Tag Archives: Growth

Message In A Minute: Deeper

Last week, while on vacation, my nephew strongly requested a visit to a toy store.

We were shopping at various tourist-centric establishments, but my nephew made sure to let everyone know where he wanted to go.

Once we found a toy store, all of us went inside. My nephew stopped at the very first display. It was an interactive table with lots of motion and bright colors. It was an obvious first stop for a young boy.

We spent quite a bit of time roaming the store, playing with toys and talking. But my nephew never left the first display. While the rest of us were seeing what the store had to offer, my nephew was content to stay near the entrance the entire time.

My nephew will have plenty of time to visit other toy stores. He won’t be concerned with missing a few toys at that particular store. But that day reminded me of what happens to many spiritually curious people.

I understand the temptation to simply hangout near the entrance of faith. It’s enticing to stop and bask in the grace, never moving beyond that wonderful acceptance. But there is so much more to experience. So many more opportunities. So much more God wants to show us.

There is abiding peace, deep security, abundant joy, and an eternal relationship just beyond the entrance.

There are life changing moments, soul transforming experiences, and destiny altering adventures a little further in.

There is wisdom beyond understanding, healing beyond our capabilities, and love beyond our comprehension.

The New Testament illustrates this whole idea by stating that some Christians seem content with a bottle of milk, when there is a feast awaiting us.

Don’t miss all that He has for you. Don’t disregard all that He wants to do in you. Don’t ignore all that He wants to do through you. His blessings will overflow to others if you are close to Him.

Go further, dig deeper, draw closer to God.

His grace will welcome you in, His grace will lead you deeper, and His grace will transform everything along the way.

-Tom Wise

Message In A Minute: More Like Them

Today, many adults see teenagers in negative ways, and sometimes that’s justified. 

But I want to be more like them.

Because they are honest, they haven’t developed a false self to hide behind like many adults. They are open to the challenge to love others. Sure they are selfish in some ways like you and I, but they admit it. 

If God speaks to them, they will respond. 

For over a decade, my wife and I were Youth Leaders/Pastors.

I’ve been in a church van on Pike’s Peak, hiding in a tree at a campground at 2 am, up all night laughing so hard I could barely breathe, praying in a hospital waiting room, crying at a funeral, speaking at a school, in the middle of a creek looking for a cell phone, and many other crazy places with teenagers. 

Not to mention so many graduations I have lost track.

Thousands of lessons, thousands of hours of prayer, hard work, and fun.

Hundreds of young lives.

Some nights we had more teenagers in our meeting than the church had in the main service. Other nights we had just a handful and the overall numbers didn’t matter to us.

Some mornings I will wake up thinking about one of the teenagers we were blessed to know. I always remember something unique about them and take it as a cue to pray for them.

If over the years we hear that one of them is doing well, we celebrate. If we hear one is hurting, we hurt.

Some of them are now in ministry, some may be strung out on drugs at this very moment. Some are mothers or fathers with children of their own. Most of them we haven’t seen in years. But, we are thankful that God allowed us to be a part of their lives, each one was created in His image.

It was frustrating, exhilarating, exhausting and rewarding. And we loved each one of them. 

We still do.

If you have teens in your life, reach out to them, encourage them. Adolescence is a difficult time for many. Those teens around you could use a trustworthy adult in their life.

If you are a teen, find adults you can trust to talk with. You may not need them at this moment, but you may want someone to listen and encourage you in the future.

And no matter your age, be like some of the amazing young people I’ve known. 

Be open and honest with God. 

He’ll take it from there.

-Tom Wise

Message In A Minute: As You Are

I was first invited to a church when I was 17 years old.

I had been to churches a few times growing up, but nothing even resembling a consistent church attendance.

I walked into that church at 17 years old with long hair, ripped jeans, and a heavy metal t-shirt on. I honestly wasn’t trying to push any buttons. That was just who I was, and I didn’t know enough about religion to even pretend I was somebody else.

Sure I got some odd looks, yes a couple father’s in the church subtly kept me from even sitting near their daughters. On Sundays, I would usually sit in the back, to avoid any uncomfortable situations. Things like that happen. I even understand why some assumed things about me.

But there were these older ladies who sat in the front row of the church who overwhelmed me with love. They would always hug me, ask me how I was doing, and accepted me exactly the way I was.

A couple times they even invited me and my group (made up of my brother, a cousin, and a friend) to sit with them in the front.

It looked like Metallica was sitting with the Golden Girls.

That’s what God does.

He brings people together, His grace is the same for us all, He isn’t impressed with our clothes, our financial situation, or our status.

It makes me smile when I think of those older ladies who were so welcoming. They are part of the reason I’m a pastor today.

Love people where they are, if they are rough around the edges, let God make any changes needed. Make sure you are growing in your faith, you just may be the reason another person opens their heart to God.

We are all a work in progress.
We are no better than another.
We are all candidates for God’s goodness.

-Tom Wise

FEARLESS: WEEK #3

On the first day of school, in my first-grade year, we were arranging the alphabet backwards with blocks. It was right after lunch and I started to feel an overwhelming fear. I had night terrors and panic attacks before this, but nothing that happened in a public setting. My heart started pounding, my mind began to race, I literally started shaking. I distinctly remember staring at the door and wondering if I could get to it before the teacher could stop me.

Well, the teacher didn’t even see me. I made it to the door, opened it, and I started running. I ran a little over a mile towards my house. In fact, I made it a few houses down from mine. By that time the school had notified my mom who was waiting outside for me. I burst in to tears as my mind caught up with what my body had done.

