Mind Over Mouth

A few months ago I began experiencing problems with my left jaw. I didn't think too much about it at first... An occasional "popping," which in time became a little more frequent, which then turned into an occasional "locking," which turned into a fairly frequent "lock and pop," and then the first signs of pain.

In late December the popping had stopped, but my jaw was hurting almost all the time and the "locking" had gotten worse. By the beginning of January I started to experience my jaw falling completely out of place and I was unable to bite down properly.

I talked with my dad (a dentist) and he strongly encouraged me to see our family dentist ASAP. I knew it was a TMJ disorder and our dentist verified it and referred me to a specialist in Indianapolis.

However... I had been "watching" myself recently and I discovered what I was doing to cause the problem: As I read, edited photos, watched TV, etc. I would push my jaw outward. I know... That's weird. But, I kept catching myself doing it over and over again. I'm not sure how long I had been doing this, but probably for some time.

So... I concentrated on my habit. I focused on my problem. And within a few days my pain was lessening. My bite was returning to normal. I could eat without the fear of being in excruciating pain afterwards.

My main thought over these past 10-days has been:

MIND OVER MOUTH

It's now been eight straight days with no pain and a perfect bite. But, I'm still very attentive to my habits. I'm alert to what could cause immediate pain and discomfort. And, I'm aware that if I let my guard down the habit will probably return immediately.

MIND OVER MOUTH

MIND OVER MOUTH

MIND OVER MOUTH

During these last 10-days I've also been looking beyond the mental and physical... I've been reminding myself of how similar the above is to my spiritual life. Whatever I set my mind on, everything else will follow... my mouth, my heart, my hands, my feet, my thoughts.

I'm reminded of a Twitter posting I made on December 31...

"Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth." {My 2011 mission statement for every thought, activity, relationship, conversation, planting, breath, mile driven, photo, glance, step, dollar spent... Break me Lord}

I've been saying this verse to myself every day during the month of January. A few times I've said it repeatedly over and over and over again in order to make sure my MIND is staying focused on GOD FIRST and NOT allowing old habits or thought patterns to return.

Heavenly mind over my mouth
Heavenly mind over my speech
Heavenly mind over my ears
Heavenly mind over my thoughts
Heavenly mind over my hands
Heavenly mind over my feet
Heavenly mind over my heart

I've finally come to learn recently that I'm in this life to please ONE... My Heavenly Father. And when I please my Heavenly Father I will in turn please my wife, my kids, my family, my friends, my clients, my acquaintances. But, to please my Heavenly Father, I must first have a heavenly mind.

Father, it's all about You. Help me keep my mind focused and sharp spiritually. Break me, heal me, refresh me, restore me.

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Colossians 2:13

"You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins."

After reading the above passage I immediately thought of one thing... Han Solo. Remember at the end of Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back when Han Solo is frozen in carbonite for delivery to Jabba the Hutt?


Frozen... stuck... bound. In effect... he was dead.


How many times have you felt like Han Solo? Living as if you're bound, stuck, frozen... dead.




FROZEN... by sin
STUCK... by sin
BOUND... by sin


Yeah, I know... you're still alive, breathing, having fun, living it up, laughing. Life on the OUTSIDE is great... but, what about on the inside? In your heart? Your soul? Without Christ in your heart, you are essentially dead. Your sinful nature is ruler of your heart, mind and soul. That life can only take you so far. And that "so far" does not end in a place I want to live for eternity.


At the beginning of Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, Princess Leia infiltrates Jabba's palace and frees Han Solo. He's rescued from his frozen state, his bound life, his death.


Christ wants to rescue us from our "carbonite" ... our frozen state ... our bound life ... our sinful nature. He wants to offer salvation, hope, joy and life. Not just physical life, but eternal life in heaven.


Father, you have freed me from my sinful nature. You have rescued me from my sinful ways. You have saved me from spiritual death. I must keep my eyes focused on you, my heart yearning for you, my hands reaching for you, my feet following you. Your ways must be my ways, for all the rest of my days.

Colossians 3:10

"Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him."

When I get out of bed in the morning, I don't need to be reminded to put on clothes.

When I walk out the door in sub-zero weather, I don't need to be reminded to put on a coat.

When I'm getting ready to run a couple miles, I don't need to be reminded to put on my running shoes.

When I'm getting ready to prune roses, I don't need to be reminded to wear my gardening gloves.

