In 2013, a flood swept through Lyons and into Longmont that left an unforgettable impression on all who live in this region.  We are still cleaning up from the power of the water rushing through at such a high rate of speed.

I can remember being in Lyons two years ago and digging a hot tub out of the ground that had been carried there from who knows where……Railroad ties were bent like wires.  Cars were washed away.  Cabins were in the river.

But one story left a mark in my mind that I will never forget.  As our football team helped a man clean up his property, he told me what had happened to him.  He had heard that the flood was coming and so he went outside to tell his kids to come in…..as he walked out his front door, he heard a loud snap as the dike about one mile from his house snapped……before he could even think, he could hear the water coming at him—-and it was so loud that he could not even hear himself shouting.

Imagine hearing water come at you and it being so loud that you can’t hear yourself scream…….

An intense picture of the power of nature.

And one we should never forget about when thinking about the LORD:

Ezekiel 43:1-2  1 Then the man brought me to the gate facing east, 2 and I saw the glory of the God of Israel coming from the east. His voice was like the roar of rushing waters, and the land was radiant with his glory.

We have lost our respect and honor in today’s society……  

And this has grown because we have lost our honor and respect for the Lord.

I believe that Ezekiel had a healthy respect for the Lord.  His visions gave him a small picture of the glory of the Lord.  

Moses understood it.

Paul attained it.

David delighted in Him and faced a giant because he knew who God was.

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego held the Lord in such high esteem that they chose a blazing furnace over letting Him down.

Daniel chose a lion’s den over upsetting the Living God.

What about us?

I think we should purpose to bring this back.

Imagine His voice being like rushing waters and the land radiating with His glory….?

The reality is that we have NO IDEA the pure power and perfection and radiance and love that will be on Him…….

Let’s remember who He is……and let’s remember who we are.

Father~

Move on us.  Fill us with Honor and Respect and Love.  Move on us in a way that we might convey that to all we encounter.  Help us to know who we are….to know that we belong to You…..  To know that You own the cattle on a thousand hills, To know that You hold the keys to eternal life, To know that You are our righteousness and our holiness, To know that without You—we have nothing.

In The Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

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Coach J

God continues to convict me on the Foundation Of Truth….just the idea that we would build our faith, our daily walk, and our mindsets…on principles that are TRUE.

Today….I want to touch on one very important principal:

God Is FOR You

My lovely wife Angie constantly reminds our family of this very principle…..And if you are like me you easily fall into the mindset that you are in trouble, that you have somehow not measured up, that you are in the “doghouse”, that your circumstances are somehow the result of you not being in the favor of God…..

And if you are like me you begin to build a mindset of religion—the idea that you must DO SOMETHING to make Him love you.

This is not what the Bible says.

The Bible says that “while we were still sinners, Christ died for us”, it says that Jesus saw Nathanael under the fig tree and admired him from afar, it says that He told Peter that he was “a rock”—-knowing full well that he would abandon him as He went to the cross.

This is not the picture of a disappointed God who looks from on high and sees us screw it up…..

It is just the opposite.

It is the picture of who God truly IS…..the One who loves you.

The burdens of life can weigh us down and there are pains that we deal with that are incredible…unfathomable…

I see the lives of kids I coach, their parents, their families, and even men that I coach with…..and it would be easy to crumble at some of the things people face……

But as we face these things, let us never forget:

Satan is not going to win.  The Lord will deal with Him in the due time.  And since He was an amazing lamb, I shudder at how He will look when He comes as a LION.

Sin is not going to be the defining factor over our lives.  Nailed on a cross 2000 years ago was the Almighty Jesus….redefining what we would look like and how we would live.  Live free—live like you have been forgiven.  After all, that blood He shed, that trial He endured, and those accusations He received—-those were not meant to be wasted.

Death is not the end of life.  Just the opposite.  He has something greater for us….and for those who have gone before us.  Ask Him to show you what He has in store for those who love Him…..NO ONE—and I mean NO ONE—wants to be here when they can be THERE.

It is in these three principles that we must grab onto Jesus….knowing that He is FOR US.  That He is crying every tear we cry and helping us up every hill.  That He is like a parent watching over us and rooting for us….  That in our struggles He is struggling too.

Never forget…in all you do…in all you encounter…and in all you deal with…

God is FOR YOU.

In The Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

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Coach J

As I walked through my house thinking of all that society is dealing with in 2017, it was crystal clear to me that the blog I write today was why God put this on my heart in the first place…..as a society, we simply have lost our Foundation Of Truth.  In truth, this is proof of the “evolution of thought”……and that is the idea that one logical thought followed by many others does NOT lead us to the truth….it leads us to a mess.  And that is what we have.

