NEXT STEPS - "Take Two Of These..."

...and call me in the morning. A timeless prescription...a prescription that used to be for aspirin, now it's a cliche'. Take two of these and call me in the morning!

Ryan's excellent message on Sunday gave us a great prescription to counteract the venomous snake bite that most of us have received in this life, a snake bite that causes fear, worry and anxiety.

He told us how the snake bite can be countered by an antidote --- an antidote of faith, hope and trust --- that helps us to overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the Word of our testimony. This antidote gives us peace.

As Ryan explained from Phil 4:6-7, when we receive the antidote, the the "peace of God, which passes all understanding, will guard [our] hearts and [our] minds in Christ Jesus."

The antidote is amazing, but don't forget your aspirin, too!

Philippians 4:4 also gives us two doses that can counteract the headaches you might feel from this venom. It says, "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!" The Word is telling us that when we rejoice in the Lord, when we remember His goodness to us, when we allow our gentleness to be evident to all (v.5) we celebrate His marvelous ways, when we think on those things that are pure, noble, right, admirable, lovely, excellent (v.8), then even in the midst of fear, worry and anxiety, the "God of peace will be with [us] (v.9)

Celebrate God, focus your eyes on Him and His goodness, Rejoice in Him and see if that doesn't alleviate some of the headaches.

So, "REJOICE" in the Lord always, I will say it again: "REJOICE"... take two of these REJOICE and call me in the morning!

For more NEXT STEPS, please visit: http://www.livingwaters.org/resources/next-steps.html

NEXT STEPS - "You Are What You Eat"

When I was a child, I remember when those little candies, NERDS™, came out. I could buy a box of them for about 25¢ at the local milk store, along with 1¢ TOOTSIE ROLLS™, and 5¢ LAFFY TAFFY™ (my personal favorite was the Fruit Punch flavor)... do I sound like one of those, "I-used-to-walk-five-miles-uphill-both-ways-through-the-snow-to-school" kind of guys? HaHa!

Anyway, I say all that to say this: whenever any of us saw one of our friends eating NERDS™, we would inevitably shout out, "You are what you eat!"

Chuckle, chuckle, Ha, Ha...it still brings a little bit of a nostalgic smile to my face today.

I couldn't help thinking of that old saying, "you are what you eat" when Pastor Dave was speaking this past Sunday. Using the analogy of eating a cow (sorry to all my vegetarian and vegan friends), Pastor Dave drew an amazing parallel to how our stomach enzymes break down the essential ingredients of the meat, how our body uses those to build up our new cells, and how it equates to our spiritual diet. In essence, he was challenging us if, physically, "you are what you eat", then the same principle would hold true, spiritually.

Simple, honest, direct... and yet, I was very challenged by that thought!

Just as I try to pay attention to what I'm putting in my natural diet (let's be honest, my wife is doing much better at paying attention for me), I must also be aware of what I am feeding my soul and spirit. 

Think about it: if in the natural, all we ever eat is junk food, our cells will degenerate. We will be unhealthy, obese, sluggish, etc... The same applies in the spiritual.

If all we consume are the "things of this world", then our spiritual bodies will be unhealthy and sluggish as well. Our spiritual diet must consist of the healthy choices such as more time in the Word rather than in the television, more time in prayer than in play, more time in service than in selfishness. After all, if we are what we eat, who really wants to be one of the spiritual NERDS™?


For more NEXT STEPS, please visit: http://www.livingwaters.org/resources/next-steps.html

A Letter To My Father

Happy Father's Day!

I thought it might be fun to post some great Father's Day quotes. Of course, none of them can fully express the honor, respect and love that I have for all those who bear the name "Father" --- namely my own dad, Dennis Amsden.

Dad, I adore you! I cherish the lessons you have taught, and I can only hope that I bear the name "father" with the same integrity with which you have worn it. Thank you for being you!


