured their whole lives into these questions without distractions like Sunday football. I thank God for their efforts because it allowed me to come to a conclusion a lot sooner than they did. Here is what I get from their efforts: 1) Reason and faith are not on the same plane. Therefore you cannot use reason to attain faith. There is no door or ladder from the platform of reason to the platform of faith. 2) Reason can be used to introduce faith and why we have it. God's existence is self-evident. I can reason with someone that you cannot make something out of nothing, therefore something must be eternal. I can tell him that my faith in God is eternal. I can reason with him that the scripture is truth using all of the accepted tests of the written word (i.e. bibliographic test, quantity test, quality test, time span, the internal test, the external test, archaeology, and uniqueness of scripture), but in the end it will not give him faith. 3) Reason can be used to fend off attacks on our faith. There is overpowering evidence for why we believe that Jesus Christ is exactly who he claims to be. The arguments are no more fresh than the answers. Most are repetition. 4) Faith is responsive where reason is calculated. Reason defines the hole in our souls. Faith fills it. Reason reduces risk. Faith propels risk. Reason belongs to man. Faith belongs to God. Truly, how can love and reason be used in the same context? "Jesus replied, "What is impossible with men is possible with God." " Luke 18:27 This is the crux of the question and why reasoning man and faithful man are not on the same plane. Do not look outward for faith. Look inward. Allen From wyatt at clanwebb.com Sat Jan 14 00:50:43 2006 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Sat, 14 Jan 2006 00:50:43 -0800 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Blind and Hardened Message-ID: Over the last few months, my wife and I have started taking walks in the evening. When weather permits (not a lot, these days) we like to get out and breath deep. It's good exercise and a good chance for us to catch up on the day and just spend time together. When we started, we also asked our son if he wanted to come along. He declined. We asked every time for several weeks, and he always declined. Eventually, we stopped asking because he doesn't seem interested and there's no need to irritate him by continuing to ask. However, if he decides to join us some night, we would certainly welcome him and I'm sure we'd all enjoy the time. We didn't stop asking because we don't want him to come along. We stopped because he seemed to have his mind made up and there was no reason to continue pestering him. After doing my Bible study this last week, I saw a parallel to this situation in how God treats the unsaved. God will usually make sure that folks have the chance to hear the gospel at some point in their lives. With that information, a person has to make a decision to either accept or reject the free gift of salvation. Some folks will have more opportunities to hear the good news, but will continue to reject it. I believe that there will come a point when God will stop asking. "Even after Jesus had done all these miraculous signs in their presence, they still would not believe in him. This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet: "Lord, who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?" For this reason they could not believe, because, as Isaiah says elsewhere: "He has blinded their eyes and deadened their hearts, so they can neither see with their eyes nor understand with their hearts, nor turn?and I would heal them." " John 12:37-40 Knowing that God is love is hard to reconcile with "He has blinded their eyes" Why would God do this? Again, like a loving parent, when the child has said "no" repeatedly, the parent will stop asking. Not because they no longer love the child, but there's no point in asking if his mind is made up. When someone rejects the gospel repeatedly, it gets easier to do. Eventually, they have a hard heart and it won't penetrate until something else in their life causes them to reconsider. When that day comes, Jesus will welcome them with open arms. He never stops loving us and will always accept us. But, He also loves us enough to let us make our own decision about Him. If we tell Him to get lost frequently enough, He will eventually release you to live the life you have chosen. He loves you enough to let you decide. So, when you are witnessing, challenge folks to deal with the information you've shared. Let them know that putting the decision off or keeping their options open is the same as saying, "No, thanks." Don't let them build up a resistance to the message. Encourage them not to become hardened to the point where they no longer feel the tug. It's just too important a decision to delay. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Sun Jan 15 00:21:16 2006 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Sun, 15 Jan 2006 00:21:16 -0800 Subject: [Daily Push Up] The Real God Message-ID: I spoke to a friend last night. I had not heard from him for several months and he was about as low as you can get. Their business is failing. He doesn't like the business. The stress is hurting an already strained marriage. He started asking me questions out of desperation: "How do you turn everything over to God, Allen?", "I keep looking for Him to take over, but I have always relied on myself and I can't break the habit." These words should sound familiar. However, it brings into conflict two basic axioms. First, God makes men with a sense to provide and defend. Second, God tells us to rely on Him completely. We all deal with the feeling that if we let go, we will free fall into failure and humiliation. I was reading a paper by Dr. Ken Boa and he quotes Tozer: "That our idea of God correspond as nearly as possible to the true being of God is of immense importance to us. Compared with our actual thoughts about Him, our [doctrinal] statements are of little consequence. __Our real idea of God may lie buried under the rubbish of conventional religious notions and may require an intelligent and vigorous search before it is finally unearthed and exposed for what it is. Only after an ordeal of painful self-probing are we likely to discover what we actually believe about God.