Living in the Dash Promo

Passing of a Legacy

Many of you know, I went back to be with my family this week as my dad had a massive heart attack on Monday. This morning, he went to be with the Lord. I was able to be with him when he passed also was able to spend the last few days with him. These have been rich and blessed days for me. Thank you for your prayers. I would appreciate your continued prayers for my family as we make funeral arrangements and plans.

Easter service is going to be all about the Dash (that time between birth and death.) I've really experience what it means to live in the dash this week and what really counts. I spent time reading the Bible to him and telling him stories of our church and stories of you--the changed lives. He was overjoyed and what is happening in the hearts of Whipple Creek.

We talk everything from baseball to Christ purpose for us and about leaving a legacy. I am so thankful for my dad, the legacy he has left to me. Cherish you moments you have with those you love. Have deep conversations. Tell them you love them (even guys you can tell other guys). Share your heart and what's really important. Drink in "the dash." Our moments here are fleeting.

God has given us such a precious gift we often take for granted. I am renewed and encouraged in my thinking about lingering with people and drinking in deeply the friendships and conversations--my dad has taught me that this week.

I will share with you sometime, what we talked about since we spend several hours together and I knew it was my last moments with him on this earth (we did talk quite extensively about the Yankees!)

Thanks for allowing me to ramble a bit. I will miss him a great deal. Thank you for your prayers. I love you guys.

Living a legacy

Brett

Going Retro: Leisure Suit

"Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all our work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God."
Exodus 20:8-10

In the 1970s, leisure suits were the ultimate combination of style, comfort and relaxation. But most people would agree that wearing that suit today would be a serious fashion faux-pas. But God tells us that leisure suits us all well.

God created the world in six days and rested on the seventh. He didn't rest because he was tired or needed a coffee break. He was simply setting the example for us. He knew that we would have the tendency to overwork and under-rest. And he also knew that our tendency is a formula for frustration.

God wants us to reserve one day each week—to recover our strength, realign our lives, and most of all, remember him. It's true that everything we do should be an act of worship to God, but the Sabbath is a day that God commands us to set aside for rest.

When we make rest a priority in our lives our lives will be restored, our priorities will be refocused, and our relationship with Christ will be re-energized. Make it your priority to wear your leisure suit and reflect on all that God has done for you in your life. It is only then that you will discover the amazing benefits that God has in store for you.

Join us this Sunday for our last message in this series: Retro: Back to the Basics. And remember—dress retro this Sunday (it really is okay to pull out those ugly sweaters and those “Members Only” Jackets, roll up your jeans, or do whatever is retro for you!)

Brett

A Prayer for Today
Lord, you set an example of rest and reflection at the beginning of time. Help me to follow that example so I can discover the great things you have in store for me. In Jesus' name, Amen.

"I Had These Friends. . ."

"Do not make friends with a hot-tempered man. Do not associate with one easily angered, or you may learn his ways and get yourself ensnared."
                                                              Proverbs 22:24-25

"I had these friends..." It's amazing how often that starts the explanation of where the wheels came off in life. Relationships have a powerful impact on our lives. The characteristics of our closest friends are contagious. Your friend's common phrases make their way into your every day vocabulary. Or a friend's taste in music could find itself in your radio's presets or music collection.

Vocabulary or music tastes are two common characteristics to catch, but there are many other contagious elements in relationships. Bad habits like smoking or binge drinking can creep into your life unnoticeably as a result of time spent together, so we have to be extremely careful who we spend our time with.

But the Bible points out that one of the most dangerous personality traits that we can pick up from a friend is a hot-temper. Those types of tempers are extremely contagious. And if we surround ourselves around people who are easily angered, we will find ourselves in lots of unwanted trouble.

The wrong friends can lead us down a dangerous path, but they can only lead us down that path. Our friends cannot force us down a dangerous path. Relationships are intentional, and we are free to cut them off any time we see them heading in a bad direction. It may not be easy to sever ties, but allowing yourself to fall into the trap of a bad relationship is not wise.

I even realize how this even applies to my family. My attitude and actions effect it them as well and if I'm hanging out with the wrong people, guess where those bad habits, actions, etc. show up? Yep, in my home!

Sunday we're going to continue to go "Retro" as we look at how do we develop that inner circle of friends that will spur us on and be there for us and we can be there for them.

Look forward to another "acoustic" Sunday in the worship and learning more about friendships.

