bearing fruit...

I want to be more... I need to be more... The Japanese call it Kaizen. Kaizen means constant improvement. For what seems like my whole life I have focussed on being better.
I want to be...
-a better Christian
-a better man
-a better husband
-a better father
-a better son
-a better brother
-a better friend
-a better neighbor
-a better helper
-a better leader
-a better follower
-a better worker
-a better employer
-a better student
-a better teacher
-a better preacher
-a better counselor
-a better money manager
--- you get the point - there has been... there is... plenty of room for improvement.

In my walk with Jesus I go through times when the desire, the drive, the progress are greater, stronger, longer. There are times that I feel like I am in something of a desert - it is long, hard, hot, dry, life sapping, energy tapping, mentally exhausting - and I end up not caring much - about any of it.

When I was in those more intense times I would work hard at growing, improving, being more spiritual, overcoming temptation and sin. I would read passages like Galatians 5:22 "the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self congrol; against such things there is no law." Here's what would happen... I would read it, but never got very far without being really convicted about a certain area I REALLY needed to grow in. For instance - there have been many times that I have not read past the first one without saying to myself, "man do I need to grow in love. I have got to be more loving." I would think about why I was not... how I could be... and what I was going to do to be more loving. I don't guess I ever got passed patient without some kind of personal conversation like that... you know, count to 10, let it go, that kind of stuff.

THEN... it all changed. We lived in Plains and a good sister, who came to visit her sister at least once a year, was at one of our Home Bible Studies. We were not studying Galatians 5, but she used it to illustrate one of the best lessons I've learned in a long time. She pointed out that Paul was writing about the fruit of the Spirit, not the fruit of you or me. This is what God does in us, part of how He changes us - not that self-help stuff.

That captured my heart. For as long as I could remember there were those times when I focussed on overcoming a particular temptation or sin. There were several problems I kept encountering... the more focussed I was on the temptation or sin, the harder the fight was... the more I found myself giving in... the more frustrated I was.

That started me down a road... a new/old way of thinking... then someone assigned me to preach out of John 15. I had studied, taught and preached out of John 15 before... but, (and this is one of the things I love about the word of God - it keeps on teaching me!) I was just in the right time and place to finally get it. Jesus taught His followers that He is the vine and we are the branches... there are several things that are important because of this... "I am the vine and you are the branches; he who abides in Me, and I in him, he bears much fruit; for apart from Me you can do nothing."

Why was it so hard? Because I was trying to do it myself. I was into self improvement, getting better... not into being connected to Jesus. When I try to find fruit and make it part of my life - that is not bearing fruit... that is being fruity!

Today... Abide in Him... decide that no matter what you will stay connected to Jesus.
Today... Abide in His word... read it... meditate on it... lay it up on your heart...
Today... make it your aim to follow Jesus... to be like Him...
Today... we can be amazed at how He transforms us... prunes us... conforms us to His image.

thanks...

It does not seem possible... it has not been long enough... the weather is too warm... regardless of those things (and others), Thanksgiving is next week. WOW.

I don't know what you will be doing on Thanksgiving. I am not much of a turkey fan (something about cannibalism!)... but I will have some turkey. I do really like the dressing... the deviled eggs... broccoli rice and cheese casserole... mashed potatoes... home made rolls... pecan pie... I just got ready... forget that it does not seem like a year has passed... who cares that it is not cold enough around here... I am ready for Thanksgiving!

It may be hard for you to believe, but I am more ready for Thanksgiving for other reasons... I love when I get to spend time with family... especially during the holidays. The smiles... the laughter... the fun... it is so good. Life is better when you are around folks you love... around folks who love you.

I also love to stop... to think... what all do I have to be grateful for? The list is so long... how about you?

Today... make a list... keep on adding... then tell our Father - the giver of all good things - thanks

ordinary folks

We live in the times of the impressive... turn on the tv... flip through the magazines... listen to the radio... what do they all say really matter to us? They are filled with what some might call "the best and the brightest." They are filled with the folks who look just right... the folks who have that just right education... the folks who have the just right friends... the folks who can be found in the just right places... doing the just right things... what some might call the dream life.

Turn off the tv... put down the magazine... tune out the radio... step into a community of faith... what do we value? Is there any difference... we want the best preacher... good looks... glowing personality... pleasing voice... intriguing lessons... we want the "A team" song leader... be careful who you get to pray... on and on.