__ A right conception of God is basic not only to systematic theology but to practical Christian living as well. It is to worship what the foundation is to the temple; where it is inadequate or out of plumb the whole structure must sooner or later collapse. I believe there is scarcely an error in doctrine or a failure in applying Christian ethics that cannot be traced finally to imperfect and ignoble thoughts about God." I marked with the underlines the section that caught my eye and I believe it applies to my friend. We build God in our minds the way we want Him to be and, all too often, it is a distorted view. My friend wants God to show Himself before he will turn everything over to Him. His view is summed up as, "God, you go first." I can't come down on him for this view because I was there at one point and the feelings try to come back every day. Reliance on God isn't something you do once like stopping off at His office and handing in your paperwork. It is an everyday thing. It just becomes easier when you can look back in retrospect and see that He has not let you down, but provided. Now, continuing from the same paper with some paraphrasing. "Worry expends energy pointlessly?it doesn't change the reality of the situation a single bit. Worry is kind of like a rocking chair. It gives you something to do, but it doesn't get you anywhere. Worry ignores God's demonstrated faithfulness in our lives. The same God who so wonderfully clothes the flowers of the field is responsible to care for them. Every blossoming flower is a reminder of God's faithfulness to us. A field of wild flowers sprinkled across a bed of fresh spring grass is a remarkable sight indeed. These little beauties do not labor or spin (probably a reference to both men's and women's work respectively). But even Solomon's wardrobe paled in comparison. If God is so generous with something as transitory as kindling for the fire, what do you suppose he will do for us? No wonder Jesus rebukes us, "O, you of little faith," when a mere glance out of our bedroom window should teach us the futility of worry. As R.H. Mounce has said, "Worry is practical atheism and an affront to God." " My friend is in a valley: failing business, bills, stress, hurting marriage. But, he isn't at a point where he can turn it over to God because he is afraid that if he does, God won't come through. "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Matthew 6:25-34 God grows more clear, the fog lifts on His character, and His immense size becomes evident when you see Him for who He is and not who you want Him to be. Allen From wyatt at clanwebb.com Mon Jan 16 00:21:06 2006 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Mon, 16 Jan 2006 00:21:06 -0800 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Follow Message-ID: <87E83C33-6DC4-416F-A4B7-C4BD95D05275@clanwebb.com> Twice in our life, my wife and I have had to make a major life change when we didn't want to. We weren't actually forced to make these changes, but God had made it clear where He wanted us to go and we knew we were deciding to follow God's will or resist it. To our credit, these were two moments in our life when we knew better than to resist. Don't be mistaken, though, we've missed it on many other smaller issues. We certainly aren't perfect. Each of these events were moves to a different city that we did not want to make. The first time because it was obvious that my job could not support the three of us and the only offer I had was a three hour drive away. The second time was after a layoff and the only job offer I had was a three hour drive back to where we had been nine years before. In each event, we could have ignored the obvious and stubbornly stuck it out to the bitter end. We could have lived on credit cards and family handouts while I waited for a better job locally. Or, in the second case, we could have lived off of my severance pay until a job turned up. God is good, though. Each time we bit the bullet and made the move. In each case, it has blessed us more than we thought. And, looking back to where we were, we realize that times would have been more dire than we thought. It has only reinforced our desire to follow His direction. He's pretty much always right about that. Jonah had an even more dramatic experience that, I believe, changed his conviction in the same way: "The word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai: "Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me." But Jonah ran away from the Lord..." Jonah 1:1-3a We know how the running away went. A nasty night at sea followed by three days in a fish. That's the old two-by-four-upside-the-head treatment for sure. God, being loving, gave Jonah a second chance. The fish coughed him up on a beach and God asked again: "The word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time: "Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you." Jonah obeyed the word of the Lord and went to Nineveh..." Jonah 3:1-3a I imagine that whenever God spoke to Jonah after that, Jonah was pretty attentive. Sure, the fish story made for a great testimony for the unbelievers, but that doesn't mean he wanted to do it again. Seeing what trouble we missed and counting the blessings we've gained has worked the same way for us. Whenever you have a decision to make and you know in your heart of hearts that God has clearly marked one path, don't buckle. "Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me." " Mark 8:34 Deny your selfishness. Deny your faulty view of what's best. Just follow Him. You can't go wrong. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Mon Jan 16 23:57:24 2006 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Mon, 16 Jan 2006 23:57:24 -0800 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Be Ready Message-ID: <0A27BC84-4D5A-4E5F-811D-FF80029E95D6@clanwebb.com> Often I see people waiting on the Lord. It is a good thing to have patience and wait for God to reveal His plan. There are those, however, that spend their whole lives waiting without being prepared to move. Forward motion requires expending energy. Energy requires fuel. If you don't get up in the morning, shovel coal in the boiler, and add water, there will be no steam. And, without steam there will be no movement. My point is that you have to be ready to move at a moment's notice. Your mind, body, and soul have to be prepared, gauges in the green zone, wheels oiled, valves maintained, and a fire in the combustion chamber. In the meantime, you should be adding to your coal reserves. Knowledge and wisdom are the coal and, like earthly coal, it has to be mined. It takes a constant, persistent effort to keep the bin full and coal has to be dug from a reserve. "My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding, and if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. For the Lord gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. He holds victory in store for the upright, he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless, for he guards the course of the just and protects the way of his faithful ones. Then you will understand what is right and just and fair?every good path. For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul. Discretion will protect you, and understanding will guard you." Proverbs 2:1-11 This message is about mining. We are fortunate because the mine is the Word and it is rich in resources and easy to find. Even on the coldest day of the year, men must get up, get dressed, pack a lunch, and head for the mine. What a shame it is when God gives the green light and the engine is stone cold and unmaintained. There's also the danger that you could get smacked in the caboose if you can't get on down the track. Allen From wyatt at clanwebb.com Wed Jan 18 00:34:12 2006 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Wed, 18 Jan 2006 00:34:12 -0800 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Folklore Message-ID: Folklore is defined as: "The traditional beliefs, myths, tales, and practices of a people, transmitted orally." Many Christians practice folklore and many non-Christians are sure all of Christianity is based on folklore. The non-believer probably has more reason for their belief than the Christian folklorist. Let's see, what are some of the classics? When we die, who meets us and where does he do it? That's right, Saint Peter at the pearly gates. What does the devil look like? Yep, red guy with a pitchfork, pointy tail and horns. What does an angel look like? Chubby little guy with