Mike Henderson

Things Go Better 'Without' God

Actually that's not true, but we act like it is true.  When I was a kid I used to always take the onions off of a McDonald's cheeseburger.  In my mind, it was better without the onions.  

Even today, when Carol makes an incredible fresh salad, she loves to put lots of fresh onion slices on top. Lots. I have nothing against onions today, but I do have a problem with lots at one time.  Actually I prefer to reduce the amount so that I can avoid the strong taste of onions.

Sometimes that's the way we treat God.  We either take Him totally out of the picture or reduce Him so much that He can't make a difference.

Let me list two ways we do this.

1. We fail to search the Scriptures and see what God has to say.  Proverbs 3:5-6 (ESV) says, "Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths."

2. We seek the wisdom of others and neglect going to the Lord in prayer when our life spins out of control.  King Asa did this very thing.  2 Chronicles 16:12 (NASV), "In the thirty-nineth year of his reign Asa became diseased in his feet.  His disease was severe, yet even in his disease he did not seek the LORD, but the physicians."  Amazing.  There is nothing wrong with going to the doctor, but why ignore God during a time of incredible pain, any kind of personal, physical, or emotional pain?

In both instances, reducing or ignoring God clearly does not lead to a better outcome. As for lots of fresh onions on a salad, Carol thinks the onions make it.  On the spiritual side, the Bible is clear, things go better when God is not reduced or completely left out.     

Go through life with God.  You'll be glad you did.  

Negatives are Hard, But Not Impossible to Overcome

As the new year is now well under way many have discovered that the bad habits and negatives of 2011 will take a while to overcome in 2012.

Think about how hard it is to turn things around.  Here are a few examples:

1. I love donuts and even had one the other day.  But I know that I must limit my intake.  Just one donut probably costs me one hour of intense exercise.  Wow.  20 seconds to eat and sixty minutes to work it off.

2. Credit card debt is a national phenomenon.  One of the easiest things to do is spend money, whip out the plastic, and enjoy what we can purchase on credit.  Moments or even days of fun can take years to pay off.

3. In a marital relationship, the highly respected John Gottman suggests that for every negative it takes several positves to overcome.  He says "men tend to have shorter fuses and longer-lasting explosions than women."  As I read that I realize men may have the harder job, because they may have more negatives to overcome.  Some even estimate that it takes as many as twenty positives to overcome just one negative.

4. In church world it is not uncommon for people to begin reading their Bible, only to get stuck by mid-summer.  Then around December they try to catch up, all in vain.

5. If you have a garden you understand how much work weeds demand from you.

6. How about your lawn?  I enjoy push mowing.  However, if I allow the grass to get too tall, I must mow at a much slower rate.  And that raises my frustration level.  That leads me to talk to myself while mowing and asking, "Why did I wait this long?"

In fact, we ask why a lot.

Why did I wait so long before I weeded my garden?

Why did I make that big purchase on an impulse?

Why did I get so upset with my spouse?

All of those whys remind us that negatives are hard to overcome.  However, it is possible.  On the other hand, it sure would be nice to avoid all those regrets by focusing on the positive on the front end.  Life would be so much different.

Drinking Adds Up

Let me start off with a disclaimer.  I don't drink.  I am pretty much a water and coffee only type of guy. And I try and not go overboard on coffee.  

One reason water has become my primary beverage is Michael Jordan.  Back in the day when he left baseball to make his return to basketball his only drink was water.  He felt that was the best way for him to play at an optimum level.  I was hooked. Plus water is free.

Carol and I have now been on four cruises and without fail on the last day you can hear people talk about their final bill and the alcohol charges.  For some reason wherever you go on the ship during the cruise people have a drink in their hand.  Not really sure why that is.  I drink about 8-10 glasses of water a day, but I did not walk around the ship with a drink in hand.

You get the idea.  It's vacation time so people lose track of time and their drinking. (For me it was desserts, but they were free).  And the alcohol adds up, big time.

Then on the last day reality sets in.  I think we all allow things to add up in life without giving it much thought until it's too late.  Take some time to reflect.  What's adding up in your life right now?  

Something Missing

Recently I was out of town and stayed at a Holiday Inn Express.  I tend to like that particular chain.  The price is economical, their breakfast contains the necessary fiber, protein, and the popular cinnamon bun.

One problem.  There were no cinnamon buns.  What's up with that?  Now I am sure not everyone missed what was missing, but don't you hate it when you go somewhere and expect something and it's not there?

When I think of New Hope, I try to process things thru the same grid.  People come expecting some things and if what they are looking for they will be disappointed.  

Now obviously we can't provide everything.  For instance, we do not observe the Lord's Supper every week. For some that would be missing a crucial element.

While you could go crazy trying to 'have everything' someone could expect, we have simplified it a little.

Every week we do not want to be missing a welcoming atmosphere, heartfelt worship, or an encouraging message.  Also, we want the kids to have fun and learn something from the Bible.  Those are the things we don't want to have missing.

We could also include things like excellence, harmony, and order.  I mention things like that because if you were to go to Lowe's you may not think going in 'I hope to get help in an orderly fashion,' but if it is missing you will notice.

One of our goals every week is to not miss anything.