Acorn Build Up: Change

Change

Proverbs 16:3
Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.

Imagine visiting a factory that produces high-heeled shoes. As you tour the facility you find that everything about the place is designed to make high-heeled shoes. The whole assembly line is planned in a specific way so that each person plays a role in putting together these shoes. Not surprisingly, at the end of the line we find beautifully constructed high-heeled shoes.

After all, wouldn’t it be silly to stand at the end of the line and expect a tennis shoe to come rolling out? No, the organization is designed perfectly to achieve the outcome, the product, of a high-heeled shoe.

Yet that’s how we tend to look at change. We stand at the end of the line and expect something different to come rolling out. Remember, every organization is perfectly designed to get the outcome it produces.

Now, if you like the results you are getting then leave the system alone. On the other hand, if you want something different, then something needs to change. After all, no matter how much we want a tennis shoe to roll of the assembly line, if the line is designed to produce high-heeled shoes, then that’s what we will get; high-heeled shoes.

What would you like to change? What needs to change?

Lon

Acorn Build Up: Struggling

Struggling

James 1:2-4
Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

Have you noticed the inconsistency and the sporadic way in which I'm posting these Build Ups? There's a reason. The reason is that I've been struggling. Namely, I am struggling financially and I've allowed that struggle to throw me off my game.

I've allowed the challenges of this world to distract me from my purpose. It's sad when I profess a ministry of "using God's gifts to build up the body of Christ; the Church" and yet I stop building up as soon as the times get tough. There's no doubt in my mind that these are, in fact, tough times. However, the difficulty of the path doesn't give me an excuse to quit the journey and go home.

According to Oswald Chambers, "Faith must be tested, because it can only become your intimate possession through conflict." If our faith was never tested, then it would remain in a weakened, infant state. On the other hand, when we rely on God through the tough stuff our faith matures and grows strong.

Norman Vincent Peale
Through persistence, self-knowledge, prayer, commitment, optimism, a resolute trust in God and the building of your own personal moral strength, you can enjoy the blessings of a deeper faith and face the difficulties of life with courage and confidence.

Consider it pure joy!
Lon

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Guest Encourager: Rachel Smith "Words"

Words by Rachel Smith

Ephesians 4:29
Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.

My brother taught me something when my father died. I'm sure my brother doesn't even know it, but our actions often speak louder than our words. My father's mother, was never a grandmother to us. In fact she was very mean to both of us and to my mother. I've never cared for her and my father always had us call her by her first name, because she didn't want to claim us as her grandchildren. She now has Alzheimer's and it's in latter stages. She came to my father's memorial service and said some inappropriate and hurtful things. I fumed. How could she continue this meanness even after his death! But my brother went up to her and hugged her and said, "Hi grandma, I'm so sorry"

His kindness was a great lesson on what our words are for. A lesson I will never forget.

Acorn Build Up: Fix Your Eyes

Fix Your Eyes

Hebrews 12:2-3
Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

When we think of Jesus and what He did for us, it seems that the sorrows and struggles of this world lose their intensity. When we concentrate on Jesus we take the focus off of ourselves. When we consider Jesus everything is different.

I love the old hymn, "Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus" by Helen H. Lemmel (1922)

Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim
in the light of His glory and grace.

Fix your eyes on Jesus.
Lon

Acorn Build Up: Get set, Go!

Get set, Go!

Hebrews 12:1
...let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.

God marks out for each of us a race to run. Our unique course is designed by God with our individual gifts and graces in mind. Our path is planned to bring glory to God as we participate in the building of God's kingdom.

Sadly, I fall so short of my potential. I allow myself to be hindered and entangled by things of this world. The more I become ensnared the slower I move. Often I consider taking what looks like an easier path.

This passage reminds us to remove anything that hinders us or impedes our progress. It reminds us to keep moving forward despite the difficulty. It calls for us to find our marks, to get set, and to GO!

Have a great run!
Lon

Acorn Build Up: Busy Summer!

Busy Summer!

Mark 6:31
Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, "Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest."

This summer is proving to be a busy one! What ever happened to lazy summer days when boredom was the biggest challenge of the day? Sigh.

Two things are suffering due to my busy-ness: 1) my Daily Build Ups have been sporadic at best - perhaps I should change the name to Occasional Build Ups, and 2) time with my family. I'm going to attack the latter by investing the next eight days in some intensive family time, commonly referred to as "vacation".

Unfortunately, the "Daily" Build Ups will remain on hold until I return. If you need encouragement, please stop by the Daily Build Up site and read through a few of the 180+ postings that are always available.

God is good!
Lon

Band Camp - Absence

I thought I could keep up with my Daily Build Ups and serve as an instructor at Pontiac (IL) Township High School's marching band camp, but I was wrong. Temperatures in the 90s and an aging body have proved a little too much for me.

I will try to get going again before too long. Thank you for your patience!

