Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Sore muscles. Last night we took about 30 of our Victory Kidz folks over to the skating rink here in town for Christian Skate night. We skated from 6 – 8, and had a great time. The kids were getting better by the minute, and I was so proud of them for taking the chance of falling in order to be up on those skates. Many spills later, they had a blast, and for that I’m thankful. I came home last night and crashed, and then I woke up this morning.
And here I sit, at my kitchen counter, trying not to move any more than absolutely necessary. I just don’t get it – I remember going skating when I was little and not having this problem. There was a day when I could swim dozens of laps around the pool, get out and go ride miles on my bike, and then play in the backyard for hours and still not be sore the next day. Those days – well, they’re safely tucked away in the scrap books. Because believe you me, they aren’t the days I’m living in right now!
I’ve got muscles that are sore that I didn’t even know existed. Turns out, I’ve got a lot of muscles in my body that don’t get used too often. So when they do get used (and abused, I might add) they are sore. Well maybe the simple word “sore” just doesn’t aptly describe the sensation I feel right now…let’s try “aching in ways that cannot be put into words.” Better.
How many times have you gone to church and been challenged by a message, or gone to church camp or a revival and walked away just a tad bit sore spiritually? Or you cracked open the Word for a few minutes to do a little reading and by the time you closed it you were just a bit “achy” from being challenged by Him? When we use physical muscles that are out of practice, they get sore. And when we step out of our box and begin to use spiritual muscles that are out of practice, we’re bound to be sore and stretched as well.
When’s the last time you told somebody about Jesus? When’s the last time you poured your heart out to Him in worship, even if nobody else was around? When’s the last time you spent some good, quality time in the Book? When’s the last time you spent some serious time in prayer, more than just blessing a meal? When’s the last time you served the needs of someone else, and it required a little sacrifice on your part? When?
If the Church will begin to rise up and be the Church, sure it may make us a little sore, but the end result? Well, the next time I go skating it won’t hurt quite as much and I’ll have a bit more stamina. So today, ask God to stretch you out of your box. Ask Him to make your spiritual muscles a little sore from doing what they aren’t used to. After all, the only way to build muscle mass is by making a little sacrifice for the cause.
John the Baptist said this in John 3:30, “He must increase and I must decrease.” Make that your prayer today.
That’s just a thought, and I welcome yours.
Until next time,
Blake
This blog is brought to you courtesy of http://fromblake.blogspot.com. Visit today and sign up to become an official follower!
Feel free to write Blake anytime at pastorblakeman@yahoo.com
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Monday, September 27, 2010
Auto-Correct.
Monday, September 27, 2010
Auto-correct. Saturday morning was Jake’s funeral at Friendship Baptist Church in Vilonia. It was a tough service for all of us there, and there were a LOT of us there. Standing room only all over the Friendship Church Campus. I saw friends from Vilonia that I hadn’t seen in years. One such friend and I have started talking regularly again as of late. And this friend has moved to Northwest Arkansas in recent years. So during their visit to the Conway area, they texted me and told me they were going to Stoby’s, because they missed it dearly.
So I typed up a simple response that I thought was fitting for someone going to Stoby’s. I simply typed, “Eat lots of cheese dip for me!” That’s simple enough, right? It doesn’t take a rocket scientist or a master orator to type or say a sentence like that. But I also have an Apple iPhone, and it has this wonderful feature on it called “auto-correct.” And when it thinks you have typed something you didn’t mean to type, it corrects you, as if it has the ability to read your mind. It’s a phone, a cell phone – have I mentioned that yet? Anyway, the auto-correct feature kicked in with that text, and I just happened to catch it before it sent. You’ll never guess what it replaced “Eat lots of cheese dip for me” with…
“Eat lots of geese drip for me.” Geese drip – I don’t even know what that is. Honestly, I’m not sure I want to. Nevertheless, there it was – the auto-correct feature strikes again. Oh, this isn’t the first time this phone has tried to make me look like an idiot. But it was, by far, the most dramatic episode as of yet. I caught it, thankfully, but it just brought something to mind. I turned that feature off for a few minutes last night, but quickly found that for all the headaches it caused me, I was used to it adding punctuation and spelling corrections to my texts and emails…so it’s back on now.