Before I continue on from this point, I am going to ask for prayer.  Please….cry out to the Lord that I would write this in the Spirit and that it would be received by all who read it in the Spirit.  Because the flesh is what drives all the political agendas, all the cultural mindsets, and all the evil that we currently see in society today.

But all of that….and I mean ALL of that….can be gone in an instant when we, and I mean WE, submit to the will of God and become a people who follows after the risen King.

As I mentioned in 71….God is ALL we have.  Jesus….is ALL we have.

So let’s build a Foundation Of Truth and lay waste to any thought or mindset that is not true so that we can actually walk in Truth and not build a house on a structure that will not stand up.

Here it is:

1. We were created by God in His image…and in 2017 that means:  You Are Not An Accident.  You are here because God has a plan for your life.  His plan is to light a fire inside of you different than the world has ever seen.  And that fire is to inspire you to love so greatly that the people around you ACTUALLY see God in you and through you.  That you have something so different in you that others are drawn to you because you are distinct and set apart and different.
2. We, due to the choice of one man, fell into sin…and in 2017 that means:  You Were Born Into Sin.  This might not seem fair but it is reality…it is truth.  And it is fair because all men, given choice, choose just like the ONE guy.  We are all God’s enemies….and we are born with it in us.  It is kind of like pork…..in the Bible, God calls pork unclean and it is….If you set it on the counter, it will rot INSIDE before it will be ruined by what is on the outside.  In fact, you have to cook the rotten out of it in order to eat it.  It is simply UNCLEAN on the inside—just like you and I.
3. All of us, and I mean ALL of us, are filled with sin…and in 2017 that means:  You ARE NOT What You Are Tempted To Be.  And it is in this foundational lie that our society is headed in the wrong direction.  God HAS GIVEN US AN IDENTITY.  Read about it and find out who He says you are.  Instead of making our temptations our identity, we need to say no to them and allow the Lord to tell us who we are.  This is as true for me as it is for any person on our planet.  After all, if I were what I was tempted by…..I would have lost my way a long time ago…….
4. He laid down His life to save us…and in 2017 that means:  He Gave His Life That You Might Be Free.    2000 years ago a guy named Jesus changed the world.  He was crucified on a cross between two thieves, for a crime He did not commit, in a court of law that broke its own rules, by a group of men who were supposed to know Him, and at a time when all His friends ran and forgot Him.  The story is incredible but the bottom line is this:  He gave it all for you.  And, no, you are not free to go do whatever you want.  You are free to have hope, and love, and identity put over who you are and all you do.
5. We get to choose to follow Him or not to follow Him…and in 2017 that means:  You Can Not Follow Someone Unless You Go In The SAME Direction.  Following Him involves change.  It involves saying no to some things and yes to others.  It means that we are going to go where He leads.  Freedom is not jumping out of the sheep pen and running out to “mix in” with the wolves….it is staying under the direction, and protection, of the Shepherd.   

That’s it.  That’s the offer from God that we are free to accept or reject…..and it is….OUR INDIVIDUAL CHOICE.

So there it is…..

I want to end with a thought:  All of us are tempted.   We will all be asked to turn away from something that we want to do.  It is important to remember that turning away and saying no is the beginning of finding out who we truly are.  We….are children of God.  This is a simple concept….but we have turned something very simple into something more complicated than it needs to be.  When we are tempted to do something or enter into a mindset we need to ask:  Is this where He is going?  And we have to remember:  You ARE NOT What You Are Tempted By…..Just because you have an angry thought, a greedy thought, a jealous thought, a lustful thought……that does not mean that you are defined by that thought.  It just means that we need to “take every thought captive” and ask if it was planted there by the enemy of the living God.  If it was….we can simply get rid of it.

The bottom line is that we must ask the Lord to lead us….and then we get to follow.

And so there it is.  We must choose to follow Him or NOT TO follow Him.

So if Followers of Jesus seem intolerant, or different, or mean-spirited as believers in getting this message across….we could not be further from that notion.  That being said…..we should care a lot more about what He thinks of us than what others think….and if I am worried about offending anyone—it is Him.  Because without Him…..I have nothing.  After all…..He died on the cross that I might live.  So I want to go in His direction no matter where He goes……after all—–He died for me…..and that…..is the VERY LEAST I CAN DO.

Lord, change our hearts.  Let us be convicted of our creation, accountable for our sin, unwilling to connect our temptations to our identity, grateful for His sacrifice, and ready to follow……..

