From wyatt at clanwebb.com Thu Mar 1 00:25:48 2007 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Thu Mar 1 00:26:01 2007 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Lies Message-ID: <55F1F799-3C39-4451-A533-5B1E89790227@clanwebb.com> There is nothing quite so destructive and emotionally sapping as being the victim of a lie. It is so easy to think about stretching the truth or inventing a little something to make life go smoother. And, yet, we get so self-righteous when we are on the short end of that stick. I think of the frustration with little things like a car salesman that pulls the bait-and-switch or the mechanic who sneaks in a few extra charges or the store that doesn't tell you about the fees for delivery and warranty on that new appliance. You become cynical and distrustful of anyone offering a product or service. I think of feeling of helplessness when a superior misleads or lies about you in the workplace. If you can't prove the lie, then some level of distrust is now aimed at you. It threatens a good working environment as you now have to constantly document your decisions and interactions and you can't trust anyone. Or, you may be driven away from an otherwise productive job. I think of the deep pain of when a loved one lies to you or about you. You feel worth less to them. You feel small and unimportant. It takes months or years to feel comfortable being vulnerable around them again. Those are the deepest cuts. "I call on the Lord in my distress, and he answers me. Save me, O Lord, from lying lips and from deceitful tongues." Psalm 120:1-2 Praise God that He can protect us from these wounds. But, watch yourself! Don't find yourself being the perpetrator. The consequences aren't good. "What will he do to you, and what more besides, O deceitful tongue? He will punish you with a warrior's sharp arrows, with burning coals of the broom tree." Psalm 120:3-4 Watch your mouth. That thing's loaded and the backfire is intense. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Thu Mar 1 22:28:39 2007 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Thu Mar 1 22:29:26 2007 Subject: [Daily Push Up] FID Message-ID: I've decided that I don't want fame. I don't want to be known around the world or around the country. I'm not fond of the idea of people nosing into my private life. I don't like thinking about how much family time I would lose out on. But, most of all, I don't want to become a victim of FID, otherwise known as False Intelligence Disease. I've watched enough TV and read enough news on the Internet to know that just about every person who becomes famous enough will fall prey to this disease. It's more pronounced in some and others seem to actually be able to overcome it. But, for most it's an illness that lasts well past the years when they are no longer famous. You've seen the ravages of this disease, too. As people become famous actors, singers, models, or whatever they all start to think that they are smarter than they really are. They have come to the illogical conclusion that because they have money and a somewhat captive audience, they should use it to proclaim some cause with shaky foundations. I've seen the famous claim to be experts on global warming, the war in Iraq, abortion, sex education, taxes, animal rights, endangered species, free speech, Supreme Court judges, and much, much more. And, yet, they rarely know what they are talking about. "A rich man may be wise in his own eyes, but a poor man who has discernment sees through him." Proverbs 28:11 There's the rub. Not everyone will see through these people. It will only be those who are discerning. How do you become discerning? I'm glad you asked. You become good at discerning by comparing everything you hear with the Word. If it doesn't match or doesn't make sense in light of the Word, it's junk. So, I don't want to become famous. I don't want to be the one who is seen through. I want to be the one seeing through the fakes. Are you discerning when listening to those proclaiming their causes? Or, do you take their claims at face value? View the world through the filter of the Word. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Sat Mar 3 00:22:37 2007 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Sat Mar 3 00:22:55 2007 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Mystery Message-ID: <5C57B3C9-2404-4F04-9E59-399FB2160A4C@clanwebb.com> I love a mystery. I watch them, read them, and listen to them. Some are pretty lame and their value is in the history of the story or series and not the complexity of the plot. Some of the old radio shows like Sergeant Preston of the Yukon, Sherlock Holmes, Suspense and the rest are the seeds of newer TV series like CSI or Law & Order. The thing about a mystery is that something has to be unknown and it has to impact someone enough for them to want to know the truth. It also takes someone to come on the scene and know something that the rest of us don't know in order to get at the truth. The Bible has its mysteries and, with some of them, someone came along that had special knowledge and explained the truth. Such was the case of the King of Babylonia. He had a mystery, a dream, and needed an explanation. A young, defiant Hebrew named Daniel solved the mystery. "Daniel replied, "No wise man, enchanter, magician or diviner can explain to the king the mystery he has asked about," Daniel 2:27 "As for me, this mystery has been revealed to me, not because I have greater wisdom than other living men, but so that you, O king, may know the interpretation and that you may understand what went through your mind." Daniel 2:30 "The king said to Daniel, "Surely your God is the God of gods and the Lord of kings and a revealer of mysteries, for you were able to reveal this mystery." Daniel 2:47 Many times, people are introduced to God through a mystery. It usually has something to do with their personal lives. Someone comes along and God uses them to clear away the fog and the mystery is revealed. Like Daniel, you don't have to have greater wisdom to help solve a mystery, you just have to let God reveal the mystery and you tell someone about it. Allen From wyatt at clanwebb.com Sat Mar 3 22:43:48 2007 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Sat Mar 3 22:44:06 2007 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Never Alone Message-ID: <0113B57D-7D44-431E-91D2-DB1BE48B88B5@clanwebb.com> As a child, I was deeply afraid of being embarrassed in public. So much so, that I refused to do anything that I wasn't convinced that I could do without a problem. I would watch other kids play a video game in the arcade for weeks before I'd ever try myself. I wouldn't buy my own candy or popcorn at the movie theater. I always made my parents go with me. I always begged my parents help on school projects so they'd look better than I could have done alone. I had a fear of appearing foolish or dumb in front of others. As the years passed, it didn't really change. I just learned how to do more things so there were fewer situations when that fear arose. I took speech classes in high school and now I'm reasonably comfortable with public speaking. I learned to drive with my dad, so I was able to avoid risking embarrassment in front of my peers. To this day, I will have flashes of that old fear coming back. What if my employer figures out I'm not really as productive as they think? What if my friends from church figure out what I've struggled with in my life? Throughout my life, this fear was always alleviated by having a friend or loved one join me. I could fly through the checkout line if Mom or Dad was with me. I could take a risk in front of a group if I wasn't alone. There was something about having someone at my side that made all those moments easier. Part of my ability to overcome that fear now is that I know there is always someone at my side. "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9 Whether you share my fear or not, I guarantee that there will be moments in your life when you are terrified to step up or speak out. You'll be wound up and shaking in your boots at something you have to do. Just remember that the Lord your God will be with you. You won't be alone. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Sun Mar 4 21:37:53 2007 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Sun Mar 4 21:38:30 2007 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Walking The Talk Message-ID: <3548BEC0-BBDF-4182-AD8E-D10281BB8AD9@clanwebb.com> The old TV series "Cheers" had a character named Cliff who was a regular patron of the bar. Cliff was one of those people who had something to say about everything. You could talk about an obscure subject and he would spout off to the point where you weren't sure if he knew what he was talking about or if he was just making it up. There are folks like that in the church. They are experts in their own eyes and appear to be uninformed. The folks you want to listen to are not necessarily the talkers, but the walkers. The very fact that they walk their talk speaks volumes and is a huge source of knowledge by itself. I once heard a man tell a famous preacher, "I have memorized the whole book of Romans." The preacher replied, "So what?" We don't study and memorize scripture to impress. Good teachers don't smack you down with their knowledge. They teach and walk their talk. "Be shepherds of God's flock that is under your care, serving as overseers?not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away." 1 Peter 5:2-4 "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." 1 Peter 5:5b Gauge your preachers, teachers, elders, and study leaders against this model and then follow those that follow the model. Allen From wyatt at clanwebb.com Mon Mar 5 22:28:28 2007 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Mon Mar 5 22:29:11 2007 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Plans Message-ID: <87B4CFD4-8776-4102-B619-FB742ABE835A@clanwebb.com> I thought I was pretty good at planning things. Then, I met my wife. She takes it to a new level. It's a comfort thing for her. The more she can plan ahead, the more comfortable she is with the upcoming events. The more thought she can put into the process, the better she feels about going wherever or doing whatever the plan calls for. It allows her to plan contingencies and alternatives. She can prepare for the unexpected so the trip or event is not a complete loss. I didn't think much of it at first, but over the years, she's convinced me. We always seem to have the right item or the perfect solution when a minor crisis occurs. It's always because she planned ahead. Whether we're planning a birthday party for our son or a trip across the country, she is methodical and dogged about preparing for just about any possible outcome. Now, I am amazed at how good my wife is at this, but the truth is that she can't plan for everything. She doesn't have enough time. But, if she can be that prepared after a couple of weeks of planning, think about what can be accomplished with a year or two and some dedicated planners. Consider what goes into organizing a Super Bowl or the Olympics. Those are huge, amazing feats of planning that spend thousands of man hours planning for all kinds of wacky possibilities. Going further, consider the kind of planning that goes on when lives are at stake. We can surmise that the US Government has a plan on how to invade just about any country that ever thumbed its nose at us. They have a plan on how to respond to attacks from countries we profess to consider allies or, at least, neutral. They have to be prepared. They have to consider the crazy, insane sounding possibilities because they can't afford not to have a plan. So, why do we have a hard time trusting that God has the perfect plan. He is perfect, so there are no defects and He's had more than enough time to get everything right. "But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations." Psalm 33:11 "The Lord Almighty has sworn, "Surely, as I have planned, so it will be, and as I have purposed, so it will stand." " Isaiah 14:24 "What I have said, that will I bring about; what I have planned, that will I do." Isaiah 46:11b " "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11 Suffice it to say, He has plans. He has a plan for the universe. He has a plan for you. Trust the plan. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Tue Mar 6 22:23:22 2007 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Tue Mar 6 22:23:38 2007 Subject: [Daily Push Up] A Welcome Rebuke Message-ID: <66D0BF96-9061-4639-B9A0-67EDB99F6149@clanwebb.com> Criticism is an unwelcome event. I particularly don't like it when it is introduced with a lot of syrup. You know what I mean: "Allen, you know I like you and you have done a lot of good work for the company, but... " I'm the kind of guy who likes it straight up: "Allen, do you have a minute? I think you are off base and I wanted to air it out." Now you have my attention and we can get to it. If you slither up to the subject, then I don't trust you and we don't communicate. Now, maybe it's just me, but I don't mind criticism if it is from someone I admire and trust. It's how I learn from my mistakes. "He who listens to a life-giving rebuke will be at home among the wise. He who ignores discipline despises himself, but whoever heeds correction gains understanding. The fear of the Lord teaches a man wisdom, and humility comes before honor." Proverbs 15:31-33 If it is your responsibility to hand out criticism, then keep in mind that not all people accept a rebuke. You may as well write it in smoke on a windy day. "Do not rebuke a mocker or he will hate you; rebuke a wise man and he will love you." Proverbs 9:8 Some people are worth the trouble of a rebuke. The rest you just walk to the gate. Allen From wyatt at clanwebb.com Wed Mar 7 22:00:41 2007 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Wed Mar 7 22:01:03 2007 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Hot Shower Message-ID: <68FCA0E6-4D76-4077-963B-84AF7E2F2422@clanwebb.com> There comes a time in every man's life when he has to come face to face with a particular sin. It usually happens when all the old, worn- out justifications have worn so thin that he can't believe them anymore. It is a plain fact staring with cold, hard eyes out of the mirror. "Buddy, you are in deep and you had better turn this thing around or it's going to do some major damage." The problem, of course, is that you can talk your way into deep sin, but you can't talk your way back out. You can only talk yourself back far enough that the heat becomes bearable. Then, you stop and you will eventually talk yourself back toward the flame. We all know that if you want to feel clean, you need a hot shower. "Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." Hebrews 4:16 Allen From wyatt at clanwebb.com Thu Mar 8 22:31:51 2007 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Thu Mar 8 22:32:08 2007 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Bigger God Message-ID: As a youngster I engaged in one of the oldest schoolyard taunts just like all of my peers: "My dad could beat up your dad!" This comment usually came out because the boy calling it felt unable to fight back against a bully or as a challenge to someone he didn't like. The taunt was used when the boy couldn't guarantee that a physical confrontation would go his way. If the kid was lucky, the other boys may have actually seen the two dads in question and could vouch for him if he was making a valid statement. Of course, at that age, our entire ability to judge superiority was based on height and weight. There was no accounting for the bad knee or bad back on the dad who played high school football or the stamina of the dad who jogged regularly. We just wanted to put down another kid by implying that we had a bigger dad. At a deeper level, though, what I was bragging about was that I felt like my dad was big and strong and would protect me. I knew that he'd fight a lion for me if he had to. I still have love and respect for my father because of that, but I also realize now that he can't protect me from everything. I'm an adult. I've chosen my own path and committed my own sin. He couldn't get me into Heaven if he wanted. Heck, he can't get there on his own, either. For that, we both needed a new Father. "I lift up my eyes to the hills? where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip? he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord watches over you? the Lord is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep you from all harm? he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore." Psalm 121 Now, I can change my taunt to "My God could beat up your god!" which is true, but misses the point. What I really need to be saying is: "My God is bigger than your god, but He can be your God, too!" Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Fri Mar 9 22:56:31 2007 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Fri Mar 9 22:57:13 2007 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Answer Well Message-ID: A fellow who loves hot air balloons decides that he wants to learn how to fly one on his own. He takes off one morning and is making great time until he floats into a very thick fog. He isn't sure what to do and has lost track of where he is and can't tell what his altitude is. So, he decides to just set it down. As he descends, he suddenly sees an office building! He yells at the guy he can see in the building and finally gets his attention. "Hey, can you tell me where I am?" "Sure. You're in a hot air balloon about fifty feet in the air." "Gee, thanks. You must work in tech support." "How did you know that?" "Well, you answered my question correctly, but the information is completely useless to me." Sometimes you can be speaking the truth, but your words are completely useless to others. "[...]Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give an answer for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness 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 If you speak out for Christ in a way that is not gentle and not respectful, then your words are useless. Be ready to answer. Just make sure it's a useful answer. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Sat Mar 10 22:21:49 2007 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Sat Mar 10 22:22:08 2007 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Neverending Deal Message-ID: I have a box in the garage the has about fifty or so comic books from my childhood. From time to time, I'll get them down and flip through them just for the sake of nostalgia. It's fun to remember reading them and what my life was like at the time. It's downright hilarious to see the advertisements and all of the strange mail-order stuff that was being pitched to pre-teen boys thirty years ago. I wish I could still mail the little form in to get those classic toys for fifty cents. They sell for much more than that on eBay nowadays. Now, I still happen to have some computer magazines that I bought around the same time. Those have some humorous ads in them, too. Those are funny because the prices were so high for technology that was pretty simple. I have no desire whatsoever to take one of those deals today. Who would pay over two grand for something with less computing power than my cell phone? Some deals seem better after time passes. Some seem worse. I've been in on some good deals and some bad. The truth is that you just never really know. Once again, I love God for being the best deal around forever. It's not a limited time offer and you can't get a bad deal. "Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands." Deuteronomy 7:9 He keeps His covenant of love. The same covenant for a thousand generations. Wow. You can't miss out on that deal because it never ends. You won't ever have buyer's remorse because it never goes bad. He'll keep on loving me no matter what. I love that I don't have to guess about God. He just is. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Sun Mar 11 22:01:54 2007 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Sun Mar 11 22:02:17 2007 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Misleading Advertising Message-ID: <7607BAE3-71FC-4C51-BAA4-BFF5AEAD44A2@clanwebb.com> Great ad campaigns get your attention and have a message about the product or event paying the bill. I remember a couple that have stuck in my mind over the years. One was from many years ago for a dairy. It had as its two characters two rather worn-looking rabbits. One was named Harry and he was always planting the punch line on the unnamed one. For example, Harry would say, "Carnation ice cream is rich and wholesome." Then he would plop a scoop into the other rabbit's hand and say, "Here. Hold some." Another was for Henry Weinhard's brewery. It had to do with a bunch of old cowboys in the middle of a cattle drive who are all stretched out after hard day in prairie grass. Along comes the cook, a grizzly looking guy, with a dirty apron and a ladle the size of a sledge hammer. He then begins to announce, "Tonight's choices are boiled gopher livers with rattlesnake fritters in a mint sauce." He goes on to add a couple more fancy-sounding dishes that take jabs at high- priced restaurants. The imagery is priceless when you throw in the looks from the cowboys. Of course all things change and now we have, "What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas." or "Our great restaurants can be your excuse." "Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?" Psalm 139:7 "Great is our Lord and mighty in power; his understanding has no limit." Psalm 147:5 " "I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty." " Revelation 1:8 Yeah, right! Better to stick to humor and information, ad guys. Allen From wyatt at clanwebb.com Tue Mar 13 05:00:08 2007 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Tue Mar 13 05:01:22 2007 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Hear the Roar Message-ID: <7C5CA008-981E-4D3B-B149-B2B15CE52855@clanwebb.com> Do you remember that tone? That voice? That growl that your dad (or mom) had when you knew you were in trouble? I heard that voice most often after breaking something and pretending it didn't happen or skipping my chores or simply disobeying and then disappearing. I don't know why I bothered to hide. It didn't make matters any better. At those moments, I'd hear "the voice" call out my name with that distinctive edge. Once in a while, my middle name would be included (never a good sign). Nonetheless, every time I heard it, I knew immediately that I had one of two choices: I could humbly return and attempt reconciliation or I could continue to hide. The second choice was a sucker bet. It only postponed and intensified the eventual result. The key with the first choice, though, was the humility. Returning implied that I knew I had blown it and I wanted to make it right. I could not come back wagging a finger and telling my parents off. That would have started a whole new conversation with an even less pleasant outcome. The bottom line is that if I returned with humility, my parents would accept me. They might punish me so I could experience the consequences of my actions, but they would, in fact, accept me and love me. I see this relationship clearly when I read this scripture from Hosea after listing all the things Israel has done to disobey God: " "They will follow the Lord; he will roar like a lion. When he roars, his children will come trembling from the west. They will come trembling like birds from Egypt, like doves from Assyria. I will settle them in their homes," declares the Lord." Hosea 11:10-11 God may call for you with "the voice", but you should know that there's really only one way to answer that. Anything that postpones your humility just means you'll have to be that much more humble when you finally face up to it. It's okay to tremble before the Lord. Just make sure you answer the call. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Tue Mar 13 21:57:08 2007 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Tue Mar 13 21:58:29 2007 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Escalators Message-ID: <99BBBA08-A480-4845-820F-CD7D4896FFAC@clanwebb.com> I was at the mall with my wife the other day and observed two teenage boys doing what teenage boys do. They were waiting at the top of the "up" escalator. I realized that they were watching to see when the entire escalator was empty. When it was, they attempted to run down the upward moving stairs. It took them a while and they had to abandon their attempt when more folks got on at the bottom. I've seen many kids try this activity over the years. I've even done it once in a while. It's odd in that the runner is trying to prove he can overcome a machine that is attempting to push him the other way. Now, the longest escalator I have ever been on is in the Porter Square subway station in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It is roughly twelve stories high and is a long ride. I would imagine that trying to run against that beast would be nigh impossible without injury or exhaustion. Which way would you rather travel? Running against the escalator or with it? Which is easier on your body? Which is safer and better for you in the long run? "Righteousness guards the man of integrity, but wickedness overthrows the sinner." Proverbs 13:6 Your actions will determine if the laws of God will work for you or against you. Your actions will determine which direction the escalator you are on is going. Would you rather fight against being overthrown? Or run with righteousness guarding you? Which is easier on your spirit? Which is better for you in the long run? Why do we keep trying to run the wrong way? Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Thu Mar 15 01:09:34 2007 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Thu Mar 15 01:10:13 2007 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Isolated Sin Message-ID: <2C5F7108-BE93-4F9A-A19D-24823EDCDB09@clanwebb.com> A standard justification for sin is to propose that it can be done in isolation. "If it doesn't hurt anybody, how can it be sin?" or "What I do on my own time is my own business as long as it doesn't harm anyone." If you really contemplate the issue, it is impossible to sin without affecting others. "For in his own eyes he flatters himself too much to detect or hate his sin. " Psalm 36:2 This idea that you can isolate yourself from the effects of sin by holding to the idea that "it's my life" is a ruse because, in the end, any sin at any time isolates you from God. Not being under God's protection and not receiving nourishment from the Word means, by definition, you are eating and drinking from polluted sources. "would not God have discovered it, since he knows the secrets of the heart?" Psalm 44:21 "If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened;" Psalm 66:18 Don't stand in the way of God blessing you by lying to yourself. Allen From wyatt at clanwebb.com Fri Mar 16 00:02:13 2007 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Fri Mar 16 00:02:31 2007 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Exposed By Action Message-ID: <164F6FDE-A469-4CA9-9D34-095E89610CE1@clanwebb.com> I remember a simple experiment we did in junior high that demonstrated just how much your mind assumes in certain situations. This experiment involved setting a large can of coffee on the counter. The teacher would then go grab the can with one hand, lift it over his head, and then set it down again. He would then ask a student to do the same. The student would grab the can with one hand and as he started to lift, his hand would fly into the air, he would lose his grip, and throw the can behind him. The trick involved was that the teacher acted as if the can were full when, in fact, it was empty. The student had picked up on subtle clues in the way the teacher had lifted and reacted to the supposed weight of the can and made the assumption that the can was full. His mind had assumed a weight of five or ten pounds when it was only a few ounces and so the surplus of strength caused the can to be thrown. My point here is that many things are deceptive until you see them in action. The short man may be an excellent basketball player. The big man may still be able to run fast. You just don't know. The clean- cut, well-dressed man may have an evil heart. The greasy, dirty, smelly man may have a holy heart. One thing is true, though. Once you see them in action, you learn quite a bit more about them. You can often determine a wise or foolish man by watching what he does over time. "Every prudent man acts out of knowledge, but a fool exposes his folly." Proverbs 13:16 The key here is that this can't be faked. A fool wants to appear wise, but he can't help himself because he simply isn't wise. Prudent actions denote a wise man. You can't disguise what your heart holds. Wisdom comes from knowing God. Your actions will reflect your level of wisdom. What will the observer deduce from watching you? Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Sat Mar 17 00:34:38 2007 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Sat Mar 17 00:34:55 2007 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Ungrateful Message-ID: <671C7D9F-9454-4585-A94B-3F9A713EFF94@clanwebb.com> One morning you walk out your door and find a man lying in a heap on your front step. He appears to have been beaten and he's barely alive. When he sees you he begs for your help in a hoarse whisper. Hopefully, your response would be to help the man up and into your house. You may set him on a couch and ask him what happened. You'd probably bring him water and maybe offer him a bite to eat if he was hungry. You would offer him some aspirin or an ice-pack or bandages if he needed them. After telling you the story of his attackers, you would call for the police or an ambulance to get him the help he needed. After investing that much time and being so involved with his story, you'd probably be quite interested to hear what happened. Later that night, you see that the evening news is interviewing this man and you're hoping to hear if they've caught the attackers. When they ask the man what happened, he tells the same story he told you about how he was attacked. But, then, he tells the reporter that he was able to fight off the attackers himself and walked five miles to the hospital all on his own. The reporter would compliment him on his bravery and strength in being able to take care of himself and you would see him smiling proudly on your TV. How does this make you feel? Yeah, it would boil my blood, too. It's not that I want the recognition, I just burns me to see ungrateful people. "When I fed them, they were satisfied; when they were satisfied, they became proud; then they forgot me." Hosea 13:6 So, why do we do the same thing to God over and over? Why do we beg for His help and, when He puts us back together, why do we claim we did it ourselves? It's good to be satisfied. Just don't let it become pride. "Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall" Proverbs 16:18 Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Sat Mar 17 22:43:39 2007 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Sat Mar 17 22:44:07 2007 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Creature Comforts Message-ID: <87F5B93E-5C3E-40E1-865A-DCEB049723EC@clanwebb.com> There is no doubt that money can bring comfort. It can bring softer carpets, beds, and couches along with appliances, cars, homes, and anything else the eye sees as a delight. There is nothing in the Bible that says money you earn honestly cannot be used to afford these things for you. Too often, I see people that are trying to fill their lives with these things because they think it will fill the hole. Most of the time, I think they get a bigger kick out of telling someone else about them than using the item. The ooohs and aaahs are more important than the actual item. These creature comforts should never be a replacement for peaceful comfort. A blues singer named Peggy Lee had a hit sing titled, "Is this all there is?" and it really hit the mark. Without a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, there will always be something missing. "But woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort." Luke 6:24 It's all about what comes after the creature comforts have rusted and faded. You just may have a whole new understanding for uncomfortable. Allen From wyatt at clanwebb.com Sun Mar 18 21:20:47 2007 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Sun Mar 18 21:21:04 2007 Subject: [Daily Push Up] My God Message-ID: Through out recorded history and, logically, before, man has always looked to a supreme being. Scientists will tell us that it is out of fear of the natural world that we look to the supernatural. Man and his gods belong in the philosophy department, not with science, because science only deals with truth. Keeping the second part of this argument for another time, I find it interesting that, while in the Old Testament my God required a sacrifice as an atonement for sin, all the other gods saw it as payment. Finally, my God provided the ultimate and last sacrifice while the pagan gods are on the welfare system and their needs are never-ending. They have a fine print agreement that says all you want from this world will be given to you in the next. It's okay to want wine, women, and song and you can have it if you just pay up or blow yourself up. No, as for me, give me Jesus. "For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes." Deuteronomy 10:17 Allen From wyatt at clanwebb.com Mon Mar 19 23:05:42 2007 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Mon Mar 19 23:54:54 2007 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Walk Carefully Message-ID: <817BEFBA-ECE7-4C80-B060-711938D8999F@clanwebb.com> As I watch and read about anti-war protesters in my city, I continue to be truly amazed at people who refuse to understand reality. There is a portion of society (and it seems to be getting bigger) that has decided that if something makes sense to them, it must be true. They want science without God, so they believe Darwin instead of the evidence all around them. They want pleasure without boundaries or consequences, so they believe in free love and abortion. They want to purse their whims without restraint, so they believe in a government that pays their way. In every case, they are convinced that since they have defined the truth, the laws of nature will bend to their will. Imagine the classic obstacle course with several car tires tied together in pairs. The idea is to step in and out of each one without stumbling. Now, if you practice long enough, your muscles will learn how far apart the tires are, how high the tires are, and how fast you have to step to clear them. If I choose to conform my steps to the reality of the tires, I will be able to clear the obstacle. If, however, I begin the course and decide that the tires are much larger and only an inch off the ground, I will stumble badly. It's the same course and it is clearly seen. I cannot change the course because I want it to. I have to change myself. "Who is wise? He will realize these things. Who is discerning? He will understand them. The ways of the Lord are right; the righteous walk in them, but the rebellious stumble in them." Hosea 14:9 If you choose to believe the truth, you will make progress along the obstacle course of life. If you choose to believe something else, you will stumble. You see, the laws of the universe are set. The laws of God are set. The course is set. You can only choose to follow them or ignore them. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Tue Mar 20 22:47:31 2007 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Tue Mar 20 22:48:08 2007 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Same Story Message-ID: I picked up the current issue of Newsweek magazine. The cover story is "The Evolution Revolution". It seems that the fossil record must now take a back seat to the DNA evidence. A while back, the DNA evidence traced us all back to a common ancestor in Africa and this article confirms the theory. The new thought tosses out the old view of the little monkey skeleton moving upward to the knuckle-dragger to the partial-upright and then to the fully upright. All those wonderful museum displays are just hat racks now because the new truth has arrived. It seems that there are many dead-ends in our trip from living in a tree to the condo. Many of the skulls now seem to have lived together in the African savanna. How about the thought that all these different species, some surviving and some dying out, were part of a huge scattering way back when? The theory that was basic to the evolution story was that each species had the ability to hunt and kill one another. Now, according to this article, that theory is debunked because the study of fossilized man was dominated by men. Pure politics in science being called truth. I would not mind them changing directions so often if they would just acknowledge that we don't. But, they just can't leave us alone. I quote, "The neat traditional model in which one species gave rise to another like Biblical "begats" has been replaced...et al". Hold on! You are the guys that have always said that. We have always said that God made man and all these other species separately. Begat has always been applied in the Bible to relatives and their ancestors, not across species. What is the matter with the idea that they are chasing all this DNA around to dead-ends because there is a common maker, not common parents? We live in a defective world and not every living being makes it. Man survives because of God, not because we are getting smarter every day. "That is why it was called Babel?because there the Lord confused the language of the whole world. From there the Lord scattered them over the face of the whole earth." Genesis 11:9 "Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground." " Genesis 1:26 That's my story. Sooner or later, something greater than DNA will prove it to the unbeliever. Allen From wyatt at clanwebb.com Wed Mar 21 23:39:07 2007 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Wed Mar 21 23:39:30 2007 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Rich and Clueless Message-ID: <064673BA-8261-4494-B74B-5D1B1C6D5AA8@clanwebb.com> We are in a time when fame and money carry the illusion of wisdom. So many famous people are generating an opinion about everything and they speak for a wall of wealth. I have money, therefore you must respect me and what I profess to know. I have no animosity toward wealthy people. What they own is theirs to do with as they please. If happiness is the sparkle of the world, then, by all means, go off like a fountain on the Fourth of July. Don't, however, use your wealth to ratchet yourself up the ladder of wisdom and, beyond that, don't go to the man or woman who lacks wealth and try to make them believe you know more than they do. Real knowledge and wisdom come from seeking out the truth of a matter. But, it doesn't follow that just because you are wealthy and have an opinion, that you are wise. The world is full of clamor and distraction. If you can't hear yourself think for the glitz, you are just moving, not progressing. "The wealth of the rich is their fortified city; they imagine it an unscalable wall." Proverbs 18:11 "Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Though it cost you all you have, get understanding." Proverbs 4:7 What can one possibly desire more than a personal relationship with the Creator of the universe? What can one possibly want to seek more than the knowledge about what He has in store for those that gain the knowledge of Him? Allen From wyatt at clanwebb.com Thu Mar 22 22:02:34 2007 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Thu Mar 22 22:02:52 2007 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Who Am I To Complain? Message-ID: <0384B3AF-EB97-452D-8E3E-F0F8757E6FD6@clanwebb.com> I was challenged today. I was at my weekly Bible study reading through the prescribed scripture and I stopped short. It was one of those moments that hits you like a brick. My thoughts stopped and I was completely focused on the Scripture in front of me. God was speaking to me. I've learned that it's beneficial to listen when He does. I stopped because the Scripture I was reading was challenging me to mimic Christ in a way that I had never really thought about before. I'm used to hearing that I should love the way He did or be obedient like He was or speak the truth like Him. Then I saw this: "To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps." 1 Peter 2:21 I was now being told that I had to endure suffering the way He did. How did He endure it? Isaiah told everyone how it would happen hundreds of years before. "He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth." Isaiah 53:7 He simply went through it. He endured. He did not complain. He was at peace because He knew God was using His suffering for good. How do I deal with suffering? Not well. I get wound up if my cable bill is too high. I get annoyed when the neighbor's dog leaves gifts in my driveway. I fume and fuss when someone I'm working with isn't cooperating. I actually lost sleep one night a few weeks ago when I thought my HDTV was having color problems. What petty stuff! There are people dying for sharing my faith every day. There are people living without clean water or enough food. Even those people aren't suffering the way Christ suffered. This is not a "grin and bear it" kind of attitude. This is having peace that God is using your suffering for good in some way. This is being confident that there's a reason and you trust Him about it. You don't have to enjoy it, but you should take the opportunity to learn from it. If you can approach suffering that way, you won't find the need to complain. I was challenged to stop my whining today. Won't you join me? Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Fri Mar 23 23:58:49 2007 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Fri Mar 23 23:59:09 2007 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Aligned Message-ID: In September of 1999, NASA lost contact with a $125 million Mars orbiter because of a simple difference. One engineering team had written software using the metric system. Another team had used English units. The orbiter couldn't transfer navigation information from one system to another and so they lost contact. It's not like you can send your kid out in the backyard to wiggle the satellite dish, either. It's gone. I recently finished getting my teeth aligned and I wear a retainer to keep them in place. Sometimes, I'll forget to put it in after eating and I will have gone 12 or 16 hours without it. I don't notice a problem. My teeth feel fine. Everything seems great. "What do I need that thing for anyway?" Then, I put it back in. It's tight and it hurts, because it's pushing my teeth back where they belong. I had no idea they would move that much in just a few hours. I shudder to think how it would feel if I were to forget it overnight. Our spiritual life is the same way once we are saved. If you take Jesus off for a few days, you still feel fine. You can't tell anything is wrong, but you slowly start to drift. If you put Jesus back on soon, you'll be realigned quickly. But, if you wait days or weeks or years, it'll be painful. Don't let that turn you off, though. He lets you feel the consequences out of love. "My son, do not despise the Lord's discipline and do not resent his rebuke, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in." Proverbs 3:11-12 If it didn't hurt, you wouldn't be loved. Also, I don't recommend the procrastinator's approach. The longer you wait, the more uncomfortable it will be to return and for a longer time. If you've set down the Word and stopped talking to Jesus, but you think things are still going fine, you've drifted. You may not think it's that far, but you've drifted. Get your alignment back. Then, keep your alignment by checking in with Scripture and Christ frequently. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Sat Mar 24 22:34:03 2007 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Sat Mar 24 22:34:30 2007 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Walking Message-ID: <11A78B12-6FDC-47B0-BED5-DB4814E10640@clanwebb.com> My high school was not unusually large, but it was big enough. It was made up of the original high school built almost a hundred years ago and a new building that almost tripled the size. This made the campus fairly spread out and getting around it was complicated by having to move around the other 1200 students. When I only had five minutes to get from one end of campus to the other, I learned quickly to move fast. Over time, my natural gait changed and learned to walk quickly by taking longer strides and becoming an accomplished people-dodger. This served me well through high school and even to college when I had more time between classes, but a much larger campus to cross. However, my walking habits don't work as well when I walk with my wife. She's about six inches shorter than I am and has a hard time keeping up when I walk at my normal speed. Over the years, I've learned to adjust my speed and walk with her because I enjoy that more than moving faster. I have to consciously think about it, but building a relationship with my wife is much preferable to walking my own way. Although, we never actually discussed it, we've made the unspoken agreement to walk together so we can enjoy the journey. "Do two walk together unless they have agreed to do so?" Amos 3:3 It's the same way when walking with God. You could choose to continue walking the way you've learned to on your own, or you can choose to walk with Him. You may think you're going somewhere faster when you walk alone, but you can't imagine the relationship you're missing. Is it time to adjust your stride? Do you need to agree to walk together with God? Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Sun Mar 25 22:18:16 2007 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Sun Mar 25 22:18:32 2007 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Avoiding the Obvious Message-ID: The primary drive of mankind is to be in control of everything. Science strives to understand everything in order to take it apart and manipulate the building blocks. In other words, they strive to be able to control it. The basic magnetic repulsion of same poles can be applied to man and God. Those that want to disprove His existence are naturally repelled by any evidence to the contrary. The start with the premise that God has nothing to do with anything except as a concept for the ignorant to hold on to as a justification for their existence. So it is with global warming. The believers refuse to listen to any evidence that doesn't support their theory. Never mind that there are many scientists that refute the idea as a "done thing". Well I have news for the whole bunch. The planet was never meant to last forever. "But by His word the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men. But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day. The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up. Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat! But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells." 2 Peter 3:7-13 Read it and weep, brothers. You can run, but you can't hide. Allen From WYATT at clanwebb.com Mon Mar 26 22:34:24 2007 From: WYATT at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Mon Mar 26 22:34:43 2007 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Guess Again Message-ID: History has a long list of leaders that we would classify as odd, unstable, crazy, and even evil. History has also had nation-states with overwhelming powers of destruction via large armies, superior armaments, or simply overwhelming weapons for which there is no defense. Throughout history, though, there have been a few times when one of these leaders has had access to that kind of war-making power. In every case, it resulted in large body counts and oppressive empires. Perhaps it is simply my nearness to the time, but these conjunctions seem to be happening more rapidly. In the twentieth century alone, I can point to Hitler, Stalin, Mao Zedong, and Pol Pot. Today, I think the man most likely to add his name to that list in this century is Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran. A modicum of research will reveal that he claims to desire an apocalyptic event that will bring forth a mythical Islamic leader. At the same time, he is clearly seeking to build nuclear weapons. Like a cult leader who can't escape the surrounding authorities, he is hoping to take everyone down with him and then rise from the ashes as part of some kind of legendary rebirth. God questioned this line of thinking quite a few years ago. It's not going to turn out the way he expects: "Woe to you who long for the day of the Lord! Why do you long for the day of the Lord? That day will be darkness, not light. It will be as though a man fled from a lion only to meet a bear, as though he entered his house and rested his hand on the wall only to have a snake bite him. Will not the day of the Lord be darkness, not light? pitch-dark, without a ray of brightness?" Amos 5:18-20 They are mistaken that they can even accelerate the day of the Lord. It will happen when God wills. And it won't be the beginning of anything better for those who don't believe. What this man and those like him wish will never be. They cannot drive themselves to power via suicide and random destruction. They cannot bring about their own power by promising to kill as many people as possible. They cannot rule nations with so little regard for God's creation. The only one who can bring victory from death is Christ and that was through His own death to avoid our own. I'm glad that my God is not their God. I'm also glad that mine's alive and promises me peace and love. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Tue Mar 27 22:27:14 2007 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Tue Mar 27 22:27:38 2007 Subject: [Daily Push Up] The Distance of Hate Message-ID: <145E668A-16C8-4444-BBF3-9416F9FED9AB@clanwebb.com> I happened upon CNN last night and Sean Penn was speaking at a town hall somewhere. I was a bit shocked, even at him, as he spewed a viscous flow of hatred toward the current administration. The audience applauded as he shook his finger at them and shouted, "The Democratic party will do what we tell them, from the boys at Google to the Iowa farmer, we will show them that we will pick the next president and put this one in f***ing jail!" He also asked the daughters of the president where they stood on the war and, if they were for it, "How dare they not be in uniform!" My own opinion is that all war is a bad event. It costs lives and maims many. The innocent and the guilty alike are caught up. But, to think this world will ever be without war, that all peoples will live in harmony, that evil will sleep is stupid beyond the pale. There is right and there is wrong. You must choose a side. Not choosing a side is choosing not to fight evil. To be sure, we can disagree about the method and our leaders. We can debate when and where, but it will never end until Jesus comes back and ends it. Every time someone hates, no matter what the circumstances, Satan wins territory. He was in the auditorium clapping the loudest. "I, wisdom, dwell together with prudence; I possess knowledge and discretion. To fear the Lord is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech. Counsel and sound judgment are mine; I have understanding and power." Psalm 8:12-14 The distance between God and a man can be measured by his hate. Allen From wyatt at clanwebb.com Wed Mar 28 23:16:57 2007 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Wed Mar 28 23:17:12 2007 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Stand-In Message-ID: This story appeared in the New York Daily News on March 22, 2005: "A Bronx teacher who repeatedly flunked his state certification exam paid a formerly homeless man with a developmental disorder $2 to take the test for him, authorities said yesterday. The illegal stand-in - who looks nothing like teacher Wayne Brightly - not only passed the high-stakes test, he scored so much better than the teacher had previously that the state knew something was wrong, officials said." The teacher is reportedly a thin, black man and the stand-in was an overweight, white man. It sounds to me like this fellow made a very poor selection when choosing someone to take his place. As a result, his life got worse instead of better. If you're going to have someone take your place, make sure that person is up to the task. Make sure he can handle the situation you were supposed to deal with. I found out that someone took my place already. I'm very thankful for His sacrifice: "God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." 2 Corinthians 5:21 Becoming righteous on our own is a test we'll never pass. It's not a bad idea to try to get someone to pass it for you. Make sure you pick someone perfect. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Thu Mar 29 22:59:30 2007 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Thu Mar 29 22:59:49 2007 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Hate the Opposition Message-ID: In the last decade, I saw something that baseball fans of my dad's generation would have never seen. I've seen big name players who had played for the Boston Red Sox agree to play for the New York Yankees. With the salaries and free agency rules today, players don't think anything about changing teams or following money. A couple of decades ago such a jump would have been unthinkable. Players didn't change teams unless they had nowhere else to go. Players from that era are quoted saying things like, "We hated each other. That's the way it oughtta be!" You have to respect the dedication players had to the rivalries and competition back then. It wasn't just a team, it was a lifestyle. You didn't eat with the competition. You didn't talk to him. You were barely civil because you felt the rivalry in your bones. If you played for Boston, the idea of being a Yankee was repulsive and sickening. Nowadays, it's just whoever writes the bigger check. Sometimes we let our spiritual lives become that shallow. We simply follow whatever feels good. We listen to those who say there's no big difference between right and wrong. We imagine the line getting fuzzier and try to play both sides. The truth is that we should hate sin and choose to avoid that lifestyle with the same vigor those players had. "The righteous detest the dishonest; the wicked detest the upright." Proverbs 29:27 If you aren't detesting dishonesty and that lifestyle, there's something wrong with your walk. If the wicked of the world don't detest you, there's something wrong with your walk. C'mon. Get your game face on and remember who the opponents are. The game we're playing means something. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Fri Mar 30 21:57:59 2007 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Fri Mar 30 21:58:16 2007 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Redesign Message-ID: One reason I enjoy writing computer software is the simple joy of creation. There's a sense of accomplishment and a satisfaction that you have command of your environment when you create something new and useful. Whether it's a game to pass the time, a utility that makes you work more efficiently, or a productivity application that changes the way you work completely, each piece of software has the potential to affect lives in a small or large way. The ability to have complete control over your creation is addicting, too. If the application I write doesn't work quite the way I like, I can change it. If I want a feature that works slightly differently, I can add it. Heck, if I don't like one thing I can simply create a replacement from scratch. More to the point, when I'm adding new features I can change the old ones to make it easier. Just yesterday, a coworker and I discussed removing a small feature to make it easier to add a new, bigger feature. We simply agreed to do it and it happened. We get to make up the rules as we go, if we like. We can change the rules for convenience or just for fun. This is precisely why I'm glad God is our creator. He figured it all out ahead of time and laid down the right rules beforehand. He could change them if He wanted, but He doesn't have to. They are perfectly correct. "And the words of the Lord are flawless, like silver refined in a furnace of clay, purified seven times." Psalm 12:6 "As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the Lord is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in him." Psalm 18:30 If we were in control, we would change the rules to suit our desires. We would fudge the black and white and create a lot of gray. In fact, that's exactly what the world says that you have the power to do. It tricks people into thinking that the rules are malleable. They are not. They are set in stone and they are perfect. I'm glad the promises He made will never change. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Sat Mar 31 21:55:20 2007 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Sat Mar 31 21:55:40 2007 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Middle of the Road Message-ID: <1F2208FC-936D-4D2B-AEA5-339A8AD0622D@clanwebb.com> The middle of the road can be a dangerous place to be. Have you ever been caught in the middle of the road when something big is bearing down on you? There's a legitimate fear there. Whenever I cross the road, especially at night, I know that the middle of the road is the worst place to be. I always feel better on the sidewalk or even on the shoulder. When a truck is heading toward you, there's a moment of indecision because you know you have to move, but you aren't sure if the driver will attempt to move, too. If you're truly in the middle of his path, it's not always clear which way is the better way to jump. If you were on the sidewalk, there's nothing to worry about. Even if the truck is going to jump the curb and head toward you, you know which way to run: away from the road! So many people try to live in the middle of the road. They feel comfortable claiming that they aren't truly evil like those on one side of the road, but they aren't prudes like those on the other side, either. They figure they can have a good time and dabble in a few things without really being part of the "bad" side. Except, when the headlights come around the corner, they'll have to make a decision. If they don't make the right decision, they'll be stuck on the wrong side of the road forever. The bad news for them is that by the time they see the lights, it'll be too late. God points out that trying to play neutral in the battle of good and evil is not a safe place to be. The Edomites had ignored the plight of Israel when it was invaded. I'm sure they comforted themselves by claiming they weren't joining in, but God says it's no different: "On the day you stood aloof while strangers carried off his wealth and foreigners entered his gates and cast lots for Jerusalem, you were like one of them." Obadiah 1:11 "The day of the Lord is near for all nations. As you have done, it will be done to you; your deeds will return upon your head." Obadiah 1:15 You can't claim innocence by trying to split the difference. This is a black and white decision. Putting a foot on each side does not make you gray. It just makes you a target. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Thu Mar 1 00:25:48 2007 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Thu, 1 Mar 2007 00:25:48 -0800 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Lies Message-ID: <55F1F799-3C39-4451-A533-5B1E89790227@clanwebb.com> There is nothing quite so destructive and emotionally sapping as being the victim of a lie. It is so easy to think about stretching the truth or inventing a little something to make life go smoother. And, yet, we get so self-righteous when we are on the short end of that stick. I think of the frustration with little things like a car salesman that pulls the bait-and-switch or the mechanic who sneaks in a few extra charges or the store that doesn't tell you about the fees for delivery and warranty on that new appliance. You become cynical and distrustful of anyone offering a product or service. I think of feeling of helplessness when a superior misleads or lies about you in the workplace. If you can't prove the lie, then some level of distrust is now aimed at you. It threatens a good working environment as you now have to constantly document your decisions and interactions and you can't trust anyone. Or, you may be driven away from an otherwise productive job. I think of the deep pain of when a loved one lies to you or about you. You feel worth less to them. You feel small and unimportant. It takes months or years to feel comfortable being vulnerable around them again. Those are the deepest cuts. "I call on the Lord in my distress, and he answers me. Save me, O Lord, from lying lips and from deceitful tongues." Psalm 120:1-2 Praise God that He can protect us from these wounds. But, watch yourself! Don't find yourself being the perpetrator. The consequences aren't good. "What will he do to you, and what more besides, O deceitful tongue? He will punish you with a warrior's sharp arrows, with burning coals of the broom tree." Psalm 120:3-4 Watch your mouth. That thing's loaded and the backfire is intense. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Thu Mar 1 22:28:39 2007 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Thu, 1 Mar 2007 22:28:39 -0800 Subject: [Daily Push Up] FID Message-ID: I've decided that I don't want fame. I don't want to be known around the world or around the country. I'm not fond of the idea of people nosing into my private life. I don't like thinking about how much family time I would lose out on. But, most of all, I don't want to become a victim of FID, otherwise known as False Intelligence Disease. I've watched enough TV and read enough news on the Internet to know that just about every person who becomes famous enough will fall prey to this disease. It's more pronounced in some and others seem to actually be able to overcome it. But, for most it's an illness that lasts well past the years when they are no longer famous. You've seen the ravages of this disease, too. As people become famous actors, singers, models, or whatever they all start to think that they are smarter than they really are. They have come to the illogical conclusion that because they have money and a somewhat captive audience, they should use it to proclaim some cause with shaky foundations. I've seen the famous claim to be experts on global warming, the war in Iraq, abortion, sex education, taxes, animal rights, endangered species, free speech, Supreme Court judges, and much, much more. And, yet, they rarely know what they are talking about. "A rich man may be wise in his own eyes, but a poor man who has discernment sees through him." Proverbs 28:11 There's the rub. Not everyone will see through these people. It will only be those who are discerning. How do you become discerning? I'm glad you asked. You become good at discerning by comparing everything you hear with the Word. If it doesn't match or doesn't make sense in light of the Word, it's junk. So, I don't want to become famous. I don't want to be the one who is seen through. I want to be the one seeing through the fakes. Are you discerning when listening to those proclaiming their causes? Or, do you take their claims at face value? View the world through the filter of the Word. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Sat Mar 3 00:22:37 2007 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Sat, 3 Mar 2007 00:22:37 -0800 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Mystery Message-ID: <5C57B3C9-2404-4F04-9E59-399FB2160A4C@clanwebb.com> I love a mystery. I watch them, read them, and listen to them. Some are pretty lame and their value is in the history of the story or series and not the complexity of the plot. Some of the old radio shows like Sergeant Preston of the Yukon, Sherlock Holmes, Suspense and the rest are the seeds of newer TV series like CSI or Law & Order. The thing about a mystery is that something has to be unknown and it has to impact someone enough for them to want to know the truth. It also takes someone to come on the scene and know something that the rest of us don't know in order to get at the truth. The Bible has its mysteries and, with some of them, someone came along that had special knowledge and explained the truth. Such was the case of the King of Babylonia. He had a mystery, a dream, and needed an explanation. A young, defiant Hebrew named Daniel solved the mystery. "Daniel replied, "No wise man, enchanter, magician or diviner can explain to the king the mystery he has asked about," Daniel 2:27 "As for me, this mystery has been revealed to me, not because I have greater wisdom than other living men, but so that you, O king, may know the interpretation and that you may understand what went through your mind." Daniel 2:30 "The king said to Daniel, "Surely your God is the God of gods and the Lord of kings and a revealer of mysteries, for you were able to reveal this mystery." Daniel 2:47 Many times, people are introduced to God through a mystery. It usually has something to do with their personal lives. Someone comes along and God uses them to clear away the fog and the mystery is revealed. Like Daniel, you don't have to have greater wisdom to help solve a mystery, you just have to let God reveal the mystery and you tell someone about it. Allen From wyatt at clanwebb.com Sat Mar 3 22:43:48 2007 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Sat, 3 Mar 2007 22:43:48 -0800 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Never Alone Message-ID: <0113B57D-7D44-431E-91D2-DB1BE48B88B5@clanwebb.com> As a child, I was deeply afraid of being embarrassed in public. So much so, that I refused to do anything that I wasn't convinced that I could do without a problem. I would watch other kids play a video game in the arcade for weeks before I'd ever try myself. I wouldn't buy my own candy or popcorn at the movie theater. I always made my parents go with me. I always begged my parents help on school projects so they'd look better than I could have done alone. I had a fear of appearing foolish or dumb in front of others. As the years passed, it didn't really change. I just learned how to do more things so there were fewer situations when that fear arose. I took speech classes in high school and now I'm reasonably comfortable with public speaking. I learned to drive with my dad, so I was able to avoid risking embarrassment in front of my peers. To this day, I will have flashes of that old fear coming back. What if my employer figures out I'm not really as productive as they think? What if my friends from church figure out what I've struggled with in my life? Throughout my life, this fear was always alleviated by having a friend or loved one join me. I could fly through the checkout line if Mom or Dad was with me. I could take a risk in front of a group if I wasn't alone. There was something about having someone at my side that made all those moments easier. Part of my ability to overcome that fear now is that I know there is always someone at my side. "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9 Whether you share my fear or not, I guarantee that there will be moments in your life when you are terrified to step up or speak out. You'll be wound up and shaking in your boots at something you have to do. Just remember that the Lord your God will be with you. You won't be alone. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Sun Mar 4 21:37:53 2007 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Sun, 4 Mar 2007 21:37:53 -0800 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Walking The Talk Message-ID: <3548BEC0-BBDF-4182-AD8E-D10281BB8AD9@clanwebb.com> The old TV series "Cheers" had a character named Cliff who was a regular patron of the bar. Cliff was one of those people who had something to say about everything. You could talk about an obscure subject and he would spout off to the point where you weren't sure if he knew what he was talking about or if he was just making it up. There are folks like that in the church. They are experts in their own eyes and appear to be uninformed. The folks you want to listen to are not necessarily the talkers, but the walkers. The very fact that they walk their talk speaks volumes and is a huge source of knowledge by itself. I once heard a man tell a famous preacher, "I have memorized the whole book of Romans." The preacher replied, "So what?" We don't study and memorize scripture to impress. Good teachers don't smack you down with their knowledge. They teach and walk their talk. "Be shepherds of God's flock that is under your care, serving as overseers?not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away." 1 Peter 5:2-4 "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." 1 Peter 5:5b Gauge your preachers, teachers, elders, and study leaders against this model and then follow those that follow the model. Allen From wyatt at clanwebb.com Mon Mar 5 22:28:28 2007 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Mon, 5 Mar 2007 22:28:28 -0800 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Plans Message-ID: <87B4CFD4-8776-4102-B619-FB742ABE835A@clanwebb.com> I thought I was pretty good at planning things. Then, I met my wife. She takes it to a new level. It's a comfort thing for her. The more she can plan ahead, the more comfortable she is with the upcoming events. The more thought she can put into the process, the better she feels about going wherever or doing whatever the plan calls for. It allows her to plan contingencies and alternatives. She can prepare for the unexpected so the trip or event is not a complete loss. I didn't think much of it at first, but over the years, she's convinced me. We always seem to have the right item or the perfect solution when a minor crisis occurs. It's always because she planned ahead. Whether we're planning a birthday party for our son or a trip across the country, she is methodical and dogged about preparing for just about any possible outcome. Now, I am amazed at how good my wife is at this, but the truth is that she can't plan for everything. She doesn't have enough time. But, if she can be that prepared after a couple of weeks of planning, think about what can be accomplished with a year or two and some dedicated planners. Consider what goes into organizing a Super Bowl or the Olympics. Those are huge, amazing feats of planning that spend thousands of man hours planning for all kinds of wacky possibilities. Going further, consider the kind of planning that goes on when lives are at stake. We can surmise that the US Government has a plan on how to invade just about any country that ever thumbed its nose at us. They have a plan on how to respond to attacks from countries we profess to consider allies or, at least, neutral. They have to be prepared. They have to consider the crazy, insane sounding possibilities because they can't afford not to have a plan. So, why do we have a hard time trusting that God has the perfect plan. He is perfect, so there are no defects and He's had more than enough time to get everything right. "But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations." Psalm 33:11 "The Lord Almighty has sworn, "Surely, as I have planned, so it will be, and as I have purposed, so it will stand." " Isaiah 14:24 "What I have said, that will I bring about; what I have planned, that will I do." Isaiah 46:11b " "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11 Suffice it to say, He has plans. He has a plan for the universe. He has a plan for you. Trust the plan. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Tue Mar 6 22:23:22 2007 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Tue, 6 Mar 2007 22:23:22 -0800 Subject: [Daily Push Up] A Welcome Rebuke Message-ID: <66D0BF96-9061-4639-B9A0-67EDB99F6149@clanwebb.com> Criticism is an unwelcome event. I particularly don't like it when it is introduced with a lot of syrup. You know what I mean: "Allen, you know I like you and you have done a lot of good work for the company, but... " I'm the kind of guy who likes it straight up: "Allen, do you have a minute? I think you are off base and I wanted to air it out." Now you have my attention and we can get to it. If you slither up to the subject, then I don't trust you and we don't communicate. Now, maybe it's just me, but I don't mind criticism if it is from someone I admire and trust. It's how I learn from my mistakes. "He who listens to a life-giving rebuke will be at home among the wise. He who ignores discipline despises himself, but whoever heeds correction gains understanding. The fear of the Lord teaches a man wisdom, and humility comes before honor." Proverbs 15:31-33 If it is your responsibility to hand out criticism, then keep in mind that not all people accept a rebuke. You may as well write it in smoke on a windy day. "Do not rebuke a mocker or he will hate you; rebuke a wise man and he will love you." Proverbs 9:8 Some people are worth the trouble of a rebuke. The rest you just walk to the gate. Allen From wyatt at clanwebb.com Wed Mar 7 22:00:41 2007 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Wed, 7 Mar 2007 22:00:41 -0800 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Hot Shower Message-ID: <68FCA0E6-4D76-4077-963B-84AF7E2F2422@clanwebb.com> There comes a time in every man's life when he has to come face to face with a particular sin. It usually happens when all the old, worn- out justifications have worn so thin that he can't believe them anymore. It is a plain fact staring with cold, hard eyes out of the mirror. "Buddy, you are in deep and you had better turn this thing around or it's going to do some major damage." The problem, of course, is that you can talk your way into deep sin, but you can't talk your way back out. You can only talk yourself back far enough that the heat becomes bearable. Then, you stop and you will eventually talk yourself back toward the flame. We all know that if you want to feel clean, you need a hot shower. "Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." Hebrews 4:16 Allen From wyatt at clanwebb.com Thu Mar 8 22:31:51 2007 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Thu, 8 Mar 2007 22:31:51 -0800 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Bigger God Message-ID: As a youngster I engaged in one of the oldest schoolyard taunts just like all of my peers: "My dad could beat up your dad!" This comment usually came out because the boy calling it felt unable to fight back against a bully or as a challenge to someone he didn't like. The taunt was used when the boy couldn't guarantee that a physical confrontation would go his way. If the kid was lucky, the other boys may have actually seen the two dads in question and could vouch for him if he was making a valid statement. Of course, at that age, our entire ability to judge superiority was based on height and weight. There was no accounting for the bad knee or bad back on the dad who played high school football or the stamina of the dad who jogged regularly. We just wanted to put down another kid by implying that we had a bigger dad. At a deeper level, though, what I was bragging about was that I felt like my dad was big and strong and would protect me. I knew that he'd fight a lion for me if he had to. I still have love and respect for my father because of that, but I also realize now that he can't protect me from everything. I'm an adult. I've chosen my own path and committed my own sin. He couldn't get me into Heaven if he wanted. Heck, he can't get there on his own, either. For that, we both needed a new Father. "I lift up my eyes to the hills? where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip? he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord watches over you? the Lord is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep you from all harm? he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore." Psalm 121 Now, I can change my taunt to "My God could beat up your god!" which is true, but misses the point. What I really need to be saying is: "My God is bigger than your god, but He can be your God, too!" Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Fri Mar 9 22:56:31 2007 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Fri, 9 Mar 2007 22:56:31 -0800 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Answer Well Message-ID: A fellow who loves hot air balloons decides that he wants to learn how to fly one on his own. He takes off one morning and is making great time until he floats into a very thick fog. He isn't sure what to do and has lost track of where he is and can't tell what his altitude is. So, he decides to just set it down. As he descends, he suddenly sees an office building! He yells at the guy he can see in the building and finally gets his attention. "Hey, can you tell me where I am?" "Sure. You're in a hot air balloon about fifty feet in the air." "Gee, thanks. You must work in tech support." "How did you know that?" "Well, you answered my question correctly, but the information is completely useless to me." Sometimes you can be speaking the truth, but your words are completely useless to others. "[...]Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give an answer for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness 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 If you speak out for Christ in a way that is not gentle and not respectful, then your words are useless. Be ready to answer. Just make sure it's a useful answer. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Sat Mar 10 22:21:49 2007 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Sat, 10 Mar 2007 22:21:49 -0800 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Neverending Deal Message-ID: I have a box in the garage the has about fifty or so comic books from my childhood. From time to time, I'll get them down and flip through them just for the sake of nostalgia. It's fun to remember reading them and what my life was like at the time. It's downright hilarious to see the advertisements and all of the strange mail-order stuff that was being pitched to pre-teen boys thirty years ago. I wish I could still mail the little form in to get those classic toys for fifty cents. They sell for much more than that on eBay nowadays. Now, I still happen to have some computer magazines that I bought around the same time. Those have some humorous ads in them, too. Those are funny because the prices were so high for technology that was pretty simple. I have no desire whatsoever to take one of those deals today. Who would pay over two grand for something with less computing power than my cell phone? Some deals seem better after time passes. Some seem worse. I've been in on some good deals and some bad. The truth is that you just never really know. Once again, I love God for being the best deal around forever. It's not a limited time offer and you can't get a bad deal. "Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands." Deuteronomy 7:9 He keeps His covenant of love. The same covenant for a thousand generations. Wow. You can't miss out on that deal because it never ends. You won't ever have buyer's remorse because it never goes bad. He'll keep on loving me no matter what. I love that I don't have to guess about God. He just is. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Sun Mar 11 22:01:54 2007 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Sun, 11 Mar 2007 22:01:54 -0700 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Misleading Advertising Message-ID: <7607BAE3-71FC-4C51-BAA4-BFF5AEAD44A2@clanwebb.com> Great ad campaigns get your attention and have a message about the product or event paying the bill. I remember a couple that have stuck in my mind over the years. One was from many years ago for a dairy. It had as its two characters two rather worn-looking rabbits. One was named Harry and he was always planting the punch line on the unnamed one. For example, Harry would say, "Carnation ice cream is rich and wholesome." Then he would plop a scoop into the other rabbit's hand and say, "Here. Hold some." Another was for Henry Weinhard's brewery. It had to do with a bunch of old cowboys in the middle of a cattle drive who are all stretched out after hard day in prairie grass. Along comes the cook, a grizzly looking guy, with a dirty apron and a ladle the size of a sledge hammer. He then begins to announce, "Tonight's choices are boiled gopher livers with rattlesnake fritters in a mint sauce." He goes on to add a couple more fancy-sounding dishes that take jabs at high- priced restaurants. The imagery is priceless when you throw in the looks from the cowboys. Of course all things change and now we have, "What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas." or "Our great restaurants can be your excuse." "Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?" Psalm 139:7 "Great is our Lord and mighty in power; his understanding has no limit." Psalm 147:5 " "I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty." " Revelation 1:8 Yeah, right! Better to stick to humor and information, ad guys. Allen From wyatt at clanwebb.com Tue Mar 13 05:00:08 2007 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Tue, 13 Mar 2007 08:00:08 -0400 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Hear the Roar Message-ID: <7C5CA008-981E-4D3B-B149-B2B15CE52855@clanwebb.com> Do you remember that tone? That voice? That growl that your dad (or mom) had when you knew you were in trouble? I heard that voice most often after breaking something and pretending it didn't happen or skipping my chores or simply disobeying and then disappearing. I don't know why I bothered to hide. It didn't make matters any better. At those moments, I'd hear "the voice" call out my name with that distinctive edge. Once in a while, my middle name would be included (never a good sign). Nonetheless, every time I heard it, I knew immediately that I had one of two choices: I could humbly return and attempt reconciliation or I could continue to hide. The second choice was a sucker bet. It only postponed and intensified the eventual result. The key with the first choice, though, was the humility. Returning implied that I knew I had blown it and I wanted to make it right. I could not come back wagging a finger and telling my parents off. That would have started a whole new conversation with an even less pleasant outcome. The bottom line is that if I returned with humility, my parents would accept me. They might punish me so I could experience the consequences of my actions, but they would, in fact, accept me and love me. I see this relationship clearly when I read this scripture from Hosea after listing all the things Israel has done to disobey God: " "They will follow the Lord; he will roar like a lion. When he roars, his children will come trembling from the west. They will come trembling like birds from Egypt, like doves from Assyria. I will settle them in their homes," declares the Lord." Hosea 11:10-11 God may call for you with "the voice", but you should know that there's really only one way to answer that. Anything that postpones your humility just means you'll have to be that much more humble when you finally face up to it. It's okay to tremble before the Lord. Just make sure you answer the call. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Tue Mar 13 21:57:08 2007 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Wed, 14 Mar 2007 00:57:08 -0400 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Escalators Message-ID: <99BBBA08-A480-4845-820F-CD7D4896FFAC@clanwebb.com> I was at the mall with my wife the other day and observed two teenage boys doing what teenage boys do. They were waiting at the top of the "up" escalator. I realized that they were watching to see when the entire escalator was empty. When it was, they attempted to run down the upward moving stairs. It took them a while and they had to abandon their attempt when more folks got on at the bottom. I've seen many kids try this activity over the years. I've even done it once in a while. It's odd in that the runner is trying to prove he can overcome a machine that is attempting to push him the other way. Now, the longest escalator I have ever been on is in the Porter Square subway station in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It is roughly twelve stories high and is a long ride. I would imagine that trying to run against that beast would be nigh impossible without injury or exhaustion. Which way would you rather travel? Running against the escalator or with it? Which is easier on your body? Which is safer and better for you in the long run? "Righteousness guards the man of integrity, but wickedness overthrows the sinner." Proverbs 13:6 Your actions will determine if the laws of God will work for you or against you. Your actions will determine which direction the escalator you are on is going. Would you rather fight against being overthrown? Or run with righteousness guarding you? Which is easier on your spirit? Which is better for you in the long run? Why do we keep trying to run the wrong way? Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Thu Mar 15 01:09:34 2007 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Thu, 15 Mar 2007 01:09:34 -0700 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Isolated Sin Message-ID: <2C5F7108-BE93-4F9A-A19D-24823EDCDB09@clanwebb.com> A standard justification for sin is to propose that it can be done in isolation. "If it doesn't hurt anybody, how can it be sin?" or "What I do on my own time is my own business as long as it doesn't harm anyone." If you really contemplate the issue, it is impossible to sin without affecting others. "For in his own eyes he flatters himself too much to detect or hate his sin. " Psalm 36:2 This idea that you can isolate yourself from the effects of sin by holding to the idea that "it's my life" is a ruse because, in the end, any sin at any time isolates you from God. Not being under God's protection and not receiving nourishment from the Word means, by definition, you are eating and drinking from polluted sources. "would not God have discovered it, since he knows the secrets of the heart?" Psalm 44:21 "If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened;" Psalm 66:18 Don't stand in the way of God blessing you by lying to yourself. Allen From wyatt at clanwebb.com Fri Mar 16 00:02:13 2007 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Fri, 16 Mar 2007 00:02:13 -0700 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Exposed By Action Message-ID: <164F6FDE-A469-4CA9-9D34-095E89610CE1@clanwebb.com> I remember a simple experiment we did in junior high that demonstrated just how much your mind assumes in certain situations. This experiment involved setting a large can of coffee on the counter. The teacher would then go grab the can with one hand, lift it over his head, and then set it down again. He would then ask a student to do the same. The student would grab the can with one hand and as he started to lift, his hand would fly into the air, he would lose his grip, and throw the can behind him. The trick involved was that the teacher acted as if the can were full when, in fact, it was empty. The student had picked up on subtle clues in the way the teacher had lifted and reacted to the supposed weight of the can and made the assumption that the can was full. His mind had assumed a weight of five or ten pounds when it was only a few ounces and so the surplus of strength caused the can to be thrown. My point here is that many things are deceptive until you see them in action. The short man may be an excellent basketball player. The big man may still be able to run fast. You just don't know. The clean- cut, well-dressed man may have an evil heart. The greasy, dirty, smelly man may have a holy heart. One thing is true, though. Once you see them in action, you learn quite a bit more about them. You can often determine a wise or foolish man by watching what he does over time. "Every prudent man acts out of knowledge, but a fool exposes his folly." Proverbs 13:16 The key here is that this can't be faked. A fool wants to appear wise, but he can't help himself because he simply isn't wise. Prudent actions denote a wise man. You can't disguise what your heart holds. Wisdom comes from knowing God. Your actions will reflect your level of wisdom. What will the observer deduce from watching you? Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Sat Mar 17 00:34:38 2007 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Sat, 17 Mar 2007 00:34:38 -0700 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Ungrateful Message-ID: <671C7D9F-9454-4585-A94B-3F9A713EFF94@clanwebb.com> One morning you walk out your door and find a man lying in a heap on your front step. He appears to have been beaten and he's barely alive. When he sees you he begs for your help in a hoarse whisper. Hopefully, your response would be to help the man up and into your house. You may set him on a couch and ask him what happened. You'd probably bring him water and maybe offer him a bite to eat if he was hungry. You would offer him some aspirin or an ice-pack or bandages if he needed them. After telling you the story of his attackers, you would call for the police or an ambulance to get him the help he needed. After investing that much time and being so involved with his story, you'd probably be quite interested to hear what happened. Later that night, you see that the evening news is interviewing this man and you're hoping to hear if they've caught the attackers. When they ask the man what happened, he tells the same story he told you about how he was attacked. But, then, he tells the reporter that he was able to fight off the attackers himself and walked five miles to the hospital all on his own. The reporter would compliment him on his bravery and strength in being able to take care of himself and you would see him smiling proudly on your TV. How does this make you feel? Yeah, it would boil my blood, too. It's not that I want the recognition, I just burns me to see ungrateful people. "When I fed them, they were satisfied; when they were satisfied, they became proud; then they forgot me." Hosea 13:6 So, why do we do the same thing to God over and over? Why do we beg for His help and, when He puts us back together, why do we claim we did it ourselves? It's good to be satisfied. Just don't let it become pride. "Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall" Proverbs 16:18 Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Sat Mar 17 22:43:39 2007 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Sat, 17 Mar 2007 22:43:39 -0700 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Creature Comforts Message-ID: <87F5B93E-5C3E-40E1-865A-DCEB049723EC@clanwebb.com> There is no doubt that money can bring comfort. It can bring softer carpets, beds, and couches along with appliances, cars, homes, and anything else the eye sees as a delight. There is nothing in the Bible that says money you earn honestly cannot be used to afford these things for you. Too often, I see people that are trying to fill their lives with these things because they think it will fill the hole. Most of the time, I think they get a bigger kick out of telling someone else about them than using the item. The ooohs and aaahs are more important than the actual item. These creature comforts should never be a replacement for peaceful comfort. A blues singer named Peggy Lee had a hit sing titled, "Is this all there is?" and it really hit the mark. Without a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, there will always be something missing. "But woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort." Luke 6:24 It's all about what comes after the creature comforts have rusted and faded. You just may have a whole new understanding for uncomfortable. Allen From wyatt at clanwebb.com Sun Mar 18 21:20:47 2007 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Sun, 18 Mar 2007 21:20:47 -0700 Subject: [Daily Push Up] My God Message-ID: Through out recorded history and, logically, before, man has always looked to a supreme being. Scientists will tell us that it is out of fear of the natural world that we look to the supernatural. Man and his gods belong in the philosophy department, not with science, because science only deals with truth. Keeping the second part of this argument for another time, I find it interesting that, while in the Old Testament my God required a sacrifice as an atonement for sin, all the other gods saw it as payment. Finally, my God provided the ultimate and last sacrifice while the pagan gods are on the welfare system and their needs are never-ending. They have a fine print agreement that says all you want from this world will be given to you in the next. It's okay to want wine, women, and song and you can have it if you just pay up or blow yourself up. No, as for me, give me Jesus. "For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes." Deuteronomy 10:17 Allen From wyatt at clanwebb.com Mon Mar 19 23:05:42 2007 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Mon, 19 Mar 2007 23:05:42 -0700 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Walk Carefully Message-ID: <817BEFBA-ECE7-4C80-B060-711938D8999F@clanwebb.com> As I watch and read about anti-war protesters in my city, I continue to be truly amazed at people who refuse to understand reality. There is a portion of society (and it seems to be getting bigger) that has decided that if something makes sense to them, it must be true. They want science without God, so they believe Darwin instead of the evidence all around them. They want pleasure without boundaries or consequences, so they believe in free love and abortion. They want to purse their whims without restraint, so they believe in a government that pays their way. In every case, they are convinced that since they have defined the truth, the laws of nature will bend to their will. Imagine the classic obstacle course with several car tires tied together in pairs. The idea is to step in and out of each one without stumbling. Now, if you practice long enough, your muscles will learn how far apart the tires are, how high the tires are, and how fast you have to step to clear them. If I choose to conform my steps to the reality of the tires, I will be able to clear the obstacle. If, however, I begin the course and decide that the tires are much larger and only an inch off the ground, I will stumble badly. It's the same course and it is clearly seen. I cannot change the course because I want it to. I have to change myself. "Who is wise? He will realize these things. Who is discerning? He will understand them. The ways of the Lord are right; the righteous walk in them, but the rebellious stumble in them." Hosea 14:9 If you choose to believe the truth, you will make progress along the obstacle course of life. If you choose to believe something else, you will stumble. You see, the laws of the universe are set. The laws of God are set. The course is set. You can only choose to follow them or ignore them. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Tue Mar 20 22:47:31 2007 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Tue, 20 Mar 2007 22:47:31 -0700 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Same Story Message-ID: I picked up the current issue of Newsweek magazine. The cover story is "The Evolution Revolution". It seems that the fossil record must now take a back seat to the DNA evidence. A while back, the DNA evidence traced us all back to a common ancestor in Africa and this article confirms the theory. The new thought tosses out the old view of the little monkey skeleton moving upward to the knuckle-dragger to the partial-upright and then to the fully upright. All those wonderful museum displays are just hat racks now because the new truth has arrived. It seems that there are many dead-ends in our trip from living in a tree to the condo. Many of the skulls now seem to have lived together in the African savanna. How about the thought that all these different species, some surviving and some dying out, were part of a huge scattering way back when? The theory that was basic to the evolution story was that each species had the ability to hunt and kill one another. Now, according to this article, that theory is debunked because the study of fossilized man was dominated by men. Pure politics in science being called truth. I would not mind them changing directions so often if they would just acknowledge that we don't. But, they just can't leave us alone. I quote, "The neat traditional model in which one species gave rise to another like Biblical "begats" has been replaced...et al". Hold on! You are the guys that have always said that. We have always said that God made man and all these other species separately. Begat has always been applied in the Bible to relatives and their ancestors, not across species. What is the matter with the idea that they are chasing all this DNA around to dead-ends because there is a common maker, not common parents? We live in a defective world and not every living being makes it. Man survives because of God, not because we are getting smarter every day. "That is why it was called Babel?because there the Lord confused the language of the whole world. From there the Lord scattered them over the face of the whole earth." Genesis 11:9 "Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground." " Genesis 1:26 That's my story. Sooner or later, something greater than DNA will prove it to the unbeliever. Allen From wyatt at clanwebb.com Wed Mar 21 23:39:07 2007 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Wed, 21 Mar 2007 23:39:07 -0700 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Rich and Clueless Message-ID: <064673BA-8261-4494-B74B-5D1B1C6D5AA8@clanwebb.com> We are in a time when fame and money carry the illusion of wisdom. So many famous people are generating an opinion about everything and they speak for a wall of wealth. I have money, therefore you must respect me and what I profess to know. I have no animosity toward wealthy people. What they own is theirs to do with as they please. If happiness is the sparkle of the world, then, by all means, go off like a fountain on the Fourth of July. Don't, however, use your wealth to ratchet yourself up the ladder of wisdom and, beyond that, don't go to the man or woman who lacks wealth and try to make them believe you know more than they do. Real knowledge and wisdom come from seeking out the truth of a matter. But, it doesn't follow that just because you are wealthy and have an opinion, that you are wise. The world is full of clamor and distraction. If you can't hear yourself think for the glitz, you are just moving, not progressing. "The wealth of the rich is their fortified city; they imagine it an unscalable wall." Proverbs 18:11 "Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Though it cost you all you have, get understanding." Proverbs 4:7 What can one possibly desire more than a personal relationship with the Creator of the universe? What can one possibly want to seek more than the knowledge about what He has in store for those that gain the knowledge of Him? Allen From wyatt at clanwebb.com Thu Mar 22 22:02:34 2007 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Thu, 22 Mar 2007 22:02:34 -0700 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Who Am I To Complain? Message-ID: <0384B3AF-EB97-452D-8E3E-F0F8757E6FD6@clanwebb.com> I was challenged today. I was at my weekly Bible study reading through the prescribed scripture and I stopped short. It was one of those moments that hits you like a brick. My thoughts stopped and I was completely focused on the Scripture in front of me. God was speaking to me. I've learned that it's beneficial to listen when He does. I stopped because the Scripture I was reading was challenging me to mimic Christ in a way that I had never really thought about before. I'm used to hearing that I should love the way He did or be obedient like He was or speak the truth like Him. Then I saw this: "To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps." 1 Peter 2:21 I was now being told that I had to endure suffering the way He did. How did He endure it? Isaiah told everyone how it would happen hundreds of years before. "He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth." Isaiah 53:7 He simply went through it. He endured. He did not complain. He was at peace because He knew God was using His suffering for good. How do I deal with suffering? Not well. I get wound up if my cable bill is too high. I get annoyed when the neighbor's dog leaves gifts in my driveway. I fume and fuss when someone I'm working with isn't cooperating. I actually lost sleep one night a few weeks ago when I thought my HDTV was having color problems. What petty stuff! There are people dying for sharing my faith every day. There are people living without clean water or enough food. Even those people aren't suffering the way Christ suffered. This is not a "grin and bear it" kind of attitude. This is having peace that God is using your suffering for good in some way. This is being confident that there's a reason and you trust Him about it. You don't have to enjoy it, but you should take the opportunity to learn from it. If you can approach suffering that way, you won't find the need to complain. I was challenged to stop my whining today. Won't you join me? Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Fri Mar 23 23:58:49 2007 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Fri, 23 Mar 2007 23:58:49 -0700 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Aligned Message-ID: In September of 1999, NASA lost contact with a $125 million Mars orbiter because of a simple difference. One engineering team had written software using the metric system. Another team had used English units. The orbiter couldn't transfer navigation information from one system to another and so they lost contact. It's not like you can send your kid out in the backyard to wiggle the satellite dish, either. It's gone. I recently finished getting my teeth aligned and I wear a retainer to keep them in place. Sometimes, I'll forget to put it in after eating and I will have gone 12 or 16 hours without it. I don't notice a problem. My teeth feel fine. Everything seems great. "What do I need that thing for anyway?" Then, I put it back in. It's tight and it hurts, because it's pushing my teeth back where they belong. I had no idea they would move that much in just a few hours. I shudder to think how it would feel if I were to forget it overnight. Our spiritual life is the same way once we are saved. If you take Jesus off for a few days, you still feel fine. You can't tell anything is wrong, but you slowly start to drift. If you put Jesus back on soon, you'll be realigned quickly. But, if you wait days or weeks or years, it'll be painful. Don't let that turn you off, though. He lets you feel the consequences out of love. "My son, do not despise the Lord's discipline and do not resent his rebuke, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in." Proverbs 3:11-12 If it didn't hurt, you wouldn't be loved. Also, I don't recommend the procrastinator's approach. The longer you wait, the more uncomfortable it will be to return and for a longer time. If you've set down the Word and stopped talking to Jesus, but you think things are still going fine, you've drifted. You may not think it's that far, but you've drifted. Get your alignment back. Then, keep your alignment by checking in with Scripture and Christ frequently. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Sat Mar 24 22:34:03 2007 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Sat, 24 Mar 2007 22:34:03 -0700 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Walking Message-ID: <11A78B12-6FDC-47B0-BED5-DB4814E10640@clanwebb.com> My high school was not unusually large, but it was big enough. It was made up of the original high school built almost a hundred years ago and a new building that almost tripled the size. This made the campus fairly spread out and getting around it was complicated by having to move around the other 1200 students. When I only had five minutes to get from one end of campus to the other, I learned quickly to move fast. Over time, my natural gait changed and learned to walk quickly by taking longer strides and becoming an accomplished people-dodger. This served me well through high school and even to college when I had more time between classes, but a much larger campus to cross. However, my walking habits don't work as well when I walk with my wife. She's about six inches shorter than I am and has a hard time keeping up when I walk at my normal speed. Over the years, I've learned to adjust my speed and walk with her because I enjoy that more than moving faster. I have to consciously think about it, but building a relationship with my wife is much preferable to walking my own way. Although, we never actually discussed it, we've made the unspoken agreement to walk together so we can enjoy the journey. "Do two walk together unless they have agreed to do so?" Amos 3:3 It's the same way when walking with God. You could choose to continue walking the way you've learned to on your own, or you can choose to walk with Him. You may think you're going somewhere faster when you walk alone, but you can't imagine the relationship you're missing. Is it time to adjust your stride? Do you need to agree to walk together with God? Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Sun Mar 25 22:18:16 2007 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Sun, 25 Mar 2007 22:18:16 -0700 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Avoiding the Obvious Message-ID: The primary drive of mankind is to be in control of everything. Science strives to understand everything in order to take it apart and manipulate the building blocks. In other words, they strive to be able to control it. The basic magnetic repulsion of same poles can be applied to man and God. Those that want to disprove His existence are naturally repelled by any evidence to the contrary. The start with the premise that God has nothing to do with anything except as a concept for the ignorant to hold on to as a justification for their existence. So it is with global warming. The believers refuse to listen to any evidence that doesn't support their theory. Never mind that there are many scientists that refute the idea as a "done thing". Well I have news for the whole bunch. The planet was never meant to last forever. "But by His word the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men. But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day. The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up. Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat! But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells." 2 Peter 3:7-13 Read it and weep, brothers. You can run, but you can't hide. Allen From WYATT at clanwebb.com Mon Mar 26 22:34:24 2007 From: WYATT at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Mon, 26 Mar 2007 22:34:24 -0700 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Guess Again Message-ID: History has a long list of leaders that we would classify as odd, unstable, crazy, and even evil. History has also had nation-states with overwhelming powers of destruction via large armies, superior armaments, or simply overwhelming weapons for which there is no defense. Throughout history, though, there have been a few times when one of these leaders has had access to that kind of war-making power. In every case, it resulted in large body counts and oppressive empires. Perhaps it is simply my nearness to the time, but these conjunctions seem to be happening more rapidly. In the twentieth century alone, I can point to Hitler, Stalin, Mao Zedong, and Pol Pot. Today, I think the man most likely to add his name to that list in this century is Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran. A modicum of research will reveal that he claims to desire an apocalyptic event that will bring forth a mythical Islamic leader. At the same time, he is clearly seeking to build nuclear weapons. Like a cult leader who can't escape the surrounding authorities, he is hoping to take everyone down with him and then rise from the ashes as part of some kind of legendary rebirth. God questioned this line of thinking quite a few years ago. It's not going to turn out the way he expects: "Woe to you who long for the day of the Lord! Why do you long for the day of the Lord? That day will be darkness, not light. It will be as though a man fled from a lion only to meet a bear, as though he entered his house and rested his hand on the wall only to have a snake bite him. Will not the day of the Lord be darkness, not light? pitch-dark, without a ray of brightness?" Amos 5:18-20 They are mistaken that they can even accelerate the day of the Lord. It will happen when God wills. And it won't be the beginning of anything better for those who don't believe. What this man and those like him wish will never be. They cannot drive themselves to power via suicide and random destruction. They cannot bring about their own power by promising to kill as many people as possible. They cannot rule nations with so little regard for God's creation. The only one who can bring victory from death is Christ and that was through His own death to avoid our own. I'm glad that my God is not their God. I'm also glad that mine's alive and promises me peace and love. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Tue Mar 27 22:27:14 2007 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Tue, 27 Mar 2007 22:27:14 -0700 Subject: [Daily Push Up] The Distance of Hate Message-ID: <145E668A-16C8-4444-BBF3-9416F9FED9AB@clanwebb.com> I happened upon CNN last night and Sean Penn was speaking at a town hall somewhere. I was a bit shocked, even at him, as he spewed a viscous flow of hatred toward the current administration. The audience applauded as he shook his finger at them and shouted, "The Democratic party will do what we tell them, from the boys at Google to the Iowa farmer, we will show them that we will pick the next president and put this one in f***ing jail!" He also asked the daughters of the president where they stood on the war and, if they were for it, "How dare they not be in uniform!" My own opinion is that all war is a bad event. It costs lives and maims many. The innocent and the guilty alike are caught up. But, to think this world will ever be without war, that all peoples will live in harmony, that evil will sleep is stupid beyond the pale. There is right and there is wrong. You must choose a side. Not choosing a side is choosing not to fight evil. To be sure, we can disagree about the method and our leaders. We can debate when and where, but it will never end until Jesus comes back and ends it. Every time someone hates, no matter what the circumstances, Satan wins territory. He was in the auditorium clapping the loudest. "I, wisdom, dwell together with prudence; I possess knowledge and discretion. To fear the Lord is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech. Counsel and sound judgment are mine; I have understanding and power." Psalm 8:12-14 The distance between God and a man can be measured by his hate. Allen From wyatt at clanwebb.com Wed Mar 28 23:16:57 2007 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Wed, 28 Mar 2007 23:16:57 -0700 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Stand-In Message-ID: This story appeared in the New York Daily News on March 22, 2005: "A Bronx teacher who repeatedly flunked his state certification exam paid a formerly homeless man with a developmental disorder $2 to take the test for him, authorities said yesterday. The illegal stand-in - who looks nothing like teacher Wayne Brightly - not only passed the high-stakes test, he scored so much better than the teacher had previously that the state knew something was wrong, officials said." The teacher is reportedly a thin, black man and the stand-in was an overweight, white man. It sounds to me like this fellow made a very poor selection when choosing someone to take his place. As a result, his life got worse instead of better. If you're going to have someone take your place, make sure that person is up to the task. Make sure he can handle the situation you were supposed to deal with. I found out that someone took my place already. I'm very thankful for His sacrifice: "God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." 2 Corinthians 5:21 Becoming righteous on our own is a test we'll never pass. It's not a bad idea to try to get someone to pass it for you. Make sure you pick someone perfect. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Thu Mar 29 22:59:30 2007 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Thu, 29 Mar 2007 22:59:30 -0700 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Hate the Opposition Message-ID: In the last decade, I saw something that baseball fans of my dad's generation would have never seen. I've seen big name players who had played for the Boston Red Sox agree to play for the New York Yankees. With the salaries and free agency rules today, players don't think anything about changing teams or following money. A couple of decades ago such a jump would have been unthinkable. Players didn't change teams unless they had nowhere else to go. Players from that era are quoted saying things like, "We hated each other. That's the way it oughtta be!" You have to respect the dedication players had to the rivalries and competition back then. It wasn't just a team, it was a lifestyle. You didn't eat with the competition. You didn't talk to him. You were barely civil because you felt the rivalry in your bones. If you played for Boston, the idea of being a Yankee was repulsive and sickening. Nowadays, it's just whoever writes the bigger check. Sometimes we let our spiritual lives become that shallow. We simply follow whatever feels good. We listen to those who say there's no big difference between right and wrong. We imagine the line getting fuzzier and try to play both sides. The truth is that we should hate sin and choose to avoid that lifestyle with the same vigor those players had. "The righteous detest the dishonest; the wicked detest the upright." Proverbs 29:27 If you aren't detesting dishonesty and that lifestyle, there's something wrong with your walk. If the wicked of the world don't detest you, there's something wrong with your walk. C'mon. Get your game face on and remember who the opponents are. The game we're playing means something. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Fri Mar 30 21:57:59 2007 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Fri, 30 Mar 2007 21:57:59 -0700 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Redesign Message-ID: One reason I enjoy writing computer software is the simple joy of creation. There's a sense of accomplishment and a satisfaction that you have command of your environment when you create something new and useful. Whether it's a game to pass the time, a utility that makes you work more efficiently, or a productivity application that changes the way you work completely, each piece of software has the potential to affect lives in a small or large way. The ability to have complete control over your creation is addicting, too. If the application I write doesn't work quite the way I like, I can change it. If I want a feature that works slightly differently, I can add it. Heck, if I don't like one thing I can simply create a replacement from scratch. More to the point, when I'm adding new features I can change the old ones to make it easier. Just yesterday, a coworker and I discussed removing a small feature to make it easier to add a new, bigger feature. We simply agreed to do it and it happened. We get to make up the rules as we go, if we like. We can change the rules for convenience or just for fun. This is precisely why I'm glad God is our creator. He figured it all out ahead of time and laid down the right rules beforehand. He could change them if He wanted, but He doesn't have to. They are perfectly correct. "And the words of the Lord are flawless, like silver refined in a furnace of clay, purified seven times." Psalm 12:6 "As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the Lord is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in him." Psalm 18:30 If we were in control, we would change the rules to suit our desires. We would fudge the black and white and create a lot of gray. In fact, that's exactly what the world says that you have the power to do. It tricks people into thinking that the rules are malleable. They are not. They are set in stone and they are perfect. I'm glad the promises He made will never change. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Sat Mar 31 21:55:20 2007 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Sat, 31 Mar 2007 21:55:20 -0700 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Middle of the Road Message-ID: <1F2208FC-936D-4D2B-AEA5-339A8AD0622D@clanwebb.com> The middle of the road can be a dangerous place to be. Have you ever been caught in the middle of the road when something big is bearing down on you? There's a legitimate fear there. Whenever I cross the road, especially at night, I know that the middle of the road is the worst place to be. I always feel better on the sidewalk or even on the shoulder. When a truck is heading toward you, there's a moment of indecision because you know you have to move, but you aren't sure if the driver will attempt to move, too. If you're truly in the middle of his path, it's not always clear which way is the better way to jump. If you were on the sidewalk, there's nothing to worry about. Even if the truck is going to jump the curb and head toward you, you know which way to run: away from the road! So many people try to live in the middle of the road. They feel comfortable claiming that they aren't truly evil like those on one side of the road, but they aren't prudes like those on the other side, either. They figure they can have a good time and dabble in a few things without really being part of the "bad" side. Except, when the headlights come around the corner, they'll have to make a decision. If they don't make the right decision, they'll be stuck on the wrong side of the road forever. The bad news for them is that by the time they see the lights, it'll be too late. God points out that trying to play neutral in the battle of good and evil is not a safe place to be. The Edomites had ignored the plight of Israel when it was invaded. I'm sure they comforted themselves by claiming they weren't joining in, but God says it's no different: "On the day you stood aloof while strangers carried off his wealth and foreigners entered his gates and cast lots for Jerusalem, you were like one of them." Obadiah 1:11 "The day of the Lord is near for all nations. As you have done, it will be done to you; your deeds will return upon your head." Obadiah 1:15 You can't claim innocence by trying to split the difference. This is a black and white decision. Putting a foot on each side does not make you gray. It just makes you a target. Wyatt