Auto-correct – wouldn’t that be a neat feature to have in life in general? There are a lot of mistakes and bad choices in my life, and in others’ lives that have affected me that would have turned out vastly different, had we all had an auto-correct feature. If we were about to mess up, and automatically our lives were corrected. But it just doesn’t work that way – we aren’t robots. We're free moral agents. And God intended it to be just that way.
Had He made us robots, our love for Him, or others, wouldn’t have been sincere. So instead of “auto-correct,” the child of God has “spell checker.” God shows us, through the ministry of the Holy Spirit, where we’ve erred and which direction He wants for us to go. He leads us, and guides us, and never leaves us on our own. And the great news is: this feature never makes mistakes! It’s always right on.
So here’s to a great, Spirit-filled, spell checked day for us all. And remember: eat lots of geese drip for me!
That’s just a thought, and I welcome yours.
Until next time,
Blake
This blog is brought to you courtesy of http://fromblake.blogspot.com. Visit today and sign up to become an official follower!
Feel free to write Blake anytime at pastorblakeman@yahoo.com
Auto-correct. Saturday morning was Jake’s funeral at Friendship Baptist Church in Vilonia. It was a tough service for all of us there, and there were a LOT of us there. Standing room only all over the Friendship Church Campus. I saw friends from Vilonia that I hadn’t seen in years. One such friend and I have started talking regularly again as of late. And this friend has moved to Northwest Arkansas in recent years. So during their visit to the Conway area, they texted me and told me they were going to Stoby’s, because they missed it dearly.
So I typed up a simple response that I thought was fitting for someone going to Stoby’s. I simply typed, “Eat lots of cheese dip for me!” That’s simple enough, right? It doesn’t take a rocket scientist or a master orator to type or say a sentence like that. But I also have an Apple iPhone, and it has this wonderful feature on it called “auto-correct.” And when it thinks you have typed something you didn’t mean to type, it corrects you, as if it has the ability to read your mind. It’s a phone, a cell phone – have I mentioned that yet? Anyway, the auto-correct feature kicked in with that text, and I just happened to catch it before it sent. You’ll never guess what it replaced “Eat lots of cheese dip for me” with…
“Eat lots of geese drip for me.” Geese drip – I don’t even know what that is. Honestly, I’m not sure I want to. Nevertheless, there it was – the auto-correct feature strikes again. Oh, this isn’t the first time this phone has tried to make me look like an idiot. But it was, by far, the most dramatic episode as of yet. I caught it, thankfully, but it just brought something to mind. I turned that feature off for a few minutes last night, but quickly found that for all the headaches it caused me, I was used to it adding punctuation and spelling corrections to my texts and emails…so it’s back on now.
Auto-correct – wouldn’t that be a neat feature to have in life in general? There are a lot of mistakes and bad choices in my life, and in others’ lives that have affected me that would have turned out vastly different, had we all had an auto-correct feature. If we were about to mess up, and automatically our lives were corrected. But it just doesn’t work that way – we aren’t robots. We're free moral agents. And God intended it to be just that way.
Had He made us robots, our love for Him, or others, wouldn’t have been sincere. So instead of “auto-correct,” the child of God has “spell checker.” God shows us, through the ministry of the Holy Spirit, where we’ve erred and which direction He wants for us to go. He leads us, and guides us, and never leaves us on our own. And the great news is: this feature never makes mistakes! It’s always right on.
So here’s to a great, Spirit-filled, spell checked day for us all. And remember: eat lots of geese drip for me!
That’s just a thought, and I welcome yours.
Until next time,
Blake
This blog is brought to you courtesy of http://fromblake.blogspot.com. Visit today and sign up to become an official follower!
Feel free to write Blake anytime at pastorblakeman@yahoo.com
Friday, September 24, 2010
Regular Maintenance.