wings What happens when we die? We turn transparent, get a halo, rise up to a cloud to play the harp. What historical figures were possessed? People like Hitler and Manson, right? Do any of these descriptions have any basis in Biblical fact? I have heard it explained this way: Our faith minds have a gate and, all too often, we throw them open and allow almost anything in. When it comes to our Christian faith, it must have a basis that will stand up to scriptural testing. The Word is the basis for our faith, not stories passed along or fictional characters. This tendency to believe something because it is portrayed is getting more and more prevalent. The phrase, "based on a true story", is always in small letters and we open our gates and let the folklore roll. The dangerous stuff is the educated folklore. I watched a History Channel explanation of Joshua and the fall of Jericho. One thing about folklorists is that the less they have to stand on, the more resolute they seem to be in their belief. Remember the story? The spies are sent into Jericho by Joshua and then they meet Rahab. Rahab hides them in exchange for safety when the city is taken. She helps them escape by lowering them down with a sash over the wall. The Bible tells how the city was taken: "The Lord said to Joshua, "See, I have delivered Jericho into your hards, along with its king and its fighting men. March around the city once with all the armed men. Do this for six days. Have seven priests carry trumpets of rams' horns in front of the ark. On the seventh day, march around the city seven times, with the priests blowing the trumpets. When you hear them sound a long blast on the trumpets, have all the people give a loud shout; then the wall of the city will collapse and the people will go up, every man straight in." Joshua 2:2-5 The guys at the History Channel say it happened this way: Joshua needed a quick victory for his fledgling army so he picked Jericho because it was a weak little town and of little importance. Joshua, being the clever lad he was, had the priests prance around the city as a distraction while his men went back up the sash and into the city and at the right moment opened the gates and let in the rest of the army. The walls tumbling down was merely a reference to the fall of the city. Never mind the preceding chapters when the same methodology was used by God to part the Jordan river to let the army across in the first place. This is a perfect example of the start of biblical folklore. There is absolutely no basis to believe the History Channel's interpretation of the event. It sounds good and, perhaps to people with little faith in the Bible but an unearned faith in TV, it seems more plausible. However, one must ask, "Who are these guys at the History Channel?" Our kids watch this stuff and open their gates and, as we grow older, they begin to think, "Maybe the old man is a little too literal when it comes to the Bible." Bad news, boys! It's the same old question: God or the world? Allen From wyatt at clanwebb.com Thu Jan 19 01:23:16 2006 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Thu, 19 Jan 2006 01:23:16 -0800 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Ingrained Falsehood Message-ID: <7F09A8F2-8462-4386-9620-5BB68495622F@clanwebb.com> I've just returned from a two-day training seminar on a new technique for project management of software development teams. Yep, it was about as exciting as it sounds. However, even in the midst of mind- numbing PowerPoint presentations and pretentious consultants, I found insight into our shared faith. The premise of any new business process is that the old process doesn't work well. The consultant usually has to show that the new process will work better. In this particular case, though, the process that is generally used now has been used for half a century. So, it's pretty ingrained in all aspects of my industry and fundamental to how businesses are run and planned. Instead of trying to prove that the new process was just better than the old one, the speaker set out to show that the old process didn't work at all. He then proceeded to show us graphs, statistics, and studies to prove that the old process was flat out broken. In fact, it had never worked and we just hadn't noticed. This was a bit shocking all by itself, but he didn't stop there. He then went on to show that research that had been the source for the old process had been, in fact, arguing against that process all the time. The author had never been advocating it, but trying to disprove it. The paper had simply been misused and misunderstood all this time. Since that time, fifty years of research, writing, teaching, training, and practice had been built on bad information. This was stunning! This would be like someone demonstrating beyond a reasonable doubt that the Founding Fathers had, in fact, been advocating a more powerful monarchy and not a democratic republic. It was shocking because it was information that was indisputable, but ran against everything everybody in the room had been taught for decades. It meant that our strongly held shared beliefs had no foundation. The result is that, despite clear proof that the foundation is illusory, people won't immediately change. They will continue to cling to what they know and hope that the crazy person will just go away so everything can go back to normal. Of course it won't, but people resist foundational changes, so they'll deny it until it's too late. When we heard this explanation, though, a few of us had a slightly different response. It was something more like, "I knew it!" I have been banging my head against a wall for fourteen years and all that time I could tell that the standard process was not a structure for success, but actually impeded success. I had always felt like something wasn't right, but I everyone else said this was the way to do things, so there weren't any alternatives. Until I was informed of one. When I explain to folks that just being a "good person" won't punch your ticket for Heaven, they have a similar denial response. Being a good person as a path to Heaven is a deeply ingrained belief among many Americans. That doesn't make it true, but it does make it harder to dispel. These folks will usually wave me off and tell me I'm wrong. After all, how could all of these beliefs they've been taught since birth be wrong? Deep down, though, most know that there's something wrong with the "good person" route. The trick here, is to not only describe the correct process of salvation, but to also show that their current system isn't just less efficient, but completely broken. It's not that they won't get to Heaven as fast, but that they won't go at all! It may take showing them why the "good person" approach can't work. It would mean breaking the rules of a Heaven without sin. It would break the rule of John 14:6 "I am the way..." So, don't be afraid to back up the good news with the bad news. The good news is that you know a guaranteed way to get to Heaven. The bad news is that their way is not only not guaranteed, but is actually guaranteed to fail. It turns out the guaranteed way is the only way. Good news: "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16 Bad news (for their current situation): "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God," Romans 3:23 "Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." " John 14:6 Keep teaching. It might take a while to overcome the ingrained false beliefs, but the truth will eventually resonate and a decision will have to be made. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Fri Jan 20 00:12:46 2006 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Fri, 20 Jan 2006 00:12:46 -0800 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Missing the Point Message-ID: <302669B5-A692-4D9F-9204-B28F1745D37E@clanwebb.com> Well, guys, I did something last night that real men often do. I engaged my mouth before my brain could say "stop". My long-suffering wife (I'll be fortunate to be her maintenance man in Heaven) told me about a man in a prayer group that refused to pray out loud. He asserted that nowhere in the Bible did it say, "Pray out loud," so he wasn't going to do it. This was a perfect opportunity for me to have a simple, caring exchange with her and give my opinion on how I understood scripture on this point. I missed the opportunity rather badly. I have no excuse for my response other than that my wife and daughter now have another example of bad behavior. I have a low tolerance for people that "major in the minors." I felt that this guy, with all the dysfunction in the world, was nitpicking and taking time set aside to worship the God of the universe to say, "I just came this evening to let you all know you are wrong and God doesn't like the way you pray." Why go to a corporate prayer meeting when you don't believe in them? I know where my reaction came from. It's because I'm not over something that happened a long time ago and should be old news. Get out your psychology books and see if you can follow along. I was in a class learning about Robert's Rules of Order. Henry Martyn Robert came up with a format on how to run a public meeting such that if everyone agrees to a set of rules in the beginning, then it is possible to carry on some heated debate without blood being involved. There was one guy who didn't like me very much and took the opportunity to bend the rules such that he made my time in front of the class a huge embarrassment. I ordered him escorted out of the meeting by the sergeant-at-arms. Instead, he sat down on the floor in what he called an act of civil disobedience. There was a lot of laughter and everyone wondered how I would react. The teacher took over and restored order. I won't get into what happened after class because I'm not proud of that behavior and it was definitely out of order. Here's the point: The Bible does not say, "Ye shall pray out loud." But, the Bible doesn't say a lot of things. God did not inspire man to write down everything. Jesus prayed out loud with the disciples and the book of Acts has examples of the early church praying out loud. There are examples of praying alone, in solitude, kneeling, prostrate, standing, sitting, earnestly, continually, on all occasions, with a clear mind, and self controlled. Therefore, one can surely conclude that prayer is not about the mechanics, but about the heart and the mind. "Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven." Matthew 6:1 Anything said to God, with the intent to truly worship, is a prayer. No matter where you are or what you are doing. It's not about the position of your feet, arms, or backside. It's about the position of your heart and mind. Pray for me whenever and however you can. This meeting is adjourned. Allen From wyatt at clanwebb.com Sat Jan 21 00:48:48 2006 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Sat, 21 Jan 2006 00:48:48 -0800 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Mock Him Not Message-ID: <432155B4-EDC8-46EF-A9E2-8EF3A3C8FBBF@clanwebb.com> I remember when our son first started to challenge our authority. At the time, it was almost humorous because of his obvious intent in the situation. I don't remember the exact item at issue, but we had given him specific instructions to leave it alone. I believe it was at that point that the thought first crossed his mind to find out exactly what would happen if he did it anyway. So, he looked me straight in the eye with a hint of anticipation and reached for the item again. He could see that I was watching him and I could clearly tell that he was disobeying my directions. Despite his youth, he created a pivotal moment in our parenting relationship. He was going to find out exactly how serious I was about the rules. My decision here would send us down one of two very different paths. If I were to let it go, he would start to learn that my directions weren't ironclad. He would learn that disobeying his father had few, if any, consequences. That's not a healthy parenting situation at all. If I were to be more forceful in enforcing the rules through various forms of discipline, he would learn that my directions meant something. He would learn that there were serious consequences to disobedience. That would set up a much better parenting situation for the future. I did the latter and he wasn't happy, but the first seed of that lesson had been planted. He understands the consequences of disobeying his parents now. He knows that those consequences will always happen, no matter the excuse. We will often challenge God in the same way. We will look Him in the eye, and head towards the cliff's edge of sin to see how close we can get. We let our toes hang over the edge and lean farther and farther over the railing just trying to see how far is too far. Of course the one difference here is that we should know better. God has told us clearly that there are consequences to crossing the line into sin. That's true even if you've rationalized to yourself that it really isn't. "It's rated R, but it's a good movie. God won't mind.", "It's where these guys hang out and they're my friends. God wouldn't want me to cut off my friends, would he?", "Oh, the Bible is so old- fashioned, God surely isn't that out of touch. He loves us all and he'd agree that some of those rules just aren't appropriate now." It's so easy to do. We fling the carefully crafted reasons at Him and then head for the edge. You can't sneak by, though. "Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life." Galatians 6:7-8 You can't fake God out. The consequences are clearly defined. I suggest you don't test them. It'll hurt and it'll only prove that the lines are still where He drew them. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Sun Jan 22 00:19:41 2006 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Sun, 22 Jan 2006 00:19:41 -0800 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Where Are You? Message-ID: Ever think about why so much law-breaking goes on at night? Why is it that we see shadows as places that have hiding or lurking associated with them? Ever notice that we don't worry about someone jumping out of the light to attack us? You can hide in a lighted place as long as you stay out of your victim's line of sight. The image of a person walking down a well-lit street who is suddenly jumped by a monster from the bushes just isn't good theater. The writer of scary stories starts out, "It was a dark and stormy night," not, "it was a bright and cheerful morning." Vampires don't get up in the morning and go to Starbucks. Darkness, evil, wrongdoing, and scary are all about hiding. The light is about goodness, happiness, and being without fear. Hollywood has made Satan the "Prince of Darkness" not the "Prince of Wildflowers and Babbling Brooks." Something else they didn't get right: "And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light." 