Recently, I’ve let myself get way to busy. Not even that “church busy”, that we try to justify cause we’re busy with ‘good’ things. Busy with work and thinking of it at home, moving, odd jobs, etc.

Do you ever take on too much in life? Where your tasks and chores take up the time that your relationships should hold?

Well I did, I felt very disconnected from my friends and family. Seeing them would ‘put me behind’ in my work. With our God being a relational God, he wasn’t in my sight line.. creating selfish ambition. (which won’t please your wives gentle men!)

When you wake up in the morning, what are your first few thoughts? If they aren’t about love and Christ.. we should probably get back to the basics.

I choose to not let my tasks dominate me. I choose to read and pray when I get up, to align my thoughts with God. So I have something to give my peers at work, and my wife at home and all else who i contact throughout the day.

what’s your daily routine? do you have one? would structure help you grow?

brotherly love,
c.g.

Recently, in big church, I was given the opportunity to speak—twice!

These moments come once every few months and I usually enjoy being able to have a conversation with the congregation from the stage.

Sunday was a mixed bag of feelings.

It’s not that I didn’t enjoy being able to talk about Jesus. I love to! I guess that’s why I chose to do that full-time. What made it feel weird was that when I was talking about the cage, the room felt so silent.

The analogy of the cage is the fact that there is a life that God wants for us and a ton of things will keep us from it. As I opened the cage, I read some of the things that are keeping us from living God’s intended life for all of us. Here’s a few that I read, but feel free to comment and suggest more.

Lost Connection- the fact that we’re far from God.
Purposelessness- feeling as if our lives have no meaning
Circumstances in life- life craps on us. Sometimes it may be our fault, sometimes it’s not.
Sexual Regrets- addictions and past experiences that wound us.
Guilt and Shame- the refusal of letting things go.
Fear of Man- the fear of what people may think of us.
Pride- I don’t need help
?- the beast in the basement we’re afraid to even name.

The Apostle John quoted Jesus speaking of light and darkness in his gospel. He said that people hate the light and don’t come into the light in fear that their deeds would be exposed. So true. Exposure will often come with a cost.

And maybe it’s a guy thing.

We like to act like we have it together.

We often think that if you don’t have it together, you’re a wuss.

And maybe if we come out and say that we suck at life, people will only point and laugh.

I think you can make the connection here.

That morning many people were able to make the connection. Cages were opened and they began to let Jesus deal with the crap in their lives.

But also, from the silence, I knew that just as many (and if not, more) were held back. Reservations can sometimes imobilize us. Silence can kill.

What is keeping you in the cage?

Do you have a friend who is in the same cage?

It’s good to talk.

“But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant,and whoever wants to be first among you must be the slave of everyone else.” (Mark 10:43-45)

As a follower of Jesus Christ, it breaks my heart to see how many “Christians” don‘t carry out this principle. It‘s so easy to get sucked into the rut or self-serving, not humbling yourself to the needs to others. I‘m not just talking about writing a check and you’re done. I’m talking about getting dirty, going to the places where others don‘t want to go.

Me and my wife had this conversation very recently. We are committing a certain portion of our giving to litterally helping the needy. It may be handing out sandwiches to homeless people, cleaning a friend’s house, watching someone’s kids, or buying groceries. In the words of Dino Rizzo, it`s Servolution, and we want to take this principle from Jesus to a whole other level in our lives.

So I challenge you to give your time, your efforts, your largest chunk of energy, maybe your money, your basement, or your spare bedroom. And if you can, do it annonymously. I have been the recipient of such gifts in the hour of my greatest need, and it is one of the biggest reminders of God you will ever experience.

What is God telling you to give?

Aaron

Gentlemen, This week I wanted to share something very personal with you guys. I remember when I had just turned 20. I was in my second year at McMaster University. I was working part time, playing water polo four nights a week and also putting in some time toward school.

I had just started listening to a guy from Seattle on podcast. He talked about being a man and not in the stereotypical way. I heard tons of new ideas I’d never thought about before, or heard. At least I hadn’t been listening until then.
I had been dating a girl for over a year and was now totally convinced I wanted to make this woman my wife. I began actually wanting to work, taking extra shifts, thinking about my future. I really put the effort in to maintain sexual purity with my thoughts and actions. I decided I wanted to be a grown man. Own up to mistakes I made.
It took a long time for the thoughts to come to words. Years. There is an illustration used by G.K. Chesterton in his book “Orthodoxy” that I love and will never forget.

He said our life could be compared to a canvas that we paint through our lives. The problem he said is that so often we decide that what we’re painting is not worthwhile or meaningful anymore. So we scrap it. He said this is a problem because if we are ever to see change in ourselves, this world, eternity. It could take a lifetime to achieve. Anything worthwhile will take time essentially.

I took this to heart.

I decided that if my life is a canvas and I have the choice to create anything then I had better be sure about it. I wondered, and struggled because there are so many good pursuits. Then I had a true God moment. I realized, I don’t need to get everything into my painting now. There will always be room for change and growth. What are the things that I will never take out of it? 3 things…

I desire to be a follower of Christ. Someone who knows why he lived, why he died, and why he came back for me, us, everyone, and most importantly ANYONE.

I want to be a husband. I have a beautiful amazing wife. I remember hearing Andy Stanley speak about marriage. He shared with us how Paul gave the charge to men to “Love your wife like Christ loved the Church”

I want to be a father. Yes a career, athletics, and intellectual pursuits are all excellent and worthwhile. But I honestly believe one of the best things I could ever accomplish with my life is to be a good father. In a generation where parental childcare is degraded as a waste of time or a burden I wish to be different

This is all I have firmly placed on my canvas, I hold it gently, humbly, and yet I cling to it as the bedrock of my life. What’s so interesting to me is that these three things if pursued my entire life will undoubtedly change the world. I think your canvas could as well.

Rich

Does anyone else LOVE Gold Bond?!

I remember the first time I used this wonderful powder.  I was at Joy Bible Camp up in Bancroft, and two dudes in my cabin named Darcy and Tim told me I had to try it.

This is how they described it- “It’s like a million tiny angels blowing on your testicles.“  Theirs words, not mine!  Of course, how could I resist such a heavenly offer?

Sure enough, it was true to their word and didn’t let me down for a minute.  I swear by the stuff.  It saved me from some serious chaffing when I was in Honduras.  It keeps me dry and comfortable on hot summer days.

But it no longer feels as good as it did the first time.  No more tiny angels.  No more tingles.  No more cooling sensation.  I had become desensitized.

I remember the first time I ever saw porn on TV.  It was while babysitting.  The kid had gone to bed and I was watching the NBA All-Star Game.  The feed suddenly switched to Playboy somehow.

I remember feeling so guilty. I remember looking out the window every two minutes.  I remember it tore me apart with guilt for weeks after.

But then something happened- the more I looked at porn, the less guilt I felt.  The more I become okay with it. Accustomed to it.  Okay with it.  I had become desensitized.

It’s called ‘the dulling of the Spirit.‘  If we choose to live in sin, we’re purposely ignoring what God is trying to say to us.  It breaks His heart.  It ruins your life.  Don’t desensitize yourself to the Spirit of God.

Live a life in close connection with God.  Choose to be a man who conquers his addictions by the power of the Holy Spirit.  Be a man who walks with Jesus.