Spiritual Deposits

You have an appointment on the books with our Father this afternoon. It’s on your calendar. On your blackberry. Imagine that. Face to face. No baggage. No death. Just you and God. One on one. Your chance. Heaven.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve heard of Michael Phelps. The 23-year-old swimmer being called the greatest Olympian that has ever lived. After winning eight gold medals at the Beijing Olympics, overtaking Mark Spitz’s seven for seven in 1972, at least as far as the record books are concerned, he’s earned his title. When you get in the swimming pool, if Phelps is there, get ready for second place.

"I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and doggone it, people like me." While I'm not missing the tongue in cheek irony of the classic Saturday Night Live sketch, where Stuart Smalley - performed by Al Franken - looks in the mirror and repeats this mantra, I'm not so sure that God gets the joke.

Hurricanes. Tornados. Tsunamis. Devastation. Abductions. Killing. Stealing. Greed. Famine. War. All in a day’s newscast. Morning. Noon. Night. 24 Hour coverage. Everywhere you turn. Terrible. Horrific. Frightening. Information overload.

God loves country music. I just know it. He still loves all that traditional stuff. The spiritual music I grew up on. Hymns. Organs. Gospel. Contemporary music. Christian singers. Christian radio. But God is a country music fan. He has to be.

Remember your first checking account? Your first checkbook? I do. It meant everything. I opened my very own checking account straight out of college when I landed my first job. And when I received that first paycheck, it was a wondrous event. A memorable day.

I just love this time of year. Christmas time. A time to celebrate Christ's birth. A time to appreciate what God has given us. A time to remember God's greatest gift. I guess by now you think I'm off my rocker. Christmas is over. Decorations stored. Gifts forgotten. I should explain.

Read me a story. I need story time. I need the Bible read to me. I want to color a picture of Jesus. Draw a cross. Build my own manger scene. Cut out the animals with child-safe scissors. Squeeze out gobs of Elmer’s Glue. Throw glitter on everything. I need to go back to Sunday School. I need to start over.

The Batman series has always fascinated me. Apparently I’m not alone. One moment he is the upstanding corporate citizen, Bruce Wayne, the next moment he is fighting villains for the benefit of all humanity. Everybody needs a hero.

God provides treasures to each and every one of us. Treasures to have and take care of throughout our lives on earth. Assets of sorts that we must take care of while He is away. Those treasures come in a form other than money. We typically consider treasures as financial assets that we must be good stewards of while on earth. Treasures to share, treasures to invest in the Kingdom, to invest in others and not solely on ourselves. Traditional treasures that we are to care for wisely.

Preparation. Study. Acceptance. Faith. Forgiveness. Grace. Planning. Hope. Are we ever really prepared, ready for our time? Our turn to meet Christ? Our turn with God? Will we ever be satisfied at any given moment that we have the green light? I think not. No way. Not a chance.

Ever heard a good prayer? One that makes you NOT want to pray out loud? One that makes you reflect on your own delivery? One that makes you stumble in your public prayer life? A smooth and effective tone. The cadence. The choice of words. An intro, middle, and punchy ending. Straight from the Book. Full of scripture references. As if he is talking directly to God. As if she was given the gift of prayer?

God gives us choices. Choices to lead. Choices to follow. Choices to turn around. Choices to love. We go about our lives with basically two choices: Ourselves or Others. Two decisions lived out minute by minute. Us or them. Me or you. My wants, needs, desires…or yours. Ours or theirs.

Do I have to wear a suit in Heaven? Is there a dress code? Do I have to be decked out to the nines at God’s doorstep? If so, I’m prepared. I’ve got tons of suits. If you see me during the week, you’ll know what I mean. My job requires suits. Not just any suit. The whole package. Starch. Cuff links. Coat and tie. Shiny shoes. Five days a week. No exceptions. No excuses. 100 plus degrees. Minus 20 below. Suit. Black or blue. Starched shirt. White or blue. Not much choice.

Ever met a stranger? Run across one? They're everywhere. All around us. Next door. Down the street. At work. At the game. At our schools. At our churches. In the store. The mall. The clubs. At dinner. The gas station. Humanity. People. Strangers.

Jesus had guts. Yes, He was faithful, meek, courageous, bright, a leader, a follower. All of these are correct. There are many views. Many versions. When it comes to what He was like. How He communicated. How He carried Himself while on earth. What He did. How He did it. But my image centers on bravery. On the obvious alternative He exhibited to those around Him. To those He encountered. The apparent difference, and different way of life He modeled.

I once heard a preacher mention how floored he was at how much money is consistently spent on flowers at the death of loved ones. The enormous outpouring of floral arrangements for those that have moved on. He further pondered how he hoped those dearly departed felt that sort of love and affection from those relationships on this side of death.

Are you interested in knowing the true condition of your heart? A great gauge of how we value and view our most important earthly and even spiritual assets could be summed up in two words: Time and Money. How we spend our time and money reveals much about our spiritual condition.

