Yep, you can tell that I wrapped that one.

Posted on December 8, 2015 by Tim Sorbo

Almost every Christmas since we got married, we have had the fortune (blessing) of waking up on Christmas day at my in-law’s house. No, that is not an opening line to a joke. =-)

There is a tree and plenty of decorations. And of course, gifts. As a follower of Christ, I know that Christmas is about the birth of a savior and not the presents under the tree. I do my best to teach that to my family as well. But let’s be honest, I like getting stuff. My mother-in-law always asks me for my Christmas (and birthday) list. So I oblige her and write one out. =-)

Generally, my wife will wrap the gifts for our two children and mine as well. I only wrap the ones for my wife and occasionally, some gifts for the other family members. It seems that every year, my father-in-law makes a comment about the wrap job on a gift. By now, it is really simple to tell which presents I wrap and which ones are wrapped by my wife. Getting those corners so crisp is near impossible for me. I think I use way more tape than necessary as well. Every time, my wrapping paper is not very good, and it is obvious.

Let me share another little story. On Sunday, I saw my friend at church. We have shared many life experiences and have grown together in the Lord. There was a book, Lessons from a Venetian Vinedresser by Robert Scott Stiner, that I had read. I passed it along to my friend. Both of us agreed that we should re-read it. It really is a phenomenal book. But, in the past six months I lost my copy of the book. So I ordered two copies, one for me and one for my friend. I gave it to him as church this past weekend. He was really surprised but very grateful to receive his own copy of the book. It was a great joy to be able to give it to him.

Do you know what a mash-up is? Take peanut butter and chocolate and mash them together. What do you get?

That makes a fantastically tasty mash-up!

So take my first story about not wrapping presents very well. Mash that story with the second one about giving the book to my friend. What do you get?

Luke 2:7 says, “and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger,”

Jesus was a gift to the human race. God even had it wrapped! Sometimes I don’t feel worthy to accept the gift. Other times I just plain reject it. Sometimes I feel honored to have the gift. There are many moments when I feel I need the gift.

Whatever the case (my feelings being irrelevant), the gift has been offered to me and to you. It comes to us free of charge. Anyone can have it. You don’t need special credentials or status. Young or old; rich or poor, the gift is exactly the same for everyone. We are given the opportunity to unwrap the gift and then God can do the cleaning up. We don’t get right and then accept what God has done.

So, what gift will you be opening this year?

Stay in the game. No matter what.

Posted on August 4, 2015 by Tim Sorbo

Monday night was epic. At least in my world. You see, I play co-ed softball for my church. In fact, I have been playing for 10 years and coaching for the last 8 of those. Our team is 8-0 this year. I don’t think that I have ever been 8-0 in a season before, ever. This year has been different. We keep winning. This last win was an epic come-from-behind win on Monday night. Not only did we come back to win, we did it in a crazy, abnormal kind of way. Let me explain.

We were the home team. The other team bats first and they score 5 runs in the first inning. Not good. I was starting to think this could be a long night. We only scored 1 run that inning. Second inning saw no score for either team. After the third inning, there was a small ray of hope as we edged closer. The score was 6-4 but we were still losing. The next three innings came and went. We scored nothing and they added 4 more runs. After 6 innings, they had 10 and we had 4. This does not look good at all.

So here we go. The 7th and final inning. They are up to bat. In the first six innings, we have made some major errors. If I think about it, we committed more errors in these 6 innings than we have all year-long. But being the optimist that I am, I still think there is a chance. And kudos to my team, they never gave up. So, we get the three outs before they score any runs. Now we get to bat. Down by 6 and only three outs before the game is over.

We are at the top of our lineup. I hit a double to lead off the inning. The next two batters both get on base and I score. 1 run. Our #4 hitter hits a long fly ball and both our runners tag up and score. 2 runs. Batters 5 and 6 get on base and batter number 7 hits a shot to right center. He is fast. At this point, I am coaching first base. As soon as he hits, I start waving my arms yelling at him to score. Like he needs any encouragement. =-) So his hit scores 3 more runs.

You doing the math? Game is tied! And, we only have 1 out! Batter #8 hits a blooper which is caught. Now there are 2 outs and our #9 batter steps up to the plate. Here is the funny part. He has almost no experience in playing softball. He does not even own a glove! What’s more is that he is a soccer dude. As a player and referee, he knows the game of soccer. He has only batted up 8 or 9 times this year. This is it. It comes down to him. He may not be a softball expert but he has heart. And the heart matters. He hits a routine fly ball to the right fielder. Now all he has to do is run. Run Forest Run! And boy can he run. He plays soccer! Of course he can run! He proceeded to run around the bases so fast that they didn’t even bother making a play on him at home. 1 more run.

