There Off!!!!!!!!!!!

This morning our Dad and Mr. Prieser (another dad and great friend of the family) are off to a Dad’s Conference! We are so excited for them to learn and grow as well as have a great time of renewal and inspiration!

see  more about it     http://ati.iblp.org/ati/family/news/dadsconference/

Right now they are driving from CT, across PA through the mountains, to Sharon , PA to pick up another Dad (Mr. Bestwick), and then tomorrow they will hit the road again towards IN.

The conference runs for four days and has AMAZING Godly speakers.  What a blessing that each of our families have Dad’s that want to be the BEST dads they can be!

Stay tuned for updates!

Paul writes to Timothy to flee and pursue, and gives a list of things to pursue.  That list begins with righteousness.  Paul gives us an interesting dilemma here.  There is no one who is righteous, no not one.  It is only in Jesus that anyone is righteous, since none of us have a righteousness of our own.  So what is Paul telling Timothy?  Why would he tell him to pursue something that is given by God, not earned in some life pursuit?  I think for very good reason.

The word righteousness in the Greek is the same word as justice.  We translate it both ways, but in English we use those words differently.  In reality, they are two sides of the same coin.  We can look at it and say that because God is just, He must require that we are righteous.  His justice requires our righteousness.  He requires us to be like Him.  But knowing we cannot ever be like Him, He provided Jesus to pay the penalty for our sin, thus making anyone who is in Christ a new creation, and righteous.

But Timothy was already in Christ, so why would Paul tell him to pursue righteousness?  We are called to continue to pursue holiness, working out our salvation, as long as we are on this earth.  We are to continually be transformed to more fully reflect the light of Christ to the world.  We are to press on toward that goal, pursuing it as we would pursue a prize at the end of a race.  The danger is that if we are not pursuing righteousness we will drift toward unrighteousness.  That is our nature.  That is our flesh.  That is the danger of lukewarm Christianity.  We must pursue righteousness, constantly striving for obedience, not that we earn salvation through it, but that we would be more faithful disciples.  This is what it means to delight yourself in the Lord and nothing else.  Constant pursuit of Him!

If we are fleeing from the things the world says are important, such as money, material possessions, even status in our community or workplace, but have no where to run, we are running unrestrained.  “Without vision, the people perish.”  Literally, the word translated perish means unrestrained.  Without something to capture our attention and focus, we will be unrestrained.  We will do what seems best in our own eyes, what is pleasing to our own nature.  The world will help us with that by telling us what is important.  They will tell us how to heal our wounds, emotional or otherwise.  The world will tell us how to feel good about ourselves.  The world will tell us all kinds of things that may even sound good.  The world will provide that direction for us. 

But Paul doesn’t just say “flee from all this”, he says “…and pursue.”  Paul gives us that much needed direction, vision, so that we will not be unrestrained, unbridled.  An unbridled horse will run wildly and will not easily be caught.  He may do harm to himself and others if left unbridled and running wild.  But when under control of the rider, that same horse can be ridden in any direction, used to work, and kept completely under control.  We are no different.  For God to use us effectively, we have to be under His control, not unbridled.

So you, man of God, flee from what the world demands of you and sells you.  Flee from what the world would have you believe is most important.  Flee from prioritizing that which will draw your heart from your God and your family.  Flee from the subtle dangers of the good things of this world that draw us away from the only truly good thing, God Himself.  Flee from all of this, and pursue a vision of a life lived with purpose and meaning.  Flee from all this, and pursue a life that will bring God glory.  Flee from all this and pursue a life through which you will be transformed by the renewing of your mind.  “Flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness” (1Timothy 6:11).

To pursue isn’t just to run after, but to pursue earnestly and diligently with a desire to obtain.  In the coming days we will explore what it means to pursue with that desire each one of these things in the context of our lives as men, husbands, and fathers.  I look forward to sharing some of what God is doing in me through this passage and so many more.

I continue to wrestle with Paul’s challenge to Timothy to “flee from all this.”  In reading what Paul is calling Timothy to flee from, it is clear that most of the challenge has to do with the dangers of the love of money.  There is also an admonition to beware those who are teaching anything that does not agree with the instruction Jesus had given.  This is a great reminder for all of us.  But I want to focus for now on the dangers of the love of money in our world today.

Paul saw those who were using the faith as a means to make a profit.  We see that even today.  But I think Paul is pushing deeper than that.  Paul is writing that Timothy must beware those who love money in any form.  There are incredible dangers.  “People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction.  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” (1Tim. 6:9-10).  What does that look like today?

It is easy to look and say there are those who are workaholics and greedy and accumulating wealth and assume Paul would point to them today.  I have to wonder, however, how the Lord looks at us in America today, overwhelmed by debt, striving to keep up with the Joneses and keep our image intact.  I see so many people who have become convinced that they must have a big house with a room for each child.  We feel the need to have new cars, the right clothes, the latest mobile phone, etc.  With the collapse of the economy, many have had to deal with the loss of many of these things.  As a result, they have lost their identity and are overwhelmed by life.

That is why Paul says, “flee from all this.”  It is dangerous to allow what we have to define us.  Proverbs 22:7 says that “The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.”  We should not have debt.  Anything that puts us in a position to have to borrow should be a no.  If we are interested in purchasing something and do not have the money for it, we should heed Paul’s words and “flee from all this.”

But if we only flee, we run aimlessly.  Paul tells us to “flee from all this, and pursue….”  Paul gives us direction in our fleeing, and we will explore that in the posts to come.  But for now, if you are are looking at money and possessions as things you “have to have”, hear Paul’s words…But you, man of God, flee from all this…”

Well I have taken a while to post here, trying to gain clarity of thought around what might be helpful to men who will read these posts.  I am in no way the perfect man, father, or husband, so this will not be a look at me kind of blog.  This will be an opportunity for us to look at the Scriptures together and see what God would have us men do and be.  I may also, at times, look to other great men of faith, or share some things that have worked in my family, as an inspiration to all of us to press on.

Paul wrote to his young friend Timothy, “But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, and gentleness.  Fight the good fight of the faith.  Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.  In the sight of God, who gives life to everything, and of Christ Jesus, who while testifying before Pontious Pilate made the good confession, I charge you to keep this command without spot or blame until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ…” (1Timothy 6:11-14).  That was a high calling for this young man, and it is a high calling for us today.  I look forward to pursuing that with you.

The driving passage of our family is Psalm 37:4-6.  We will explore what it means to delight ourselves in the Lord, and to commit our ways to the Lord and trust in Him as men, as fathers, and as husbands.  It has been and will continue to be a journey full of challenges, but one in which the Lord promises rich reward.  I look forward to taking this journey with you.  The posts will begin soon, and will be at least weekly, maybe twice a week.  Thank you for joining me in the journey.