Hammer on Anvil '

It's not a real vacation for our family until someone ends up in the ER.

I'm not saying all of our vacations end in some sort of terror, but we have yet to have a vacation where we didn't add to our super sweet hospital ID bracelet collection.

The week was supposed to be a week of family, free St. Louis fun and some much needed quiet time while fishing. What actually happened was a week of heartache, huge storms, sickness, vomit, dehydration and the obligatory venture to a scary St. Louis ER experience.

The morning we were supposed to be leaving, I woke early to pack and clean. My family is fierce when it comes to dealing with the weird things that happen in life, but I was more than ready to get away from this summer getaway. While wringing out the clothing that never dried from the first batch of storms we were caught in, I heard my son crying. Before I got to his side, his cries turned into screams. He said his head hurt and was unable to lift his head from the pillow without crying in pain.

Ah yes, we have yet to meet our ER quota, I thought.

When we reached the ER, doctors said Indie probably had some nasty swimmers ear going on, but after the third doctor to came in to evaluate, the tone changed and it had been decided that Indie's stiff neck/ear infection combo was, probably, dun-dun-da: meningitis.

And I wish I could tell you that this was the most terrifying thing I have ever heard, but this is not the first time the Jones family has faced a meningitis scare. Two years ago, on vacation, we were exposed to a viral strand  through a family friend. We had a get together and by the time we drove the 3 hours to get back home, we were informed that the guy complaining of a stiff neck and probable cold had died in the ER that afternoon. Whoa. Thankfully, we were all cleared and the Jones family lives on to hear other scary diagnoses another day.

 By the time slow moving techs got the blood test ready, Indie, who was in considerable pain, began to panic. We've been then through a lot and that boy gets real freaked out by doctors, needles and the idea of being in any ER. He began to cry, and crying got louder, and then he yelled, "Please, don't give me a shot." He knew that the next step in this disaster was testing, but what he couldn't understand is just how crucial the testing is. "Buddy," I tried to soothe, "You have got to calm down. We have to do these tests." He was absolutely hysterical and inconsolable at this time. More men came in to hold him down, and eventually held him down by stretching a blanket across his chest, and having two large men sit on the sides of it, restraining this poor, terrified four-year-old. He screamed, "I'm not brave. I'm just Indiana. I'm not the real Indiana Jones!" I tried to comfort him, but he would not calm down. The fear of the needle and the hurt was causing a riot within him and the worry of meningitis was killing Doug and me. Indie cried more, tried to kick free and screamed octaves Mariah Carey couldn't hit. I stood there in a mom daze, as a tech pushed me out of the way.

As they prepared the second tiny butterfly needle, (the first was kicked out of their hands), Indie screamed, "There has to be another waaaaaay." My heart was broken here. I was beyond worried, and although I wanted all this to stop, I knew we had to test and hopefully rule out meningitis. There was no other way. That tiny needle prick had to happen. He had to calm down.

The needle prick was tiny and the blood drawn was quick, but we waited in panic, fearing the results. We prayed for peace that would pass this understanding and waited. That waiting was brutal. Two hours later we were told that he did not have meningitis. Another hour later we were discharged, frazzled, with diagnoses of a nasty ear infection and a bad neck ache.

All that screaming, fear, panic and tears - for something pretty fixable.

On the drive home I couldn't help to think that this might be how our Heavenly Father feels as He watches us writhe in pain, typically from our own doing, and He tries to calm us down so He can help. I can imagine Him saying, "Child, I know this hurts, but just hold still, let Me take care of you. This test might hurt for a second, but it's the only way I can fix you."

Believers, there are no other ways that heal like our God, but to be healed completely, you need to go through the tests, no matter how scary they seem.

Have you ever felt like you can't handle the test? Have you ever felt beaten, defeated, lost and forgotten? Do you feel like your wounds are left open and beyond repair? Or maybe the sores run so deep you don't know if you can be soothed? I've been there too. You want help, but find yourself crying out, "There has to be another way?!" Believers, you need to see our Great Physician. Don't be afraid of the test and treatments. The test are not as bad as you think and the little needle prick is a whole lot less scary than the potentially fatal diagnoses. It's time to get yourself together, let the test happen, and let the Lord do what He does best. Let Him restore you.

