more, more, more

What makes us want more?  If we have all that we need what makes us want more?  I think it is very easy to get caught up in wanting more.  Most of us, I believe, would be happy with what we have if everybody was at our same level.  Our discontentment comes when we start comparing ourselves with others.   We look at what other people have that we don’t and then it hits us, ”I want that.”  We continue to think about that thing and before we know it we make it out to be something that we need.  Been there done that.  It is a daily struggle for all of us.  It is also a black hole for us if we let ourselves get caught up in it.  If we continue to try to keep up with the Jones we will never be content.  There will always be someone who has something more than us.  If we look at all the good things we already have and can be thankful for those then we will be much happier and joyful in our everyday life.

Thanks for joining me. 

Gary Kauffman

Power of words

I have been working at this house installing a deck with someone for the last 6 days.  There are some other guys who are there doing the roof and daily they have the radio playing some older, “classic” rock.  I used to listen to a lot of the stuff they have been listening to on the radio.  It’s been a long time since I have heard some of those songs.  As I was listening yesterday and today.  I just felt a heaviness come over me at some point.  I just kept hearing song after song that sounded so angry and depressing.  There was an attitude of wanting to strike out against everything.  I remember that when I used to listen to some of this stuff that my demeanor would change.  The mood I felt often determined the kind of music to which I would listen.  On the other hand many times the music also determined my mood.  I have heard the argument back and forth for many years about how music does or doesn’t affect people.  I know that music never makes someone go out and kill someone else or do anything bad.  Each person is responsible for their own decisions and actions.  No one makes you go out and do something like that.  I do know however that what people feed into their mind will affect them.  So it doesn’t really supprise me that some people who listen to this type of muscic often have a bad outlook on things.  There is more than just meets the eye or ear in this case.  Words have power to them.  They can be used to build people up or to destroy them.  The old saying, “Sticks and stones can break my bones but words can never hurt me”, is a lie.  Ask any kid who gets made fun of at school or elsewhere.  They will tell you a different story.  What deepens the affect that these word have is the music.  That is because they were meant to go together.  It’s like watching a thriller movie.  When they want you to think something big is going to happen the music gets more intense.  Sometimes it is just to fool us and make us think the bad guy will jump out and get the hero.  Other times it actually happens.  I remember watching “Jaws” when I was a kid and that movies scared me.  Everytime you heard that deep heavy music you thought someone was going to be eaten.  Our hearts would begin to pound faster and faster,  and we got even more interested in what was happening.  Can’t you just feel yourself wanting to jump out of your seat just thinking about it.  We wanted to tell the people on the screen, ”GET OUT OF THE WATER BEFORE YOU GET EATEN.  HURRY UP GET OUT HE’S COMING.  FASTER.  OH NO THEY FELL BACK IN THE WATER.  WHEW THEY JUST MADE IT.”  Man what a relief.  That is what words and the music that goes with them can do to us.  In the same respect that heavy dark music like death metal and hard core rap or other music can take us down there are many types of words and music that can lift us up.  How many of you remember the theme song from ROCKY III, Eye of the Tiger.  I used to have that record.  Yeh, you read that right.  I said record.  I know that a statement like that will date me a little bit but thats okay.  I was just a kid when the movie came out.  I used to listen to that album over and over when I was lifting weighs because it got me hyped up and ready to lift.  It also an inspirational song, which is why they used it.  I like to listen to a lot of contemporary Christian music and worship albums now days.  They keep me focused on the positive things in life and on the one who gave me everything I have and that would be God.  If I am down I can listen to this and it lifts up my heart and my emotions. I feel different.  It reminds me of better things that have been and are still to be.  I have a varied taste in this type of music.  There are many different types of Christian aritists.  Some are light and others have a very guitar driven beat that is more rock and roll style.  It is just that the message is about God instead of raging against society and being angry about everything.  Now I’m not saying all rock and roll is evil or anything I just think it is very important that we realize the message that is coming at us or our kids before we continually pump this stuff into our minds. 

Thanks for joing me. 

