Prayer Journal - Day One

But God, what am I to do with my list?

Time for some honesty –

I am a Christian, and by Your grace, God I try to live like You would want me to live.  By Your grace and my efforts of course, okay, in fact maybe I should reverse those and say, I am going to try my hardest to live like You want me to live, and hopefully You can help me with this chore.  But to better help Your efforts of changing me and transforming me I have prepared a list of things to do, attitudes to have, and steps to get me to where I am pleasing to You on a more regular basis.

Can any of you reading this relate to what I just said?  Now to extend my honesty, my list has changed over the years.  Not only in content, but in mission, purpose, perspective, etc., but it’s still a list and it tends to be what I use to determine just how “good of a Christian” I am at the current moment.

In my early years it was a list of just doing enough to get by and somehow eek my way into heaven, and then it changed drastically to a list of rules and regulations that were so strict and severe any good legalistic law-keeper would stand up and cheer.  It’s changed many times through the years but always it has been there.

I believe with all my heart that this list has kept me from realizing the greatness of a true uninhibited relationship with my God.  So back to my original question; God what am I to do with this list?  It’s full of good things; like how to be a better dad, and a better husband, and what I need to do to be a better Christian, and what I need to do to be a better minister, and what I need to do to be a better friend.  All of these things are important aren’t they? I’ve even recently added things that will help me lose weight, and be healthier, and fell better. 

The problem is that it’s all my effort and I still haven’t accomplished the only real thing God wants from me.  My life, He wants it all, He wants control, He wants to be at the helm, He wants to be the reason for my existence and as long as I keep trying to be a better person driven  by my ever changing list, He’s only getting what I allow Him to have, and even on my very best day, that is soooooooo weak.

So God, I’m giving you my list.  I know that there is a good chance that I’ll take it back, and please forgive me when I do, but each day, starting today, will you lead me in a quest to be list free and debt free (not money debt, but the sin debt you took from me so long ago).  I’m ready to let you be my everything, not just my pilot.

Lance

Can a "True Christian" struggle with depression?

I’ve heard this question posed before in many different ways, and in fact I’ve heard it given more as a rhetorical question with the one giving the question making it clear that the obvious answer is no.  (Btw please note that it is not up to me or you to determine whether someone’s Christianity is “true” or not)

Sometimes well meaning Christians come across as the most heartless, cold, uncaring people when they say things like, “you are just focused on the wrong thing”, or why can’t you see how blessed you are”, or “you don’t have it nearly as bad as the man on the street, or the orphan in the 3^rd world country”, or countless other phrases intended to knock the person out of their depression.

Whether you know it or not someone close to you, in fact possibly many people close to you who are professing Christians are currently struggling with depression.  Studies show that in a typical congregation of 200 people 50 attendees will experience depression at some point, and at least 30 are currently taking antidepressants.  (March 2009 article in Christianity Today).

We can argue back and forth about whether depression is a disease or not, but that kind of misses the point doesn’t it?  The fact is, depression is real, and it is all around you, and contrary to some people’s opinion it isn’t a new problem.  Listen to what David said in portions of the 39^th Psalm – Be merciful to me, O Lord, for I am in distress; my eyes grow weak with sorrow, my soul and my body with grief. 10 My life is consumed by anguish and my years by groaning; my strength fails because of my affliction, and my bones grow weak. 11 Because of all my enemies, I am the utter contempt of my neighbors; I am a dread to my friends — those who see me on the street flee from me. 12 I am forgotten by them as though I were dead; I have become like broken pottery. Sounds to me like the man who gave us the greatest praise songs ever also struggled with depression.

So starting today, will you make a commitment to pay a little closer attention to those around you?  Watch their body language, take note of the little self-depreciating things they say, notice when they seem to be less prompt, or take care of themselves a little less than normal, etc., and take time to let them know how much you care about them.  Send a note, give a hug, and make it obvious that you are available for them if they need it.

Maybe together we can help each other cope with the difficulties of life, instead of ignoring what seem to be signs of weakness. “What then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?”  Rom. 8:31 – and yet God is often revealed through His people, and their acts of love, compassion, and kindness.  God is for us, and we have a responsibility to help others see this amazing truth, yes even other Christians who are struggling with depression.

In Christ,

Lance Osborn

CALIFORNIA DRIVERS!

You’ve probably heard the opinion stated that Californians are rude.  They’re unfriendly, always in a hurry, and they are rude drivers.  When driving they cut you off, flip you off, and overall turn you off.  Yeah I’ve heard it too, and from people who’ve never stepped a foot in California sometimes.  To be honest when we moved here I did have to adjust to the somewhat aggressive behavior of California drivers, especially since I was coming from Oklahoma, but to be fair I learned how to drive like that in Denver, so I don’t think it’s necessarily a California only thing.