Isaiah 1:5 says, "Why should you be beaten anymore? Why do you persist in rebellion? Your whole head is injured, your whole heart afflicted."

Now is the time to stop being afraid of the needed tests and big treatments. You need to be healed. Psalms 147:3 says, "He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds."

Yes, that was not an ideal vaca, but I am thankful for a God who is still teaching me patience, peace and how to be content in all situations. God uses the hurts, fails, falls, tests and trials to remind us of how much we need Him. I'm thankful that God has given me such a faithful and patient family as we learn this together. I'm thankful that none of the hurts I have are ever too big for our God to fix. He can turn your mourning into dancing and your fears into shouts of joy.

Music is a big deal at our house and the States call this song the "Vacation Song." Despite what happens in life, we are happy to have each other and thankful we have the Lord who guides us through the scary things. I pray you have time to listen to this song, read some Bible and have a talk with our Great Physician. Let the Lord wrap His arms around you, surround you with peace, and calm you down. Let the Lord guide you into a place of hope, healing and contentment.

Keith Green fans out there will appreciate this blog perhaps more than others, though the message is good for all of us. For starters, please listen to this song of Green's, because the rest of the blog won't make sense unless you do.



The first line of this piece takes me to my knees. Has your flesh ever been tired of seeking God, yet you remained on your knees because you simply didn't know what else to do? Have you spent "sleepless nights in anguished prayer" when a besetting sin seemed to have gotten the upper hand and you desperately wanted victory over it? If we profess to follow Jesus, we should desire to be pleasing to Him every minute of every day of our lives. Why do we fall short so often?

Watchman Nee used to refer to this problem as "the soul being in ascendancy over the Spirit." All of us can fall into it if we do not take proper care to nurture our spiritual lives. If we have a steady diet of television and video games and sports and Facebook, but our intake of God's Word is minimal, we are sitting ducks for Satan to wreak havoc in our lives.

We are what we eat, my friends. If we starve our spirits but feed our flesh, the fruits of the Spirit will not be manifested in our lives. No, it's not easy to discipline ourselves to turn off all the noises in our world, but if we don't take time daily to be still before God, the world will suck us in.

In the refrain of this song, Green pleads with God to "set us free from chains we cannot see." We all need to pray this prayer in earnest. We live in a dirty world, and it's easy for us to become hardened toward the things of the Spirit. We can become enchained to vices like alcohol and pornography, but we can also be held hostage by our own pride and selfishness. And the worst part is that we become blind to it. That's why we need to ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to us the chains that bind us.

My prayer is that we will all become enchained to God and His purposes. In Ephesians 6:20, Paul refers to himself as "an ambassador in chains." His only passion was sharing the gospel and seeing men and women redeemed out of the pit of hell. May it become our passion as well.

My wife and I have been married for 4 years. Married on May 23, 2009. It was a beautiful day. I was so excited to tie the knot. But I was nervous too. In fact, my soon to be mother-in-law saw me about 30 minutes before the wedding and asked if I was okay because, as she said, "you look like you might throw up."

Great pre-wedding talk.

Once I saw Jenny walking down that aisle though, all those feeling left, and we began our life together as a married couple.

Ever since that day, life has been hard. We lived in a 500 sq.ft. house, with no oven, a tiny little fridge, and the room that was meant to be the bedroom, we couldn't fit our bed in. I had a part-time ministry job and that was it. We were living off of Wal-Mart gift cards and odd jobs that we could pick up: babysitting, building grain bins, or grouting bathrooms.

We've moved several times and each of those came with the difficulties of finding a place to live and a job. We now have 2 kids whom I love. They do seem to take a lot of time and money to take care of though. On top of all of that, you have two different people (my wife and I) trying to figure out what it is like to live as one.

Life just isn't easy. We've all experienced stress of one sort or another. Job struggles, being fired, death of a friend or family member, divorce (either our own or someone close to us), tensions at home, or perhaps tensions because of our faith. There are times in our lives, when we wonder if it is possible to go on.