Friday, September 24, 2010
Regular Maintenance. It’s a wonderful concept, and one that applies to so many different areas of life. Your car will last longer if you get the oil changed every 5,000 or so miles. You need to rotate your tires, changes air filters, change wiper blades, etc. You’re a/c unit at your home will last longer if you have it serviced occasionally, and change the filters. Oh, and your teeth will be in much better shape if you make regular visits to the dentist instead of just going every few years like someone I know (that’d be me.)
This morning I have a dentist appointment because I don’t like to go to the dentist. That’s right – I’m scared. And I’m not afraid to admit it, either. I haven’t been to the dentist in about 2 years, which is actually not as long of a gap in time as before the last time I went. It seems that I only can make myself go when I get to the point of excruciating pain because of a cavity or some other issue with my teeth. When it comes to regular maintenance, well, I just can’t make myself overcome my fear to go. I have to be motivated by the necessity that pain brings, but by then it’s usually a much bigger ordeal than if I had just gone every 6 months or so for a regular check up.
Oh, how similar this is to our relationship with God, don’t you think? Many of us only go to Him when we are in pain – when we are in desperate need of His help. When a friend or family member gets sick we turn to Him. When we have a tragedy of some type, or when it seems like our life is falling apart – then we go to the Rock. And He’s always there, and I’m thankful for that. But what if we did things differently?
What if instead of going to Him when a crisis came, we went to Him regularly? What if we allowed Him to do “regular maintenance” on our hearts and lives daily? I’m not saying you have to spend hours upon hours a day reading His Word and praying, but a few minutes a day is better than nothing.
I’m seriously considering making regular, 6 month appointments with the dentist to make sure I don’t get in this predicament again, that’s for sure. Why don’t you join me – make regular visits with Him. Set aside a time every day to talk to Him, and let Him talk back through reading a bit of His Word. I read a chapter each morning for my Quiet Time. I read a bit more than that later in the day usually, but I treasure that chapter each morning. God speaks such volumes to me every single time I open His Book. He’ll do the same for you.
So right now – why don’t you make an appointment with Him? Don’t wait until the cavities drive you to your knees…
PS: Please pray for the Pruett family. Jake’s visitation is tonight from 6 – 8 and his funeral is tomorrow morning at 10am, both at Friendship Baptist Church.
That’s just a thought, and I welcome yours.
Until next time,
Blake
This blog is brought to you courtesy of http://fromblake.blogspot.com. Visit today and sign up to become an official follower!
Feel free to write Blake anytime at pastorblakeman@yahoo.com
Regular Maintenance. It’s a wonderful concept, and one that applies to so many different areas of life. Your car will last longer if you get the oil changed every 5,000 or so miles. You need to rotate your tires, changes air filters, change wiper blades, etc. You’re a/c unit at your home will last longer if you have it serviced occasionally, and change the filters. Oh, and your teeth will be in much better shape if you make regular visits to the dentist instead of just going every few years like someone I know (that’d be me.)
This morning I have a dentist appointment because I don’t like to go to the dentist. That’s right – I’m scared. And I’m not afraid to admit it, either. I haven’t been to the dentist in about 2 years, which is actually not as long of a gap in time as before the last time I went. It seems that I only can make myself go when I get to the point of excruciating pain because of a cavity or some other issue with my teeth. When it comes to regular maintenance, well, I just can’t make myself overcome my fear to go. I have to be motivated by the necessity that pain brings, but by then it’s usually a much bigger ordeal than if I had just gone every 6 months or so for a regular check up.
Oh, how similar this is to our relationship with God, don’t you think? Many of us only go to Him when we are in pain – when we are in desperate need of His help. When a friend or family member gets sick we turn to Him. When we have a tragedy of some type, or when it seems like our life is falling apart – then we go to the Rock. And He’s always there, and I’m thankful for that. But what if we did things differently?
What if instead of going to Him when a crisis came, we went to Him regularly? What if we allowed Him to do “regular maintenance” on our hearts and lives daily? I’m not saying you have to spend hours upon hours a day reading His Word and praying, but a few minutes a day is better than nothing.