2 Corinthians 11:14 So why does man equate the use of darkness for evil? It has an origin: "Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the Garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden." Genesis 3:7-8 You sin, you hide. It makes it easier if you can hide with other sinners. You can sit around and reassure one another that it's really okay to do what you did. The problem is verse 9: "But the Lord God called to the man, "Where are you?" " Genesis 3:9 As a child on the farm, when I had done something I didn't want my Mom to know about, I hid under the front porch with my dog. Even then, I knew my Mom would sooner or later call out and say, "Where are you?" That verse is a killer. No matter how we act in life, we know in our hearts that there will come a time for verse 9. Where is the Lord going to find you? Hiding in the trees or running toward Him in the light saying, "Here I am!" Blessings, Allen From wyatt at clanwebb.com Mon Jan 23 00:17:56 2006 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Mon, 23 Jan 2006 00:17:56 -0800 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Relationship Entropy Message-ID: <2B6DD70C-1C22-4114-A8EB-EDC6EB43B77C@clanwebb.com> Relationships are more like a garden and less like a trophy. That may seem an odd analogy, but it sums up precisely what I learned the hard way as a teenager. You see, as a teenage boy on the prowl, I didn't understand how relationships were maintained. I had friends that I liked to hang out with. Since we saw each other three or four times a week, we are still friends today. Maintaining those relationships happened almost accidentally. I also liked girls and dated quite a few. As those friends will tell you, though, I never dated any of them for very long. I kept falling into the same pattern. I liked the chase. I would spend quite a bit of time getting to know a girl I liked and making her feel special. Once we were officially "going together" though, I fell back into spending more time with my buddies. It didn't occur to me that not calling her for a week might be a bad thing. I just figured that once we were more or less locked-in, I could just call on her whenever I wanted to. I suffered the results of relationship entropy. After a few weeks (a couple of months at most), the girl in question would eventually leave me and move on to someone who could stay focused. God walked me through this process several times until I finally got tired of the results and actually started to think. Once I had a glimmer of an idea of what was going on, God led my future wife into my life. This time, I told myself, I wasn't going to fall down. I was going to put in the time and effort to keep the relationship from crumbling. It has apparently worked as we dated for over a year and have been married for over 16 years. I'm just glad God waited to introduce me to my wife until I had something resembling a clue on how to treat her. It has been a continuous learning experience since then. You see, relationships need to be tended and cultivated like a garden. They aren't something you get and then put on the shelf until you want it again. I know too many folks who may be saved, but who haven't tended to their relationship with Christ. So, they have their VIP pass into Heaven, but in the meantime, they're still trying to deal with the world alone. How sad! Don't let your relationship with Christ become a victim of relationship entropy. How do you maintain a relationship? First, you have to talk: "Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 Catch that bit in the middle? "pray continually" That doesn't mean praying 24-7, it means that you are never done praying. You don't sit down to a one hour prayer and say that you're done for the year. You need to be carrying on a constant conversation with Jesus or your relationship will wither. Secondly, when you have wronged the other person in the relationship, you need to reconcile with them. When I have wronged my wife, I have to go to her humbly and ask forgiveness. If I don't, I've damaged the relationship. If I do that enough, it will disintegrate. "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:9 Confess your sin and He will forgive. Then, your relationship will be repaired. So, tend that garden. Water and feed it daily. Remove the weeds of sin that work to strangle the flowers. Don't take your relationship with Christ and put it on a shelf to collect dust. It's so much more powerful than that. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Tue Jan 24 00:18:38 2006 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Tue, 24 Jan 2006 00:18:38 -0800 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Game Face Message-ID: <03819EC4-7B2E-44A8-A3CC-137070ACACA4@clanwebb.com> It's only January and this is already a banner year. My favorite team is going to the Super Bowl. I know there are mixed feelings about high powered sports in the Christian community and so be it. I confess that it is a shame that as many people that were going nuts at Qwest Field over 22 guys chasing a pigskin up and down the field don't show the same enthusiasm about Jesus Christ. Just remember that those people who were there and not saved are lost and need to be found. Still, I found it fun to see millionaire men with giant egos and chiseled bodies jumping up and down like little boys after a Pop Warner game heading for the pizza parlor. There was a lot of talk about the relationships between the coach and the quarterback, preparation, toughness, maturation, and about a thing called a game face. I suppose one could write a book about the game face, but it really is just another name for attitude and focus. "This may shock you, but I believe the single most significant decision I can make on a day-to-day basis is my choice of attitude. It is more important than my past, my education, my bankroll, my success, my failures, fame or pain, what other people think or say about me, my circumstances, or my position. Attitude is that "single string" that keeps me going or hinders my progress. It alone fuels my fire or assaults my hope. When my attitudes are right, there's no barrier too high, no valley too deep, no dream too extreme, no challenge too great for me." Charles Swindoll "Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and become obedient to death?even death on a cross!" Philippians 2:5-8 I sometimes think that I want to be right so bad that when things are going wrong, my attitude turns sour just so people know that I know things are going bad. After all, I would not want people to think I was so stupid that I couldn't see my own bad predicament. "How's it going, Allen?" Man, what a loaded question! Right at that point I must make a decision to please God or people about how I see my situation. I always try to think of the story of the man who wrote the hymn, "Peace Like A River". In 1871, tragedy struck Chicago as fire ravaged the city. When it was all over, 300 people were dead and 100,000 were homeless. Horatio Gates Spafford was one of those who had tried to help the people of the city get back on their feet. A lawyer who had invested much of his money into the downtown Chicago real estate, he'd lost a great deal to the fire. And his one son (he had four daughters) had died about the same time. Still, for two years Spafford?who was a friend of