2 MINUTE WARNING

When Paul walked the road to Damascus, he was angry, he was legally prepared, and he had all the power that he needed.

His enemy was a movement.  And it was a movement that was a threat to his way of life.

But knowledge and power and politics are of little use to God, and this is because God sets the rules.  He says what is good, and we are left with a choice.

What did Jesus preach?

• While men accused and shamed the sinful woman, Jesus called out her sin AND that of the men who had ruined her.
• When men overcharged for “religious” gain, Jesus tipped over tables and called them thieves … because they WERE acting as thieves.
• When accused of ministering to a tax collector, a town prostitute, or healing on the sabbath, Jesus of Nazareth correctly assessed that ALL MEN AND WOMEN are sinners.
• And when Saul (soon to be Paul) walked the road into Syria to lay down punishment on those who would dare follow Jesus, God showed up … and Saul became Paul and changed teams.

And then … he wrote this:

Romans 1 ²⁰ For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities – his eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.

Without Excuse.

As a coach, I hate excuses.

I hate excuses so much that it triggers something in me that is ugly.

The reality is this:  I HATE EXCUSES because I make them more than anyone around me.

This happened because …

I never would have done this if …

This is the fault of somebody else …

But the reality is this — for me — and for you.

Before God, we are without excuse.

WITHOUT EXCUSE.

This is not a condemning word.  It is a word that calls us to walk as who we truly are.

And yes … if we walk as we truly are away from God we are destined for the pits of Hell.  It is an ugly fate for those who actually look at a loving God and tell Him to “get lost”.

But for those of us who surrender to the God who loves us?

It is promises for a better home.

It is forgiveness.

It is grace.

It is the place that He has prepared for those who love Him.

And it is a Holy Spirit that counsels and loves us each and every minute of our lives if we invite Him to.

I can remember standing on my parents’ front porch, in tears, having an argument with God about speaking at my dad’s funeral.  My hero was gone.  My heart was broken.  And He had called me to present the gospel at my hero’s funeral.  I conformed.  And I came to realize something from that experience.

God gave me that assignment for me.

He gave me that assignment to heal my broken heart.

And as I stood at the back of my church about 3 weeks later, God took my sting away.  The longing to see my dad was not gone, but the sting was.

And I was … Without Excuse.

Because, with God, I didn’t need one.

Praise Jesus.

In The Name of the Father and the 

Son and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

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Coach J

When a giant calls on your very life and those who you love:

Which Voice Will You Choose To Listen To?

1 Samuel 16 ² … the Israelites assembled … and drew up their battle line to meet the Philistines. 

⁴ A champion named Goliath … came out of the Philistine camp …  

¹⁰ … “I defy the ranks of Israel! Give me a man and let us fight each other.”

¹¹ … all the Israelites were dismayed and terrified.

³² David said to Saul, “Let no one lose heart on account of this … (I) will fight him.”

⁴⁰ he … chose five smooth stones from the stream, put them in the pouch of his shepherd’s bag and, with his sling in his hand …

⁴⁵ David said to (him):  “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.

⁵¹ … After he killed him, he cut off his head with the sword.

As it was with David, as it was with the Israelites, as it is with all who come to follow God … so it is with you:  There Will Always Be A Battle Over Your Destiny

You will always be challenged by an enemy who hates everything about who you are.

After all, you were created in the image of the most amazing God.  And as long as you belong to Him, you will be the target of enemy attack.

There is a theory that David got 5 stones because he had heard that Goliath had four brothers– and I like to think that that is true.  Because rather than cowering in fear, he simply walked forward in the very calling that God had for him.

As Goliath stood and called out the people who loved God, and even God Himself, he set himself up for a defeat of colossal magnitude.

God doesn’t mess around with those who mess with His.  Because those who mess with His are on a path to have their head separated from their torso.

So listen to His voice.

Listen to that voice that you know to be true.

Listen to the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the One who was before there was, the Alpha and the Omega, the One who said it is “paid in full”.

That voice will never let you down.

In The Name of the Father and the 

Son and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

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Coach J

I lack FAITH.

Not the kind of FAITH that shows up when everything is going well, but the kind of FAITH that is necessary to pick up the backpack that I can not possibly carry and walk over the mountain with it.

Inside, I know that I don’t have the strength, or the heart, or the mindset required to carry out the assignment.

It is a testimony to my weakness and the idea that I carry anything good inside of me.  How could God have possibly chosen me … for anything?

But He did.

And He chose you too.

He chose us because He is good.

Hebrews 11 ¹ Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.² This is what the ancients were commended for.  ³ By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.