Choosing to FOLLOW Jesus is the most important decision you could ever make…….but that does not mean, under ANY circumstances, we can start making our own decisions and then say we are following Him…..To FOLLOW, you must be going in the same direction…

Our King did not die on the cross to watch us be ordinary.

He WIRED us to the best.

In The Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

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Coach J

There are days when we simply have to look in the mirror and ask ourselves to give an account of what we did or how we acted….or how we dealt with a situation.  And if we are honest….we have to repent and change our direction and our thought process.  I had one of those days today.  The battlefield that must be won, FIRST AND FOREMOST—IS IN OUR MINDS.  

I can assure you that this is a hard word….because we all must understand something that we almost never think about:

He KNOWS EVERYTHING WE THINK ABOUT.

Not some things….EVERYTHING.  And we will have to face those thoughts IN FRONT OF HIM and give account…….

My mindset, to be real, is OFF….and it is OFF—A LOT.

If this does not apply to you—do not read any further….but if it does—read on and cover this word in the grace of Jesus Christ….because His blood not only covers our sin–it tramples it.

We have life and freedom in Him……but if we want to walk into it—we must walk in the truth.

So let me say these things to myself as I reflect on my day….and if they apply to you—receive them….and if they don’t—don’t.

• You are NOT A VICTIM.  You are blessed and covered by Jesus to fight the good fight.
• You are NOT in a harder spot than those around you.
• Your troubles are no worse than everyone else’s….in fact:  there are a lot of people truly hurting out there while you wallow in your little issues.
• Your God is FOR YOU.  He is FOR YOU in every way.  He saw you from on high and chose YOU—YOU!  This is not some cheap selection or afterthought—it is a first round draft pick to have you walk out the call He has put on your life.
• You are free to rebel…….but you will sleep in the bed you make and there will be consequences……the world, and the devil, have no mercy on anyone…..and Satan’s plan is to steal, kill, and destroy…..to ACCUSE to SHAME to DISCOURAGE to STEAL HOPE and to RUIN.
• Your calling is not about you….it is to live out a life of faith.
• Every day….Every day you will have to choose who you will follow…..it is no different than Adam and Eve in the garden……we can choose God….or we can choose the other thing that is born out of the mindset that God has somehow not given us all that He has to offer.

All of these things are of the enemy.  And all of them, along with many others, are simple little ways that Satan can chip at the foundation of who we are to get us to think in the wrong way……

2 Corinthians 10  3For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. 4The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

God is FOR us.

We are free to live free from Satan, sin, and death.

We shouldn’t need to watch CNN to know that there are people out there hurting….people who need us to be in the RIGHT MINDSET.

We are free to choose to eat from either tree in that garden….the one from God—or the one that the enemy tempts us to take……that second tree will bind, it will discourage, it will bring hopelessness and despair and diversion.

I don’t think Paul was using a play on words when he said to us:  Take Captive Every Thought.

Paul knew what it was like to be in prison……and yet he understood that it would be better for the body to be in prison than the mind.  We can literally create our own prison by refusing to fight the battle we need to fight to bring us freedom.

As I was writing the blog I was reminded of a student who couldn’t get out of his own way to succeed at school….when I asked him about he said that he could never do enough to please his dad—-that his efforts simply were not good enough.  I get that—dad’s words can hover over a person for long periods of time—so when I pressed in to see when this happened—I found out that it was when he was in the 4th grade and he now no longer lived with his dad.  What his dad could not do in the flesh—-Satan did in his mind.  He locked on and followed him across 3 states to continue to discourage and dismantle.  Take Those Thoughts Captive!  Build a foundation for success—not failure!

I will end with this.  A woman collapsed tonight at a volleyball game….I had coached her boys and enjoyed her support for years….and I was compelled to pray for her and so I did.  When a woman thanked me for praying over her my heart became convicted…..I simply said:  “He is all i have.  He is all any of us have.”  Indeed.  We have NOTHING without Him.

So press on and set a foundation rooted in the love that He has given us from the moment we came to be……because if we do—-He will bring us to a place of freedom that we have never seen.

In The Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

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Coach J

Walking through an equation in class, I had come to realize that my class had gotten it wrong.  As I turned to ask them if that was the answer they had all gotten, I noticed a few uncomfortable faces…..

These students had gotten the right answer but were afraid to say it because “everyone else” had the other answer….and, in their mind, that answer HAD TO BE RIGHT.

The class decided, by popular vote, what the answer was.

In that moment, the Lord convicted me.

