How to Destroy Your Life

Today's reading:

• Proverbs 18:9 -- One who is slack in his work is brother to one who destroys.

Thoughts:
This verse is not only talking about our jobs and careers. It's talking about doing what needs to be done.

Whether at work or at home or in volunteer settings, what is important about our tasks is not how much time we put into them. What is important about our tasks is that we finish them.

If we don't wash the dishes, we don't have a clean place for our food.

If we don't change the sheets, we don't have a clean place to sleep.

If we don't wash our clothes, we don't have anything clean to wear and we stink like crazy.

If we don't care for our pets (or worse, our children), they get sick and sometimes worse.

If we don't maintain our homes, they rot and repairs cost outrageous amounts of moolah.

If we don't communicate with our spouses, trust erodes.

And at work, if we find ourselves "getting behind," there are only a few possible reasons: either we have not spent our work hours well, or we have accepted responsibility for tasks that we can't complete during our normal work hours and we refuse to take the extra time required to complete them, among others. Both the ones I'm pointing at are matters of slacking. And both are destructive.

Friends, let's do what needs to be done. Don't worry about people accusing you of being a workaholic just because of the amount of time you might have to invest. Keep your priorities straight, keep your eyes on Jesus and your heart on your family, and do what needs to be done -- at home and at work. Don't destroy your life by slacking.

I've Got A Bad Feeling About This!

Today's reading:

• Proverbs 16:30 -- Whoever winks with their eye is plotting perversity; whoever purses their lips is bent on evil (NIV).

Thoughts:
Does this proverb strike you as paranoid? Or perhaps as overly judgmental? Isn't it overly simplistic to make a blanket statement like this? Is it really fair to make assumptions about people based on a quick twitch of their facial muscles? Does this proverb encourage us to read too much into people's morality with too little evidence?

First, let's remember that proverbs encapsulate general truths and principles. There are exceptions. But proverbs proclaim the general rule.

In this case, the general rule is simple, but too often ignored in today's politically correct environment. If something doesn't seem right, it probably isn't.

This verse mentions winks and pursed lips. But there are plenty of other clues we use to decide whether to trust someone. Can they look us in the eye, or do they keep looking away? Do they keep silent and think carefully about how to answer (or what to reveal to you) when asked what should have been a relatively easy question?

And while we shouldn't pre-judge a person's character based on their outward appearance, in terms of deciding whether they could possibly be a reliable person or not, we should pre-judge in terms of whether they choose clothing or speech patterns or other adornments that indicate whether or not they are in alignment with our own ways of seeing the world. I'm automatically more leery of trusting someone with tons of bling who walks with a swagger than I am of trusting someone who keeps his or her appearance nice, but subdued. The first person is trying to prove something, it feels like, and I'm not sure I want to be involved in that.

So if you have a bad feeling, don't jump in. Be cautious. Discretion is a wise course of action. And it's a good thing -- even if it's not always politically correct.

Destination: Stuck

Today's reading:  

• Proverbs 15:19 -- The way of the sluggard is blocked with thorns, but the path of the upright is a highway (NIV).

Thoughts: 
You could read this as a verse about how God's directly helps good people. Or you could read this as a verse about the goodness of diligence -- which would be a statement on how God designed life to reward people's good character. I choose the latter.


God's not like Maleficent (from Disney's Sleeping Beauty), magically growing thorns in the way of people because He doesn't like them. The thorns in this verse are the fruit of the sluggard's own character! If thorns weren't a part of the sluggard's life at first, then his lazy approach to life allowed them to grow, making his life even more difficult! So the sluggard makes no progress at all! And it's because of his own character.


On the other hand, upright people's path "is a highway." They're making progress. What's the difference? The difference is diligence. If an upright person has to make progress and there are thorns in the way, he doesn't shirk the work. He grabs a machete or pruning shears or a chainsaw (if he's really aggressive) and gets moving! If there aren't thorns in the way, better yet -- thorns won't be given the opportunity to grow because upright people stay on top of their maintenance, leaving them free to add new projects to their list.

While the sluggard's thorn bushes grow, the diligent clear the land, lay a foundation, and build a house. And a shed. And put up a fence. And start a business. Or aim for and land a promotion.


What are the challenges you keep putting off? Get those thorn bushes cleared and stay diligent! God has designed this life to make diligence much more rewarding! And when we fail? God sent Jesus to pay the penalty for our slothfulness and to change our characters -- Jesus rose and lives to make us new. Ask Him for His righteousness, and specifically for His diligence. He gives good gifts.

Self-Examination

Today's reading:  

• Proverbs 14:8 -- The wisdom of the prudent is to give thought to their ways, but the folly of fools is deception.

Thoughts: 
I did not wake up today when I intended to. Let me amend that. I did not stay up today when I intended to. I set my alarm for a pretty early moment and was awakened about 10 minutes earlier by one of my children who needed some middle-of-the-night assistance. So I helped him, then went back to bed.

Why?

