From wyatt at clanwebb.com Sat Oct 1 00:16:16 2005 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Sat Oct 1 00:17:15 2005 Subject: [Daily Push Up] All or Nothing Message-ID: <0959b805f3cea0faae3ee3900deb7d65@clanwebb.com> I may be wrong, but I don't think God has much use for subtlety. It takes man to muddy the water. I learned something last night about subtlety that angered me because, until then, it has slipped by me. It has always been pretty clear that it takes faith to accept that God reveals Himself to man by inspiration. We accept that inspiration as God-breathed. The definition is pretty clear. "Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit." 2 Peter 1:20-21 "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness" 2 Timothy 3:16 This leads us to the obvious belief that the Bible is inerrant, meaning without error. Satan, never missing an opportunity, has wormed into the minds of men. Some have come up with a gray word that sounds like the same thing as inerrancy, but it's not. Infallibility is the buzzword that is used in an effort to make Christianity more acceptable. It means that the Bible is true in matters related to salvation and faith, but has minor errors in history, geography, and science. This is a red flag, men. Do not got there. Either all of God's Word is true or none of it is true. God cannot have partial authority. "When Jesus has finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law." Matthew 7:28-29 "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End." Revelation 22:13 God does not need man to justify his revelation to man. YBIC, Allen From wyatt at clanwebb.com Sun Oct 2 00:46:00 2005 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Sun Oct 2 00:46:53 2005 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Lessons from Eden Message-ID: I suppose it's no surprise that God knows us so well. He did create us, after all. I discovered some very relevant things in the creation story the other night. The door was opened while I listened to our youth pastor teach the middle schoolers, but it made me read this passage in a whole new way. (Don't you love how God does that?) "The Lord God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him."" Genesis 2:18 Adam hadn't been on Earth for very long before it was obvious to God that he couldn't live alone. I think this problem still exists today. I know that when my wife is away from home for more than 24 hours, things around me start to deteriorate. I don't eat as well. I stay up too late. I can't focus on any particular project. I become less and less useful as the days pass. No offense to the bachelors, but I feel like a security guard on a deserted island when my wife's gone: just not useful and without a purpose. God knows me. I can't be alone. "So the man gave name to all the livestock, the birds of the air and all the beasts of the field. But for Adam no suitable helper was found." Genesis 2:20 This may have been the best decision Adam made during his time in Eden. When all the animals were paraded by him, he was looking for a helper, too. He didn't settle. Adam could have done what most guys do and try to fix the problem by making a bad decision. As the line was ending and no helper was found, Adam could have simply said, "Well, God, I guess I'll have to go with the gorilla." or "Hmmm, there were a lot of choices. Maybe the dog? What do you think?" Nope, Adam kept his mouth shut and didn't pick from what he thought was the complete list of choices. "So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man's ribs and closed up the place with flesh. Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man." Genesis 2:21-22 Here is the deepest part of it all. God did His work while Adam was sleeping. He didn't do it with a flash of lightning that impressed Adam. He simply woke Adam up and said, "Here you go. The perfect helpmate." God is good to us. If we are smart enough to keep our mouths shut when we only see wrong choices, He will provide. And, frequently, He'll do his work when we aren't looking or while we're sleeping. You'll just wake up one day and the right opportunity will be there. You'll turn a corner and the right path will make itself clear. Now, notice that Adam had a good relationship with God. It's hard to let God work for you if you aren't on speaking terms. But, when you're on the same page with Him, you can depend on Him. When you don't get in His way (by making a wrong decision to fix a problem), He'll provide the perfect solution. Also notice that Adam didn't say, "Uh, close, God. Very nice, but not quite." Nope, Adam realized that God's solution was the right one and he accepted Eve gladly. Don't ignore God's solution because you don't like where it's going. It's the right one. Take it. Trust Him. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Mon Oct 3 00:15:15 2005 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Mon Oct 3 00:16:09 2005 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Ultimate Authority Message-ID: <57434172e1786f7a3993b2235ec8974d@clanwebb.com> I remember when we would decide who would have "first-ups" in our sandlot baseball games. The captains would square off and one guy would toss a bat to the other. Then they would come together and do a hand over hand thing until they reached the top of the bat. The last guy's hand would win when there wasn't any room for the other guy's hand at the top of the bat. The winners would bat first. One day, our guy was caught off guard when he thought he had won, but the captain of the other team called out, "eagle claw!" This was a new rule, put into the unwritten rule book by someone nobody could name, that allowed for a chance to squeeze your fingers over the top, in what looked like a talon grip, and squeeze the knob of the bat. If you could hold the bat when all but your hand was removed, then you were the winner. If you could not maintain your grip and the bat dropped, you lost. Unwritten rules about testing the authenticity of the Bible are like the "eagle claw." The most used is, "You can't use the Bible to prove itself." "The man who saw it has given testimony, and his testimony is true. He knows that he tells the truth, and he testifies so that you also may believe." John 19:35 "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched ? this we proclaim concerning the Word of life." 1 John 1:1 "We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ." 1 John 1:3 "We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty." 2 Peter 1:16 "Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know." Acts 2:22 Something has to be at the top of authority. If the ultimate authority cannot be used to proclaim itself, how else can it be done? To keep introducing new rules and demanding new proof falls short when confronted with the final authority. Christians believe there is nothing else. The argument isn't anything different than it has ever been. "Is the Bible the inspired Word of God?" Eleven of the twelve eyewitnesses went to their deaths - that's right, deaths - proclaiming what they saw and wrote about was the truth. The could have saved their lives by recanting their stories. The Bible is really many books standing on their won, so there is nothing illogical about using one book to test another. Stay Strong, Allen From wyatt at clanwebb.com Tue Oct 4 00:36:17 2005 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Tue Oct 4 00:37:19 2005 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Work Message-ID: <353e3f0049ce594d2a237cbc8099858f@clanwebb.com> About the time I started to drive, I realized that I had no source of income to supply my gas and pizza money. The obvious solution was a part-time job. Like many a teenager, I imagined the optimal job. It had to be something not too taxing, no responsibilities that involved anything gross, it had to pay well, and it wouldn't ruin my social schedule. I started to think of a handful of jobs that would fit that bill, but there weren't many (and I hadn't even considered how likely it would be for the potential employers to hire a sixteen year-old to do them). My dad had a different plan. There is a five mile long main road near where we lived. It is dotted with car dealerships, restaurants, fast food joints, and more than a few mini-malls. On Saturday afternoon, Dad put me in the car and drove to one end of the drag. We got out and asked for an application at the first shop that looked like it might hire me. Then we walked next door and asked for another application. Then we drove up a block to the next shop and asked them for an application. We did this for a few hours until the shops started closing. We had covered over half the length of the drag. Much to my chagrin, Dad had me pick up applications for any shop that looked reputable and appeared to still be in business. There were no other restrictions on potential places of employment. We came home with a stack of applications an inch or two thick. He told me to fill them all out. Within a week, we made the same trip down that main drag and delivered all of those applications. I had several phone calls and a job offer within a few days. I took it when I realized that my dream job wasn't going to appear anytime soon. Dad taught me an important lesson: Don't be afraid of work and don't waste any time getting it. I didn't especially like the job I took. I didn't make much money and the government took a sizable chunk of it. However, it did pay for my gas and pizza. I didn't have to do anything particularly gross or unpleasant. In retrospect, it was just about what I should have realistically expected at that point in my life. The Word is clear about good, old-fashioned work, too. "The sluggard's craving will be the death of him, because his hands refuse to work." Proverbs 21:25 "One who is slack in his work is brother to one who destroys." Proverbs 18:9 "All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty." Proverbs 14:23 "He who works his land will have abundant food, but the one who chases fantasies will have his fill of poverty." Proverbs 28:19 But, as Christians, we have something more to aspire to. We should always want to work hard and work right, but we should also seek out the right kind of work. The best work of all is to do Christ's work. Being lazy about Christ's work is not a good thing, either. "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." Ephesians 2:10 "As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead." James 2:26 Now, be clear that these works are NOT what gets you saved. That happens purely through your faith in Christ to save you. However, the good works are an outward sign of your salvation. As James says, if you aren't doing good works, then your faith is dead. You haven't lost your salvation, but you have lost your way. Be useful to God. Make yourself available to do His works. Don't be afraid of work. It's good for you and it's good for those around you. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Wed Oct 5 00:30:32 2005 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Wed Oct 5 00:31:27 2005 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Black and White Message-ID: <91302926e2c4b089e2f88051a4870bae@clanwebb.com> Some things really are simple. They really can be black or white, nothing in between. Society would tell you that everything is relative. All decisions have nuance and subtlety. There are many shades of gray in every situation. Don't buy it. It's a trap. The President made a clear distinction after September 11. He told the rest of the world that you were either going to stand with us, or we would assume you were standing against us. There is no neutrality when lives are at stake. It was an unpopular statement in some quarters of this country and the world because it was so stark. There was no fence to sit on. There was no moderate position. Unsure people don't like having to make decisions like that. They'd rather keep all of their options open. As a result, they get very little done. Those lives at stake are put at risk. At some point in your life you will face a fairly clear black and white decision. You will be presented with the Word of God and you'll have to deal with it. There is no in between here. Either you believe it is true and inerrant, or you don't. If you believe that a single verse is incorrect or that one phrase is to be ignored, then you have refused it all. Our halfway society would like to think there's a merciful God, because that's comforting. However, they don't want to deal with the choice He's presented us because that's hard. So we twist, bend, and invent faiths out of thin air to fit our moderate desires. We want God to save us, but we don't want Him to offend anyone. Bzzzt. Sorry. Doesn't work that way. Look, there's a simple logic to it. Do you believe that God is who He says He is? ""I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty."" Revelation 1:8 "Ah, Sovereign Lord, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you." Jeremiah 32:17 "The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else." Acts 17:24-25 If you believe that He is all powerful and all knowing, then it only follows that He would make sure that His Word is exactly what He wants it to be. If He is all powerful, why would He allow His message to be diluted? If, however, you choose to believe that the Word has picked up some mistakes or has some leftover attitudes and suggestions that don't apply anymore, then you've decided the other way. You've chosen to believe that God is not all powerful and does not speak clearly to us. If you choose to think that a single verse is unreliable or unusable, then they all are. Be honest about the situation. Don't kid yourself into thinking that you can pick out the bits and pieces that are right and scratch out the snippets that no longer apply. You may as well just write your own book to live by. It'll have just as much value. The very idea that we can craft a more correct or better Bible suggests that we have some capability larger than God. By definition, then, He would not be all powerful. At that point, it all falls apart. So, you see, it's black or white. Either it's right or it's wrong. You have to make a choice. The right choice can bring you life. The wrong choice will take it away. Your call. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Wed Oct 5 23:52:02 2005 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Wed Oct 5 23:52:54 2005 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Arrogance Kills Message-ID: You can drink a gallon of strychnine and live to talk about it. The secret is dilution and time. One drop in a gallon of water over a ten year period and you are home free. Satan uses this system in reverse. In the mainstream of our lives, he adds a drop of sin until it overcomes the dilution. First it makes us ill, then we adjust and make room for it in our lives by saying, "It really isn't that bad." Eventually, though, enough pornography, violence, hate, and aberrant behavior will poison the stream and kill everything in it. The alcoholic can stop drinking, but he may still die from cirrhoses of the liver. Realizing your mistakes too late does not release you from the consequences for those prior actions. God gives most of us fresh, young, vibrant bodies and minds. Unfortunately, they come with a healthy does of arrogance. "Boast no more so very proudly, Do not let arrogance come out of your mouth; For the Lord is a God of knowledge, And with Him actions are weighed." 1 Samuel 2:3 "The fear of the Lord is to hate evil; Pride and arrogance and the evil way And the perverted mouth, I hate." Proverbs 8:13 "Thus I will punish the world for its evil And the wicked for their iniquity; I will also put an end to the arrogance of the proud And abase the haughtiness of the ruthless." Isaiah 13:11 "But as it is, you boast in your arrogance; all such boasting is evil." James 4:16 Our arrogance is our weakness and our blind spot, perfect for the introduction of the poison. The great distraction: look at my strength, my speed, my talent, and my beauty. I am the greatest. Bow down to me and pay me money. Listen to me play my instrument. Watch me dance and listen to me sing. I am the greatest. Bow down to me and pay me money. How can any of these compare to the man God that died and came back to life. Teach your children who the real heroes are. Enjoy God's creations and their talents, but keep them in perspective for they will let you down in the end. They play games and music. Jesus plays for eternity. Peace Allen From wyatt at clanwebb.com Fri Oct 7 00:13:33 2005 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Fri Oct 7 00:14:26 2005 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Liar Message-ID: <59918576b20fb1e105f7f5dd048974a2@clanwebb.com> How many times have you wondered how you ever got so far off the path? You look around, smack your forehead, and ask, "What am I doing here?" Satan is particularly talented. He knows our weaknesses. He knows what buttons to push. He's known these things since he fell. He puts some of his skills on full display the first chance he gets with man in the Garden of Eden. Looking back, it's amazing how gullible we are and how easy it seems to trip us up. In the midst of the thing, it always seems tricky and confusing. "Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden'?" Genesis 3:1 Satan starts off by asking Eve a question that is deceptive from the get go. He knows that God has not forbidden them from eating from any tree, but he asks that question anyway. This draws Eve in. Instead of a simple yes or no answer, she replies by explaining that they are only forbidden from one tree. This also tricks Eve into thinking that the serpent is confused and uninformed. ""You will not surely die," the serpent said to the woman. "For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."" Genesis 3:4-5 Now he starts mixing truth with lies. He starts off by scoffing at the woman that they won't die. How silly of her to believe it! He knows that it's true that man would know good and evil if he eats it. However, he also knows it's true that man will die if he eats it. By asserting one true statement, he implies that the previous statement was false. There's nothing he says that proves that God is lying. He's just twisting words. He also throws in the ultimate temptation, "You will be like God." Eve started out clearly stating the rule God had made. She knew it and knew the consequences. And yet, she was quickly convinced that God had not been honest with them. She had no reason to doubt God, but she chose to ignore His warning anyway. Satan just led her step by step to a rationalization that God's law didn't really apply or wasn't the whole story. That's how we usually end up somewhere we don't expect. We nudge and shift and rationalize until we're way out of bounds. When what we know to be God's law and what we're being told don't agree, we have a decision to make. If the decision isn't clear, then ask someone who can clear it up. Eve didn't. She could have easily said, "Well, that may be true, but I'll ask God about it when He comes by later." Instead, she convinced herself otherwise and made a life-altering decision without consulting God. So, what do we learn from this story? Satan is very clever and extremely talented at deception. We are easily tripped up when we try to fight temptation alone. When in doubt, don't lean on your own understanding. Talk to God. He's got the answers and can clear it up. One last item: Read through this passage and see where Adam was during this time. He was standing right there watching this unfold and he did nothing to stop it. Worse, he joined in after Eve ate the fruit. Men, don't be on the sidelines watching your wife or family getting sucked in by Satan. Stand up and defend them. Adam failed in that regard. Don't repeat his mistake. Satan is better at this stuff than we can imagine. Don't fight him alone. Don't let him attack your family without putting up a vigorous defense backed by God. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Sat Oct 8 00:27:51 2005 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Sat Oct 8 00:33:52 2005 Subject: [Daily Push Up] All Wet Message-ID: Some Biblical accounts cause a raised eyebrow for the unbeliever and the believer who is short on faith. The flood is a good example. When we relegate God to something less than the ultimate creator and skirt this story as written, we place ourselves ahead of God. We justify His inspired Word as a literary device in order to make a point. "Sometimes God goes a little over the top to teach us an important lesson." On the other hand, one of the first arguments a non-believer will use to reject scripture is to observe that there are hundreds of cultures all over the world with belief systems and ancient writings on which they rely. They hold many revelations of wisdom that would benefit the world, if we would just embrace them. Of course, they won't discuss that anything good from any culture has its origin form the one and only God. "In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, on the seventeenth day of the second month ? on that day all the springs of the great deep burst forth, and the floodgates of the heavens were opened." Genesis 7:11 This verse is pretty straightforward. There's no innuendo, no puff of smoke, no incantations. There are just facts. How else would wisdom state a historical fact. Still find it hard to believe? How about all those wise ancient cultures? Mark Isaak, in his work, "Flood Stories Around the World", has found that over 250 cultures from every inhabited continent have an account of a great flood in their history or mythology. Gosh, do you think there really might have been a great flood? Stay strong, Allen From wyatt at clanwebb.com Sun Oct 9 00:23:59 2005 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Sun Oct 9 00:28:37 2005 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Reset Yourself Message-ID: There is a commercial on TV that portrays something called the "Easy Button". The actor walks into a well known office supply store and pushes his "Easy Button" and all of his problems are solved. Were it so simple! My gosh, I could wear out a couple of those things every week by myself. The tangles and knots people find themselves in is amazing. I include myself in that statement. I look back on my life and some of the personal, financial, and physical fixes I have produced boggle the mind. There is no easy button. I am sure you all know that in your hearts. There is, however, a reset button. This button allows you to reset your life. It doesn't necessarily make your life easier, but it does allow for that yearning to start all over. This button is not be confused with a pause button, because it doesn't make time stand still and it doesn't allow you to come back and pick up where you left off. Nor is it a rewind button. You don't get to undo what has already happened. The reset button is like an injection of adrenaline, light, wisdom, and character. You may have to push it several times during your lifetime. If you don't use the reset button from time to time, you will blow a circuit and nothing will come on when you need it. "For God, who said, "Light shall shine out of darkness," is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the LIght of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ." 