I saw this after our mini church on Sunday Night and laughed....
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CaK9bjLy3v4&hl=en_US&fs=1&&w=480&h=385]
Old Sin Nature....The Death March
A death march is a forced march of prisoners of war or other captives or deportees when they walk over long distances and for an extremely long period of time, being supplied with little or no food and water. The result is that the weakest of them die primarily due to exhaustion and dehydration.
Galatians 5:16So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. 17For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. 18But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law. 19The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
When we are new creations in Christ, that is, we are justified through Christ and because of that God's love has adopted us as sons of God. We are new creatures in Christ and immediately we find a war within us. Our old sin nature versus our new self. Why do so many of us fall victim to the Death March where we slowly fall back into the old and forget the new.
Less of us and more of Him, of HIs Word, of prayers and supplication to Him daily are the only ways that we can slowly put the ways of this world behind us and become what Christ calls us to be: Disciples of Christ. By that, we see the fruit of the new self:
Galatians 5:22 but the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. 25Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other
Epiphany
Maybe it’s that I just finished listening to Bill Bryson’s A Walk in the Woods or maybe it’sbecause I just had to leave my family yet again and it’s weighing heavy on mymind and heart, but I think I have discovered True Happiness.
When I was young, I had big dreams. Big dreams of wealth, power and individualfreedom over my life and what it would stand for. Like most, I went to school, got idealistic,then struck out to work hard and climb the latter of success so I could havenice things and someday retire with a plush 401k and live the easy life whilewriting my own book. I worked long andhard hours chasing money, status and fame. I’ll never forget the first year I made six figures; I thought I hadmade it and joined the big leagues.
Then life happened and God let me know who was really incharge.
With a series of unfortunate events, my life and the whitewashedwalls I tried to build around me came crashing down. Shortly after the worst year of my life, 9/11happened and like most people I paused to examine my life. What I saw was greed, buying in to theloser’s game and chasing a false ideal of success and happiness.
When I was a Financial Planner, we used to utilize a salesstrategy called “What’s Important About Money to You.” It was taken from Bill Bachrach’s ValuesBased Selling. The exercise would askpeople about their life goals and how much money they wanted for retirement.
People would tend to list their goals materially. A Big House, a Range Rover, a Boat, a Condoon the French Riviera, etc. When youtook someone’s goal and broke it down asking them what’s really important aboutthis goal to you it always came down to an emotion the person wished to feel. We really don’t want these things; we wantthe feelings that we think these things we bring us. “If I drive a nice car, people will think Iam successful. It will impress the neighbors and my in-laws.” Really?
In 2003, I used this technique on myself examining my ownlife goals. Do I really need a biggerhouse, a nicer car or more money in the bank or do I want these things?Furthermore, do I want these things or the imagined emotions that I believethese things will bring me? If it isonly the emotions I am after, where else could I receive these emotions?
Society will try to sell you that happiness lies in chasingsuccess, fame and material possessions.
Is a bigger house, a nicer car and the status of buying thelatest 4G phone every 6 months really all there is to life?
I recently pulled out an old photo album and looked atpictures of my wife and I from our teens to our early marriage years. I pausedwhen I saw three pictures of our first apartment, car and bedroom. We looked like poverty stricken couple withbad jobs and an old Buick that was barely running. I then looked around my current house. We have a big house full of Italian furniturein a private gated community with stocked lakes and dozens of hiking trails plus2 semi-new cars in the parking lot.
We have come a long way since those old photos; do we reallyneed anything more? Are we really any happier or just more secure? Some of our greatest memories as a couple andfamily come from the times we were the most destitute and in some of the mostharrowing situations, we don’t need more money, possessions or security. We need more purpose in life, more giving toothers and more gratitude for all we have.
This is what I have found to be true on the subject:
True Happiness lies in canoeing for seven days into NorthernMinnesota and Canadian backcountry. Seeing God’s creation as he intended, with no outside noise ordistractions. Watching a Mother Eagleand her babies catch a fish out of the water at dusk less than 30 yards fromyour canoe. Chasing a bear off theisland you are camping on with only a Swiss army knife and some Chutzpah. Running out of food at day 6 then canoeing andrushing to a Pizza Hut on day 7 starving and grateful you made it.
Building a school in a third world country where thechildren have never seen a text book or had any formal education. Giving a ragged child that has never had atoy in his life a soccer ball and watching him play like it was the best day inhis life. Then humbling yourself whenhis mother and father thank you repeatedly with tears in their eyes andtoothless smiles knowing that their child will receive the education they neverhad.