I’m seriously considering making regular, 6 month appointments with the dentist to make sure I don’t get in this predicament again, that’s for sure. Why don’t you join me – make regular visits with Him. Set aside a time every day to talk to Him, and let Him talk back through reading a bit of His Word. I read a chapter each morning for my Quiet Time. I read a bit more than that later in the day usually, but I treasure that chapter each morning. God speaks such volumes to me every single time I open His Book. He’ll do the same for you.
So right now – why don’t you make an appointment with Him? Don’t wait until the cavities drive you to your knees…
PS: Please pray for the Pruett family. Jake’s visitation is tonight from 6 – 8 and his funeral is tomorrow morning at 10am, both at Friendship Baptist Church.
That’s just a thought, and I welcome yours.
Until next time,
Blake
This blog is brought to you courtesy of http://fromblake.blogspot.com. Visit today and sign up to become an official follower!
Feel free to write Blake anytime at pastorblakeman@yahoo.com
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Passion.
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Passion. It’s a word so often used to describe the love between two people. You hear people say that someone is “passionately in love.” I guess it’s fitting, but have you ever stopped to think about the passion that God has for us?
Real, authentic passion is a motivator. If someone is half-hearted about something, if they don’t feel up to it they’ll quit. We’ve seen that as true in relationships, jobs, ministries, even marriages, as sad as that may be. It just seems as though if someone’s heart isn’t totally in it, they’re eventually gone. But if someone has passion, real passion, you can’t run them off if you try.
It seems as I look at the cross that’s the word that comes to mind the most. It was God’s passion for humanity that sent Jesus there. No matter how great the Sacrifice, He wanted our sin dealt with so He could have fellowship and relationship with us, not just here but forever. And the Sacrifice was great, don’t miss that. For all eternity past (don’t think about it too long, it’ll make your brain hurt) God the Father and God the Son had been together. He was there at creation. He was there through all the Old Testament stuff. He was there. And now, look at the cross. He’s there, too.
The difference is, on the cross He doesn’t look much like a mighty Creator. On the cross He doesn’t look much like a King of kings or Lord of lords. On the cross He looks beaten, bloodied, carrying the heavy weight of the sin of all mankind, past, present, and future. He almost looks defeated. But just hold on. That won’t last long.
They buried Him in a borrowed tomb. After all, He’d only need it for a few days. And just as He promised, 3 days later He got up. Come on, I hope as you read that you at least bounced a bit in your seat. I said, HE GOT UP! He wasn’t defeated! The King of kings and Lord of lords got up! And because He got up, we can have victory over whatever comes our way, even death! His passion for us was greater, even than death. That’s good stuff. But what about us – are we returning the favor?
After He got up He appeared to a couple of disciples on the road to Emmaus. In the last chapter of Luke, they said after they realized it was Him and He was gone, that their “hearts burned within them while He was speaking to them on the road.” That, my friends, is passion. To have a heart literally on fire. And the recipe for that passion? Let Jesus talk to you. And the way we do that? Talk to Him (prayer), and let Him talk to you (His Word.) Do we want to be dry and dead, or do we want passion? I, for one, don’t want to just be smoldering embers. A wild fire is more what I had in mind…
PS: Please pray for the Pruett Family as they prepare for Jake's funeral on Saturday morning.
That’s just a thought, and I welcome yours.
Until next time,
Blake
This blog is brought to you courtesy of http://fromblake.blogspot.com. Visit today and sign up to become an official follower!
Feel free to write Blake anytime at pastorblakeman@yahoo.com
Passion. It’s a word so often used to describe the love between two people. You hear people say that someone is “passionately in love.” I guess it’s fitting, but have you ever stopped to think about the passion that God has for us?
Real, authentic passion is a motivator. If someone is half-hearted about something, if they don’t feel up to it they’ll quit. We’ve seen that as true in relationships, jobs, ministries, even marriages, as sad as that may be. It just seems as though if someone’s heart isn’t totally in it, they’re eventually gone. But if someone has passion, real passion, you can’t run them off if you try.