Today as I was driving back to the Church from dropping Cade off at school, there was a vehicle trying to merge onto the freeway.  He was right next to me and had to either speed up or slow down and of course he sped up.  The problem was he was running out of room and didn’t have time to speed up enough to get in front of me.  Now I can be a bit aggressive myself at times, and the temptation was to just stay where I was and make him slow down to get behind me.  In fact I started to do just that and then caught myself.  I waved him over and slowed down to let him in.

What happened next was a bit surprising if you hold to the pre-conceived notion that California drivers are rude.  His back windows were fogged over, so I couldn’t see him, so he makes the effort to roll down his window, sticks his hand up as high as he can (I checked for a gun, just joking) and waved very vigorously to thank me for my decent behavior.

Here’s the point, if I had allowed my thought that this guy is being a jerk and trying to cut me off (because after all, isn’t that what California drivers do?) to overrule my thought of extending mercy because that’s the nice thing to do, I would have gone home thinking that the guy was rude, never knowing that I missed out on someone who was polite enough to make sure I knew he was thankful.

Pre-conceived notions and assumptions are common place and unfortunately they happen not only on highways, and in work environments, they also happen in our homes and in our churches.  They are often the reason why we argue and fight with our spouses, rush to false conclusions with our children, and judge people through self-righteous condemning eyes.  What would happen in your life this year if you stopped living your life based on pre-conceived notions and assumptions, and allowed mercy and grace to be the driving factors in your life?  Would you invite more people to the worship service, would you send out more positive emails on a regular basis, would you criticize less and uplift more, would you treat your family better, would you give others the benefit of the doubt more often, would you feed more homeless people, or even go on a mission trip?

I only know one thing that everyone of us has in common, besideds being alive, and that is we are all sinners in need of a Savior.  I gave my life to Jesus 25 years ago, but sometimes I fail to extend that love to others, and I will tell you that often it’s because I choose to look at people through my tainted eyes of experience, hurt, mistrust, judgment, etc., and often it is because of pre-conceived notions and assumptions.  It’s a new year so let us all resolve to look at everyone through the loving eyes of Jesus, shall we?  And stop bagging on California drivers - lol

In Christ,
Lance

Celebrating Our Journey

According to www.freedictionary.com the 2^nd definition for journey is, “A process or course likened to traveling; a passage”.  In life we have many journeys and you and I could speak of our journeys through high school, college, marriage, having children, careers, Christianity, and the list goes on and on.  December 6^th, 2006 was my family’s first Sunday morning worship service at TSCC.  December 10^th was my first day “on the job” and now 5 years later, we’ve completed the first 5 year chapter of this incredible journey.

In many ways it feels like we are still in the beginning phases of this journey.  The love and acceptance I and my family have received here has made these 5 years seem like they only started yesterday.  The Church here has not only accepted my preaching and teaching of God’s Word, my help in leading them along with the elders, it has also accepted my family as their family.  We came here knowing that we would have to take major road trips to see any of our blood relatives (other than my brother and his awesome family, who are still 2 ½ hours and a mountain away).

And yet we have never felt alone during the holiday seasons, or any other time.  We have friends here that are those lifetime, never forget you type of friends – and we have a lot of them.  Five years of watching a group of people grow closer to Christ, to each other and to us has been tons of fun.  Not to mention the fact that we keep having more and more added to this amazing family.

So as we look forward to the years ahead, let us continue to stick together, love each other like God loves us, look for ways to bring others into this family of God, and never forget to give God the Honor as He continues to shape us individually and together into a masterpiece for His Glory!  Ephesians 2:10 For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.  NLT

In Christian Love and Service,

Lance, Jen, Cade, and Carter Osborn

I don't want to go to school

Parents – Ask Questions!!!!!!!

My wife and I have been attending a required parenting class at Cade’s new school that has been life changing for me and I don’t say that lightly.  I’ve been to a lot of parenting classes and seen plenty of videos but this one has challenged me in ways I’ve never been challenged before.

One of the main focuses is dealing with attitudes rather than behavior.  Bad behavior is a result of a bad attitude and if you ignore the attitude and focus on the bad behavior, you are ignoring the problem and dealing with the symptoms only.  You know how that works medically and it isn’t any better with children, in fact it’s worse.

Another thing this class focuses on is asking questions to see what the child is thinking, how they are feeling and why their behavior is bad.  This was illustrated to me this week.  Every morning lately Cade has been saying, “I don’t want to go to school”, which is weird because he loves school.  Jen and I have gotten frustrated and started telling him to stop saying it because we know he doesn’t mean it.

Finally yesterday when Cade said it again, Jen asked him why he felt that way, yeah we finally got it right.  His answer?  Welling up with tears he said, “because I just miss you guys so much and want to be with you”.  This wasn’t a manipulative act either because he wasn’t in trouble.  It was his heart revealing how much he loves us and feels loved in our home.

Wow!  Talk about a wakeup call.  Here all this time I’ve been getting frustrated with him and irritated that he is saying this and all along it was just because he loves us. 