Taking your daughter on a date and going ice skating. Falling on your face while she saves you thenretreating to the coffee shop afterwards for hot chocolate and fresh BlueMountain java. Then she lets you intoher world and tells you of her dreams, struggles and what she really wants todo when she grows up. Standing in herdoorway that night and watching her sleep peacefully with a slight smile on herface and wondering what she is dreaming of now.
True Happiness does not come from material possessions,titles or symbols of status and large 401k’s.
My friend Peter once told me that I reminded him of theSwitchfoot song, The Loser. Having never heard the song I thought he must thinkthe worst of me? Then I finally heardthe song:
Only the losers win
They've got nothing to prove
They'll leave the world with nothing to lose
You can laugh at the weirdoes now
Wait till wrongs are right
They'll be the ones with nothing to hide
'Cause I've been thinking, thinking
I've got a plan to lose it all
I've got a contract pending on eternity
If I haven't already given it away
I've got a plan to lose it all
I've been the burnout kid
I've been the idiot
I'll turn the other cheek to be hit
You can take what you want from me
Empty me till I'm depleted
I'll be around if I'm ever needed
True Happiness comes from human interaction. Being the best person you can be for others.Living Godly values and setting the example for your family and friends. Cherishing the moments with strangers andtrying to touch their lives in some small way. Reveling in the most simplistic of activities like eating a good meal ortaking a hot shower while knowing that at least 80% of humanity lives on lessthan $10 per day and doesn’t have a clean water source.
“When youhave once seen the glow of happiness on the face of a beloved person, you knowthat a man can have no vocation but to awaken that light on the facessurrounding him; and you are torn by the thought of the unhappiness and nightyou cast, by the mere fact of living, in the hearts you encounter. Gratefulnessis the key to a happy life that we hold in our hands, because if we are notgrateful, then no matter how much we have we will not be happy -- because wewill always want to have something else or something more. The truth is thatour finest moments are most likely to occur when we are feeling deeplyuncomfortable, unhappy, or unfulfilled. For it is only in such moments,propelled by our discomfort, that we are likely to step out of our ruts andstart searching for different ways or truer answers. Happiness cannot betraveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritualexperience of living every minute with love, grace and gratitude. That man isrichest whose pleasures are cheapest.”
What a wonderful, complex, even confusing fathering life I’ve got. That’s a good thing, a “legacy thing”.
I’m within an arm’s reach of 70, the new 50. I’m looking down the scruffy mountain trail I’ve ridden and looking ahead on the trail up yonder (yonder=cowboy for “Heaven”).
I love what I’m seeing. Except for the crap on the news. Yes, I do watch Glenn Beck and I read the disorienting news on my own, which I don’t like hardly nonatall. So, I get cranky over the future the world's and my nation’s current impulses are leaving for my grandchildren. And theirs. And so on…a dark legacy?
I’ve noticed that my own words can come back to me as encouragement or as shame. What was once fresh “meat of the Word” can become jerky, salty and barely tasty and hardly nourishing. I try to keep the Word fresh and my own words therefrom.
In outlining the themes for Generational Fathering, Matt and I found a prime motive in our relationship and for the book: preparing “our” children to withstand the chaos of the future. But there is more. To prepare them to lead…for the sake of the heritage, the nation, the Kingdom. Psalm 145:4 “Generation after generation stands in awe of your work; each one tells stories of your mighty acts.”
Probably like you, I’ve become deeply frustrated—no, “angry” would be more truthful—by my helplessness to reverse, even slow, the downward spiral of my nation’s course. It’s a world out of my control. Imagine that. Then Hope from the Word, fresh meat, and my own words came back to me. I remembered why I care about Legacy Dads and Generational Fathering: Hope and destiny, shaping the future not being hammered by it.
“Oh me, oh my, what is to become of these precious little critters I’ve come to adore as if they were the very purpose of my life?” It was formed over the recent months as a serious plea to the Father. Know what His reply was? “That’s up to you, son,” as if God were, Himself, fathering me by prodding my blended passion for Him and for them. That’s because as I live out and peck away at the book that’s broiling to the surface through my fingertips, I am reminded of the cornerstone theme: We can leave monuments, hospital wings, statues in the town square…or we can bequeath to the Kingdom and the world living testaments to the grace, goodness, and mercy of God Himself. It’s about nurturing—training up—our sons and daughters—and theirs—in the way God has designed them as models of goodness and godliness. YES! We can shape the future in preparing our legacy children for it.
Pause for a second. Reflect.
That is a legacy that will multiply itself around the world. May thriving remnants diverge from your commitment and your actions. My own may not even remember it was Popi Gary (you may fill in your name here, legacy dad/legacy grand dad) who set the generational discipleship in motion.
But we will be watching…as will Matt and his son, Taylor, and Taylor’s children (and the others’) from the Eternal Perch, on and on and on. Wouldn’t that just be Heaven?!
