A few weeks ago, I was going through my nightly routine before bed (that’s how an OCD person survives - through routines). So there I was taking out my contacts, washing my face, and brushing my teeth when Heather says, “Oh, my goodness! You won’t imagine what commercial just came on the TV.”

Here is the commercial we saw…

We saw this commercial on ESPN around 11pm.

The ashleymadison.com mission statement is “Life is short. Have an affair.” Another commercial for this website (which is way too provocative for me to put on my blog) has a man and a woman being extremely physical and passionate with each other followed by the words, “This couple is married. But not to each other.” Their website has the “100% Guaranteed Ashley Madison Affair Guarantee” that says, “Have an affair to remember or we’ll give you your money back!” 

I’m not sure what kind of emotions that stirs up inside of you - possible anger, sadness, or indifference. After thinking about it for a minute, my heart broke thinking about this company. Thinking about all the marriages that will be destroyed, thinking about all the families that will be ruined, thinking about all the children that will be hurt by mommy or daddy, and thinking about all the deep emotional scars that will impact so much more than the participants, my heart broke. It is enough to bring you to tears, isn’t it?

Here’s the deal: this is not an article written by some Christian who from his comfortable bubble of religion and church is pointing and screaming about how wrong and jacked up the world is today. This is not an article asking you to rant, picket, and protest outside this company’s offices or to boycott ESPN for showing this commercial. There are plenty of Christians that choose to be that “Bullhorn Guy” who stands outside of the world shouting how sinful and wrong the world is today. I do not find that strategy successful.

No, this is an article calling you to pray. Pray for the lost. Pray that God will rise up men and women in businesses and advertising that love him more than the almighty dollar. Pray that followers of God will start setting the trends in advertising, marketing, and business. And pray that when Christians do start setting the trends, it looks a lot different from today. We need world changers.

It’s important to know what is out in the world. It is what our kids are seeing. It is the messages they are hearing. Talk to your kids about this commercial. Use it as a teachable moment of how serious and dangerous that lifestyle could be. Don’t play hide and seek like little kids - you know, where they simply cover their eyes, thinking if they can’t see you, then you can’t see them. Face this problem.

It breaks my heart. Does it break yours?

I am in the middle of an intense 40 day Bible study called “A Call To Die” by David Nasser. 

Yesterday’s section of the book was all about worship. 

Too often, the concept of worship is confusing to us. We think that it is the hour on Sunday morning when you put on your Sunday best to sing songs. We often miss the point of true worship. Some may be confused that raising your hands or being expressionate during worship songs is the highest form of worship. Raising our hands when we sing is not the highest form of worship.

When we are walking with Christ, our lives are acts of worship all day every day. Every single thing we do to honor God is worship. Worship is a lifestyle, not just a group of songs. (Romans 12:1)

However, during a section of yesterday’s reading, Nasser did talk about the importance of corporate worship. His main point was that we need to pay close attention to what we are singing.

He suggested that the worship songs we sing should be the benchmark of integrity in our lives. He writes…

Think about the words and the message they express. If they don’t communicate your heart, and if you don’t want to use the song as a prayer for God to change you, be honest about it. Don’t sing. I hope some of us will have the courage to close our mouths and sit down when a song doesn’t match our heart’s desire. When those around you are singing, “Lord, you are more precious than silver,” be honest with God and with yourself about the condition of your heart. If you want your heart to change, sing passionately. If you’d rather value other things more than Jesus, don’t sing. Worship in spirit and truth (John 4:23). Be authentic in your heart. God can handle your honesty, and being real with him might be a turning point in your walk of faith.

What do you think? Are you letting worship be the benchmark of your integrity?

This weekend I downloaded a new application for my iPhone. The application is called “Lonely Planet - Mandarin”. This application, which is free in Apple’s App Store, is genius. Instead of trying to explain it and boring you to death, here is the commercial that inspired me to get it:

Now there is no doubt in my mind that I will be going back to China, and I will be using this app.

By the way, if you use a smartphone (phone that uses email and Internet), you need to get an iPhone. It is amazing, easy to use, and super efficient. It is the best - hands down.

Can I get an amen, fellow iPhone users? Chad? Tim? Luke? Brandon? Victoria? Wes?

I am guessing that some of you may be somewhat intimidated by just the title of this blog post. Don’t be. This is not something to make you feel guilty for not doing enough of something or something to make me feel better about myself. This is simply one follower of God being honest about a subject that is often silent in common American Christianity.

Scripture memorization is often looked at as being only for “hardcore” Christians. It is only for the ultra Bible freaks. Maybe if you are a minister, elder, pastor, or serious Sunday school teacher, then you would sometimes memorize Scripture. That is simply not true.