Gary Kauffman

Better thinking

 Therfore, I urge you brothers, in view of God’s mercy,to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God-this is your spiritual act of worship.  Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is- his good, pleasing and perfect will.  For by the grace given me, I say to everyone of you.  do not think of yourselves more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.  Rom. 12:1-2

cutting back

Well, it’s been a little while since my last post.  We’ve been cutting back ourselves.  It was one of our cell phones first and then the internet.  You have to cut out and simplify life sometimes.  It heps you take a good look at what things are really important to you and what things you really need.  Most of us probably have a lot of things we could cut out of our lives to make it a more simple life.  We wouldn’t really suffer at all.  These are the things we say we can’t do without sometimes but we really can when it comes down to it.  So what is it for you.  I’ve know people who couldn’t pay their bills but refused to give up internet, cell phones, and dish network.  Something is wrong with that in my humble opinion.  Others would rather smoke or buy lottery tickets before they buy enough food for their family to eat for the week.  We need to get things in order.  It’s a mess out there and we can’t expect the government to help us out of this whole mess.  We have to do some of the hard work ourselves.  Examine and see what is really necessary in you life.  Even if times aren’t as tight for you now do you really need all that you have around you.  I want you to know that I don’t think there is anything wrong with having a lot of stuff as long as the stuff doesn’t have you. 

Thanks for joining me,

Gary Kauffman

Quiet Time III

As I talked about quiet time and how important it is for us I wanted to end on a note of application.  Here are some things that we can do to step into this discipline of solitude.  The first thing we can do is understand how much time you have to capture.  There are all sorts of little moments in the day that we can use.  Second, make a spot that you can be special for you.  Set it apart for this purpose if you can.  Third, as you have some time during the year take some longer periods of solitude.  Take a couple of ours or longer if you can.  Maybe 4 hours or a whole day.  It is important for us in our daily lives.  Finally, make it a priority for your life.  If we don’t make it a priority it will never happen.

Thanks for joining me.

Gary Kauffman

The Quiet Place II

The other night I began writing about the importance of taking some time out and just relaxing.  Getting alone and spending some time in solitude.  It is important for us to take this time so that we can get away from the stress of life and reinvigerate ourselves.  Tonight I want to look at some of the benefits that we can gain from doing this.  These benefits are both internal and external in nature.  It is an all around good thing for us. 

First I see that it is something that can bring a sense of calm or peace into our lives.  Lets face it, things get hectic and we can get drained.  We need some time where we can step back and take a look at our whole life and examine all that is going on at that moment.  We can look and find some of the good things that are happening and not just focus on the bad.  We can notice our families and see all the joy they bring to our lives.   We can look back and see how far we have come despite the challenges we have faced in the past.  God is always there waiting for us to come to him so that he can give us this peace and rest.  This is a peace that continues despite the things that go on around us. 

Second I see that it is a good time for us to get refocused on life.  Sometimes things get crazy and we get focused on the wrong things.  Maybe we are spending too much time at work.  Maybe we are spending too much time on the internet.  Maybe we are spending too much time on a hobby.  In all these things we are neglecting our families.  We need to refocus and get things in  proper perspective.  God set things in order of importance.  He is first, our family is next and then everything else comes after that in it’s proper order.  Jesus said in Matt. 16:26, “What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul?  Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?”  The answer of course was nothing.  No amount of goods or knowledge can be worth our eternity in heaven.

Third I see that as we take this time of solitude and bring a sense of calm and peace into our lives and as we refocus our lives we can handle the issues better.  It may be tensions at work.  Maybe your kids are going through a rough phase.  Maybe there are some money issues that you have.  Or maybe some other relationships.  Whatever the issue, we will be able to better handle it if we will step back and take some time out.  If we don’t first take care of ourselves and our relationship with God then we will not be successful at the other areas of our life. 

Thanks for joining me,

Gary Kauffman

The Quiet Place

Every now and then it is nice to just get alone and have some peace and quiet.  Spend some time alone with nothing disturbing our state of being.  I like to call this the quiet place.  I was talking about this subject the other day.  This whole idea of solitude is something that I think seems a little scary to most of us.  We are so used to having noise around us that we almost fear the silence.  You know what I mean.  I know sometimes when I am blogging here I also have the TV on to see what is happening.  It’s not like I can really do that great of a job focusing on both things at the same time.  None of us really can.  We can’t truly give two things the best we have at the same time.  Solitude, however can be a good thing for several reasons.  When we look in the Bible we see that Jesus often took time for this many times.  When he was ready to begin his ministry he ended up out in the desert for fourty days fasting and meeting with God.  When he fed the 5,000 he sent the desciples away and went up on a mountain to pray.  It was something that he seen as important.  So if Jesus needed this time then we must need it as well. 

