Giving God the Honor and Focus and Not Man

According to scripture, as a believer in Jesus Christ and a child of the living God my sole purpose in life to give praise and honor to Him. Man should never get the same honor that is reserved for God and man should never be the sole focus of any believer.

I’ve been raised in a Christian home and have been attending a Baptist church since I was in diapers; I even attended a Baptist college. I know some but little of the Catholic church. One thing I do know is that they hold Peter as their first Pope. I’ve always thought this strange since Peter is known to have been married (Jesus healed his mother-in-law) and no Catholic priest (the Pope being the highest priest) are not allowed to marry. I also know (through reading books and watching movies/TV shows) that when someone has an audience with the Pope or other Catholic officials the custom is to kneel and kiss their office ring. This practice goes against what Peter tells Cornelius in Acts 10 (When Peter entered, Cornelius met him, and fell at his feet and worshiped him. But Peter raised him up, saying, “Stand up; I too am just a man.”). As a non-Catholic, I find the practice of kneeling before any man and kissing his office ring offensive; especially in light of Acts 10 and the teachings of Jesus Christ where He teaches no one should hold themselves higher in office (or attitude) to others. No one should think of themselves better other any other person. The sad thing is that the Catholic church doesn’t have a monopoly of this type of practice.

We have churches in the Baptist convention that treat their pastors as if they were their Pope. The man can do no wrong and some of these men start believing it. I think it’s great when I see men staying longer than 2 years (that the average tenure of a pastor in the U.S.) at a church, but it seems the longer a man pastor’s a church the likelihood that they could (I say again; could) loss their focus. The focus or job of any pastor of a church is to equip the members of that church to grow in their relationship with God by reading their Bibles and having a healthy prayer life. The Christian should be looking to God for answers by reading their Bibles. Going to a pastor is good for help but a pastor is not the end all and be all. God is the end all and be all.

As a pastor of God’s people, I see myself as someone who should stay out of the way so God can do His work. Jesus Christ is the head of the church; He is the Great Shepherd of His flock. I am merely an under-shepherd; a steward. The focus should never be on me; the focus should always on God and what He wants for His people. I should never aspire to be honored; I should aspire to bring honor to my Savior and my Father. I pray I never loss that focus.

In The Shadow of the Cross

Ripley loves playing with her shadow. I’ve noticed over the last six months or so that when I’m changing her diaper, she is lifting her arms up and looking at the wall where she sees her shadow. She laughs and waves her arms around. This past Sunday, I was walking behind her trying to get her to walk through the garage without stopping to touch everything and she kept looking at the floor. I was right behind her so instead of her seeing her shadow; she saw mine. Since my shadow is bigger; her shadow was lost in the middle of mine. I wondered then and still do if she thought “Wow, my shadow is huge!”

I’m reading through the book of Acts and am seeing the same men who less than a year before who ran for their lives standing with boldness and proclaiming Jesus Christ. It is awe inspiring when I read the accounts. The apostles don’t inspire me; it’s what God did through them that inspires me. What inspires me when I read is what God can do through people who are 100% committed to Him. The apostles did nothing on their own; they were only tools that God used to further His Kingdom. We, as God filled believers, must understand that whatever we accomplish for God on this green ball we call Earth is not us doing it; it’s God Himself who is doing it and we are the tools He has chosen to use.

When I teach and/or preach, I always ask God to have the group see and hear Him and not me. I stand before people in the shadow of the cross. The shadow I see before me is not my shadow but the shadow of the cross. When properly aligned, my shadow (me as a person) is lost in the shadow of the cross so when people see me; they are seeing the cross. That is my desire when I teach and/or preach and that is my desire when I walk through this life. My desire is to be lost in the shadow of the cross so I will never forget who is at work. It’s not my church; it’s not my ministry; it’s not my flock; it’s all God’s. He is the One who develop the plan to redeem me; He is the One who paid the sin debt on the cross by shredding His blood; He is the One who drew me to Himself and is leading me and indwelling me. It’s not me; it’s Him who accomplishes anything of worth in my life.

Ephesians 2:10 breathed new life in my ideal on what I’m doing for Christ. This passage encouraged me 6 or so years ago to walk without fear of failing. Because when I am walking with God and marching to the beat of His drum, I’m right where he wants me. I’ll close with the verse and I pray it encourages you;

“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.”

Giving Thanks


Today is “Black Friday” and I’m sitting at my desk thinking about yesterday and what it means to me and how most of the history regarding Thanksgiving’s Day is all about has been rewritten. With Ripley’s birthday falling on Wednesday (Thanksgiving’s Day Eve) this year, I was very mindful how blessed Teresa and I are with a great child. I’ve written at length what a miracle baby she is; being born with malrotation and needing surgery at 10 days old. She is a walking miracle with only a faint line showing where the doctor opened her open (almost two years ago) to do his thing to make her insides right. God has my thanks for that and so much more. As a Christ-follower, I give thanks to God on a daily basis.

Thanksgiving’s Day is so much more than just turkey with the “fixings” (in fact, we had Cornish Game Hens yesterday instead) and spending time with family. It’s more than eating to much and watching footfall. It’s more than a “holiday” before the Christmas season. It’s about God’s people taking time to give thanks to Him for preserving their lives and blessing their colony in Massachusetts.