I think it is safe to say that the majority of people have memorized a lot of songs. Now we do not think that only hardcore music freaks should be the ones memorized song lyrics, right? No, there is a good chance that you and I have hundreds (if not thousands) of songs memorized in our heads. Why is memorizing God’s Word looked at so differently?

Memorizing Scripture is so much more than just a discipline. It is a weapon. You will be more equipped to fight sin and temptation.

If you get time today, take a look at MATTHEW 4:1-11 - the temptation of Jesus. After Jesus had been fasting for 40 days, Satan decides to throw his all-out blitz of temptation towards Jesus. Every time Jesus is tempted, how does he respond? He counters the temptation with quoting Scripture. Trust me, he did not have time in those moments to break out his Old Testament or roll out his scroll of Deuteronomy and find those passages. He had them hidden in his heart. In his moment of greatest weakness and temptation, Jesus relied heavily on memorized Scripture for strength and victory.

I have recently put this spiritual discipline more into practice in my life. I do not say that to puff myself up, but to encourage you. You can do it. Do not listen to the lie that Satan whispers in our ears that we cannot do that or that it is too hard. Start small. Do not get discouraged. You can do it.

Bless God today.

I have for years been rebelling against text messaging. However, the other day I finally gave in and purchased a larger text messaging plan. This generation of texters finally broke me. I have fought the good fight against text messaging for years now, but I have officially raised the white flag in surrender to its power.

At least I finally gave in for good reasons.

As a youth minister, the generation I work with has their own language - texting. It is easily their most used form or communication. The days of teenagers picking up their house phone and calling their friends are over. No more ridiculous, late into the night phone conversations with that new significant other. Instead, it is a generation that stays up late into the night having 5-6 texting conversations at the same time.

I got more texting for one reason - ministry. I plan on using this to better communicate and connect with the students in my youth ministry. If adding a few bucks to my monthly cell phone bill brings more people closer to Jesus and connected closer to their church family, it is an investment well worth it.

I only hope I can decode and translate all this “text” language.

___________________

Interesting text messaging facts (all can be found here):

• The first text message was sent in 1989.
• In 2000, 17 billion text messages were sent.
• By 2004, 500 billion text messages were sent.

On my run this morning, I just was not feeling it. I did not run faster than normal. I did not run farther than normal. In fact, nothing was significantly different than most of my runs. It was just one of those days where my feet felt heavy from the first step and I knew it was going to be a struggle just to keep my feet moving. It was going to take all the discipline and will-power I had to get through the run. Nevertheless, I decided to tough it out, grit my teeth, and run.

You ever have those days?

Have you ever had those days spiritually?

You know those days. The days where nothing seems to be different than your normal routine. Those days where you begin to become tired and bored from the mundane, normalcy of life. Those days where nothing necessarily bad is happening, but nothing necessarily good is happening either. Maybe you are waking up after a night’s sleep and immediately feeling tired. Maybe you have no energy or drive to thrive and make a difference at your work/school. You know that getting through the day connected to your Heavenly Father is going to take all the discipline and will power you have inside you, but you do not know if you have it today. You feel tired, weary, burdened, and that you have heavy spiritual feet during these times.

Back to my run this morning…

I was struggling and pushing through the blah of the run this morning. During the final stretch of the run when everything inside of me told me to quit, I was reminded of who I was and whose I was. Through my iPod came a powerful song full of truth at just the right time, “Nothing Without You” by Bebo Norman. If you are tired, let the words of this powerful song minister to you and remind you of who you are and whose you are…

Take these hands and lift them up
For I have not the strength to praise You near enough
For I have nothing, I have nothing without You

Take my voice and pour it out
Let it sing the songs of mercy I have found
For I have nothing, I have nothing without You

All my soul needs
Is all Your love to cover me
So all the world will see
That I have nothing without You

Take my body and build it up
May it be broken as an offering of love
For I have nothing, I have nothing without You

All my soul needs
Is all Your love to cover me
So all the world will see
That I have nothing
But I love You

With all my heart
With all my soul
With all my mind
With all the strength that I can find

Take my time here on this earth
And let it glorify all that You are worth
For I am nothing,
I am nothing without You

May you run and not grow faint today. Remember Jesus’ words today from Matthew 11:28, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”

___________________

The song that followed “Nothing Without You” was “Earthquake” by Family Force 5, but I couldn’t find any deep, spiritual application from that song.

The Cromer family rented some movies this weekend to watch (one of my favorite things to do to relax on the weekends). While Heather and I walked around Blockbuster, we decided to rent IRONMAN. 

