High Hopes!

Keep Hope Alive

Grabbing on to Hope and never letting Go

By Pastor Adam Fox

Since early December I have been waiting eagerly and anxiously. Major League Baseball opened there Free Agency Period then and allowed the players who have no contract to join the team of their choice. 

As an unashamed White Sox fan, this year's free agency period gave me some hope, hope for a winning season and a World Series title.  I and the faithful few of us Sox nerds have been desiring two players to sign with the White Sox, Manny Machado and Bryce Harper. Both Harper and Machado can pick any team and earn hundreds of millions of dollars to play a game. 

But I want them. Harper roaming the outfield on the Southside of Chicago, and Machado on the hot-corner. Is it likely for either of the players to sign with the Chicago White Sox for hundreds of millions of dollars? No. Do I want them and see a good fit? Yes. But that is why I can hope. 

Hope is a fun thing. But what really is hope? Hope can be defined as "a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen." And that is exactly what I am enjoying about this feeling. I can desire and expect things for my baseball team but I am not sure that this hope in a baseball player is sustainable or foundational for my life

I can have hope in plenty of things in my life. That I will drop these 15 pounds. That our elected leaders will put the needs of the people above business. When I sit down - the chair will not break. Hope can be in a lot of things, but none of these will drive me or motivate me - let alone sustain me. 

I believe that we should be hoping for more, in a greater or more worth while things. While some put there hope in justice (looking at you Batman) or hope in love, the sciences or the kindness of strangers. But to me, while these are admirable and things for us to believe in and do often, they are not great enough. 

We should instead be putting of hope and faith in God above our desires to hope in baseball, or congress, or other men. But let's be honest, the things or people we hope in sometimes fail. Harper may sign with the New York Yankees (ewwwww) congress does not always do what is best for the common Joe, bad people get away with literal murder. And so on. Being hopeful can be disappointing, frustrating even. But no matter how difficult or frustrating things of this world and life maybe - God will never disappoint us. 

Why are you cast down, O my soul?
And why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God;
For I shall yet praise Him,
The help of my countenance and my God. Psalm 42:11

Hoping in God is something that will never disappoint us. John Bunyan said "Hope has a thick skin and will endure many a blow". Hope is resilient and nearly indestructible, which is why people can be disappointed night after night (looking at you Bulls basketball fans) and still believe in things to come. 

That should be us as Christians! Having a thick skinned hope in God and the promises of the Bible, just like Abram did. "Father Abraham" was called by God to leave his comfort zone, his family, his everything because God called him to do so. In Genesis 12, God makes a promise with Abram who was childless and landless in order for him to be the founder of the nation and people of Israel - God's people. 

Was this a frightening calling? Yes to me it was. But through his life God blessed him and his family and so many others greatly because of the hope and trust in God. 

 Now the Lord had said to Abram:

“Get out of your country,
From your family
And from your father’s house,
To a land that I will show you.
2 I will make you a great nation;
I will bless you
And make your name great;
And you shall be a blessing.
3 I will bless those who bless you,
And I will curse him who curses you;
And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

4 So Abram departed as the Lord had spoken to him, and Lot went with him. And Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.

Abram later to be called Abraham, is someone that I find so fascinating. At the age of 75, he broke from the comfort of his family and lifestyle to do as God said. Because God told Him to do so, to start a nation. And there is where the great hope comes from, a promised family. God told them that they would be the father and mother of a great nation meaning that they would start one.

Could you imagine, being a parent to an infant at the prime age of 100? The oldest two mothers on record are both 55 years old, this would blow the record off by decades. But God made them a promise, a covenant, and God has yet to disappoint. They could hope and not be disappointed because God was with them and fulfills his promises and that goes for us too.

As modern Christians, we have plenty to hope for in things still to come. God is coming back (amen and amen) and soon I hope. And because of this great hope that exists in our risen Lord and Savior, we can look at our circumstances and not crumble. Because God is alive and reigning in Heaven, we as Christians are instilled with hope. A hope that exists in this life and the up and down parts of life as well as hope in the afterlife. So we can confidently place our hope in what God has written to us in Revelation will come true.

¹² “And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work. ¹³ I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last.” Revelation 22

While I can put my hope in congress or in a baseball team trying to sign a player, these will not always end well. Instead, hoping in God and the truths in His word will never disappoint you.

Cheers and Excelsior!

Pastor Adam

Being Thankful? Oh Bother.

