Like sand through the hourglass...

Can you spare a TIME!

By Rev Adam Fox

I have been  thinking about time a lot recently. Mainly due to Ryan Knudsen.
Ryan was a student of mine from years past. I had the pleasure of being with him as he was led to the Lord when he was in junior high. Ryan, or Nudey, was a great young man that loved life. He is with the Lord now, but in that period of his life in JR High, the 80s ruled. And one of his favorite movies then was Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure. 

This movie, and so many other movies with a similar plot, had the two heroes needing to go back in time in order to save the day. We see this formula in the Bill and Ted franchise, Back to the Future, Hot Tub Time Machine, plus hundreds of other worse movies. And let us not forget it is used in EVERY Sci-fi show ever. I'm Looking at you Stargate!
Time is a temptress. It is something we want to control, usually want more of, or to be able to control. Growing up I always wanted to be able to freeze time, or slow it down to a super crawl. 
I wanted to be able to move freely about with everyone and everything frozen. Like Bart Simpson in the episode where he buys a time watch or Quicksilver from the X-Men

I am sure most people have had this dream, to go explore, to wreck havoc, to do what they want - when they want. But time can be a temptress like that. On occasion I still want time to be leaped ahead like forwarding a VHS to the best scenes. 
I am eager to get to February 17 for my wedding. I want months to pass. Or when I was in college, any college - I went to enough - I was in courses and going to classes, mostly. But in those nights, I had the desire to be in the field I dreamed of, but did not want to have to go through my sophomore, junior, senior, and super senior year. 
We all wish and dream away time. " If only Star Wars was coming out THIS week and not December."
Let me remind you of something. Dreams are wonderful, our futures can be bright and splendid. But we cannot leave the now for the temptation of the soon. 

As wonderful it is to dream about future events, or plans, or people - there is nothing more important and certain than the present. The Bible even warns us about future plans. 

13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will travel to such and such a city and spend a year there and do business and make a profit.” 14 You don’t even know what tomorrow will bring—what your life will be! For you are like smoke that appears for a little while, then vanishes. 15 Instead, you should say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” 16 But as it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. 17 So it is a sin for the person who knows to do what is good and doesn’t do it. James 4:13-17

The apostle James warns us about making up plans for the future. Plans about wedding stuff, children, jobs, the 2022 White Sox (they will win the championship), or even about future plans. It is a danger. 

We never know what God has in-store for us. We hope that it will be the promotion, the big family, the big home in the suburbs with 2 children and 2 cats. But sometimes it is job loss, illness, death, having to buy a poodle. 

While it is smart to hope for the things ahead, like our desires, or Heaven even. But we must realize and keep close to our heart - we are here for a reason. The special part of life's journey is the waiting and the journey itself. 

but those who trust in the Lord
will renew their strength;
they will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary;
they will walk and not faint. Isaiah 40:31

We are called to wait and trust. While it is not as fun as counting our future children's children, it is how life works. 

Learn to appreciate the journey of life that time gives us. 

Life may not always go as we planned. I had planned to be working full time for the Chicago Tribune covering the Chicago Bulls and writing witty articles while traveling with  the team. 

We cannot always trust or know the course of the Two Roads, as Robert Frost puts it - but God does. Enjoy each day. Every moment. And most importantly, Be Excellent to Each other. 

Thank you for this reminder Nudey. See you in Glory one day.

Cheers and Excelsior!

Pastor Adam

Quarters, Dimes, and Nickles are Change

Change is Dreadful?

Learning how to be willing to change

By Rev. Adam Fox

A few weeks ago, as I was driving to work, I turned on Mike and Mike to listen in my drive in - which is my normal tradition. I have been listening to the two Mikes for almost two decades. But on this morning, the show was different. They were breaking up. 

Mike and Mike in the morning is a radio and TV show that is dualy broadcasted on ESPN. I have many fond memories of the show from its start in 2000. While it is a sports news show, it still provided many a classic moments from bracket challenges, singing Good Morning from Singing in the Rain,  to Greeny's phobias. But it is over this December. They're parting ways. 