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~ Dad, you're someone to look up to no matter how tall I've grown. ~Author Unknown
~ The greatest gift I ever had came from God; I call him Dad!~Author Unknown
~ Life was a lot simpler when what we honored was father and mother rather than all major credit cards.~Robert Orben
~ Making the decision to have a child is momentous.  It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body. ~Elizabeth Stone
~ Sometimes the poorest man leaves his children the richest inheritance.~Ruth E. Renkel
~ Never raise your hand to your kids.  It leaves your groin unprotected. ~Red Buttons
~ He didn't tell me how to live; he lived, and let me watch him do it. ~Clarence Budington Kelland
~ A truly rich man is one whose children run into his arms when his hands are empty.~Unknown
~ Small boy's definition of Father's Day: It's just like Mother's Day only you don't spend so much.~Unknown
~ By the time a man realizes that maybe his father was right, he usually has a son who thinks he's wrong.~Charles Wadsworth
~ It's only when you grow up, and step back from him, or leave him for your own career and your own home—it's only then that you can measure his greatness and fully appreciate it.~Margaret Truman
~ Father! - to God himself we cannot give a holier name. ~William Wordsworth

NEXT STEPS - "Inventive Faithfulness"

This past Sunday, Paul put a phrase on the overhead that really punched me in the face, the gut and the head. (yes, a triple whammy that knocked me out)

The overhead read: "Patient Progress has given way to instant gratification."

We live in an era, just as Paul so humorously put it, where frustration easily sets in when our instant access to the internet gets deterred by a slight modem disruption or when waiting at a stop light takes longer than we had hoped. (side note: it is not the red light that bothers me, it is the yellow light that is just out of my reach and the knowing that I will then have to sit at the red light.)

Yet, I think of that phrase --- patient progress has given way to instant gratification --- and I can't help but imagine all the countless inventors who toiled for years in anonymity so that we might have the technologies of our modern world. From Galileo Galilei to Thomas Edison, from George Washington Carver to that guy who created TIVO, men and women who have given us amazing inventions that have enriched our lives (and sometimes "enabled" them) worked, failed, experimented, imagined and made PATIENT PROGRESS until they had a breakthrough.

Yet, their labors have led, by and large, to our current need for instant gratification. We EXPECT what they took countless years, and sometimes decades, to INSPECT. We must never forget that toil leads to progress. Patient faithfulness over the little things leads to breakthroughs in the big things.

This sermon series we have been on together, [Extra]Ordinary Living, has been a very practical, feet-on-the-ground series, that offers simple steps to experience so much more than an ordinary life. We have the opportunity to be faithful in our daily devotions, in our finances, in our time management. And remember: if all we experience is patient progress, that is progress, nonetheless. Quick, instant inspirations bring very little lasting reward. Instead, it is the inventive, earth-shattering faithfulness of praying daily, reading the Word, worshipping, loving, financial stewardship and proper time investment that will yield the greatest progress.

Let us purpose in our hearts to work, to be faithful, to be the ones who seek patient progress rather than instant gratification... after all, just like Edison once said, "Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration."

For more NEXT STEPS, please visit: http://www.livingwaters.org/resources/next-steps.html

NEXT STEPS - "My Sword, My Money"

During the conversation this past Sunday, we mentioned several resources that are available to you with regard to seeking financial counsel and gaining Biblical wisdom with regard to financial stewardship.

From Dave Ramsey's financial advice to Kiplinger magazine's investment strategies; from Dr, Ruby Payne's study on understanding poverty to Crown ministries Biblical stewardship advice; we covered a huge topic in broad strokes - all in the hope that we, as followers of Christ would master our finances instead of allowing our finances to master us.

I want to share this brief story with you from the book, YOUR MONEY COUNTS, by Howard Dayton, founder of Crown ministries. I think it is a poignant look at how many people may view their finances with regard to submission to the Scripture.

On page 11 he writes, "When the Crusades were being fought during the 12th century, the Crusaders employed mercenaries to fight on their behalf. Because it was a religious war, the crusaders insisted that the mercenaries be baptized before fighting. As they were being baptized, the mercenaries would hold their swords out of the water to symbolize the one thing in their life that Jesus Christ did no control. They had the freedom to use the swords in any way they wished."

Dayton continues, "Today many people handle their money in a similar fashion, through they may no be as obvious about it. They hold their wallet or pursue 'out of the water', in effect saying, 'God, You can be the Lord of my entire life except for my money. I am perfectly capable of handing that myself.'"

Hmmm...Interesting story...

You can check out more resources from Crown ministries at www.crown.org.


For more NEXT STEPS, please visit: http://www.livingwaters.org/resources/next-steps.html

NEXT STEPS - "Back To Basics"

If you've ever aimlessly flipped through the TV channels, you've probably noticed a lot of infomercials for physical fitness. They all promote life-changing results in short periods of time with advertising hooks like: "Get the body you've always wanted in 90 days!"; "Ripped Abs in 60 Days!"; "Lose 30lbs in as little as 6 Weeks!"; "Drop 4 inches in 4 weeks!"; "Get in shape in 2 Weeks!"; "Get an amazing body in only 10, short minutes a day!"...