Fighting the Fight of Discouragement with the Help of My Friends.

By Rev Adam Fox

There are some cartoons that last generations like Scooby Doo or Looney Tunes for instance. Another would be Winnie the Pooh. Pooh Bear is one of those characters that help children learn so much thanks to creator A. A. Milne. Pooh and his friends in 100 Acre Forest have taught children for ages about friendship, love and innocence through these animal friends and Christopher Robin. 

This summer Hollywood decided to play upon the sentiment of this book and cartoon by releasing the movie, Christopher Robin. While I did not go see this movie, not because it did not interest me but mostly because I did not want to pay $10 to cry like a baby. 

But the animal friends in this franchise interest me. Each of these animal friends help show me a different quality of humanity. It is easy to see these human characteristics in Piglet, Pooh, Tigger and so forth but Eeyore is the one that sticks out. 

Eeyore was always the sad sack, the downer, the odd ball of the group. He always looks so discouraged. I can relate to Eeyore on some days.

Discouragement is a silent and nearly undetectable quality in mankind that can run the spectrum of barely there to running wild. It can come about over a minor problem that stirs up emotions or after a big time moment in life that causes us to affect our spirit and if left unchecked, it can lead to depression. 

What could Discouragement look like in the everyday life? 

• The frustration of an authority figure (parent, teacher, boss) not listening to you. 

• Grinding and trying hard with little to no immediate success or acknowledgement. 

• Lack of appreciation.

• Not being satisfied with where you are personally.

• Relationships that go through difficulties.

These are just a few of the common and major areas that I and so many others get discouraged by. But sometimes being discouraged can breed into a worse problem - depression. Depression and Discouragement are emotions that we do not want noticed by others but can affect us. The Bible warns us greatly about the dangers of being discouraged. 

And why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him
For the help of His countenance.
Therefore I will remember You from the land of the Jordan,
And from the heights of Hermon,
From the Hill Mizar. Psalm 42:5-6

Have you ever seen the words "Courage" in the Bible, because it is used OFTEN. It is almost Like God knows that we need to be reminded to be courageous or that we get scared or discouraged.  Look at Joshua for example. One of my favorite verses is Joshua 1:9 "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"

Even Joshua, one of Israel's greatest leaders needed to be reminded to have good courage at all times. To not be discouraged, to not be dejected, downhearted, despondent or have your spirit low. That is the challenge. Like Joshua, we need to allow God to be the one who shows us our values, to not be weighed down by broken expectations from people, jobs or anything else. 

King David understood what it meant to be discouraged. One of the greatest leaders and men of all time expressed times of discouragement. The manliest Renaissance type leader whom God referred to as "A Man After My Own Heart." 

Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am in trouble;
My eye wastes away with grief,
Yes, my soul and my body!
 For my life is spent with grief,
And my years with sighing;
My strength fails because of my iniquity,
And my bones waste away.
 I am a reproach among all my enemies,
But especially among my neighbors,
And am repulsive to my acquaintances;
Those who see me outside flee from me.

I am forgotten like a dead man, out of mind;
I am like a broken vessel. Psalm 31:9-12

David knew what it meant to be discouraged, he battled this just like we all do. And that is the thing, this area of discouragement or depression is not a you thing. It is a we thing. We get discouraged. We do not feel valued. We feel stepped upon. We feel ignored and unappreciated, alone. But we are not alone in this. 

How then do we stay encouraged or better yet be an encourager to others? For me, I look to the example of Elijah. 

One of the gruffest and most direct prophet of Israel, Elijah is recorded in the book of 1 Kings to having done a lot of amazing miracles. He is a person I would love to sit and have a meal with and talk. Granted, I would choose the food since He is used to Raven regurgitating food... 

But 1 Kings 19 shows a different side to the bold prophet. We get to look into his mind, to see the worry, fear and discouragement that I see in myself. That a lot of us live in. 

Chapter 19 starts off at the end of the great contest between God with Elijah and the idol Baal and his followers. Chapter 18 is a marvelous read, a great victory for God over the idol, and showing the power of our God in multiple forms. It is the definition of a top of the mountain moment for Elijah. 

But King Ahab and Queen Jezebel write to Elijah and threaten to kill him for what he did, for embarrassing them and their idol. Elijah, a man of God a man of boldness, the Prophet who walked into that sinful Kings court and declared God would not allow it to rain - PERIOD. This empty threat from the Queen allowed these negative emotions to be stirred, it allowed the monster of discouragement to be unleashed. 