As silly as it sounds, it bothered me. This show has been on, and a constant in my life for almost two decades. And no more. 

Change sucks. 

Is it wrong to want the same thing every day, to not be surprised by new things? For instance, for the majority of my time in Junior College, I had the same lunch. Cheese and mustard sandwich with a soda. Consistency without change. 

 While consistency is to be admired, change is not always a bad thing. Especially if its a cheese and mustard sandwich. But some people fear and hate change. And that is not healthy. 

Having a hatred of change is unhealthy, and it means that you will not adapt to the situation or with the times. 

Sticking your head in the sand and waiting for things to go away does not work. It means that we are intolerant of new ideas and trends and we do not grow. And that is a dangerous place to be in. Even the Bible encourages us to keep growing and learning, to keep developing our mind as well as our body.

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Romans 12:1-2

We are called to grow - to transform our minds. That may mean - reading a new author, trying a new style of food, learning a new technology. Whatever it is, just do it. 

But usually the first step is the hardest, and that is because fear is in the way. 

Fear is something that keeps us stuck, keeps us from changing and growing as a person. Satan uses our fears and anxieties to stop us. Keep us in the prison of our own body and safe place. 

Instead, when we hide behind the fear of change it keeps us in the same spot. Not growing as a person, as a Christian, in relationships, anything. And we use phrases like "we have never done it that way"

Joshua 1:9 tells us "9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

I am not going to lie to you, change is frightening. It is. But we will not be alone. God will be with us, just as he was with Joshua. 

Joshua is a great example. God chose him to be the next leader of the nation of Israel after Moses' passing. And Joshua was to lead the people into the land of promise. 

He had to take the place of one of Israel's coolest leaders in Moses. Capture all these fortified cities, leading a group of people that were whiners and complainers. 

But he, as well as I, got great comfort when God tells to be of good courage and not to be be afraid of discouraged. 

Change is all that, but with God on our side, it is do able. 

Finally, Change is going to happen. We can try to ignore it and suffer the consequences or deal with it - fear and all. 

With any decision, from the tiniest to the biggest. We need to pray over it. As Christians, we have access to the Thrown of God - lets use it. Lets wear a pattern into the carpet from our treed on to it getting to His thrown. 

Prayer is important.

6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

We need to be wiling and adaptable to change, but for me. Prayer is the vessel I use to make me want to change. 

When I had wanted to propose to my then girlfriend Andrea, I prayed. I prayed a lot. Is this the right girl? Is this the right time? ... And God answered those Prayers, yes!

Be willing to change. Be open to new technologies. To new way to do things. To new fashions and new foods. To new translations of the Bible. Change is going to happen, it does not mean it is all bad. Let's learn to embrace it. 

Even if it means need inga new radio show to listen to in the mornings.

Until next time my faithful.

Cheers and Excelsior!

Pastor Adam

Learned my everything from the street - the Sesame Street!

College is a lifetime thing

By Rev. Adam Fox

Warning, we are entering the graduate season.

This is the 6-8 weeks of the year where Junior High, Senior High, College, and advanced degrees are receiving their hard earned parchment. AND it means that I as a pastor will be invited to every party under the sun. For those that I know, even for the students who I have seen once. Gifts are gifts. 

But for me, this time period was always difficult. 

I graduated from High School in 2002. And then earned my degree from Olivet Nazarene in 2012. Yep. That is ten years. In that decade, I started and stopped from multiple schools. Dropping out for financial reasons, academic reasons, and life choices. 

College was a difficult thing for me, it took me sometime to figure out what I wanted to do with my life, and even longer to listen and do it. Let alone the academic reasons.

Graduating, and especially for the last time is a very special time. It takes so much of your life, your energy and motivation, and most of your money. Do not think I am discrediting that time, or am downplaying this event. 

Like I tell my students, go to college, challenge yourself to be the best version of yourself possible, Do not settle for the quick and the easy. 

