Jesus: The Only Manly-Man

“Stop looking for the path of least resistance and start running down the path of greatest glory to God and good to others, because that's what Jesus, the Real Man, did.”  - Mark Driscoll

Men. Listen up. Sorry ladies, this post is primarily for the guys because it is dealing with being a man, but if you are a woman reading this I would encourage you to keep on reading because if you are planning to have a dude in your life someday this will be crucial in that process. So in saying that, men lets buckle up.

Manhood. What in the world does that mean? We as men hear so many things about what we should do and what we should be. Society and the world tells us that men have to have a ripped muscular physique in order to be considered "attractive." That we need to be chiseled from granite and have those six-pack abs. We need to do manly things! (insert grunt here) We need to be outdoors-men, grease-monkeys, or jocks. We need to treat woman like sexual objects, and in doing so saying things like "I'd tap that," as well as anything else. The world says we can't show our emotions. The only time a man cries is when he is in intense pain or by himself. Emotions are looked down upon. If you don't party you are looked down upon because you are labeled as "too good for it," which somehow gives you a bad image. You have to be competitive, and if you aren't then somehow your looked as less than the standard. For everyone of those examples, we as men are looked down upon if we don't meet those standards. So what do we believe?

It is a struggle. At least for me it is. I see some of those things up on that list and I think of my own life. I look at myself being a bigger guy as not attractive because I don't look like friggin' Patrick Dempsey or some ripped-guy like Thor or something. I see girls swooning over those guys, and it makes me want to be attractive like them. I struggle with treating woman with respect sometimes. I lust, and say things with other guys that don't reflect what Christ is, but what society says. It isn't a cake walk that is for dang sure. So, I ask again. What do we believe?

Look back up at that quote again. As Christian men we have the manliest example. That example is the one and the only Jesus Christ. He is the way, the truth, and the life!  He came to this earth was beaten, mocked, and treated cruelly. He bore all of our sin on a cross! A CROSS! Wanna talk about being masculine? Uhhh sorry but you ain't got nothing on Jesus.

That is the example we follow. Not the easy, cop-out way of living that this world tells us to follow, but the way that brings glory, faith, love, and hope in God, our Father. We as men are not called to follow the world. Paul says this in Romans 12:2, "Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will." Seriously though, I want to seriously call out all the guys reading this when I say this because I have felt really convicted lately when it comes to this. What are we doing?

Why do we continue to look to the world for our answers, and try to take the easy way? I want us to look in our hearts as Christian men, and look to the one we follow for our example. Jesus is the main man. He has been and always will be that for us, and let us FINALLY grasp that. Let us finally stop trying to follow society's standards, but instead look to Christ who not only broke these standards but also gave us new ones to follow. Heavenly ones.

Father, we love you. We come to you as your sons and daughters and ask that we start to examine our lives and our idea of being a man. That we don't have to be the guys with the hot bod because you created us the way we are in order to glorify you. We don't have to follow the standards of the world, Lord, but only the ones that you manifested in your Son. We pray for your daughters now Lord that they can find good men in this world that give them examples of what to look for in their future significant others, and may they not be entangled by what the world tells them is attractive but by what you say is attractive and that is godliness. May that same prayer be prayed for all the sons. That we can look for woman not based off of worldly attraction, but off of godliness. We all pray this in the name of your Son, Jesus Christ, who is and always will be ultimate example for us all, man or woman, to follow. Amen.

Waiting: Combination of Trust and Hope

Waiting. Something we as humans tend to hate. Whether its sitting in line at the grocery store, or if it is going through the drive through to get some fast food. We don't like it. We love the instant gratification just like it says in that one commercial, "It's my money, and I want it now!" We as an American culture get so caught up in getting what we want instantly we lose focus of one of the most rewarding things and that is the art of waiting. 

