Winning at Life

I hike in the desert to keep my body in shape and play chess online to keep my mind sharp. Chess is also a way I process frustration without causing harm. However, I recently had a game that upset me. I went to bed with a good lead in the game and woke up to find that my opponent had won. He had rigged the game to cause me to resign. I’m not kidding or trying to make a political statement, but it made me think. I have assumed our recent election was not rigged; however, it was eye-opening when my opponent somehow manipulated our chess game to give himself the win.

I don’t like to lose, and I don’t like my teams to lose. I don’t like to lose in chess, golf, or cards. I don’t like the Arizona Cardinals, Diamondbacks, or Suns to lose. I don’t like it when Arizona State loses. I root for Arizona teams. I like our teams to win even if I don’t watch their games. If the Cardinals are playing the Seahawks and their quarterback is a saint and our quarterback is a sinner, I still root for the Cardinals. I like to win, and I like everyone associated with me and our state to win.

I realize there are many things more important than the scoreboard. It is important how we play the game. The big win I want is to win at life. To win at life we must receive the grace God puts in each day. Walking in the Spirit enables us to be guided by the Spirit and experience the fullness of life. I know many people who are winning at life.

I met Reno and Pauline when they were out walking their dogs. When they walk their dogs, they ask the Lord to give them assignments so they will meet people who are open to hearing about Jesus. They are friendly and stop to talk whenever someone seems interested in conversation. When they sit by strangers in restaurants or in parks, they look for opportunities to share their faith. Each walk and each day is an adventure for them. They are winning at life.

My friend Chris Schoenleb is eighty six years old. He and his wife Joanne have been married for sixty five years. Chris is an elder at Living Streams and board member of the Phoenix Rescue Mission. Chris and Joanne show up for live services at church, attend their life group and have traveled this year to visit children and grandchildren. When I asked Chris why he was staying so active in a COVID-19 year, he told me that he doesn’t have enough years left to stay home and miss out on what the Lord has called him to do. Chris and Joanne have had a fruitful year because they are living by faith and winning at life.

While in the hospital, Kristina crocheted ear protectors for doctors and nurses who have to wear masks all day. Her doctors asked her to lead a Zoom support group for heart transplant patients who are struggling to adjust to the new realities of their lives. She knits hats for the homeless and caps with a thin blue line for police officers to wear in the winter. She has had to adjust to medical issues, a strict quarantine, and handfuls of pills each day, but she is not depressed. She is winning at life.

Our daughter Kelly is a single mom. She works full time in HR, struggles with MS and has raised an amazing daughter Ava. Recently Kelly joined her brother Phil, his wife Moriah and two others for a nonstop 48 mile rim to rim to rim hike/run at the Grand Canyon. For Kelly and Phil, it took 17 straight hours in temperatures from 30-70 degrees. Moriah ran it in 12 hours. They were sore, but they had no complaints. They are excited to do it again next year because they are winning at life.

Our circumstances are unique, but we all have to resist sin and its impact on our lives. We all have to forgive others and receive the grace of God. Each of us has unique challenges to overcome. Some people suffer abuse, others experience betrayal. Some have disabilities, others are victims of crime. Some people have no children, others have major family disfunction. We all have pain and heartache, and we don’t get to choose how it comes into our lives.

Jesus said we would have tribulation in this world, and he reminded us that he overcame the world. In Christ, we too overcome the world. Abiding in Christ is the fight of faith that enables us all to win in life.

Kristina and I want to thank all of you who have prayed for us and supported us during this past year. Kristina’s new heart is doing great. She is able to take walks around the block and in the desert with the vitality her heart gives her. She has struggled to overcome lung issues because her immune system is suppressed. Fortunately, her attitude is great, and we are enjoying this season of life together. I’m busy preaching, leading men’s groups, and consulting with pastors and leaders. We pray you will have a Merry Christmas season and a blessed New Year.

Judgement

The Lord recently challenged me to stop passing so many judgments on people. I thought he meant I should stop judging political leaders who lie and deceive. I discovered it went beyond politics.

I was playing Chess with Friends against opponents on Facebook when “Christopher” asked me in the chat box if I wanted to make easy money selling Bitcoin. I told him I wasn’t interested because I have something more valuable than money. He wondered what that was, so I told him about Jesus.

We went back and forth between his sales pitch and my testimony about the Lord. Since my approach was kindness rather than judgment, he ended up opening his heart and telling me that he was a scammer from Nigeria. He supports his family by swindling people who hope to make easy money. He is a white collar criminal who builds trust through deception and then swindles his victims.

Christopher said corruption and poverty in Nigeria make it difficult to make money legitimately. He was struggling about whether he could support himself if he didn’t swindle. I thanked him for his honesty and assured him I wasn’t going to judge him. I don’t know how God will work in his situation, but I assured him the Lord would provide for him if he trusted God with his life.
               
Several years ago, I went with my friend Hylan to visit his parents in Los Angeles. They lived on the third floor of an apartment building. Their apartment had bars on the windows and a metal security door. They told me there were a lot of burglaries in their neighborhood. They were afraid to go outside at night because the streets were not safe. It was sad for me to see this precious couple living behind security bars like they were in jail.
                 
Some say we need to pray for God’s mercy so judgment will not come on America. I think judgment is already here when righteous people live in fear.