Through those situations we must remember God is still in control. God still loves us. As Christians, we have the Holy Spirit with us always. He guides and takes care of us. We just need to make sure we are following along in God's will. If we are doing that, even when things get so difficult, we can take comfort in knowing that God is still with us.

Anything worth having, is difficult to keep and maintain. I like what Ben Affleck said about his marriage in his acceptance speech, "I want to thank you for working on marriage for ten Christmases. It's good, it is work, but it's the best kind of work, and there's no one I'd rather work with." Marriage is work, but its so fulfilling. It's beautiful kind of work and so worth it.

Our walk with God is the same. It's down right difficult and sometimes seemingly impossible, but it is so worth it. We have a God is is here with us and doesn't leave us to fend for ourselves. The rewards we receive on a day to day basis are amazing. He shows us His love again and again.

Paul said in Philippians 4:10-13, "But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at last you have revived your concern for me; indeed, you were concerned before, but you lacked opportunity. Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me."

Paul's contentment did not hinge on his circumstances. He served the same God no matter where he was or what circumstance he found himself. We would learn well to do the same.

I don't want you to get the idea I'm trying to diminish any of our problems. I understand they are very real and can cause quite a bit of heartache, or stress. So in saying, "smile," through these problems, I'm not saying, "Your problems aren't that big, get over them!" I'm saying we serve a bigger God, who has an amazing plan that we can't always see, and we need to trust He knows what He is doing.

Life is hard. There's no way around it. But our God is bigger and loves us more than we can imagine. Trust He knows what He is doing, and jump right into the adventure He has in store, no matter what bumps we find along the way.

"While He was in Jerusalem at Passover time, during the festivities many believed in Him as they saw the signs that He gave. But Jesus did not trust himself to them—for He knew them all. He did not need anyone to tell Him what people were like: He understood human nature" (John 2:23-25, J.B. Phillips New Testament).

Jesus knows what is in the hearts of each one of us, so when He walked this earth, He knew better than to trust in any man. Even the 12 men He walked with and performed miracles with on a daily basis fled when it would seem He needed them the most.

That's just the point, though -- He didn't NEED them at all. He was so completely His Father's that He did not need other people. His agony at Gethsemane was such that He sweat drops of blood as He prayed. He asked the disciples to watch with Him -- He wanted them to intercede on His behalf as He asked God to spare Him an excruciating death on a cross. But even then, in a time of overwhelming sorrow and need, the disciples failed Him. They fell asleep. Peter even denied he knew Jesus, because he was afraid he might also be crucified.

A recent Oswald Chambers devotional addressed Jesus' attitude about all this, and it blows me away:

Our Lord never put His trust in any person. Yet He was never bitter, never suspicious, and never lost hope for anyone, because He put His trust in God first. He trusted absolutely in what God's grace could do for others.

This is amazing to me. Human relationships really bite sometimes, and I have been hurt and disappointed more times than I care to recount. Yet Jesus says I don't need to despair. I don't need to be cynical and bitter about people. Why? Because He is my Father, and a proper relationship with Him means my happiness and fulfillment in life does not depend on human relationships. Yes, I treasure my husband, my kids and grandkids. I treasure the friends He has given me, but I realize they are all fallible just as I am. They will not always be there when I need them. They will fail me at times, just as I have failed them.

Unfortunately I am not at the point yet that I "trust no man," but I have come a long way. I am learning that God is the only one who warrants my complete trust. I try not to place unrealistic expectations on other people, and instead trust the Holy Spirit to work in them. I am learning to rejoice instead of complain, and pray instead of worry. If someone is mean and grumpy, it's okay. If somebody doesn't like me, that's okay too. And I've actually come to view being "unfriended" on Facebook as a badge of honor. It usually means I spoke truth that got all up in somebody's business, and they didn't have the courage to take a long, hard look at themselves.

I am not saying I'm a "Lone Ranger Christian" who doesn't need relationships. God is big on relationships, and we are to build each other up in our faith. What I am saying is that I am learning to not trust in human relationships, because they are fickle. And I am learning, to my joy and delight, that when I trust God implicitly and guard my relationship with Him above all else, suddenly the pain and disappointment of other relationships does not affect me nearly as much.