In His Grip

Brett (aka Al Jet)


A Prayer for Today

Lord, associating with the wrong kinds of people can get me in a lot of unwanted trouble. It puts me at a greater risk of picking up behavior that is not pleasing in your sight. Help me to filter my relationships with the truth of your word and sever ties with those that are harmful to me. In Jesus' name, Amen.

"Friends are Friends Forever."

A song that lives in infamy at youth camps, but there are some truths in that song by Michael W. Smith. The Bible says this about friends:

"A mirror reflects a man’s face, but what he is really like is shown by the kind of friends he chooses."
Proverbs 27:19 (TLB)

Our God is a relational God. After all, relationships are perfectly modeled within the Trinity – God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit. And since we are all made in his image, we are innately relational creatures as well.

We all yearn to connect with other people, yet many people are so hungry for relationships, they’re so desperate to have someone in their lives, they latch on to anybody. And out of that desperation for real community, they ultimately choose the wrong friends.

Choosing friends isn’t something that should be done at the drop of a hat. You can’t hope to just fall into great friendships. Developing quality friendships is intentional, not accidental.

You’ve got to put some time and energy into finding great friends because toxic relationships will burn your time; they’ll drain your energy. But if you invest some serious time and energy into finding consistent and committed friends, those relationships will continue to reenergize your life.

The church gives us the best place to develop those quality relationships. The church is the context where our closest friendships should be played out. That’s where you can find people of character, commitment, and consistency.

Don't get me wrong, we need to befriend and be friends with those outside the church walls (after all, Jesus did). But if you are a Christ-follower, when it comes to our best of friends, who we do life with, whom we look to for guidance, counsel, truth and a listening ear, we need those friends in the church.

So take the initiative to plug into great relationships at the church. Don’t invest your time in the wrong people, instead connect with quality people of commitment and consistency who can help you achieve God’s will for your life.

Looking forward to sharing with you Sunday.


In His Grip,

Brett

P.S. Have you begun preparing your heart for Easter? Who are you going to bring with you on Easter Sunday?

"I'm too Busy!"

When you ask someone how they are doing, the typical response is, “I’m busy.” In today’s crazy times, busyness has become a badge of honor. We have more opportunities and options available to us than at any other point in history. Even when we aren’t busy, we’re busy. We answer our cell phones at restaurants (and sometimes church), check e-mails on the golf course, text message other's when we are with someone, and plug in the latest Disney movie for the five minute trip to the grocery store.

But our busyness is more devastating to our time than we realize. We spend so much time being busy that we ultimately miss the greatness of time. The bottom line is that our busyness is killing our intimacy with God. But God offers us a remedy.

"Be still, and know that I am God." Psalm 46:10

The greatest way to manage our time is to first spend time with the author of time. When was the last time you were still before God? I mean no cell phone, no e-mail, not texting, no iPod, no television or radio. When was the last time you just listened to God without competing with the distractions of everyday life?

If you are serious about getting your priorities in line with your commitments, if you are serious about making the most of your time, then be still before God. Be strategic. Set a place and time where you can talk with God and focus on his will for your life. Set aside a time each day where you can focus solely on God’s business, and not your own busyness.

I look forward to being with you as we talk about being still.

In His Grip


Brett

TheGap

My son, preserve sound judgment and discernment, do not let them out of your sight.
Proverbs 3:21

Life is a circus. We juggle this activity and that activity; we walk the tight rope of day-to-day life trying to balance everything that comes our way; and we stretch and mold our schedules to accommodate even the tiniest of obligations. We don’t want to miss out on anything, so we try to do everything. And this circus-type life leaves us over-scheduled, over-committed and overdone.

The truth is that what we say is important and where we spend our time often don’t line up. In short, we say one thing and do another. We say it’s important to spend time alone with God, but we get to the end of each day and wonder where that time was supposed to fit in. We say that church is a priority, but when playoff season comes we wouldn’t dare miss the big game. We claim that our spouse is the most important person in the world, but at the end of the week we look back and see that we didn’t spend one waking hour alone with them.

There’s a gap that exists between our priorities and our commitments—many times without us even realizing it. And it’s a gap that desperately needs closed. Look at everything that comes across your calendar and ask yourself, “Does this activity or obligation line up with what I hold important? Does this sync up with my priorities set forth in God’s word?” If it does, then do it. If not, then don’t. Don’t just say yes to something because you have a few hours to kill. Instead, close the gap by saying yes only to the best.

Sunday we'll continue to explore how to bridge the gap so we can have the best.