For those who smoke, judgment is the poison in their lungs and diminished smell and taste. The drug users’ judgment is a diminished brain capacity, addiction and depravity.

Some think judgment will come upon us all because of the rampant immorality in our nation. I think judgment has already come to people who live in immorality. They have a difficult time enjoying healthy marriages because immorality destroys respect and love in relationships.
               
The Lord tells us to wait until marriage for sexual relationships. People ignore this to their own hurt. The pressures that accompany sexual purity can help couples learn to talk, pray, and play together before their marriage. These practices help develop a foundation for a healthy marriage.

Many people fear God is going to judge America because we have millions of abortions each year. I think that judgment has already come. Many people live with guilt when they take the life of their unborn child. Some will never know the joy of raising a child because the only child they will conceive was aborted. They will never hear those children sing, see their photos, or watch them perform at school or in sports. The world is deprived of their inventions and their inspiration.

The gospel says Jesus took the judgment we deserve on the cross. Instead of judgment, through Christ’s sacrifice we can have the blessing of God. We don’t deserve the joy God gives us, the love he has for us, or the rewards of heaven. Yet everyone who calls on the name of the Lord can escape judgment and be blessed with grace and forgiveness.
Jesus said, “As for the person who hears my words and does not keep them, I do not judge him. For I did not come to judge the world but to save it” (John 12:47). It is easy to get worked up about the sins of others. However, if Jesus didn’t judge those who rejected his life-giving words, why should we? Jesus’ mission was to save the world, not judge it. Declaring salvation should be our mission as well.

Those who judge get locked up in hatred and contempt. This puts bars on their souls that are stronger than bars on windows and doors. Passing judgment may make you feel superior, but it does to your soul what junk food does to your body. In time, a deadly flab of deception darkens the souls of those who pass judgment.

Jesus said, “If you continue in my word… you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:31-32). His words command us to love and forgive. This frees us to enjoy the fullness of life.

Judgement

Judgement

The Lord recently challenged me to stop passing so many judgments on people. I thought he meant I should stop judging political leaders who lie and deceive. I discovered it went beyond politics.

I was playing Chess with Friends against opponents on Facebook when “Christopher” asked me in the chat box if I wanted to make easy money selling Bitcoin. I told him I wasn’t interested because I have something more valuable than money. He wondered what that was, so I told him about Jesus.

We went back and forth between his sales pitch and my testimony about the Lord. Since my approach was kindness rather than judgment, he ended up opening his heart and telling me that he was a scammer from Nigeria. He supports his family by swindling people who hope to make easy money. He is a white collar criminal who builds trust through deception and then swindles his victims.

Christopher said corruption and poverty in Nigeria make it difficult to make money legitimately. He was struggling about whether he could support himself if he didn’t swindle. I thanked him for his honesty and assured him I wasn’t going to judge him. I don’t know how God will work in his situation, but I assured him the Lord would provide for him if he trusted God with his life.
               
Several years ago, I went with my friend Hylan to visit his parents in Los Angeles. They lived on the third floor of an apartment building. Their apartment had bars on the windows and a metal security door. They told me there were a lot of burglaries in their neighborhood. They were afraid to go outside at night because the streets were not safe. It was sad for me to see this precious couple living behind security bars like they were in jail.
                 
Some say we need to pray for God’s mercy so judgment will not come on America. I think judgment is already here when righteous people live in fear.

For those who smoke, judgment is the poison in their lungs and diminished smell and taste. The drug users’ judgment is a diminished brain capacity, addiction and depravity.

Some think judgment will come upon us all because of the rampant immorality in our nation. I think judgment has already come to people who live in immorality. They have a difficult time enjoying healthy marriages because immorality destroys respect and love in relationships.
               
The Lord tells us to wait until marriage for sexual relationships. People ignore this to their own hurt. The pressures that accompany sexual purity can help couples learn to talk, pray, and play together before their marriage. These practices help develop a foundation for a healthy marriage.

Many people fear God is going to judge America because we have millions of abortions each year. I think that judgment has already come. Many people live with guilt when they take the life of their unborn child. Some will never know the joy of raising a child because the only child they will conceive was aborted. They will never hear those children sing, see their photos, or watch them perform at school or in sports. The world is deprived of their inventions and their inspiration.

The gospel says Jesus took the judgment we deserve on the cross. Instead of judgment, through Christ’s sacrifice we can have the blessing of God. We don’t deserve the joy God gives us, the love he has for us, or the rewards of heaven. Yet everyone who calls on the name of the Lord can escape judgment and be blessed with grace and forgiveness.
Jesus said, “As for the person who hears my words and does not keep them, I do not judge him. For I did not come to judge the world but to save it” (John 12:47). It is easy to get worked up about the sins of others. However, if Jesus didn’t judge those who rejected his life-giving words, why should we? Jesus’ mission was to save the world, not judge it. Declaring salvation should be our mission as well.

Those who judge get locked up in hatred and contempt. This puts bars on their souls that are stronger than bars on windows and doors. Passing judgment may make you feel superior, but it does to your soul what junk food does to your body. In time, a deadly flab of deception darkens the souls of those who pass judgment.

Jesus said, “If you continue in my word… you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:31-32). His words command us to love and forgive. This frees us to enjoy the fullness of life.