Now, what exactly are the aspects of this term and practice. For me and in my interpretation, two words come to mind when thinking about waiting. The first is the word Trust, and the second is the word Hope. Let's dive into these two and then link them back together. 

The first word that I want to uncover is trust. In Psalm 40:4 the psalmist talks about this trust, and what exactly that means for us as Christians. He says, "Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, who does not look to the proud, to those who turn aside to false gods." Based on that verse trusting in the Lord leads to blessings. Right? Isn't that what it says? BLESSED is the one who trusts! So, how exactly does this relate back to what God wants for us in waiting? This is how. If we trust in God. That doesn't mean just saying it, but believing it. Then waiting should and will be worth so much more than anything we can imagine because God blesses those who trust in HIM. Waiting links back to that because if we truly trust and truly believe that God will bless us then that act of waiting will only put that trust into action.

The second word then is hope. In Isaiah 40:31 it says, "but for those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." That really exemplifies hope and what that word really means. The act of hope in the bible really is just another word for wait. So, substitute the word hope with wait in this verse, and that is just the exemplification of what it means to wait with a biblical mind set. 

So now think about your life and how you wait. Do you actually wait biblically and give the control or power over to God, and trust that he will bless you? Or do you find yourself pushing the envelope and trying to control every aspect in order to get that instant gratification? Think about it, and apply this to how you handle patience. It isn't about if you are impatient or not, but deeper than that. Do you believe and trust that God does good in all situations? That is the question.

Father, we come to you tonight in praises and unbelievable gratefulness for assuring us that no matter what we go through that you have something greater for us in heaven. We just ask tonight that we can grasp what it means to wait, and the deeper issue behind that. Show us that we can trust in you during all situations because you bless those who wait as it says in Psalms, and you give us strength because we do indeed wait as Isaiah said. Help us to realize that these things and continue to grow closer to you. We love you Father, and we pray this all in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Stand Firm: Not Our Doing, but His

Stand firm. The simple phrase used in the bible so many times, actually I looked it up and the phrase standing firm or around those words is used 34 times in the bible. Now, obviously if a word or phrase is repeated in one book you know that this is probably important and should be looked into right? I think so personally, but when we think of what it means to stand firm we get some different and twisted perceptions that tend to be different than the true heart behind it. So, today I want to dive into that phrase and look at it from a biblical stand point and show how that is completely opposite than what we are fed by this world.

Let's look at some verses with that phrase in it. The first piece of scripture that I want to look at is Matthew 10:22 where it states, "You will be hated by everyone because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved." Another place is in Luke 21:19, "Stand firm, and you will win life." 

Now when you read those two verses the first thing that comes to my mind at least is that somehow standing firm and the act of doing that is something that I have to do by myself. That it is on my own power that this "standing firm" is all about, and in that I have to work in order to be saved in the end at judgement. That is what society tells us as well isn't it? That in order to overcome anything in this world that you have power through, and overcome through your own power. Pull up your britches and take it all head on. But, this isn't what God's desire is for you when it says standing firm in his Word.

A better example in scripture that depicts at least what I think is meant by standing firm is written by Paul in 2 Corinthians 1:21-22 when he says, "Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come." This is the perfect foundation to stand firm upon. (Pun intended) God's desire is not for us to try and do this all on our own power, and standing firm does not mean for us to work harder or do better for God, but instead relying on him for it. Look what it says in verse 21 where it says that "it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ." So in other words, God made us, let me repeat that, HE MADE US to not stand firm by our own, but what did it say after the stand firm. It says IN CHRIST! No not to stand firm on our own, not on our own power, but through CHRIST we can stand firm. IN HIM not of ourselves! That is what standing firm means. So in closing, I just want to say just like it does in the title. Standing firm is most definitely our doing, but is and always will be HIS doing. So, my question for you is then. Are you standing firm on your own? or do you stand firm in what Christ has already done upon that cross and what is waiting for you in eternity?