The list goes on and on and on... Endless promises through extreme programs. Well, I don't know about you, but I can personally attest to the truth that short-term solutions do not produce long-term results. Instead, lasting change comes from a deliberate daily discipline of eating properly and getting exercise. That's it.

The secret to long-term healthy living is very basic. Burn more calories than you take in and get the proper nutrients to fuel your mind and body. And, rather than crazy contortion exercises with goofy ab-rolling, sit-and-spin, row-boat, wonky contraptions that you may not fully understand, the human body needs basic cardio and moderate resistance exercises to thrive.

Now, I admit: when Ryan announced that he would be speaking on the Will of God this past Sunday, I was more than a little nervous. I couldn't help but think, "oh great, here comes someone to offer me extreme promises for my spiritual health... I get to hop into that crazy, ab-rolling contraption called the Will of God - a device I don't fully understand - in order to get in shape spiritually and understand God's Hidden Will.

However, I discovered, much like Paul's sermon last week, that what Ryan was prescribing was getting back to the basics of our faith. He laid out a very practical plan about the Revealed Will of God given to us in the Word. His exercise plan included a steady diet of the Word, Prayer, Daily Time with Jesus and Ministry to the Body. His Get-Fit program included being sanctified (1 Thess. 4:3); being joyful, praying continually and giving thanks in all circumstances (1 Thess. 5:16-18); and not loving the things of the world but striving to have the Love of the Father (1 John 2:17)...

Wow! Simple. Back to basics... Healthy, daily disciplines to achieve long-lasting transformation and to fulfill the Will of God in our lives!


For more NEXT STEPS, please visit: http://www.livingwaters.org/resources/next-steps.html

NEXT STEPS - "Listening To The Coach's Voice"

When I played soccer in high school, my coach used to hammer us about being tuned in to his voice and his voice alone.

He would stress to all of us players that we should be so tuned in to what he was saying to us while we were on the field, that we would be able to hear him whisper.

During our games, the home team crowd would be screaming and cheering. Yet, even amidst all the voices of the crowd, both the cheers and the sometime-boos, our coach would call our name in order to give us instructions for the next series of offense.


Hardly ever did he raise his voice above room-level, which made it difficult to hear him across the field amidst the noise of the crowd and the trash-talking of the other team.

It took me a long time to learn the discipline of tuning into his voice.

Several failed attempts and many wind-sprints later, I began to value the voice of my coach more than all the other competing voices on that field. And every time I tuned in to his voice, he was able to give me valuable instruction that I still keep in my heart to this day.

The video that Paul showed us on Sunday reminded me of the importance of being tuned into the voice of God, hearing Him above all the other competing voices of our world. Hearing the voice of the Holy Spirit, our ultimate Coach for life, is a valuable discipline worth learning!


For more NEXT STEPS, please visit: http://www.livingwaters.org/resources/next-steps.html

NEXT STEPS - LivingWaters.org

For the past several weeks, I have been writing a weekly article for our church's NEXT STEPS series, a daily continuation of that past week's Sunday sermon - an "unpacking", if you will.

Myself, along with several other people from our church, write these short articles to provide church members with a daily thought, anecdote, affirmation, whatever you'd like to call it.

If you want to read and follow the NEXT STEPS, you can check them out daily at: http://www.livingwaters.org/resources/next-steps.html Enjoy!

Also, the sermon archive is: http://www.livingwaters.org/resources/sermon-archive.html

Running To The Giver Of Life

Lex has entered that painful phase of life I like to call, "Learning No." (let's be honest, once you enter that phase, I'm not sure that you ever get out of it...HaHa!)

What Lex doesn't yet know is that the establishment of boundaries is key to his success in life --- as a man, a citizen, and a follower of Christ.

Boundaries are key:
This is acceptable.
That is not.
Go here.
Don't go there.
Access allowed.
No trespassing.
Lex is in for a lifetime of boundaries.

Meg and I laugh every time we enter the room and Lex is doing something that he knows is a, "no."

For instance, if I walk into the room and he's reaching for the computer keyboard, all I have to say now is, "hey, Bud." He turns and gives me that deer-in-headlights look. Then, his brow furrows and his bottom lip goes square. Next, the tears flow. He knows that he is crossing a boundary.

While the process is emotionally agonizing and he doesn't yet understand why I don't want him to do things like stick his finger in that socket, I have noticed an amazing thing in Lex's behavior: as soon as I tell him, "no", he may indeed cry. But no sooner do the tears stream down his cheeks before he is running toward me, arms open wide. He knows that even though Daddy has established the boundary, Daddy will also give him comfort. He knows that, even though I am the one that brings pain, I am also the giver of life. (in the most human sense and not the divine sense, of course)

What an amazing child-like faith!