For the majority, college and life after is a simple thing. They want to be a teacher - get a degree as a teacher. Easy Peasy.

But for the few life me, it is a hard choice. College is not always in the plans. But that does not mean we should stop learning. 

Learning is something that is not bound to Universities and High Schools. It does not stop at the age of 25. Learning is a life long thing. And as Christians, that is key!

We should never be satisfied with where we are, with what we know, with the level of understanding and wisdom that we have. Solomon wrote that we should want to know more

Proverbs 9:9New King James Version (NKJV)

9 Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser;
Teach a just man, and he will increase in learning.

James tells us that God gives wisdom to us in the boat load, we just need to ask!
We need to keep learning, keep being more like our Father in love and grace as well as wisdom. I know it is not always easy, stepping out of our comfort zone never is. But learning and growing is worth it.
And even better, the Bible tells us that we need to share this knowledge and lessons learned to the next generation.

Proverbs 22:6New King James Version (NKJV)

6 Train up a child in the way he should go,
And when he is old he will not depart from it.

Train a Child!  Teach a child! It is not just for parents, although they are the primary teachers and molders of the next generation. But it is a charge to the entire church. Encourage and teach children in the Word, in life, in Godly wisdom.

But let me point out, learning is amazing. It is helpful and produces growth. But we need to leary of the Education trap.
Sometimes, we get enamored with the idea of school, or learning, or the like. I see it with some college kids, they get to a public university and on their own for the first time and they just swallow whatever they hear and see.
They get trapped by the false teachers, and by philosophers and the like. And what they learned about God in the bible is now on equal or less footing with everything else.

Colossians 2:8New King James Version (NKJV)

8 Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.

2 Timothy 3:16New King James Version (NKJV)

16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,

Be careful what you learn, and most importantly keep checking it to the ultimate standard, the Bible. It is and should always be our consistent and guide.

Keep studying, learning, becoming more wise. It is a life long skill. And share these things with others - as well as that God loves them. 

Until next time! 

Cheers and Excelsior!

Pastor Adam!

Eating Coal and Defecating Diamonds

How to Deal with Stress

By Rev Adam Fox

Greetings my bloggers! Forgive the delay, but time may help improve my writing. 

Today I would like to talk about stress.
In my first year at Olivet, I was attempting to go to school full time, work full time, study, run my churches youth department and have a social life. I thought there could never be a more taxing and stress filled life. Then Dr. Quanstrum told us something. He said that you will never have it as easy as you do now. As soon as you graduate, life gets harder. We all laughed.
But he was right. Bills. Food. Marriage. Children. Promotions.... each one of these things takes the stress up to new levels.
And here I am trying to ride the waves and stay ahead, to cope. 

What causes you to stress out? Work? Family? Bills? Sickness? World politics? Taxes? Wedding planning? (Bingo!)

Stress is one of those things that we all deal with, some more poorly than others. It is like having a cold. We all get a cold, but not all of us take care of it. 

Stress or anxiety eats away at us. I remember when I was 17, working at your neighborhood pizza joint, on some busier nights all I wanted to do was go home and play video games. Video games were my way to deal with the pressures that came with the job. 

Was that the healthiest way? No. But we all need something to let the pressure go. WE SHOULD do something productive, exercise or journaling for example. But instead we lean on the quick and the easy options. 

Smoking.

Over-eating.

loose women/men.

 

 Options that make us feel better at the moment, but long term are just shallow and empty methods that bring their own problems.
How should we deal with things that stress us?
Hiding from family will not be a long term option. Putting off taxes will not either. Nor will not going to work. Sadly that is how we deal with stressful issues. We pretend not to have them.
If I do not go to work, I will not have stress.

When I was bouncing between colleges and girlfriends and jobs, stress and I were old friends. But I did not deal with it properly. Instead of dealing with my bad job, the wrong girls I was seeing, and figuring out what I wanted to be (ps- it was a Pastor)

I rested on overeating as my release valve. Eating pizza - whenever I wanted, eating the entire, THE ENTIRE Taco Bell menu. Even when I was not hungry. But food never cured my problems. It just added to them. Like 150 extra pounds and a lot less money. 

