The Insomnia Chronicles

Gazelle Hunting.

Lately, I've been eating healthier, sleeping more consistently, drinking tons of water, and exercising... my mode of exercise, you ask, ahhh... well, I've run down and saddled up a gazelle!  And it's kicking my butt!!

Know this: sadly, I had not been doing any of those things for a really, really long time. But, after struggling much of the summer with my body, mind & spirit, it had to happen.  I'm embarrassed to admit how stupid & careless I had been with God's blessings.  So, I'm changing.  Mentally the change has already clicked in. Spiritually, I'm hearing God clearer and approaching Him more frequently & boldly. Physically, I'm down from xxl to xl and definitely needing a belt with my jeans. 

Prayer Force, part 2

NOW IS THE TIME TO BEGIN

If you are not sure how to pray, don't despair! Everyone had to begin sometime. Just talk with God respectfully but openly. Talk with Him as your Father. Jesus taught us to pray, "Our Father ...". Recognize God as a loving Father. Recognize Jesus as a Friend and a Brother. Recognize the Holy Spirit as your Comforter and Guide. Come to the Father in Jesus' name (John 14:6; Hebrews 10:19). Begin your prayer with confession of any unconfessed sins. In this way the blood of Jesus cleanses us and prepares us to really relate to God. "Enter his gates with thanksgiving..." (Psalm 100:4). Thank God for forgiving your sins, for coming into your life, for making you His child. Then just talk with God, asking Him for whatever you need. Thank Him and praise Him for His answer. Spend time also asking for His Spirit to help you to pray. Talk to the Holy Spirit. Tell Him you want to know Him. "Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us..." (Romans 8:26). The Holy Spirit will guide you into all the truth (John 16:13) and He will teach you to pray.

Prayer Force, part 1

WHY PRAY?

1. We pray because we love God. We spend time with God in prayer and communion because we love him. Just as a man and woman in love desire to be together and communicate, so we - if we love God - will desire to be with Him and to fellowship with Him in proportion to our love for Him (that means it should grow & grow).
2. We pray because we depend on God. God is our source. He is our life (Colossians 3:4). Through prayer we receive the comfort, the strength and all the other resources that we need in life - both naturally and spiritually. Prayer - relationship with God - is as necessary to the spiritual life as air to the natural life. You're not all that... HE is!  Tell yourself, tell Him... TELL OTHERS!
3. We need to pray in order to resist temptation. "Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation" (Mt. 26:41). A lot of the messes we find ourselve in are the result of the sin of prayerlessness. Where there's lack of prayer, we get weak, others get weaker and Satan gains the advantage in our lives. And that sucks!
   
4. We need to pray because God owns everything (Psalm 24:1).  God gave responsibility for the earth to Adam and his descendants. We must invite God to work here. We must claim His dominion - and consciously seek His welfare throughout the land. If no-one invites God to work here, Satan (the god of this world through man's universal rebellion - 2 Corinthians 4:4) will dominate the affairs of people and eventually this will bring a judgment we don't want. By inviting God often and specifically, multitudes can be saved that would otherwise be lost.
5. We need to pray because God commands us to pray. "Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful" (Colossians 4:2). "Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up" (Luke 18:1). The need to pray is as great as the authority of God which commands us: "pray continually" (1 Thessalonians 5:17). Prayer is so vital to all that God wants to do on the earth, and so essential to us, that God commands us to do it all the time. We should even deny ourselves sleep and food at times in order to pray more and with greater power. (Matthew 6:16; Luke 6:12; Luke 21:36; Colossians 4:2; 2 Corinthians 11:27).

Prayer is our Holy occupation. Is not just a 'feel good thing' that we do but a mandate from our Lord. We need to do it more and more.  We must learn to live in the reality of His continual presence.  Our "amen" should not be a period but a comma in our ongoing dialog with our Savior.  He's always there - ready to communicate.  Prayer is living. 

• what does prayer mean to you?
• do you have a prayer time and/or a prayer life?
• which of the (above) 5 stood out to you? why?
• how often does God speak to you in prayer?
• on average, how many minutes do you pray?

GoodNight Quiz.

Ok, you look like you need a little fun post (yeah, I see you)... so, here's an easy one.

1. what time do you usually go to bed?
2. what time do you usually get out of bed?
3. do you wake to alarm clock or cell phone?
4. do you hit the snooze? if yes, how many times?
5. bed size: twin, full, queen, king, bunk or water?
6. how many pillows do you use?
7. do you fall asleep to music, fan or other noise?
8. do you sleep hard & wake easily?
9. do you get up during the night for potty and/or snack?
10. do you: a) snore b) talk c) walk d) combination

Yeah, this quiz isn't really that unique - but, here you are anyways...  thanks for taking the time to do stuff like this - I think it's a fun, cool & easy way to know others. 

Yawn! Hmmm, well goodnight (or good-morning), Chilly

hurting love.

Why is it that when we're a jerk or a punk, it's usually towards the person or people we love the most? We bark, grumble and growl...  we ignore and blow-off... and all of this in the face of someone who loves us.  We still manage to smile & speak kindly to complete strangers or acquaintances - the waiter, bank teller, neighbor or barista.  But we can be such idiots to our spouse or kids or parents...

I wish I could say that this blog comes from a person who is not guilty of such ridiculous behavior, but that would be a lie. I'm guilty. Just last night, while on a date with my beautiful wife, I was so irritable & ugly. I feel horrible about it. And, I'm making it right.

