Category Archives: Uncategorized

May 13, 2012

Her Beauty Is Worth Protecting

By Jones

I originally posted this last January but wanted to re-share it today in celebration of Mother’s Day.  Make sure your mother and wife KNOW they’re worth protecting today!

***

A woman is a flower in a garden; her husband is the fence around it.                -African proverb

I enjoy mowing the yard but in the thick of summer, I often get busy and find easy ways to avoid the task.  I like planting flowers but get wrapped up in what I want to do and never remember to water them.  I love starting new projects in the yard but often get bored and leave them unfinished.

My yard isn’t overgrown, ugly or embarrassing but I’m not really proud of it either.  My yard isn’t the worst on the block but it’s certainly not the best.  If you asked me about my yard in the middle of July, I’d tell you it’s “good enough.”

When it comes to marriage, GOOD ENOUGH is NOT good enough.

Be a fence around your wife’s heart.  Protect her name.  Cultivate her heart.  Listen to her desires.

Stand between your wife and the crushing weight of the world.  Remind her that she’s the reason for the fence…  That her beauty is worth protecting.

4 comments   |  tags: , , , , , , | posted in Devotion, Uncategorized

May 2, 2012

BE and DO work best together…

By Jones

Too often, evangelism is approached with a “love ‘em and leave ‘em” mentality.  Basically, it amounts to a flurry of activity and investment in leading someone to Christ, just so that we can show them to a great seat on the front pew.  Once there, we fully expect they will enjoy being preached at for the rest of their lives.  And we move on to a “new project.”

The end result is that someone is invited to BE a Christian but they’re not challenged to DO anything worth dying for.  They’re comfortable and they’re cozy, but they’re not learning to be a disciple.

Ultimately, discipleship done right creates a culture with high invitation to BE like Christ and high challenge to DO the work of discipling others.  Forget the constant invitation or worthwhile challenge and your culture winds up bored, stressed or cozy.  People burn out, give up or zone out.  And the church falters in its mission to spread the Kingdom by making disciples.

You have been called to contribute to the Kingdom’s discipling culture.  Invite your family, your neighbors and your co-workers to BE a child of God and then challenge them to DO the work of the King.

2 comments   |  tags: , , , , , , , , | posted in Devotion, Ministry, Uncategorized

May 1, 2012

“Blessings” Are Transforming My Family

By Jones

My son suffers from a condition that I frequently call “too-much-time-with-teenagers.”  He’s only 7 years old, but he’s developed an incredible wit…accompanied by a healthy dose of sarcasm and self-centeredness.  I love him with every ounce of my heart but over the past year or so, his attitude has become…ferocious…at times.

We’ve tried every form of discipline in the book (along with some we made up) but we haven’t quite achieved the “results” we’ve been hoping for.  That is, until we had this little epiphany…  What if we taught “blessings” instead of “punishments.”

For the past few months, if you were eavesdropping around our house, you would have heard us asking this question:  “How can you bless Mom/Dad/Andrew/Jesùs today?”

It’s been a game-changer for our family!  I routinely tell Andrew that because I love my son, I want to bless him with ________.  And he tells his mom that he wants to bless her with ________.  And so on…  Just a day or so ago, I heard him telling my wife that he was glad he was able to bless her with bringing in the groceries because she had blessed him with raisins in his lunchbox.  Now, THAT was a “proud dad moment!”

Regular and intentional “blessings” have transformed the way our family interacts.  Check out this excerpt from Scot McKnight’s book, Jesus Creed, and consider how you can show love and blessings in your home…

Surely one of the most touching scenes in the life of Jesus is when, on the cross, he issues the request to John to take responsibility for his mother, by saying, “Dear woman, here is your son,” and to his disciple, “Here is your mother.”  Jesus clearly affirms here the duty of loving one’s family.  Sadly, far too many Christians love others with abandon while their own families are starving for their love.  Let this be clear:  Our home is also in our neighborhood.

It is attention-grabbing to love the poor, to show compassion to AIDS sufferers, and to show mercy to victims.  But it is attention-deflecting to wake up in the morning and ask, “What does my wife or husband, my daughter or son need?” and then attend to those needs.  It is easier to see love in the public square than to show love in the home.

2 comments   |  tags: , , , , , , , | posted in Devotion, Personal, Uncategorized

May 1, 2012

Highlights From A Great Month Of Blogs!

By Jones

April has been a crazy month for me!  On April 2, I had major back surgery and while I’ve been wrestling through infections and trying to recover, God’s been working on my heart in serious ways.  And, since I write as I grow, it’s resulted in an awesome month of blogging!

So, here, just in case you missed them, are the top 10 most viewed posts I wrote in the past month, along with my favorite of the rest!