The day that we celebrate “Thanksgiving’s Day” was when the Pilgrims were giving thanks to God and not the Indians for preserving their lives from the harshness of the past winters and the fruitful harvest they had. It is true that the first winter the colony at Plymouth Rock, Mass, that half the colonists died. The following spring, the Indians did indeed show them how to grow food and hunt for beaver. The Pilgrim saw all this as God providing for His people. Their colony was based on what they read in the Old Testament and New Testament As God bless their endeavors, the Indians started to trade with them and since the trading was so successful, the Pilgrims were about to pay the companies that sponsored their colony back very quickly. The Pilgrims invited the Indian tribe to be part of the feast to show their appreciation for their assistance but at the same time showing them that God used the Indians to preserve them. The first Thanksgiving’s Day feast was a celebration and a witnessing tool; giving thanks to God and showing the Indians that there is a God and he loves His people.

Thanksgiving’s Day should be everyday for God’s people. I am thankful to God for:

Him dying on the cross in my place and drawing me to Himself and saving me at an early age.
Giving Teresa to me to be my wife and helpmate.
Giving Ripley to me to be her father and being able to watch her develop into a really neat little person.
Being raised in a Christian family (with both a Dad and Mom).
Giving me a purpose in my life and developing me into the man He will use to further His Kingdom.
Giving me a well paying job where He has used to supply a house, cars, food, and list can go on and on and on.

Once we start to mediate or think about how truly blessed we are, one day is not enough to offer thanks to our Heavenly Father. What are you thankful for? Tell God thank you.

A Pastor’s Mandate

You never know what will make a thought pop in my head. This post started yesterday (Monday, 11/21) at the dentist’s office. Teresa and I wanted Ripley to see what going to the dentist is all about so she sat on my lap as Teresa had her cleaning done. The dental assistant was in awe that Ripley drinks either milk or water during the day and no pure juice (only half water; half juice and only when she needs help with pooping; sorry if this offenses anyone). The assistant was further surprised when we told her that Ripley only ate a bite or two of her birthday cake wanting a piece of celery instead. Ripley is used to eating fruit and vegetables. I know if I come in the living room eating an apple, Ripley will want some. That’s all she has even known; eating healthy. That’s our job as her parents; making sure she knows eating the right foods will make her feel better and teaching her to feed herself will equip her to live a healthy and productive life.

When it comes to the church; there are too many anemic Christians. Those who want to be spoon fed on Sundays and thinking they are healthy/productive followers of Christ. When a pastor spoon feeds his people milk each week and never equips them to feed on streak there is an issue. Milk is great for babies and is good when added to a balance diet but for adults only drinking milk there is a lack of getting needed vitamins in their bodies. It’s partly on the pastors to get the church members to desire streak and it’s the pastor’s job to equip them to be able to feed themselves. To help me stay focused on the true role of a pastor, I’ve come up with a pastor’s mandate.

The mandate is based on two Bible passages; Ephesians 4:11-12 (And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ;) and 2 Timothy 3:16 (All scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness; that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.). As a pastor, I see part of my job is to teach the church member to be able to grow in their walk with Christ by giving them the tools to read and understand the Bible. I’m to teach them to be able to read the Bible and apply it in their daily lives. The old adage will fit here; give a man a fish and he will eat for a day; but if you teach a man to fish, he will eat for a lifetime.

When a Christian is rooted in the Word of God, he/she will be able to stand on the assurance of what is in the scripture when the storms come (Jesus said when storms come; not if they come). When a Christian is rooted in the Word of God, when books like “The De Vinci Code” is published they know it’s only a work of fiction and not based on anything other than a philosophy and that a 6 week sermon series is not needed. When a Christian is rooted in the Word of God, he/she will have a better understanding where they fit in this thing we called life and what their true purpose is and how they can fulfill that purpose.

I know that not all church members want to read the Bible or want to make it part of their lives. That is the difference between a Christian and a disciple (or learner) of Christ. The word Christian means to be “Like Christ.” I like the term Christ- Follower instead of Christian. When a person is a Christ-Follower, they want to be “Like Christ” in every way. As a pastor, I want to lead like Christ led His Disciples so I read the gospels to see how He led and how He lived His life on Earth and by God’s grace I try to do the same. I fail more than I success, but I’m trying.

If a church member has no desire to grow in their walk with Christ; they could be just that, a church member. Being a church member doesn’t mean you are a Christian or a Christ-Follower. It just means you name is on the role books of a local church. A Christ-Follower’s name is in a church’s role books and in the Book of Life.

It’s been 2 years Already


It’s hard to believe that on Wednesday, 11/23, little Ripley Anne Thomasson (AKA Sunshine) will be 2 years old. The time has flown by. Everyone with children has told us that. What a rollercoaster of enjoy it has been.