God is good!
Lon

Acorn Build Up: Prosperity

Prosperity

Jeremiah 29:11
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

I'm hearing a lot these days about prosperity. I've heard this passage from Jeremiah offered as a indication that following God will lead to prosperity. I agree, but with a deep concern for how we define prosperity.

One definition of prosperity is worldly wealth. One could deduce from that definition that if one follows God, then he will become wealthy by the worlds standards.

I happen to adhere to a different definition. I believe God's definition of prosperity is becoming the person that God designed me to be. In God's economy wealth is measured by spiritual maturity, not by the car one drives. I believe God's plans are to help me to be spiritually mature.

James 1:4
Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

Prosper in the Lord!
Lon

If you have time and interest, check out this video by John Piper about the "Prosperity Gospel":
http://stevenjcamp.blogspot.com/2007/07/john-piper-on-prosperity-gospel-one-of.html

Acorn Build Up: Wet Toes

Wet Toes

Joshua 3:15-16
Now the Jordan is at flood stage all during harvest. Yet as soon as the priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water's edge, the water from upstream stopped flowing. It piled up in a heap a great distance away...So the people crossed over opposite Jericho.

God didn't "pile up" the water in the Jordan until the priests got their feet wet. That appears to be a standard operating procedure for God, that is, He waits until we make a commitment.

My dear friend Jason Woolever put this great John Maxwell quote on his post-methodist blog:

Commitment is the Key
“Until I am committed there is a hesitancy, the chance to draw back. But the moment I definitely commit myself then God moves also and a whole stream of events begin to erupt. All manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings, persons and material assistance that I could have never dreamed would come my way begin to flow toward me… the moment I make a commitment.”

God is calling each of us into action, to cross our Jordan.

Let's get our feet wet!
Lon

Guest Encourager: Rachel Smith "Be Still"

Be Still, by Rachel Smith

My father died at the end of May and I have searched for sometime now on how to convey this unique and confusing kind of pain that comes with loosing a parent. My father and I were not close the years immediately before his death and I wonder in my finite mind, will I see him in heaven? Will he know me? Will he love me? Will he miss me? Will he forgive my wrongs?

I can’t think about my own flawed earthly father without thinking of our perfect heavenly father. You see, the earthly parents we all have were chosen for us (good or bad) by the Lord himself. I have had times in my life where I have felt separated from God. Where I have strayed from what is right. In fact almost every day I make choices that would not please my God. I wonder in my finite mind, will I see him in heaven? Will he know me? Will he love me? Will he miss me? Will he forgive my wrongs?

And then, He answers me softly “Be still and know that I am God” Psalm 46:10

Acorn Build Up: Trust

Trust

John 14:1
Jesus said, "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, trust also in me."

Trusting is tough for most of us. We've been burned by people that should have been worthy of our trust, so we learn not to trust others. Plus, our culture screams at us to be independent and self-reliant. Pride, which we are so susceptible to, doesn't make trusting any easier. I can still hear the toddler in me screaming, "I can do it myself!"

Then we wonder why life is so difficult. We fret and we worry.

Jesus calls us to trust Him. Trusting God allows us to stop worrying. After all, if we trust that God is in charge, and He loves us, and His plan is to prosper us, then why waste time and energy worrying?

Trust God ~ Don't Worry

Lon

Acorn Build Up: Another Absence

Another Absence

Sorry for the extremely late notice, but I'm away from my computer this week. I'm serving as the "speaker" for a High School Camp being held at Camp Menno Haven.

Here's the brochure blurb:

~High School Camp . . . July 15-20. . . Grades 10-12* . . . from the hyper worship to the exciting full-camp games to the coffee house banquet, this week is what your looking for to complete your summer! C'mon, seriously though, just ask your parents to assume your car payments for a week and come on down. Camp runs from Sunday at 6 PM to Friday at 6:30 PM.

I will rest up this weekend and start posting Build Ups next week. Your prayers would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!
Lon

Acorn Build Up: Stand Your Ground

Stand Your Ground

1 Corinthians 15:58 (The Message)
With all this going for us, my dear, dear friends, stand your ground. And don't hold back. Throw yourselves into the work of the Master, confident that nothing you do for him is a waste of time or effort.

I saw a great sign in front of the Faith Christian Church (Washington, IL). It read:

The mighty oak tree was once a tiny nut that stood its ground.

God calls us to participate in gaining ground for His Kingdom. The challenge is that God ways are not the same as the ways of man. God's ways often look unreasonable to the world.

Romans 12:2
Do not conform any longer to the patterns of this world...

Against the pressure to conform to the world we are called to stand our ground. Further, we are to throw ourselves into the work for which God has called us. Keep in mind that no effort made for God will be wasted.

Stand your ground.
Lon

Acorn Build Up: Guest Encourager - Woolever

Are you a lifter or a leaner? – Submitted by Pastor Jason Woolever

1Thessalonians 5:11
"...encourage one another and build each other up..."

