Spiritual Lessons from Raising a Puppy: Part 3

Safety over Satisfaction

Monday, Nala was spayed and it was a tough day for April and I.  We have grown to love our puppy so much and we don’t want her to hurt at all.  Knowing that the vet was going to put her to sleep and cut her open and take out her reproductive organs was not easy to think about.  The night before we could not let her eat after 8pm and the morning of we had to have her at the vet’s office by 7:30am.  We were worried about rather she would be angry at us.  We wondered if she would be the same spunky, energetic Nala.  We wondered how she would be different.

We went to pick her up at nearly 6pm on Monday and she had the cone around her head and was extremely groggy.  There was no licking, no barking, no running and no jumping.  She seemed like a shell of herself.  Each night we have had to give her pain medication to take care of the pain from the surgery and we have had to watch her shake her head in the cone and give us those droopy puppy eyes that say, “Why are you doing this to me.  I want to play, I want to run, I want to lick my wounds literally.”

In end safety is more important that satisfaction.  We would love for her to eat what she wants, play where she wants and do what she wants which would satisfy her but her safety is our responsibility even when it violates her satisfaction.  The same is true in our relationship with God.  There are a number of things that we would do that would satisfy us for the short term but in the end injure us for the long haul that God through the scriptures speaks against.  Sex outside of marriage is satisfying to the body but can be very damaging to the soul.  Eating more than we need to is satisfying to the body but dangerous for our livelihood.  Getting drunk or taking money may satisfy us for the short term but is not safe for us long-term.  The commandments that God gives are not to harm us but to protect us because our safety is more important than our satisfaction.

Next time God challenges you to do something he desires that goes against your desires, think about his love for you and how he is trying to save you from long term pain.

5 Reasons a Church or Organization Stops Growing

5 Reasons a Church or Organization Stops Growing
JULY 10, 2011

This is a guest blog post from Ron Edmondson, check out more of his blog here!

I was talking with a church recently that had explosive growth, but things have slowed. They wanted to know why they were not growing any longer.

I decided to share my quick answer here.

Obviously, God is ultimately in charge of a churches growth. There are times where God is giving a season of rest and preparation for a church for something to come. In some situations, God may have even taken His hand from the church.

God is into church growth, however. It’s our mission as believers to produce disciples and our model example of the first century church was a growing church, so outside the God factor, there are usually reasons for stagnation in a church. Because the church is an organization made up of people, these reasons are often similar to those you may find true as to why growth stalls in the life of an organization also.

In my experience, the reasons are for getting stuck and/or halting growth include:

You get comfortable…It’s okay to be comfortable, but when you hang out there too long, it can be dangerous, because you stop trying new things to spur growth and excitement.

You quit dreaming…Dreams inspire, challenge, and grow people and organizations. You’ll never dream bigger than the dreams God has for you or your church.

You stop taking risks…You can’t succeed at anything without a measure of risk. Playing it safe never grows anything. The call of God always involves risk-taking.

You start maintaining…When you fall into the mode of protecting what you have, you’ll be less likely to encourage growth for fear of losing ground.

You fail to walk by faith…Especially for the church…we are a faith-based organization. If you aren’t walking by faith in what you are doing…it’s impossible to please God. (That’s Biblical…look it up!)

Obviously there is so much more to this issue and to each one of these answers. These are general responses and there are specific issues with every church or organization. Hopefully thinking through each of these as a paradigm for brainstorming may help trigger thoughts towards actions which can spur future growth.

What would you add?

Spiritual Lessons from Raising a Puppy Part 2

You can tell that my puppy has changed the way I live life considering that I am blogging about her in parts but God has taught me a lot about life through the beautiful creature that is my pet, Nala.

Spiritual Lessons Number 2: God’s love is unconditional

As I come home each day from a long day of work, as I pull up to the front of our home, I see Nala looking at the window waiting for me to come.  As I walk into the door, I cannot get my keys on the key hanger or set my bag down before she is jumping on my leg, letting me know that she is glad to see me.  She has been home all day alone and if my wife has been home before me, she still gives me the royal treatment when I come home.  She demonstrates an unconditional love that is amazing towards me.  I hug her, hold her, caress her and even let her lick my hand or face or ear . . . I know it’s a little personal but I love her so much it doesn’t bother me.  What I have learned is that she can poop, pee, or bite through a cord and I still love her.  I don’t love her because of what she does, I love her because of who she is, my pet Nala.

The same is true when it comes to our relationship with God.  God is not keeping score trying to show us how many times we have messed up to determine whether or not he loves us.  He has already obliterated the scoreboard of love by sending his son Jesus to die for us.  Romans 5:8 says, “While we were still sinners Christ died for us.”  He didn’t wait until we decided to follow him to die, he died in advance.  John 15 says, “Greater love has no one than this than to lay down his life for his friend.”  Jesus did just that so that we could receive the unconditional love of God demonstrated through his sacrifice.  In return, God would love for us to demonstrate unconditional love to him.  I have learned that my love for God cannot be based on what has happened to me but it needs to be based on who he is to me.  Just like Nala loves me unconditionally, I want to give that same love to my heavenly father who provides, protects and purposes my life on a daily basis.  Take some time to thank God for his unconditional love today and then consider if you are showing unconditional love to him today.

Spiritual Lessons from Raising a Puppy Part 1

Spiritual Lessons from Raising a Puppy

I am one of those guys who never really understood the whole pet love thing.  My wife and I had a Chihuahua Terrier during our first year of marriage that terrorized our lives.  She scratched through the dry wall of our new house, barked all the time and was a challenge to live with.  After 6 months or so, we gave him away to a friend who kept him until his untimely death.  Sad I know.