I remember the evening before we knew for sure. We were shipping at Wal-Mart and Teresa picked up a testing kit and I looked at her with puzzlement. She told me that she had felt weird for a few days and wanted to see if it was true or not. We’ve stopped preventing pregnancy 4 or 5 years before. We both settled to the fact that we might not be blessed with a child and now there was a chance. I was excited. The following day, I saw the test on the bed with a plus; I ran downstairs and kissed Teresa and wanted to shout it out for the world to know. She asked me to wait a few months before we tell the family to make sure nothing went wrong; Teresa was 43 at the time. After 3 months of waiting, I was given the green light and I told everyone from our family members, church members, and even a few people at the gym.

Things went very well during the 9 months. I sang to Teresa’s stomach and read stories to her stomach. I was getting ready to be a Daddy. A position I longed for but stopped hoping for. When Ripley came out at 4:05pm on Monday, 11/23/2009, I went with the nurses as they cleaned her talking to her. Apparently after months of talking and singing to her, she knew my voice and she settled downed. I was in awe; and I still am.

Ripley gets so excited when I come home from work. I’m still getting used to her dancing around the living room when I come through the door. I love being a Daddy and I know that whatever I do and say to her will affect the way she sees God (the Father). I take that responsibility very seriously. I tell her many times during the day that I love her. I tell her that God loves her and that He died for her. I know she is only 2 years old but I’m planting a seed that I pray God will harvest. I pray that God will draw Ripley to Himself when she is young. I pray that she will come to know Jesus Christ as her Savior and use her life to serve Him all her days. I pray that God will allow me to see her grow and become a lady that will bring Him glory.

I love my little ray of Sunshine.

Unplugged

Last week, my cell phone was stolen from my gym locker. And to answer your question; no, I did not have a lock on it. I have since bought one. A dear friend gave me his older phone (same Blackberry I had but one generation removed). I had my phone number put in this phone but for some reason the website and social media was not working so for 3 days (until I made the time to go to a Sprint store) I was unplugged from e-mail and Facebook when I was away from my computer. My Blackberry is a smart phone so I can do a lot with it so it was weird not having it for those days. It felt kind of freeing to be unplugged.

In his book “Replenish,” Lance Witt writes how important it is to get unplugged. To set a time out of either your week or day to get away from the computer, cell phone, church office, and get alone. I thought it is easy to do; I do it at least three times a week. I leave my cell phone in the locker when I go to the gym. I do not use an I-pod or MP3 player while I run. When I run or swim it’s me time to get lost in my thoughts. We have a rule at our house that we do not answer the house or cell phone while we are eating dinner; it’s family time.

The difference that I found when I unplug willingly and when I was forced to was a sense of losing out on something; information. It was a weird feeling when I first had my smart phone turned back into a smart phone. I sat in my truck and put my Facebook account back on my phone before leaving the parking out. What’s up with that?

In our society, we want information now. Be it real news or trash about Hollywood. We’re a me now society. We think that if we unplug, we’ll loss out on something; anything. Jesus when He was here took time to be away from your disciples. It was His time to be along with his Father. When you read the gospels, He always went away to be alone just before He made big decisions; choosing His disciples, before teaching to bigger crowds, or when He decided to move on to another village. He always made time to spend time with His Father. He got direction, encouragement, and a sense of oneness with His Father.

As a Christ-follower, I am told to be like Christ. The Holy Spirit directs me and God the Father molds me to be like Christ. If Jesus Christ made time to unplug, I should do the same. And not just when I’m working out, but when I can spend real time alone with my Savior. Everything will not fall apart if I take an hour to get unplugged. It’s time to unplug.

Waiting or Hoping on The Lord


I’m a little down today; it started yesterday. I know what it is; its Satan throwing doubts my way. I know that God has given me a desire to pastor/shepherd His people. I read how 1,500 pastors a month leave the ministry and how there are churches looking for pastors but no doors have opened. I know that God will open the door He wants to open in his time. I know that fact, but I’m still down. When I’m like this I remember Isaiah 40:31, “But those who wait upon God get fresh strength. They spread their wings and soar like eagles, They run and don't get tired, they walk and don't lag behind (The Message).” Some English translations use the word hope instead of wait. Either word works.

This morning as I was thinking through my daily reading of Psalms and thinking about Isaiah 40:31, an older Steven Curtis Chapman song popped in my head. I’ve actually sang this song once or twice in the mid-1990s. The song is taken from Isaiah 40:31 and reading the words leaves me refreshed and encouraged. If you are wondering what God has planned for you or you have a God given desire that you are waiting to be fulfilled, read the words to this song and I pray it leaves you encouraged.

“You wonder when the Lord will renew the strength within you;
You wonder how, how can He use you as you are.
Seems like you’re wasting precious time,
But then a voice comes to remind you (to wait).

CHORUS
Wait, wait, wait on the Lord;
You will understand in time.
Why you must wait,
Wait, wait, wait on the Lord;
Yes He hears you,
But for now you must wait on the Lord.

Answers come slowly to your cries of desperation,
But time is His tool, teaching the greatest lessons learned;
So let Him do His work in you,
And watch the miracles come true as you (wait).

(chorus)

And He wants you to know that
They that wait on the Lord
Shall renew their strength;
They will rise up with wings as eagles,
They will run, not get weary.
They will walk and not faint;
That’s a promise to us when we (wait).”