Father God, we just come to you tonight in amazing praise. Not for what we have done or anything that we will do, but for everything that has been done by your Son upon that cross. Thank you for that. We just ask tonight that you continue to work in our hearts and allow us to stand firm according to your Word and remind us continuously that you are what keeps us standing firm Lord. We can continue to do that because of you and only you Father. We love you so much, and are reminded daily of that through the cross. In the name of your Son Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen.

Scars: A Glance to the Past

Scars. We all have them, whether they be physically or emotionally or mentally, we have them. I want you to start out this adventure by looking at all your scars. I want you to think about them. For most of us, we know exactly the time, place, and what exactly caused those scars. Those memories are etched into our minds and if you were asked about them you could recite every detail about what caused it. For example, I have this big scar on my left knee that I got at my daycare when I was around 11 years old. My friend and I were playing in the basement with the lights off, probably some video games or watching a movie, but I remember this next part vividly. They had a fan running down there, and it didn't have one of those safety cages on it. Because the room was pitch black I had no idea of the fan, and was doing a roll to exaggerate how disappointed I felt after dying in this game. This led me to roll into the fan leg first, which proceeded to slice a big gash into my left knee. That is just an example of a physical scar, but tonight I want to focus on that same idea. The scars our sins and Satan leave.

Let's first talk about the scars our sins leave. We sin. That is gonna happen. We are not perfect, but when we sin we inflict pain upon ourselves. We are not just going against God, but we are actually wounding ourselves. It brings pain, it brings hurt, and it takes time for those wounds to heal. An instance in my life where this shows is in my struggle with lust and my prior porn addiction. I watched porn repeatedly over and over again, and because of that I objectified women and let that twist the way I saw them instead of the sisterly love I am called to have for them I saw them as just ways to serve my own pleasure. I had a large wound on my life because of this. Honestly though, this is the core of my struggles in life and has been my largest wound that I have inflicted upon myself. When I first began the process of healing it definitely wasn't easy. The addiction had me and drew me back in over and over and over again like I needed it in order to survive, but every single time I looked at those women lustfully I just reopened that not fully healed wound again. I compare it to this. You are an athlete, and you just had a major injury which caused you to have a surgery. This surgery left a huge incision where they operated on you, but because you don't let the stitches fully heal before going back to work or back to your sport that incision/wound is reopened causing it to be stitched back up again.

God is that doctor. The one that stitches up that wound over and over again. We sin, but every time that we reopen that wound  God sews us back up lovingly and the healing process begins again. It says in Psalm 147:3 where David talks about the Lord when he says, "He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds." It's a vicious cycle if you let it continue over and over again. Scars are not there to be reopened as wounds over and over again, but to remind us of where we have been and where our lives would be without God in our lives. Look at those scars that sin and Satan have left on you. Think of where you have been, and where you used to be without God's grace. That is where you use to be in the PAST not in the present! HE HAS MADE YOU NEW! Those scars are healed my friends. I just encourage us all to look at those scars and be confident that you have overcome those things because by HIS grace you have been saved.

Papa, I pray tonight that we all can see our scars as not fresh wounds that still bring us pain and hurt but as marks of our past lives without you within it. Don't let us dwell on our pasts and those pains, but help us move forward toward the goals and plans you have ahead. Shape in us a new heart that doesn't run back to our previous ways of escape, but let us run to you. You are amazing Father, and we praise you for pulling us from the fire of our sins. We love you Papa, and let us not forget it. In the name of Jesus Christ we pray. Amen.