It seems as I look at the cross that’s the word that comes to mind the most. It was God’s passion for humanity that sent Jesus there. No matter how great the Sacrifice, He wanted our sin dealt with so He could have fellowship and relationship with us, not just here but forever. And the Sacrifice was great, don’t miss that. For all eternity past (don’t think about it too long, it’ll make your brain hurt) God the Father and God the Son had been together. He was there at creation. He was there through all the Old Testament stuff. He was there. And now, look at the cross. He’s there, too.
The difference is, on the cross He doesn’t look much like a mighty Creator. On the cross He doesn’t look much like a King of kings or Lord of lords. On the cross He looks beaten, bloodied, carrying the heavy weight of the sin of all mankind, past, present, and future. He almost looks defeated. But just hold on. That won’t last long.
They buried Him in a borrowed tomb. After all, He’d only need it for a few days. And just as He promised, 3 days later He got up. Come on, I hope as you read that you at least bounced a bit in your seat. I said, HE GOT UP! He wasn’t defeated! The King of kings and Lord of lords got up! And because He got up, we can have victory over whatever comes our way, even death! His passion for us was greater, even than death. That’s good stuff. But what about us – are we returning the favor?
After He got up He appeared to a couple of disciples on the road to Emmaus. In the last chapter of Luke, they said after they realized it was Him and He was gone, that their “hearts burned within them while He was speaking to them on the road.” That, my friends, is passion. To have a heart literally on fire. And the recipe for that passion? Let Jesus talk to you. And the way we do that? Talk to Him (prayer), and let Him talk to you (His Word.) Do we want to be dry and dead, or do we want passion? I, for one, don’t want to just be smoldering embers. A wild fire is more what I had in mind…
PS: Please pray for the Pruett Family as they prepare for Jake's funeral on Saturday morning.
That’s just a thought, and I welcome yours.
Until next time,
Blake
This blog is brought to you courtesy of http://fromblake.blogspot.com. Visit today and sign up to become an official follower!
Feel free to write Blake anytime at pastorblakeman@yahoo.com
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Miracles.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Miracles. When we read the New Testament (and Old for that matter), we see so many miracles. Jesus performed His first public miracle at a wedding in Cana when He turned water into wine. We see Him later on healing the blind, deaf, mute, lame, sick, even raising the dead. These are all miraculous things, we’d all agree. God-sized acts that only He can do – that’s a miracle. And for the past 21 days we’ve been praying for just that for Jake. Well, Jake got his miracle.
Last night something truly God-sized happened. We’ve been praying for Jake to be healed. We’ve been praying, and very fervently I might add, that God would lay His healing hand on Jake and raise him up. Last night he passed from this world into the presence of God. And many of us, at least for a few moments, have wondered why. Let’s be honest, okay? I’ve wondered why some get healed and others don’t. I’ve asked why others in worse shape even than Jake was have pulled through. And can I tell you what answer I’ve gotten, deep within my spirit from Him?
Jake was healed. And not with a temporary healing, but with an eternal one. Last night God sent a holy band of escort angels from heaven to a CCU room at Baptist Medical Center in Little Rock, Arkansas. When they arrived, they found Jake fighting, as he had been for 20 days. They found him fighting hard, but they found him tired. It seems as though he would conquer one battle only to find himself in another one. And I can almost hear God the Father saying to His angels, “Jake’s mine, and he’s tired. Bring him on home.” And with that, his healing came.
So we hurt. We don’t hurt for Jake, because we know he’s infinitely better off now than we are. We hurt for Nikki, his wife of just a few months. We hurt for his parents and family, who are experiencing an ache that few can understand. We hurt for all of his friends, whether they talked to him all the time or haven’t spoken to him in years. We hurt for the Vilonia community that rallied together in support of Jake. We hurt.
But can I tell you one more thing? God’s an expert at giving comfort to the hurting. He knows just what we need, just as He knew just what Jake needed. And so today, though I hurt, I pray. Nikki, and all of your family – you’re being lifted up to the Throne today, and will be every day that is to come. And when you don’t know how to pray, and just don’t know how in the world you’ll make it through the pain and loneliness, I pray these three words – these three simple yet profound words – will give you hope and comfort: God Is Faithful.
