All of us experience times in our lives when we need people to Speak UP.  Today, I want to Speak UP for a person I love more than I can explain.

My brother.

One of the greatest gifts God has ever given me is my big brother, John Cremeans.  Fourteen months my senior and people today still mistake us as twins. When I’m with John we immediately morph into mischievous childhood fun. We laugh hysterically at everything…and I mean everything. If you can imagine the movie, Tommy Boy, then you get a pretty good picture of what we are like when we are together.  I won’t tell which one is Tommy.

To say we have been thru a lot over the years is an understatement.  But, no matter what has happened in my life, I could always count on my brother to have my back.

It’s a brotherhood thing.

John is a great man, a great leader, a great Pastor, and a great friend. John Cremeans has impacted my life more than any other man.

Scripture tell us that no one is immune and that all of us will go thru difficult seasons. Well, John is going thru a pretty crappy one right now…and I want to ask all of you bloggers out there to Speak UP and send John some blog love.

The Bible tells us our words have the power of death and life...Speak UP!

Please pray for John, his family and his church.

Thank you!

My friend Pastor Steven Furtick wrote an insightful post that I wanted to pass along…

Masquerading Insecurity
March 3rd, 2009

In Mark 9:28, the disciples tried to cast out a demon.  They were unsuccessful, and thoroughly humiliated.

In Mark 9:38, the disciples came to Jesus tattle-tale-ing about a man who was apparently successfully driving out demons.
He was doing good things.  But he wasn’t doing it their way.
This guy wasn’t one of them.
Jesus was quick to correct: Whoever is not against us is for us.

Were the disciples really concerned about correct orthodoxy?
Or were they just jealous because this guy was producing results they were unable to achieve?

Usually, when someone is successfully doing what we’ve unsuccessfully attempted to do, we medicate our failure by complaining to God and others about how they’re not doing it right.
And we sincerely believe our motives are pure.  Usually they aren’t.

“Yeah, that church is growing, but what are they doing about discipleship?”
Often a pastor who makes this subversive snide remark about another church isn’t motivated by a pure desire for discipleship.   There’s a good chance he’s envious of the numerical gains that seem to elude him year after year.

When a mom critiques another mom, it’s often a reflection of her own frustration with her parenting abilities.

When you find yourself spending more time critiquing the methods and motivations of someone who’s doing a good work for God, check yourself.

You might be masquerading your own insecurity.

Have you ever been in a season where you couldn’t hear God’s voice?  For a follower of Jesus Christ I don’t know of anything more frightening.  Recently I have come thru a season of…

Silence from God.

It was one of the most bewildering, frustrating and annoying times of my life! You see, I believe I can face anything as long as I know I can hear God’s voice. I just don’t need to read that God is with me in scripture.  I need to hear and feel that He is with me. Consequently, the silent season ended up being a season of depression for me.

I heard something this week that would have been so encouraging and helpful to hear in that silent season. It was from a guy I really don’t know much about…his name is Jentezen Franklin.  Jentezen shared that in human relationships we stop talking to each other when we get angry and mad…you know, we freeze one another out. God, however, is not a human relationship.  One of His primary roles in His relationship with us is in the form of…

Teacher.

A teacher will be highly engaged and teach you, train you and talk to you for days, weeks, months, and even years preparing you.  But once they believe you are ready for the test…they pass out the exam…and then they remain silent. They are still present but silent. The test is to see how much you have really learned.

I believe this rich nugget of wisdom could have been a game changer for me. I internalized God’s silence as anger for me and not testing. Perhaps I could have graduated a little earlier from that silent season.  Who knows? Either way, the good news is by God’s grace, I’m still here and kicking in faith and thank God I can hear His voice again!

But wait…that means He’s preparing me for another test. I don’t know about you, but I love hanging out with the teacher.  I don’t really care so much for His test. I guess that’s why He’s the TEACHER and I’m the disciple.

What we feed will grow; what we starve will die.

What do want to see God accomplish thru you in your lifetime? Thought provoking question isn’t it? So can you answer it? Once you can identify it…Feed it – every day and it will grow. Procrastinate, just put it off, don’t think about it, and your dream will starve and die.

What do you want to see happen in your marriage? Do you want to grow in intimacy? Do you want a life long friend and companion? Feed your marriage…spend time with your spouse, date your mate, work thru conflict, improve your communication skills, listen…and your relationship will grow and flourish. Complain and point out all your spouse’s flaws, don’t come home from work, compare your spouse…they will wither and starve emotionally, and your marriage will die.

What we feed will grow; what we starve will die.

The principle is universal and Biblical. Whether your career, your children, your friendships, your relationship with God, your health.

What we feed will grow; what we starve will die.

What do you need to starve in order to accomplish your vision?

What do you need to feed in order to accomplish your vision?

This past weekend at Northway Church, I talked about sex. Specifically? God has a great vision for your sex life! I’ve got to tell you it’s funny to watch how people get so freaked out when you talk about sex in church. Therein lies the problem. For far too long, our current culture has dominated the dialogue on sex. Meanwhile, the church has been strangely silent. How we will we ever experience God’s great vision for our sex lives…if we don’t talk about it in church? How we will we ever experience God’s great vision for our sex lives…if we don’t talk about it with our spouses? How will we ever teach our kids what God’s great vision for their future sex lives is if we don’t talk about it?

