Pressurized

Life can be like a pressure cooker. The valves to release the pressure are turned too tight. And all anyone sees is the gauge at the top starting to point itself at maximum capacity. What has you at maximum capacity? Where is your gauge at? You may be oblivious to what it reads, but everyone else sees it, so where are you at?

After I was married for a few years (I was married at age 21), I started to feel the pressure of life. Knowing it was time to grow up was not easy at such a young age. I was a young man with a pretty good job, a wife and eyes set on the future. The only problem was my personality kepping me wound too tight like the knobs on a pressure cooker.

However, I thought everything was okay, but instead I was leaving a path of destruction behind me. My gauge was pinned at maximum; nonetheless, I couldn’t see it, but everyone else could and avoided me as much as possible. I was pressurized and ready to blow!

At what point are we the pressure cooker? What is everyone else reading on our gauge and we are not? After many years of trying operate like this, I learned some tools to help drop the pressure and to release the valves on myself.

• Have someone who can speak into your life honestly and want what is best for you so you won’t blow up on them (hopefully).
• The only thing I can control in life is me, so give up on trying to control others.
• You don’t like what you see in the mirror, then do something about it.
• Be completely and absolutely sold out for God. Let God define who you are, not others. Others may want you to be something you are not meant. That alone will raise the pressure in the cooker.
• Laugh. Laugh at yourself, laugh with others and this will be huge in relieving the pressure.

I could go on and on. However, it is up to you if you are going to be the pressurized person who people like but cannot trust. What are some ways you relieve the pressures of life? What do you do when you are pressurized and ready to blow up?

Will Be Back To Posting Soon

I apologize for the lack of posts recently. I just had knee surgery and with the recovery time and getting my pace back around the ministry, there has been less time to blog. But rest assured, I will be back to writing and posting v-blogs in no time. Thank you for your support and understanding.

God Bless!

Christmas

Thanks-Giving

Wow, after this Thanksgiving holiday we feel full from all the food, happy to see family (at least most of us) and the cold winter chill starting up.

On the day of turkey-feasting, we sit around the table waiting to eat and glancing around to see who is going to pray for our meal. The prayers are sometimes heartfelt and sincere, and sometimes even humorous for those who thrive on attention. At the end of the day we go to bed with a full tummy and happy thoughts. Unfortunately, there is one huge problem we are passing on to our children.

We focus on the day’s busyness and not much on God. Why? Well for most of us traditions are passed down, and we do things just because they have been done that way. So I want to challenge you this holiday season with a thought, and something I hope and pray you add to your holiday traditions.

Being a children’s pastor I see kids pray all the time, and the one thing I see the most is that our kids do not pray in a thankful way. They usually start with what they want and need and sometimes a pray for mom or dad, just in hopes that it will get God (and maybe mom and dad) to get them what they want. They hardly ever start with giving thanks for what they do have and the great blessings they’ve received from God.

Maybe if we began with thanks in our prayers, we would start to influence their prayers. Plus, they might start appreciating what they already have so much of. I believe we need to start all our prayers in submission to our awesome King with the thanks giving He deserves.

Obedience

Tired

Today I am tired. Not just physically tired but mentally tired. I know in my flesh when I am exhausted I just want to slip away into “my space” and relax. However, that is not reality. There is my family that needs me, and checking out is not always the best option.

The times I decide to stay in the game, I receive abundant blessings from my family. You see, I used to be a person who checked out when I became tired. I thought it best for me, because when I am drained I tend to develop a short temperament.

For most of us when we are pooped (like I am right now), we start thinking of ourselves, putting ourselves first and what we need to do to take care of me. We tend to rationalize that this type of selfishness saying that it is what’s best for others. Well let me tell you, you may be wrong and missing out on some amazing blessings.

But things changed for me when I began to communicate to my family my levels of exhaustion. I decide to not check out, and they decided to be patient with me.

When I do this, the most awesome blessings come my way. My wife offers to rub my feet, my daughter asks me what she can do to help me and my son, well he is my hero, because when I sit on the couch he finds the remote for the TV and places it next to me.

This is just the tip of the iceberg of how my family so richly blesses and honors me. What are you missing out on? It is okay to be tired, but do not forget to communicate that to your family. Don’t decide to check out, because your family may just do the same to you.

It is amazing when they start to honor and bless you. I love my family and the way they honor me through the little things in life.

Here is a short video that is a great example of how we all feel sometimes.

Stop!

It is interesting when we are driving and see a sign that says stop, we stop. If we do not stop there are possible consequences. We could receive a ticket, collide into an accident or hit someone crossing the street. Because of the consequences, we obey the sign. We are trained to know that if we do not stop, we can potentially suffer. Unfortunately, this tends to characterize our lives. We stop for stop signs, but continually move forward in everything else. As a Christian how does this apply to us?


Okay, let me ask you a question: how many times has God asked you to stop? Did you listen? Well, let me be up front with you. This is a problem for me. I become so busy with life I tend not to stop and look around at what God has blessed me with: my wife, my kids and the most awesome church ever. Sometimes the only way God can stop me is to physically shut me down. At that point I finally look up and say, “Okay God, my attention is all yours.”

Growing as a man and as Christian I have learned I need to take time to slow down, STOP, look up and realize that I our glorious king wants to talk to me. Yes me. Wow, what an awesome king. And when He speaks it is some of the most profound moments in my life. If I never stopped to look up and listen, I would never be the man I am today.

Is God throwing stop signs in front of you? Are you listening for his words? Are you ignoring stop signs from God? And how many wonderful moments had been missed with your creator who just wanted to spend time with you, yes you. On God’s behalf I say to you: “STOP.” It will be worth every moment.