Our lives are all about rules. Rules to follow. Rules to ignore. Rules to break. Each and every moment could be characterized by whether or not we have followed a rule. Unwritten rules. Written rules. When do we get up in the morning? When do we go to bed? Do we drive the speed limit, or just a touch over? They are everywhere. All over the place. Home. School. Work. Playground.

How do you define charity? Selfless acts to benefit others? Kindness spread to those in need? Donations granted for a good cause? Volunteer efforts at the local soup kitchen? Charity has evolved into a concept, a transaction, a check or an hour spent doing something we need to do…rather than an act of kindness we should desire to do. Charity has become too convenient. Charity has become a transaction.

Wanna be someone else? Wanna do something else? Wanna be somewhere else? I do. We all do. It’s human nature. It’s normal. We look around. We look at others. We compare. We analyze. It must be better somewhere else. Be better being someone else. Doing something else. Having someone else’s life. You know, the grass is always greener over there.

Our minds are constantly in motion. We are constantly using our minds and thoughts to guide our everyday lives. We think about the day ahead, the task at hand, the duty or choice before us. We share our thoughts out loud. We meditate. Constant thinking. In thought. I must admit, I think to God often.

I’m better than you. My job is better than your job. My daughter is better than your daughter. This school is better than that school. I have a house that’s better than my previous house. The list goes on and on. Better than this. Better than that. We live in a world of “better thans.”

Summer’s almost gone. Summer Break is almost over. No more time off. No more travel. No more family vacations. No more sun. No more fun. No more days at the beach. No more well deserved time off. Back to work. Back to school. Back to our structured lives. Our commitments. Our routine.

My daughter and I enjoy looking over old photographs. When she was younger. When I was younger. Our memories are strong for those joyous times…the first bike ride, the first words “daddy,” the first day of school. Infant photos. Toddler photos. As her father, I remember them well. A simple glimpse of old photos allow us to fully enjoy moments from the past.

We are collectors. Passionate collectors. Collectors of things, items, possessions that will remain here. On earth. Our passion goes to the “nth” degree. During the holidays, I received a catalog of potential collections. We all get them. Catalogs of items that we “want,” but don’t need. Material possessions.

I miss receiving my cashed checks. In the good old days, before online banking and electronic bill pay, we received a collection of checks written over the past 30 days with our monthly bank statement. Physical checks showing that they had been cashed and the funds had been received. It was basically a history of our past actions. Concrete evidence of our life’s transactions.

What must it have been like? The beginning. The start. The inception. The origin of the Church. Can anyone really trace the first moments? The church that grew out of those first days following Christ’s sacrifice. Those first few months following Jesus’ death and resurrection. Historians have. We could.

I wonder what became of those travel companions. Those that heard but did not see. Those that saw their mentor, their hero, fall blind. I'm no historical expert. I bet if I researched it enough, I could find theories as to who they were, what became of them. Paul's road buddies. His roadies.

Who will be your Welcome Committee in Heaven? Ever thought about it? When you get there, who will you see first? Who sits at the front desk? At check-in? Who takes your coat? Asks you if you want coffee? I’m hoping that they’ll have coffee in Heaven!

Do you ever lose sight of what is important by looking at temporal things through a permanent lens? Our state of being is temporary. Our lives are temporary. Our resources, money, success, collections, relationships, and health are all temporary. Our mistakes, failures, missteps, and miscalculations will all fade away.

Once we step into a life of Christ—once we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior—we change. Inside and out. He changes us. But He also expects us to LIVE that change. We must challenge ourselves to live a life. To live the life. To live a life worthy of eternal life. To live out loud. To allow our actions to speak volumes.

Do you hate the feeling of being used? Do you ever feel like everyone is taking advantage of you? Do you ever feel like someone has you doing something for their own benefit? Like you are constantly completing tasks that are for someone else’s good?

Big Deeds share our time. Gifts and Tithes share our possessions. Time is vital. Seeing is vital…to God’s Kingdom. Dedicate time, just as you would money, to deeds. Big Deeds of service and mission. Set goals. Monthly. Yearly. Devote vacation time. Serve in your neighborhood, your town, your city. Go overseas. See overseas. See life.

I want a promotion. I want a raise. Don’t we all? Who doesn’t want to climb another rung on the proverbial ladder of success? Who doesn’t want that corner office, those office perks. That bonus. All traits and examples of the type of success most of us yearn for in our work lives. We want to be promoted. To be moving on to the next level. To be recognized for our accomplishments in the workplace.

Our world today fixates on perceptions, images, classes, groups, in, out, rich, poor, white, black. Those perceptions become our lives. Our lives begin to be lived for others perceptions of us, not for ourselves. Our personalities, our well being, is driven by retaining those perceptions. Not perceptions we have of ourselves, or God has and wants for us, but rather lived to insure what others see in us remains.