In the summer of my seventh-grade year a similar event happened. This time I walked home two miles in the dark. Somehow, being at a birthday party with thirty other pre-teens was scarier than walking across town alone.

Fast forward ten years, a decade filled with panic attacks, anxiety, and depression. I am in my twenties and at a party that I tried to avoid in the first place. Things were going ok, listening to music, joking with friends, and then I started to experience the same old fear. I had matured enough to not simply burst out the door and run home. I politely excused myself, and told the woman I was with that we needed to leave. We went for a long drive until the fear passed.

I did things like that so often in my early adult life that a few of my friends thought I must have a secret life. One asked if I had a child at home, because I was always leaving early or disappearing. Another wondered if I “worked for the FBI or something like that.” I never had a problem fitting in or making friends, but I had a very difficult time building deep relationships.

Fear controlled all my decisions even if it wasn’t present at the time.

I was the master of avoidance.

Fear is a natural response to a dangerous situation. When the brain senses danger it floods the body with adrenaline. The heart rate increases, breathing becomes rapid, and pupils will begin to dilate. Blood starts flowing into large muscles in the extremities, preparing the person to take action. All of this can happen in a matter of a seconds. This is an amazing gift. It empowers us to fight for our lives, or run for safety.

There are different reasons for high anxiety and panic attacks. The reasons, be they stress, loss of a loved one, chemical imbalances, or other medicals conditions all trigger the same reaction that an actual threatening situation would bring about. Your personality type, your diet, your overall health, and more variables can all play a part in the frequency and intensity of anxious episodes. There are many causes for irrational anxiety, that is why there are many beneficial treatments. As I said in week two, the goal is for you to find what works for you. But I do believe the methods shared in this series can help anyone and for many will lead to conquering irrational fear.

Here are things we should acknowledge, actions we should take (both from last week), along with some attitudes we should adopt.

Acknowledge these ideas when fear shows up.

  • Allow the temporary emotion and physical results of fear.
  • Accept that they can’t hurt you.
  • Don’t blame yourself or feel guilty.
  • Realize millions of people have felt like this.
  • Most people who struggle with fear are highly intelligent and incredibly creative.

Actions to take when fear shows up:

  • Set your attitude to “fear is present, I accept it.”
  • Call fear’s bluff, say to yourself “I won’t fear the fear.”
  • Use the energy, burn the extra fuel, take a walk or a similar activity.
  • Pick one small thing to accomplish, then find another.
  • Engage in what is around you, co-workers, friends, read or study.

Attitudes to adopt:

  • Be patient, you will have a set-back.
  • Know that small accomplishments snowball over time.
  • Understand change can be good.
  • Problems are opportunities to grow.
  • Let “What If” thinking work for you.

To elaborate on these attitudes.

Be patient with yourself, when you begin to let fear be present and you push through it, you will have success, and a couple times you will have a set-back. Show grace to yourself. This is the time to re-double your resolve to conquer the fear.

Know that small accomplishments snowball over time. Little victories over fear add up quickly. Celebrate and remind yourself of the ways you are winning. Soon you will be able to look at a pile of victories and your confidence will grow.

Understand change can be good. Many of us have a negative view on change in general. We need to see change for what it is, it can be good or bad. But more important, we need to react to any change in the most positive way possible.

Problems are opportunities to grow. I still need to work on this one. I want to get to the point where problems energize me to find solutions. Too often, my progress slows when I see or even imagine problems that could happen. I need to think of them as speedbumps not roadblocks.

Let “what if” thinking work for you. You are likely creative and intelligent, your mind is powerful. For some people this works against them. You can “what if” yourself into a paralyzing state of mind. But the same brain that works in this way is also capable of creating the positive “what ifs”. What if this turns out better than you think? What if you conquer fear? What if you are free to reach your potential? It is an empowering way to think.

I hope you continue to follow along in this series. I pray you are finding answers and encouragement. I want you to know that victory over fear is not only possible, but within reach. You were designed the way you were for a reason. You have potential for greatness in whatever way you want to define greatness.

Keep pushing forward, be confident, and find the courage to overcome fear.

Next week we will look at ways to Arrange your life so that victory over fear is more likely.

Tom Wise

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5 LESSONS TO HELP YOU GROW IN YOUR FAITH

Learning To Ride A Bike

I remember as a young boy trying to learn how to ride a bike without training wheels. Many of the kids that lived in our neighborhood were older than I was and had already made the transition, and I didn’t want to feel like a little kid anymore.

I remember the frustration that I experienced when that bike would fall over. It seemed that I was never going to get it to stay up right so that I could ride more than a few feet. Then one day, just like magic, it happened.

I hopped on a boy’s bike that was older than I.  His bike was taller than mine. When I climbed on, my feet could not touch the ground. To get started, I put my left foot on the pedal and pushed with my right foot, sort of like starting out on a skate board. When the bike began to roll, I hopped up and put my right foot on the pedal and began pumping my legs.

I don’t know how it happened, but away I went.

A Parable Of Jesus

Jesus said something similar one day when he was teaching.

26 And He was saying, “The kingdom of God is like a man who casts seed upon the soil; 27 and he goes to bed at night and gets up by day, and the seed sprouts and grows—how, he himself does not know. 28 The soil produces crops by itself; first the blade, then the head, then the mature grain in the head. 29 But when the crop permits, he immediately puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”

– Mark 4:26-29  New American Standard Bible

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