A Lesson in Problem Solving

This past week we looked at the question "How can I overcome my problems?" and we examined the story of King Jehoshaphat found in 2 Chronicles 20. Jehoshaphat had three different enemies coming at him and all of them were seeking his downfall. I would call this a substantial problem. The amazing thing is that despite the odds he was facing God led Jehoshaphat and the Israelites to victory. This was possible because Jehoshaphat did five things - five things that we can also do in dealing with our own problems. Jehoshaphat...
... identified the enemy.
... took his problem to the Lord.
... admited his inadequacy.
... rested in his faith.
... thanked God in advance.

We all have to deal with problems from time to time and within Jehoshaphat's example is a framework for us to apply to our own life situations when problems come our way. Take a moment and ask yourself how your current problems would change if you applied these principles in your life. What difference would it make?

Here are a few questions you might ask yourself:
1. Is my attitude about my situation the true "enemy" I battle?
2. Have I consulted with God about my problem by using prayer?
3. Am I trying to handle this in my own power, rather than asking for God's power?
4. Do I live with the confidence that comes from being a person of faith?
5. Do I believe that God's purposes will prevail and if so am I taking the opportunity to thank him for that in advance?

LifeSong Mother's Morning Out Summer Program

For all of you in East Orlando, I want to take this opportunity to help get the word out about LifeSong's Mother's Morning Out Summer Program. We have an awesome group of teachers assembled to nurture and love on little ones ages 1-5 this summer. We have several openings for the summer that we would love to fill. If you know someone who could benefit from LifeSong MMO this summer pass the word along. For more information go to www.mylifesongchurch.com and click on the MMO link.

Why Is This Happening to Me?

We've all gone through difficult experiences. We've all had moments when we've wondered "Why is this happening to me?" It seems to be part of the human experience. Scripture is full of stories of people who faced adversity and difficult circumstances only to later find that God redeemed their hurt, pain and frustration. No story better illustrates this point than the story of Joseph from the Old Testament book of Genesis.

The complaint list that Joseph could have brought before God was lengthy. It included things like nearly being killed, being sold into slavery, allegations of rape and being confined to prison. Key to Joseph's ability to see God's redemption come to fruition in his life were three key understandings:

1. God sees everything that happens to me and He cares.
2. God has given everybody a free will.
3. God is in ultimate control of the final outcome.

Do you believe these three things? How would it impact your life if you took these three key understandings to heart?

May God redeem all of your past hurts and pain. May God work together all things for your good. May God take what others have meant for harm and use them for his purposes in your life.

Summer Reading Recommendations

With summer quickly approaching I thought I would take a moment to recommend some books. Often time people are looking for a good read as they head out to the beach, while they are on a road trip or like the past couple of days stuck inside because of the rain. Here a few books I thought you might enjoy. (I promise I'm not getting any kickbacks off of the sales of these books.) Let me know if you read any of these. Post a comment on the blog. I would love to hear your thoughts about these books.

Jesus, CEO: Using Ancient Wisdom for Visionary Leadership by Laurie Beth Jones
I would especially recommend this to anyone in the business world. This is a practical, step by step guide to communicating with and motivating people. It is based upon the self-mastery, action and relationship skills that Jesus used to train and motivate his team. It can be applied to any business, service or endeavor that depends on more than one person to accomplish a goal.

Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers
This is a historical romance novel set in the 1850s Gold Rush in California. The story is taken from the book of Hosea from the Bible. Its central theme is to portray the redeeming love of God towards sinners. I haven't read this one yet, but it is on my list of summer reads. Everyone I know that has read it tells me that I should read it and that once you pick it up that it is very difficult to put back down. If any of you have already read it why don't you post a comment about it on the blog.

Wide Awake: The Future Is Waiting within You by Erwin McMannus
Are you living the life of your dreams? Or are you shuffling around still half asleep? McManus reveals eight attributes that will help you discover and develop your God-given gifts and talents. Learn how to dream, explore, adapt, create, invest, enjoy, focus, and expect---then tap into and achieve your reason for living.