God has made no secret of what the gospel is that He has given us.  We just pervert it.  We chose this world, and everything in it.  We chose the brokenness, and He sent Jesus to rescue us from it.  If you doubt that you are not responsible, just look inside.  For me, I can’t even obey for a week.  When the negative hits me I fold up like a chair, not able to show the character needed.

Look at Abraham:

Hebrews 11 ⁸ By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.⁹ By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise.¹⁰ For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.

I love it:  “He was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.”  He left the great life for the good life.  Because the good life … is perfect.  And it is perfect … because God is there.

You can look the whole world over and find the great.  You can fill yourself up— with money, and power, and prestige, and all that you can grasp to your fingertips – and still be empty.  I’ve done it.  It doesn’t fill me and it doesn’t fill those I love.  It is fools gold.

Leave the Great Life.  Find the Good Life.  Thank you Jesus.

In The Name of the Father and the 

Son and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

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Coach J

I encourage you to find a quiet place and cue the song….

Then, read this as it is playing.

Jesus was very clear about who He was and what we needed to do:

John 10 ⁹ I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved …

Whoever “enters through the gate will be saved” …

This is not a figurative statement.  And Jesus said this many more times and in many more times.  This is the man who John described as “the Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us”.  This is not watered down.  It is not hidden.  It is not a code.

But this “word made flesh” is under attack.

How do we respond?

There are no easy answers to this question.  But I do not recommend “sweeping it under the rug”.

Ephesians 6 ¹² For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

This verse is always a reminder to me to think, and pray, and seek counsel before I respond in my flesh.  For I have proven time and again that my flesh is corrupted.

So what would I say this day?

I would say to be like Jesus.  And Jesus was:

UnAfraid, UnAshamed, and UnWavering

He stood up to the mob.

He challenged the powerful.

He out-thought the thinkers.

And when they could not overcome His enduring ministry and went to kill Him:

He hung on the cross on our behalf.

UnAfraid, UnAshamed, and UnWavering in His commitment to me, and to you.

He did not back down.  He was not Afraid when the mob came up the hill to imprison and punish Him.  He was not Ashamed that the town prostitute crying on His feet might make Him look bad.  And He didn’t Waver and change His message when the mob came to challenge Him.

I can assure you:  The Legion is coming for you.  And they are coming for everyone you love.  The word says that they aim to “Steal, Kill, and Destroy” you and everyone you love.

Good luck to that Legion:

Revelation 19  ¹¹ I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war.  ¹² His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself.  ¹³ He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God.  ¹⁴ The armies of heaven were following him, …

He is coming on your behalf.  And when He brings His army, the enemy stands NO CHANCE.

So I say to you today:

Do Not Be Afraid.

Do Not Be Ashamed.

Do Not Waver.

He’s got you and everyone you love.  So tell everyone about Him.  Everyone will be glad you did.

In The Name of the Father and the 

Son and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

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Coach J

As I drove up to school this morning, I thought to myself:  “I do not measure up”, and I walked into the building discouraged.  But as the day proceeded, I began to allow that truth to bless my life.

“YOUR DANG RIGHT I DON’T MEASURE UP!”  Amen!

Thank you Jesus.

In the depths of my soul, I so long to water down this gospel.  I would love to ride in on my horse and be the hero.

But again and again, I prove that I can’t even meet the most minimum of requirements.

I am lost, desperate, and without hope.

Never will I ever … be who I want me to be … much less what God would want …

And so there is a need that all other religions demand: adequacy. And I am unable to satisfy.  How could I possibly be adequate?

John 8 ² At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them.³ The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group⁴ and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery.⁵ In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?”⁶ They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him. But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. ⁷ When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.”⁸ Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.

⁹ At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there.¹⁰ Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”

¹¹ “No one, sir,” she said.

“Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”

The woman in John 8 is standing in a place of brokenness.  The enemy has accused her of not living up to the Godly standard.  And, in this one case, the enemy is correct.  But this situation has put her in a place where we all need to stand:  The place of knowing who we truly are.

As we stand before His throne, we might as well own up to who we truly are:  A sitting duck for Hell.  We are guilty as charged and unable to change our position.

But God …

When Jesus shows up to confront the mob, He does so by being willing to put it all on the line.  It is the mountain He is willing to die on.

And that … is my gospel … and my hope … and my King.

In The Name of the Father and the 

Son and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

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Coach J

To say that I have asked God:  “Where are you?”, on numerous occasions, is an understatement.

My question is usually selfish, and shortsighted, and definitely shallow.

