Set Your Mind Above

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Welcome to our very first episode of Season 3! I'm so glad you've returned, and hope that this new year finds you well! In today's episode, I lose my keys - well, my car key to be specific. I spent three hours looking for it, and just above gave up hope. That was until my daughter found it...in one of their toy bins under their bed. Hmm, I wonder how it got there. I wasn't upset, I was just relieved and overjoyed to have it back. 

Well...that is exactly how the Lord feels when those who are lost return home to where they belong. Don't believe me? Tune in to consider 3 parables that teach us from God's perspective about how he feels when those who are lost are found. 

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Tune in for the season finale of this year. We will be taking a short break from the podcast, but we hope to see you all back in February of 2023! Until then, know that I love you, that God loves you, and may we all each and every day set our minds above!

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Tune in for a special guest episode with my friend Jared Bollman, the host of the "Man Up" podcast. 

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Thanksgiving is tomorrow, and I certainly know that I have so much to be grateful for. It's our first Thanksgiving as a family of 5, and that is just the tip of the iceburg. We are blessed with our church family, our friends, our home, and so many other things. God has been good to us far beyond measure. It's easy to be thankful when things are good, but what about when they're not? Well...we need to learn that gratitude is not tied to God's blessings, but much rather to his unchanging nature. Regardless of our circumstances, God is still God, and he is worthy of our thanks and praise. Even if things are hard this year, not just tomorrow, but every day be sure that you show God your heartfelt thanks in both word and deed. 

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I recently saw a video of a man standing on the street with a sign asking for help. It said that he was hurting and discouraged and could use someone to talk to. Nobody stopped. Then he turned the sign around, and it said "free money" with cash taped all to the poster. Within seconds, a mob had formed, and under a minute, the money was gone. Isn't that the way it goes: people are more interested in being given something than giving something. Well...can we possibly bring that same attitude towards the church? If I view the church as an institution rather than the people, I will likely view it as an organization to serve me. That's not the church. The church is the people, and we come together not to be served, but rather to be equipped to go out and serve. 

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I had a panic attack this week (not really, but go with me here) when a report came out that Dan Lanning, the head coach of Oregon, was interested in leaving and taking the head coaching job at Auburn. Of course Dan was asked if this was true. He set the record straight, and taught us all a lesson too. In the interview, he said he was content where he was, grateful for where he was, and the grass is not always greener on the other side. Well...how often do we forget this as Christians? Rather than being grateful and content for where we are and what we have, we are constantly in the search for something "more" or "better". In doing this, we miss what is right in front of us. Don't ask God for more blessings...thank him for the ones he's already given. 

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My daughter enjoys playing with my hair and pretending to be a hairstylist. She was working on my hair last night and asked if she was almost done. She said, "these take a long, long time...like 5-7 minutes! That's forever." I laughed. When you're a kid time moves so slow, but as you age, you realize you don't have that much left. Well...Scripture speaks to the nature of our short lives, how they are like a vapor. But rather than be discouraged by this fact, it shoudl equip us with wisdom to make the best use of our time. Don't waste your most precious commodity. 

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I find that the older I get, the less I venture with things in life. I eat the same things, wear the same things, do the same things, and listen to the same things. We are creatures of habit, aren't we? While that's not necessarily bad, it's important to recognize that sometimes that can bleed over into other things like...well...our prayer life. When do you pray? How do you pray? What do you pray? Has prayer simply become a thoughtless ritual in our life? Or is it truly an outpouring of my spirit to God? Let's make a habit of prayer, but let's never make prayer simply a habit. 

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Yesterday, my wife and I celebrated 8 years of marriage. As much as I loved and knew my wife the day we were married, it's nothing compared to how I love and know her now. Lord willing, I will be able to say the same years down the road. But that didn't just happen on its own. To grow in our love & knowledge, we needed to pursue each other. Well...the same goes for our relationship with Jesus. Our love for him and knowledge of him should only grow through the years, but that doesn't happen on its own. We must pursue Jesus and draw near to him. And know this - he is pursuing you too. 

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I am a huge Mariners fan! We ended a 21 year playoff drought this year, and after sweeping the Blue Jays went on to face the Astros. Game 1 was tonight, and we had a commanding lead until the last inning when they allowed a walk off home run. Surely, the team is crushed. But the series isn't over yet. Yes the lost, but how will they respond to failure? Well...in our spiritual walk, we must ask the same question. We all are going to fail and sin, we are human. It doesn't excuse it, but it is what it is. The question we must ask ourselves is will we stay down? Or will we get back up again, trusting in God's grace? Who will define you: your sin, or Jesus? 

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