We will always have stressful things in our lives. Will they be the same stresses as when we are 17 as when we are 71? Hopefully not. Hopefully we have grown and matured in life. 

We are not worrying over exams and pimples and fitting in. 

As we get older, the things that stress us change. 

Job stability. Health of our family. Retirement. Our Health. Finances. To name a few. 

The things in life that stress us may be personal, and our pride may have us believing we are the only one with the struggle, or its just a few years. You can tread water with your student loans till then.

2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. 4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. James 1:2-4

We ALL face stress. We all have doubt and struggle. It is not an individual thing. Stressful situations will always be there, and by going through them and it produces patience. 

In the multitude of my anxieties within me,
Your comforts delight my soul. Psalm 94:19

Doesn't it give you a feeling of reassuredness that David, KING David, got stressed out. But David knew that even though he was filled with Anxieties and stress, God comforts him.

The God cares for us the same amount. He loves us. While we will have difficult times in our lives, it does not mean God has forgotten you and hates you. It is an opportunity to trust him more. 

Stress will come. 

But we need to not lean on chain smoking, over eating, shopping, and other harmful release valves. 

Instead we should lean on God. Trust him for everything. Work hard and find healthy releases. And remember what God told us in Matthew 11:28-30

28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

Cheers and Excelsior!

Pastor Adam

Heart Strong or head Stupid

Is Passion what we need?

Following the Passions of your heart

Rev. Adam Fox

Adults are supposed to be passionate about things. As a surely teenager, my dad tried to instill this to me with lawn care. I had to mow the back yard weekly, and I wanted to do it as fast as possible so to get out of the heat and bugs and back into the air conditioning. 

I really did not care if I missed a little strip or patterns. It was not my passion. 

So, what are you passionate about?

As Americans, leaders in the world, we are encouraged to follow our hearts, to let our passions guide us. But that is not always correct.

I am glad you listen to your heart and your passions - but we should not ignore our other emotions and especially our brain.

I had a friend in high school who had his youth leader encourage him to follow his heart, and his passions. But he forgot to mention to listen to your brain as well. So my friend, did what his heart wanted. He packed a bag, dropped out of school, and went to the train yards and tried to ride the rails as a HOBO. Thankfully, his mother caught him before the train left. 

Was this a passionate idea? Yes. Was it a thought-out idea? No!

Being smart, and passionate are hard to do. Usually we are one camp or the other. And before we continue, let me just point out that being passionate is not JUST limited to sex.

Sex and passion are to different things. Can we be passionate about our wife or husband? Of course! We all should be!

But passion is not the same definition as sex. 

Passion is more than just the love of a woman or the joys of sex, it is something that brings you joy and happiness. It could be found it many things - in an author or book series, in a game, in a place, in sports, and especially in people and family. 

Passionate and knowledgeable about these things, but not just letting your emotions take hold of you and making your head and body captive.  

But as a Christian, what should I be passionate about?

We can be Christians and passionate Bears fans. Or Christians and OC Supertones fans. (Ska Ska Ska Ska)

But we need to be first and foremost we need to be passionate about God and being a Christian.

Being a Christian is more than just attending an hour service on sundays and saying a rehearsed prayer before meals. 

Being a Christian is about putting God first in every aspect of your life. Trying to live a life that is like God. To love like God. To be compassionate like God. To be generous and gracious like God. 

Loving like God is a hard thing to do. Loving others is something to be passionate about. Love.

Not sex or emotional love that we assume we have when we were young and at camp, but a deep Christ like God. 

1 Corinthians 13 is a classic section of scripture that is the definition of love. It is used before most weddings and known to the world. 

Loving like God is a hard calling and will produce great growth in all of us. For me, I am still working on it, being more like God. Being passionate about the things that HE is passionate about. People. 