That’s just a thought, and I welcome yours.
Until next time,
Blake
This blog is brought to you courtesy of http://fromblake.blogspot.com. Visit today and sign up to become an official follower!
Feel free to write Blake anytime at pastorblakeman@yahoo.com
Miracles. When we read the New Testament (and Old for that matter), we see so many miracles. Jesus performed His first public miracle at a wedding in Cana when He turned water into wine. We see Him later on healing the blind, deaf, mute, lame, sick, even raising the dead. These are all miraculous things, we’d all agree. God-sized acts that only He can do – that’s a miracle. And for the past 21 days we’ve been praying for just that for Jake. Well, Jake got his miracle.
Last night something truly God-sized happened. We’ve been praying for Jake to be healed. We’ve been praying, and very fervently I might add, that God would lay His healing hand on Jake and raise him up. Last night he passed from this world into the presence of God. And many of us, at least for a few moments, have wondered why. Let’s be honest, okay? I’ve wondered why some get healed and others don’t. I’ve asked why others in worse shape even than Jake was have pulled through. And can I tell you what answer I’ve gotten, deep within my spirit from Him?
Jake was healed. And not with a temporary healing, but with an eternal one. Last night God sent a holy band of escort angels from heaven to a CCU room at Baptist Medical Center in Little Rock, Arkansas. When they arrived, they found Jake fighting, as he had been for 20 days. They found him fighting hard, but they found him tired. It seems as though he would conquer one battle only to find himself in another one. And I can almost hear God the Father saying to His angels, “Jake’s mine, and he’s tired. Bring him on home.” And with that, his healing came.
So we hurt. We don’t hurt for Jake, because we know he’s infinitely better off now than we are. We hurt for Nikki, his wife of just a few months. We hurt for his parents and family, who are experiencing an ache that few can understand. We hurt for all of his friends, whether they talked to him all the time or haven’t spoken to him in years. We hurt for the Vilonia community that rallied together in support of Jake. We hurt.
But can I tell you one more thing? God’s an expert at giving comfort to the hurting. He knows just what we need, just as He knew just what Jake needed. And so today, though I hurt, I pray. Nikki, and all of your family – you’re being lifted up to the Throne today, and will be every day that is to come. And when you don’t know how to pray, and just don’t know how in the world you’ll make it through the pain and loneliness, I pray these three words – these three simple yet profound words – will give you hope and comfort: God Is Faithful.
That’s just a thought, and I welcome yours.
Until next time,
Blake
This blog is brought to you courtesy of http://fromblake.blogspot.com. Visit today and sign up to become an official follower!
Feel free to write Blake anytime at pastorblakeman@yahoo.com
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Servant Leadership
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Servant Leadership. Have you ever heard that term? I have heard it used in so many different ways that I had to double check to make sure I still knew what it meant. This morning in my quiet time with Him, I read from Luke 22. The Apostles were having a discussion over who among them was the greatest. I think their motives were good, I think they were just asking Jesus who He wanted to be the main leader, who deserved the role the most, who He trusted to lead this group the best. They’d had other talks about this before, when a mom of a couple of apostles even requested that Jesus put her sons right next to him in heaven’s seating arrangement. I think it’s really amazing what Jesus says in Luke 22, though.
He said that “whoever is greatest must become as the youngest, and the leader as the servant.” That’s pretty potent talk, really. One of the constant characteristics of Jesus and His ministry was always humility. He was the Son of God, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. If anyone deserved to have folks bow down and worship them it was Him. Yet what do we find Him doing with His time on this earth? He’s touching the blind, lame, deaf, mute, and crippled so they could be healed. He’s giving His attention to the “unclean” lepers that no one else even wanted to look at, let alone heal. He’s kneeling down and washing the apostles’ feet. He’s showing us what He wants us to look like – humility!