Check out this old poem by Ella Wheeler Wilcox:

There are two kinds of people on earth today,
Just two kinds of people, no more, I say.
Not the good and the bad, for 'tis well understood
That the good are half-bad and the bad are half-good.
No! The two kinds of people on earth I mean
Are the people who lift and the people who lean.

Are you a person who lifts the loads of others with your attitude, words, and actions? Or are you the type who makes people's loads feel heavier than they were before you entered the room? What would your family/co-workers say?


To read more from Pastor Jason, check out his blog at:
http://post-methodist.blogspot.com

Acorn Build Up: Watch your mouth!

Watch your mouth!

Ephesians 4:29
Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.

"Watch your mouth!" is a phrase I remember from my youth. My memory of these words is pretty clear because I think I heard them often. The words that come out of our mouths can be terribly hurtful! The old "sticks and stones can break my bones, but words will never harm me" is less than accurate in my experience. Words can hurt!

I was a freshman at a Big 10 university when I heard, "You can't write." He was a graduate assistant and I was his student in an English 101 class. The shame is that I believed him. It took me 11 English classes to break the hold those words had on me.

I was a junior at a different university when I heard, "You write well, but you just need some work on your grammar." She was a part-time teacher and I was her student in a special 099 English class for people that needed help to function at the college level. Those words had power. Three years later the faculty members overseeing my graduate work suggested that I needed to publish my writings!

Change a life, encourage someone with your words today.
Lon

Acorn Build Up: Neighbor Build

Neighbor Build

Romans 15:2
Each of us should please his neighbor for his good, to build him up.

The world teaches us to stand on top of your neighbor in order to get ahead. According to the prevailing culture, neighbors are people to out-run, not build up. After all, building up someone else doesn't do anything for the "bottom line", that is, pleasing my neighbor doesn't help me.

Talk about counter-cultural! Our faith teaches us to to reach out to our neighbors for their good. We are to encourage them and build them up. We do this for their good, not for our own personal benefit.

Reach out and build up a neighbor.
Lon

Acorn Build Up: Absence

Absence

I will be away from my computer for a few days. I hope to get a Build Up sent your way later in the week. Until then, try to find ways to build up the people God places in your path. Lifting people builds spiritual muscles.

In Christ,
Lon

Acorn Build Up: Leadings

Leadings

Luke 9:59-60
[Jesus] said to another man, "Follow me."
But the man replied, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father."
Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God."

I've always thought Jesus' response to the man was unreasonably harsh. It seems to lack the compassion that I associate with the Lord. William Barclay provides a different perspective:

In all probability the man's father was not dead, and not even near dead. His saying most likely meant, "I will follow you after my father has died."

The point Jesus was making is that in everything there is a crucial moment; if that moment is missed the thing most likely will never be done at all. The man in the story had stirrings in his heart to get out of his spiritually dead surroundings; if he missed the moment he would never get out.

If we put off until to-morrow, it will in all likelihood never be [done]. Jesus urges us to act at once when our hearts are stirred.

The Spirit is constantly at work guiding and encouraging us to follow God's will. The moment we become aware of God's leading is the very moment to do something about it. The more we respond, the more sensitive we become to subsequent leadings. The more we respond, the more truly useful we become for the Lord's purposes.

Listen and act.
Lon

Acorn Build Up: Freedom

Freedom

Galatians 5:1
It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by the yoke of slavery.

When we accept Christ our bonds of slavery to sin are broken. We are free! We are given the freedom to turn to Christ when temptation rises. There in the arms of our Savior we are free.

The challenge comes when we stop looking toward Christ. We reason that a little taste of the forbidden can't hurt. We rationalize that we've been good so a little reward is due. In essence we take our eyes off of the Lord and turn our attention to ourselves.

Without much fanfare we simply pick up the yoke of sin and submit ourselves to its reign. Slavery.

Stand firm.
Lon

Acorn Build Up: Peace When Troubled

Peace When Troubled

John 14:27
Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you...

When times are tough, it is important to regain our focus on Jesus. For some reason, God has allowed this difficulty into the path of our life. Discovering the reason isn't nearly as important as determining how we react to the challenge. Every difficulty that blows through our life is an opportunity to look to Jesus and to reflect His peace.

In his book, My Utmost for His Highest, Oswald Chambers wrote:

Are you severely troubled right now? Are you afraid and confused...Then look up and receive the quiet contentment of the Lord Jesus. Reflecting His peace is proof that you are right with God, because you are exhibiting the freedom to turn your mind to Him. If you are not right with God, you can never turn your mind anywhere but on yourself.

I have often found the peace of Christ during troubled times by singing this old hymn,

Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus
Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
look full in his wonderful face,
and the things of earth will grow strangely dim
in the light of his glory and grace.

Peace be with you.
Lon