Confession

Posted on June 24, 2013 by mikewindley

I had a great Father’s Day weekend last weekend. The weather was great. I got lots of time with my family. Courtney and the kids were extra sweet to me and pretty much let me do whatever I wanted, etc., etc., etc.,. Loved it. Just soaked it all in and really had that sense of enjoyment, satisfaction, and sincere gratitude for being a dad, husband, and still having my Dad around to be with as well.

But that’s not the confession.

While I was having such a great weekend, which is fine, really. I’m not oppose to happiness or enjoyment. But while I was having such a fine weekend, I confess that I was completely and utterly inconsiderate of the fact that other people’s Father’s Day would not be so nice and special. In all of my enjoyment, I totally overlooked those around me who I know that have lost their father (or husband to their children, or dad’s who have lost a child) for whom Father’s Day is a painful reminder of that loss. For that, I confess.

I confess that I was inconsiderate and missed opportunities to pray for, love on, and support so many whom I could have. I ask your forgiveness. Please forgive me. I am likely to fail again in some other way…but I would like to think that maybe, just maybe, I’ll do a little better in the future at being more considerate. Thanks, in advance, for any grace and forgiveness I receive. May God strengthen you and help you to find Him and His comfort, peace and joy during difficult days.

 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility consider others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. Philippians 2:3-4 (NIV 1984)

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Prayers I Pray – Prayer 2

Posted on June 23, 2013 by mikewindley

Watchman Nee

So here’s the second prayer I have taped in my Bible for me to read before I stand to preach/teach on a Sunday morning (or any other opportunity). It’s taken from what is probably my favorite Christian non-fiction book of all time: The Normal Christian Life by Watchman Nee:

“Lord I do not know fully what the value of the Blood is, but I know that the Blood has satisfied thee; so the Blood is enough for me, and it is my only plea. I see now that whether I have really progressed, whether I have really attained to something or not, is not the point. Whenever I come before thee, it is always to be on the ground of the precious blood.”

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Prayers I Pray – Prayer 1

Posted on June 22, 2013 by mikewindley

Generally speaking, every Sunday I get the privilege of delivering a message/sermon. Inside my Bible I’ve taped two prayers for me to pray before I give my message. Here’s the first, written by Dr. Allen Holmes of Daystar Church in Greensboro, NC:

“Father, today I get to share your heart with your people. God help me to do so humility – understanding that you still have so much work to do in me and outside of your grace my life would be a total wreck. Help me to communicate with gentleness and grace recognizing that there are hurting people here today who you want to encourage. Help me to speak your word clearly and directly realizing that truth is the foundation they can build a life on. Fill my heart with gratitude for the privilege of leading your church and instructing your people, every time I speak lives are changed. Help me to guard my heart. I am not angry, and do not want to be judgmental or sarcastic but to preach good news. Father, I am your son, you are for me, you have called me, you are with me, and I will trust you. Your word will not return void. In the name of Jesus, I bind Satan and break every yoke, bondage, spiritual oppression or plans of Satan and every demonic force and I declare that today the kingdom of God will be further established in the hearts of your people! Jesus speak through me today!”

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Those Crazy Christians

Posted on June 21, 2013 by mikewindley

Sadly, in December of 2011, I lost a good friend, Stephen Getzelemann.  As Stephen battled against a Strep A infection, our church surrounded he and his wife and son. It seemed like everyone was praying and pitching in to help, support and do whatever they could for the family. This care and concern didn’t go unnoticed. Stephen was first cousin to Kimberly Williams Paisley (Father of the Bride) and Ashley Williams (How I Met Your Mother), and cousin to Brad Paisley (County Singer) by marriage. They all were exposed firsthand to how our church practiced the biblical charge to serve and care for one another.  As a result, just this past April, Brad Paisley released his new album, “Wheelhouse” that included a song, “Those Crazy Christians”, at least partially inspired by the care he saw Stephen and family receiving. You can click here to read the Parade Magazine article where Paisley explains the motivation behind the song.

