Worthy

We live in a world where you must earn the good things you receive; at least, that was how I was raised. If you wanted to go to Six Flags with the youth group, you had to earn money by mowing the field or some other chore. I knew some kids who just had everything handed to them, but in my world, if you wanted something of value, you earned it. If you wanted good grades, you worked hard for them. If you wanted recognition in sports, band, or any other activity, you worked hard, hoping you were noticed. When it comes to your work life, work hard, and if you see something that needs to be done, do it. Making yourself indispensable was an unspoken rule, and then you will be successful. In relationships, I tried to follow the same guidelines. If I did enough good things, then I would be loved. The sad part of those guidelines, when it comes to relationships and accomplishments, deep down inside, you know you are not as good as people think you are, and if they ever knew who you really were, they wouldn’t love you, and they may not even like you. I am so happy that this world and God’s world are so different. Did you know God loves you even when you fail? Did you know God knows who you are deep inside of your darkest parts, and He still loves you? That is hard to believe because we don’t even love who we are in our darkest parts. Don’t misunderstand what I am saying; God does not love the evil and hateful things we do, but God loves us. God hurts for us, He longs for us, and He wants what is best for us. One of the most significant passages in the Bible is Romans 5:8, which says “God demonstrates His love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” So the next time you start beating yourself up because you are not good enough and believe nobody cares for you or loves you, remember this “God loves you, and He has demonstrated His love by giving you the most valuable gift He could ever give.” You are worth the price that was paid. Get up, shake off the world, and live a life worthy of His love. In Him J. Tom Washburn

Hooey Bag

Matt 7:21-23 21 "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' 23 Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!' (NIV) Pride is a deceptive sin because pride is often hidden behind good deeds and outstanding accomplishments. We bloat ourselves with titles and degrees to look good to others. We fill our “hooey bag” with all kinds of things the world, and even the church, admires. When I look inside my “hooey bag,” I am carrying and relying on many things that don’t matter. Here are some of the things inside of my bag: A degree from L.C.C. with additional graduate studies, served on the L.T.C. board for over seventeen years; eight of those years, I was the vice chairman, and in four of those years, I was the chairman, I was a faculty instructor for Walk Thru the Bible for several years and conducted nearly one hundred seminars across the world. I served on the board of C.W.J.C and F.C.A. I was named to the Outstanding Young Men of America and Who’s Who in the West. I taught Bible at L.C.H.S. and served in ministry for over forty years. I was in Kiwanis and was the president of the local chapter of Rotary. I am the Chairman of the Red River Family Encampment and the associate director. I have taught at Red River (in one capacity or another) for over 30 years. L.C.U. awarded me the K.C. Moser award, and I have other things in my “hooey bag.” My “hooey bag” is heavy and full of things that made me feel important, but ultimately my “hooey bag” was just an oversized weight that kept people from seeing me and me from seeing people. Recently I have lost forty pounds and a lot of hair. I don’t look like I did when all of this started, and the process has been the most painful thing ever. When Julie and I got home from six weeks in hospital facilities, I discovered that I needed to set aside my “hooey bag”; something greater needed to take its place. You wonder if you make a difference as a minister and even a man. As we turned the corner to the block we live on, there was the most significant thing I could have ever seen: friends taking time out of their day to welcome us home. They knew they couldn’t come close to us, hug us, or even come inside. They just came to give us their presence, the greatest present they could give us. On my garage entrance was a banner full of the names of people who wanted to reach out to us. The next day in the mail, I received another banner from Red River full of the names of people who just wanted to reach out. The essential things in life are not the awards you receive or even the money and stuff you have accumulated. The most critical thing in life is the people you touch for the glory of God. People matter to God, and as His child, people matter to us. One person at a time, that is how Christ reached out most effectively, and if we want to be known by Him, we need to be reaching out, One person at a time, for His glory. In Him, J. Tom Washburn

Repentance

As I went through the process over the last month, the one word that was continually in my mind was repentance. We all know that repentance means to turn around, and we have all equated repentance with the words “I’m sorry.” Repentance is so much more. The process of Stem cell harvesting and transplant reminded me and taught me so much about repentance and I feel the needed to write this blog. When my stem cells were harvested, I had a tough time. I became catatonic, unable to move or talk, and my jaw locked up, and my tongue swelled up, and all this took place because I was calcium deficient. I was missing one essential substance. It took three days to gather all the cells needed for a successful transplant, but each of those cells were required to be cleaned so they would produce a positive result. The stem cells were not the only thing that needed to be cleaned; my immune system also needed to be cleaned (or killed), so I was given a high dose of Chemotherapy to kill my unhealthy immune system. After a day or two, they put back the cleaned stem cells and they began to find their place and do their work. This process isn’t easy, but my body must work the way that God intended for it to work. You may be thinking, what does any of this have to do with repentance? As I started this article, most of us have thought of repentance as removing the unwanted foam from a frou-frou coffee. Repentance is much more and much more profound. Repentance is the desire and the action of removing not the unwanted foam of evil but the root of evil in our lives. It involves the complex process of identifying and eliminating sin’s deep and persistent cause. It is hard and often painful. It can mean replacing our blood with the blood of Jesus Christ flowing through our veins, and for that to happen, we may have to take a high dose of humility and regret before His new cells can begin to do their work. You see, repentance is not a “get past this event”; repentance is the transformation of life for the glory of God. After repentance, what you will find is life and life abundant. In Him J. Tom Washburn