There is nothing wrong with being passionate and following your heart. But we need to be weary of being emotionally driven and relying onto emotions. 

Listen to your heart, but also listen to your more rational head as well. But be excited and passionate about your relationship with God. About serving his people. Staying in the Word, daily. Praying. and keeping the fire for God fueled so it will NEVER flame out. 

for me, as a continuous growing Christian, I am still working on loving like God loves us. Will I continue to be a passionate Bears fan, of course. But I am going to not live and die on each pass and win ... or more likely interception and loss. 

Until next time my friends. 

Cheers and Excelsior!

Pastor Adam

Hoping above all hope

Hopes and Dreams, or are you dreaming of Hope?

Clinging to Hope

Rev. Adam Fox

Excelsior my beloved bloggers!
This past week or two weeks I have been thinking about hope. I have been listening to Turning Point with Dr. Jeremiah and he has been preaching out of  his new book on hope. And it is needed. Our country, our world needs to remember that we have hope still, and where that hope rests in.
Last month, we introduced the new President of these United States, Donald Trump.
And, half the country is still upset over him, his family, his cabinet, his choices, his words, his Twitter... or whatever. And why I am not here to talk on our President or his choices, I want to talk about the mood of the country.
I have the pleasure of sitting in two worlds in life and especially social media sites. I have the Baby Boomers and Gen X, Y, Z. Each generation has a different way of viewing things, and has different needs and priorities. It can be super frustrating, being stuck in the middle of each groups beliefs.
No matter what age you are, or gender, or race, or belief system - there has been two major vibes that has come to my attention.
- America is doomed. We are headed to a nuclear war. Trump is evil...
-The savior has come. Trump can do no wrong.
Each side is wrong. They have gone to the extreme and worst case. But let me show you the theme for both, and for all of America - HOPE.
We crave for hope when we are stuck, we want hope when life is rough, hope is our life raft in an uncertain time.

Lets look at what we hope for, and put our hope in.
May 25, 1977 hope was introduced to society in the form of a Princess, a Scoundrel, and a Knight. Hope for freedom from an evil empire.

This simple little film stole our hearts and has turned into the massive construct that is Star Wars today.
But this hope that they were showing, gave a glimpse into our own lives. Not needing to be forced down by evil.
Or the more modern example would be Barack Obama.

In 2008, the representative from Illinois ran on a platform of hope. Hope for our country. Hope for each of us, from the lowest to the richest. Hope that we can be a great country again.
While only time will tell if Obama did good, or set us back, or possibly and most likely - a little from column A and some from column B. But people voted for him because he offered hope in their individual lives, and people were desperate for it.
Finally, my favorite example is the NFL Draft. I have been a draft follower for years and years. I love it. These 22 year old men leaving college to play a sport professionally for too much money.
But it is such a big deal for NFL teams.
This year for instance, one of the worst teams in the league is my beloved Chicago Bears. And as a result of only having 3 wins, they earned a very high pick. Thy get to choose the third best player, a player who can make the Bears good again.
Can Jonathan Allen make the Bears line amazing? Or should they draft a stud safety like Jamal Adams? What about Quarterback?
The draft is exciting for me because these 30 young men have so much hope placed on them, hope that they can take their new teams to the next level, and to a super bowl champion. We're Coming for you Patriots!!
Hope is something that energizes us and motivates us to do things we never thought we could do. Each Presidential election is a hope fest. With two people sharing their vision for how they can make America amazing.
But some people have no hope.

They focus on the negative and stay down trodden. They embrace the message of Dante, Abandon All Hope

Should we have hope?
What should we have hope in?
Who should our hope be in?
We should have hope in God alone. God the Father is who we need to place our hope in. Our hope for our future, for our struggles, for our fears, for our country, for our leaders, for every facet of life.
Look at what Peter wrote in 1 Peter 1:3-6

3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 

or what King David wrote in the Psalm 3

2 Many are saying of me, “God will not deliver him.” 

3 But you, LORD, are a shield around me, my glory, the One who lifts my head high. 

4 I call out to the LORD, and he answers me from his holy mountain. 

5 I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the LORD sustains me. 

6 I will not fear though tens of thousands assail me on every side.

4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, 

5 who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 

6 In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.

our hope can only be in God because of Jesus' death and resurrection and forgiveness of sin. It is God alone who gives us a living hope. Not any President. Not any college sport kid. Not even Luke Skywalker. 