But on December 21, 2010, my life changed forever when we were able to bring home Nala Tabor, our new toy poodle.  She was so small, less than 2 pounds and she was so scared.  She had no idea where she was going and no idea what she was doing.  She was leaving three brothers and sisters to come home with strangers.  Soon she realized that we were it from there on and she adapted quickly.

Less than three days later, I took her to Abilene, Texas to meet my parents and then to Plano, Texas to meet my wife’s parents.  The next thing I knew she was part of the family.  Both grandparents were in love with her.  My God sister couldn’t put her down and I realized that I could spend money on her without even knowing it.  Every time I went to store, I was thinking, “She would look cute in that shirt” or “She would love this toy.”  Before I knew it we spent hundreds of dollars providing what was needed and we loved every minute of it.

Spiritual Lesson Number 1: God will provide for us.

Nala never worries about food, clothing or shelter. She just assumes it is going to be there because my wife and I as parents have proven that we will do this on a consistent basis.  The same is true for us.  Matthew 6 teaches us not to worry about what we will eat, drink or wear because our heavenly father knows what we need.  God has proven that he is able to take care of his creation.  Throughout the years he has provided manna and water in the desert, he turned two fish and five loaves of bread into a buffet large enough to feed 5,000 men plus women and children.  When you think back over your life, hasn’t God provided what you’ve needed?  So I encourage you to trust him today and allow him to be your heavenly father who provides then brag to your friends about how great of a spiritual father you have.  God loves it when we tell others about how great he is.  Live as one who is provided for today.

Vacation: Longing for Heaven

Today is the third day of our week long vacation. Sunday was my last day to work as our church hosted our first service in the park. We sat under a pavilion as a slight breeze blew through the park, we sang songs of praise to the accompaniment of acoustic guitars and birds. Yes the birds were singing, seemingly louder as we sang. We were joining in the praise of the God of all creation while standing in creation. It was beautiful.

As I preached from the book of Ephesians, I spoke about the hope that we have for our future in heaven and began to talk about my first vacation. My wife and I were just married and we travel to Cozumel, Mexico. As we ate breakfast on the beach and experienced the breeze, I realized why people to on vacation. It hit me. Vacation is our longing for heaven. A time of rest, refreshing, reconnecting and recreating. We were staying at an all-inclusive resort so we could eat and drink all we wanted. It was amazing.

This week I am staying at a friend’s condo on the lake with my wife and my dog. I am seeing beautiful views, eating great food, reading books, going for walks, swimming …loving life. This is a glimpse of heaven. I am not in a hurry to go there but I will love every minute of being there once I go. Join me there by embracing Christ’s sacrifice for your sins and his leadership in your life. Heaven will be great but earth will actually be fulfilling and purposeful.

These are my thoughts on a day of vacation.

Winning One vs. Being the One

As I continued to watch the season develop in the NBA, I have been pulling for LeBron James because I respect his decision to leave Cleveland where he was a superstar, loved and a two-time league MVP to go to Dwayne Wade’s city of Miami to win.  LeBron made had a big decision to make at this point in his career.  He had already won a state championship in high school and been selected the 1st pick of the NBA draft.  He took his team to the finals prematurely in 2007 and was swept by a team called the San Antonio Spurs.  He did all he could in Cleveland over 7 years but realized that he was not going to have the kind of team around him he needed to win so he made the decision to win one instead of being the one.  Over the last two days commentators all over the television stations have accused him of not being the best closer on his team with Wade being available to score at the end of each game but LeBron has demonstrated that winning with a team is more important than simply being the one that everyone looks to.  I ask you to consider, who are the people you need to add to your team in life to win one instead of being a lone ranger?  You can do more with others than you can alone.  Team up and see how you can win life today.

Be INSPRIED!

Justice on my mind!

Reform Immigration in Texas Advocates invited me to offer the invocation for their march and rally last Tuesday at the state capital in Austin, Texas. (View video). As a student in high school I became very interested in politics because I believed that through quality leadership the world could be a better place. I campaigned with my congressman and I attended the National Youth Leadership Conference in Washington DC where I served as a representative in the house. I served as student body president in my hight school and as a one-year at large student government representative in college. I saw the power that leadership could have on our future. I never fully pursued politics but I have continued to be a concerned citizen as I have grown in life.

As I stood on the steps of our state capital and I invited God to join us, I was reminded of seeing the power of the freedom of speech in our nation at this same capital as a high school student. It was the early 1990′s and the verdict concerning the Rodney King case in California had been announced. As student government leaders from Abilene High School walked to the capital for a tour we saw a protest like the one I attended on Tuesday rallying for justice. As students we saw injustice and wanted to do something about it. We made our voice known by joining the rally and using our voice for good. Over 15 years later I stood as a speaker on those same steps speaking out for justice and fighting the status quo. We are blessed to live in a nation where we can express our voice and be heard. We can speak truth to power and we can speak to our heavenly father and ask for his power to be the change we want to see. I would never tell you what your political view must be but I will always tell you to be informed, be instructed and be inspired to do something for the good of someone other than yourself. Think about the big picture not just the 3D image in your own mind. There is a big world out there and people who Christ died for whose justice may be your plight to deliver.

Welcome!

I want to welcome you to my new blog.  My name is Corey Tabor and I am the Founder and Lead Pastor of Full Life Community Church in Austin, Texas where we are living life to fullest.  We are missional, maturing, multicultural church that lives to reconcile people to God and one another.  My purpose in life is to inform, instruct and inspire people to fulfill their God-given purpose.  So I plan to use this blog to fufill the purpose of our church and my personal purpose.  I look foward to sharing stories and principles that allow you to live life to fullest and to be reconciled to God and others.  Feel free to post comments and share feedback.  I look foward to the journey with you.

To learn more about Full Life Community Church go to www.befull.org.

 

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