And we win! 11-10! I am not really sure if my words are doing it justice but it was absolutely one of my favorite softball moments. It will stick in my mind for a long time.

Switching gears. We live in an evil world. Sin is blatant and rampant. I don’t really watch the news because it seems that everything is bad. Why just tonight, my wife told me that Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy broke up! What!??! What is this world coming to? Death and destruction, without putting too fine a point on it. Hell. That is what this world is coming to. And doesn’t it seem like God isn’t really doing anything? Do you ever feel like the evil is so much and the good is so little? How can I, one out of 8 billion, make a difference?

I think our world is in the 7th inning. We have one last at bat. There have been lots of mistakes but the game isn’t over yet. There is one more batter to go. He may not appear to be everything we would hope for but he has heart. And the heart matters. Here are some verses from Matthew 24

“1Jesus left the temple and was walking away when his disciples came up to him to call his attention to its buildings. 2“Do you see all these things?” he asked. “Truly I tell you, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.” 3As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” 4Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. 5For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many. 6You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come.7Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8All these are the beginning of birth pains. 9“Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. 10At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, 11and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. 12Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, 13but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. 14And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

Note verse 13. You see, it is not about being the best or having all the talent. It is about staying in the game. I am glad that I stayed in Monday night’s game.

No matter what, you need to stay in the game.

You screwed up?

Your sin comes out?

You feel like throwing in the towel?

Your friends are leaving you?

Divorce?

Addictions?

Jesus says to you, “Stay in the game. I love you. I will come for you. Keep playing and stay in the game.”

So be encouraged. Stay in the game friend!!!

Is your couch comfortable?

Posted on July 28, 2015 by Tim Sorbo

Last night, my wife and I purchased our first couch. Ever.

When we got married, we used her furniture because it was nicer and cleaner than the stuff I had. At some point, we inherited a couch and love seat from the in-laws. The green couch in the basement was purchased from some friends. We have never had a new couch. So, after 15 years of marriage, we decided that we were ready to get our own couch. It looks something like this:

It was pretty cool because the whole order was 25% off. We are thrifty like that. So then I started thinking about a couch and why we have one. All you really do is sit down on it. Sure, there can be a nap or two but the primary reason for a couch is so a person has a place to sit. Sitting down. You know that feeling when you have a long day at work and you know that your favorite show is calling your name. After dinner and the dishes, after the kids go to sleep, after you pull weeds in the garden, after you check your email, after a quick, refreshing shower, you can finally sit down. Flick on the TV and enjoy your show while you sit on your nice comfy couch. Sounds pretty good, right?

At some point in the past, there was a famous person who sat down. The work was complete. The task finished. To-do list? Yep, checked off every box.

All that was left was to sit down. After all, isn’t that what you do when you are done working?

So who is this famous person? And why did they sit down? As I like do in almost every post, let’s let the bible answer these questions for us.

“In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.” NIV

These verses are some of my favorite. This is how the book of Hebrews begins. When I quote scripture in my posts I will almost always use the New International Version or NIV. For those of you who are literature fans, I have included the same three verses but from the Kings James Version, KJV. I think I like it even better than the NIV.

“God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high” KJV

There is a lot of theology in those words but this post is focused on just one of those words. Sat. Think about Jesus for a minute. He knows that his life is almost over. He has been hanging on that cross for hours now. The physical limits of the human body have been pushed way beyond their maximum levels. It is my guess that the physical pain probably does not even begin to compare to the emotional and mental strain of having to take on the sins of the entire human race upon your shoulders. But Jesus knew that this was the way. And he stuck with it.

He loved us too much to call the angels for help.

He loved us too much to rip himself from that cross.

He loved us too much to call down lighting on his executioners.

He loved us too much to give in and quit early.

The text says that “after he had provided…he sat down”. God gave Jesus a job to do. Jesus completed that job and so know he gets to sit down right next to his father.

Do you think they have couches in heaven? Who knows? I wonder if they have the Ottomans that have storage as well as being a footstool?

Let me hit this home. So what are you and I doing about what Jesus did? Are we sitting on the couch waiting for God to miraculously move in the hearts of men and women? Do we sit around waiting for the Holy Spirit to motivate us into action?

As a follower of Christ, I must share the truth with you. I am compelled. If you have not placed your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, contact me and I will show you in the Word what needs to be done. But if you are a fellow follower, than get up and get going.

P.S. I think there are couches upon which we can sit when we get to heaven. =-)

Dopplegangers and a turkish waiter really make life better.