2 Corinthians 4:6 "Jesus answered and said to him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God." John 3:3 "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me." Psalm 51:10 The Word of God, the ultimate reset button. Be with God. Allen From wyatt at clanwebb.com Mon Oct 10 00:42:52 2005 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Mon Oct 10 00:43:45 2005 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Just For You Message-ID: <92772493ca5bef415ed32bc44676410a@clanwebb.com> Sometimes, something good happens to you accidentally or by happenstance. The good thing was really for someone else, but you get to hitch a ride and join in the fun. Those kinds of things can still be a source of happiness and enjoyment, but it's never quite as special as when it's for you. My family and I got to watch a Seattle Mariners game from a luxury suite because my brother-in-law had the opportunity to invite his whole family. We had a blast, but it wasn't about us. As a young child, I had the chance to go to a reception after a Portland Trailblazers game and get autographs from the entire team. I got to go because the company my dad worked for had arranged the reception and Dad and finagled us in. Again, it was fun, but it would have happened without me. My ultimate story of tagging along for the fun happened when I was about fifteen or sixteen. I was visiting a friend whom I hadn't seen in a while. It just so happened that a new friend of his had dropped by. This new friend invited us both to his house to shoot hoops. What made this so cool was that the new friend was Phil Knight's son. That's Phil Knight, the founder of Nike. So, after knowing this kid for less than an hour, I was driving onto the Knight estate (it's huge). I was awestruck by the dozen or so high-performance sports cars I could see in the garage. Then we went to the basketball court. It was a separate, covered building on the estate. It housed a tennis court which had hoops mounted so you could play full-court basketball. Where there should be bleachers on a competitive court, there were large, carpeted, stair-stepping seating areas. At the top of this giant staircase was the equivalent of a luxury suite with a wet bar, mini kitchen, big TV, and recliners. Again, I had a blast that day, but I never saw that kid again. He probably forgot about me the next day. It wasn't about me or who I knew. I got lucky. I just tagged along. I used to think that I was riding the same kind of luck by getting saved. God loves man. Man sinned and needed Jesus to save him. Jesus came and died for all of us. I figured Jesus was just going about it efficiently. Why be picky? Just die for everyone and let them decide whether to accept it or not. I felt like I lucked out and could get in on this great deal. It wasn't about me. It would have happened even if I were excluded, right? Wrong. I finally came to the realization that had I been the only human on Earth and Jesus had to come die just for me, He still would have done it. He didn't just airdrop billions of get-out-of-hell-free cards and you had to hope you were there to catch one. Nope. He has hand delivered His offer of salvation do the doorstep of your heart. He did it for you specfically. You're that special. "What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should be lost." Matthew 18:12-14 Our Father in heaven wants to retrieve each one of us even if we had been the only one to wander off. Jesus would have died for you even if you had been the only one. You are worth it. "For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb." Psalm 139:13 He formed you with His hands. You are His masterpiece. He sent His son just to give you the chance to be saved. You can still reject Him, but I chose not to. He came and died just for me. He did it just for you, too. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Tue Oct 11 00:05:11 2005 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Tue Oct 11 00:06:00 2005 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Get Validated Message-ID: Why is it that being a fashion model is such a high profile profession? Why are certain figures considered to be beautiful while others are not? Why is one art piece lifted up and another considered worthless? Why is more considered success and less is... well, less? I believe validation is the answer to these questions. Why is it that men and women don't feel validated? This search, that ends up in body comparison, compulsion, plastic surgery, anorexia, addiction, and all the rest is centered in validation. I was in a musical during my college days (this must come as a real shock to anyone who has heard me sing. However, I didn't have a solo so the world was spared) called "The Fantasticks". This musical had a song in the score called, "Why do the kids put beans in their ears?" No, really. I'm not kidding. The explanation phrase was, "They did it because we said no." This is the essence of rebellion. Rebellion is the search for validation. The need for validation is rooted in dissatisfaction which comes when someone tells you that you are lacking. The clothes designer tells you that you are lacking, so you spend a ton of money because that person's name is on the label. Advertising agencies pound you with the body image until you have little or no self-esteem unless you look like the model. You have no taste, unless you own something that someone else has ordained as being in style. Who gives these people the authority to call the shots? We do. Why do we do it? Validation. We want that stamp on our souls that cry out for significance. These people are lacking one thing to make them right and deserving of our loyalty: validation. Without us, they are nothing. So, why don't we just turn to one another and say, "You're okay, don't change a thing." ? We can't because we just set up the same cycle of giving each other validation. Sooner or later, someone will say, "What good is this validation unless someone is better than someone else?" I can't see my position unless I can see who is above and who is below. We can't do it for ourselves. Validation, true validation, has to come from an authoritative source that is indisputable. Some intelligence somewhere has to be the ultimate authority in all things in order for the validation to be pure and indisputable. How's this for an ultimate authority? "I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades." Revelation 1:18 "Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, But a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised." Proverbs 31:30 Here's the validation: "Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come." 2 Corinthians 5:17 "Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a cent? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But the very hairs of your head are numbered. So do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows. Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven." Matthew 10:28-33 Here's a word about leading advertising and false expectations: "And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin," Matthew 6:28 "For speaking out arrogant words of vanity they entice by fleshly desires, by sensuality, those who barely escape from the ones who live in error," 2 Peter 2:18 What is important? "Buy truth, and do not sell it, Get wisdom and instruction and understanding." Proverbs 23:23 "Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves;" Philippians 2:1-3 There is validation in truth. Allen From wyatt at clanwebb.com Wed Oct 12 00:23:16 2005 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Wed Oct 12 00:24:10 2005 Subject: [Daily Push Up] You Don't Need to Get Smart Message-ID: <46f0efe579fb3c11975110989d1574c8@clanwebb.com> I have had some profound moments in my life happen in the most mundane situations. One of those times stands out for me. It was a moment when several things I sort of instinctively knew all crystallized and became a tangible idea that I could discuss and defend. It helped me to understand myself better and to understand the blessings God has given me. It happened in a cab in Las Vegas. At the time I was only 25. I was in town to work at my company's booth during a very large trade show (The sales folks liked having a token engineer around. They didn't let me talk much, but they would send me to talk to those folks who had specific, technical questions. That allowed the salespeople to stay free to make contacts and sell.) On my way to the convention center one afternoon, I was riding in a cab with a chatty driver. He figured out what I was doing there and wondered who I worked for and how I had come to that point in my life. He was clearly curious about the path my life had taken and it seemed that he had asked many other riders the same kinds of questions. At one point in the conversation, he started asking about my education and how well I had done. I explained that I had graduated at the top of my high school class and had gone on to graduate MIT. He shook his head and said, "Wow, it must be amazing to be that smart." It was at that point that things started to come together. I told him that I've never felt that I was really all that smart. I felt like I had worked hard and had been blessed with a slightly above average memory, nothing more. I felt that anyone who decided that they wanted it bad enough could do what I had done. I didn't think there was anything special about me other than that God had cleared a path for me and made it possible to follow my desires and turn it into a career. I think he was truly shocked. When I got out of the cab, he kept thanking me for the conversation and telling me how much he appreciated what I had said. I can only surmise that other folks in the same seat had sounded condescending or implied that not everyone could attain their lofty status. I had a moment of clarity that allowed me to describe my opinions clearly and it seemed to be a moment of realization for the driver, too. He seemed genuinely encouraged about the idea that he could accomplish something like what I had. I hope he did. I realize that folks will often go through life with the same misconception about salvation. They figure that they can't measure up to the Christians around them. They figure that they don't rate and aren't capable of stepping up to that lofty level. Wow, they couldn't be more wrong! The wise of the world have a harder time believing because they have come to depend on their wisdom. "I am the Lord...who foils the signs of false prophets and makes fools of diviners, who overthrows the learning of the wise and turns it into nonsense," Isaiah 44:24-25 "For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools." Romans 1:21-22 Being rich actually makes it more difficult to live the life Christ asks us to live. There's more to give up. These folks have learned to depend on their finances. "Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." Matthew 19:24 Not only can the most average, most underachieving folks be saved, but God actually uses them more often! Heck, he picked a pretty ragamuffin group to start His church. "Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of the world and the despised things? and the things that are not?to nullify the things that are," 1 Corinthians 1:26-28 When Jesus offered you salvation, he was really talking to you. No matter who you are, what you've done, or how terrible a person you think you've been. You may think you don't deserve salvation. You're right! None of us do, but Jesus offered it to you anyway. All you have to do is accept it. You don't have to be very smart to follow those instructions. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Thu Oct 13 00:04:45 2005 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Thu Oct 13 00:05:37 2005 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Head For the Next Tree Message-ID: At times I have struggled with God and how He leads me. I find myself demanding that He show me more of the plan, that He make it obvious where He's leading me. I know I'm supposed to trust Him, but I can't understand what it would hurt to show me just a little more. Of course, there is a reason He doesn't show us more. It's because He loves us. I'm reminded of one particular hiking trip from my youth. Dad had just started to take me hiking and this was probably only my third or fourth hike with him. I was about twelve or thirteen at the time. A friend of ours had recommended a particular trail and promised that it was only a little over two miles in and only about a 500 foot elevation change to a small lake with great camping areas. Seemed like a perfect weekend for Dad and me. After hiking about two miles, we realized that this hike was not as advertised. It was going to be closer to a five mile hike and the elevation change was actually pretty serious at some points. Near the end of the hike, Dad could see that I was dragging. Worse, I was getting discouraged because the trail seemed like it would never end. I was, no doubt, complaining about my pack and how heavy it was. In retrospect, I'm sure Dad was carrying almost twice what I was. I'm sure he was tired and frustrated, too. We couldn't very well stop anywhere along the way as we were on a hillside with no level ground, so we had to make it to the lake before nightfall. Realizing that the apparent vastness of the remaining hike was breaking me, Dad took a different approach. As we headed up a series of switchbacks, he started a pattern of short-term goals. We'd sit on a rock for a quick breather and he'd point out a tree up the hill a bit. "Let's just make it to that tree, okay? Then we'll sit for a second. You can make it that far, right?" Seeing a tangible goal, I could grit my teeth for five minutes and get to the landmark he'd picked. Then we'd sit down for a few seconds and he'd pick out another one. We did that up the entire hill. When we hit the top, we could see the lake and the path was now level down to several suitable open spaces. We had made it! I felt a sudden surge of adrenaline and excitement. Five minutes previous, I thought I was going to collapse. Suddenly, I had spring in my step and, after taking my pack off, I couldn't stand still. Dad had found a way to achieve the goal by removing the distraction of the bigger picture. By breaking it up into pieces I could deal with, he got me through. I'm convinced that God is doing the same thing with us. If we could see the bigger picture, we'd be discouraged about the trials in our future. We'd be obsessed with the final destination and not the growth we needed to achieve on the journey. God wants us to focus on the next tree. We just have to trust that the lake is there. "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path." Psalm 119:105 Think of a flashlight in a dark forest. If you don't want to trip, you point it directly in front of you. You can only see the next few steps, but that's the only way to make it through. If you start looking too far ahead, you're going to trip on something you didn't see. Use the Word to see the next few steps and trust God to lead you on the path. "Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The Lord, the Lord, is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation." Isaiah 12:2 Stop complaining about seeing the big picture. You wouldn't be able to function if you knew everything that was coming. Trust God to direct your path. He has decided to show you what's immediately in front of you, so you can achieve it. You worry about the landmarks you can see. He'll just keep revealing the next one when you need it. I'll see you at the next tree. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Fri Oct 14 00:00:49 2005 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Fri Oct 14 00:01:48 2005 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Fathers: Males or Men Message-ID: Fatherhood is a word in the modern world that is searching for a definition. The biological act that results in a baby no longer reaches the elevation for fatherhood. One brief act doesn't make you a father. It makes you responsible. This responsibility has become so gray that what was the exception is now the rule. Abandonment or murder of the resulting child has become a commonplace option for the sperm donor. No matter what the male decided to do, the responsibility stays put like his shadow. Even males that miss the mark when they are married will try to duck the responsibility of fatherhood. I don't include the men who simply make mistakes in this category. Mistakes are inevitable in a fallen world. Fatherhood and responsibility are inseparable. Neglect of the responsibility is reflected in the fact that eighty percent of children do not live with both of their biological parents. You will note that I have only used the word men once so far. This is because there is a huge difference between being male and being a man. Manhood is linked to responsibility and fatherhood. Fatherhood is linked to its source: the Bible. "Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect." Matthew 5:48 "A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling." Psalm 68:5 "He will call out to me, "You are my Father, my God, the Rock my Savior."" Psalm 89:26 Being an earthly father is a high calling. It is a call to perfection. Therefore, all the excuses put forth by males who profess to be fathers is like so much trash when held in the light of the responsibility. They must not think they are a father by being a male who has donated sperm. There will come a time when the responsibility will catch up with them. "May the iniquity of his fathers be remembered before the Lord;" Psalm 109:14 There is hope for these males who want to become men. "As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him;" Psalm 103:13 If you want to be a good earthly father, get to know your heavenly Father. "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; but fools despise wisdom and discipline." Proverbs 1:7 Being male is foolish. Being a man is Godly. Allen From wyatt at clanwebb.com Sat Oct 15 01:42:25 2005 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Sat Oct 15 01:43:14 2005 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Always There Message-ID: <4a095577b91cf003e34caf94d7a3909a@clanwebb.com> My wife, my son, and I live in the suburbs of Portland, Oregon. My parents live in Camano Island, Washington. If I need some advice from dad, I can email, call, or even drive up to see him. If I email, I'll probably get a response within 24 hours. If I call, I may be able to talk to him immediately, but not always. Sometimes, I have to leave a message. If I drive up there, I'll spend four hours in the car. Guys who I would consider my closest friends from high school and college are spread out, too. My college buddies seem to have congregated in the Bay Area. One long time friend lives about an hour north of us in Vancouver, Washington. Another one of them lives north of Seattle. If I wanted advice from any of them, I'd have to use the same forms of communication. All fraught with the possibility of not being immediate enough. I have built great relationships with guys at church and with our pastors. Even they are not availble to me at any moment, though. It's something we know in our heads, but it just touched my heart today to think about how great it is that God is available to us immediately any second of the day. "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me;" Psalm 23:4a "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own" 1 Corinthians 6:19 He is with you. No matter where you go. He's right there ready to work on His relationship with you. You can work on it, too. You can make that relationship better and He's waiting for you to do that. "Come near to God and he will come near to you." James 4:7a Nobody I know here on Earth is so dedicated to building a relationship with me. He is literally waiting every second of every day to talk to me. He wants to know what I worry about. He wants to know my wants and needs. He wants to provide for me what I need. He wants to encourage me. He just wants to love me. Sometimes, it's just overwhelming that He would put so much energy into seeking out my well being. I mean, He's God! I'm nothing compared to Him. Once I realized that, I began to glimpse the kind of unconditional love that He has given me and that He calls me to give to others. No waiting for an return email or a call back. No driving hours to see Him. He's right there, right now, waiting to talk to me. Don't ever take that availablity for granted. It's a powerful gift. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Sun Oct 16 00:16:04 2005 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Sun Oct 16 00:17:00 2005 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Joking With God Message-ID: <3efa00549b6856c85e8a100e735e65ef@clanwebb.com> I was daydreaming and imagining myself sitting around a campfire with Jesus. As the dream progressed, I came to a point when I tried to imagine if Jesus would laugh at a joke, or even joke around Himself. I was stuck without an image. I began to do a little search to see if anyone else had pondered the idea of whether God has a sense of humor. I did find one fellow who had done a little research on the subject and his results were interesting. God seems to chuckle at the futility of Man. "But you, O Lord, laugh at them; you scoff at all those nations." Psalm 59:8 "but the Lord laughs at the wicked, for he knows their day is coming." Psalm 37:13 Paul pulls no punches when he comments on those preaching salvation by surgery... "As for those agitators, I wish they would go the whole way and emasculate themselves!" Galatians 5:12 Elijah wasn't one to let an opportunity for a little mockery to pass when the prophets of Baal were in the midst of their latest dance craze. "It came about at noon, that Elijah mocked them and said, "Call out with a loud voice, for he is a god; either he is occupied or gone aside, or is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and needs to be awakened."" 