Inspirational, if not heart-fluttering? It all hangs on intentionality and specific actions. Lots of ingredients mixed just right, like an award-winning stew. But, not alone. The Word of God, transparent fellowship, a desperate heart for God, delighting in and living out His story, His glory, for your life…these are cairns, markers on the trail, of a godly fathering life. All of that plus, “not alone.” That’s why we are dads. And why we have dads. And raise future dads. Not Alone. Fathered by God, fathered by our fathers and their fathers.
So, have you thought of inviting Dad, “officially” in to your fathering life? Grand Dad, have you offered? Something not “quite right” yet for that to happen? FIX IT !
Finding Wisdom
Men of our past once said:
"The first and almost the only book of deserving universal attention is the Bible. I speak as a man of the world...and I say to you, "Search the Scriptures.""John Quincy Adams - 6th President of the United States
"The strength of our country is the strength of its religious convictions. The foundations of our society and our government rest so much on the teachings of the Bible that it would be difficult to support them if faith in these teachings would cease to be practically universal in our country." Calvin Coolidge - 30th POTUS
"The fundamental basis of this nation's laws was given to Moses on the Mount. The fundamental basis of our Bill of Rights comes form the teachings we get from Exodus and Saint Mathew, from Isaiah and Saint Paul...If we don't have a proper fundamental moral background, we will finally end up with a totalitarian government which does not believe in rights for anybody except the State!" Harry Truman - 33rd POTUS
Proverbs 1:7, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of Knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and knowledge."
How can we as Christ's Ambassadors sit back and allow the "enemy" those who are of this World contradict biblical principles and truth and light? When you are an ambassador on Foreign Land you are on Sovereign Land of the Lord Jesus Christ. Be bold and confident and follow the ways of wise men who fear the Lord and base life on Scriptures precepts and principles.
Tell me what you think on these things...
Dante
From one nailed scarred hand to Freedom
Life by the Spirit
Galatians5:1 It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do notlet yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. 13 You, my brothers,were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinfulnature[a]; rather, serve one another in love. 14The entire law is summed up ina single command: "Love your neighbor as yourself."[b] 15If you keepon biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by eachother. 16 So I say, live by the Spirit,and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. 17 For the sinfulnature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contraryto the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do notdo what you want. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law. 19 The acts of the sinful nature are obvious:sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred,discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21andenvy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, thatthose who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy,peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness andself-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong toChrist Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. 25Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26Let us notbecome conceited, provoking and envying each other.
IfGod is for us, then who can be against us? If we are justified through Christ and re-generated into new creatures, thatis, adopted as sons of God then why do we persist on being enslaved to the oldnature. Why is their grumbling andfactions and the like? What will it takefor us to unify each other as the body of Christ? There are many questions that always seems tobe lessened by our own depravity; whatever that looks like by some. We are all men and we are definitelyfallible, therefore, without using the Word of God as a way of reproof in ourlives then everything else we do is for naught. Let be more specific, without the Word of God as our benchmark, prayerand petition, and accountability and trust in and only of our salvation throughJesus Christ, then we are in error. Wecannot say that something is from God if the Bible does not reproof it. Let me explain it this way: Hebrews 13:17 Obey your leaders and submit totheir authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obeythem so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of noadvantage to you. Jesus put it thisway: Matthew 22:34 Hearing that Jesushad silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. 35 One of them, anexpert in the law, tested him with this question: 36"Teacher, which is thegreatest commandment in the Law?" 37 Jesus replied: "'Love the Lordyour God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'[a]38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it:'Love your neighbor as yourself.'[b] 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang onthese two commandments."
Jesuspaid it all, once and for all, on Calvary. If you profess the name of the Lord as Savior, believed that he was bornof a virgin, died for our sins and rose again on the third day and confess oursins to Jesus and ask him to be Lord over our life, then you are saved. Your transgression are forgiven and you aremade white as snow. Also, we read inscripture that we become Sons of God. Ourold sin nature is at war with our new self and we have to either choose to liveby the Spirit or to live a life that continues to require anothercrucifixion. Why, to those of us thatcontinue to fall into the same sin, do you continue to crucify Jesus and askfor your sins to be pardon? Is the fruitof the Spirit in your life? Are youwalking by the Spirit, that is, is your life completely obedient to God and tohis Word? Do the words Stewardship,Purity and Discipleship mean anything to your daily walk? If the answer is yes, then you are walking bythe Spirit. If you answer is some of thetime, then you need to clean house and repent, and if the answer is no, then Ihave to ask are you truly saved?
Are you allowing yourself to love your brother? To love God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength?
