Swallowing our Pride

By Pastor Troy

Last night at approximately 9:05pm I made a monumental decision for our family. I made the decision to exchange our Christmas Tree. This was not easy! As I pondered the reverberating affects that this will have on my ego, our family and any person that comes through the doors of our house for the next month, I realized that I had no choice but to get a different tree.

Here is the context: On Monday we loaded up and drove all over eastern Jackson County looking for the perfect tree. We went to a nursery and couldn’t stomach spending $100 on a tree. Then went to Westlake and didn’t like the selection. From there it was out to a tree farm to cut our own. This was going to be fun….so we walked all over the fields having fun….because I said we were going to have fun. The girls were freezing and coughing but since I said this was going to be fun…we had fun! That is, until I realized we were not going to find the “perfect tree” for the perfect price. We found a few we liked, but again they were all about $100…(think of all the children we could feed for $100 :-) ).

There had to be another option. We went to another nursery and then stopped at the Boy Scout tent…and found the perfect tree….for a very good price. Problem…no one was there to take our money. How can you have Christmas Trees for sale and no one there to take the cash? Oh well, by this time we were tired and ready to go home, but we still did not have a tree. We ploughed on ahead…another nursery and finally back to Westlake. Alexa and I went to the bottom of the pile (since all the good one’s are on the bottom) and found the perfect tree. It was the right height, dark green (spray paint always helps), very full and cheap. We were pumped! I jammed it into the back of the mini-van….yes, the mini-van (Yet another reminder that I don’t have a truck and that I am now middle-aged with kids).

When we unloaded, I found my hand-saw and burned my way through about one inch…the saw kept sticking and my arm was getting sore. So I found the hammer (the hammer always makes me feel better) and chisel and took off the excess and sawed some more…finally, I had made it through the tree trunk. It was at this time I began to see flaws in this perfect tree. The most obvious was that it had a serious case of scoliosis...the stem grew totally our of kilter. It took us forever to get it to stand up….I finally anchored it to the window with fish string. One more little problem…one side of the tree was full and beautiful….the other side looked more like it had a terminal illness. Of course, I stayed in denial for several days.

I will just admit it now that from the very beginning, Leigh-Ann said we should take it back. Naw…it will be fine I said….it needs some ornaments, lights, water and love. Maybe if we play Christmas music (classical of course) it will straighten up.

So last night, I finally was willing to admit that I picked a delinquent tree. Rather than stare my ego in the face every time I walk in the door, I will do the right thing and return the tree. The decision is monumental because of all that it communicates….I was not careful in choosing…I noticed imperfections soon after returning home before we even brought it into the house and IGNORED my gut feeling to return it…I made excuses that are all invalidated (if that is a word) by my choice….Leigh-Ann was right-UGH!

This Sunday we will discover that there are situations that are far more serious than the one mentioned above that need to be addressed in each of our lives. For days, months and often years we have rationalized a way to “do Christianity.” We have more often than not “been doing it all wrong.” As we take a microscopic look at John 11: 45-57 we will have the opportunity to learn from those who had it all wrong. If you think about it, as you pray for the services on Sunday, you can say a prayer for me that we will find that elusive “perfect tree” tonight.

So Much To Be Thankful For

By Pastor Troy

This year for Thanksgiving we enjoyed a “first” and went to Branson for a few days with my parents and my brother Todd and his family. We had a blast; my only regret is that today we don’t have any leftovers from the HUGE Thanksgiving Dinner.

After eating our first ever Thanksgiving dinner at a buffet in Branson, we took some time to share all the things for which we are thankful.

I am certainly thankful for my family, beginning with Leigh-Ann, Alexa and Sophia and extending out beyond my parents, brothers and sister and their families. I am also thankful for you; if you are reading this, you are a part of the New Life family that has not only had its beginnings within the past year, but has also been growing like a weed.

I think about all the different lives that have been changed…some straight off the street, some lives that have been entrenched in painful and dangerous lifestyles, some that are children, some that have enjoyed the comforts of life for too long and some like me who had become complacent in a form of spirituality. God certainly changes lives and we certainly have much to thank Him for….

Today I received an email with the following:

"If you woke up this morning with more health than illness, then you are more blessed than the million who will not live through this week."

“If you have never experienced the danger of battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pangs of starvation, you are ahead of 500 million people in the world.”

“If you can attend a church meeting without fear of harassment, arrest, torture, or death, then you are more blessed than 3 billion people in the world.”

“If you have money in the bank, cash in your wallet and spare change in a dish someplace, you are among the top 8 percent of the world's wealthy.”

Again, we have much to be thankful for. And when you get down to it, this is why we primarily exist: To give thanks to God – not just on Thanksgiving Day – but every day of our lives.

Sunday, we will study the story of the raising of Lazarus from John 11:1-44. I hope you will pray with me for God to work in each of our lives. This Sunday we will also have the opportunity to look at a property that is a possibility for our relocation at 2:30pm. We will spend time in prayer following a tour.

I hope you enjoy the next few days worth of leftovers and don’t forget to thank the Lord for His provision, because not everyone has Turkey in the fridge!

How Lost Are You?

By Pastor Troy

How long has it been since you have been lost? Notice, I didn’t ask if you had been lost…I assume that anyone that can read this has been lost. The first time I remember being lost was when I wandered off in a department store long before I was old enough to go to school. I can still feel the fear that overwhelmed my body. I have many stories about getting lost while driving - I will spare you the details. The other day I was riding in the car with a friend who has GPS. This is cheating! For centuries men have navigated independently, become lost independently, made excuses independently and have had to do a lot of explaining independently. Simply put, asking for directions has always been a sign of weakness. Think about it...why would a man that claims to still have all of his mental faculties need to ask someone else for location and directions?