As he was lying in my arms the other day, I began to think: there will be a time when his sin-nature will cause him to not only test (and often cross) the boundaries but also he will run away from the boundary-maker, the giver of life.

He won't run to Daddy's arms forever. Somewhere along the line, he will believe the lie that Daddy doesn't actually want the best for him. He will believe that those people who cross the boundaries are the ones finding life. He may even blame Daddy for being a withholder, an accusation about his father that is utterly false.

I wonder: how often do we trust God's discipline? How often do we submit to the boundaries established by our Heavenly Father?
Or...
How often do we shrug off the Lord's boundaries? How often do we see God as a withholder --- rather than viewing Him as the Giver of Life.

Hosea 6:1 says, "Come, let us return to the Lord. For He has torn us, and He will heal us; He has wounded us, and He will bind up our wounds."

While the process of learning boundaries can be painful, emotionally agonizing and often leads to tearing and wounding, God is faithful to "heal us" and to "bind up our wounds."

Instead of turning from God, what if we said, "Come, let us return to the Lord"?
Instead of running from Him, what if we ran into the His arms... the arms of the Giver of Life.
Wouldn't that be exceptional!

By the by, for a great book on the boundaries, click here. (that's my momma's book, ya'll!)

Through A Child's Eyes

Lex plays with a balloon at his 1st birthday party.

Lex often reminds me of the simple joy(s) that Life offers.

His childlike wonder --- the sheer delight that he takes in seemingly mundane, ordinary things --- both warms my heart as his father and quickens memories of my own childhood.

For his first birthday, dear friends of ours gave Lex some amazing toys --- toys that chirped, lit up, sang, whirred, buzzed, chimed, talked, clanged, banged... all the types of toys that give a parent peace and calm after a long day.

Lex certainly enjoys the wonderful toys that stimulate his visual and aural senses, but those stimulants quickly fade to the background as Lex (I assume like other children) prefers instead to explore blocks, empty boxes and balloons.

The delight that Lex takes in a simple balloon blows my mind. To me, a balloon seems so simplistic, so basic; and yet, my son lights up with extreme excitement when he comes face to face with a brightly colored, floating sphere.

And it is not just a balloon...the immeasurable happiness that Lex experiences while playing in a sandbox, petting a doggy and banging twigs on the ground allows me to rediscover the simplicity of pure joy. I am rediscovering the world through his eyes.

I think that children (whether ours or not) are God's way of reminding adults of simple wonder, simple faith, simple happiness.

It is so easy, especially in our current culture, to get caught up in the rat race; isn't it?

We work hard in order to keep up with the Joneses and amass wealth; and we think that all the toys, the gadgets, the whirring, buzzing, flashing material things that chime, talk, clang and bang equate to the Pursuit of Happiness promised to us in the American Dream. But that is simply not the case

2 POINTS OF BALANCE: Please understand what I am not saying.
1) Scripture tells us to "put away childish things" (1 Cor.13:11), but that is not what I am talking about. Side note on that: if that thought/Scripture came to your mind as a challenge to what I am saying, I would recommend reading that verse within the context of what the author was saying, but that is neither here nor there... I am talking about a childlike sense of wonder, a childlike sense of faith, a childlike sense of happiness and the Pursuit of it.
2) I am not speaking against hard work, diligence, amassing wealth, laying up inheritances, etc... I am speaking against the idea that permeates our culture: a belief that amassing material things is the Pursuit of Happiness.

Even with the best of intentions, I think that this destructive ideology of "stuff = happiness" permeates our thinking, yours and mine. But what if we decided to turn away from that illegitimate version of the Pursuit of Happiness? What if we lived with childlike faith? What if we took a cue from the children around us and rediscovered happiness in all of its simplicity? What if we viewed life --- and God for that matter --- through a child's eyes? Wouldn't that be Exceptional Living?

===
Here is a video clip from a musical I wrote and directed back in 2003, entitled HEART OF A DREAM. My character has grown jaded from life, and he has recently returned to an island where he and his brother grew up with their missionary father and where his brother still serves.

This scene/conversation takes place with my character and his nephew, who reminds him of the simplicity of childlike faith. Please excuse the video quality and audio quality as it was taken from a VHS (yes, I just said VHS)

I wonder if, much like my character, our childlike faith is out of reach because our arms have grown too long and because we're standing way too tall...