Dante
Things that I have learned
This month will mark my 42nd birthday and also my youngest daughter's birthday who was born 47 minutes before my birthday. Yes, that is correct my friends, she wants her day all to herself. That being said, I was reading another blog and I saw on old post about things that have been learned through the years. After reading Lance's last entry (welcome home my friend) I realized that God can fill a lot of places in your life and if you allow Him, He can fill everything in your life with Joy! Here are some of the things that I have learned over the past several years:
Age 31 - Never say that you are never getting married, especially when God has other plans for your life
Age 32 - God is truly the greatest Architect that we have ever met (have you seen New Zealand and the Mountains within?)
Age 33 - When you give God the power over you finances and commit to him (at least) 10% he will meet you where you need to be met and will guide you to where you need to go. Malachi 3:10
Age 34 - When you make Stewardship a priority in your life the rest of the themes in your life come more into focus (see Lances previous blog and read the lists)
Age 35 - If you are fortunate enough to be blessed with the gift of parenting, it is at this point that you can truly grasp just how much God loves us, as we love our children (the birth of my oldest, my son)
Age 37 - When you trust God and give Him all that He asks, things in your life and priorities in your life change drastically - they move to a Kingdom perspective. Also, when God blesses you with a little girl you quickly understand how important purity is...Colossians 3
Age 39 - Biblical Stewardship and trusting God with your finances allows you to bless others because scripture is fulfilled - God says, when it comes to tithing, to test Him and he will bless you more than you can believe (He Does, He is faithful and Almighty). The birth of my third child forces me to realize how important a father's love needs to be in little girls lives.
Age 40 - Through trials, tribulations and pain, God teaches us to lean more on His understanding and less on ours. Prayer, daily reading of Scripture and complete trust in "His will be done" changes anxiety and stress levels James 5:16
Age 41 - You can never read enough Scripture because there is always something new to learn and to be revealed through daily study. I like what Pastor Adrian Rogers once used to say, "When you read, you read other books, BUT when you read the Bible, it reads you"
I am also learning that you can never learn to trust Him more nor can you expect to reach a level in your daily walk that doesn't continue to require more from you. Love your brother as yourself and first and foremost love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, strength and mind. On these two commands hang all the others. The older I get, the more that I learn to ask God for the Wisdom. Less of me and more of Him.
Dante
A Life Worth Living
Every man longs for adventure, from the time when we are boys. Building forts, playing wargames and envisioning ourselves as lone crusaders or frontiersmen. I really don't think this longing ever dies once we become men. Some men never grow up and take on life's responsibilities, some men grow up too much and leave family and fun behind. Some men try to suppress their longing and eventually feel lost and embittered. I also believe every man longs for an epic challenge. Some task, goal or life changing event that allows a man to put his wits and skills to the test, in order to prove himself worthy and to let the man know that he has what it takes should the situation arise.
I have trekked through the jungles of Central and South America, snow camped in the Arctic in -50 
Degree temperatures, evaded wild elephants in the forests of Asia and had many cups of tea in the deserts of the Middle East. My family has crossed the Smoky Mountains, the Italian Alps, basked in the beauty of Bavaria, survived the heat of the canoyonlands in the Southwest and discovered secret waterfalls in the Pacific Northwest. Yet something still seems missing?
The Bible as well as many other religions and beliefs speak of the Law of the Harvest. Karma, The Secret, the Law of Attraction or whatever else people want to market it as basically follow the same premise as the teachings of Jesus. See here for more in depth:
For men, the Law of the Harvest can be broken down into seven categories that we place our time and energy in.
Family - Our marriage and children
Firm - Our Career, Job or vocation
Friends - Our friends
Faith - Our Faith and Spirituality
Fitness - Our health, eating habits and fitness
Finance - Our stewardship of money
Fun - Hobbies, activities, leisure
How we allocate our time and priorities, dictates what type of harvest we will sow. If we place all of our time and energy into Family. We will have a strong family but possible less firm or finances. If we place all our time and energy into Firm, we may have less family, fun and friends.
I think herein lies the dilemma.
As men, we are still searching for the epic challenge. We listen to society, friends and the media for cues of where to find the epic challenge then follow the rabbit hole down one of the Seven areas looking for the adventure.
I think there is know right or wrong answer to this question as everyman is different and has to follow his inner calling yet a delicate balance of multiple areas allow the man to reap the greatest harvest. I also believe that the areas can change over time and throughout a mans life.
The true question is what areas reap the greatest harvest?
For me it goes like this: Faith, Family, Firm and then the rest in random order. I try to sprinkle Fun over the top of everything just to keep it light and humorous.
Again we have to begin at the end and reverse plan what we focus on. What do we want our life to look like in the end? What will our final eulogy speak of? What will our legacy be?
Only we can decide this.
- Lance