Why is grace so hard? Why do others deserve grace? Another chance? Why should we offer forgiveness? Grace, in my mind, is giving in. It’s letting go. It’s looking in the other direction. Giving a second, a third, a fourth chance. Grace is tough. Grace is painful. Grace can turn on you. Grace is not fair. Forgiveness is not fair. In our world of today, true grace and forgiveness is much needed, but rarely given.

I might be the only human in all of America to actually have enjoyed my recent three hour visit to renew my drivers license. Long lines. A room full of strangers. And most of us would rather be anywhere else. We’ve been putting it off. We’re all there for the same reason. The Department of Motor Vehicles. The facility whereby we gain and retain our drivers license. The humanity. The diverse crowd. The long line. You may not believe me, but I love the DMV.

Ever have one of those moments where you think they should put out an All Points Bulletin on God? Slap a picture of Him on the side of a milk carton? Send a search party looking for Him? No matter how much you search, you can’t find Him anywhere?

I’ve gotten in a Prayer Rut. Perhaps you have as well. My prayers are much too selfish, self-centered, “me” focused. Thanks for my blessings…thanks for my family…thanks for our food…our home…my job…etc. The list goes on and on.

When I die, will I need to apologize for my life? For the treasures kept and not shared. For time spent on myself rather than for others. For earthly investments rather than Kingdom investments. For a focus on insecurity rather than true security. True security in a relationship with God. True security in relationships with others.

We just might be the only Bible those around us will ever see. Will ever witness. Will ever learn from. Our actions. Our conversations. Our checkbooks. Our calendars. Our relationships. All point to how we interpret the Bible.

Mark up your calendar with time you expect to spend on those in need. Your service. Your mission to the Kingdom. We should block out time to spend and time to reflect on our work for God. Our calendars should be filled with time spent on others, not ourselves. Like God’s calendar. No time to reflect on Himself. Rather all the millions of His children.

Our deeds, our service to others, our deposits, reflect whether or not Jesus is riding shotgun. As Jesus jumps in our car, we change. We focus on deposits. We recognize that it isn’t about us, and we focus on others. Allow Jesus inside your car. Allow Jesus to ride shotgun. He’ll change your focus. He’ll change your attitude. He’ll change your outlook on life, and how to live it. Jesus riding shotgun.

We need to cease competing with each other. We Christians need to stop worrying about ourselves, about our figures, our numbers. We need instead to focus on the true competition…this world. This world and all the harmful attributes that steer good, honest humans away from God. We need to focus our attention on worship and mission that will defeat the evils we see daily around us.

We’re too focused on tomorrow. What we’re about to do. Where we’re about to go. What we would like to do at some point. Someday. Retirement. When I save enough. When the kids are older. When I’m not so busy. When the time is right. When I get the chance, I’ll get around to it…We need to stop wasting minutes.

Stock Markets. Bear Markets. Bull Markets. Assets. Banks. Safety. Risk. Liquidity. Money. Financial Planning. Budgeting. Down. Up. Sideways. Recession. Weak Dollar. Trade Deficit. Gas Prices. It seems all we see and hear about are matters relating to our financial well-being. When will it end? How will it end? What will our wealth look like tomorrow, the next day, at retirement?

What sort of books or texts do you wish you had read early on that would make a difference now? It’s easy for me. The Bible. I should have had this text all along. This companion book all along with me through my school years. My college years. It wasn’t that I was reading all the wrong texts at the time. It wasn’t that I was learning the wrong subjects in college. Rather, I wish I had the Bible as an add on text. A course of sorts.

Does God worry about us? Does God concern himself with me? You? The rich. The poor. The humble. The proud? Why should He? We have it all. We have it made. Why bother? Why pray? Cars. Homes. Wealth. Steady Income. Vacations. Why would we speak to Him? Why would we pray to Him? We did it. We made it.

It’s all about the pursuit. Sound familiar? We pursue earthly possessions based on insecurity about ourselves. What we have, and what we don’t have. We see ourselves, our physical bodies, as having an end, an expiration date. Until we recognize that our lives, our spirit, our hearts will live in eternal life with God, we will remain focused on ourselves. Our pleasures. Our collections. HEAR MORE WITH VIDEO BLOG...

Our deposits create a new language. A language of giving, service and mission. A language from our true love of God and love of others. Be it Russian, Spanish, or some other far away language, the language of love and appreciation is spoken universally with our eyes. With our expressions. With our smiles.

His Exit Strategy for each of us is not time dependent. It doesn’t require a certain set of plans. A certain number of assets. A certain number of years. His Exit Strategy works no matter what. As long as we sign on. As long as we sign up. As long as we agree to His contract. His eternal offering.

I need to let God drive. God has the map, the course, the GPS coordinates. I need to give up control. Because when God’s not driving, I’m pretty much in park.

Our Spiritual Portfolios—where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal—may take many shapes, but I consider mine a red box. We know God collects. We know God records. We know God pays attention to our good, faithful actions on earth.