The Gift of Singleness

What is wrong with being single? Is there really anything wrong with it? Society these days makes it seem like singleness is frowned upon. Even in the church, the feeling around singleness is pretty much non-existent that as soon as you get married you will have a totally new chapter in your relationship with God. Like almost that you can't advance in your faith any farther until you get married. You almost are held back by your singleness. Think about that though. Girls all be up on social media talking about the future wedding and saving all the ideas they see for that special day. They are so excited for that wedding day and all of that they forget about the situation that they are in now, and using that situation for glorifying the Lord. Guys do it too. I catch myself sitting feeling lonely because I ain't got no girlfriend or if you don't understand my ghetto talk, "I don't have a girlfriend." I think about the future and like to think about having an awesome wife with kids, and how my life would be in that situation. I think about those days and almost idolize thinking of that not because I don't like where I am at now, but because we over-sensationalize the future making us long for it more. No, I am not saying that those thoughts are bad, but when it becomes an everyday thing. When you look to your future and focus so much on that, what happens to your present? It becomes non-existent. A passage I really like and heard a sermon on was 1 Corinthians 7 where Paul is writing to the church of Corinth about the institution of marriage. In verses 7-9 though are really where I want to focus today though. Let's dive into it.

"I wish that all men or women were as I am. But each person has his or her own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that. Now to the unmarried and the widows I say: It is good for them to stay unmarried, as I am." 

What? Paul doesn't want us to be married? GASP! No, not quite young grasshopper. Paul is not saying that at all. I added some things to it to make it apply to both genders by the way, but honestly he is not bashing marriage. Instead, Paul is breaking our perception of it. 

Let's look at verse 7 really here. Singleness is a gift people! It says here that each person has their own gift from God. Singleness is a gift from GOD! We think marriage is a solve all. That we won't have temptation anymore because we can have all the sex we want, but just because you are married doesn't mean temptation leaves. You are still gonna be tempted  as much or even more as a husband or a wife  as you are as a single man/woman. Our singleness is not a burden. Why do we search so hard to find a spouse or to find a date when God, the Creator of the universe mind you, has gifted us with the opportunity to be single? The only difference with singleness than any other gift given to you by God is that it is subject to and could be changed. You are free to choose whether singleness is your cup of tea or not, it isn't just a short little chapter of your life that is meant to fill space until you are married either. THERE IS PURPOSE.

What is that purpose? That would be my next question, and naturally I am sure you are asking this question as well. The purpose of singleness is to go all out for the kingdom of God! What we as a church need to look at is does taking on a spouse or even a relationship in the dating sense going to hinder or advance my relationship with Christ and will it affect God's call on my life? That is the question that is going to need to be asked to yourself. What is the real purpose that I want to be in this relationship? Is it because I feel like God is putting this person in my life for that reason, or is it me trying to control my circumstances?

Those questions are something Paul brings up in verses 29-31 when he is talking about how the time is short. He states here:

"What I mean, brothers and sisters, is that the time is short. From now on those who have spouses should live as if they had none; those who mourn, as if they did not; those who are happy, as if they were not; those who buy something, as if it were not theirs to keep; those who use the things of the world, as if not engrossed in them. For this world in its present form is passing away."

Here Paul talks about how marriage shouldn't keep us from pursuing God's kingdom in our lives, or as the man who preached the sermon about this subject said "Going in for the Kingdom." Does the idea of marriage or relationship hinder you from fully pursuing the kingdom? Are you on social media looking at all the wedding stuff constantly when you could be in God's word or serving God? That is where the heart-check has happened for me. Not really the social media stuff, but the aspect of wanting a girl-friend. I was searching for someone to fit that bill, instead of God bringing a person into my life.

The final thing that I really want to encourage you all reading this with is that if we live our lives no matter the circumstances, whether single, dating, or married, in pursuit of the kingdom. God will look upon us with favor because with a life with Christ as the foundation will never be shaken. Stop hunting, looking, and living anxiety-filled about relationships and marriage, but live for the kingdom. God will take care of the rest.

