Author: pastordarryl68

Love. Live. Serve. Minimizing me...making much of JESUS! Loves God, family and crossroads|church. Husband, father, teacher, student, servant and worshiper.

We Must Protect Our Lane

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I believe that the church should not be political. Let’s stay in our lane, but let’s protect our lane.

The problem is that politics has not stayed in its lane. The politicians who run your government of the people, by the people, and for the people, have run roughshod over our God Almighty, our homes, our Bibles, and our churches.

Leaders of the home and the church, it is not only our right but also our responsibility to stand up and protect our lane.

The church didn’t move. The Bible never moved. Your government didn’t just move. It invaded.

Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood. – Acts 20:28

Be Real

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There are some who have the keen awareness of everything wrong in the world — everybody and everything — and they share it far and wide. They don’t miss the opportunity for a negative review. They are the cloudy pessimists. There are others who only see and/or comment about the good. They are the sunny optimists.

I like to think I’m a realist. There is no life where it’s all roses and rainbows or all gloom, despair and hopelessness, regardless of your station, status or class. I hope to encourage others with edifying statements of positivity, while also acknowledging the struggles and evil in the world, with the resolve to do my part to help eliminate it. We can’t fix what we don’t acknowledge…but it does no one any good to just blast negativity without any constructive solutions and/or lessons learned through those experiences.

Which one are you?

The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him. ~ Nahum 1:7

Rejoice and Weep

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There are hard pills to swallow in life.
Sometimes life’s not fair.
Sometimes circumstances don’t fall in our favor.
A storm may ruin one person’s wedding while simultaneously nourishing his neighbor’s crops.
Every race, game, competition, etc. has a victor and one who is not – regardless of how well-played, trained or executed by both parties.
One man’s joyful plans may be dashed by another’s plans for the same.
One man’s savory seasoning is another man’s salt in his wound.
One man’s inconvenience or hardship is another man’s blessing.
One man’s selfish indulgence is another man’s cross to bear.
Maybe it’s just a matter of perspective. Maybe it’s God’s hand of blessing on one and His hand of correction on the other. Maybe it’s for God’s greater glory and results beyond what we can see.
It’s hard to celebrate with others when the same action brings us pain.

Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Romans 12:15

A Good Work Ethic

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You cannot bribe an employee with enough money to develop a good work ethic. A solid work ethic is a matter of character and faithfulness. It’s about commitment to your Creator (or to yourself for those who do not believe in God).

It’s motivated by how you can leverage what you’ve been given—not by what you get from the work or employer. It’s about believing in the work’s importance and quality—not about collecting a paycheck you didn’t earn. A good work ethic is about more than waiting to be told what to do next — it’s about a vision for the finished product that goes beyond the task.

I’ve seen employees give 150% for minimum pay, but far more give 60% effort for way more remuneration than they’re worth. I’ve seen employees give more time to their bathroom breaks, social breaks, and lunch breaks than they give to the work they’re being paid to do.

Too many people are willing to get paid for what someone else has worked for.

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. – Ephesians 2:10

The Straight Path

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Do you consistently acknowledge Yahweh? Do you thank him for each blessing he has given to you – salvation, sanctification, life, family, friends, neighbors, etc.? Do you ask him for help throughout your day, every day? Do you praise him for his faithfulness and his goodness. Do you give him the glory in your accomplishments and victories? Do you worship him in song? Do you take time each day to pray with him?

God wants us to seek his kingdom first! Instead of putting our desires first, we should want his will to be done in our lives. Isn’t that exactly how Jesus lived? We should not be in this for our own fame, but instead we should want his fame to increase. We should want to glorify him.

Yahweh calls us to acknowledge him in everything we think, say, and do. In Deuteronomy 6, God’s Word declares that we are to love God with all our heart, all our soul, and all of our might. We are called to worship him with our head and our hands. This idea has been referred to as the “mark of the lamb.” He promises that if we acknowledge him in everything, he will make our paths straight.

In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. ~ Proverbs 3:6

Show No Partiality

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As followers of Jesus, we know the Golden Rule – the idea that we’re supposed to treat others as we would want to be treated. We understand that regardless of how much money someone has, we ought to treat them like we would treat someone with little in their bank account. Regardless of their ethnicity, social status, wealth status, and any other difference, we ought to treat everyone with kindness and respect. We know all of that.

But do we live it out well? Or do we think about celebrities as if they are deserving of special attention? How do we act when we see a music idol or sports star on TV…or if we happen to meet them in-person? How do we act when someone with a celebrity or someone with a lot of money walks into the room? Do we idolize those types of people without even knowing it? Do we think about them as more important than others due to their “special” differences, i.e., the differences that we favor for one reason or another? That’s favoritism. That’s partiality. That type of thinking is biased.

Celebrities need Jesus. Music idols need Jesus. Sports stars need Jesus. Rich people need Jesus. We have all sinned. No mere human is perfect, so there’s no good reason to idolize anyone. We should treat all humans well, without showing partiality to anyone. It’s not just about head knowledge; it’s about obeying God’s Word.