Because God is right where He should be … 100% of the time.

And the times, in my life, where He has proven that, are uncountable.

Again and again, He has shown me EXACTLY where He is.

And, really, the question should be for Him to ask me:  “Where are you?”  I am the one who disappears, and hides, and doubts, and questions, and does everything else that creates this chasm of distance between Him … and me.

Jeremiah 29 ⁷ Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.”

Some translations use the term “welfare” for this verse.

Peace and prosperity also works.

Welfare works.

Blessing works.

And it also works to substitute words in for city.

Let’s try a little word substitution:

• Seek the WELFARE of the PERSON YOU ARE WITH …
• Seek the BLESSING of the COMPANY WHERE YOU WORK …
• Seek the PEACE AND PROSPERITY of the CITY …
• Seek the GOOD of the SPOUSE YOU HAVE MARRIED …

I could go on and on. 

And the reality is simple.

God shows up when we give it away.

Maybe that is money.

Maybe it is time.

Maybe it is a talent or blessing that we have.

He works, in mighty ways, when we give away something for someone else.  When we, for one moment, drop our selfish desires and cravings, and give something away that meant a lot to us.

He shows up.

And He always gives us MORE than what we give.

ALWAYS.

I think that is what draws me to this very simple Kari Jobe and Cody Carnes song.  When we are praying and worshiping God and singing blessing over someone else, there is something that God does … in us.

Be blessed today … and may His favor be upon you …

In The Name of the Father and the 

Son and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

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Coach J

There is absolutely no reason to get angry at Jesus.

Yes, He cleared out the temple at the passover.

Yes, He said “get behind me Satan” in reference to the actions of Peter.

Yes, He told His own brother, “for you, any time is right”.  In other words, “it makes no difference when you do something”.

Yes, He said “I did not come to bring peace, but a sword”.

And of course, this:

Luke 16  ¹⁰ “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.  ¹¹ So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches?  ¹² And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own?  ¹³ “No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.”  ¹⁴ The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all this and were sneering at Jesus.

Who is Jesus to you?

The perception that is sometimes portrayed is sometimes soft, and accommodating, and flexible … or the perception is sometimes what we see above … that He is “not inclusive”, that He is “not a loving god”, or that He has created a human race that He intends to send to Hell.

But as I sat on the river yesterday and watched as the sun begin to peek over the mountain, I simply thought:  “There is absolutely no reason to get angry at Jesus.”

What has He done? …

He has offered us a choice.

And it is a simple one.

We can choose our own path and tell Him to leave us.

OR

We can Surrender.  Give up our plans.  Give up our desire to do as we please.  Give up our perceptions of right and wrong, our offenses with others, and our own view … and adopt His.

I choose the latter.  And, to be honest, it is a selfish choice.  When I surrender, I am giving up something far less than what I gain.  I have seen what I want … in every aspect of my life I have seen it, and it isn’t pretty.  I mean … I am ugly to the core.  I am greedy.  I am selfish.  I am angry, and unforgiving, and full of lust.  The pain I carry, willingly, is the very thing that I, when left to my own devices, inflict upon others.

I mean come on!  What am I going to do with a bag of money as my God?  It simply can not fill my insatiable desire to get more.

And what am I going to do if EVERYTHING I wanted always was at my disposal.  What would I do if I always got my way?

And what if everything I laid my hands on worked perfectly?  Even now, I can turn to arrogant so quickly that I do not even like the man that I see in the mirror.

So I surrender.

And yes …

• That means that I surrender to what I think is right and wrong and look to God through prayer and conviction, the Bible, and other God-chasing people to define that.
• That means that I choose to give.  Time.  Talent.  Money.  For the Kingdom of God.
• That means that sex is not an activity, that purpose is given to us as created beings, and that confusion and insecurity are part of the enemy’s plan to dismantle our future.

But the up side is what He gives.

He stands in the gap between me … and eternal damnation.

He loves me in my weakness–when I do none of what I purpose to do … and forgives me for falling short.

He watches over me.  And keeps me.  And gives me life.

And when I surrender to this life … He stands in waiting.  For He, has created a place for me.

And so this day, I say:

Your Praise Will … Ever Be On My Lips

In The Name of the Father and the 

Son and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

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Coach J

As I stood at the fifty yard line at Cheyenne South High School, a light rain turned into a violent hail.  Grape sized hail was pummeling everyone … and players, coaches, and fans began to run for shelter.

For me, it was a moment.

I walked and took the moment in, I reflected on the judgment of God.

Would God reign hail on us?  And how big would it be?  And is that where He is as He gazes on us?  I can not say.