All that said... Why do I continually forget to "put on" my Christ-like nature? Why do I need to be reminded to stop acting, saying, thinking, looking, feeling, being, doing ... Those old "clothes" should have been thrown away long long ago. But, I still keep trying to put them on. And in turn, they keep me from knowing and understanding Christ better and more fully.

As I wake up each morning and go through my day, I have to learn to instinctively and naturally put on my Christ-like nature [clothes]. No iPhone popup notifications, no sticky notes on the bathroom mirror, no string tied around my finger...

Father, forgive me for not putting on your nature as I should. Help me to be more intentional and instinctive in how I "dress" for life each and every day.

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Bears/Packers Pregame Family Portrait

NFL Pregame Family Portrait, originally uploaded by Capturing Life - Capturing Memories.

We have always taught our kids to be independent thinkers with a Christian worldview. BUT, my son's decision over the past few months to become a Packers fan rather than a Bears fan has pushed the line a little. (OK, not really... After all, I was brought up a Cubs fan and "switched" to the White Sox in 2000).

Colossians 2:2-3

"I want them to be encouraged and knit together by strong ties of love ... In [Christ] lie hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge."

Love and Christ.

What more do we need?

If we seek after and share these two things, love and Christ, wouldn't it be amazing to see what life would be like for all of us in 2011?

•What would my family life be like?
•What would my marriage be like?
•What would my spending be like?
•What would my work habits be like?
•What would my friendships be like?
•What would my decisions be like?
•What would my ...

You get the idea.

Father, help me to love like Paul desired us to love... And to desire to know Christ deeper for increased wisdom and knowledge in my daily life.

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Colossians 1:9-10

"So we have not stopped praying for you since we first heard about you. We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding. Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better."

I'm pretty sure I have never prayed for someone as passionately as Paul states above for the people of Colossae. Granted, this is Paul we're talking about... The great first century evangelist, a chosen leader by God, the greatest church planter in history.

But, why... Why can't we pray passionately and continually for people in such a way like Paul, with confidence that God will give them "complete knowledge of his will" and "spiritual wisdom and understanding."

A quick prayer here... A little bit there... While driving, eating, playing Farmville, Tweeting. I honestly don't know what it means to "continually pray" for someone. Maybe I'm being too honest or transparent here... and no one will ever believe me again when I say "I'll be praying for you." But, REALLY... I don't know how to passionately and continually pray. (Or, as Paul says above "not stopped praying for you.")

Maybe it's due to my "spiritual ADD" that I'm pretty sure I have... Am I the only one who has this problem?

Father, teach me to pray... Teach me to passionately pray. Teach me to passionately pray for OTHERS. Teach me to passionately pray for OTHERS... continually.

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Daily Doses

My daily doses I'll probably be taking for the rest of my life...

• for my blood
• for my cholesterol
• for my acid reflux
• for my depression
• for my physical pains

I'm still looking for a medicine to treat my sinful actions, hurtful words and selfish desires - Oh wait... That "medicine" is already available through a daily committed relationship with Jesus Christ. Key-word... DAILY.

From experience, this daily "prescription" cannot be skipped.

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Seeding Time

It takes patience...

It's back-breaking...

It's tedious...

It takes time...

Yes, it's seeding time...

But, which "seeding" am I speaking of?

All of us enter phases where we require "seeding" (or more appropriately "re-seeding") in our lives.

Sometimes it's due to uncontrollable life changes such as health problems, job downsizing, death of a spouse or significant other, natural/unnatural disasters like a tornado, fire or auto accident.

Sometimes it's the result of selfish decisions made without wise counsel... financial, spiritual, vocational, relational.

Sometimes it's due to a relationship that's gone bad... a divorce, family friction, a child's rebellion, a soured friendship.

Sometimes it's due to an addictive behavior... alcohol, drugs, pornography, internet, social networking.

Sometimes it's due to wrong behaviors, thoughts or feelings that we need to identify and remove.

Sometimes it's due to God's call for us to just... stop and listen to him for redirection.

Are you going through a time of "seeding" or "re-seeding" in your life? My prayers are with you. I know what you're going through.

God is good... He is the gardener we need to trust completely and put our faith in.

Thank you Father, for your watchful eye on each of us. You are the great gardener... you sow, water, feed and weed as needed in each of us. May we all give you control of our lives and not go it alone.