  1. “Blessings Through Pain” – 4/10/12
  2. “Why I Do Student Ministry” – 4/12/12
  3. “When Everything Seems Broken…” - 4/11/12
  4. “Restore Your Identity” – 4/28/12
  5. “But Even If He Does Not…I Will Still Praise Him” – 4/25/12
  6. “Dress For Where You’re Going…Not For Where You Are” – 4/16/12
  7. “Laughter Makes Everything Better” – 4/17/12
  8. “More Than Just A Guy Who Goes To Work And Goes Home” – 4/18/12
  9. “Jones Family Motto (one of them)” – 4/29/12
  10. “Soma:  DNA Of The Body” – 4/13/12

Bonus:  “Rescued For This Reason” – 4/26/12

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April 30, 2012

Worry Derails Purity

By Jones

Matthew 6:31-34

So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’  For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.  But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.  Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.  Each day has enough trouble of its own.

It is IMPOSSIBLE to chase after the Kingdom of God in your life if you’re spending all – or most – of your time worrying.

Worrying simply sucks the energy and joy out of everything you do.  It pulls you away from faith and trust in anyone but yourself.  It leaves you feeling completely alone and helpless.  And it becomes an impassable obstacle between you and God’s call to holiness.

You CANNOT pursue purity when your mind is wrapped up in the stress and worry that Satan wants you to focus on.

You just can’t…  Worry alienates you from hope and stress encourages your “go-to” sin.  Whatever you struggle with the most, whether it’s drinking or anger or porn or drugs or cussing or lust or over-eating or fighting or any other kind of addiction, the struggle is a thousand times harder when your mind is immersed in worry and stress.  Eventually, no matter how strong you are, the stress gets so strong and you dive into your “chosen addiction” because it blocks out the helpless feeling of everything you’re worried about.

If you’re going to pursue purity, it begins with letting God handle the worries of your life.  He’s infinitely more capable than you are.

1 comment   |  tags: , , , , , , , | posted in Devotion, Uncategorized

April 29, 2012

Jones Family Motto (one of them)

By Jones

Luke 6:27-36

Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.  If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also.  If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them.  Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back… 

If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you?  And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you?  And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you?  But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back.

My wife and I developed this motto a decade ago…  “We don’t own anything that can’t be broken, borrowed, lost or stolen.”

There have certainly been times when that motto has been easier to recite than others, but regardless, we’ve stuck to it.  And, over the years, we’ve loaned things that we’ve never seen again, we’ve had things broken by careless teenagers and we’ve had things stolen from our home.  Some things aren’t as big a deal as others…  For example, a lost book doesn’t compare to a stolen ring.

We’ve been taken advantage of, we’ve been lied to and we’ve been betrayed by “friends” we’ve trusted.  People around us have told – and expected - us to be angry, to be vengeful and to write off the ones who have hurt us.  But Jesus has told us to forgive them, to love them and to work for their future good.

It hasn’t always been easy, but our hearts are free of grudges and our souls are satisfied at having friends today who, once upon a time, needed someone to give them a “second chance.”  I would much rather risk being taken advantage of and losing some “stuff” than live a life ruled by mistrust, bitterness and cynicism.  It’s much more fulfilling, much more rewarding and is much closer to the attitude Jesus called us to adopt.

So…  My question to you is this:  Who has hurt you?  And have you forgiven them, are you loving them and are you working for their future good?

2 comments   |  tags: , , , , , , , | posted in Devotion, Uncategorized

April 28, 2012

Restore Your Identity

By Jones

I am 27 days out of surgery now and I’ve learned a couple things about myself…

    1. I’m a terrible patient.  (Just ask my wife…she’s basically the only reason I’m still alive!)
    2. I don’t deal well with “resting.”  (I naturally tend to define resting asa complete and utterly boring waste of valuable time.)

I’ve come to know that resting is important, but after 27 days of “rest,” I’m ready to do something.  One of the most difficult pieces of this journey has been convincing myself that I’m valued and productive and worthy, even when I’m not “producing.”

I, and many people I know, tend to live life backwards.  I place my identity in what I “do” instead of in who I “am.”  It’s a somewhat natural tendency for men – although not necessarily a healthy one.  If you ask my wife who she is, she’ll give you her name and then she’ll tell you she’s married to me and she’s a mom to a couple kids and, oh yeah, she works for a lawyer.  Her identity is wrapped up in her most important relationships.  Ask me though, and typically, I would say, I’m a preacher and a writer and I lead a bunch of students and, oh yeah, I have a beautiful wife and some great kids.

Here’s the problem:  If I place my identity in what I do, but for some reason, I am unable to produce, my self-worth plummets and I find myself in a deep, dark place with no one to pull me out.

Here’s the solution:  My identity is in the Father and my obedience flows with joy out of that identity.  If I fail, I am loved.  If I succeed, I am loved.  If I am sick, I am loved.  If I am healthy, I am loved.  If I am faithful, I am loved.  If I mess up, I am loved.

I am loved by the Father, unconditionally, and that is my identity…if I let it be.  I don’t have to earn it.  I don’t have to work for it.  I don’t have to fulfill an untold number of duties for it.  I just have to be.

