This morning I sat down at my computer and do something that I enjoy doing. I take a long look at the world outside my window. Now you must know that my window doesn’t have a great view. It does not compare to the mountains that I used to look out upon in Alaska. It is mainly a stretch of grass behind the Church and currently a soy bean field. I do occasionally get to see squirrels and there was a bird that had a nest on the downspout right next to my window. But mostly it would be considered by many a lot of boring nothing.

Today there was something different in my line of view. Between the window and the screen there is a fairly large spider. It is black and it is a little larger than a nickel. I don’t know when or how it arrived in my window but it has had long enough time to build a makeshift web in each corner. Not the kind of beautiful web found in paintings or Halloween decorations. It looks more like a cotton ball that has been pulled apart for a children’s class project.

In his ugly web there are the remains of a fly, two other creatures and what looks like the wings of a rather large bug. It is very clear that his plan has worked. Personally, I would not have thought that very many insects would be able to get between my glass and that screen, but I would be wrong. My spider appears to be living a happy and abundant life.

Today the spider reminded me of a simple Biblical principle. Jesus tells his followers to look at the lilies of the field and the birds of the air. He challenges them to see how God dresses them and takes care of them. They don’t worry about their life and they have everything they need. This spider found a small place in the corner of my world and God is taking good care of it. It has food, shelter and even a view. What more could a spider want?

Here I set thinking of a slightly different take on scripture. “Look to the spider, they find a place and make a web and the Lord takes care of them. Are you not worth much more than a spider?”

In the middle of the rush of the days leading up to school I have a simple invitation for you. Take time today to truly live. We spend too many days just trying to “get through them.” Take some time today and try to live in the moment.

What if today…

You called your parents and had a conversation.

You sat down with your children and asked about their life.

You walked across the street and spoke with a neighbor you haven’t spoken to lately.

You wrote a love letter to your spouse.

You gave someone a little gift unexpectedly.

You shut off your phone, TV and internet and just see where your evening goes.

You called up an old friend and went out for a beverage.

You visited the graveside and just cried.

You invited a church member into your home.

You stopped by the nursing home and shared some time with a senior citizen.

You went to the lake and sat quietly to pray.

You sat alone on your porch just watching a quiet hour pass.

You went for a walk with someone you love and spoke.

You ate a meal with someone in need.

You pulled out the old board games and just had fun.

You took out your photo albums and took a walk down memory lane.

What if today you took some time to enjoy your life? What if you shared your life and brought joy to someone else. The work will still be there tomorrow. Take time to live today.

After my sermon this past Sunday I was reminded of an illustration Dr. Fred Craddock once used.

“To give my life for Christ appears glorious,” he said. “To pour myself out for others. . . to pay the ultimate price of martyrdom — I’ll do it. I’m ready, Lord, to go out in a blaze of glory.”

“We think giving our all to the Lord is like taking $l,000 bill and laying it on the table–‘Here’s my life, Lord. I’m giving it all.'”

“But the reality for most of us is that he sends us to the bank and has us cash in the $l,000 bill for quarters. We go through life putting out 25 cents here and 50 cents there.

Listen to the neighbor kid’s troubles instead of saying, ‘Get lost.’ Go to a committee meeting. Give a cup of water to a shaky old man in a nursing home.

Usually giving our life to Christ isn’t glorious. It’s done in all those little acts of love, 25 cents at a time.

It would be easy to go out in a flash of glory; it’s harder to live the Christian life little by little over the long haul.”

My son unofficially started his senior year yesterday. His high school football team held their first practice of the new season at 12:01 on Monday morning.

One week from this Thursday he will begin taking classes in his final year of high school.

I know everyone says that children grow up fast but the reality is quicker than expected. I am struggling to transition my role as a parent. The reality is that all of us go through changes as a parent.

1. Provider. The child is born and you provide all of their needs. This is everything from food, diapers, clothing to shelter.

2. Caregiver. As the child grows you begin to connect with them emotionally as they start talking to you and saying those words, “I love you” in return.

3. Dreamer. You dream of all the child could become right along with them. Pro sports, president, doctor, preacher and lawyer (well, maybe not a lawyer). You dream with them and for them.

4. Coach/Teacher. Suddenly you are thrust into the role of helping them try to achieve their dreams. You want them to be the best and you put in the time to help them achieve. This may be informally in the stands of formally on the sidelines.

5. Cheerleader. Children quickly outgrow a parent’s ability. So you hand them over to qualified people who can instruct them better than you can on your own. You are forced to sit in the stands and you cheer with every small victory.

6. Releaser. At some point your children are ready to leave the nest and go out on their own. It is a wonderful and scary time. They may fail and they may get hurt. Also they may succeed and do well. The future is unclear and there is a desire to hold on tight.

[This is where my knowledge of parenting ceases firsthand. Some of you may be able to add to my list.]

As I move into this sixth stage with my first-born I am filled with fear and trembling. I pray daily for God’s guidance and grace in their life. I pray for the decisions he is making this final year of high school. I hope I have handled each stage well and I especially hope I handle this one well.

Today I want to thank God for my oldest son. I hope he enjoys his senior year. The days have passed quickly and I thank my God for each and every one. May you and I both handle the stages of a parent with God’s strength, mercy and grace.

Last week my son went to a Christ in Youth conference. After he returned home I had the opportunity to go out to eat with him. We talked about the week and what had an impact on his life. He was not terribly impressed with the speakers although one he really enjoyed. He was not moved by the music and unending repetition of choruses. He did not even feel the emotion as other members of the group shared their hearts and demonstrated their desire to change. What made a difference to him was the presence of the youth sponsors. It impressed him to see someone else who loved Jesus who was willing to share their life with him.