Trust your Father in heaven, my friends. Psalm 84:10 says that ONE DAY in His courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. If you have not spent a day in His courts for a while, and you are getting sour about other people, it's time to get on your face before God and give Him the glory due His Name. The sweetness of His presence is like no other, and you will come away wondering why you didn't do it long ago!

When working with children, you get to say some of the grossest phrases ever uttered. Like when you see the little cutie eating something you can't even identify. "Where did you get that? Who gave you that? Put that down!"

My mom said that I once tried to bite the tick off an old stray hound dog. My reasoning? Apparently, it looked like a grape.

Kids are gross, guys, but they are so innocent. Once you tell them it's bad news, they steer clear. They search for answers and accept answers without fear, worry or doubt. This is why I try to be so childlike in faith and life. I pray I never stop asking questions, and yeah, sometimes making a fool of myself. I am glad I still have a lot to learn and I'm thankful I have a God that is never done teaching me.

The morning after the big storm, my daughter, Missouri, curled up on the couch with me and started to snuggle. As I sipped my coffee and fumbled through my phone, Missouri snuggled closer and I could sense she had something to say.

"What's up, baby cakes?" I inquired.
"Nothing," she spouted quickly, than reluctantly said, "Actually, I was really scared last night. I had the worst dream and I really wanted to come get you."
"Aw, sweetie, why didn't you?"
"Because I realized something. You said God did not give us a spirit of fear," she said boldly, "So if He didn't give that to me, I don't want it."

"For God did not give us a spirit of fear, but of power, love and self-control." 2 Timothy 1:7

We have all probably, at some time in our lives, had to live with an untidy roommate. You know the kind. You come home from working a long shift, hoping for some sweet relaxation, only to find that your roommate is not at home and has left a mountain of dirty dishes in the sink. Before you can get yourself anything to eat, you have to start cleaning up a mess you didn't even make.

You go to do your laundry, and find wet clothing in the washing machine. Your roomie has done her laundry but neglected to put it in the dryer. If you want to wash your clothes, you need to first put hers in the dryer. Though you have verbally discussed dividing up chores, she repeatedly neglects to do hers. You don't want to enable her by cleaning up the mess, but you also don't want to live in a pig sty.

I was praying recently and asking the Holy Spirit to consume me, and it occurred to me that sometimes He feels like the clean roomie and I am the slob. Why? Because I ask Him to fill me and inhabit my body which is His temple, but I expect Him to move in with some rather unsavory roommates. Rather than cleaning house before He comes, I leave things as is and expect Him to live in the pig sty that is my life. "Here, Holy Spirit. Let me introduce you to my roomies: Anger, Bitterness, Ugly Speech, and Irritability." And then I wonder why He doesn't stick around.

See, my friends, the Holy Spirit is not given so that we can keep living the way we're living. God purchased us with the precious blood of His Son, and is the rightful owner of everything we are and everything we have. First Corinthians 6:20 tells us, "You were bought with a price. Therefore honor God with your body." Before we ask the Holy Spirit to come and take control of our lives, we must be willing for forsake our own wills. It's a fair exchange: my life for the life of Christ in me, empowered by His Spirit.

The Holy Spirit is given to empower us to live like Jesus, but sometimes we desire His power or His gifts to enhance our own egos. For example, some people who speak in tongues think they are somehow more holy than Christians who don't. A gifted teacher may lack humility because he is constantly complimented about his gift. A woman with the gift of hospitality may become judgmental of others who don't share her love of having her home filled with people.

In all of these scenarios, it's obvious that the gifted people have lost sight of where their gift came from, and the reason it was imparted to them. Gifts and talents are never given so that we can lord it over those we don't think are as gifted as we are. They're not given so people can ooh and aah about what wonderful Christians we are. God pours things into us so that we can pour them right back out again, investing them in other people for the sake of His kingdom.