I was reluctant to commit to watching this movie because I am not the biggest fan of comic book movies. For the most part, comic book movies are cheesy, cartoon-ish movies filled with bad acting and terrible one-liners (of course, there are exceptions such as the newer Batman movies). Movies such as the old Batman movies, Fantastic Four movies, and the Spiderman movies all fit this mold. IRONMAN does not belong in the cheesy, cartoon-ish, comic book movies. It was actually a really good movie and I was pleasantly surprised. I totally recommend IRONMAN.

_____________________

What about you? Have you seen any good movies lately that you would like to share?

There have been many moments in my life that I like to call “CROSSROAD MOMENTS.” These are moments where something specific happened and from that point on my life was never the same.

To help you understand more clearly, the United States of America had a major Crossroad Moment on September 11, 2001. Our nation was never and will never be the same after that day. How we go through airport security changed. Our national security changed.

I personally have had quite a few Crossroad Moments in my life. Here are a few specific dates…

JULY 23, 1996 - This was the day that I first walked into Yankee Stadium. At the time I was a casual fan of the New York Yankees. However, after watching the Yankees beat the Texas Rangers 6-0, with Doc Gooden pitching seven innings of shutout ball, Paul O’Neal going 2-3 with 3 runs scored and 2 walks, and watching two future Hall of Fame rookies by the names of Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera play, I was transformed into a fanatic.

SEPTEMBER 8, 2005 - This was my first day of playing fantasy football. Yes, this was the day that how I watched NFL football changed forever. Now I can watch any NFL game with some interest and be entertained. That is great for me, but not so great for Heather.

MAY 22, 2004 - I got married on this day. This was the day that I entered into a covenant, life-long relationship with Heather. My life has definitely never been the same. I started sharing a bed with another person; I shared my finances with another person; I starting making my daily decisions with another person; and much more changes.

AUGUST 12, 1994 - This was the day that I made the decision to respond to the life-changing message of Jesus. This was the day that I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior. I was saved and baptized on that day. I decided on that day that the life Jesus offered was better than anything the world could offer.

_______________________

Those are a few of my Crossroad Moments. 

What about you? What are some of your Crossroad Moments?

On May 16 I wrote a post entitled “RESULTS FROM THE FALL” where I jokingly added results from the fall of man in Genesis 3. In addition to the Biblically-listed pain in childbirth and that we would have to work our tail off to eat and survive, I added other results from eating the forbidden fruit like zits (acne), the QVC channel, rising gas prices, and the WNBA. Others comments that followed suggested sunburn, love handles, and underarm sweat as other possible results from the fall.

Today something to happened to me when I went home for lunch that reminded me of another possible result of the fall. 

I went home and like always, I first put everything else on hold while I took my two dogs, Gaby and Kate, outside to use the bathroom. As I was patiently waiting for them to complete their business, a fire ant crawled on my foot and decided to bite me. I immediately responded by taking my mammoth-sized hand (at least from the ant’s point-of-view), thrusting it towards the ant, thus ending that ant’s life.

That being said, I believe that FIRE ANTS are a result from the fall. I had never encountered fire ants till I moved to Texas, which is proof that I am a little closer to hell. (Easy Texans - just a joke…sorta…) I do not think that ants are a result of the fall, I believe that FIRE ants are a result from the fall. I totally believed that God created and had some purpose in ants. However, I think he added the “FIRE” to ants after Genesis 3 to teach Adam and Eve a lesson.

(By the way, I am just waiting for a phone call, email, or blog comment from my father - who has a masters degree in animal biology - to tell me exactly what fire ants do and why they exist.)

How many of you have heard this famous bedtime prayer?

I am not going to lie - I find this prayer extremely creepy and morbid. I relate a lot with this guy…

*IF THE VIDEO ISN’T WORKING, CLICK HERE TO SEE THIS FUNNY VIDEO.

Today is a weird day in the office. Today is the first day that I have been an employee at the Shannon Oaks Church without one of my co-workers (and friend) being here.

A great friend of mine is moving from Sulphur Springs. Jon Paul Dennis has moved on from his position as the worship minister at the Shannon Oaks Church. He has faithfully and selflessly served the Shannon Oaks Church as worship minister for eight years. JP and I have worked on the same staff now for over four years. He and his family have felt God’s pull to focus on their family and move to Dallas to be near other family members.

___________________

This part is just for JP:

Hey brother. I have been thinking for a week on what I wanted to say to you before you left. I couldn’t think of the words when I was helping you move your incredibly heavy stuff on Friday. I couldn’t think of the words when I was leaving church yesterday morning. I guess the reality of you leaving did not really hit me until I got in the office this morning and you were not here. I walked by your office to see the remnants of what used to be your stuff.