Don’t let Satan steal your identity…let the Father protect it.

Ephesians 3:17-19

I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge —that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

 

3 comments   |  tags: , , , , , , , | posted in Devotion, Uncategorized

April 27, 2012

Embrace The Mess…Because It’s Ministry

By Jones

John 9:6-7

[Jesus] spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes.  “Go,” he told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam” (this word means “Sent”).  So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.

When God heals brokenness and pain, there’s always a mess to clean up…  Mud on the face, drowned pigs, doubting family, skepticism from those who consider themselves “religious.”  There is ALWAYS a mess.

To be pure…holy…we have to strip away the junk and crud that’s been covering us.  But stripping away the mess is, well, messy.  It’ll clutter up our nice, neat plans.  It’ll leave our pristine image looking just a little scruffier.

It would be so nice to put up walls and barriers to the mess, so we can enjoy our spotless chapels and our carefully planned programs.  But that’s not what the Church is called to do!

The Church is called to stand in the Pool of Siloam, washing the mud off eyes that Jesus has healed.

We aren’t the Healer, we are the cleaners.  When the Healer works, there will always be a mess and it’s our job to help the healed clean it up. 

The Church isn’t a quiet, unsoiled, unstained sanctuary.  It’s a magnificent mess, desperately trying to turn disorder into something resembling the Divine.

Embrace the mess…because it’s ministry.

2 comments   |  tags: , , , , , , | posted in Devotion, Ministry, Uncategorized

April 26, 2012

Rescued For This Reason

By Jones

If God has rescued you, then He rescued you for a reason.  And that reason is not just so you can live a happy life with a happy family and go to a happy church every Sunday.

God rescued you so you can introduce the people you love to your Rescuer.  As Perry Noble says, “Found people find people.”

Here’s 3 simple reasons you need to be finding people…

1. You’re living in a family/neighborhood/office/town full of dying people and you can make a difference!  Jude 22-23 says, “Be merciful to those who doubt; snatch others from the fire and save them…”

2. God is building momentum in His Church, bringing people into contact who have unique gifts and talents to lead…in areas of worship, art, technology, community, mission.  Maybe your neighbor is the next key piece of the Kingdom and God is calling someone to find him/her.  And you’re that someone!

3. If your boss gives you a task and you care anything about your job, you work to complete it on time and with excellence.  Well, you’re a part of a Kingdom with a King and He has given you a very clear mission…  “Make disciples of all nations, baptizing them inthe name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”  Man or woman, boy or girl, young or old, the King has called you!

God is moving in amazing ways in Brown County!  He’s working on hearts and in lives in ways no one ever expected.  Hardness is being broken down, sin is being revealed, community is being established and potential is being realized.  I have NEVER been more excited about the future of the Kingdom and role that we are playing in that future!

I told someone yesterday, I feel like we’re riding a wave without completely knowing where that wave is going.  It would be comforting to see into the future, but that’s not how faith works.  So, for now, I’m thrilled to be riding the wave of God’s Will, heading into an unknown future with only one guarantee…  “Be strong and courageous.  Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”

If God’s with me on that wave, then that’s the only place I want to be.  Jump in with me and let’s go!  If you’re a “found” person, then “find people” to come along and, together, we’ll ride into the future that God has planned!

I love our church!

1 comment   |  tags: , , , , , , , , , | posted in Devotion, Uncategorized

April 25, 2012

But Even If He Does Not…I Will Still Praise Him

By Jones

Daniel 3:17-18

“If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand.  But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego stood before King Nebuchadnezzar, refusing to worship the idol that had been set up.  They were risking certain death, but were unwavering in their faith in God’s ability to rescue them.  They were willing to lay everything they had on the line, believing that God could save them, if it was His Will.  But even if He did not, they were prepared to die while still praising Him.

There are times in life when everything and everyone around us is saying, “Just give up!”, times when it would be so easy to quit, to just go along and bow down.  Those are the times that test your faith, that question your willingness to stand in the face of adversity.  Those are the times that reveal the strength of your Father…and your faith in Him.

Faith is NOT just saying, “I believe in Jesus” or “I believe in heaven.”

  • Faith is saying, “I believe God will provide for my family, but even if He does not, I will still praise Him.”
  • Faith is saying, “I believe God will heal my wife, but even if He does not, I will still praise Him.”
  • Faith is saying, “I believe God will save my job, but even if He does not, I will still praise Him.”
  • Faith is saying, “I believe God will rescue my marriage, but even if He does not, I will still praise Him.”

Faith is believing in God’s power, while trusting in His Will.  Faith is knowing that God can work a miracle, while trusting that He is far wiser than us, that His timing is perfect and mine is human. 

Faith is saying, “I believe God…but even if He does not, I will still praise Him.”

4 comments   |  tags: , , , , , , , | posted in Devotion, Uncategorized

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