So, why do we do it?  Why do we take for granted the very people God has given us as priceless gifts? I certainly don't have all the answers for this - since I still do it... but, I know that the root is obvious: selfishness... SIN. We take the love of others (even God) for granted - telling ourselves, "well, they HAVE to love me"... so stupid and mean!  Our insecurity still feels the pressure to impress outsiders - we don't want them to think less of us - yet, we're careless & heartless at home. I think another reason we do this is: laziness (also a sin). 

Yeah, it's work to deny yourself and prefer those that God has put in your life. It requires a conscious effort to be like Jesus, even when you don't feel like it or feel that 'they' deserve it. At times, we must labor to kill the pride & give the love... But, remember, it's good, make that GREAT, work.  It pays dividends - like: peace, joy, fun, love and rest. 

• Do you do this?
• Do you need to repent right now?
• Will you make it right with those you've hurt?
• How will you improve & overcome?

I've got some work to do right now.

Determined to improve... Chilly

what does 'old' really mean?

Yesterday, as my family journeyed across the city to the southwest side, affectionately called Mexicantown, we passed through the historic community of Corktown. It is there where the Old Tigers Stadium stands...  but not much longer.  Yes, it's demolition has begun (click picture to see).

 

I love the new stadium, Commerica Park, and understand that it was long overdue.  Yet, for some reason it was sad to see the old stadium face the wrecking ball.  No funeral.  No goodbyes.  Simply torn apart piece-by-piece.  In a few months, no one will even remember it or talk about it...  kind of sad.  I'm not even a sentimental person, but I'm old enough to remember watching games played at the stadium.  For years, this was one of the central gathering places for all of Detroit.  It was a place of fun, escape, laughter and adventure. Now it's a place of sadness, weeds, silence and neglect.

It's so easy to embrace the new and forget our history.  We grab our NIV, NLT or Message Bibles and literally laugh about the KJV.  We sing to Crowder, Hillsong, Fee, and Delirious and close the hymnals on Wesley, Newton, Watts and Luther.  Preachers like Charles Spurgeon, A.W. Tozer, Billy Graham, Charles Finney and G. Campbell Morgan are replaced on our shelves by T.D. Jakes, Joel Osteen, Max Lucado and John Piper.

My question:  is everything we're doing 'progress'?

humility is killing me

Pride is more than the first of the seven deadly sins - it is, in itself, the very essence of sin.  It's the stubborn and stupid refusal to let God be God... and this leads us to the incredibly foolish assumption that we can take His place. Pride attempts to dethrone God and enthrone ourselves.  Sin is self-deification.

And, as someone has wisely said, "I'm sure of two things: there is a God, and you're not Him."

It seems that many Christians today like to pride themselves in their humility. Ha.  Talking about how much you serve or sacrifice is nothing like Jesus. Plus, such silly self promotion robs you of any eternal rewards and certainly does not glorify God. Look at Paul's words about Christ...

Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death - even death on a cross! Philippians 2:6-8.

• Where are you at with the whole pride thing?
• IF Jesus humbled Himself, why can't we?
• Prideful 1-2-3-4-5 Humble, where do you rank?
• How has pride robbed you of God's best?
• How can we live humbly without being cheesy?

killing pride/me (Gal 2:20), chilly

... more than feelings.

Mystical experience without moral
commitment is false religion. John Stott

Oh, we all love going to church and "feeling" the presence of God... but, where's our faith on Monday?  Why on earth do we choose 'goosebumps'  over 'grace'?  We can worship for an hour but can't stay focused for the Word more than a few minutes...  friends, sensing God is not the same as knowing Him.

Your thoughts?

Dark Knight vs. Dark Night

What are you talking about this weekend??  Seems that most people are leaping at the chance to blow $9 on the new Batman movie.  Don't get me wrong, I'm sure it's good (as far as movies go...), but is that really the main thing we have to be concerned with this weekend?  The world around us is in 'darkness' and desperately needs the light of Christ to reflect upon it with truth, love and hope.  We can do this...

But you, brothers, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. You are all sons of the light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled. 1 Thessalonians 5:4-6.

I'm striving to live with a greater awareness of the day and age that God has called me to serve.  To bring the light into the dark night.  I won't be talking about batman in church tonight or tomorrow, I'll be talking about the Lord.  Only a joker would do otherwise...  hmm.

...just another knight of the Light, chilly

don't mess with Colonel Sanders...

Today, Jihun and I were on our way back to "the D" from my last camp of the summer in Richmond, Indiana.  I was driving the first part of the way and then when we stopped for lunch Ji was going to take over...  so, per his request, we stopped at KFC for some 'sauceless hot wings'...

We had to wait 9.5 minutes for a 'fresh batch' to be made - which a man walked in and bought before they realized we were waiting for them... ugh.  So, another 9.5 minutes (as stomach's growled).  While we were waiting, I felt like eyes were following me - yes, mounted to the wall behind bullet-proof plexiglass was a midget-sized Colonel Sanders. 

While I was freaked out by this strange little dude, Jihun was peering behind the counter to see IF our wings were done.  He quickly turned around and tried to give the Colonel a big kiss.  KLUNK!! He totally head-butted the plexiglass and as he pulled away a trickle of blood began to flow from the 1 inch gut between his eyes.

So, now I had to drive home with fears that Ji might have a concussion.  Hmmm.  Ji's ok, and they threw in extra wings to say sorry for our wait and Ji's boo-boo. 

I'm home now...  let the chaos begin!