Posted on June 23, 2015 by Tim Sorbo

Did I mention that I went on a cruise in May? If you are sick of hearing about it then stop reading. I think this will be the last post I will make about it. Maybe…maybe not. We’ll see. =-)

So you have heard about the food. Swimming with sharks? Did that one. Just being on such a huge vessel with so many options. Wow! It really was one of the best vacations that I have ever taken.

There is one aspect that I have not shared much in-depth about from my experience. We set sail on Sunday. On Monday, we met another couple. This couple, Fred and Wilma*, turned out to be our best friends for the week. We spent almost all of our time on the ship with them! They even changed their dinner reservation so they could eat with us! And that brings me to another point. Our waiter, George*. You see, George was fantastic! I think the food tasted better because he served us. But let’s get back to Fred and Wilma.

Fred and Wilma were Doppelgängers for my wife and I. They have kids. Church is a huge part of their lives. We all enjoyed the shows. Fred and I were excited about the sports stuff. The wives kept finding things they had in common. We kept talking about our lives and sharing our experiences. There were so many connections! It was eerie at times. I would say that the cruise was twice as nice because we met this couple. Everything was so much more enjoyable because we got to share it with them.

And then there was George. He was from Turkey. From the first night at dinner, his smile drew us in. Of course he was knowledgeable and could answer all of our questions. Any server should be able to do so. But it was his demeanor and attitude. We were completely comfortable around him from the get go! By Friday, I didn’t even look at my menu. He ordered for me. And he hit a home run every time! One night, we (me, my wife, Fred, and Wilma) all laughed really hard. I asked about some berry, fruity dessert thing. George, with an expressionless face, said, “No.” He denied me of that dessert! It was awesome! There was no malice in his voice. It was as if he knew what I liked and also knew that the particular dessert I inquired about was not right for me. He just said no! That was a running joke for the rest of the trip.

Doppelgängers and a turkish waiter make life better. Life is all about relationship. Sure, my wife and I would have enjoyed the cruise even if we had not met these three wonderful people. But nearly as much. Everything was enhanced and improved because we had a relationship. Almost every problem or conflict in our life can be traced backed to a broken or injured relationship. But, when the relationship is good, life is so much better. Example, read this post again. =-)

Jesus said, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” John 10:10

Jesus was speaking of relationship. The devil seeks to break relationship. God wants to mend it. See John 10 and 2 Corinthians 5.

My time is up so I leave you with this: Are you relationship with God? You can be today. Click Bad Words #2 for more information.

*Fred, Wilma, and George are fictitious names to protect their privacy. And that picture of a waiter is not George.

Faith…time to soar!

Posted on April 15, 2015 by Tim Sorbo

Ever been in an airplane? I am sure that most of you have. I like to fly. It generally means I am going on vacation. But there was this one time. It was a single engine plane. There was the pilot and then me and my buddy. We were flying for about an hour when the storm hit. Wow! I was not excited on that particular flight! You feel the bumps and rolls so much more when you are in a little plane. We prayed that night. =-)

A pilot has to check so many dials, gauges, readouts, etc. when flying. Most of them I could not even name. But there is one that I do know. And frankly, it could be the most important one in the entire cockpit; the altimeter. In my simple way, it is the dial that tells you how far above the ground (which is altitude) your plane is flying. And when flying, being above the ground is essential!

So the altimeter measures your altitude. Here is another definition:

Altitude – “the height of anything above a given planetary reference plane, especially above sea level on earth.”

The higher your altitude means you are higher up in the sky. Pretty simple. Now let us apply that to our faith. I John 5.

This is just the first verse of ch. 5. “Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well.”

We can have faith in many things. I believe that we are all born with a measure of faith (more on that in another post). The neat part is that we get to apply that faith to anything that we would like. We can have faith in people, jobs, money, alcohol, our looks, pastors, pornography, intelligence, or so many other things.

But the highest idea/person/thing that we could possibly put our faith in is Jesus. Specifically that Jesus is the Christ. He is the Messiah or anointed one. Our sins can be forgiven because of Him. Freedom comes from Him. Life is in Him!!! He is alive! With Easter just passed, we celebrated the resurrection of Jesus. He was more than a prophet or teacher. Sure, he was a good man but he was more. He is…how do I finish this sentence? He is life. He is everything. Everything consists because of Him.

But don’t take my word for it. Read the Word. Start in the book of John. Jesus actually makes some statements that describe himself.

As you go through your day, ponder your faith. Here is a question I would like to ask you,

What is the Altitude of your Faith?

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