Father, we come to you this beautiful Monday morning and just praise you for who you are, and for who you have created us to be in your image. We ask that the old ideas and stigmas that we have about singleness be blown away, Lord, and replaced with this idea of being graced and gifted with the opportunity  we have as single, dating, or married people to glorify you in every circumstance. Papa, we pray for those of us who are single that we don't go out and hunt for potential spouses, but be aware of people you have brought into our lives and let your will be done in it. We pray that we can continue to have this eternal perspective not substituting our over-sensationalized future plans about marriage and what we expect it to be for your will, and accept Lord that we really are not in control at all. We surrender this aspect of our lives over to you Father, and ask that you do with it as you want. In the name of Jesus Christ I pray. Amen.

Humility: Confidence in Something More

Humility. A word I hear thrown around the church so much like when someone says, "You have a humble heart." I first heard that phrase when I was in high-school, elders in my church called me that, and I just nodded and smiled because I literally had no idea what in the world that meant. I was just like in my mind "Uhhhhhh what? What does that mean? I have a heart and it is humble? Ummmmm okay that sounds pretty good just smile and nod, Tyler." Seriously though, that was my reaction. I had no idea what being humble meant. As I grew in my faith, I started to discover that humility was basically described as not being cocky. Okay, I can do that. I was a good-sport about things and according to my definition was "humble-hearted." Lately though, the idea of pride and humility have turned into something that is a million times more crucial to my life as a Christian than ever before, and I just want to share this pivotal part with you all.

After hearing a sermon by the Christian-rapper KB, I really just sat and meditated on the idea of humility and what that really meant for my life. To start out this conversation about humility, I want to first stress what pride looks like, and what false humility looks like because those are the two big ends of the spectrum that seem to plague most Christians when it comes to this thing called humility and what that looks like in their lives. To do this I want to look in Romans 12 verses 1-3. In these verses, Paul writes to the Romans and it states:

"Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. 3 For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you."

So those verses are pretty well known, especially that 2nd verse there about not conforming to the ways of the world, but being transformed by the renewing of your mind. Yea that is cool and I love that verse, but I really want to focus on the 3rd verse here today because that points out some awesome things about pride/humility that are really essential. In verse 3, it says that we are not to look at ourselves as highly as we ought to, but think with sober judgement, in accordance with the faith God has given you. Alright, lets break that down looking at what he says about pride.

Pride is defined as "pleasure or satisfaction taken in something done by or belonging to oneself or believed to reflect credit upon oneself." Just based off of that definition we can link that to the verse where it says that we shouldn't do that. Isn't that true though? We as followers of Christ are not called to put any credit on ourselves because we don't deserve it right? Isn't that the core belief of Christianity? That we deserved death, but were saved by the blood/death of Jesus. The question that we as followers need to ask ourselves then is, "What of our successes did we do by ourselves?" I want you to reflect on that right now. What of your triumphs was by your own doing? The answer to that question is NONE. Why you ask? Because as believers in God we firmly believe that by GOD'S GRACE we are able to do the things we are able to, not by our doing, but by HIS. On the contrast though, ask yourself this, "What failures are you responsible for?" We sin because we choose to. We fail and falter because we are broken and we are human. WE ARE RESPONSIBLE. So we have no grounds to be proud, right?

We have no grounds to boast in ourselves, yes, but we also have no grounds to beat down on ourselves either, and to down-play ourselves because you know what people? GOD CREATED YOU. He made you the way you are and he said "it is good." So why are you beating down on yourself? He loves you. Jesus loves you. He died on a chunk of tree so that you would not have to beat down on yourself anymore, but to celebrate it with Him. That is the gospel. When you beat-down on yourself and let yourself believe those things that is the opposite of pride, but is still not what God wants when he speaks through Paul in that Romans 12:3 verse. 