I noticed something really important yesterday... when Peter and John were on trial in Acts 4 there was something about them that caught everyone's attention. It was any of the things we have been thinking/talking about... they noticed that they were uneducated, ordinary men who had been with Jesus.

Don't you love that... they could tell... by looking... by listening... these guys have spent time with Jesus.

Don't you want that to be true of you as well? Don't you want to spend enough time with Jesus that He so changes you... the way you talk.. the way you think... the way you live... that folks can just tell - you have been with Jesus. I want that!

Today... have you spent some time at His feet?
Today... have your thoughts been like His?
Today... have your words been His?
Today... have your actions been His?
Today... let it be more true of us!

I like this math!

Katelynn is taking geometry this year. I have to get this out of the way - I HATE GEOMETRY! Last year she could come to me with math homework problems and we could work them out together. Not this year. I told her last year, when she was working on her class schedule, I cannot help you. It was just a few (ha, ha, ha!) days ago that I took geometry... but the best I can remember is that the teacher had to give lots of points at the end of each semester so that I would not have to "try this class again!"

Today I was reading 2 Peter and came across some of the best math I know... "grace and peace be MULTIPLIED to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; seein gthat His divine power has gratned to us everything we need for life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence."

Multiplied! I love it. Not grace and peace given to you in fractional measure. No way. Grace and peace Multiplied! May our knowledge of God and Jesus not grow by addition... but multiplication... the more we know... the longer we look... the closer we get... the better and better it gets!

There is a path we walk that opens our lives up for this math... go read all of 2 Peter 1...
Today!

I think I hate being it!

The fun has ended... I have run across several blog friends who have been "tagged." It was fun to read things about them I never knew - and never would have known... then I got tagged... wait - this is not so fun... will I really do this? I don't want to play this tag you are it game... then I got a little "pressure..."

Here were my instructions: “Here are the rules. 1)Each player starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves. (2) People who are tagged need to write a post on their own blog (about their eight things) and post these rules. (3) At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names. (4) Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.”

1) I really like living in West Texas. Folks who are not from around here (basically Lubbock and a little south of Lubbock) can't understand it. Call me weird. I don't like the sand storms... but I really like living our here. BIg cities are fun - but give me small town.

2) I am a car nut. Even before I was in this "car business" it was impossible to count all the cars I have owned. I have had a couple of Corvettes - which was way cool... I got to drive a friends Lamborghini Diablo... but my favorite car is a 1969 Camaro Z-28 or RS/SS.

3) I ride a Harley. When I was 10 or 11 I got my first motorcylce (of sorts). It had a small engine - no transmission - was not very fast... but I loved it. In fact, the best I can remember, I liked it so much that I rode it to its death the first or second day. I've loved bikes ever since

4) I/we moved A LOT when I was a kid. Until I was in High School I never started and finished a school year in the same house. We lived in Lubbock and Austin most of my school years. Moved to Seagraves right before my junior year.

5) I thought living in Seagraves was the worst possible place to live. I loved living in Austin. I had great friends - there were aa couple of really good friends - for a time we went to church, work and school together - that's not all we did together - but that is a subject that will not make this blog!!!!!!!!!!!

6) I found out God can take what you think is the worst and turn it all around. You see... there was this girl in Seagraves - she lived near my grandparents, was best friends with my cousins, and for 20 years has been my wife - I thank God for Sonya.

7) I now have my dream job - although it is not a job. It does not feel like a job for a couple of reasons - I love teaching so much it is not labor. I also have never had a job that you did not get paid for. You gotta love teaching in a ministry training place that is tuition free and where teachers raise their own support - which has proven to be much more difficult that I imagined it would be. What this means is I am doing some other work to take care of responsibilities.

8) Finally! Half of my life ago I decided to go to the Sunset School of Preaching. It does not seem possible that it was that long ago... my birthday was Tuesday - I have thought about a lot of things that I feel like I am not old enough to have experienced... yet here we are. It has been a great ride.

I tag: Sonya Young (who does not have a blog - and probably does not have time for one, but it would be great reading!), RaDonna and James Kinnaird (neither of whom have a blog - but both should - it would be great reading! I love to hear what they are thinking), Rudy Munoz, Doug Oakes Jr. Trey Morgan, Geoff and Melinda Dunn