1 Kings 18:27 Loosely translated: "Yo boys, if he is a god, maybe he's too busy for you guys. Maybe he's in the bathroom or just taking a nap." There are other verses, but I think it is safe to say that a sense of humor is God-given and, like any gift, one must treat it as a gift from the creator. "and there must be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks." Ephesians 5:4 Have a great day and smile at the world. It's okay! Allen From wyatt at clanwebb.com Mon Oct 17 00:21:01 2005 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Mon Oct 17 00:22:11 2005 Subject: [Daily Push Up] What Are We Promised? Message-ID: Wow, what a night for a sports fan! I watched two intense baseball playoff games and got to watch the Seahawks win fairly handily. It's fun to watch great games and good players. It's gratifying to see players who thank God for their abilities and their opportunities. It's also heartbreaking to see those same players lose games or lose a playoff series and have to go home. I remember, as a young Christian, wondering about how God fit into sports. If both teams prayed for victory, how did God choose? If your entire team were Christians and prayed fervently, shouldn't they win every game? Wouldn't they be a dynasty? Wouldn't that be a great way to spread the Gospel? Where my logic was failing was in the assumption that being a Christian who lives the life God calls us to means full time success. I also misunderstood the meaning of success in this context. I thought being saved meant never having to deal with disappointment or failure. I figured my own setbacks were due to being on God's bad side. It was some years later that I finally put it all together. Being a Christian will bring you success, just not as the world defines it. Being a Christian will bring you joy, but not full time happiness. There's a difference. Most importantly, being a Christian does not exempt you from down times in your life. "Remember the words I spoke to you: 'No servant is greater than his master.' If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also." John 15:20a "In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted," 2 Timothy 3:12 It's going to get worse, too. Jesus told us as much when speaking of the future: "Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me." Matthew 24:9 Not only is there no promise of smooth roads, we're actually told that it's unavoidable. It comes with the territory. What makes us different is how we respond. "We work hard with our own hands. When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; when we are slandered, we answer kindly. Up to this moment we have become the scum of the earth, the refuse of the world." 1 Corinthians 4:12-13 What makes that possible? Has God unlocked some special ability within us? No, it's God Himself. He's with us during all of those times so that we can endure. Without Him we are lost. "Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand." Psalm 73:23 So, we weren't promised a bed of roses. We were just promised eternity with Jesus. Don't complain, it's a much better deal. I'll take Jesus over my team winning a Super Bowl or World Series any day. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Tue Oct 18 00:22:54 2005 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Tue Oct 18 00:23:42 2005 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Don't Make It Worse Message-ID: Do you ever have those moments when you realize that everything you are doing is just making the situation worse? I'm constantly thinking about solutions to the problems in front of me, so when I get into one of those binds my brain goes into overdrive. Just as I've figured out a way to solve the current problem, it takes a bad turn and I have to start over. One night, my wife and I decided to make some popcorn. Popcorn in our house is something of a running joke. At some point in our past we purchased a very large container of popcorn. At the time, we had nowhere to put it so we separated it into large ziploc storage bags and they've been in our cabinets for years. We're always having to work around them or move them to another shelf. Anyway, on this night, I reached up to the top shelf of the cabinet to grab the one storage bag that was only about half full so we could use it to pop. As I began to pull the bag down, I heard rain. What was weird was that this rain was awfully loud and it was hitting me in the head. It took me a second or two to realize that popcorn was raining down from the top shelf on me. It was hitting the tile counter which was producing an impressive cacophony. Now, at this point, my first instinct was to simply push the bag back to stop the shower and assess the damage. I returned the bag to it's spot, but the shower didn't stop. Now, I was stumped. I could see the kernels going under the fridge, in the sink, behind the toaster oven, and everywhere else. However, I couldn't do anything because my hands were frantically trying to make it stop. Finally, enough had fallen out that the shower slowed to a trickle. As I climbed up to see what had happened, I realized that it was not the bag I had grabbed but the full bag behind it that had sprung a leak. With popcorn kernels everywhere and me debating how to remove the leaking bag without making it worse, my wife jumped in to help. Through her laughter, she found the camera and took several pictures. All the better to humiliate me with at a later date. With what I thought was some careful maneuvering, I slid the larger bag out of the back and proceeded to dump half of it on the floor, too. It got to the point where I had to laugh because it just kept getting worse. I knew I would be cleaning it all up eventually, but I just wanted it to stop at some point. It did and we did get it cleaned up. But, to this day, we will still find a random popcorn kernel behind the flour or in a drawer. They ended up in places I would have never imagined. My actions has varied and widespread consequences. It's a stretch, but that leads me to a point about making sure you aren't just making things worse. Don't act in God's name by leaning on your own strength or wisdom. Don't do your will and assume it's His. "For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength." 1 Corinthians 1:25 "...your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." Matthew 6:10 So, get out of the way. The more you try to fix it your way, the more you just mess it up. At your mistakes will ripple for a while. You may be cleaning up your mess for years to come. Let God do His thing. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Wed Oct 19 00:07:51 2005 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Wed Oct 19 00:08:42 2005 Subject: [Daily Push Up] The Source Message-ID: <6c35810ab2bc4085d9e0f58f46d2ac6b@clanwebb.com> There's nothing like going to the source. Whether you're talking about a river's source in the mountains or getting a good deal by going to the manufacturer, there's something empowering about getting as close as you can to what you want or need. Sometimes the problem is getting to the source. Hiking to the glacier that is the source of a river can be quite a journey. Getting a deal from the manufacturer might mean a drive across town or even out of state. People will travel thousands of miles to get to the right kind of hot springs or to surf the perfect wave. They want the best, the purest form of what they desire. It's no different for the spiritual needs in our life. We should crave the love of God and attempt to strengthen that connection every day. Some folks feel they need to travel halfway around the world to see a particular chapel or talk to a certain guru to get closer to God. People unclear on Christianity feel they need to walk into a building with stained glass windows to converse with God. For a long time, the situation was similar for the Israelites. They needed a high priest to go to God to ask forgiveness. This man had the responsibility of being the middleman between God and the chosen people. So, even when God had selected Israel as the chosen people, they still couldn't get too close. Jesus came to close that gap. His sacrifice on the cross paid for our sin so that, in God's eyes, we are holy enough to approach Him directly. Jesus is now that intermediary and we can talk to Him directly. "Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. [...] Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." Hebrews 4:14,16 Jesus removed the need to go through a middleman. Furthermore, since God is omnipresent, there's no travel involved in bringing your prayers to His throne. Whether you're in your car, mowing the lawn, waiting in line, or laying in bed, you can approach the throne confidently. You can march right up and tell your loving Father what's going on. You can ask for forgiveness of sin, direction in your current problems, and ask for strength to be the man He wants you to be. This is a fantastic privilege we've been given. Millions of people do not have the same access to God. Don't take it for granted. Talk to Him. Frequently. You've got unfettered, uncluttered access. Go to the source. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Thu Oct 20 00:13:23 2005 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Thu Oct 20 00:14:14 2005 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Moments of Truth Message-ID: I think it's safe to say that we all want to be in control of our situation. If we can't, then we at least want to appear that we're in control. When you're trying to make it appear that you're in control, the worst feeling in the world is when it's obvious to those around you that you aren't. Whether it's when your two-year old throws a fit in the middle of the mall and you can't calm him down or when your credit card is rejected at a restaurant. These are intensely embarrassing moments because it pierces the facade we've built of being in control. The only thing way to compound this and make it even worse is when it's clear to others that you've been deceptive or outright hypocritical in your life. It might happen when your wife asks what those extra pay-per-view charges were on your last business trip. It might happen when your wife notices that the checkbook doesn't add up. It might happen when your son asks why you're keeping the money when the clerk gives you too much change. These are moments of truth. The truth hurts. It does pierce more than any two-edged sword. At those moments you have a decision to make. The sin nature in us wants to react like a cockroach in sunlight. It drives you to scatter for the dark places by acting defensively. You could simply deny the charges, which piles lying on top of any other sin. You could attack the messenger and get angry about what they are accusing or by pointing out some sin they may or may not have in their lives. You could try to justify it by saying it's really not that bad compared to others or that your spouse or child is much worse. However, the holy part of us - that part that was created when we invited Jesus to dwell within us - will welcome the truth. We could react like David did when Nathan called him on his adultery. He wrote Psalm 51: "Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are proved right when you speak and justified when you judge. Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me. Surely you desire truth in the inner parts; you teach me wisdom in the inmost place. Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice. Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity. Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will turn back to you. Save me from bloodguilt, O God, the God who saves me, and my tongue will sing of your righteousness. O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise. You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. In your good pleasure make Zion prosper; build up the walls of Jerusalem. Then there will be righteous sacrifices, whole burnt offerings to delight you; then bulls will be offered on your altar." Psalm 51 Wow. There's no hint of defensiveness there. David is begging for mercy. He's humbling himself before God. He's crying out for reconciliation with God. Notice that he even gets to the bottom of things in that he knows not to offer an animal sacrifice. He knows that's really not what covers the sin. David knows that in times like this, what God wants is a broken spirit and a contrite heart. We should strive to be like David in our moments of truth. Leave the part of you that wants to be in control out of it. You need to be broken before the Lord. It's only then that He can rebuild you into the person He wants you to be. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Fri Oct 21 00:39:57 2005 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Fri Oct 21 00:40:49 2005 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Buying Happiness Message-ID: <0b23cb04448b35a14a2d760dee72864d@clanwebb.com> Someone in the small town of Jacksonville, Oregon is very, very wealthy. The winning Powerball ticket, worth $340 million, was sold in that town and the residents are waiting with baited breath to see who the big winner is. The newscasts are filled with interviews of the store owners and other local folks. The question of the day seems to always be, "What would you do with money like that?" The responses to these answers used to be fun to listen to, but they're starting to get predictable. I realize that far too many people in America are convinced that having more money will instantly solve their problems. It's inconceivable to them that being that wealthy would be difficult or contentious. However, it's been documented that many lottery winners go on to have fairly miserable lives. The demands on you when you have that kind of money are huge. Knowing how to manage it is no easy task. And, yet, everyone in the country loves to daydream a little about how they'd spend that money. The stories are always exaggerations of what's important in their lives. One person wants a big house on property away from town. That person values privacy and comfort. Another one talks about building a karate studio so he can teach. That guy values his favorite sport. Still more talk about buying things for their friends and family. They seem to value those relationships. The fact is, though, that money can easily be a corrupting influence. The more of it there is, the more likely it will distract those around it from God's will. "For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs." 1 Timothy 6:10 Some may ask, why does God allow these troubles around money? Read that verse again. We're doing it to ourselves. The desire for money causes us to sign up for pain and suffering. We have free will. God isn't going to stop us from exerting it, even if it's to do something stupid. It's doubly dumb in that we all clearly know that none of those riches are coming with us to Heaven. That's like spending half your life digging for gold and then driving it right to the dump. Don't let these desires get in the way. Don't let it distract you from the race God has set before you. Set your mind to the eternal riches. "I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being" Ephesians 3:16 Don't worry, God will provide for you here, too. "And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:19 All our needs? Yep. All of them. You see, you don't even need to waste time working for all of that extra money you think you need. God will make sure you have enough for what you need. Any effort that is hurting your relationship with Christ is a waste of time. Don't make a bad investment. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Sat Oct 22 00:09:20 2005 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Sat Oct 22 00:10:14 2005 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Observe Accurately Message-ID: I find that I learn things under the strangest circumstances. Last night it happened while at a class taught by one of my pastors. Go figure. Anyway, we were discussing the right approach to the study of scripture. It turns out that the right approach is the same as the secular approach to studying any written work. We talked about words, structure, atmosphere, and literary form. We arrived at the conclusion that in order to get the most out of what we read we must accurately observe. That, in turn, will lead to correct interpretation and then to right application. Most Hollywood writers need to visit this lesson when it comes to the use of the Bible in their scripts. It has always been a sore point with me that the Bible in the movies is relegated to the wild-eyed and mentally unbalanced. Growing up with westerns, it seems that the same thread is woven into today's scripts. The writer spent about the same time in Biblical research as they used to when they came up with the idea that the voluptuous girl, running from danger in a torn dress is good theater. "eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot," Exodus 21:24 Hollywood assigns this passage to a Raymond Massey character just before he kills the man who killed his son. Usually, the dead son was a drunken card-cheating scoundrel and the man he kills - dealing out God's judgment - is the poor innocent boy who was in the saloon having a glass of milk while his young bride was across the street buying gingham for a new dress. Never mind that the verse is meant to illustrate that justice should be equal and evenhanded, not that it takes an optometrist, dentist, surgeon, and a podiatrist to right a wrong. "Thou shalt not kill." Exodus 20:13 This, of course, is the sixth commandment. It has been relegated to the non-Christian to accuse the Christian that is going off to war. "Doesn't the good book say, "Thou shalt not kill" ? ". Never mind that there are at least nine Hebrew words that refer to killing and the one used here specifically means murder. "Vengeance is Mine, and retribution, In due time their foot will slip; For the day of their calamity is near, And the impending things are hastening upon them." Deuteronomy 32:35 Here again, the crazy Christian proclaims that he is the instrument of God and he's only doing what God wants by riding down on the hapless village of peaceful indigenous natives and wiping them out without mercy. This scene always includes the crying baby sitting next to the murdered mother. Never mind that this verse is instructing the reader that God will take care of any "payback", because sooner or later the wrongdoers slip up and the roof falls in on them. Most of these people never get past the first couple of books in the Bible or they jump right to Revelation which is full of imagery and easy to misconstrue. Remember that accurate observation leads to correct interpretation which leads to right application. "I applied my heart to what I observed and learned a lesson from what I saw;" Proverbs 24:32 Allen From wyatt at clanwebb.com Sun Oct 23 00:40:09 2005 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Sun Oct 23 00:41:01 2005 Subject: [Daily Push Up] How to Navigate the Maze Message-ID: <3dc2f1b69365755d5adf471f530ce3aa@clanwebb.com> There are times when the symbolism and imagery I encounter in everyday life is so obvious that I have to stop and stare. I look around and wonder why nobody else can see the clear parallels between what we're experiencing and what God does for us in our lives. Today, it happened to me while I was chaperoning a youth group trip to a corn maze. I went into the maze with a group of four kids. They took the hint sheet that would help them find their way through. I took a copy of the map just in case we got lost. This was a particularly impressive maze as the corn was easily eight feet high. This made it impossible to even jump to see how close to the edge you were or cheat in any other way. When looking at the map, the path is fairly clear. When in the maze, though, it's very tough to tell whether a path is taking the right direction or not. And, like most mazes, you sometimes have to head the opposite direction to get to your destination. There isn't always a straight line. About halfway through the map, the number of path choices increased dramatically. We could no longer depend on trying them all and backtracking. We would have been there all day. The kids were getting frustrated and walking in circles. I finally started to give them hints to get going the right direction. It was about this point that the realization hit me. These kids were just like people walking through life. You have no idea which way is right and it's easy to start repeating your path. Without any discernable goal or idea of how far away it is, they were getting frustrated and losing their joy. It wasn't until someone who could see the big picture began guiding them, that they started having fun again. I also realized that, much like God, if I had simply told them a long list of "left, right, right, left, left, second left, etc." I would have overwhelmed them. I gave them directions a little at a time. By the end, I realized that having the map probably saved us over an hour of searching and backtracking. It was a valuable resource for completeing the maze. God holds the map to the maze of our life. We can attempt to get through it ourselves, but it won't be pretty. There will be dead ends. There will be loops that cause you to walk the same trail over and over. There will be frustration and depression. Instead, we need to let him give us the hints to find the safe path. "I will lead the blind by the ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them." Isaiah 42:16 Don't try to navigate it yourself. Just ask Him for a little light. He'll give it to you. Then you have to trust Him. He'll lead you ways that may not make sense or are along unfamiliar trails. Trust Him. He'll never forsake you. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Mon Oct 24 01:33:06 2005 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Mon Oct 24 01:34:00 2005 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Underdog Message-ID: <4e1b6e15aec91cd6f8cb56ecce0ecdf9@clanwebb.com> There's something very American about a good underdog story. We love to root for the teams that aren't supposed to win. We read books about men and women who weren't supposed to succeed or become well-known. We watch TV specials about entertainers and politicians that rose up from the most humble of circumstances to become household names. Of course, America itself is an underdog story. Washington's army had no business fighting the British for an extended period of time, much less actually winning. Most other revolutions in the world had concluded with much more bloodshed and very far from the goal of the instigators. Not so here. We won that war and moved into a relatively peaceful state that allowed us to build a country that has been blessed by God for many years. There's one thing common in all of these underdogs, though. They all have something inside them that is much bigger than any observer thought was there. The people themselves always believed in their eventual success, because they understood what they had. I think God likes the underdog ethos, too. Here He is the Creator of the universe. He could have sent armies of angels and Christ on the lead horse to offer us salvation. That would have been very impressive. But, He didn't. Christ humbled himself to be born as a baby in a manger to people that didn't stand out. He walked from town to town preaching the truth with a dozen young men following Him around. Not overwhelming force as we would measure it. But what appeared to be just a man was, in fact, the savior of the world. He had much more than most others thought He had. In the eyes of the world, He was an underdog. God sees you as an underdog, too. Chances are that you aren't terribly famous or fabulously wealthy. That's okay. We all know that we have something inside of us that guarantees success. Some may not believe it, but it's true. In the end, we will be on the winning team. We can be confident of that. God uses the unexpected, the ignored, the dismissed things of the world to win. The ultimate underdogs. "But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me." 2 Corinthians 12:9 So, brag about your weaknesses. That's where God will be strongest. That's when you get to be the underdog. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Tue Oct 25 00:48:23 2005 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Tue Oct 25 00:49:48 2005 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Delay Tactics Message-ID: <70fde8498380e949aa4a612f40201d0a@clanwebb.com> Do you find yourself always having to do something first? What I mean is this: I want to do something, but I have to do something else first. It is a pet peeve of mine that, if I want to take care of a technical problem with the house or one of the cars, I have to do something else first. I have to dig through my stuff in the garage to find the proper tool, run to the auto parts store, opine over knowing I have the part or tool but I can't find it, or the job requires eight matching screws and I only have seven. These are the irritations of life that are not likely to change. Several years ago, I did come to the conclusion that I had allowed this pattern to creep into my spiritual devotional and kingdom work life. I was always going to have a devotional time, but I had to do something first. I was always going to get involved at church, but I had to take care of something first to make the time. It was a monumental chess game with Satan. I would move a square and he would counter the move. I would lay down a goal and he would arrange an obstacle that would make me take the long way around. The guest speaker at our men's event this past weekend said it so clearly that it was laughable, "Satan only has to get you to quit." He doesn't have to blind you, or break a member of your body to do it. All he has to do is to frustrate you to the point that you'll quit. You just stop and give in to the couch. It's almost like he decided that the Job approach didn't work, so he went into a more subtle mode. He doesn't need to take it all away to make a man give up. He just frustrates you into putting it off until you die. Then it's too late. I have met - you can too if you just open your eyes and observe - so many men that seem to get it all done. They have a devotional life, they spend time with the kids and the wife, they are active in the church, they go on vacation, they have a good lifestyle, and they are always up. On paper, there just isn't enough time in the day to do everything they do, but somehow they do it. Again, the speaker this weekend had the same answer I have always heard when asked, "How do you do it, man?" He spread out his arms and answered, "I don't know, somehow God just makes it all work." "Only be strong and very courageous; be careful to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may have success wherever you go. Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful." Joshua 1:7-8 I never thought I would say it, but this year I have spent more time in the Word, been more involved at church, and made more money than anytime in my life. Guys, if you are faithful, He is faithful. Reread these two verses slowly. The message is clear Now, read them one more time, even slower. Allen From wyatt at clanwebb.com Wed Oct 26 00:08:47 2005 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Wed Oct 26 00:15:22 2005 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Great Story Message-ID: <233b9a16459b718b82f65298e198f61a@clanwebb.com> The manipulation of power with the intent to destroy an enemy is certainly nothing new. When the political parties engage in the practice to ruin someone personally by using any reason that seems tangible, we must not think it is anything new by any stretch of the imagination. God, however, often uses these tactics of humans to bring down the hunter and protect the hunted. The book of Esther is a prime example. Two men, Mordecai, a Jew, and Haman, an official of the King, were brought together in a battle of politics. Haman uncovers a plot to kill the King and as a reward the King heaps wealth and position on him. Haman's head swell to about the size of the Goodyear blimp and decrees that everyone should bow to him. Mordecai refuses because he is a Jew and bows only to God. The stage is set for conflict. One thing Haman doesn't know is that the queen, Esther, is also a Jew. Haman's lust for power blinds him and all he can think about is this one man who will not bow down. It so sticks in his craw that his wealth and power is incomplete unless he destroys Haman. In fact, it festers to the point that he will not be satisfied until he kills all Jews. Haman plans his plot so well that a public hanging of Mordecai will be the exclamation point to his victory. Great plot, isn't it? I'll bet you'd like to know how it turns out. Take a few minutes and look it up. The book of Esther is right between Nehemiah and Job. "A good man will obtain favor from the Lord, But He will condemn a man who devises evil. A man will not be established by wickedness, But the root of the righteous will not be moved." Proverbs 12:2-3 The story has a cool ending. Wow, those ladies! Allen From wyatt at clanwebb.com Wed Oct 26 08:15:28 2005 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Wed Oct 26 08:15:27 2005 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Great Story [CORRECTION] Message-ID: Sorry, guys, I misstated part of the Esther story... Mordecai is the one who uncovers the plot against the king, Haman is promoted with great wealth and position independent of that event. Still a great story! Allen From wyatt at clanwebb.com Wed Oct 26 23:00:00 2005 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Wed Oct 26 23:01:36 2005 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Stay Focused Message-ID: <35d1c996bbfc39b4ae4c1adfabd71de1@clanwebb.com> I am impressed with people who can stay focused. When it comes to the things I like, I can focus for hours, days, even months on end. When it's something I don't like, or something harder than I expected, it's hard to stay locked in. I've always been impressed by professional athletes because of the focus they have. It's not just playing all those games in a season, it's the practices, studying the tapes, learning the plays, knowing your opposition, training in the off-season, eating right every day all year long, and then there are the little things. I realize these guys have to avoid certain activities that we wouldn't think twice about. A pick-up game of basketball might bring on an injury that changes the course of a season. Going fishing or hiking might do the same. Their dedication to being good players is a 24/7/365 arrangement. That's focus. Michelangelo was commissioned to paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in 1508. He didn't finish it until 1512. They had to build a scaffold so that he could stand on it and paint... all day, every day. Standing and painting for four years. The first layer of plaster on the ceiling began to grow mold because it was too wet. He had to remove it and start again. He was asked to paint the twelve apostles in the Frescoes, but by the time he finished he had painted over 300 characters. That kind of dedication produced one of the world's most well-known pieces of art. That's focus. When God asked Noah to build the ark, Noah was somewhere between 500 and 600 years old. The world was a terribly wicked place. Bad enough that God wanted to wipe them all out. I'm sure Noah thought he'd heard it all. Then, when God tells Noah how to save himself, I can't help but think Noah did a double-take. "It's going to do what? Water is going to fall from the sky?" (it had never rained before the flood) "And you want me to build what? How big? You must be kidding!" The Bible doesn't record Noah's reaction other than simply saying that he did what he was asked. He built a box, basically. It had three floors, it was 75 feet wide, and one and a half football fields long. I'm sure it was the biggest thing people had ever seen. Noah was already the weirdo on the planet. He was the patriarch of a family that followed God. He followed God for hundreds of years and never gave up his faith. When God told him to build this big box, he simply set about doing it. We don't know for sure how long it took him to build it, but I have to think that it was years and years. Probably multiple decades. I'm sure the neighbors made fun of him, they may have even come by in the night and tried to sabotage his project. He just kept on building. Not long after his 600th birthday, they finished it. Building something nobody had ever seen or imagined in a place where there was no obvious place for it to float to be used to survive a flood that was coming in ways nobody had ever seen. That's real focus. Are you focused on God? Are you focused on what Christ did for you? Paul was focused: "But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 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 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ ? the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." Phillipians 3:7-14 Stay focused. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Fri Oct 28 00:12:55 2005 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Fri Oct 28 00:13:47 2005 Subject: [Daily Push Up] My Prayer was Broken Message-ID: <5e5e4fe3d422b8bc74cbf670c6d2221d@clanwebb.com> I have often been too clever for my own good. I remember a time as a child when I thought I'd hit the jackpot. I was young enough to still write letters to Santa, but old enough to think I could game the system. I realized that each year, I had asked for one or two things and they would appear on Christmas morning. So, I thought I'd test Santa's abilities. I started writing two and three page lists of Christmas requests. I soon discovered that Santa had limits (or at least his wallet did). From that point on, I would get the top two or three items on my list, but never the entire thing. I thought I had figured it out, but I really had no idea what the rules at work were. Over the last few weeks, God has been chiding me for treating Him the same way. He pointed out to me that my prayer life had devolved into a laundry list of requests for me or my immediate family. Now, there's nothing wrong with asking God for help or guidance, but I had lost the meaning. I was treating God like my all-powerful assistant and giving Him a to-do list every morning. My first clue that something was not right, much like with Santa, was that I felt like my prayers weren't being heard. There were answers to some of the things that were most important to me, but not to everything. The conversations felt empty, too. As I did part of my study the other night, He tied it all up. He showed me where He's been leading me and what He wants me to do. As usual, the scripture He brought me to makes it seem so obvious and clear. It's the time when Jesus taught His disciples how to pray. "This, then, is how you should pray: 'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.'" Matthew 6:9-14 The prayer begins with praise. We were, after all, created to be praise machines. Our prayers should not forget that fact. The next step is to pray that God's will be done. We're clueless. We don't know what would be the best for us or not. We should be praying that God's will be done above all of our requests. That's always the road that will be best for everyone. Next, Jesus reminds us to ask God for the bare necessities. Don't take them for granted. God provides you with food, clothing, housing, and everything else. Don't just assume those are locked in and start requesting above and beyond. You need to ask God to continue to provide the basics for you every day. Then, we should ask forgiveness for however we may have strayed from Him. It seems silly that we should be asking God to fix this or that if we are unwilling to at least ask forgiveness for our screw-ups. It's also a humbling statement and keeps you in the right frame of mind as it reminds us that we need to be forgiving as well. Finally, we ask God to protect us from Satan. Ask Him to keep you out of Satan's clutches. You see, I had it all backwards. I forgot to praise. I forgot that His will works better. I forgot to ask for the basics and thank Him for providing what I already have. I forgot to ask forgiveness and to forgive others. I went straight to the end and starting asking for my solutions to my problems. That's why it wasn't working. I wasn't following the directions Jesus laid out. Pray every day. Follow the prayer blueprint. Jesus knew what He was talking about. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Sat Oct 29 00:47:18 2005 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Sat Oct 29 00:48:13 2005 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Heavenly Heirloom Message-ID: <5228de4d74617b809dcd071ce1de71a2@clanwebb.com> Sentimental value is something we're all familiar with. Declaring something we own valuable even though it has no real market value has happened to us all. A particular object that was given to us by someone we love, when lost, can cause great distress. The reason is that the intrinsic or inherent value is in the impact it has on us personally. I recently inherited my father's Winchester rifle. It isn't an expensive gun, made around 1952, and it doesn't have any great monetary value. However, this gun holds, for me, the essence of the man that was my father. When I hold it, examine it, smell it, and most of all listen as I cock the action memories of my father flood over me. He used this gun to provide meat for me, to protect me, and to instruct me. I learned respect for guns, hunting, fishing, and the outdoors, but most of all I learned that, as far as I was concerned, he could do anything. When I hand the gun to someone else, the first question is always, "How old is it?" Then they want to know if it has some special history. When I tell them it belonged to my dad, those that have a good relationship with their fathers respond one way and those that don't respond differently. There are also those that wish they had a good relationship with their father. I suspect their thoughts are of a longing because they have nothing that reminds them of anything good from their father. Bibles are like my father's Winchester. You can walk into any store and pick up a good translation, one that has never been read, take it home, unwrap it, and open it up and you will find intrinsic, inherent value directly for you and nobody else. No two people get the same value out of a Bible. There are words, phrases, lessons, and memories that are just for you to hold, examine, smell, and listen to. Your heavenly Father will come to your mind, flooding you with memories, instruction, and provision and you will know that your Father can do anything. Once you begin to explore this heirloom, you will see that it was meant as an inheritance specifically for you. God has built in a dynamic equivalence in His Word so that it impacts you as if you were there when it was written. In the end, though, our relationship, memories, and lessons are different. Our inheritance is the same. "To open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me." Acts 26:18 It is personalized such that, when we close our eyes, we visualize a different face of Jesus. The essence of the man is in the heirloom. Blessings. Allen From wyatt at clanwebb.com Sun Oct 30 00:43:38 2005 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Sun Oct 30 00:44:28 2005 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Careful What You Brag About Message-ID: It is a very American and very male thing to measure each other up based on our accomplishments. Each of us wants to know how we rate against the men around us. We want to believe that we are better at some skill, are smarter about certain topics, or even just stronger than the next guy. I've seen guys obsess over the fact that they don't have a bigger car than the other guy at the office or that they can't play golf like that annoying neighbor down the street. These people wouldn't matter to us otherwise, but it really burns us that we can't claim to be the top of the heap in something! I remember how the athletes in high school would display their accomplishments. The football players' helmets would have stickers for each tackle they made. The wrestlers would wear safety pins on their letterman's jackets for each match they had won with a pin. You could pick out the best cornerback or heavyweight quickly. That's how we measured each other. Heck, it even happens to me today. My manager keeps track of how many bugs per week each of the engineers in my group fix. He tells us our own rate, but doesn't tell us everyone else's. I can't help but look around the room and try to size up my coworkers like I'm planning for some kind of playoff bracket. As men, we want to know that we're good at something. That we can be effective. This is fertile ground for sin. It's so easy to let that desire to be above average to turn into boasting. "In your face" was a common phrase on the playground basketball court. My son uses the updated version, "I owned you on that move!" Boasting is simply a form of pride. Pride is bad because it inherently assumes that the subject of the boast comes completely from yourself. Guess what? That's not possible. "I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do ? this I keep on doing." Romans 7:18-19 This is a good thing to remember when you look down your nose at the unsaved. I catch myself doing it all the time. "Wow, he's in for a shock when he dies." or "He better live it up now, because it's all downhill after death." I think things like this about the people who denigrate my Lord. I take perverse pleasure in knowing I'm right and knowing they'll find out when it's too late. There's some pride there. There's a bit of the "in your face" attitude flowing in those thoughts. Guess what? It had nothing to do with anything I did. "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith ? and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God ? not by works, so that no one can boast." Ephesians 2:8-9 It's interesting that God felt the need to make this point in scripture. He's clearly addressing a thought that He knew would come around fairly frequently. He's making it clear that we had nothing to do with our salvation. There, but for the grace of God, go I. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Mon Oct 31 00:02:23 2005 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Mon Oct 31 00:03:20 2005 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Prepare to Answer Message-ID: I got an email today from an extended family member from my wife's side. It seems that his son is looking at colleges and has shown some interest in my alma mater. He wanted to know if I could provide any hints on the application process and any inside info on what it's really like. I hadn't thought about my application process in some time. I hadn't thought about my campus life in a while, either. It was fun to run down memory lane and tell someone new about what I liked and hated about my college days. I encouraged his son to make himself stand out and convince the admissions office that they couldn't live without him. I told him about my favorite haunts in town and places to avoid. I told him about what life would be like on campus. It was fun to think of someone else going to school there so I could tell him about the good, cheap restaurants, the best bookstores, and the other inside dirt that I had to learn while I was there. As I was writing all of this in an email, I realized that there's really something analogous to witnessing here. I was simply relaying my experiences about what worked and what didn't, what was fun and what wasn't, and what would cause him to succeed and what would cause failure. I was witnessing about my college. There's a simple template here to witnessing about my faith. I should tell the inquiring person about the application process and what life is like once you've been accepted. Fortunately, the application process to Heaven is simpler than the one I went through for college. There aren't any interviews because God already knows you pretty well. The only qualification you need is to be human. Other than that you only need to say, "Yes. Jesus you are Lord and I want you to be Lord of my life," and believe it with all of your heart. At that point, you've been accepted and your new life begins. Life for the heaven-bound is immediately different. As a new believer, you will see the entire world in a different light. You will see the chains and shackles that held you down that Christ removed from you. You will have joy in your salvation and you will have strength knowing Jesus has your back. You may be disoriented for a while, but once you get your bearings again, you will realize what a fantastic decision you just made. You don't need to go through seminary or have memorized half the Bible to witness to others. Just tell them what happened to you and how your life is different. "The Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." " Matthew 28:18-20 Now, be ready to answer those questions when they come: "How do I get in?", "What's it like?" Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Sat Oct 1 00:16:16 2005 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Sat, 1 Oct 2005 00:16:16 -0700 Subject: [Daily Push Up] All or Nothing Message-ID: <0959b805f3cea0faae3ee3900deb7d65@clanwebb.com> I may be wrong, but I don't think God has much use for subtlety. It takes man to muddy the water. I learned something last night about subtlety that angered me because, until then, it has slipped by me. It has always been pretty clear that it takes faith to accept that God reveals Himself to man by inspiration. We accept that inspiration as God-breathed. The definition is pretty clear. "Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit." 2 Peter 1:20-21 "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness" 2 Timothy 3:16 This leads us to the obvious belief that the Bible is inerrant, meaning without error. Satan, never missing an opportunity, has wormed into the minds of men. Some have come up with a gray word that sounds like the same thing as inerrancy, but it's not. Infallibility is the buzzword that is used in an effort to make Christianity more acceptable. It means that the Bible is true in matters related to salvation and faith, but has minor errors in history, geography, and science. This is a red flag, men. Do not got there. Either all of God's Word is true or none of it is true. God cannot have partial authority. "When Jesus has finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law." Matthew 7:28-29 "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End." Revelation 22:13 God does not need man to justify his revelation to man. YBIC, Allen From wyatt at clanwebb.com Sun Oct 2 00:46:00 2005 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Sun, 2 Oct 2005 00:46:00 -0700 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Lessons from Eden Message-ID: I suppose it's no surprise that God knows us so well. He did create us, after all. I discovered some very relevant things in the creation story the other night. The door was opened while I listened to our youth pastor teach the middle schoolers, but it made me read this passage in a whole new way. (Don't you love how God does that?) "The Lord God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him."" Genesis 2:18 Adam hadn't been on Earth for very long before it was obvious to God that he couldn't live alone. I think this problem still exists today. I know that when my wife is away from home for more than 24 hours, things around me start to deteriorate. I don't eat as well. I stay up too late. I can't focus on any particular project. I become less and less useful as the days pass. No offense to the bachelors, but I feel like a security guard on a deserted island when my wife's gone: just not useful and without a purpose. God knows me. I can't be alone. "So the man gave name to all the livestock, the birds of the air and all the beasts of the field. But for Adam no suitable helper was found." Genesis 2:20 This may have been the best decision Adam made during his time in Eden. When all the animals were paraded by him, he was looking for a helper, too. He didn't settle. Adam could have done what most guys do and try to fix the problem by making a bad decision. As the line was ending and no helper was found, Adam could have simply said, "Well, God, I guess I'll have to go with the gorilla." or "Hmmm, there were a lot of choices. Maybe the dog? What do you think?" Nope, Adam kept his mouth shut and didn't pick from what he thought was the complete list of choices. "So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man's ribs and closed up the place with flesh. Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man." Genesis 2:21-22 Here is the deepest part of it all. God did His work while Adam was sleeping. He didn't do it with a flash of lightning that impressed Adam. He simply woke Adam up and said, "Here you go. The perfect helpmate." God is good to us. If we are smart enough to keep our mouths shut when we only see wrong choices, He will provide. And, frequently, He'll do his work when we aren't looking or while we're sleeping. You'll just wake up one day and the right opportunity will be there. You'll turn a corner and the right path will make itself clear. Now, notice that Adam had a good relationship with God. It's hard to let God work for you if you aren't on speaking terms. But, when you're on the same page with Him, you can depend on Him. When you don't get in His way (by making a wrong decision to fix a problem), He'll provide the perfect solution. Also notice that Adam didn't say, "Uh, close, God. Very nice, but not quite." Nope, Adam realized that God's solution was the right one and he accepted Eve gladly. Don't ignore God's solution because you don't like where it's going. It's the right one. Take it. Trust Him. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Mon Oct 3 00:15:15 2005 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Mon, 3 Oct 2005 00:15:15 -0700 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Ultimate Authority Message-ID: <57434172e1786f7a3993b2235ec8974d@clanwebb.com> I remember when we would decide who would have "first-ups" in our sandlot baseball games. The captains would square off and one guy would toss a bat to the other. Then they would come together and do a hand over hand thing until they reached the top of the bat. The last guy's hand would win when there wasn't any room for the other guy's hand at the top of the bat. The winners would bat first. One day, our guy was caught off guard when he thought he had won, but the captain of the other team called out, "eagle claw!" This was a new rule, put into the unwritten rule book by someone nobody could name, that allowed for a chance to squeeze your fingers over the top, in what looked like a talon grip, and squeeze the knob of the bat. If you could hold the bat when all but your hand was removed, then you were the winner. If you could not maintain your grip and the bat dropped, you lost. Unwritten rules about testing the authenticity of the Bible are like the "eagle claw." The most used is, "You can't use the Bible to prove itself." "The man who saw it has given testimony, and his testimony is true. He knows that he tells the truth, and he testifies so that you also may believe." John 19:35 "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched ? this we proclaim concerning the Word of life." 1 John 1:1 "We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ." 1 John 1:3 "We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty." 2 Peter 1:16 "Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know." Acts 2:22 Something has to be at the top of authority. If the ultimate authority cannot be used to proclaim itself, how else can it be done? To keep introducing new rules and demanding new proof falls short when confronted with the final authority. Christians believe there is nothing else. The argument isn't anything different than it has ever been. "Is the Bible the inspired Word of God?" Eleven of the twelve eyewitnesses went to their deaths - that's right, deaths - proclaiming what they saw and wrote about was the truth. The could have saved their lives by recanting their stories. The Bible is really many books standing on their won, so there is nothing illogical about using one book to test another. Stay Strong, Allen From wyatt at clanwebb.com Tue Oct 4 00:36:17 2005 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Tue, 4 Oct 2005 00:36:17 -0700 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Work Message-ID: <353e3f0049ce594d2a237cbc8099858f@clanwebb.com> About the time I started to drive, I realized that I had no source of income to supply my gas and pizza money. The obvious solution was a part-time job. Like many a teenager, I imagined the optimal job. It had to be something not too taxing, no responsibilities that involved anything gross, it had to pay well, and it wouldn't ruin my social schedule. I started to think of a handful of jobs that would fit that bill, but there weren't many (and I hadn't even considered how likely it would be for the potential employers to hire a sixteen year-old to do them). My dad had a different plan. There is a five mile long main road near where we lived. It is dotted with car dealerships, restaurants, fast food joints, and more than a few mini-malls. On Saturday afternoon, Dad put me in the car and drove to one end of the drag. We got out and asked for an application at the first shop that looked like it might hire me. Then we walked next door and asked for another application. Then we drove up a block to the next shop and asked them for an application. We did this for a few hours until the shops started closing. We had covered over half the length of the drag. Much to my chagrin, Dad had me pick up applications for any shop that looked reputable and appeared to still be in business. There were no other restrictions on potential places of employment. We came home with a stack of applications an inch or two thick. He told me to fill them all out. Within a week, we made the same trip down that main drag and delivered all of those applications. I had several phone calls and a job offer within a few days. I took it when I realized that my dream job wasn't going to appear anytime soon. Dad taught me an important lesson: Don't be afraid of work and don't waste any time getting it. I didn't especially like the job I took. I didn't make much money and the government took a sizable chunk of it. However, it did pay for my gas and pizza. I didn't have to do anything particularly gross or unpleasant. In retrospect, it was just about what I should have realistically expected at that point in my life. The Word is clear about good, old-fashioned work, too. "The sluggard's craving will be the death of him, because his hands refuse to work." Proverbs 21:25 "One who is slack in his work is brother to one who destroys." Proverbs 18:9 "All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty." Proverbs 14:23 "He who works his land will have abundant food, but the one who chases fantasies will have his fill of poverty." Proverbs 28:19 But, as Christians, we have something more to aspire to. We should always want to work hard and work right, but we should also seek out the right kind of work. The best work of all is to do Christ's work. Being lazy about Christ's work is not a good thing, either. "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." Ephesians 2:10 "As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead." James 2:26 Now, be clear that these works are NOT what gets you saved. That happens purely through your faith in Christ to save you. However, the good works are an outward sign of your salvation. As James says, if you aren't doing good works, then your faith is dead. You haven't lost your salvation, but you have lost your way. Be useful to God. Make yourself available to do His works. Don't be afraid of work. It's good for you and it's good for those around you. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Wed Oct 5 00:30:32 2005 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Wed, 5 Oct 2005 00:30:32 -0700 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Black and White Message-ID: <91302926e2c4b089e2f88051a4870bae@clanwebb.com> Some things really are simple. They really can be black or white, nothing in between. Society would tell you that everything is relative. All decisions have nuance and subtlety. There are many shades of gray in every situation. Don't buy it. It's a trap. The President made a clear distinction after September 11. He told the rest of the world that you were either going to stand with us, or we would assume you were standing against us. There is no neutrality when lives are at stake. It was an unpopular statement in some quarters of this country and the world because it was so stark. There was no fence to sit on. There was no moderate position. Unsure people don't like having to make decisions like that. They'd rather keep all of their options open. As a result, they get very little done. Those lives at stake are put at risk. At some point in your life you will face a fairly clear black and white decision. You will be presented with the Word of God and you'll have to deal with it. There is no in between here. Either you believe it is true and inerrant, or you don't. If you believe that a single verse is incorrect or that one phrase is to be ignored, then you have refused it all. Our halfway society would like to think there's a merciful God, because that's comforting. However, they don't want to deal with the choice He's presented us because that's hard. So we twist, bend, and invent faiths out of thin air to fit our moderate desires. We want God to save us, but we don't want Him to offend anyone. Bzzzt. Sorry. Doesn't work that way. Look, there's a simple logic to it. Do you believe that God is who He says He is? ""I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty."" Revelation 1:8 "Ah, Sovereign Lord, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you." Jeremiah 32:17 "The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else." Acts 17:24-25 If you believe that He is all powerful and all knowing, then it only follows that He would make sure that His Word is exactly what He wants it to be. If He is all powerful, why would He allow His message to be diluted? If, however, you choose to believe that the Word has picked up some mistakes or has some leftover attitudes and suggestions that don't apply anymore, then you've decided the other way. You've chosen to believe that God is not all powerful and does not speak clearly to us. If you choose to think that a single verse is unreliable or unusable, then they all are. Be honest about the situation. Don't kid yourself into thinking that you can pick out the bits and pieces that are right and scratch out the snippets that no longer apply. You may as well just write your own book to live by. It'll have just as much value. The very idea that we can craft a more correct or better Bible suggests that we have some capability larger than God. By definition, then, He would not be all powerful. At that point, it all falls apart. So, you see, it's black or white. Either it's right or it's wrong. You have to make a choice. The right choice can bring you life. The wrong choice will take it away. Your call. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Wed Oct 5 23:52:02 2005 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Wed, 5 Oct 2005 23:52:02 -0700 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Arrogance Kills Message-ID: You can drink a gallon of strychnine and live to talk about it. The secret is dilution and time. One drop in a gallon of water over a ten year period and you are home free. Satan uses this system in reverse. In the mainstream of our lives, he adds a drop of sin until it overcomes the dilution. First it makes us ill, then we adjust and make room for it in our lives by saying, "It really isn't that bad." Eventually, though, enough pornography, violence, hate, and aberrant behavior will poison the stream and kill everything in it. The alcoholic can stop drinking, but he may still die from cirrhoses of the liver. Realizing your mistakes too late does not release you from the consequences for those prior actions. God gives most of us fresh, young, vibrant bodies and minds. Unfortunately, they come with a healthy does of arrogance. "Boast no more so very proudly, Do not let arrogance come out of your mouth; For the Lord is a God of knowledge, And with Him actions are weighed." 1 Samuel 2:3 "The fear of the Lord is to hate evil; Pride and arrogance and the evil way And the perverted mouth, I hate." Proverbs 8:13 "Thus I will punish the world for its evil And the wicked for their iniquity; I will also put an end to the arrogance of the proud And abase the haughtiness of the ruthless." Isaiah 13:11 "But as it is, you boast in your arrogance; all such boasting is evil." James 4:16 Our arrogance is our weakness and our blind spot, perfect for the introduction of the poison. The great distraction: look at my strength, my speed, my talent, and my beauty. I am the greatest. Bow down to me and pay me money. Listen to me play my instrument. Watch me dance and listen to me sing. I am the greatest. Bow down to me and pay me money. How can any of these compare to the man God that died and came back to life. Teach your children who the real heroes are. Enjoy God's creations and their talents, but keep them in perspective for they will let you down in the end. They play games and music. Jesus plays for eternity. Peace Allen From wyatt at clanwebb.com Fri Oct 7 00:13:33 2005 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Fri, 7 Oct 2005 00:13:33 -0700 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Liar Message-ID: <59918576b20fb1e105f7f5dd048974a2@clanwebb.com> How many times have you wondered how you ever got so far off the path? You look around, smack your forehead, and ask, "What am I doing here?" Satan is particularly talented. He knows our weaknesses. He knows what buttons to push. He's known these things since he fell. He puts some of his skills on full display the first chance he gets with man in the Garden of Eden. Looking back, it's amazing how gullible we are and how easy it seems to trip us up. In the midst of the thing, it always seems tricky and confusing. "Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden'?" Genesis 3:1 Satan starts off by asking Eve a question that is deceptive from the get go. He knows that God has not forbidden them from eating from any tree, but he asks that question anyway. This draws Eve in. Instead of a simple yes or no answer, she replies by explaining that they are only forbidden from one tree. This also tricks Eve into thinking that the serpent is confused and uninformed. ""You will not surely die," the serpent said to the woman. "For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."" Genesis 3:4-5 Now he starts mixing truth with lies. He starts off by scoffing at the woman that they won't die. How silly of her to believe it! He knows that it's true that man would know good and evil if he eats it. However, he also knows it's true that man will die if he eats it. By asserting one true statement, he implies that the previous statement was false. There's nothing he says that proves that God is lying. He's just twisting words. He also throws in the ultimate temptation, "You will be like God." Eve started out clearly stating the rule God had made. She knew it and knew the consequences. And yet, she was quickly convinced that God had not been honest with them. She had no reason to doubt God, but she chose to ignore His warning anyway. Satan just led her step by step to a rationalization that God's law didn't really apply or wasn't the whole story. That's how we usually end up somewhere we don't expect. We nudge and shift and rationalize until we're way out of bounds. When what we know to be God's law and what we're being told don't agree, we have a decision to make. If the decision isn't clear, then ask someone who can clear it up. Eve didn't. She could have easily said, "Well, that may be true, but I'll ask God about it when He comes by later." Instead, she convinced herself otherwise and made a life-altering decision without consulting God. So, what do we learn from this story? Satan is very clever and extremely talented at deception. We are easily tripped up when we try to fight temptation alone. When in doubt, don't lean on your own understanding. Talk to God. He's got the answers and can clear it up. One last item: Read through this passage and see where Adam was during this time. He was standing right there watching this unfold and he did nothing to stop it. Worse, he joined in after Eve ate the fruit. Men, don't be on the sidelines watching your wife or family getting sucked in by Satan. Stand up and defend them. Adam failed in that regard. Don't repeat his mistake. Satan is better at this stuff than we can imagine. Don't fight him alone. Don't let him attack your family without putting up a vigorous defense backed by God. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Sat Oct 8 00:27:51 2005 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Sat, 8 Oct 2005 00:27:51 -0700 Subject: [Daily Push Up] All Wet Message-ID: Some Biblical accounts cause a raised eyebrow for the unbeliever and the believer who is short on faith. The flood is a good example. When we relegate God to something less than the ultimate creator and skirt this story as written, we place ourselves ahead of God. We justify His inspired Word as a literary device in order to make a point. "Sometimes God goes a little over the top to teach us an important lesson." On the other hand, one of the first arguments a non-believer will use to reject scripture is to observe that there are hundreds of cultures all over the world with belief systems and ancient writings on which they rely. They hold many revelations of wisdom that would benefit the world, if we would just embrace them. Of course, they won't discuss that anything good from any culture has its origin form the one and only God. "In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, on the seventeenth day of the second month ? on that day all the springs of the great deep burst forth, and the floodgates of the heavens were opened." Genesis 7:11 This verse is pretty straightforward. There's no innuendo, no puff of smoke, no incantations. There are just facts. How else would wisdom state a historical fact. Still find it hard to believe? How about all those wise ancient cultures? Mark Isaak, in his work, "Flood Stories Around the World", has found that over 250 cultures from every inhabited continent have an account of a great flood in their history or mythology. Gosh, do you think there really might have been a great flood? Stay strong, Allen From wyatt at clanwebb.com Sun Oct 9 00:23:59 2005 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Sun, 9 Oct 2005 00:23:59 -0700 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Reset Yourself Message-ID: There is a commercial on TV that portrays something called the "Easy Button". The actor walks into a well known office supply store and pushes his "Easy Button" and all of his problems are solved. Were it so simple! My gosh, I could wear out a couple of those things every week by myself. The tangles and knots people find themselves in is amazing. I include myself in that statement. I look back on my life and some of the personal, financial, and physical fixes I have produced boggle the mind. There is no easy button. I am sure you all know that in your hearts. There is, however, a reset button. This button allows you to reset your life. It doesn't necessarily make your life easier, but it does allow for that yearning to start all over. This button is not be confused with a pause button, because it doesn't make time stand still and it doesn't allow you to come back and pick up where you left off. Nor is it a rewind button. You don't get to undo what has already happened. The reset button is like an injection of adrenaline, light, wisdom, and character. You may have to push it several times during your lifetime. If you don't use the reset button from time to time, you will blow a circuit and nothing will come on when you need it. "For God, who said, "Light shall shine out of darkness," is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the LIght of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ." 