Do something ... really!

I was reading my favorite scripture this morning, John 15. It is my favorite because it makes following Jesus simple.

Things I love about this passage:

• vs 8: we glorify God by being fruitful. 'Glorifying God' as best I can tell is the single reason we exist, and this tells us how to do it! In one sentence!
• If we abide in Jesus, we are guaranteed to be fruitful ... there is no other outcome. What a cool promise!
• If we don't abide in Jesus, we are guaranteed to not be fruitful. There are no shortcuts.
• If abiding in Christ results in bearing fruit, and being fruitful results in glorifying God, then if I abide in Christ, I automatically glorify God!!
• Abiding in Christ sounds wishy washy ... so Jesus tells us how to do that: Follow my commands.
• The commands give us concrete direction of things to do or not do that will result in us abiding in Jesus. The commands are not our God, Jesus is! Christians really screw this up sometimes. This reminds us to not confuse the goal 'Abiding in Jesus' with the means 'following his commands'.
• 'Following commands' implies action. I can not follow Jesus by trying to be more loving, or trying to be kinder, or trying to be more patient. I must actually change the way I act.

So, to summarize:

Actions (Disciplines) ---> Abiding in Christ ---> Bearing Fruit ---> Glorifying God

So I have to ask myself this week, what actions will I take to move toward who Jesus wants me to be. Here are a couple simple things I'm doing this week:

• I have been busy and tired lately. This results in the 2 hours of kid time I have a day (6:30pm to 8:30pm) to consist of me watching tv or working on homework while they crawl, hit, pinch, or otherwise annoy me. Tonight this changes. Tonight those hours are for me to invest in my kids. I think we're going to play Buzz Lightyear on the computer, and they are excited!!
• I have been busy and tired lately. This results in very little time reflecting and praying. Today, I got up and went straight downstairs to spend time with God. No shower, no teeth brushing, no breakfast ... but I don' think He minded. At least 2 times a week I will wake up and go directly to time with God. Do not pass go, do not collect $200.
• I have been busy and tired lately. (There is a theme here!) One source of comfort for me is the wonderful elixir named Mountain Dew. I love a Mountain Dew in the afternoon! However, I have a long standing principle to take care of my body by only drinking one serving of pop per day. Needless to say, I have not been following this very well. It's time to get back to that.

So these are my actions for the week, concrete things I can do differently to obey the commands of Christ which will result in a more effective life, and ultimately in glory to God. If we always do what we've always done, we'll always get what we've always got. What will you do differently this week?

Reasons to like an Obama Presidency

I voted for McCain. My views simply lined up with his views better than with Obama's. But that being said, there are several things I'm looking forward to with an Obama Presidency so I thought I'd list them here. The cool thing about America is we just had a historic, power-changing election and the next day there were no riots, no violence, and everyone goes back to work. I love this country!!

Reason #1
We immediately regain the world's respect and admiration. I don't think most people realize what a hit our reputation has taken around the world and how much that affects us here. Only in America is Obama's story possible. The world recognizes this and at the core this is what they admire about America. America is exceptional in it's culture of freedom and opportunity! Too often lately, we have been leading by force rather than by example. I'm excited to be in a country that is a positive example to the world!

Reason #2
Obama realizes that the U.S. is not God's favorite nation, or God's favorite people. Our lives are not more valuable than other lives. We live in a global community and we often lead it, but we do not rule it. We have been blessed tremendously and it is our responsibility to be a blessing to those around us. We must focus on that responsibility and lead by example. It is not our God-given right to rule the world or expect more from the world than we do from ourselves (see torture). I don't think Bush or McCain necessarily believed these things, but our actions over the last 8 years seem to have drifted in that direction.

Reason #3
It is awesome to see black Americans rejoice and finally know on a national scale they are an equal part of what makes this country great. It is truly historic; it is incredibly meaningful; and I love it!

Reason #4
I will thoroughly enjoy listening to the man speak over the next 4 years. He holds the ability to write and speak words that motivate and inspire. I believe this is a key function of a good leader and something that has been missing for a while around here. :)