Paul uses the words "sober judgement," which means that we should think of ourselves in this light. Not beating ourselves down and not taking a compliment, but being confident in the foundation we stand on in Christ Jesus. He also does not want us to think of ourselves as higher than any other people at all because all the things we do and all the successes we have are credited to the grace of God, our Father, and not to ourselves. Humility is finding that balance mentally, and having that mentality of surrender. Live with that understanding. The understanding that we can't do it without Jesus in our lives, and that without Him we are nothing. Let that understanding bring us peace, and show us what humility is all about. I will end this post with a quote from C.S. Lewis that says, "A proud man is always looking down on things and people; and, of course, as long as you are looking down, you cannot see something that is above you.”  Take the time to look up, and live with balanced humility.

Father, we come to you today with a heavy heart. We realize that we look at our successes and our achievements here on Earth, and we let those glorify ourselves instead of letting it glorify you. We just come to you today, and ask that you help us to have that balanced humility. That we may not think of ourselves as up on a pedestal or above anybody else at all, but realize that we cannot do this life without you at the helm and we surrender the control and the glory and all of it over to you to do your will onto. Let us also not beat ourselves down in false humility because that is not what you want from us either. You love us where we are at, and because of your Son dying on that  cross we are able to stand firm and confidently not in ourselves, but in you Lord. We boast in your most holy of names, and not in our own. In the name of Jesus we pray. Amen.

The Devils been Talkin'

Hello there all my people! I know that it has been a while since I last wrote you all, but life has been kind of hectic lately with school, leading bible study, socializing, meeting new people, and all that that brings. It has been around a month since my last post, and so I am just going to fill you in on what is currently going on in the life of Tyler. I came back to school here in La Crosse at the beginning of this month, and I love it so much. Coming back has made me realize how much I missed this place, and how much I love everyone here that God has integrated into my life, whether if I knew them last year or I have met them this year, I can honestly say that the Lord has not come short in blessing me with constant people upon people that I have the amazing opportunity to call my friends, so Praise the Lord for that. But with the good, there comes a continuing struggle that Satan really loves to linger over me, and those are my insecurities about myself. I am not good enough, I am not handsome enough, I am not what the world calls "attractive." You know the drill. It is my struggle, and the devil has definitely been talking about me this past week. I hear the whispers. I feel the hurt. It brings me down. It pushes me into pits. It makes me feel like utter crap, but even though I hear these insecurities and some times even start to believe them I know one things is true. IT IS JUST TALK. This post is about how all the Devil can do is talk.

All Satan every does is talk. I mean honestly. Everyday we are bombarded by his words, his temptations, his criticisms, his lies. You wake up and look in the mirror and the first thing you think is "wow...I look like crap today." Just little things like that are Satan's little lies that we sometimes just accept. Talk, talk, talk, talk talk talk....that is allll he does. It wears you down. It tires you out, it stresses you out. Satan has been doing this in my life lately especially when it comes to me deciding if I want to transfer from here or not. He just talks and talks and talks and talks and drowns out the voice of Truth from me. It is frustrating, but it is just talk.

You know what I am talking about right? If not then alright, but I just want to encourage you as the Lord as encouraged me that it IS just talk. He cannot do any harm to you unless you let it happen. I stand firm right now and say with confidence that Satan is just gonna talk his little mouth off, but I will not listen, and I will focus on the Voice of the One True King. Jesus' voice reigns supreme, and sets us free from what Satan wants us to believe.  In John 8 verse 33, Jesus tells us this when he says, "Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

I don't know about you all, but I am encouraged by that statement made by Jesus. I know what the truth is, and what God thinks I am. I am redeemed, made-new, forgiven, handsome, fearfully and wonderfully made, God's handiwork, loved, worth something to many people, and cared about by a Savior that laid down his life upon a cross just to prove that to us. To that.....I WILL LISTEN.

Papa. Tonight I come to you with amazing praises for being who you are and who you have created us as your children to be. Father, just hold our hand through the struggles and temptations and valleys of this lifetime, and let us realize that all Satan can do to us here in this world is talk. Lord let us not listen to his whispers of criticism, lies and deceit, and let us cling to your Voice of Truth and your promises. In your most holy and precious name I pray. Amen.