Life is rough. It is filled with temptations to sin, opportunities to grow through trials, and mountain top experiences. And we will fall down a lot. We will mess up, A LOT. But that does not mean God ran out of hope, or is upset with us. it is just another opportunity to trust Him more. 

Dr Jeremiah said this about hope and the ministry of the church. "Perseverance of the Saints: It's falling down and getting up again until we get to Heaven."

So why should I have hope in a crumbling society? In a country that is morally lost? Because I believe in God, the one who has a living Hope.

2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. 

3 Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 

4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 

5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. 

6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 

7Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. Romans 5

Until next time! 

Cheers and Excelsior!

Pastor Adam

We should have listened to Grover all along

Learning the Difference between Near and Far

By Rev Adam Fox

Everything I know, I learned for the street - the Sesame Street. 

We were taught how to share, family, numbers and letters, as well as basic concepts of life. Concepts like near and far. 

Grover so clearly explained what it means to be near and what it means to be far. It was simple. So then how come I, and so many others mix up what it means to be near to someone?

I can be next to someone, in the same room - participating in the same activity - and still be miles away emotionally or Spiritually. 

If I am with my fiance, I make it a goal not to be on a date with her AND my phone, or to only be there in person and not emotionally. 

But sometimes it happens. 

Some times are emotions, or our fears, or hopes take us to another place.

We are still learning what it means to be near and far. Especially when it means to be near to God.

As a believer in God, it is our goal in life to draw closer to God. Closer in a lot of senses. 

Closer as we learn how to be more like Him and less like ourselves. By learning how to sin less and be more of God's love and grace and hope to the world, to our community. 

The Christian life is a hard life, it is a life of becoming Sanctified - the life long process. 

But somehow in our collected effort to being like God, to be coming Sanctified, we think drawing near to God is only in the physical.

Lets look at the Tower of Babel.

The early Humans, in their own blind arrogance tried to be like God, tried to get on God's level - to be near Him. And boy oh boy did they fail. 

Genesis11 "Now the whole earth had one language and one speech. 2 And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar, and they dwelt there. 3 Then they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” They had brick for stone, and they had asphalt for mortar. 4 And they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.”

5 But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built. 6 And the Lord said, “Indeed the people are one and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do; now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them. 7 Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.” 8 So the Lord scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth, and they ceased building the city. 9 Therefore its name is called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth; and from there the Lord scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth."

This one example. One of many examples of Humans not understanding what it means to be near to God. 

And before you say, that was a sinful group of men in super ancient times, lets look at ourselves. As Modern American Christians. 

Being near to God does not mean attending church and trying to stay awake. Or dressing appropriately. You realize God does not say we need to be in a tie and expensive dresses and suites. 

Drawing near to God is not going forward regularly for Altar Calls - cause that is what is expected, or that is how others can see you being a better person.

 Instead, the unnamed author of Hebrews writes that " Let us draw near with a true heart." And as the beloved James wrote, Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.

God wants you. He wants your soul, your heart, your all. Not just the polished up parts, or the public parts. He loves all of you.

He does want each of us to be active in His Word. Spending time with Him in prayer and study of worship. 

Drawing near to God is not just things done in the public's eye, or because its expected. It something that should be done with a true heart, a want to. 

Being more like God is the goal. But the journey is the best part. It is the opportunity to spend each day, sometimes fighting, fighting the temptation to be selfish and sin, and be more like God. 

As we learn what it means to draw near.

Until next time.

Cheers and Excelsior!

Pastor Adam