Several years ago while we were still dating, Leigh-Ann and I decided to hike up a mountain in New Hampshire. After spending some time at the top, taking in the incredible view all around us, we began our descent. Within a few minutes Leigh-Ann said, “This doesn’t look familiar.” I responded, “You were probably busy admiring my skill at navigating the rocks on the way up…we’ll be fine.” A few more minutes passed. “This still doesn’t look right.” I responded, “Trust me; I know where we’re going.” Several more minutes passed, the trail had ended and we were fighting through branches and tripping over rocks and she said, “I think we better turn around.” I responded quickly to communicate my confidence, “I’m sure that this trail will meet up with our original trail soon…at least we’re headed down.”

After hours of traipsing all over the mountain, we finally came to a creek and followed it out to a dirt road and within minutes we were able to flag down a car coming in our direction. The lady (who by the way knew where she was going) agreed to drive us nearly ten miles to our car. Thanks to my lack of direction, we had walked down the opposite side of the mountain. I will admit that after a few hours I began to get pretty nervous. When the sun began to drop, I was flat out scared. The feeling of being lost is indescribably painful.

The journey of life is packed full of dead end trails, inaccurate signs and daunting obstacles that can leave us feeling lost and without hope. Finding direction for life is far more important than finding our direction on a mountain. Apart from the consistent leading from the Good Shepherd we will most certainly be lost in life. This Sunday, it is my prayer that you will follow the lead of the Good Shepherd and make a transition from tradition to faith in your life as we study John 10:19-41. I also ask that you join me in spending a little extra time in prayer for God to clearly direct us to the location He desires.

I hope you have an incredible weekend relishing NEW LIFE, “The way Life is meant to be!”

We All Like Sheep . . .

By Pastor Troy

Warning! I have a frustration that I need to vent. Well, I don’t need to vent, but I really want too so here goes….this morning, I was running late. I exited off the interstate and came to a stop light at the top of the ramp. And waited…..and waited….and looked both ways since no cars had come for a loooong time and waited. While waiting, I began to think about the evil things that this traffic light engineer must have endured as a child to have the nerve to set the timer for this long.

It was in this frame of mind, that my thoughts began to digress. I imagined that he probably has a video camera at this intersection and is sitting at his desk drinking coffee, watching me and tracking how long people will sit before blowing through the red light. As I continued to wait, I gauged the risk involved with pulling around the car in front of me (who obviously had no schedule to meet) and making a public statement that this traffic light was for the birds (it certainly wasn’t doing any good for the traffic).

This may come as a surprise to some, but I found myself multitasking at this red light. I was able to consider the risk of blowing the red light, imagine the life history of some traffic light engineer, concoct some good excuse for being late and attempt to remember where I was even going.

I was going to speak in a chapel service! When this thought came through my small mind it seemed to create a blockage…with all other thoughts backing up behind it. It was at this time, I realized the car ahead of me has already entered the intersection and I better go now before the light turns red again. Since the car was now moving, the angry blood began to drain from my neck. All of a sudden, I am confused. This is the first time I had taken this exit from this direction and nothing looked familiar. In a moment of panic, I turned and the panic grew….I was supposed to speak for chapel and I don’t even know where I am. AHHHHHHHHH!!! Then I saw a Quick Trip. There is something very calming about Quick Trip. I turned into the parking lot, gathered my thoughts and remembered exactly where I needed to go, and drove straight to my destination—just in time.

I am amazed at how easy it is for me to get frazzled at the simplest little things in life. I guess that is probably why I am referred to as a sheep in the Bible. This week we will study John 10:1-18 and learn about how the “Good Shepherd” is able to protect and comfort “frazzled” sheep. I am praying that you will be encouraged and strengthened from our study of the eternal, incorruptible, living Word of God.

Why Should I Get Up?

By Pastor Troy

As I was lying in bed this morning after my alarm jolted me out of R.E.M. I began the process of rationalizing my need for a few more minutes of sleep. There is something about having to wake up when the house is cold and the bed is warm. I have begun to develop a pretty significant love-hate relationship with this time of year. At night there is nothing better than going to bed when it is cool…in the morning there is nothing more painful than getting up when it is cool.

When I went down to wake up Alexa she was totally under the blankets. I pulled back the blankets and whispered that it was time to get up. Schwoooop! The blankets are suddenly ripped out of my hand and once again covering her head. “I don’t want to get up” she says. I empathize since it had just taken me 20 minutes to roll out of bed myself. Now I expect her to do it immediately. In the end we both made it out of bed and off to school and work.

After making it into a cold car and finding my way downtown, I have had some time to think….life is full of difficult decisions. Where should I live? Who should I vote for in the coming elections? How can I mend a troubled relationship? What is the best way to raise children? I have concluded that quite possibly the most difficult question of all is the one we have to make every day, “Why should I get up?”

If you are a morning purist, please do not join in this conversation. If you hear the alarm clock and jump out of bed with no effort at all…you make me sick. Furthermore if you can get by on 3-4 hours of sleep you need to have a full psychological evaluation. At the very least you are proof that life is not fair. If you are like me and spend time thinking about these issues of life, this e-mail is for you.

This Saturday night is DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME…we all get an extra hour of sleep. I am very optimistic that the service at 10:45am on Sunday will be full of smiling, well rested faces. I hope you will be there.

If you have time to read through John 9:1-41, it will help as you allow God to prepare your heart for the service.