If you are feeling rather defeated today and wonder why your Christian life seems blah or powerless, examine your habits. Do you watch or read things that have little redeeming value? Do you play video games that glorify violence and gore? How is your thought life? These are all things that need to be cleaned up if we expect the Holy Spirit to take control of our lives.

If you feel like you need a fresh infilling of the Holy Spirit today, God is more than willing to honor that request. But first be sure the body you're asking Him to inhabit is a suitable home.

I quote and reference movies a lot. Usually at inappropriate times and typically the quotes are from Star Wars, Drop Dead Gorgeous, really bad horror and pretty much all of Christopher Guest movies. Why? Cause just like Nigel Tufnel's amp in This is Spinal Tap, I go to eleven, guys.

This one goes to eleven.

I don't want to be some kind of brash, loud, all-up-in-yo'-face type of person, but I don't think I've been given the luxury to always remain quiet and calm either. Job 32:18-19 says, "For I am full of words, and the spirit within me compels me; inside I am like bottled-up wine, like new wineskins ready to burst."

Sometimes it feels like there's a riot inside me and when God starts talking to my spirit, you better believe I'm going to talk about it. I would be a jerk not to share what God is doing.

And what is God doing? Last week I wrote about 1 Samuel 17, how David carried the head of the slain Goliath around with him, and how it's about time we believers start telling others, showing the gore, per say, and yelling, "Look what God has done!!"

The whole idea of storytelling made me think of my favorite films and then a question arose: If your life was a movie, would you pay to see it? Believers, would you want to watch your story? Or would it be one of those movies that looks alright, but just sits in your Netflix queue?

I can't think of the whole, "Your life as a movie" without listening to Macklemore and Ryan Lewis' amazing song, Life Is Cinema. By round two of the song, I was on the floor, before my God, straight up ugly crying. Like the Steel Magnolia's, "Shelby, don't be stupid" kind of ugly crying. (Don't pretend you haven't been there, haters. God gets real when you quit telling Him when and where He is allowed to speak to you.)

 I am not going to post that song here, because it has legit dirty words and ya'll are still real into pretending that your life movie doesn't occasionally feature the f-bomb. But I will post some of that lyrical truth, and then remind you that truth is truth, regardless of the source.

"Humble me, give me a conflict, a hardship, let me break through this cement
They're gonna be so disappointed when they roll the credits in
I realized that my movie sucked and I was the only one that could edit it."

Guys, the world is an enraged, in-caged monkey, throwing heaps of defecation right in your direction. Sure, that'll make a hilarious video on YouTube, but I want my life to be more than just a blurb about a zoo fail that went viral. I want my story to be an award-winning, possible sob-inducing, life-changing cinema lived victoriously for my Savior. Can I get an "Amen!?"

In this life you have few absolutes or guarantees. And let me be the first to tell you that the poo-wielding monkey flings without discretion. If you live in this world you are covered up and surrounded in it too! We are all trying to figure how to deal with the crap that's been thrown at us. The difference is we believers are supposed to take this conflict and make a story out of it worth sharing.

 Believers, we have got to step back and look at what our faith looks like to others. We should call our movie: Christians Living like Christians. It will star Kirk Cameron, show how we love to shop at discount stores for things we don't need, and will teach the proper ways to land a stellar side hug.

Is that what we want to be known for? What victory are you celebrating?

Christians, we are the worlds worst directors and biggest critics. We complain, compare and condemn everything that doesn't fit into our boxes of acceptable, when it is those very boxes that are holding us back from being real, relevant, and redeemed. We spend all this time and effort reaching out to a world that no longer wants to hear our message, because our lives look like they were directed by Harmony Korine.

We wade through the same monkey poo and life struggles as everyone else, but insist we're still sparkling fresh, like some wholesome ABC family Original. Believers, we might be edited for Hallmark channel, but our lives are no better than Showgirls. (You should not watch that one, by the way. It's horrible.)

Guys, we are turning people away in droves. Have you been on Facebook lately? Egads. We are the meanest and most confusing people on the internet. We are known for ours self-inflicted scars, terrors we've caused, and the answers for things that no one is questioning. Is it any wonder why no one wants to see our masterpiece?