I just wanted to thank you so much for everything over the last 4+ years. From the first day I stepped foot in Sulphur Springs, I felt accepted by you. Please know that I view you as much more than a colleague. You are a mentor, a friend, and a brother. It has been an honor standing beside you and ministering with you the past 4+ years. I will miss your humor, our conversations, our venting sessions, your ability to fix anything, and your booming laugh. Take care of your family and your wife. You are one of my heroes. I love you, bro. You will be missed, JP.

Last night was part three of the four week series called “LIFE REMIXED” that I am teaching on Wednesday evenings at our Revive mid-week service. The title for last night’s message was “PRAYER REMIXED”, where we looked at a way to remix our prayer life.

(Giving credit where credit is due, I first heard the idea for this message many years ago when hearing a similar message by Louie Giglio at 722 in Atlanta, Georgia.)

We looked a common prayer (or different variations of that common prayer) that we often pray - “God, bless me.” We are so captivated with receiving the blessings of God. Listen closely to prayers and you will hear tons of petitions directed towards God to bless me, bless my family, bless my friends, bless my church, bless my finances, bless my grades, bless my sports teams, bless my relationships, bless my country, bless my dog, bless my coffee table, etc.  You name it, we probably ask God to bless it.

Why do you think Dan Wilkerson’s Prayer of Jabez book was so popular when it was released in 2000? This book that focuses on a man in the Bible named Jabez’s prayer in 1 Chronicles 4:9-10 sold more than 9 million copies in its first two years. Why? Because many believed Jabez’s prayer was the key to receiving more of God’s blessing.

After diving into God’s Word a little more, I found out that Abraham was promised a lot of blessing. Check these verses out when you have time: Genesis 12:2-3 (Abraham receives a promise of blessing), Genesis 17:3-4 (Abraham receives a promise to become the father of nations), and Genesis 22:17-18 (Abraham receives another promise of blessing and that all nations would be blessed through his offspring).

In America, we live in a very consumer-driven society. A society where we cannot get enough stuff. There is always something bigger and better. Heather and I are saving our money right now for a large, flat-panel TV. Why? We already have 4 TVs of some kind already in our house. Maybe we look at God’s blessings with the same consumer-driven mentality.

In studying I found out that the term “Bless you” is used 36 times in the Bible - 34 in the Old Testament, 2 in the New Testament. The term “Bless me” is used 6 times in the Bible - 6 in the Old Testament, 0 in the New Testament. The term “Bless” is used 89 times in the Bible - 84 in the Old Testament, 5 in the New Testament.

Isn’t that interesting? Seems there is a fundamental change and shift when it comes to blessings in the Old Testament and the New Testament. So what changed? That question can be answered in one word - JESUS! 

With Jesus we have received the ultimate blessing. Through Jesus, Abraham’s blessing came to fruition and we were blessed more than we could possibly imagine (Read Galatians 3:14 - really, really cool).

So here is how I was asking them to remix their prayer life:

Instead of always praying “GOD, BLESS ME.” Remix that by praying “GOD, LET ME BLESS YOU.” Live a life that blesses God. Live a life worthy of the incredible blessing that you have been given through Jesus. Live a life that brings honor and glory to God with everything you do. Realize that you are blessed beyond your wildest dreams and live a life that brings a huge smile to God’s face.

In response time, I challenged them to think of specific ways they could bless God with their lives. I asked them to write them down. It was amazing to see them brainstorm about specific ways of how they could bless God with their life. Commitments were made last night to honor God by maintaining sexual purity until marriage, to honor God by never submitting to drugs and alcohol, sharing God with specific friends, and even being a catalyst for revival in their schools, their cities, and their world. It was powerful seeing all these commitments to bless God through their lives.

That was PRAYER REMIXED. Thanks for reading this far.

With that being said…BLESS GOD today.

Tell me this wouldn’t liven up a church service…

The Yankees played their final game in historic Yankee Stadium last night. They won the game 7-3. I recorded the game on my TIVO and it will probably be on there for a long time.

Click here for ESPN.com story.

Click here for Yankees.com story.

An expression I love is “Captain Obvious”. Captain Obvious is used when somebody says something that is incredibly obvious about a certain situation.

For example, let’s say that I were to have a huge bruise across my entire face. You walk up to me, point at my face, and say, “Man, I bet that hurts!” That is a Captain Obvious statement.

You can find Captain Obvious statements lots of places, including the Bible. I am trying to make a list of Captain Obvious Bible Verses and I need your help finding more.  Here is an example of a C.O. verse:

MATTHEW 4:2 - “After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.”

Can you help me find more?

_________________

By the way, I say all this with a ton of respect, awe, and reverence for God’s Word. I am not writing this to be disrespectful of Scripture at all. Just having a little fun.