Again I say, parents ask questions.  Yes, Cade still needs to go to school, and yes we want him to love it, to learn, and have fun, which he does.  But we must never forget to find out what is in his heart and what he is thinking and feeling.  Children have emotions, feelings, and thoughts that often get ignored in our desire to make them do "what is right" (in our opinion) regardless of the situation.

Parents learn from my mistake and ask questions and please, please, please, listen to them when they answer.

God Bless you in this most difficult yet rewarding task,
Lance

My Favorite Things

I remember in grade school when our music teacher began to work with my class to determine which of us wanted to enter in the regional contest for singing or any other talent we might have.  There was a song that we guys stayed away from but there seemed to be at least one girl every year that would sing it.  “Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens”……. Really?  For a boy in the 5^th grade that was an extremely lame song……. “Girls in white dresses, with blue satin sashes”?  Talk about making a ten year old boy want to vomit.

But you know the song has a point.  We all have our own specific list of our favorite things.  It might be shaped by our gender, race, background, upbringing, etc.  It might be shaped by role models, parents, grand-parents, teachers, or many other things, but it definitely exists and is unique to each of us.

I also remember in the 5^th Grade receiving a calendar picture of Joe Montana from Mrs. Green.  She had randomly picked QB’s for each of us boys and I got Joe Montana.  I became a 49er fan for life and now live less than 2 hours from Candlestick Park (where they play, for you non-football fans).  It’s amazing how life works.

Today’s list of favorite things is very different from back then but it still exists.  It includes NY Super Fudge Ice Cream, G2, Lindt Dark Chocolate, Boneless Buffalo Wings from Chili’s, the TV Show Monk, the Andy Griffith show, Southern Gospel music, Oklahoma Sooners, and the 49ers.  Here’s the thing, as you read my list you might be rolling your eyes, or laughing at me, or even agreeing with me, but to me it’s an amazing list.

I do have a point in all of this.  God has blessed me with a list of favorite things that has nothing to do with food, or football or TV Shows.  It’s the morning drive Cade and I take to his school every day, it’s the view of the ocean, and the mountains, and even sky-scrapers.  It’s waking up every day and knowing that I’m loved by the most amazing woman (in my opinion) God ever put on this earth.  It’s watching my youngest son as he learns to walk, and talk, and shake his head no, and laugh uncontrollably when he’s tickled by his mom. 

And last but not least it’s every October during pastor appreciation month when I’m reminded again just how blessed I am to be serving God at Tyler Street Church of Christ.  The truth is that I get this reminder on a weekly if not daily basis, but this one time of the year when I’m showered with love and gifts and cards, I shake my head in wonder and thankfulness that God saw fit to put me and my family here.  Working with and under a Godly leadership, and alongside a bunch of amazing people who have given us so much over the almost 5 years we’ve been here, from physical gifts to emotional and spiritual gifts. 

I have a shelf on my desk that is dedicated to nothing but the cards and small reminders of this love, and it grows each and every day.  These are a few of my favorite things.  May God bless you today as you think of your list of favorite things, and may you be thankful for the people and things God has placed in your life.

Blessed beyond belief,

Lance

I am irreplaceable

Even as you read the title to this blog you know where I’m going, and it’s possible that a picture of someone you know is now in your mind.  You know the co-worker who brags to others that they can demand a raise because they are irreplaceable.  The boss, the job, maybe even the whole company would go down the tubes without them.

We spent the weekend on a mini-vacation and didn’t get back until time for our Family Night Sunday night.  When I asked about how the services went, I found out that we had a really good attendance, and someone even jokingly said, “I feel bad for Lance”, because there were more people than normal.  Of course we had a really good attendance day last week as well…… wait a minute that’s right, I didn’t preach last week either.  How much more can my poor bruised ego take?  I’m joking of course.

The truth is that not for one minute do I think that I am irreplaceable, but I want to be.  If you’re honest you also know that you want to feel irreplaceable as well sometimes.  We want to be needed, loved, appreciated, and missed when we’re gone.  While we want others to succeed and especially when we are talking about the Kingdom of God, the most important thing is that God is glorified, it’s still nice to know that you’re needed right?

Here’s the secret – TSCC is an amazing place where I’m praised, applauded, commended, and appreciated on a daily basis but my irreplaceableness (I know that’s not a word) needs to come from God and even then it’s not based on what I’m doing, it’s based on who I am.  Someone else could easily take my place in the work of God, but nobody can take my place in God’s eyes.  There is only one me and He wants me to be with Him so bad that He sacrificed His only Son so that I could be with Him forever.

Yep – I’m irreplaceable in God’s eyes.  My value doesn’t come from my service, my preaching, my talents, or abilities; it comes from being loved by the very one who created me.  He is my life, my fullness, my all in all, and while I’ve never ever served in a place where I’m appreciated as much as TSCC (and keep loving me despite my failures please) J my value is from having Christ make His home in my heart.  http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ephesians%203:14-21&version=NLT

Please follow this link and read an amazing passage of Scripture in the NLT and know that my prayer echoes Paul’s when I think of you, and you coming to terms with the fact that down here you are replaceable but with God your value has no end.