2 Corinthians 4:6 "Jesus answered and said to him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God." John 3:3 "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me." Psalm 51:10 The Word of God, the ultimate reset button. Be with God. Allen From wyatt at clanwebb.com Mon Oct 10 00:42:52 2005 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Mon, 10 Oct 2005 00:42:52 -0700 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Just For You Message-ID: <92772493ca5bef415ed32bc44676410a@clanwebb.com> Sometimes, something good happens to you accidentally or by happenstance. The good thing was really for someone else, but you get to hitch a ride and join in the fun. Those kinds of things can still be a source of happiness and enjoyment, but it's never quite as special as when it's for you. My family and I got to watch a Seattle Mariners game from a luxury suite because my brother-in-law had the opportunity to invite his whole family. We had a blast, but it wasn't about us. As a young child, I had the chance to go to a reception after a Portland Trailblazers game and get autographs from the entire team. I got to go because the company my dad worked for had arranged the reception and Dad and finagled us in. Again, it was fun, but it would have happened without me. My ultimate story of tagging along for the fun happened when I was about fifteen or sixteen. I was visiting a friend whom I hadn't seen in a while. It just so happened that a new friend of his had dropped by. This new friend invited us both to his house to shoot hoops. What made this so cool was that the new friend was Phil Knight's son. That's Phil Knight, the founder of Nike. So, after knowing this kid for less than an hour, I was driving onto the Knight estate (it's huge). I was awestruck by the dozen or so high-performance sports cars I could see in the garage. Then we went to the basketball court. It was a separate, covered building on the estate. It housed a tennis court which had hoops mounted so you could play full-court basketball. Where there should be bleachers on a competitive court, there were large, carpeted, stair-stepping seating areas. At the top of this giant staircase was the equivalent of a luxury suite with a wet bar, mini kitchen, big TV, and recliners. Again, I had a blast that day, but I never saw that kid again. He probably forgot about me the next day. It wasn't about me or who I knew. I got lucky. I just tagged along. I used to think that I was riding the same kind of luck by getting saved. God loves man. Man sinned and needed Jesus to save him. Jesus came and died for all of us. I figured Jesus was just going about it efficiently. Why be picky? Just die for everyone and let them decide whether to accept it or not. I felt like I lucked out and could get in on this great deal. It wasn't about me. It would have happened even if I were excluded, right? Wrong. I finally came to the realization that had I been the only human on Earth and Jesus had to come die just for me, He still would have done it. He didn't just airdrop billions of get-out-of-hell-free cards and you had to hope you were there to catch one. Nope. He has hand delivered His offer of salvation do the doorstep of your heart. He did it for you specfically. You're that special. "What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should be lost." Matthew 18:12-14 Our Father in heaven wants to retrieve each one of us even if we had been the only one to wander off. Jesus would have died for you even if you had been the only one. You are worth it. "For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb." Psalm 139:13 He formed you with His hands. You are His masterpiece. He sent His son just to give you the chance to be saved. You can still reject Him, but I chose not to. He came and died just for me. He did it just for you, too. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Tue Oct 11 00:05:11 2005 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Tue, 11 Oct 2005 00:05:11 -0700 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Get Validated Message-ID: Why is it that being a fashion model is such a high profile profession? Why are certain figures considered to be beautiful while others are not? Why is one art piece lifted up and another considered worthless? Why is more considered success and less is... well, less? I believe validation is the answer to these questions. Why is it that men and women don't feel validated? This search, that ends up in body comparison, compulsion, plastic surgery, anorexia, addiction, and all the rest is centered in validation. I was in a musical during my college days (this must come as a real shock to anyone who has heard me sing. However, I didn't have a solo so the world was spared) called "The Fantasticks". This musical had a song in the score called, "Why do the kids put beans in their ears?" No, really. I'm not kidding. The explanation phrase was, "They did it because we said no." This is the essence of rebellion. Rebellion is the search for validation. The need for validation is rooted in dissatisfaction which comes when someone tells you that you are lacking. The clothes designer tells you that you are lacking, so you spend a ton of money because that person's name is on the label. Advertising agencies pound you with the body image until you have little or no self-esteem unless you look like the model. You have no taste, unless you own something that someone else has ordained as being in style. Who gives these people the authority to call the shots? We do. Why do we do it? Validation. We want that stamp on our souls that cry out for significance. These people are lacking one thing to make them right and deserving of our loyalty: validation. Without us, they are nothing. So, why don't we just turn to one another and say, "You're okay, don't change a thing." ? We can't because we just set up the same cycle of giving each other validation. Sooner or later, someone will say, "What good is this validation unless someone is better than someone else?" I can't see my position unless I can see who is above and who is below. We can't do it for ourselves. Validation, true validation, has to come from an authoritative source that is indisputable. Some intelligence somewhere has to be the ultimate authority in all things in order for the validation to be pure and indisputable. How's this for an ultimate authority? "I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades." Revelation 1:18 "Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, But a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised." Proverbs 31:30 Here's the validation: "Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come." 2 Corinthians 5:17 "Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a cent? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But the very hairs of your head are numbered. So do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows. Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven." Matthew 10:28-33 Here's a word about leading advertising and false expectations: "And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin," Matthew 6:28 "For speaking out arrogant words of vanity they entice by fleshly desires, by sensuality, those who barely escape from the ones who live in error," 2 Peter 2:18 What is important? "Buy truth, and do not sell it, Get wisdom and instruction and understanding." Proverbs 23:23 "Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves;" Philippians 2:1-3 There is validation in truth. Allen From wyatt at clanwebb.com Wed Oct 12 00:23:16 2005 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Wed, 12 Oct 2005 00:23:16 -0700 Subject: [Daily Push Up] You Don't Need to Get Smart Message-ID: <46f0efe579fb3c11975110989d1574c8@clanwebb.com> I have had some profound moments in my life happen in the most mundane situations. One of those times stands out for me. It was a moment when several things I sort of instinctively knew all crystallized and became a tangible idea that I could discuss and defend. It helped me to understand myself better and to understand the blessings God has given me. It happened in a cab in Las Vegas. At the time I was only 25. I was in town to work at my company's booth during a very large trade show (The sales folks liked having a token engineer around. They didn't let me talk much, but they would send me to talk to those folks who had specific, technical questions. That allowed the salespeople to stay free to make contacts and sell.) On my way to the convention center one afternoon, I was riding in a cab with a chatty driver. He figured out what I was doing there and wondered who I worked for and how I had come to that point in my life. He was clearly curious about the path my life had taken and it seemed that he had asked many other riders the same kinds of questions. At one point in the conversation, he started asking about my education and how well I had done. I explained that I had graduated at the top of my high school class and had gone on to graduate MIT. He shook his head and said, "Wow, it must be amazing to be that smart." It was at that point that things started to come together. I told him that I've never felt that I was really all that smart. I felt like I had worked hard and had been blessed with a slightly above average memory, nothing more. I felt that anyone who decided that they wanted it bad enough could do what I had done. I didn't think there was anything special about me other than that God had cleared a path for me and made it possible to follow my desires and turn it into a career. I think he was truly shocked. When I got out of the cab, he kept thanking me for the conversation and telling me how much he appreciated what I had said. I can only surmise that other folks in the same seat had sounded condescending or implied that not everyone could attain their lofty status. I had a moment of clarity that allowed me to describe my opinions clearly and it seemed to be a moment of realization for the driver, too. He seemed genuinely encouraged about the idea that he could accomplish something like what I had. I hope he did. I realize that folks will often go through life with the same misconception about salvation. They figure that they can't measure up to the Christians around them. They figure that they don't rate and aren't capable of stepping up to that lofty level. Wow, they couldn't be more wrong! The wise of the world have a harder time believing because they have come to depend on their wisdom. "I am the Lord...who foils the signs of false prophets and makes fools of diviners, who overthrows the learning of the wise and turns it into nonsense," Isaiah 44:24-25 "For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools." Romans 1:21-22 Being rich actually makes it more difficult to live the life Christ asks us to live. There's more to give up. These folks have learned to depend on their finances. "Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." Matthew 19:24 Not only can the most average, most underachieving folks be saved, but God actually uses them more often! Heck, he picked a pretty ragamuffin group to start His church. "Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of the world and the despised things? and the things that are not?to nullify the things that are," 1 Corinthians 1:26-28 When Jesus offered you salvation, he was really talking to you. No matter who you are, what you've done, or how terrible a person you think you've been. You may think you don't deserve salvation. You're right! None of us do, but Jesus offered it to you anyway. All you have to do is accept it. You don't have to be very smart to follow those instructions. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Thu Oct 13 00:04:45 2005 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Thu, 13 Oct 2005 00:04:45 -0700 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Head For the Next Tree Message-ID: At times I have struggled with God and how He leads me. I find myself demanding that He show me more of the plan, that He make it obvious where He's leading me. I know I'm supposed to trust Him, but I can't understand what it would hurt to show me just a little more. Of course, there is a reason He doesn't show us more. It's because He loves us. I'm reminded of one particular hiking trip from my youth. Dad had just started to take me hiking and this was probably only my third or fourth hike with him. I was about twelve or thirteen at the time. A friend of ours had recommended a particular trail and promised that it was only a little over two miles in and only about a 500 foot elevation change to a small lake with great camping areas. Seemed like a perfect weekend for Dad and me. After hiking about two miles, we realized that this hike was not as advertised. It was going to be closer to a five mile hike and the elevation change was actually pretty serious at some points. Near the end of the hike, Dad could see that I was dragging. Worse, I was getting discouraged because the trail seemed like it would never end. I was, no doubt, complaining about my pack and how heavy it was. In retrospect, I'm sure Dad was carrying almost twice what I was. I'm sure he was tired and frustrated, too. We couldn't very well stop anywhere along the way as we were on a hillside with no level ground, so we had to make it to the lake before nightfall. Realizing that the apparent vastness of the remaining hike was breaking me, Dad took a different approach. As we headed up a series of switchbacks, he started a pattern of short-term goals. We'd sit on a rock for a quick breather and he'd point out a tree up the hill a bit. "Let's just make it to that tree, okay? Then we'll sit for a second. You can make it that far, right?" Seeing a tangible goal, I could grit my teeth for five minutes and get to the landmark he'd picked. Then we'd sit down for a few seconds and he'd pick out another one. We did that up the entire hill. When we hit the top, we could see the lake and the path was now level down to several suitable open spaces. We had made it! I felt a sudden surge of adrenaline and excitement. Five minutes previous, I thought I was going to collapse. Suddenly, I had spring in my step and, after taking my pack off, I couldn't stand still. Dad had found a way to achieve the goal by removing the distraction of the bigger picture. By breaking it up into pieces I could deal with, he got me through. I'm convinced that God is doing the same thing with us. If we could see the bigger picture, we'd be discouraged about the trials in our future. We'd be obsessed with the final destination and not the growth we needed to achieve on the journey. God wants us to focus on the next tree. We just have to trust that the lake is there. "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path." Psalm 119:105 Think of a flashlight in a dark forest. If you don't want to trip, you point it directly in front of you. You can only see the next few steps, but that's the only way to make it through. If you start looking too far ahead, you're going to trip on something you didn't see. Use the Word to see the next few steps and trust God to lead you on the path. "Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The Lord, the Lord, is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation." Isaiah 12:2 Stop complaining about seeing the big picture. You wouldn't be able to function if you knew everything that was coming. Trust God to direct your path. He has decided to show you what's immediately in front of you, so you can achieve it. You worry about the landmarks you can see. He'll just keep revealing the next one when you need it. I'll see you at the next tree. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Fri Oct 14 00:00:49 2005 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Fri, 14 Oct 2005 00:00:49 -0700 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Fathers: Males or Men Message-ID: Fatherhood is a word in the modern world that is searching for a definition. The biological act that results in a baby no longer reaches the elevation for fatherhood. One brief act doesn't make you a father. It makes you responsible. This responsibility has become so gray that what was the exception is now the rule. Abandonment or murder of the resulting child has become a commonplace option for the sperm donor. No matter what the male decided to do, the responsibility stays put like his shadow. Even males that miss the mark when they are married will try to duck the responsibility of fatherhood. I don't include the men who simply make mistakes in this category. Mistakes are inevitable in a fallen world. Fatherhood and responsibility are inseparable. Neglect of the responsibility is reflected in the fact that eighty percent of children do not live with both of their biological parents. You will note that I have only used the word men once so far. This is because there is a huge difference between being male and being a man. Manhood is linked to responsibility and fatherhood. Fatherhood is linked to its source: the Bible. "Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect." Matthew 5:48 "A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling." Psalm 68:5 "He will call out to me, "You are my Father, my God, the Rock my Savior."" Psalm 89:26 Being an earthly father is a high calling. It is a call to perfection. Therefore, all the excuses put forth by males who profess to be fathers is like so much trash when held in the light of the responsibility. They must not think they are a father by being a male who has donated sperm. There will come a time when the responsibility will catch up with them. "May the iniquity of his fathers be remembered before the Lord;" Psalm 109:14 There is hope for these males who want to become men. "As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him;" Psalm 103:13 If you want to be a good earthly father, get to know your heavenly Father. "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; but fools despise wisdom and discipline." Proverbs 1:7 Being male is foolish. Being a man is Godly. Allen From wyatt at clanwebb.com Sat Oct 15 01:42:25 2005 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Sat, 15 Oct 2005 01:42:25 -0700 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Always There Message-ID: <4a095577b91cf003e34caf94d7a3909a@clanwebb.com> My wife, my son, and I live in the suburbs of Portland, Oregon. My parents live in Camano Island, Washington. If I need some advice from dad, I can email, call, or even drive up to see him. If I email, I'll probably get a response within 24 hours. If I call, I may be able to talk to him immediately, but not always. Sometimes, I have to leave a message. If I drive up there, I'll spend four hours in the car. Guys who I would consider my closest friends from high school and college are spread out, too. My college buddies seem to have congregated in the Bay Area. One long time friend lives about an hour north of us in Vancouver, Washington. Another one of them lives north of Seattle. If I wanted advice from any of them, I'd have to use the same forms of communication. All fraught with the possibility of not being immediate enough. I have built great relationships with guys at church and with our pastors. Even they are not availble to me at any moment, though. It's something we know in our heads, but it just touched my heart today to think about how great it is that God is available to us immediately any second of the day. "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me;" Psalm 23:4a "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own" 1 Corinthians 6:19 He is with you. No matter where you go. He's right there ready to work on His relationship with you. You can work on it, too. You can make that relationship better and He's waiting for you to do that. "Come near to God and he will come near to you." James 4:7a Nobody I know here on Earth is so dedicated to building a relationship with me. He is literally waiting every second of every day to talk to me. He wants to know what I worry about. He wants to know my wants and needs. He wants to provide for me what I need. He wants to encourage me. He just wants to love me. Sometimes, it's just overwhelming that He would put so much energy into seeking out my well being. I mean, He's God! I'm nothing compared to Him. Once I realized that, I began to glimpse the kind of unconditional love that He has given me and that He calls me to give to others. No waiting for an return email or a call back. No driving hours to see Him. He's right there, right now, waiting to talk to me. Don't ever take that availablity for granted. It's a powerful gift. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Sun Oct 16 00:16:04 2005 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Sun, 16 Oct 2005 00:16:04 -0700 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Joking With God Message-ID: <3efa00549b6856c85e8a100e735e65ef@clanwebb.com> I was daydreaming and imagining myself sitting around a campfire with Jesus. As the dream progressed, I came to a point when I tried to imagine if Jesus would laugh at a joke, or even joke around Himself. I was stuck without an image. I began to do a little search to see if anyone else had pondered the idea of whether God has a sense of humor. I did find one fellow who had done a little research on the subject and his results were interesting. God seems to chuckle at the futility of Man. "But you, O Lord, laugh at them; you scoff at all those nations." Psalm 59:8 "but the Lord laughs at the wicked, for he knows their day is coming." Psalm 37:13 Paul pulls no punches when he comments on those preaching salvation by surgery... "As for those agitators, I wish they would go the whole way and emasculate themselves!" Galatians 5:12 Elijah wasn't one to let an opportunity for a little mockery to pass when the prophets of Baal were in the midst of their latest dance craze. "It came about at noon, that Elijah mocked them and said, "Call out with a loud voice, for he is a god; either he is occupied or gone aside, or is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and needs to be awakened."" 