How often have we, because of the crowd, been swayed by the crowd to believe something to be true that was not.

In that moment it dawned on me…..movements have been built on that very thing.

I think the reason that I was so convicted is that I HAD DONE IT.

Think about it:

How often have we “bought into the myth” and built our day, our week, our decisions, on a myth?

Perhaps it is a personal myth:  My mom doesn’t love me.

Or a professional myth:  My boss is going to fire me.

Or a scriptural myth:  Money is the root of all evil.  (The love of money is the root of all evil)

Our reality is that we sometimes “build a house” on a foundation that is something we believe to be true….but it is not true.

In a conversation with Jesus leading up to the greatest moment in human history, Pontius Pilate doesn’t even care what the truth is…..and I can’t help but hear sarcasm as I read what he said to Jesus:

John 18  38 “What is truth?”

I am shocked that sometimes we don’t even care about it in the court of law.  It is not what is true, it is only what we can prove.

That is not a recipe for spiritual success.

The truth is the only thing that matters.  It is not some inconvenient roadblock that we can somehow move out of the way.  It is the foundation on which we must build our house.

Jesus said I am the way and the truth and the life and He said it because when we aren’t going that way or following that truth we don’t have life…..for here or for later.

As I walk into today I am convicted to make sure:

• That I am not walking in something that is a myth.
• That I am not building my life on a foundation of lies.
• That I am not believing in something in my heart that is simply a lie from the pits of hell.

The enemy is a schemer and a destroyer.  He loves to come into our thoughts and plant a mindset in our brains that is not true….If he can do that, he can have us walk down a path that is certain to destroy us.  Our thoughts are everything in our walk with God.  We must, as God tells us, take them captive and run them through the filter of Him who holds our very lives in His hands.

We can be proactive to walk out our lives and not allow this to happen.

Psalm 25  4 Show me your ways, O LORD ,

teach me your paths;

5 guide me in your truth and teach me,

for you are God my Savior,

and my hope is in you all day long.

Such a simple verse and yet such a vitally important word….

Father–

Show me who You are and where You are going.

Show me what the Truth is everywhere I go.

Guide me and be my salvation even in the little things.

You, and You alone, hold the keys to eternal life.

In The Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

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Coach J

It doesn’t take us long to arrive at the very place where Judas Iscariot sat…..ashamed, broken, and fully aware of our sin.

And yet….we must all make a choice what to do when we sit in that place.

We can work out our own solution, as Judas did….or find salvation in the Risen Christ, as Peter did.

Unfortunately for Judas, he chose to solve it all by himself.

I often wonder what it would have looked like had Judas chosen to repent…….and until I heard a pastor reference this about Judas I had never even considered it….

But think about it…..

God’s forgiveness is for all of us…..even those of us who betray him.

After all…. Peter denied Him.

Thomas doubted Him

Joseph of Arimathea stood silent in the ruling body of religious leaders as they planned His demise and murder.

Faith is about our choice to leave religion in the dust and live out a life of faith.

Religion is MAKING OUR LIFE RIGHT WITH GOD.

FAITH is God making us right with Him.

I think this is why Paul talks about the humanity of Jesus….it is a constant reminder to us of how much we need Him.

Hebrews 2  14 Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death–that is, the devil– 15 and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. 16 For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham’s descendants. 17 For this reason he had to be made like his brothers in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people.  18 Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.

Accept the gift that God has for you….

And then go give it away to someone else…

Because if they don’t feel good enough and are trying to make it right all by themselves….they are destined to failure.

But if they accept the humanity of Jesus…..their lives will never be the same.

In The Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

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Coach J

When I was driving out to our summer swimming gathering one afternoon, the corn in the field adjacent to our swimming pool caught my attention.  It was IMPOSSIBLE not to notice how high it had gotten.

And yet, one week earlier, and the week before that, and the week before that….it was not even in my line of sight.

It seemed that corn had grown into a noticeable field OVERNIGHT.

So it is with much of what we wait for…..and there is a reason that the Lord makes many references to the farmer in His good book.

You see….that farmer worked that field day after day and week after week without any visual clues to what was going to happen.  And yet he watered it and tended to it as if he knew.  When he did this….the farmer showed great faith.

What are the fields that the Lord has asked you to tend to?

Prepare The Fields.

Because one day, if you do, there will be a crop that will be unmistakable.

I think this is why James tells us to walk in unwavering faith.

James 1  5 If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. 6 But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.

None of us totally knows what to do as we step forward in life….there are often more unknowns than we can fathom…and we do not have answers as we walk to face them.

