Alive and Active

In football, perimeter blocking is when wide receivers unselfishly block the defensive backs in order to open up a hole for the running back to run through. God gave Coach Brown an incredible attention to detail and he learned from the best coaches to perfect the craft of perimeter blocking. Colossians 3:23 says "whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the lord, not ma...

Proverbs 30:28 talks about creepy crawlers and insects and how they are found in the  king's palace. There are spiders in our life that we have to squash. God's Word along with thoughtful prayer seeking wisdom and discernment helps us discern  what is and what isnt sin.

The Bible talks about how lizards and spiders are weak but they are found in the king's palace. When life hits us hard and opportunity knocks, we get ourselves back up by looking to the Lord Jesus Christ. We turn friction into traction because there is an opportunity to be conformed into the image of Christ. The Bible says that we are new creatures in Christ and we live the resurrected life.

Proverbs 30:24 talks about how the locusts go out in ranks and.they have no king. Youth sports has become a lot about putting a spotlight on the individual kid instead of working together in unity like the locusts do. The locusts have no preferential treatment and they do what's best the group. The gravitational pull in our culture is pulling for ourselves but when the Lord gets a hold of us,...

Proverbs 30 verse 27 says the locusts have no king but all of them go out and ranks. Synergy is the concept that two or more are greater than the sum of its parts. We can learn from the locusts who wisely work together  to accomplish tasks. A lot can be accomplished when we have a synergistic approach.

The Bible has approximately 780,000 words in it. The word of God instructs us how to live which includes how we should control our tongues. The book of James tells us to brittle our tongue. 2 Corinthians informs us that we are ambassadors of Christ, but when we use bad language we become ambassadors of the Earth. When we chew on God's word our appetite, thoughts, and speech will change for Hi...

Proverbs 30:24-28 describes four animals who are small yet exceedingly wise. The rock badger finds a place of refuge in the rock even when the elements are challenging. In the 1980s, the Nebraska football team had to change their offensive system to better combat the weather. Their offensive line, who became known as the pipeline, became their foundation and they paved the way to winning national...

Proverbs 6:6 talks about how the ant is wise, resilient and relentless. We are called to get into the paint with the Lord and be wise and strategic in the way we go about life. God hardwired the ant and He soft wired us. We need to learn how to let the Lord turn the friction we experience in life into traction and the ant is a great example of one who is resilient in their approach to life.

Proverbs 30:24-25 shows us that God hardwired the tiny ant with exceptional wisdom. Ants are resilient, diligent, elite organizers and they prepare for the winter. They work together to accomplish their tasks. God uses his animal kingdom to show us the biblical worldview we should have as Christians. Former Husker quarterback Brook Berriger lived a short but exceedingly wise life because he knew C...

1 Peter 5:2 says to be shepherds of God's flock and to watch over them not because you must, but because you are willing as God wants you to be. As Christians we should be eager to volunteer our time for the kingdom of God and his people. Jesus first came to serve and gave His life for us. We should have a voluntary attitude that looks out for the least of these and moves us outside of our co...

Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead and defeated death. Believers are born-again (John 3:3) by the Spirit of God. God has put all things under His authority. We have been transferred from death to life and God has spiritually adopted us as his child. If you are a Christian, you are living under supernatural power. Our labor in this world is not in vain with the Lord.

We "Get To" worship an ALIVE and RESURRECTED JESUS. Religion is man's attempt to reach God, but salvation is God coming down through Jesus Christ to reach man. Jesus died on a cross to fully pay for our sin, and he rose three days later and defeated death. It's not do more, try harder. It's dying to our old self daily. We get a new life from dying not trying. Trusting in J...

In Acts 4, Peter and John displayed a confident boldness in the Lord despite the Councils threats. Peter and John weren't living out of fear and death. Instead, they were living out of life and resurrection. We too should pray for boldness to live out God's calling. Don't be quiet, don't quit, but instead ask the Lord to help you grow you in boldness.

Revival is understanding our sin, lamenting and confessing to the Lord. Revival is a death and resurrection process. Revival happens one soul at a time and we continue to go to Jesus, who paid for our sin and rose from the dead. In Psalm 51 David cried out to the Lord when he was confronted with the sins he committed with Bathsheba. David needed God to create in him a clean heart and to restore hi...

In Luke 10 Jesus explains who our neighbor is. Everyone is valuable to God and He created each person in His very image. If you are a follower of Jesus, you are a missionary and you get to share the good news with everyone, no matter their background.

In Acts 1, the disciples have lost their way after Jesus death and resurrection. Jesus helps get them back on track by telling them that they will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon them and they will be His witnesses in Jerusalem and in Judea and Samaria and to the end of the Earth. The disciples needed direction just like we do. Jesus is our compass and light in a dark world and He is...

In 1 Kings 1, David had grown old and unfortunately the consequences of not disciplining his son Adonijah have caught up to him. Adonijah knew his brother Solomon was to be the next king, but he tried recruiting people to help him take the crown. Bathsheba and Nathan brought the news to David who was unaware of Adonijah's rebellion. David's supporting cast showed up and helped get David&...

The Bible is full of people like Joseph and Paul who endured difficulty, suffering and isolation. They could have been crushed but they were strengthened by God and their toughness came from a continual relationship with the Lord. We look to Jesus Christ as our perfect example of how to be tough despite the circumstances.

Steve Prefontaine was a world-class runner who beat other runners with his incredible toughness. As Christians we are being beat down by the world and taking blow after blow for the sake of Christ. We are called to die daily and to be conformed into the image of Christ. We should grow in our toughness and allow trials to shape us.

In 1 Kings 6 the Lord came to Solomon and promised Solomon that if he observed His laws and kept His commands then the Lord would live among the Israelites and not abandon His people. Solomon knew the law, especially  Deuteronomy 17 which instructed kings on how they should serve. By 1 Kings 11 Solomon had violated the law and pursued gold, foreign women and foreign gods. When we are tempted for p...

In 1st Kings 3, God comes to Solomon in a dream and asks him to ask for whatever he wants. Solomon understood the important responsibility of leading God's people and he asked for a discerning heart to govern God's people. It says the the Lord was pleased with Solomon's ask and God blessed Solomon and gave him way more than he could have ever asked for. We tend to be trivial with ou...

Jesus said if you want to be a great leader then you must be a great servant first. Are we willing to humble ourselves before the mighty hand of God? We look to Jesus who was the perfect servant leader as He humbled himself to the point of death of the cross. If you humble yourself and serve others with all we have, like Jesus did, then God will exalt you.

Jesus is the gift that keeps on giving because He rescues us like He rescued Peter. Jesus didn't give up on Peter after Peter denied Him. Instead He showed Peter His glory and came near to him because He was loved Peter. Peter realized it was Jesus on the seashore and he hurried to Him. Jesus calls you back into fellowship with him even when you blow it. We can trust in the finished work of J...

In John 13, Jesus demonstrated to his disciples what role they have with one another and how they should live. We live on a dirty earth and we need to serve one another by confessing our sin and metaphorically washing each other's feet. As Christians we live in humble obedience to Christ and we look to Him who humbled Himself on the cross for our sins. We trust & believe in the finished w...

The world might think it's strange that Christians don't partake with them in living the happy hour lifestyle. We are told in 1st Peter 4 to not join the non believers in debauchery because they will give an account to God. We seek the pleasure of the Lord in all we do. If you are stuck in the party scene, then get out and take the exit ramp to Jesus.