evangelist Dwight Moody?assisted the homeless, impoverished, and grief-stricken ruined by the fire. After about two years of such work, Spafford and his family decided to take a vacation. They were to go to England to join Moody and Ira Sankey on one of their evangelistic crusades, then travel in Europe. Horatio Spafford was delayed by some business, but sent his family on ahead. He would catch up with them on the other side of the Atlantic. Their ship, the Ville de Havre, never made it. Off Newfoundland, it collided with an English sailing ship, the Loch Earn, and sank within 20 minutes. Though Horatio's wife, Anna, was able to cling to a piece of floating wreckage (one of only 47 survivors among hundreds), their four daughters?Maggie, Tanetta, Annie, and Bessie?were killed. Horatio received a horrible telegram from his wife, only two words long: "saved alone." Spafford boarded the next available ship to be near his grieving wife, and the two finally met up with Dwight Moody. "It is well," Spafford told him quietly. "The will of God be done." Talk about a game face! Nothing in my life has ever come close to what Jesus endured or his faithful servant Spafford faced. "Attitudes can be like cobwebs which clutter up the mind and cause us to fail in the purposes of God. Or they can be like an interstate highway to an automobile, smoothing the way to our destination." J. Hampton Keathley, III, Th. M. So... How's it going, boys? Allen From wyatt at clanwebb.com Wed Jan 25 00:07:15 2006 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Wed, 25 Jan 2006 00:07:15 -0800 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Grace and the Mona Lisa Message-ID: There's a great illustration about losing sight of what's important. It goes like this: If you owned the Mona Lisa and hung it in your home, eventually it would be taken for granted. Someone who had never seen it before might be surprised, but after a year or two all of your friends would know that you have it and you would have received all of the mileage out of the experience. It would just be the old Mona Lisa to most folks coming to your home. Overexposure dilutes the essence of anything. We do that with God's grace. If I were to ask you to give a definition of grace right now, what would you say? Some of our deep-thinking brothers can expound for hours on the subject, but most of us would do a lot of verbal tap dancing. Bob Deffinbaugh, Th.M. leads into a detailed study of grace this way: "As I approach this study of the grace of God I am fully aware of the fact that most Christians suppose they know all they need to on the subject. A major factor in this misconception is that quick and easy definitions have been given for grace. Grace, we all know, is God's unmerited favor. In acrostic fashion we have been taught to define grace as (G)od's (R)iches (A)t (C)hrist's (E)xpense....GRACE. These are simply inadequate, and thus we must devote this entire message to a more precise definition of grace. We will attempt to accomplish this by a series of statements or propositions which will be explained in some detail." Boy, old Bob isn't kidding. He goes on to explain, in detail, all kinds of grace including, but not limited to, common, saving, securing, serving, and sustaining. Now one thing is for sure: Bob is smarter than I am when it comes to theology, but I have a need to reduce the important things in my life to pocket size. What I mean is that I have to condense it down to something I can put in my shirt pocket so I can reach out during the day and pat it for reassurance. One of my teachers put it this way: "Grace is that unique ability, that belongs only to God, to bridge the canyon created by sin and bring that man home to himself." Jesus Christ earned it. He offered it to me. I took it. In my mind, it's just that simple. Bob makes a great point here: "Grace is sovereign. Since we have no claim on God's grace and cannot contribute anything to it, then grace must be sovereignly bestowed. As God said to Moses, "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion." Exodus 33:19 " I have an unsaved friend who told me his plan. "Just live your life and repent before you die!" This idea isn't something I care to put in my shirt pocket and depend upon. "What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace might increase? May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?" Romans 6:1-2 Review grace, friends. Ponder it. Relish it. Be grateful for it, but never take it for granted. Allen From wyatt at clanwebb.com Wed Jan 25 23:00:30 2006 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Wed, 25 Jan 2006 23:00:30 -0800 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Perfection Sports Message-ID: Like many guys, I'm a sports fan. I've actually expanded my sports of interest as I've grown older, but the things about each sport that interest me tend to be the same. I like sports with a strategy I can follow. I like sports that take real skill to play. I like sports with guys that are fun to root for. One thing has been the same for me since childhood, though. I've always liked sports that allow for a comeback win. I like the games where you may blow it on one play and be a hero the next. Conversely, I've also disliked playing sports that demand perfection. I even have a hard time watching sports like that. The Olympics always have sports that are judged and the only way to win is to avoid mistakes. That always seemed like a great way to crush your spirit. Imagine spending a decade of your childhood perfecting yourself as a gymnast or figure skater. You peak at the right time and get to go to the Olympics. But, on your big day you use too much resin or the ice has a divot. That's enough to make you slip and you are judged less than worthy. All of that effort to miss it by a hair. That's just too much pressure for me. I could never compete that way. No, I'd much rather play a sport where you can look like a dog most of the game and still win. I watched Jay Buhner flub a fly ball in a playoff game to allow the opponent to go ahead. In the next inning, though, he hit a home run to put the Mariners back ahead. I watched the Red Sox get outclassed by the Yankees three games in a row over a year ago. Then the Sox won four in a row. Baseball, basketball, and football have countless stories like that. I love those because it speaks to my desire to be able to redeem myself, to pick myself up off the ground and beat the opponent. Well, unfortunately for me, my relationship with God is a perfection sport. I have to be perfect to win. I'm competing in front of the ultimate judge and I need a perfect 10 to get in the door. I have one shot at it. Can I do it? Actually, that's a rhetorical question because scripture already gives me the answer: no. "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" Romans 3:23 To sin literally means to miss the mark. If you can't live perfectly you don't get in. Man, I hate it when you have to be perfect. It's just so hard! In this case, it's impossible. You might as well forget trying to earn your way in. Accept the gift. "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 See, God knew that if life were a redemption sport, we'd pat ourselves on the back. "I sure blew it early in life, but did you see that comeback in my fifties?" Nope. Won't work that way. We can't take any credit for the fact that that we will be judged as perfect. That's entirely the result of the gift of Christ's blood. I still don't like perfection sports. Thankfully, I don't have to worry about my scores in this one anymore. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Fri Jan 27 00:38:15 2006 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Fri, 27 Jan 2006 00:38:15 -0800 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Passion Message-ID: <25DEC58D-0DAB-409D-9B24-859C1E487022@clanwebb.com> I believe that the things we admire in other people tend to be those things that we aren't very good at ourselves. I did well school, but I admired the athletes. They didn't get the grades I did, but I sure was impressed with their ability to play the game. While helping to build software, the people that always blew me away were the artists and the sound engineers. They were creating compelling imagery and music. That ability is so foreign to me it feels like magic. Now, I marvel at my wife's ability for compassion and mercy. That can sometimes be hard for me. The one guy I always come back to when I think about how to model my Christian life is Peter. Paul was brilliant and wrote much of what we use to understand our relationship with Christ. I can identify with Paul's background. I can understand where he comes from. Peter is harder for me. He strikes me as a hard-working man with a fiery passion. You get the sense that he didn't always understand all the nuances, but he just knew that Christ was Lord and that was that. Whenever Jesus asked Peter anything, Peter always wanted to do twice as much. I want that kind of passion for my relationship with Christ. Of course, Peter's passion could get in the way, too. There's a scene I love from the Last Supper when Jesus washes the feet of His disciples. "He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, "Lord, are you going to wash my feet?" Jesus replied,"You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand." "No," said Peter, "you shall never wash my feet." Jesus answered, "Unless I wash you, you have no part with me." "Then, Lord," Simon Peter replied, "not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!" Jesus answered, "A person who has had a bath needs only to wash his feet; his whole body is clean." " John 13:6-10 You gotta love Peter. First, he says "No way! You're my Lord! You aren't washing my feet!" It always surprised me that by this point in their relationship, Peter still hadn't figured that he ought to just go along with whatever Jesus did. He knows that he is not worthy to have Jesus wash his feet, but he risks missing the whole point. When Jesus explains to him that it's necessary to have fellowship, Peter flies to the other extreme. "Wash all of me, then!" You can almost see Jesus shaking His head at Peter. "No, you don't get it. You are already saved, I just want to wash your feet." Don't miss the point Jesus was making here. He's saying that once you are saved, you still need to be periodically cleansed to maintain a good relationship with Him. He's referring to the constant confession of sin and asking forgiveness. He will always respond, but without that process you and Christ will grow distant. I think Peter got it. Just like Jesus said, Peter figured it out later. Peter knew that salvation was a one-time deal, but confession and forgiveness was ongoing. I still envy Peter's passion, but I have to remind myself that it's a marathon and not a sprint. That kind of passion can wear a guy out if you aren't careful! Be passionate, but don't burn out. Stay close to Jesus. Don't drift away just because you don't feel like admitting your mistakes. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Sat Jan 28 00:29:59 2006 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Sat, 28 Jan 2006 00:29:59 -0800 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Short and Simple Message-ID: <05F26A2F-2A85-4D98-99C7-C371C536B188@clanwebb.com> Did you ever want to be the one with the cool stories? Do you find yourself a little envious that you can't join in with some dramatic war story when the guys are sitting around shooting the breeze? I used to love hearing stories from my dad about his teen years and college years. He was a bit of a rebel and seemed to have some great tales to tell. I tried the rebel thing, but the worst I could muster up was sneaking out of my room late at night and going to hang out with my girlfriend. After about an hour of TV, we'd get bored and tired and I'd go home. I heard a Christian comedian when I was about 15. He talked about his years as a hippie who indulged in anything he could get his hands on. He made jokes about a pretty miserable life of aimlessness and despair. His story of conversion was pretty dramatic and the change in his life was equally shocking. It was powerful testimony and hit hard on impressionable teens like myself. I have often wondered if I missed something by not have such a dramatic conversion. I wasn't lying in a gutter or spending the night in jail. I came from a loving home and I accepted Christ as a young teen. I went from being a geeky teen who gently tested the limits to being a geeky teen who gently tested the limits and loved Christ. It just didn't seem like good theater. I knew guys who would embelish their testimony to give it more punch. They seemed to have missed the point. We're witnesses, not carnival barkers. Jesus made it simple. How do you tell someone else about Christ? "Jesus did not let him, but said, "Go home to your family and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you." " Mark 5:19 Just tell folks what He's done for you. No more. No less. Now, don't let yourself get caught fumbling, either. Peter tells us to be ready. "But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentless and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander." 1 Peter 3:15-16 This only makes sense. God can't use you as a witness if you aren't ready to tell your story. Don't stretch the truth. Just tell folks what He's done for you. In my case, I can tell you that without Christ, I would likely be working harder, possibly earning more money, but living an empty life. The things that catch my interest have no substance without Christ. Today, I am truly content. That's what He's done for me. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Sun Jan 29 00:45:56 2006 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Sun, 29 Jan 2006 00:45:56 -0800 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Night Seasons Message-ID: <20E4DA26-7634-47AB-94FA-532E4E4F4B54@clanwebb.com> There are times in our lives when everything looks dark. We can't open our mouths without something negative coming out. All incoming news is bad and expected to get worse. We are wounded, hunkered down, bleeding, and in full expectation of failure. We allow the worst question possible to enter our minds: "What if God doesn't show up in time to save me?" Nancy Missler, author of "Night Seasons" says it this way: "In our night seasons, we are very vulnerable because we are so anxious to hear or see something from God. If we are operating only on the fleshly level, then we become wide-open targets for the enemy's deception. Because, if what was promised does not occur, on top of everything else we are experiencing at this time, there will be indescribable spiritual anguish" This is bad because it is in the spirit that we communicate with God. If we are wounded and negative in spirit