Why didn't I just stay up? I wanted to stay up. I had planned to be up. I had plans to wake up, read the Bible, write this blog. I also had intentions to do some chores, make some business decisions, chart out the family's afternoon a bit, eat before work without being rushed...

And it felt good to have plans. But it didn't feel good to have to wake up to execute them. And so I stayed in bed for an extra half an hour. And some of my plans got put on the back burner.

Was that a set up, Jesus? Because this verse really challenges my choice to stay in bed.

This verse makes it clear that wisdom involves taking time to examine and think about our lives. Wisdom involves considering where we are, where we would like to be, and what it will take to make the journey. Wisdom involves making choices about our ways that will allow us to follow the path we have decided on. Through giving thought to our ways, we achieve the purposes and dreams of our hearts. At least, when we act on those thoughts.

"But the folly of fools is deception." Here was this morning's deception for this fool: It will be better if you get extra time in bed than if you take time to consider your ways this morning.

Lord Jesus, please help me to walk in the convictions you give to me so that I can arrive at the destination you set before me.

I'm back. Finally...

It's on my heart to start blogging again. And I was pleasantly surprised to see, when I came back to my blog here at Three-Quarter Tank, that people keep looking at what I wrote in the past. Somehow, even though I haven't posted a thing for years, I now have over 18,000 page-views. It's kind of awesome to know that, just by leaving my thoughts online, people have been getting Scriptural encouragement even while I've been unable to get back into the habit and discipline of posting!

For those who haven't read my blogs before, that's mostly what I write about -- God's words. I hope that my thoughts encourage you to dig into God's words in God's Word with me.

Now that I'm back, I'll also be blogging about two or three other themes in my life: ministry, family, and business. I'll try to keep most of the blog focused on what it's focused on all along, though -- God's own words.

Here's why I'm adding the others:

• Ministry -- I have a vision on my heart to see unchurched believers return to Jesus' church, and to see unbelievers meet Jesus and join his church. So I'll be inviting you into that vision and passion.
• Family -- This will probably end up on here the least, but I think one of the great gifts God has given us is family. Family is worth celebrating, and family is worth fighting for -- even when sometimes fighting for family feels like fighting with family. So some of that may come through in my blogging. I want to be genuine and real, but I also want to protect my family from embarrassment and insecurity, so... we'll see how this actually works out. 
• Business -- I now own and operate a business, Harner Global. Why would I blog about it? Because of my ministry passion. Yes, I know, I'll have to connect the dots between the two of those for you, so here goes: I love to work, and I believe in doing high quality work that provides value to people. On the other hand, my biggest passions are people themselves. I love to help people in tangible ways, whether they know Jesus or not. And I also love to help them meet Jesus. So I have launched a business because I believe that I can grow it over time to the point where it frees me to devote more of my time to people directly. On this blog, probably about once a week, I will highlight the great quality of various products I sell online. And let me simply say, I sell quality products with a 180-day Money Back Guarantee. Because I care about people. So I don't sell junk. If you're interested in visiting my retail website, visit www.HarnerGlobal.com. But yes, that's my dream. I want to grow a business that frees me to fund ministry -- my own ministry and, as it keeps growing, the ministries of others, too.  

With all that said, to start things off, I preached a sermon on Mother's Day: The Proverbs 31 Husband. If you'd like to listen to it, there's a link right here:

http://www.reach-af.org/cpt_sermons/a-proverbs-31-husband/

I'm looking forward to walking with you again as we follow Jesus down the road together. 

Getting Hit, Still Loving It

Hi everyone! Long time, no write. Oh, well.

I had fun watching the Super Bowl (and I was happy with the way it ended - sorry for those of you who weren't). And it gave me an analogy for how things are going in my life right now that I've been sharing with some friends. I thought it might be just the kind of thing to blog about.

Basically, here's what's been going on in the past couple of months:

• Babysitting - No, I'm not babysitting, though I do have a new job. But that job is as a sales agent. And it brought on the challenge of finding a babysitter who could reliably watch my kids when my schedule doesn't allow me to be at home to watch them. I thought I had figured it all out. First, Mom came down to watch the kids for a month while I interviewed a bunch of prospects. Then I hired one. Well, before her first official day on the job, she had already quit (for understandable reasons). It left me scrambling for another babysitter. And I got one. Well, only a couple of weeks in, she quit, too (for less understandable reasons). Thankfully, some friends helped me to get through the interim while I searched for yet another babysitter. I have one now who seems to be working out nicely. Still, it felt like the process involved taking a number of hits.
• Car - I am no longer driving the car I used to drive. Its transmission failed. So that was a hit. And I added a good bit of debt to my plate to get a more reliable pre-owned vehicle (a 2006 Kia Rio, which I love - and it has terrific head space! Didn't expect that out of a small car.). But yeah, another process that involved more hits. 
• Finances - There have been a couple of occasions recently when I have had fewer than $10 in my checking account - along with a basically empty savings account. I share that now because I'm in good enough shape now that I can happily add that I need no help - please don't send any finances my way. But just being that close to having nothing a couple of times has felt like taking a couple of hits. 