I was reminded of two similar experiences in my life. First, I went to visit Ozark Christian College during their “Ambassadors Rally” while I was in high school. I remember only a couple of things about that experience. One of them was Rich Mullins and the other was the super nice students who shared their room when I had nowhere else to stay. Second, later in life I would attend OCC and they would tell us before every big event that our interactions with the high school students will have a bigger impact than the rest of the event. I completely understood what they were saying since part of the reason I chose OCC was because of some really nice students who stepped into my life during an event.

Quite often the biggest impact of our lives will not be in the events we put together or the classes we taught, but rather in the times we opened up our lives.

I am thankful for the people who shared their life with me. It definitely had an impact. I am thankful for the sponsors who opened up their life to my son. I know it had an impact on him.

I wonder who will be thankful for my life. What about you?

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Tomorrow is the last day of July. August is upon us. As I have talked to people this week and mentioned the coming month the response is usually the same, “Where has the summer gone?”

I completely understand that they are saying. Time seems to have flown by this summer. Which usually begs the question “Where did the time go?”

I think maybe a better question is “What did I do with my time?”

For me, I want to ask some questions for every season of life to help understand where the time went and what I have accomplished.

Did I grow as a believer? I know this is hard to measure in many ways but there are simple metrics to help us. How many pages and chapters of the Bible did I read? How many Christian books did I read? How many times did I attend worship? Was I a part of Christian Small group or Sunday School? Did I invest time in my faith?

Did I touch another person’s life? Have I invested any time into other people? This could come in large ways like building a lifetime friendship or it can come in small ways like offering a cup of cold water to a neighbor. How many people did I invite into my home? How many moments of encouragement did I bring into the world through my words and actions? Is there anyone thankful for my life right now?

Did my relationships grow? Is my relationship with my parents, my spouse, my siblings, my children better today than before? How much time did I spend with the people I love? How many deep conversations did I have lately? How many important phone calls did I make? How many visits?

Did I improve my world through my gifts? Lately was my life more focused on me getting what I want or me blessing other people? How many times did I help someone with a project? How many needs did I fill in the world? How much of my time was given away to other people?

Where did your time go? When you look back on this summer was it a time of growth or stagnation?

We would all agree that there are seasons when time seems to fly. There are days when we do not seem to have enough time to accomplish everything we want to get done. Often the problem is how much time was wasted on trivial issues. The real question is, “Did I/you do anything that really matters?”

If you do not feel happy with any of your answers about this summer; I am sorry. But I also have good news. Fall is coming and you still have time to make your life count. Why not start today?

I looked at the corner of my computer and saw the date of July 29, 2015. As soon as I read the numbers my mind did a quick flip back in time. 25 years ago today was a Sunday morning and I received a phone call telling me that my best friend Paul Shroyer had been killed in an accident. Little did I know at the time that this one phone call would alter the direction of my life.

First, I lost my best friend. Other than my wife, I have never had another person I felt as close too. We hunted, fished, shot bows and chased girls together. Losing him left a void in my life that I have never quite been able to fill.

Second, I have never viewed life the same after that day. Eternal questions took over my life and the things of heaven became more important to me. Up to that point I had known a few people who had died, but never anyone that close to me. My perspective on life, people, time and eternity changed.

Finally, it sent me on a road that became my career. Before this happened I had already committed to a year of Bible College but when he passed I went with a different mindset. I literally thought, “I am going to prove faith wrong and walk away from it forever or I am going to prove it right and commit to it forever.” That first year I read every apologetic book I could get my hands on. I asked questions of anyone willing to talk. I shared my hurt and found hope. In the end I came to a place of stronger faith that would eventually lead me into the preaching ministry.

My life was drastically altered on this day 25 years ago. I lost a friend. He did not get to see my wife or my children. I did not get to see him grow up and find a career or a wife and kids. So much has happened in that time and it seems hard to believe that 25 years have passed. I miss you my friend. I hope to see you in heaven one day.

I am not writing this looking for sympathy. Most of the hurt is long since passed. I am writing this to tell you that out of deep personal pain God brought me here. He used that awful experience to teach me and to mold me. My life story is not complete without a mention of Paul and the impact he had on my life.

The temptation for the Church is to think their pastor does not have problems. After all, he spends all day reading scripture, praying and thinking deep thoughts about God. How could someone like that have any struggles? Well, my answer is simple – “I am a fallen individual who struggles in his relationship with God and other people just like everyone else.”

I admit …

1. I struggle with my faith. I don’t have all of the answers. There are things in the Bible that trouble me, passages I don’t understand and concepts that are hard to grasp.

2. I continually battle sin in my own life. If you knew all that I have said and done in my life you would not want me as your pastor. I sin. I repent. I sin some more. Once in while I overcome some type of sin to have it replaced by another. My struggle against sin is a real everyday battle.

3. I love and hate the Church. There are many wonderful people in the Church who do wonderful things … and then there are the other people. I admit I have seen and heard things that make me want to the leave the Church and never return.

4. Some people drive me crazy. I have known people who are selfish, self-centered, mean, abusive and all other sorts of evil who call themselves Christians. Even more people are half-hearted in their faith while trying to convince the world of their strong belief. I often think that God is making me a better person by having me deal with people who annoy me.

5. My relationships are not perfect. I am not a perfect pastor, husband, father or son. I have not figured out every aspect of how to be the man I am supposed to be. I try to do my best but continually see my shortcomings.

These are just some of my issues. I could spend all day listing off my failures, shortcomings and sins. In the end it accomplishes very little to keep beating myself up in public. I simplly tell you these things for two reasons.

One, I am a sinner saved by grace just like all of you. I need the gospel to save me. I need people to help me become who God wants me to be.

Two, I want you to remember that you are just a sinner saved by grace like me. You need the gospel and you need people to help you become what God wants you to be.