If we are “out of our mind,” as some say, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. 14 For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. 15 And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.

2 Corinthians 5:13-15

Posted in Helping Others, Making Sense of Faith, Music, Odd, Videos | 6 Comments

Freedom’s Responsibility

Posted on June 20, 2013 by mikewindley

I loved one of the illustrations from Pastor Matt‘s sermon on Sunday. I’ll get to that in a minute. The gist of the message was that we are called to “serve one another” (Galatians 5:13-16). In fact, God has set us free in order to serve. And we can use that freedom to serve God and one another, or to serve ourselves. God isn’t going to force us to serve, but the invitation is there.

This freedom/choice/invitation to serve comes with responsibility (think Spiderman here, I suppose). Pastor Matt brought this idea home with the example of a teenager receiving their driver’s license. We all know that feeling of freedom! We can now go anywhere, anytime! We’re free! No more being carted around by your parents! But will we be responsible with that freedom.

On one hand, I can use my freedom to serve others. I could drive my little brother or sister to school with me. I can run errands for the elderly neighbor who has no transportation. All good.

Or, I could drive to that party on Friday night and consume adult beverages and drive home drunk and cross the center line and take the lives of innocent victims of my  freedom irresponsibility.

It’s kind of extreme, but it makes the point.

God sets us free. We can use that freedom to serve others responsibly, or irresponsibly use our freedom in destructive ways. How are you using your freedom?

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McDonald’s Leadership

Posted on June 19, 2013 by mikewindley

Occasionally I come across a helpful leadership tip or two. I have to credit my friend Steve Davis for this one – and I’m pretty sure he said he got it from somewhere else.

Anyway…the idea is that often we get stuck. You know, where to go eat, what to do, etc. Or perhaps our brainstorming session just isn’t getting off the ground. What to do? Insert “McDonald’s Leadership Tip.”

For example, friends are getting together and consensus says, “Let’s go out to eat.” But where? Of course, everyone has some idea of where they’d like to go, but everyone is being hesitant to share their idea. You don’t really care where you go, you’re just hungry. So to expedite the process, you suggest “McDonald’s.” You don’t really want to go to McDonald’s, and you know no one else does either. But by offering up a really bad suggestion (sorry Mickey D’s), you take one for the team, and everyone shoots down your idea. Once you’ve taken the fall, others pipe up with their ideas because they know their’s is better, and they certainly don’t want to end up at McDonald’s, so they had better say something pretty quick. And even if their idea gets shot down, undoubtedly it was a better idea than McDonald’s.

So next time your in a planning meeting, and everyone is experience idea block, suggest something that is the equivalent of McDonald’s. Everyone will hate it and begin to tell you why your idea is horrible. To counteract your horrible idea, the creative juices will be released by others on your team and voila, the ideas will begin to flow. Give it a try.

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Holy Middle Ground

Posted on June 18, 2013 by mikewindley

One of my frustrations often in trying to grow spiritually is that the way to growth is often not clear. Often, as I read Scripture, books, blogs, etc., an end goal is held out for me to achieve, but the pathway is rarely defined. I often find myself screaming on the inside, “Tell me already! Just tell me how to get where I’m going and I’ll go!”

I finally had what I perceived as an epiphany the other day. There are rarely “one size fits all” solutions. And it’s not always as simple as “here are the guaranteed 3 steps.” What came clear is that I am often out of God’s perfect will – to one side or another, or to one extreme or another. And while the path back isn’t perfectly clear, the goal is. My goal is Jesus – to become like him. He is the “holy middle ground.” If the direction I am moving is not towards Him, any step back towards that “holy middle” is a step in the right direction. The steps, the path, will rarely be the same for most of us. But, if we are moving toward Him in the “holy middle ground”, we can rest assured we are moving in the right direction.