It is good because we need a time of physical renewal.  There are times when we are just flat worn out and it just doesn’t seem like we can go any more.  Those are the times whenwe are overdue for some times of solitude.  Jesus was like us in that he got tired from his daily grind.  He was constantly traveling, meeting the needs of the sick and teaching to the crowds.  Someone always wanted a piece of him.  Does that sound familiar.  Sometimes we need to learn to say no and take some time to get away for our own health benefits.  It is for the benefit of everyone else as well.  If we are not rested and ready to go then we cannot be the best employee, boss, husband, wife, fill in the blank that we need to be. 

Another reason we need this time is for spiritual renewal.  We need some time to get alone with God and fill ourselves up with his truth.  If we are going to be effective ministers to those around us then we need to have the truth of God planted in us and have a refreshed spirit about us.  I know that if I have not spent enough time with God alone I feel the result.  I do not feel ready to go out and be effective in what I do.  Each day God has appointments for us and we need to be ready for them.  Other challenges will rise in our life as well and if we are not refreshed and renewed we will not deal with them as well. 

Finally, we need emotional renewal.  When we get to those points when everybody and everything seems to be closing in on us then we get emotional overload.  It is hard to process things going on around us when we get to this state of mind.  It is time to slow things down.  In fact it is way past time if we get hear.  Many feelings can come crashing in on us at once.  We may have feeling, of fear, anxiety, anger, hopelessness, frustration, low self esteem.   When all this comes down on us we need time to unload it all.  There is no better place to be than in a place where you can lock everything out for a little bit and get with God to let him know what ’s going on in your life.  He already knows, of course , but it is good for us to release it to him.  Whether you are young or old this is something that we need to do.  We should do it sooner instead of later.  Don’t wait till you feel at the end of your rope. 

I’ll see you again tomorrow hopefully.

Thanks for joining me.

Gary Kauffman

Big Game II

In this game of life that I began talking about last night I was talking about facing the big trials in life and persevering through them.  I want to continue tonight with this thought.  I mentioned last night that different people react in different ways to tough situations.  So how do you respond in those situations.  I know that sometimes I don’t respond like I should and I am constantly working on that area.  There are many things that we cannot control in life but our response to what happens to us is something we can control.  I think it is hard to step back from the situations that face us in life but we must do it.  We must take those tough situations and be ready to respond properly.  I have listened to different coaches philosophies on being ready for any situation.  Many of them practice and prepare for some pretty crazy senarios and they deal with the possibility of not having someone they normally can count on in a certain spot.  We need to prepare ourselves to be ready for the tough times that may come so that when they happen we will be ready.  Now we will not be able to figure out every senario that may happen but we can prepare by having the truth of God tucked away in our heart and mind.  When those tough times come we can look at what we know to be true about God and move forward in that truth instead of walking confusion.  It is up to us.  Get ready get set, go.  Life is the big game.  Will you finish well or will you let the adversity in the road knock you off course.

Big Game

I’m sitting here watching the big game tonight.  That ’s the college national championship game, just in case you haven’t heard that it was on tonight.  I have been flipping in and out.  But what I have seen has been really good. 

The biggest game, however, is life.  I think that as we look at the game of football there are lessons to be learned by us all.  One of those is how people respond to big situations in life.  It is amazing how different people respond.  Some people rise to the situation and have the game of their life.  Others fall short of what is expected of him.  In this game we see that perseverance it a key in what goes on from the beginning to the end of the seasons.  So many things can happen over the season.  People get injured and can’t compete at top level or at all.  We in life face situations that knock us down and may put us out of the game for a little bit or a while.  Sometimes we  have to push through the hard times of life.  In the game of football there are others to step up and help us and encourage us.  In life we need that as well.  It is important to surround ourselves with people who truly love us and will be there for us.  We need people who will also challenge us and let us know when we need to pick up the level.  God has made us to have relationship.  Most important is our relationship with him.  He also calls us to be involved with others.  We were made for us.  When Adam was alone in the Garden of Eden God said, “It is not good for man to be alone.”  Working together we can accomplish great things in our own life and as a people.  As God does his work in our lives and we share that with others so we can overcome life’s challenges together.