My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory. ~ James 2:1

To Sabotage or To Redeem

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The best way to sabotage a relationship that God has given to you:

  • become hyper-focused on where you disagree or how you’re different
  • dwell on the things you don’t like about the other person or wish were different to better accommodate you
  • fixate on the way they ignore how you try to control the way they think, speak, or what they do

The best way to redeem a relationship:

  • focus on the pleasure they bring to their Creator as an image bearer
  • focus on what they bring to the table and offer to others besides you
  • remind yourself of what they have given/done for you
  • ask yourself why God has allowed you to be part of their life
  • focus on their heart

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. ~ 1 John 4:7

After the Butker Dust Has Settled

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I have no respect or love for the NFL and even less for the idolatry that it elicits from presumed Jesus followers. It pains me to see the cultural indoctrination of such idolatry in children.

Though I’m a long-time resident, I’m indifferent to the KC Chiefs, mostly for the reasons cited above. I’m not a fan of Travis Kelce or Patrick Mahomes, and I doubt I’ll ever wear their numbers or names (or anyone else’s) on any of my clothing. That’s a personal choice- no condemnation to those who partake in that multi-million dollar-a-year industry.

But Harrison Butker…

Based on his recent commencement speech, I became a fan of Harrison Butker, not as a kicker, but as a fellow man and as a man of faith. I don’t even share his Catholic doctrines, but I’m proud of him for standing up for the compromised beliefs of his church and for having the courage to address Catholic concerns in an open crowd of Catholic educators, clergy, families, and graduates. Someone tried to make the case that it’s a liberal arts college and not everyone in the audience is Catholic. So? That doesn’t change the fact that they chose to attend a CATHOLIC liberal arts college that invited a CATHOLIC to speak at commencement. Honestly, he makes some references to what appear to be specific examples that his audience is familiar with, of which I have no knowledge. I don’t have to share all of his beliefs (which I don’t) to support his right to believe them and state them confidently among those united under the Catholic tradition at a Catholic liberal arts college. Even if I did believe and support all of it, I may not have said everything quite how he said it, but I support his right to say it.

I am not Catholic and do not share his love for their doctrines, but I’m proud of him for calling out the church, the priesthood, and the laity based on their beliefs and values unified by their common catechism. I’m proud of him for calling out the hypocrisy of those politicians who say they also share the presumed common doctrines of the church. I’m proud of his conservative values. I’m proud of how he elevated the home. I’m proud of how he affirmed women who choose marriage and motherhood as a career. I’m proud of how he elevated his wife, who chose that career. I’m proud of him for being a role model of belief and worship of the one true God, conservative values, God-ordained marriage, and parenthood.

I’m also proud of Chiefs owner @TaviaHunt for supporting him and backing him up with her own tribute to marriage and motherhood of daughters.

I read and heard a lot of accusations that he was anti “this” and conveying hate speech toward “this” group. We weren’t listening to the same speech. None of us want someone putting words in our mouth. Just because I’m elevating my church for qualities that I appreciate and are meaningful to me, it doesn’t mean I hate other churches or that I hate people who don’t go to church. It just means I love my church and I’m proud of my people…in a holy way. Butker was simply elevating specific values that he believed in among an audience he thought my love and appreciate the same values.

People turned his positive accolades of something he appreciated into negative harassment against people or choices he never mentioned. I don’t share some of his Catholic standards, but I sure don’t think he was being “anti-protestant” simply because he was elevating centuries-old Catholic doctrines to an audience at a Catholic liberal arts college. Just because someone speaks positively or promotes a value they admire doesn’t mean that they are conveying hate toward those who don’t share those values. It doesn’t mean they are “anti” other values that other people might have. If I can’t speak highly of something I value, a product I like, a preference I have, or an act that I appreciate without someone taking offense because they have different preferences than me, communication is over in our culture. If I have to agree with you on everything, then one of us is not necessary. If this is who we are as a community, we’re in a world of hurt. People hear what they want to hear whether it’s being said or not.

If you’re interested, here’s his whole commencement address…not the snippets and sound bites being pulled from it, twisted and blasted.

The Cost

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In 2 Samuel 24, when presented with the opportunity to worship Yahweh by giving the very minimum effort (building an altar on King Araunah’s threshing floor on King Araunah’s land using King Araunah’s oxen and materials), King David resisted firmly. Instead, he bought the threshing floor on which to build the altar and the oxen to sacrifice. He said, “I will not offer anything to Yahweh, my God, which costs me nothing.“

Follower of Jesus, when our maximum effort is to offer the bare minimum expected – whether to Yahweh, to our family, to our employer, to our team, or even to the stranger on the street – is that not a betrayal of what Jesus says makes us a disciple? What did Jesus say? “If anyone is to be my disciple, let him deny himself, take up his cross (the symbol of ultimate sacrifice), and follow me.”

Question to ponder before the Lord: What is the cost I’m paying toward the Kingdom of God?

Through the Lens of the Word

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It is incredibly disheartening when churches and/or denominations view the Word of God through the lens of their culture. Scripture is the lens through which we should view, assess, and compare the culture in which we live —no matter what generation or century, no matter which part of the world or people group. Scripture is our standard, not our culture.

When the church adapts to the culture to accommodate its pewsitters’ preferences rather than being the vehicle through which culture discovers Jesus, is regenerated by His Holy Spirit, and through whom they are conformed to His Word and His Way, it is no longer the church. Therefore, the church must view the culture through the lens of the Word of God, not the other way around.

And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. ~ Colossians 1:18