Posted in Books, Making Sense of Faith | 2 Comments

God Space

Posted on January 31, 2013 by mikewindley

I am re-reading Doug Pollack’s book, “God Space.” I completely resonate with his heart to connect with and build bridges into the lives of those who are not-yet-Christ-followers. Like me, he seems to want to love people where they are, and create “God Space” by creating a relational environment that  is a safe place for people to share their views without being judged. People matter to God, so it seems I should do everything I can to show that people matter to me.

Having said that, I totally missed an opportunity today. I hate it when I am so uninterested in the people God puts in my path that I view them as there to serve me. In this case, the person really was there to serve me, but I failed to truly acknowledge them and show that they mattered to me and to God. How hard should it be for me to take 30 seconds and introduce myself and at least learn their name? I blew it. Turns out the guy (who happens to run a cleaning service) is also a pastor as well. Hopefully I’ve learned a lesson.

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National Day of Prayer

Posted on May 3, 2012 by mikewindley

Today is the “National Day of Prayer” (NDP). Regardless of religious or political affiliations, this is a great opportunity to corporately seek after God and His direction for our country and world. I will be at the Cary Family YMCA for their 9am and noon prayer times (there is also an NDP prayer time at 5pm as well). If you can’t make it out to an “official” NDP location, I encourage you to take 5-10 minutes and pray for your community, our country, and world. Pray for your neighbors, your coworkers, your local government, state government and federal government.

As I’ve thought about the NDP, I’ve been reminded of what Moses often did when praying for the early days of nation of Israel – he fell face down before God! If you read through the stories of Moses and Israel’s earliest days, you’ll find their leader repeated falling on the ground in worship and prayer. One example is in Numbers 14:5 – “Then Moses and Aaron fell facedown in front of the whole Israelite assembly gathered there.”

Almost without fail, each time you see Moses falling before God, it was as a result of some great sin of the people.  The people were constantly losing faith and turning their backs on God. Consequently, God would bring some measure of discipline.  And each time, there was Moses, on his face before God, seeking grace and favor on behalf of the people.  As I read the stories, it almost was comical in that I got the sense that Moses was actually “ducking” in order to dodge the discipline that God was about to bring.

As we as a nation pray together today, like Moses, let’s bow reverently before God and seek His favor and grace for all people.

 Come, let us bow down in worship,
let us kneel before the LORD our Maker;
for he is our God
and we are the people of his pasture,
the flock under his care. (Psalm 95:6-7, NIV)

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In the Secret of His Presence

Posted on April 26, 2012 by mikewindley

I am so grateful that Christian artists are often remaking some of the old hymns.  In our old hymn books is such a treasury of theology and inspiration. I may have said something about this hymn before – In the Secret of His Presence.  Performed in the video below by Sandra McCraken, it was  apparently written by a young lady who was a “high-caste native of India” (click here for history)  after she converted to Christianity.

Take five minutes and listen to the McCracken rendering as you reflect on the lyrics.

In the secret of His presence how my soul delights to hide!
Oh, how precious are the lessons which I learn at Jesus’ side!
Earthly cares can never vex me, neither trials lay me low;
For when Satan comes to tempt me, to the secret place I go,
To the secret place I go.

When my soul is faint and thirsty, ’neath the shadow of His wing
There is cool and pleasant shelter, and a fresh and crystal spring;
And my Savior rests beside me, as we hold communion sweet:
If I tried, I could not utter what He says when thus we meet,
What He says when thus we meet.

Only this I know: I tell Him all my doubts, my griefs and fears;
Oh, how patiently He listens! and my drooping soul He cheers:
Do you think He ne’er reproves me? What a false Friend He would be,
If He never, never told me of the sins which He must see,
Of the sins which He must see.

Would you like to know the sweetness of the secret of the Lord?
Go and hide beneath His shadow: this shall then be your reward;
And whene’er you leave the silence of that happy meeting place,
You must mind and bear the image of the Master in your face,
Of the Master in your face.

Posted in Music, Videos | 2 Comments