3 And when he saw that, he arose and ran for his life,

Why would Elijah run for His life? After he has had such great faith that God would provide all his life? I believe it was the enemies tool of discouragement because verse 4 shows us his thoughts. 

4 But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a broom tree. And he prayed that he might die, and said, “It is enough! Now, Lord, take my life, for I am no better than my fathers!”

The inner voice of Elijah was so bad, he was so discouraged that he wanted to die. And friends, self pity and discouragement lead to depression and sometimes depression wins. And when that happens, we loose. Please do not give up. Never Give Up. 
But God is faithful and loving. AMEN!

The rest of chapter 19 serves as a guide for us in how to overcome the feelings of discouragement and depression.  First, we are to take care of our physical needs. 

5 Then as he lay and slept under a broom tree, suddenly an angel touched him, and said to him, “Arise and eat.” 6 Then he looked, and there by his head was a cake baked on coals, and a jar of water. So he ate and drank, and lay down again. 7 And the angel of the Lord came back the second time, and touched him, and said, “Arise and eat, because the journey is too great for you.” 8 So he arose, and ate and drank; and he went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights as far as Horeb, the mountain of God.

Loosing sleep, not eating properly and ignoring the basic needs to live is not healthy. Eat, sleep and exercise are ways for us to stay in peek physical form. Think of it as a recharge for the body. Ignoring the basic needs of life will leave you drained and in a bad place. 

Next we need to spend time with God. While the Bible shows us the need to recharge the body but the soul is just as much needed. Spending time with God is the key to that. 

11 Then He said, “Go out, and stand on the mountain before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; 12 and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice. 13 So it was, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. Suddenly a voice came to him, and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

I love these verses. God was not in the wind or the earthquake or even the fire. God was there in the stillness and the quite. That is where we need to be with our Lord. Reading our Bibles and communicating with Him through prayer in the stillness. Not letting the business of life distract us, rule our time or let Satan enhance our fears and encourage our discouragement. 

If we are taking care of our selves physically, spending time with God regularly then we just need to be thankful. Thankful?

Yes I know Thanksgiving has passed. But we can still talk about being thankful AFTER the holiday. In fact, the Bible tells us "thankful in everything, in all circumstances" (1 Thessalonians 5:18)

But how will being thankful help from getting to discouraged? Think of it from this perspective. We just read from the Bible an example of being thankful. When Paul wrote this verse, he did not always in the best of circumstances. Paul did a dime more times than we realize in order to advance the Gospel of Christ. (Read 2 Corinthians 11 if you are interested) 

But the point is Paul was content and thankful in his circumstances - all of them. In all of the horrid and terrible things that happened to Paul - even in jail - he was still thankful. Why cannot we then? 

Be thankful for waking up to a "blizzard" and having to chisel out your car. Be thankful for the car that runs the red light and makes you slam on the brake. Thankful for the coworker who takes advantage of you and consistently puts you down. Thankful for the pile of work that needs to be done that never gets acknowledged. Thankful for the little things, the difficult people, the ordinary. Thankful for everything. 

Being thankful helps us put ourselves and our problems in perspective. What I need to make sure I remember is that it is not just me. The Bible tells us that we are not alone in this Spiritual War. the author of Hebrews writes " 5 Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” 6 So we may boldly say:“The Lord is my helper; I will not fear.
What can man do to me?” Hebrews 13:5-6 

Or look at the example of Elijah - being discouraged or depressed, we can get triggered by the simplest of things. But when we do get this way, we cannot dwell in these emotions and let them overtake us until we do something stupid or foolish nor should we wallow in it either. I have spent too much time in my office eating the left side of the value menu and crying over circumstances. But instead dwell in the most high. Pray, spend time in His Word, pray again and allow God to communicate with you. 

Friends, I wanted to apologize for being so behind with this post. Circumstances and the holiday got pushed ahead. And if I were transparent, I did not want to publish this. It is something I have been struggling with lately. But like our friend Eeyore, I need to rely on my friends. 



Cheers and Excelsior!

Pastor Adam

Dream on. Dream Until Your Dream Comes True

Stepping out of Familiar into the Unknown

By Pastor Adam Fox

It was December of 2003 and ELF, Lord of the Rings: Return of the King and Finding Nemo are all dominating the box office. The Christmas of 03 was unique in that the men of the Fox/Payne household all got a book from my dad. This is an unusual move for him since it seems on the surface he mailed it in that year but instead it was the opposite. This gift book moved him so greatly, he wanted all of us to share. Now I am sharing with you.