So yeah, these are a few examples of hits I've been taking lately. And you know what? I'm loving every minute!

Here's why (and here's where the Super Bowl analogy comes in): I am back in the game, and I'm relishing every minute. When I watched the Super Bowl, I couldn't help but notice the energy and enthusiasm of the players - especially the Ravens. That energy kept going throughout the whole game, whether players got hit or not. They were in the game, and hits were a part of the process. The hits weren't going to curb their enthusiasm. The players knew their roles and held nothing back. They left everything on the field. 

So yeah, like I said, I'm back in the game. I have a terrific job. I have amazing friends. I have wonderful kids. And I'm actually able to do something to contribute these days. I feel like I was on the disabled list for a while, but I've made it through rehab and the coach has tapped me on the shoulder and put me back out on the field. And when you've been on the sidelines for a while, nothing feels better than being back in the game. It doesn't matter how many hits you take. So that's how I feel these days. I'm enjoying every minute of life whether I take hits or not. The hits don't phase me. I'm back in the game. I'm contributing. I'm useful. And I'm so, so grateful to be past the disabled list stage. 

So I thought I'd post this. First, I just want you all to know how well things are going. Second, I hope that my perspective encourages some of you to keep pressing on, too - whether you're taking some hits or not. Enjoy being in the game. And if you're on the disabled list for a while, recuperate and rest and receive whatever help you need (and I hope you get lots of it). We'll see you back in the game soon. 

Facts vs. Faces

This morning before church (well, now that it's 12:41 AM Monday morning, I suppose I should say "yesterday morning") I had a wonderful prayer time with several brothers. Among our prayer requests were a number of people in our lives who are having a hard time believing in Jesus.

And here's what came to mind as I listened to my brothers pray.

So many of our friends and family who have a hard time believing in Jesus are saying, "I can't believe in Jesus. The facts just don't line up. There's not enough evidence."

That may be precisely the problem. Facts.

Now don't get me wrong. I don't think that facts are actually a problem. I love facts. I like to know them, learn new ones, discuss interesting facts with friends, use them in debates. Facts have their place. Usually, they're even helpful for making important decisions.

But here's the problem. Facts, when taken as evidence, always have to be interpreted. "I know X, and I'm pretty sure it means Y. Therefore, I should do Z."

But humans have quite the propensity to find facts--actual facts, mind you--to support their own views of reality, no matter how off-kilter those views may be. That's the stuff conspiracy theories are made of. That's why there's a significant group of people who still refuse to believe that we really put astronauts on the moon. This group has collected a bunch of facts and has interpreted those facts in a way that denies reality.

Now, let's be honest. Although I'm about to suggest that those who do not believe in Jesus are doing just that--collecting facts and interpreting them in a way that denies reality--this is not something that only *some* people do. We all do it at various times. We are all sometimes on the right side of the truth and sometimes on the wrong side. And even as I put this post together suggesting/hinting/stating that those who do not believe in Jesus are on the wrong side of the fact-interpretation-schema, I completely understand why they would say the same thing about me.

So why bother discussing facts at all if I'm just going to claim that the other side has interpreted them wrongly?

Here's why. I have a solution. It's not a solution that I can force on people, but it is a solution that I can and will pray for. And I hope you will, too. Let me set the scene for you.

Suppose we have a conspiracy theorist who, for the sake of illustration, does not believe in the President of the United States. He does not believe that our President's name is Barack Obama, he does not believe in Air Force One, he does not believe in the Oval Office, etc. (Please don't ask me to explain why this person doesn't believe in the presidency, okay? He just doesn't believe because of his misguided interpretation of the various facts he has access to.).

You would hope that this fellow could be persuaded to believe in the presidency simply by debate. You would hope that simply laying out the facts -- all the facts that are relevant -- would persuasively seal the deal and change his mind. But no, facts aren't good enough for this guy.

You know what's good enough? Not facts. Faces.

If somehow this conspiracy theorist could encounter the President of the United States in person and see him face to face, and be guided through the Oval Office and take a ride on Air Force One, he'd believe. The presidency wouldn't be a figment of other people's imaginations any more; this former conspiracy theorist who had met the president would now believe in the presidency.

Why? Because of his encounters. Because of seeing the President face to face.

And suddenly, he'd have new interpretations for all those facts that he'd once thought disproved the existence of a presidency. Amazing.

Friends, much more than we need to be praying for our loved ones to understand the truth, or to grasp the facts, or to submit to the arguments, we need to be praying first and foremost that Jesus would introduce Himself to them. A personal encounter with Jesus would put their questions to rest and reinterpret their understanding of the facts this world has to offer.

Jesus, please meet our friends, our children, our spouses, our families. May they sense that they have been with you face to face. May the facts be reinterpreted by your face. May they know YOU, not just the claims about you. And knowing you, may they always be confident that walking with you is wise an