We should never be embarrassed to talk about what God was not embarrassed to talk about in scripture. We should never be embarrassed to talk about what God was not ashamed to create. God is the author of sex. God is pro-sex! Scripture tells us there is an incredible blessing when we do sex God’s way.

What’s God’s way? God’s way is intimacy. A connection spiritually, mentally, emotionally, physically, and relationally. A life-uniting gift in a safe secure trusting relationship between a husband and wife.

The first half of my talk, I talked about God’s Vision. The second half, I talked about the giant Elephant in the room. Pornography. Did you know that the revenue for the Porn industry is more than professional football, basketball and baseball and hockey combined? Did you know one of the fastest growing demographic of consumers of porn is senior citizens?  We’ve have been silent way too long. You can check out my talk tomorrow at Northwaychurch.tv

The underlying message of our entire Escape series has been one of hope. No matter what you’re going through, no matter what you’re struggling with, there is always hope with God!

I shared that I would provide more resources on this topic that provide hope and support. Here are some resources I recommend for reading and sites packed with information on how to break out and break free from pornography.

Websites:

• Integrity Online – resources regarding filtered Internet
• Every Man’s Battle – sexual integrity resources for men
• Pure Online – a 30 Days to Purity program
• X3 Help at Home – a remote 12 week program
• Pure Life Ministries – leading people to victory over sexual sin
• XXXchurch.com – a comprehensive resource for men, women, parents and teens

Books:

• Every Man’s Battle – equipping men with the tools for sexual integrity
• Every Woman’s Battle – equipping women with the tools for sexual integrity
• Every Young Man’s Battle – strategies for victory in the real world of sexual temptation

Software:

• X3watch – download a free accountability software program
• Every Home Protected – Internet filters and Security Systems for $4-6 a month (click on Store > Every Home Protected Internet Filter)
• Integrity Online – the nation’s largest filtered solution provider

Believe it or not, I’m not talking about food.

Successful relationships don’t just happen; they are always intentional.

So let me ask you, do you hunger to know God more in 2009?

Are you NOT satisfied with business as usual in your relationship with God?

If so, you are in great company…

Great people of God all thru Scripture had an insatiable APPETITE to experience MORE of God.

People like Moses, David, and Paul to name a few…

If you want MORE, let me encourage you to read PURSUIT OF GOD. No matter how many times I have read Towzer’s book, it always challenges me. It’s one of my favorites and a reread for me every year. I put it on my blog as a resource so you can check it out. Let me know what you think!

How is your appetite? Do you want more of God?

A friend of mine named Ritchie Miller pastors a great church in Atlanta, GA called Avalon Church.  He started the church in 2001, and it’s rapidly growing and doing incredible!

Ritchie is an amazing leader, and he wrote a great post the other day on our President Obama.  I believe his post just sums it up the best from the Biblical perspective of our President.  I encourage you to check it out.

Most people are typically surprised when they discover I’m an introvert. Seriously I am. I enjoy and need my privacy. I know that’s difficult to believe considering some of the stuff I share on my blog.

Many have asked where I went this summer to get help…and the bottom line is, out of privacy, I simply didn’t want to share it. However, lately I’m reconsidering it. Here are some reasons why…

• The place I went to exceeded all my expectations.
• The staff were first class!
• They were disarming, knowledgeable, and encouraging.
• They have a fantastic track record
• If they can help me…they can help anybody
• If you are 60 lbs over weight like I was, your insurance will probably pick it up.

For those that are new to my blog, this past summer was a turning point for me as my doctor informed me that I was high risk. High risk for diabetes, heart disease, and other fun stuff! I knew that if I didn’t make some major changes, I would undoubtedly be going down a road that I didn’t want to travel.

I searched online and discovered a place that helped in stress management, food nutrition, and fitness. I remember being terrified to make the call. I remember being terrified to tell my wife…terrified to tell my kids…terrified to tell my church and you in the blog world.

God has helped me face my fears, and if you missed the whole story, you can check it out here. Since reaching out and getting help, I have lost 40 lbs, run a triathlon, and I have maintained my weight loss within 5 lbs for 3 months. I am still physically active, and now I’m setting new physical goals to go to the next level. No, I haven’t arrived. I have had setbacks, and the reality is I will have to fight this for the rest of my life. The point is I’m fighting.

Humbling myself, reaching out, and asking for help was one of the hardest and best decisions of my life. In fact, I believe it helped save my life. In what area of your life do you need help? In what area of your life do you need to experience some grace? More than likely, that’s probably the area in which you need to display humility.

It might just save your life.

1 Peter 5
“God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”

I really enjoyed and appreciated all the comments and encouragement from my Race Day Reflections.

This is one I thought was especially creative…

Look! It’s a deer! It’s a train!
No, it’s Triath-A-Man!
No swim, no iPod, that’s OK
Triath-A-Man is here to stay!
With my scrapes and sprain I will not quit; I will not fail;
Triath-A-Man will not bail!
I will run, I will bike, I will run some more,
WATCH OUT old guy I’m coming for more!
As I huff and I puff and cross that finish line,
Thank you God for helping me shine!

Thanks Trust Family!