Let's have real talk: Our movie sucks and we're blaming everyone else in the industry for it. We're a group of people pretending to be pretty for Jesus, pandering some sad story and suing when people don't like our characters.

We are trying to sell a black and white film, on a VHS format, to a world that can get the same story line, with better actors, a solid soundtrack, streaming for free and now featured in 3D.

Obi Wan Kenobi says in Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, "You want to go home and rethink your life." And you do. You really do. I want you to take a moment and and get inside the actors studio. Get candid about what kind of movie you are making in your life and ask yourself if you would watch that stinker? Cause, right now, I don't know if I've got enough character or content for a reality series, forget the big picture. Guys, I don't think E! would even air this hot mess.

We are not the directors, not even the lead actors, we are mere bit part players, big pretenders and possibly the editors of something that will glorify the Lord, but only if we follow where He leads.

Let's pray, I suggest Psalm 25:4-5, and ask God to direct us. Let's seek the Father, get out of this filth and find the direction to make our lives films that would be worth watching.

I like to keep a neat yard. I really do. Nothing makes me happier than driving passed my own house and seeing the grass short, and the fence-line and sidewalk nicely trimmed. It brings me such a feeling of satisfaction.

Ask my wife. After mowing on Sunday, I kept saying, "Wow, would you just look at that yard." She would reply, "Yes, Brandon, it looks wonderful." Every time...only getting a little annoyed the more I said it. Or a lot annoyed. But who can be sure?

There are times, though, when I can't mow as often as I would like. Last year, our son Aaron was born. The days leading up to his birth had been very busy and our grass was growing taller. Then when we got home, we just wanted to rest as much as we could. So our grass got a little out of hand.

When the grass gets really tall, it takes longer to mow it. I have to put the mower on a lower setting so it doesn't go as fast. It takes longer to dry, so even if I'm mowing late in the afternoon, sometimes I have to stop and clean out the mower because the wet grass keeps clogging it up.

It is a much more tedious operation when I don't take care of my lawn every week as I should (especially during the spring).

The same is true about our walks with Christ.

We want to nurture and take care of our walk. We want to make sure we are following in His footsteps. But it has been so long since we have regularly done it. The grass is so tall. We know that if we start, it's going to be slow going.

We aren't going to be able to jump right in and pray an hour like we used to, or read several chapters in our Bibles. We know if we show up to Bible study this week, people are going to ask us tons of questions about our whereabouts.

If we go volunteer at a church activity or in the community, it's going to be difficult getting started. There will be people we don't know, a new environment to get used to, or we can't sit at home and watch the summer reruns of our favorite shows.

If we get serious about our walk again, we are going to face fears we haven't been dealing with or sins that we have allowed to creep into our lives.

When it has been a while, our walk with God can seem a bit intimidating.

But you know what? After taking those first steps and completing whatever task it is I set out to do (Bible reading, volunteering, or fellowship with Christians) I usually feel really accomplished. I ask myself, "why haven't I been doing this all along?"

There is something about following the will of God that brings satisfaction like nothing else can. When we pursue the purposes that God has given us, we feel like we are really living.

Sure, it may be slow going at times. There may even be tune ups we have to do along the way. I recently replaced the blades on my lawn mower. I cut up my hands a little and it took way longer than it should have, but the blades were terrible. But once I started mowing with the new ones, mowing went even more smooth.

So even when we tend to our hearts and follow after God, there may be little changes we have to keep making. But it's less frustrating when the other areas of our walk are in order. It is way less intimidating.

If you haven't been tending to the work that God has given you, it can seem like a bit much when getting back into it; but I strongly encourage you to jump in and do it! There is no living like living for Christ. Take things slow. If you have to get off the mower and make some adjustments along the way, take your time and do them. Don't give up. Keep truckin, or mowin, along.

A few months ago, I was feeling down because I had no real direction. Like I mentioned last week, I sometimes get upset about where I work and don't understand why I'm still there. I prayed about what I should do, where I should go, but wasn't getting an answer. One day after I had read Psalm 139 (which is a great chapter for lifting your spirits), the thought popped into my mind to read the last chapter in Job.