Let’s be honest – it’s sometimes hard to embrace humility. I began preaching when I was 14 years old, and immediately began doing youth revivals, filling in for pastors on Sunday mornings and nights, and just speaking constantly. I was barely a teenager, and here I was standing in front of tons of people telling them what God’s Word said about their lives. And for a bit, I let it go to my head – in a big way. I thought I had really attained some status in life. I thought that surely if I was this busy at this age, that I’d certainly be the next Billy Graham. I really thought I was something else – that I had the solution to all that ailed the world. Boy, was I ever wrong AND right.
In and of myself, I’m nothing. Anything that God has ever used me to accomplish has been His doing, not my own. I’m simply like a glove, and He’s the hand. If I’m walking full of Him, things happen. If I’m empty, I’m a hollowed out man. As it turns out, I did have the solution to what ails the world – the Gospel. But many times I was so full of myself that the message of the Gospel was overshadowed by the message of me. God, may it never, ever, ever be so again.
So today, I’m going to try to be last. I want to be a servant leader. I want to lead by example. I want to embrace humility as a lifestyle. Because compared to the One I work for, everything I am, everything I have, and everything He does for me is really because of one thing and one thing alone: grace. And I’m totally okay with that.
That’s just a thought, and I welcome yours.
Until next time,
Blake
This blog is brought to you courtesy of http://fromblake.blogspot.com. Visit today and sign up to become an official follower!
Feel free to write Blake anytime at pastorblakeman@yahoo.com
Servant Leadership. Have you ever heard that term? I have heard it used in so many different ways that I had to double check to make sure I still knew what it meant. This morning in my quiet time with Him, I read from Luke 22. The Apostles were having a discussion over who among them was the greatest. I think their motives were good, I think they were just asking Jesus who He wanted to be the main leader, who deserved the role the most, who He trusted to lead this group the best. They’d had other talks about this before, when a mom of a couple of apostles even requested that Jesus put her sons right next to him in heaven’s seating arrangement. I think it’s really amazing what Jesus says in Luke 22, though.
He said that “whoever is greatest must become as the youngest, and the leader as the servant.” That’s pretty potent talk, really. One of the constant characteristics of Jesus and His ministry was always humility. He was the Son of God, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. If anyone deserved to have folks bow down and worship them it was Him. Yet what do we find Him doing with His time on this earth? He’s touching the blind, lame, deaf, mute, and crippled so they could be healed. He’s giving His attention to the “unclean” lepers that no one else even wanted to look at, let alone heal. He’s kneeling down and washing the apostles’ feet. He’s showing us what He wants us to look like – humility!
Let’s be honest – it’s sometimes hard to embrace humility. I began preaching when I was 14 years old, and immediately began doing youth revivals, filling in for pastors on Sunday mornings and nights, and just speaking constantly. I was barely a teenager, and here I was standing in front of tons of people telling them what God’s Word said about their lives. And for a bit, I let it go to my head – in a big way. I thought I had really attained some status in life. I thought that surely if I was this busy at this age, that I’d certainly be the next Billy Graham. I really thought I was something else – that I had the solution to all that ailed the world. Boy, was I ever wrong AND right.
In and of myself, I’m nothing. Anything that God has ever used me to accomplish has been His doing, not my own. I’m simply like a glove, and He’s the hand. If I’m walking full of Him, things happen. If I’m empty, I’m a hollowed out man. As it turns out, I did have the solution to what ails the world – the Gospel. But many times I was so full of myself that the message of the Gospel was overshadowed by the message of me. God, may it never, ever, ever be so again.
So today, I’m going to try to be last. I want to be a servant leader. I want to lead by example. I want to embrace humility as a lifestyle. Because compared to the One I work for, everything I am, everything I have, and everything He does for me is really because of one thing and one thing alone: grace. And I’m totally okay with that.
That’s just a thought, and I welcome yours.
Until next time,
Blake
This blog is brought to you courtesy of http://fromblake.blogspot.com. Visit today and sign up to become an official follower!
Feel free to write Blake anytime at pastorblakeman@yahoo.com
Monday, September 20, 2010
He's coming.