1 Kings 18:27 Loosely translated: "Yo boys, if he is a god, maybe he's too busy for you guys. Maybe he's in the bathroom or just taking a nap." There are other verses, but I think it is safe to say that a sense of humor is God-given and, like any gift, one must treat it as a gift from the creator. "and there must be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks." Ephesians 5:4 Have a great day and smile at the world. It's okay! Allen From wyatt at clanwebb.com Mon Oct 17 00:21:01 2005 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Mon, 17 Oct 2005 00:21:01 -0700 Subject: [Daily Push Up] What Are We Promised? Message-ID: Wow, what a night for a sports fan! I watched two intense baseball playoff games and got to watch the Seahawks win fairly handily. It's fun to watch great games and good players. It's gratifying to see players who thank God for their abilities and their opportunities. It's also heartbreaking to see those same players lose games or lose a playoff series and have to go home. I remember, as a young Christian, wondering about how God fit into sports. If both teams prayed for victory, how did God choose? If your entire team were Christians and prayed fervently, shouldn't they win every game? Wouldn't they be a dynasty? Wouldn't that be a great way to spread the Gospel? Where my logic was failing was in the assumption that being a Christian who lives the life God calls us to means full time success. I also misunderstood the meaning of success in this context. I thought being saved meant never having to deal with disappointment or failure. I figured my own setbacks were due to being on God's bad side. It was some years later that I finally put it all together. Being a Christian will bring you success, just not as the world defines it. Being a Christian will bring you joy, but not full time happiness. There's a difference. Most importantly, being a Christian does not exempt you from down times in your life. "Remember the words I spoke to you: 'No servant is greater than his master.' If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also." John 15:20a "In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted," 2 Timothy 3:12 It's going to get worse, too. Jesus told us as much when speaking of the future: "Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me." Matthew 24:9 Not only is there no promise of smooth roads, we're actually told that it's unavoidable. It comes with the territory. What makes us different is how we respond. "We work hard with our own hands. When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; when we are slandered, we answer kindly. Up to this moment we have become the scum of the earth, the refuse of the world." 1 Corinthians 4:12-13 What makes that possible? Has God unlocked some special ability within us? No, it's God Himself. He's with us during all of those times so that we can endure. Without Him we are lost. "Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand." Psalm 73:23 So, we weren't promised a bed of roses. We were just promised eternity with Jesus. Don't complain, it's a much better deal. I'll take Jesus over my team winning a Super Bowl or World Series any day. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Tue Oct 18 00:22:54 2005 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Tue, 18 Oct 2005 00:22:54 -0700 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Don't Make It Worse Message-ID: Do you ever have those moments when you realize that everything you are doing is just making the situation worse? I'm constantly thinking about solutions to the problems in front of me, so when I get into one of those binds my brain goes into overdrive. Just as I've figured out a way to solve the current problem, it takes a bad turn and I have to start over. One night, my wife and I decided to make some popcorn. Popcorn in our house is something of a running joke. At some point in our past we purchased a very large container of popcorn. At the time, we had nowhere to put it so we separated it into large ziploc storage bags and they've been in our cabinets for years. We're always having to work around them or move them to another shelf. Anyway, on this night, I reached up to the top shelf of the cabinet to grab the one storage bag that was only about half full so we could use it to pop. As I began to pull the bag down, I heard rain. What was weird was that this rain was awfully loud and it was hitting me in the head. It took me a second or two to realize that popcorn was raining down from the top shelf on me. It was hitting the tile counter which was producing an impressive cacophony. Now, at this point, my first instinct was to simply push the bag back to stop the shower and assess the damage. I returned the bag to it's spot, but the shower didn't stop. Now, I was stumped. I could see the kernels going under the fridge, in the sink, behind the toaster oven, and everywhere else. However, I couldn't do anything because my hands were frantically trying to make it stop. Finally, enough had fallen out that the shower slowed to a trickle. As I climbed up to see what had happened, I realized that it was not the bag I had grabbed but the full bag behind it that had sprung a leak. With popcorn kernels everywhere and me debating how to remove the leaking bag without making it worse, my wife jumped in to help. Through her laughter, she found the camera and took several pictures. All the better to humiliate me with at a later date. With what I thought was some careful maneuvering, I slid the larger bag out of the back and proceeded to dump half of it on the floor, too. It got to the point where I had to laugh because it just kept getting worse. I knew I would be cleaning it all up eventually, but I just wanted it to stop at some point. It did and we did get it cleaned up. But, to this day, we will still find a random popcorn kernel behind the flour or in a drawer. They ended up in places I would have never imagined. My actions has varied and widespread consequences. It's a stretch, but that leads me to a point about making sure you aren't just making things worse. Don't act in God's name by leaning on your own strength or wisdom. Don't do your will and assume it's His. "For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength." 1 Corinthians 1:25 "...your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." Matthew 6:10 So, get out of the way. The more you try to fix it your way, the more you just mess it up. At your mistakes will ripple for a while. You may be cleaning up your mess for years to come. Let God do His thing. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Wed Oct 19 00:07:51 2005 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Wed, 19 Oct 2005 00:07:51 -0700 Subject: [Daily Push Up] The Source Message-ID: <6c35810ab2bc4085d9e0f58f46d2ac6b@clanwebb.com> There's nothing like going to the source. Whether you're talking about a river's source in the mountains or getting a good deal by going to the manufacturer, there's something empowering about getting as close as you can to what you want or need. Sometimes the problem is getting to the source. Hiking to the glacier that is the source of a river can be quite a journey. Getting a deal from the manufacturer might mean a drive across town or even out of state. People will travel thousands of miles to get to the right kind of hot springs or to surf the perfect wave. They want the best, the purest form of what they desire. It's no different for the spiritual needs in our life. We should crave the love of God and attempt to strengthen that connection every day. Some folks feel they need to travel halfway around the world to see a particular chapel or talk to a certain guru to get closer to God. People unclear on Christianity feel they need to walk into a building with stained glass windows to converse with God. For a long time, the situation was similar for the Israelites. They needed a high priest to go to God to ask forgiveness. This man had the responsibility of being the middleman between God and the chosen people. So, even when God had selected Israel as the chosen people, they still couldn't get too close. Jesus came to close that gap. His sacrifice on the cross paid for our sin so that, in God's eyes, we are holy enough to approach Him directly. Jesus is now that intermediary and we can talk to Him directly. "Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. [...] Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." Hebrews 4:14,16 Jesus removed the need to go through a middleman. Furthermore, since God is omnipresent, there's no travel involved in bringing your prayers to His throne. Whether you're in your car, mowing the lawn, waiting in line, or laying in bed, you can approach the throne confidently. You can march right up and tell your loving Father what's going on. You can ask for forgiveness of sin, direction in your current problems, and ask for strength to be the man He wants you to be. This is a fantastic privilege we've been given. Millions of people do not have the same access to God. Don't take it for granted. Talk to Him. Frequently. You've got unfettered, uncluttered access. Go to the source. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Thu Oct 20 00:13:23 2005 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Thu, 20 Oct 2005 00:13:23 -0700 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Moments of Truth Message-ID: I think it's safe to say that we all want to be in control of our situation. If we can't, then we at least want to appear that we're in control. When you're trying to make it appear that you're in control, the worst feeling in the world is when it's obvious to those around you that you aren't. Whether it's when your two-year old throws a fit in the middle of the mall and you can't calm him down or when your credit card is rejected at a restaurant. These are intensely embarrassing moments because it pierces the facade we've built of being in control. The only thing way to compound this and make it even worse is when it's clear to others that you've been deceptive or outright hypocritical in your life. It might happen when your wife asks what those extra pay-per-view charges were on your last business trip. It might happen when your wife notices that the checkbook doesn't add up. It might happen when your son asks why you're keeping the money when the clerk gives you too much change. These are moments of truth. The truth hurts. It does pierce more than any two-edged sword. At those moments you have a decision to make. The sin nature in us wants to react like a cockroach in sunlight. It drives you to scatter for the dark places by acting defensively. You could simply deny the charges, which piles lying on top of any other sin. You could attack the messenger and get angry about what they are accusing or by pointing out some sin they may or may not have in their lives. You could try to justify it by saying it's really not that bad compared to others or that your spouse or child is much worse. However, the holy part of us - that part that was created when we invited Jesus to dwell within us - will welcome the truth. We could react like David did when Nathan called him on his adultery. He wrote Psalm 51: "Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are proved right when you speak and justified when you judge. Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me. Surely you desire truth in the inner parts; you teach me wisdom in the inmost place. Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice. Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity. Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will turn back to you. Save me from bloodguilt, O God, the God who saves me, and my tongue will sing of your righteousness. O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise. You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. In your good pleasure make Zion prosper; build up the walls of Jerusalem. Then there will be righteous sacrifices, whole burnt offerings to delight you; then bulls will be offered on your altar." Psalm 51 Wow. There's no hint of defensiveness there. David is begging for mercy. He's humbling himself before God. He's crying out for reconciliation with God. Notice that he even gets to the bottom of things in that he knows not to offer an animal sacrifice. He knows that's really not what covers the sin. David knows that in times like this, what God wants is a broken spirit and a contrite heart. We should strive to be like David in our moments of truth. Leave the part of you that wants to be in control out of it. You need to be broken before the Lord. It's only then that He can rebuild you into the person He wants you to be. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Fri Oct 21 00:39:57 2005 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Fri, 21 Oct 2005 00:39:57 -0700 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Buying Happiness Message-ID: <0b23cb04448b35a14a2d760dee72864d@clanwebb.com> Someone in the small town of Jacksonville, Oregon is very, very wealthy. The winning Powerball ticket, worth $340 million, was sold in that town and the residents are waiting with baited breath to see who the big winner is. The newscasts are filled with interviews of the store owners and other local folks. The question of the day seems to always be, "What would you do with money like that?" The responses to these answers used to be fun to listen to, but they're starting to get predictable. I realize that far too many people in America are convinced that having more money will instantly solve their problems. It's inconceivable to them that being that wealthy would be difficult or contentious. However, it's been documented that many lottery winners go on to have fairly miserable lives. The demands on you when you have that kind of money are huge. Knowing how to manage it is no easy task. And, yet, everyone in the country loves to daydream a little about how they'd spend that money. The stories are always exaggerations of what's important in their lives. One person wants a big house on property away from town. That person values privacy and comfort. Another one talks about building a karate studio so he can teach. That guy values his favorite sport. Still more talk about buying things for their friends and family. They seem to value those relationships. The fact is, though, that money can easily be a corrupting influence. The more of it there is, the more likely it will distract those around it from God's will. "For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs." 1 Timothy 6:10 Some may ask, why does God allow these troubles around money? Read that verse again. We're doing it to ourselves. The desire for money causes us to sign up for pain and suffering. We have free will. God isn't going to stop us from exerting it, even if it's to do something stupid. It's doubly dumb in that we all clearly know that none of those riches are coming with us to Heaven. That's like spending half your life digging for gold and then driving it right to the dump. Don't let these desires get in the way. Don't let it distract you from the race God has set before you. Set your mind to the eternal riches. "I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being" Ephesians 3:16 Don't worry, God will provide for you here, too. "And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:19 All our needs? Yep. All of them. You see, you don't even need to waste time working for all of that extra money you think you need. God will make sure you have enough for what you need. Any effort that is hurting your relationship with Christ is a waste of time. Don't make a bad investment. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Sat Oct 22 00:09:20 2005 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Sat, 22 Oct 2005 00:09:20 -0700 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Observe Accurately Message-ID: I find that I learn things under the strangest circumstances. Last night it happened while at a class taught by one of my pastors. Go figure. Anyway, we were discussing the right approach to the study of scripture. It turns out that the right approach is the same as the secular approach to studying any written work. We talked about words, structure, atmosphere, and literary form. We arrived at the conclusion that in order to get the most out of what we read we must accurately observe. That, in turn, will lead to correct interpretation and then to right application. Most Hollywood writers need to visit this lesson when it comes to the use of the Bible in their scripts. It has always been a sore point with me that the Bible in the movies is relegated to the wild-eyed and mentally unbalanced. Growing up with westerns, it seems that the same thread is woven into today's scripts. The writer spent about the same time in Biblical research as they used to when they came up with the idea that the voluptuous girl, running from danger in a torn dress is good theater. "eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot," Exodus 21:24 Hollywood assigns this passage to a Raymond Massey character just before he kills the man who killed his son. Usually, the dead son was a drunken card-cheating scoundrel and the man he kills - dealing out God's judgment - is the poor innocent boy who was in the saloon having a glass of milk while his young bride was across the street buying gingham for a new dress. Never mind that the verse is meant to illustrate that justice should be equal and evenhanded, not that it takes an optometrist, dentist, surgeon, and a podiatrist to right a wrong. "Thou shalt not kill." Exodus 20:13 This, of course, is the sixth commandment. It has been relegated to the non-Christian to accuse the Christian that is going off to war. "Doesn't the good book say, "Thou shalt not kill" ? ". Never mind that there are at least nine Hebrew words that refer to killing and the one used here specifically means murder. "Vengeance is Mine, and retribution, In due time their foot will slip; For the day of their calamity is near, And the impending things are hastening upon them." Deuteronomy 32:35 Here again, the crazy Christian proclaims that he is the instrument of God and he's only doing what God wants by riding down on the hapless village of peaceful indigenous natives and wiping them out without mercy. This scene always includes the crying baby sitting next to the murdered mother. Never mind that this verse is instructing the reader that God will take care of any "payback", because sooner or later the wrongdoers slip up and the roof falls in on them. Most of these people never get past the first couple of books in the Bible or they jump right to Revelation which is full of imagery and easy to misconstrue. Remember that accurate observation leads to correct interpretation which leads to right application. "I applied my heart to what I observed and learned a lesson from what I saw;" Proverbs 24:32 Allen From wyatt at clanwebb.com Sun Oct 23 00:40:09 2005 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Sun, 23 Oct 2005 00:40:09 -0700 Subject: [Daily Push Up] How to Navigate the Maze Message-ID: <3dc2f1b69365755d5adf471f530ce3aa@clanwebb.com> There are times when the symbolism and imagery I encounter in everyday life is so obvious that I have to stop and stare. I look around and wonder why nobody else can see the clear parallels between what we're experiencing and what God does for us in our lives. Today, it happened to me while I was chaperoning a youth group trip to a corn maze. I went into the maze with a group of four kids. They took the hint sheet that would help them find their way through. I took a copy of the map just in case we got lost. This was a particularly impressive maze as the corn was easily eight feet high. This made it impossible to even jump to see how close to the edge you were or cheat in any other way. When looking at the map, the path is fairly clear. When in the maze, though, it's very tough to tell whether a path is taking the right direction or not. And, like most mazes, you sometimes have to head the opposite direction to get to your destination. There isn't always a straight line. About halfway through the map, the number of path choices increased dramatically. We could no longer depend on trying them all and backtracking. We would have been there all day. The kids were getting frustrated and walking in circles. I finally started to give them hints to get going the right direction. It was about this point that the realization hit me. These kids were just like people walking through life. You have no idea which way is right and it's easy to start repeating your path. Without any discernable goal or idea of how far away it is, they were getting frustrated and losing their joy. It wasn't until someone who could see the big picture began guiding them, that they started having fun again. I also realized that, much like God, if I had simply told them a long list of "left, right, right, left, left, second left, etc." I would have overwhelmed them. I gave them directions a little at a time. By the end, I realized that having the map probably saved us over an hour of searching and backtracking. It was a valuable resource for completeing the maze. God holds the map to the maze of our life. We can attempt to get through it ourselves, but it won't be pretty. There will be dead ends. There will be loops that cause you to walk the same trail over and over. There will be frustration and depression. Instead, we need to let him give us the hints to find the safe path. "I will lead the blind by the ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them." Isaiah 42:16 Don't try to navigate it yourself. Just ask Him for a little light. He'll give it to you. Then you have to trust Him. He'll lead you ways that may not make sense or are along unfamiliar trails. Trust Him. He'll never forsake you. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Mon Oct 24 01:33:06 2005 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Mon, 24 Oct 2005 01:33:06 -0700 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Underdog Message-ID: <4e1b6e15aec91cd6f8cb56ecce0ecdf9@clanwebb.com> There's something very American about a good underdog story. We love to root for the teams that aren't supposed to win. We read books about men and women who weren't supposed to succeed or become well-known. We watch TV specials about entertainers and politicians that rose up from the most humble of circumstances to become household names. Of course, America itself is an underdog story. Washington's army had no business fighting the British for an extended period of time, much less actually winning. Most other revolutions in the world had concluded with much more bloodshed and very far from the goal of the instigators. Not so here. We won that war and moved into a relatively peaceful state that allowed us to build a country that has been blessed by God for many years. There's one thing common in all of these underdogs, though. They all have something inside them that is much bigger than any observer thought was there. The people themselves always believed in their eventual success, because they understood what they had. I think God likes the underdog ethos, too. Here He is the Creator of the universe. He could have sent armies of angels and Christ on the lead horse to offer us salvation. That would have been very impressive. But, He didn't. Christ humbled himself to be born as a baby in a manger to people that didn't stand out. He walked from town to town preaching the truth with a dozen young men following Him around. Not overwhelming force as we would measure it. But what appeared to be just a man was, in fact, the savior of the world. He had much more than most others thought He had. In the eyes of the world, He was an underdog. God sees you as an underdog, too. Chances are that you aren't terribly famous or fabulously wealthy. That's okay. We all know that we have something inside of us that guarantees success. Some may not believe it, but it's true. In the end, we will be on the winning team. We can be confident of that. God uses the unexpected, the ignored, the dismissed things of the world to win. The ultimate underdogs. "But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me." 2 Corinthians 12:9 So, brag about your weaknesses. That's where God will be strongest. That's when you get to be the underdog. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Tue Oct 25 00:48:23 2005 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Tue, 25 Oct 2005 00:48:23 -0700 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Delay Tactics Message-ID: <70fde8498380e949aa4a612f40201d0a@clanwebb.com> Do you find yourself always having to do something first? What I mean is this: I want to do something, but I have to do something else first. It is a pet peeve of mine that, if I want to take care of a technical problem with the house or one of the cars, I have to do something else first. I have to dig through my stuff in the garage to find the proper tool, run to the auto parts store, opine over knowing I have the part or tool but I can't find it, or the job requires eight matching screws and I only have seven. These are the irritations of life that are not likely to change. Several years ago, I did come to the conclusion that I had allowed this pattern to creep into my spiritual devotional and kingdom work life. I was always going to have a devotional time, but I had to do something first. I was always going to get involved at church, but I had to take care of something first to make the time. It was a monumental chess game with Satan. I would move a square and he would counter the move. I would lay down a goal and he would arrange an obstacle that would make me take the long way around. The guest speaker at our men's event this past weekend said it so clearly that it was laughable, "Satan only has to get you to quit." He doesn't have to blind you, or break a member of your body to do it. All he has to do is to frustrate you to the point that you'll quit. You just stop and give in to the couch. It's almost like he decided that the Job approach didn't work, so he went into a more subtle mode. He doesn't need to take it all away to make a man give up. He just frustrates you into putting it off until you die. Then it's too late. I have met - you can too if you just open your eyes and observe - so many men that seem to get it all done. They have a devotional life, they spend time with the kids and the wife, they are active in the church, they go on vacation, they have a good lifestyle, and they are always up. On paper, there just isn't enough time in the day to do everything they do, but somehow they do it. Again, the speaker this weekend had the same answer I have always heard when asked, "How do you do it, man?" He spread out his arms and answered, "I don't know, somehow God just makes it all work." "Only be strong and very courageous; be careful to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may have success wherever you go. Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful." Joshua 1:7-8 I never thought I would say it, but this year I have spent more time in the Word, been more involved at church, and made more money than anytime in my life. Guys, if you are faithful, He is faithful. Reread these two verses slowly. The message is clear Now, read them one more time, even slower. Allen From wyatt at clanwebb.com Wed Oct 26 00:08:47 2005 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Wed, 26 Oct 2005 00:08:47 -0700 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Great Story Message-ID: <233b9a16459b718b82f65298e198f61a@clanwebb.com> The manipulation of power with the intent to destroy an enemy is certainly nothing new. When the political parties engage in the practice to ruin someone personally by using any reason that seems tangible, we must not think it is anything new by any stretch of the imagination. God, however, often uses these tactics of humans to bring down the hunter and protect the hunted. The book of Esther is a prime example. Two men, Mordecai, a Jew, and Haman, an official of the King, were brought together in a battle of politics. Haman uncovers a plot to kill the King and as a reward the King heaps wealth and position on him. Haman's head swell to about the size of the Goodyear blimp and decrees that everyone should bow to him. Mordecai refuses because he is a Jew and bows only to God. The stage is set for conflict. One thing Haman doesn't know is that the queen, Esther, is also a Jew. Haman's lust for power blinds him and all he can think about is this one man who will not bow down. It so sticks in his craw that his wealth and power is incomplete unless he destroys Haman. In fact, it festers to the point that he will not be satisfied until he kills all Jews. Haman plans his plot so well that a public hanging of Mordecai will be the exclamation point to his victory. Great plot, isn't it? I'll bet you'd like to know how it turns out. Take a few minutes and look it up. The book of Esther is right between Nehemiah and Job. "A good man will obtain favor from the Lord, But He will condemn a man who devises evil. A man will not be established by wickedness, But the root of the righteous will not be moved." Proverbs 12:2-3 The story has a cool ending. Wow, those ladies! Allen From wyatt at clanwebb.com Wed Oct 26 08:15:28 2005 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Wed, 26 Oct 2005 08:15:28 -0700 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Great Story [CORRECTION] Message-ID: Sorry, guys, I misstated part of the Esther story... Mordecai is the one who uncovers the plot against the king, Haman is promoted with great wealth and position independent of that event. Still a great story! Allen From wyatt at clanwebb.com Wed Oct 26 23:00:00 2005 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Wed, 26 Oct 2005 23:00:00 -0700 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Stay Focused Message-ID: <35d1c996bbfc39b4ae4c1adfabd71de1@clanwebb.com> I am impressed with people who can stay focused. When it comes to the things I like, I can focus for hours, days, even months on end. When it's something I don't like, or something harder than I expected, it's hard to stay locked in. I've always been impressed by professional athletes because of the focus they have. It's not just playing all those games in a season, it's the practices, studying the tapes, learning the plays, knowing your opposition, training in the off-season, eating right every day all year long, and then there are the little things. I realize these guys have to avoid certain activities that we wouldn't think twice about. A pick-up game of basketball might bring on an injury that changes the course of a season. Going fishing or hiking might do the same. Their dedication to being good players is a 24/7/365 arrangement. That's focus. Michelangelo was commissioned to paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in 1508. He didn't finish it until 1512. They had to build a scaffold so that he could stand on it and paint... all day, every day. Standing and painting for four years. The first layer of plaster on the ceiling began to grow mold because it was too wet. He had to remove it and start again. He was asked to paint the twelve apostles in the Frescoes, but by the time he finished he had painted over 300 characters. That kind of dedication produced one of the world's most well-known pieces of art. That's focus. When God asked Noah to build the ark, Noah was somewhere between 500 and 600 years old. The world was a terribly wicked place. Bad enough that God wanted to wipe them all out. I'm sure Noah thought he'd heard it all. Then, when God tells Noah how to save himself, I can't help but think Noah did a double-take. "It's going to do what? Water is going to fall from the sky?" (it had never rained before the flood) "And you want me to build what? How big? You must be kidding!" The Bible doesn't record Noah's reaction other than simply saying that he did what he was asked. He built a box, basically. It had three floors, it was 75 feet wide, and one and a half football fields long. I'm sure it was the biggest thing people had ever seen. Noah was already the weirdo on the planet. He was the patriarch of a family that followed God. He followed God for hundreds of years and never gave up his faith. When God told him to build this big box, he simply set about doing it. We don't know for sure how long it took him to build it, but I have to think that it was years and years. Probably multiple decades. I'm sure the neighbors made fun of him, they may have even come by in the night and tried to sabotage his project. He just kept on building. Not long after his 600th birthday, they finished it. Building something nobody had ever seen or imagined in a place where there was no obvious place for it to float to be used to survive a flood that was coming in ways nobody had ever seen. That's real focus. Are you focused on God? Are you focused on what Christ did for you? Paul was focused: "But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 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 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ ? the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." Phillipians 3:7-14 Stay focused. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Fri Oct 28 00:12:55 2005 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Fri, 28 Oct 2005 00:12:55 -0700 Subject: [Daily Push Up] My Prayer was Broken Message-ID: <5e5e4fe3d422b8bc74cbf670c6d2221d@clanwebb.com> I have often been too clever for my own good. I remember a time as a child when I thought I'd hit the jackpot. I was young enough to still write letters to Santa, but old enough to think I could game the system. I realized that each year, I had asked for one or two things and they would appear on Christmas morning. So, I thought I'd test Santa's abilities. I started writing two and three page lists of Christmas requests. I soon discovered that Santa had limits (or at least his wallet did). From that point on, I would get the top two or three items on my list, but never the entire thing. I thought I had figured it out, but I really had no idea what the rules at work were. Over the last few weeks, God has been chiding me for treating Him the same way. He pointed out to me that my prayer life had devolved into a laundry list of requests for me or my immediate family. Now, there's nothing wrong with asking God for help or guidance, but I had lost the meaning. I was treating God like my all-powerful assistant and giving Him a to-do list every morning. My first clue that something was not right, much like with Santa, was that I felt like my prayers weren't being heard. There were answers to some of the things that were most important to me, but not to everything. The conversations felt empty, too. As I did part of my study the other night, He tied it all up. He showed me where He's been leading me and what He wants me to do. As usual, the scripture He brought me to makes it seem so obvious and clear. It's the time when Jesus taught His disciples how to pray. "This, then, is how you should pray: 'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.'" Matthew 6:9-14 The prayer begins with praise. We were, after all, created to be praise machines. Our prayers should not forget that fact. The next step is to pray that God's will be done. We're clueless. We don't know what would be the best for us or not. We should be praying that God's will be done above all of our requests. That's always the road that will be best for everyone. Next, Jesus reminds us to ask God for the bare necessities. Don't take them for granted. God provides you with food, clothing, housing, and everything else. Don't just assume those are locked in and start requesting above and beyond. You need to ask God to continue to provide the basics for you every day. Then, we should ask forgiveness for however we may have strayed from Him. It seems silly that we should be asking God to fix this or that if we are unwilling to at least ask forgiveness for our screw-ups. It's also a humbling statement and keeps you in the right frame of mind as it reminds us that we need to be forgiving as well. Finally, we ask God to protect us from Satan. Ask Him to keep you out of Satan's clutches. You see, I had it all backwards. I forgot to praise. I forgot that His will works better. I forgot to ask for the basics and thank Him for providing what I already have. I forgot to ask forgiveness and to forgive others. I went straight to the end and starting asking for my solutions to my problems. That's why it wasn't working. I wasn't following the directions Jesus laid out. Pray every day. Follow the prayer blueprint. Jesus knew what He was talking about. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Sat Oct 29 00:47:18 2005 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Sat, 29 Oct 2005 00:47:18 -0700 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Heavenly Heirloom Message-ID: <5228de4d74617b809dcd071ce1de71a2@clanwebb.com> Sentimental value is something we're all familiar with. Declaring something we own valuable even though it has no real market value has happened to us all. A particular object that was given to us by someone we love, when lost, can cause great distress. The reason is that the intrinsic or inherent value is in the impact it has on us personally. I recently inherited my father's Winchester rifle. It isn't an expensive gun, made around 1952, and it doesn't have any great monetary value. However, this gun holds, for me, the essence of the man that was my father. When I hold it, examine it, smell it, and most of all listen as I cock the action memories of my father flood over me. He used this gun to provide meat for me, to protect me, and to instruct me. I learned respect for guns, hunting, fishing, and the outdoors, but most of all I learned that, as far as I was concerned, he could do anything. When I hand the gun to someone else, the first question is always, "How old is it?" Then they want to know if it has some special history. When I tell them it belonged to my dad, those that have a good relationship with their fathers respond one way and those that don't respond differently. There are also those that wish they had a good relationship with their father. I suspect their thoughts are of a longing because they have nothing that reminds them of anything good from their father. Bibles are like my father's Winchester. You can walk into any store and pick up a good translation, one that has never been read, take it home, unwrap it, and open it up and you will find intrinsic, inherent value directly for you and nobody else. No two people get the same value out of a Bible. There are words, phrases, lessons, and memories that are just for you to hold, examine, smell, and listen to. Your heavenly Father will come to your mind, flooding you with memories, instruction, and provision and you will know that your Father can do anything. Once you begin to explore this heirloom, you will see that it was meant as an inheritance specifically for you. God has built in a dynamic equivalence in His Word so that it impacts you as if you were there when it was written. In the end, though, our relationship, memories, and lessons are different. Our inheritance is the same. "To open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me." Acts 26:18 It is personalized such that, when we close our eyes, we visualize a different face of Jesus. The essence of the man is in the heirloom. Blessings. Allen From wyatt at clanwebb.com Sun Oct 30 00:43:38 2005 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Sun, 30 Oct 2005 00:43:38 -0700 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Careful What You Brag About Message-ID: It is a very American and very male thing to measure each other up based on our accomplishments. Each of us wants to know how we rate against the men around us. We want to believe that we are better at some skill, are smarter about certain topics, or even just stronger than the next guy. I've seen guys obsess over the fact that they don't have a bigger car than the other guy at the office or that they can't play golf like that annoying neighbor down the street. These people wouldn't matter to us otherwise, but it really burns us that we can't claim to be the top of the heap in something! I remember how the athletes in high school would display their accomplishments. The football players' helmets would have stickers for each tackle they made. The wrestlers would wear safety pins on their letterman's jackets for each match they had won with a pin. You could pick out the best cornerback or heavyweight quickly. That's how we measured each other. Heck, it even happens to me today. My manager keeps track of how many bugs per week each of the engineers in my group fix. He tells us our own rate, but doesn't tell us everyone else's. I can't help but look around the room and try to size up my coworkers like I'm planning for some kind of playoff bracket. As men, we want to know that we're good at something. That we can be effective. This is fertile ground for sin. It's so easy to let that desire to be above average to turn into boasting. "In your face" was a common phrase on the playground basketball court. My son uses the updated version, "I owned you on that move!" Boasting is simply a form of pride. Pride is bad because it inherently assumes that the subject of the boast comes completely from yourself. Guess what? That's not possible. "I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do ? this I keep on doing." Romans 7:18-19 This is a good thing to remember when you look down your nose at the unsaved. I catch myself doing it all the time. "Wow, he's in for a shock when he dies." or "He better live it up now, because it's all downhill after death." I think things like this about the people who denigrate my Lord. I take perverse pleasure in knowing I'm right and knowing they'll find out when it's too late. There's some pride there. There's a bit of the "in your face" attitude flowing in those thoughts. Guess what? It had nothing to do with anything I did. "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith ? and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God ? not by works, so that no one can boast." Ephesians 2:8-9 It's interesting that God felt the need to make this point in scripture. He's clearly addressing a thought that He knew would come around fairly frequently. He's making it clear that we had nothing to do with our salvation. There, but for the grace of God, go I. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Mon Oct 31 00:02:23 2005 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Mon, 31 Oct 2005 00:02:23 -0800 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Prepare to Answer Message-ID: I got an email today from an extended family member from my wife's side. It seems that his son is looking at colleges and has shown some interest in my alma mater. He wanted to know if I could provide any hints on the application process and any inside info on what it's really like. I hadn't thought about my application process in some time. I hadn't thought about my campus life in a while, either. It was fun to run down memory lane and tell someone new about what I liked and hated about my college days. I encouraged his son to make himself stand out and convince the admissions office that they couldn't live without him. I told him about my favorite haunts in town and places to avoid. I told him about what life would be like on campus. It was fun to think of someone else going to school there so I could tell him about the good, cheap restaurants, the best bookstores, and the other inside dirt that I had to learn while I was there. As I was writing all of this in an email, I realized that there's really something analogous to witnessing here. I was simply relaying my experiences about what worked and what didn't, what was fun and what wasn't, and what would cause him to succeed and what would cause failure. I was witnessing about my college. There's a simple template here to witnessing about my faith. I should tell the inquiring person about the application process and what life is like once you've been accepted. Fortunately, the application process to Heaven is simpler than the one I went through for college. There aren't any interviews because God already knows you pretty well. The only qualification you need is to be human. Other than that you only need to say, "Yes. Jesus you are Lord and I want you to be Lord of my life," and believe it with all of your heart. At that point, you've been accepted and your new life begins. Life for the heaven-bound is immediately different. As a new believer, you will see the entire world in a different light. You will see the chains and shackles that held you down that Christ removed from you. You will have joy in your salvation and you will have strength knowing Jesus has your back. You may be disoriented for a while, but once you get your bearings again, you will realize what a fantastic decision you just made. You don't need to go through seminary or have memorized half the Bible to witness to others. Just tell them what happened to you and how your life is different. "The Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." " Matthew 28:18-20 Now, be ready to answer those questions when they come: "How do I get in?", "What's it like?" Wyatt