The book is The Dream Giver by Bruce Wilkinson. It starts with a modern-day parable about Ordinary, who dares to leave the Land of Familiar to pursue his Big Dream. This parable from the mind of Wilkinson is a great example of me, of us. We all have dreams and hopes but rarely do we act upon them. Instead we let the rational or the fears keep us where we are and press on, ignoring our dreams but staying in our Comfort Zone. 

For me, my comfort zone were jobs I was over qualified for keeping me secure  and away from my dream of finishing college and becoming a minister. My fear of trying and failing again, of looking dumb again was my prison. Comfort zones do that to us. 

Being comfortable is nice, if you are sitting in your favorite chair at the end of a long day but no so much if that is how you live your life. Comfortable. Safe. Never trying. Not growing. We need to get out of our comfort zones, leave our familiar and try. Will we always succeed? Nope. But we will always grow and learn about ourselves. 

The Christian comedian group known as the Skit Guys have two great videos about what it looks like for us to be in our comfort zone. I would encourage you to look for them on the internet or Youtube. 

Another example for us can be found in the Scriptures. The Bible is filled with examples of people who left the Land of Familiar, daring to dream and risking it all for the purpose of doing God's will and what is right. 

Look at Esther first. In the Book of Esther we see a very beautiful Jewish girl go from rags to royalty. As the new Queen, Esther is put in a place to expose the evil scheme of the wicked Haman and save the Jewish nation. But to do so, she would expose herself as Jewish and risk being killed. Esther prayed and followed the Godly advice of her uncle Mordecai and boldly went before her husband the king at risk of her own life and spoiled the nefarious plans of Haman.

What about Ruth. Ruth is the story about Elimelech, a man of Bethlehem-Judah, with his wife, Naomi, and his two sons, Mahlon and Chilion, went in time of famine and sojourned in the land of Moab. There Elimelech died, and the two sons married, Mahlon taking Ruth as his wife, and Chilion taking Orpah—both women of Moab, where both sons likewise died. With Ruth's Father in Law and husband dying, Ruth is given the out to restart her life but instead stays with Naomi her Mother-in-Law and takes care of her. In doing so, God leads her to Boaz and a redeemer all because she stepped out in faith. 

How about Nehemiah. the cup bearer to King Artaxerxes of Persia. Nehemiah risked his life, his job and lively hood to go back to Jerusalem and build a wall for the city. We could go and and spend time talking about so many more like Elijah, Moses, Paul or even Ananias. But the thread is the same through all of them, they risked much for God. 

Leaving Familiar, leaving your comfort zone is a frightening thought. It is a place where there is no challenges, no risks, no failure. But also it is a place of no growth and lack of faith. Being like these men and women of faith who risked so much for God, who left their comfort zone should be our goals but we will never do it alone. 

Deuteronomy 31:8And the Lord, He is the One who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed.”

Joshua 1:9Have 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.”

Isaiah 41:10Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’

When we leave our safe zone, our comfort zone, we will not be alone in doing so. God is with us and tells us not to be afraid but to trust Him. 

But here is the thing, the comfort zone applies to us as humans and Christians; staying in the comfort zone stifles our growth as believers and in other ways - which keeps us from doing great things for God. But this principle applies to the church as well. These type of churches do not walk in faith and end up becoming stuck.

Is being stuck like this a terrible thing? Yes it actually is. It would be the same way as staying eleven years old for the rest of your life would be. We always need to keep growing, striving and trying - even if it means failing at times. But for churches who are unwilling to grow and do what is needed to win souls they stay how things were. Comfortable. 

Growth is never fun, it is freighting in fact but it is necessary. Humans and churches who refuse to do so suffer and stay where we are. Some times we need to get up, and do the work ourselves, knowing that God is with us and not worry about the doubts and fears. 

Want to see your church grow in numbers? Invite people you know. 

Want a better job or situation? Take a risk, after much prayer and devotional time. 

Want someone you know to accept Jesus as their Savior? Witness to them.

Leaving your comfort zone means challenges of Giants and obstacles to our growth. But it is needed for all of us. While it is never easy or fun, but growing to become more like my God is worth it and it starts with wanting to leave the town of Familiar to face the giants.

"Expect great things from God; attempt great things for God." William Carey

Cheers and Excelsior!

Pastor Adam