Boundaries by Drs. Henry Cloud & John Townsend
This best seller delivers biblically based methods on how to set healthy limits with a parent, spouse, child, friend, co-worker and even yourself while still being a loving person. This book identifies how boundaries are developed, and how they become injured. It also shows Christian misconceptions of the function and purpose of boundaries, and provides a program for developing and maintaining healthy limits. As a pastor I find myself recommending this book to people over and over again. It is extremely practical for help with relational issues. It is also a very quick read.

What are you reading? Let me hear from you.

God's Best to You,

Pastor Lyndol

Having Confidence in the Midst of Life's Storms

Today's difficult question was "How can I be confident in a crisis?" At some point in life we all have to deal with difficult situations and it is then that our faith is revealed.

I'll never forget a time several years ago when I was about 45 minutes from home in a nearby town. I had taken a bulk mailing for my church to the post office and the whole process took much longer than I had anticipated. When I went to get in my car I looked up and the sky was turning an ominus dark shade. A wise person would have looked at the sky and decided to find a place for shelter and wait out the storm, but evidently wisdom wasn't prevailing in my mind that day. Instead of seeking shelter I decided to go ahead and drive home. I was frustrated from my experience at the post office and felt impatient to get back home so I could do other things I had on my list of things to get accomplished. This was a huge mistake.

About fifteen minutes into my trip home I went straight into a driving rain that made it very difficult to see. The rain eventually gave way to hail stones - first pea size, then golf ball size and even a couple of baseball size hail stones that I would later see on the evening news. I was trying to stay on the road. My car was taking a beating and ultimately I was doing some of my best praying ever!

I hope you never have to go through a similar experience. It wasn't pleasant and even though it has made for good blog material I would just as soon be able to say this had never happened to me. It was terrifying.

Here are a few things I learned from this storm (crisis) experience:
1. Had I been more patient this wouldn't have happened to me.
2. In a storm it is easy to allow fear to take over rather than faith.
3. While the storm felt like an eternity during the experience, the storm eventually passed.

It has been said that character is developed in the day to day routine of life, but that character is revealed in a crisis. The question I have been contemplating is this - "What have I been developing in my life recently and what will this produce when I face a storm?"

God's Best to You,

Pastor Lyndol

P.S. - On a totally different note I have to acknowledge that today is my oldest daughter's 13th birthday. The Loyd's officially have a teenager in the house. If I'm completely candid, I have to say that God has used my girls to further develop his character in my life. In many ways I understand more about God's love for us than I did thirteen years ago.

How Did I Get in This Mess?

Today's "Difficult Question" was "How did I get into this mess?" As we examined the life of Samson it became clear that when he decided to disregard God's principles for living that his life became a mess. For Samson his big blind spots involved:
1. Failing to learn from his mistakes.
2. Failing to choose his friends wisely.
3. Failing to take God seriously.
In the end, Samson turned to God and found that God's belief in redemption was bigger than his past failures.

Here are some questions for further thought:
1. Do I have any big blind spots in my life?
2. How have I learned from my mistakes?
3. How do my relationships enhance or detract from my life?
4. What would it mean for me to do a better job of taking God seriously?
5. How would my life be different if I allowed God to redeem my past?

Why Start a Blog???

Today begins a new experiment of sorts. I've decided to establish a blog and I must confess that I'm excited about the possibilities that come along with it. Allow me to explain why.

As a preacher I have the privilege of speaking every Sunday. Sermons by nature are a rather one sided means of communication. I talk and you listen. At best I'm left with reading your body language as a response. Rather than having a monologue relationship, it occurs to me that it is much more relational if we live in dialogue with each other. My hope is that this blog will serve as a tool to help make that happen.

Sometimes after worship is over people offer me various comments or questions that would be of great benefit to a wider audience. Usually by the time I receive the feedback the moment has passed and the opportunity for broader discussion is lost. Blogging along with the opportunity for you to post comments and questions allows us to be more interactive.

Othter times a headline will come up in the news which grabs our attention and begs for comment, but doesn't necessarily fit within the context of the next Sunday's sermon. The blog will give us the opportunity to discuss these kinds of issues as well.

I invite you to sign on as a follower of the blog. I also invite you to post your comments, thoughts and questions. All I ask is that you be respectful of the thoughts and opinions of others when you post comments or questions. I'm looking forward to how this blogging process unfolds for all of us.