But reflecting on Him this morning, I have to say:  He is so merciful.  To me, to our families, to even to our enemies.  He is merciful, and full of grace, and quick to forgive.  He sent His son to pay the debt and crossed out our transgressions.

But His power to judge consumed me in that moment.

Today, I think about what God has told us about life, our trials, and what God has planned for us and for everyone else.

Jesus says in John 16 that “in this world you will have trouble.  But take heart!  I have overcome the world.”

In 1 Samuel 30, we read that David experiences a defeat.  And in response to an undefeated streak coming to an end, those close to him celebrate him by speaking of stoning him.

The enemies of God will always stand up and rant and declare that they will destroy those who love Him.  They will puff up their chests and sting, or even injure, those who stand in His honor.

But they are like a small hailstorm in comparison to flood.

And they will never conquer what God has in store for us.

Daniel was perhaps the wisest man in the Bible.  And, as a biblical lover and not a biblical scholar, I am sure others could argue for Solomon or Paul or even Abraham.

But Daniel knew some things.

And those things that he knew connected with John as he was marooned to Patmos.

Daniel 7 ¹¹ “Then I continued to watch because of the boastful words the horn was speaking. I kept looking until the beast was slain and its body destroyed and thrown into the blazing fire.¹² (The other beasts had been stripped of their authority, but were allowed to live for a period of time.)

¹³ “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence.¹⁴ He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.

Daniel described some events very similar to those of John in Revelation.  They both shared in their visions and expressions from God.  They don’t make much sense to me, and yet they are crystal clear.

The boastful horn is destroyed.

One like a son of man came into the presence of the Ancient of Days.

His dominion is everlasting.

Do not fear the hail storm.

Do not fret over the threats of the enemy.

Do not even fret over your shortcomings, or those of the people around you.

Rather, stand in awe of the God who can drop elephant-sized hail.

Stand in awe of the God who has created you with a purpose for all of your days.

Stand in awe of the God who loves you too much to let you fall through the cracks.

For He, and He alone, holds the keys to eternal life.

In The Name of the Father and the 

Son and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Know anyone who might like these?  Encourage them to jump on to 2minutewarning.blog and hit the FOLLOW button!!!

Coach J

God has a plan to give us something beyond what we can comprehend.

It isn’t a ritual.

It isn’t a guilt-based response.

It isn’t a list of things that we must accomplish.

It is a ticket to freedom that we cannot explain until we experience it.

It is the gift of being “born again” and to walking into a new identity.  Jesus talked about it in John 3.

John 3 ³ In reply Jesus declared, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.

The gospel message is simple:

God loves us in spite of our rejection of Him.

God gives His son for us.

We return to Him by receiving Him.

Being born again is not about “doing something”.  It is about taking off the baggage of the world and surrendering to God Almighty.

It is about coming to the realization that we are chasing the wrong prizes for the wrong reasons.

It is about becoming free of measuring up.

John 3  ¹⁶ “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Jesus loves us so much.  And not because of what we have done.  He loves us because we belong to Him.

For most, this is not enough.  It makes no sense because how can someone who has DONE nothing be given the ultimate GIFT?  But that’s just it.  It is a gift.

Ezekiel 36  ²⁶ I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.

Romans 8 ³⁸ For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers,³⁹ neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

My Independence Day this year came on the banks of Lake Powell.

It was orchestrated and ordained by a God who loves me (and you) too much to let us just fall through the cracks.

It was orchestrated by a God who faced off with Satan and took a punch on our behalf.

It was orchestrated by a God who loves us so much that He gives us a gift to open so that we can choose Him and reject the world.

It was orchestrated by my Father … the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

And it is received by any person who decides that we don’t have to stand and burn in Hell when we can kneel and live in paradise.

Our surrender feeds us better than a trip to Maui, or a sunset, or any beautiful item that the world has to offer.

To Seth … and Steve … and Jaron … and Aiden … and Jordan … and Abrielle … and Justine … and Peabo … and to anyone else who would dare surrender to the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, the Counselor, the Redeemer, and the King:  Hallelujah.

And to anyone who wants to be baptized as an initial act or as an act of recommitment … Call me:  720-448-2628.

I will meet you … at McIntosh … at the ocean … at the tub … or anywhere else.

Surrendering to Jesus is the greatest decision that you could ever make.

Don’t miss it.

All my love.

In The Name of the Father and the 

Son and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Know anyone who might like these?  Encourage them to jump on to 2minutewarning.blog and hit the FOLLOW button!!!

Coach J