Monday, September 20, 2010
He’s coming. Did you know that? He is. Oh, I know there are plenty of folks that are skeptics. They say things like, “Preachers have been saying for generation after generation that He’s coming back, and He has yet to…” And they’re right. For generations preachers have been proclaiming that Jesus is coming soon, and He hasn’t yet. But He’s one day closer than He was yesterday, and that’s good news enough for me.
There are many reasons I have full faith that He’s returning, to be honest. But the main one – the foundational reason I believe that He is – well, that’s simple: He said He was. In this book we call the Bible there are actually 66 books compiled together. These books were written by about 40 men over a period of about 1500 years. These men didn’t have email or cell phones. They couldn’t collaborate their stories or information. Yet here it is – God’s Word – inspired by Him through the pens of men. And never once does it contradict itself. That’s pretty impressive.
So when I’m reading its pages and I run across words like, “And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory,” my ears perk up. This is a promise, and an awfully good one at that. He’s promised to not leave us in this messed up world forever. He’s coming back – and I trust Him to keep that promise.
I know He can be trusted because He has never broken a promise yet. It’s just that simple. He always keeps them. As a matter of fact, breaking promises isn’t within His character at all. In His holiness and perfection as God, He can only keep His Word. And I’m okay with that, honestly. The only catch is, since He’s coming back, and could at any moment, am I okay with Him coming back at any time in my life?
Are there any things in my personal life that I would be embarrassed for Him to return during? Yes, I know He sees and knows all we do anyway, but there’s something extra intimidating about Him actually returning for me while I’m in the midst of some awful decision, ya know? His return is going to happen in the “twinkling of an eye.” That is a reference to the amount of time it takes for light to glisten off the surface of our eyeball…that’s quick.
He’s coming back. He really is. Are you ready? Are we ready? Is our life ready?
That’s just a thought, and I welcome yours.
Until next time,
Blake
This blog is brought to you courtesy of http://fromblake.blogspot.com. Visit today and sign up to become an official follower!
Feel free to write Blake anytime at pastorblakeman@yahoo.com
He’s coming. Did you know that? He is. Oh, I know there are plenty of folks that are skeptics. They say things like, “Preachers have been saying for generation after generation that He’s coming back, and He has yet to…” And they’re right. For generations preachers have been proclaiming that Jesus is coming soon, and He hasn’t yet. But He’s one day closer than He was yesterday, and that’s good news enough for me.
There are many reasons I have full faith that He’s returning, to be honest. But the main one – the foundational reason I believe that He is – well, that’s simple: He said He was. In this book we call the Bible there are actually 66 books compiled together. These books were written by about 40 men over a period of about 1500 years. These men didn’t have email or cell phones. They couldn’t collaborate their stories or information. Yet here it is – God’s Word – inspired by Him through the pens of men. And never once does it contradict itself. That’s pretty impressive.
So when I’m reading its pages and I run across words like, “And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory,” my ears perk up. This is a promise, and an awfully good one at that. He’s promised to not leave us in this messed up world forever. He’s coming back – and I trust Him to keep that promise.
I know He can be trusted because He has never broken a promise yet. It’s just that simple. He always keeps them. As a matter of fact, breaking promises isn’t within His character at all. In His holiness and perfection as God, He can only keep His Word. And I’m okay with that, honestly. The only catch is, since He’s coming back, and could at any moment, am I okay with Him coming back at any time in my life?
Are there any things in my personal life that I would be embarrassed for Him to return during? Yes, I know He sees and knows all we do anyway, but there’s something extra intimidating about Him actually returning for me while I’m in the midst of some awful decision, ya know? His return is going to happen in the “twinkling of an eye.” That is a reference to the amount of time it takes for light to glisten off the surface of our eyeball…that’s quick.
He’s coming back. He really is. Are you ready? Are we ready? Is our life ready?
That’s just a thought, and I welcome yours.
Until next time,
Blake
This blog is brought to you courtesy of http://fromblake.blogspot.com. Visit today and sign up to become an official follower!
Feel free to write Blake anytime at pastorblakeman@yahoo.com
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