But we must grab on to the Answer and act in great faith.

As I walked through a friend’s house one evening I saw a sign that he had hung up in the entry way.  It was so simple:

Pray Hard.  Work Hard.  Trust God.

That pretty much sums it up.  Ask the Lord to help you and work hard…..while trusting that the crop is going to arrive…….your belief that it will—-IS EVERYTHING.

Prepare The Fields.

In The Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

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Coach J

He stood on a hill with a rock and called out a man 3 times his size and slaughtered him in front of two armies.

And this man he killed was probably not as formidable as the lions and bears he faced as a shepherd.

What does this guy have to worry about?  He is a man’s man and ready to take on the world….

And yet—he had the same fears as all of us.

You see….if you don’t have a Test…you won’t get a Testimony.

Without a chasm of Doubt…you won’t get to show Great Faith.

Without crippling defeat…there is not an idea of what Victory truly is.

And until you are surrounded and defeated…..you do not understand what it is to be Delivered.

David knew what it was like to face a giant…….and he had to constantly battle for his very life.

Psalm 3  1 O LORD , how many are my foes!  How many rise up against me! 2 Many are saying of me,

“God will not deliver him.”

3 But you are a shield around me, O LORD ;

you bestow glory on me and lift up my head.

4 To the LORD I cry aloud, and he answers me from his holy hill.

5 I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the LORD sustains me.

6 I will not fear the tens of thousands

drawn up against me on every side.

7 Arise, O LORD!  Deliver me, O my God!

David understood what Jesus preached….Thy Kingdom Come.  They Will Be Done.  On Earth As It Is In Heaven.

Such a powerful request…..and the only request we can truly make that will bring a difference.

You see the world has so many things to offer:

• A drink
• A yoga pose
• A pill
• A therapist

But what we really need is a Savior.  What we really need is what David cried out for in Psalm 3.  You see, he didn’t just write that in his time of need……he wrote it for you to cry out this very day in 2017.

Thy Kingdom Come.  They Will Be Done.  On Earth As It Is In Heaven.

Never forget the promise of Romans 8:  For we know in ALL things God works for the good of those who love Him…who have been called according to His purpose…..

If it isn’t good….He’s not done yet…..

So wait.

Pray.

Persevere.

Even do what David did:  lie down and sleep “because the Lord sustains” you.

In The Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

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Coach J

At church on Sunday I began to wonder what Paul would look like if we met him in 2017……

He had an incredible education

He was a citizen of Rome

He was born into favor as a Jew

He was rich, comfortable, and respected

Not only was he “safe” around family, he was “safe” around the enemies of his family.

You see, as a citizen of Rome AND of Jewish heritage, Paul could play both sides of the fence without fear.  He could flourish in a time where execution was common and somehow be in good standing with the oppressor and the oppressed.  There would be no better place to sit in life if you wanted to live in comfort and privilege.

Imagine…..having both the republicans and the democrats appreciate you?

Imagine…..being able to worship with Muslims and Jews and Christians and Hindus?

Imagine…..being in good standing with both the people who got ripped off—-AND the guy who ripped them off?

But that’s just it isn’t it?

None of these things are truly possible and none will bring us to a place of peace…..

I think the word we might most commonly use today would be:  “Two Faced”

And we all do it…….

We try to live on both sides of the fence and we truly do…..Negotiate with the enemy.

There is no peace that will come with making a treaty with a guy who wants to exterminate you…..and that is exactly who Satan is—the enemy of our souls who wants to end us.

Paul had a radical conversion……And as I stood in worship this last weekend I began to be convicted about what his conversion might have looked like……

• It would be similar to LeBron James giving up basketball and money and becoming an inner city hero
• It would be like Donald Trump giving up the presidency, the twitter, the power, the money, and everything else—to go feed the poor
• It would be like Hillary Clinton giving $50,000,000 to kids in Africa and setting up mega church there

And what did Paul say?

Philippians 3  7 But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 8 What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ

Conversions occur when someone sees something so clearly that other things don’t have any value at all.

It isn’t that God has a plan to strip us of all we have that He might make our daily walk empty of money, free from fun, and void of comfort…..

It’s this:  When God gets a hold of us—-the other stuff looks like trash….garbage.

Let’s all cry out today and ask for conversion and transformation.

Let’s all cry out and ask Him to fill us with a love that overflows out of our countenance.

Let’s all ask Him to radically change our hearts in the places where He wants to do a mighty work.

When He does it won’t matter what lies in front of us……

because it will be nothing compared to what lies within us.

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