Thanks for joining me,

Gary Kauffman

Love rekindled

I was watching a movie last night called, “Joshua”.  It was about a man who came to this small town and started building this old church and in the process began to bring the town together.  The character of Joshua caused a lot of uproar in the town with a priest at the local catholic church and eventually some other clergy in the town.  Does this sound a little familiar?  The character was supposed to be Jesus coming back to us in modern times and trying again to get his people to remember his message.  As happens so many times we get caught up in all that we are doing and we forget what we should be doing.  Christ’s message of course was one of love.  It is an immeasureable love.  It is something that on this side of eternity we will never fully understand.  As I watched it I began to see how in some areas I have lost compassion for people.  I want to reach out to others and let them know about this love.  It is our whole life’s mission.  We are to go and make disciples.  We are to share that love with everyone with whom we come into contact.  This includes our enemies and those who despitefully use us.  I have made it my goal this year to understand God’s love more fully and to share it more freely than I have in the past.  Jesus said the greatest commandment was to love God with all that we are and the second was like it.  We are to love our neighbor as ourselves.  Let your love be rekindled for God and he will show you how to love others.

Thanks for joining me,

Gary Kauffman

Boy time

I was wrestling around with my boy today in our livingroom.  It is something that we like to do every now and then.  It helps him burn off some energy and we have a good time with it as well.  I try to make sure that he doesn’t get too wild.  I don’t want him killing himself.  It has been quite the task.  When we did this in the past he would just come running at me and dive at me.  Sometimes he dove right over me and almost hurt himself bad.  You know how it is though dads when you are in that moment.  They don’t think about all the things that we do.  Things like how dangerous it can be for them if they land on their head while diving for us.  He has stopped that for the most part.  I love to wrestle around with him.  It reminds me of when I used to do that with my dad or my uncles.  It’s really fun when my daughter joins in and they really think they have me pinned to the ground.  Then I just get up and grab hold of them and give them a bear hug.  You know what I’m talking about dads.  We all like to do that.  It is funny to listen to them struggle and try to keep you down only to realize that it won’t happen.  It is a futile effort.  Yet even after you do this they keep coming back for more.  I know I did the same thing when my dad used to do this.  It is those little times and memories that our kids will continue to remember long after they are adults.  It’s not just about “Quality time.”  It’s about the quantity of quality time that you give them.  I know I don’t always get it right but I will continue to strive to do the best I can.  Spend some boy time with your sons today.  Show them how much fun good old dad can be.

Thanks for joining me.

Gary Kauffman

New Things

As I was thinking about the new year and all that it has to offer I was kind of excited.  There is a whole new year just waiting for us to experience it.  New adventures and new understanding that we will gain.  As I thought about this I realized that God is a God of new things.  When he created the world and the Solar system that was a new thing.  He spoke them into existance.  There was nothing there but when he spoke there it was.  God is always continuing this idea of new things.  When He chose the Abraham to be the man from whom he would build his promised nation that was a new thing.  All through the Bible we see God doing new things.  The greatest of those of course was Christ living a sinless life and dying on the cross for the sins of the world.  Never before had that ever been done.  Never before had there been someone capable of this.  He fulfilled all there was to do.  When we come to Jesus and put our faith in him and his work on the cross we are made new.  2 Cor. 5:17 says this, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come (NIV).  The King James Version. says, “Behold all things are made new.”  God is looking to reveal himself to us in new ways.  He is wanting us to understand him in new ways.  He doesn’t fit in some neat little box.  No matter how hard we try to keep him there he will not stay.  He cannot be contained, nor should he be.  God is looking to do something new in all of us this year.  Are we ready to let him do his work?  I hope I am and I hope you are too.  When God does a new thing it is always something for our good in the end.  Open yourself to him and let him do that new thing.  Blessings to you all.  God loves you.

Thanks for joining me.

Gary Kauffman

Way to go

Have you ever had one of those days when you just act like a real bonehead.  Yea, you know what I mean.  It’s that day when you wish you could go back to bed and start the day over.  Today was one of those days for me.  My dog and I didn’t see I to eye.  He just decided to our carpet as his bathroom today after I had already taken him out.  I put him in his cage and was just really upset because I had to clean up the mess.  I wasn’t in the greatest mood when I got up this morning and then that happened.  I let my anger get the best of me.  Instead of letting it go I yelled at the dog.  Like that was going to make a difference.  What a great of example of Godliness for my wife and kids.  What a joke.  I had to go back and apologize to them for showing such a bad example.  That is something I always try to do when I blow it.  They need to know that I understand when I make a mistake.  I am not going to act like I am perfect.  I guess in the end I was able to show them something worth while; I just wish I could have done it without blowing it first.  We all have to make sure we humble ourselves and realize when we’ve blown it and go make things right.

Thanks for joining me.

Gary Kauffman