then we are in big trouble. In case you've forgotten who the enemy is: "You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies." John 8:44 Satan messes with your head on the flesh or soul level, but he can't on the spirit level. He is out to get you. It is what he does. His very purpose is to justify his own rebellion by bringing you down. Get on the offensive! "Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight." 1 Peter 3:4 If your spirit level is invaded it is because you brought it in. Only you can associate a lie with your spirit. There are only two at that level, and God is the other one. "in the hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised long ages ago," Titus 1:2 When you get into a night season, distract yourself. Run to the positive. See past the valley. Remember you are the earthly leader of your family and they watch your eyes. If you let them think your spirit has been breached then they are sunk along with you. Satan watches your eyes also and, if he gets the impression you are weak in the spirit, he will bombard you with lies and negativity causing you to drag it into your spirit and weaken your bond with God. "in everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit; " 1 Thessalonians 5:18-19 You don't have to like it, just be thankful for it. Slam the door on the bad times and hang on. Allen From wyatt at clanwebb.com Mon Jan 30 00:23:09 2006 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Mon, 30 Jan 2006 00:23:09 -0800 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Frame of Reference Message-ID: <1C2B8C0A-ABDA-4232-93A5-A3B7F660816B@clanwebb.com> It's all about your perspective, your frame of reference. Einstein figured out how some of the mysteries of the universe worked based on that. It may look like you and I are standing still, but if you look out the window it looks like we're moving about 40 because we're standing on a moving bus. Anyone who's been in a car accident knows that there's definitely a difference in the result if the other car was moving or not. What you describe as your frame of reference is critical to understanding what's going on. I've watched the neighbor kids play in the street and they will always defer to the biggest kid. Often, they'll do something they didn't want to simply to please this king of the playground. They might fear embarrassment or even injury if they defy him. When I walk out to the street, though, it all changes. You see, up to that point the frame of reference for all of the kids was just the other kids. They defined their behavior based on the universe consisting of just those kids. When an adult enters the equation, everything changes. Suddenly, the big kid doesn't run the show. Suddenly, being the big kid's friend doesn't buy you much. Throughout history man has done the same thing. Every society develops a hierarchy based on their frame of reference. Whoever can coordinate control of that known universe will be regarded with deference, honor, and sometimes, fear. We put a funny hat on their head. We have them wear strange clothes. We recite incantations, perform ceremonies, and enforce their wishes. Whether it is the guy with the most goats, the Pharaoh, the King, or the President, we treat them as being at the peak of our existence. That's because our frame of reference is based on what we see. It's also based on our sinful nature to believe that we know the boundaries and there really isn't anything outside of our frame. The day is coming when the adult will walk into the playground. Our frame of reference will be shattered: "By myself I have sworn, my mouth has uttered in all integrity a word that will not be revoked: Before me every knee will bow; by me every tongue will swear. They will say of me, 'In the Lord alone are righteousness and strength.' " All who have raged against him will come to him and be put to shame." Isaiah 45:23-24 Suddenly, the man we chose to serve here on earth will mean nothing. The worldly cause that we spent our life fighting for won't matter. Each and every person will have to stand before the judgement seat of God. It won't matter if you were the King. It won't matter if you were a beggar. What will matter is your behavior. Not the names of the people involved. It will only matter whether you are a child of God or not. "Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God" John 1:12 Don't be tricked by the frame of reference the world uses. Use the one God has shown us. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Mon Jan 30 23:43:10 2006 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Mon, 30 Jan 2006 23:43:10 -0800 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Fear Message-ID: <71DD8B8B-4738-4C65-9C7D-14E59A3578FC@clanwebb.com> There is a first time for everything, even fear. I was playing with my granddaughter last night. We were lying on the floor and she was going through her exercises as she learns to crawl. She had burped up a little, so I reached for a cloth. However, I didn't notice that her knee was on it. I pulled on it at the wrong moment and it was just like the rug-out-from-under-the-chair gag. She did a little flip move and landed on her back. At that instant I saw the fear in her eyes. She was taken aback and she looked right at me perplexed and wanting an answer. She now knew something new. She knew that something unexpected and for which she was unprepared could happen at any time from someone that, up until that moment, she felt completely secure with. She quickly recovered as I made light of the event and laughed. She laughed, too, but there it was imprinted on her mind. It was stored in her memory for recall later. It was inevitable and perhaps wasn't the first time in her short six months, but it was the first time I saw it in her eyes. "He answered, "I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid." " Genesis 3:10 This was the first time for man. Imagine the very first time fear was on earth. Before this moment, there hadn't been fear anywhere. I don't know how many times "fear" or "afraid" appears in Scripture, but I know it's a bunch. It is here to say. Man cannot remove it. In fact, many men live to be afraid and survive. They toy with it and some become addicted to it. As for me, I could easily do without it. I hate having to deal with it all the time. There are a million things that we can be afraid of in the world and it's true that there's a rush when we overcome fear. But, I resent the fact that it is so imprinted upon my mind that it keeps me from being closer to God. We will never be rid of it in this life, but we don't have to give in to it. We can give in to God, instead. Admit the fear. Point right at it and tell God that thing makes you afraid. Then admit to yourself that many of your fears are too much for you to take on every day and humble yourself. I am talking about that naked-baby-bird-in-the-nest humble and present yourself before him. "Be He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, "God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble." " James 4:6 Then wait for the nourishment and He will come to the nest with his great wings spread and feed you. "And do no be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect." Romans 12:2 And then... "Yet those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary." Isaiah 40:31 When you come to the end of your rope, tie a knot and wait for God. Allen