Colossians 3:12

"...clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience." (New Living Translation)

• tenderhearted mercy - "let your tenderest feelings come in contact with the miseries of the distressed as soon as ever they present themselves." (Clarke's Commentary on the Bible) "a sympathizing spirit with saints in distress, weeping with them that weep, suffering with them that suffer, being touched, as their high priest is, with a feeling of their sorrows and weaknesses: it denotes inward pity and compassion to distressed objects, the most tender regard to persons in misery, and such compassion as is free from all hypocrisy and deceit" (Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible)
• kindness - "the quality of being warmhearted and considerate and humane and sympathetic" (www.thefreedictionary.com)
• humility - ταπεινοφροσύνη - "having a humble opinion of one's self; a deep sense of one's (moral) littleness; modesty, lowliness of mind" (Thayer's Dictionary from www.laparola.net)
• gentleness - "Meekness is not weakness; it is power under control. This word is used to describe a soothing wind, a healing medicine, and a colt that had been broken." (Wiersbe Bible Commentary: The Complete New Testament by Warren Wiersbe)
• patience - "Literally "long-temper." [Putting] up with provoking people or circumstances without retaliating." (Wiersbe Bible Commentary: The Complete New Testament by Warren Wiersbe)

I have read this passage over and over today and have been cut through deeply to my heart by these words.

I turn 45 in days and I'm embarrassed and ashamed that in 45 years of life, having been raised in a Christian home, graduating from a Bible college, trained for Christian ministry... I have not been living by instruction of those five words above. I have allowed self to get in the way of others. I have allowed words, actions, and thoughts that were far from demonstrating tenderhearted mercy - kindness - humility - gentleness - patience hurt myself and others spiritually and emotionally.

Forgive me Father, for the hurt I've caused in others and the disappointment I've been towards you because of the selfishness I've demonstrated. Create in me a heart that desires these things.

Lap dogs are SO awesome!!! :-)

Lap dogs are SO awesome!!! :-) #fb, originally uploaded by Mark Sexton Photography.

How State Income Taxes Compare

I did a quick search on state income taxes and found this table comparing all of the states (as of 1/1/2010).

Personally... and I know many of my friends will disagree with me... I don't have a problem with the state of Illinois raising our income tax rate, considering the complete economic disaster that we're in. Is our absurd deficit "our" fault? Is it our elected officials fault? Right now I don't care WHOSE fault it is. I'm tired of fingers being pointed. Let's just figure out HOW to get our state's financial situation back on track. And, as much as I hate to say it... a tax increase almost has to be a part of the correction. How much of a tax increase... Who knows... I'll let the "professionals" figure that out.

Again, this is my own personal thoughts.

Can/should there be some spending cuts, also? Of course... but you can't tell me that cutting a few salaries and some other wasted spending is going to get our state back in the black. And don't tell me that all state employees are over payed... Because I know plenty that are NOT... My wife being one and many other Illinois State University faculty and staff.

"Crazy Pets" Cartoon Strip by Savannah

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Colossians 2:7

"Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness."

Right after I read the verse above I read a Twitter post by Brian Tracy:

"What are you going to do today that's going to make a positive difference in your life tomorrow?"

What will make a positive difference in my life? First and foremost, making sure my "roots" are growing in healthy "soil" today... Which will bring a beautiful overflowing harvest of life tomorrow for myself and those closest to me.

Lord, help me keep myself planted in you... So I will be receiving your nourishment needed to be healthy spiritually, growing and blooming with faith and thankfulness.

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Colossians 1:15

"Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation..."

What did this statement by Paul mean? And what is the significance of it?

Can you imagine the reactions of the Sanhedrin hearing these words by Paul, a former colleague of theirs... He is stating that Jesus IS God.

Paul isn't "just" repeating the gospel story (I don't mean for it to sound like I'm belittling the gospel story here), but is boldly making a theological statement - JESUS IS GOD.

I am always amazed by Paul's strength - not his physical strength, but his spiritual strength. And this statement was only the tip of the iceberg for Paul.

If I could have just one-one-millionth of Paul's passion for God to make bold statements such as this one presented in Colossians 1:15... changing lives and exulting our God.

Strengthen me spiritually, God. Help me to develop a passion for you that would help me exult your name through bold statements.

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Colossians 4:5-6

"Live wisely among those who are not believers, and make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone."

I must live the same no matter who I am with... Believers or non-believers, living in such a way that would be respectful, gracious, humble, and uplifting to my God and those around me.

Teach me, God, what "wise" means - and how to be seen as wise in my wife and children's eyes.

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