by Caleb Gordon | May 10, 2016
We see the mass hysteria all around us. The media is freaking out. People on a wholesale basis are moving towards fear, anger, and hate. If you watch the political landscape, you are thinking that all hope is lost.
But we really have to be intentional in the way we walk our days while here on earth.
Check this out: “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it” (Matt 7:24-27).
You see, if our foundation and our focus is not on things of an eternal nature, we are always going to gravitate towards fear, anger, and hate. And we will always look for an earthly king to save us.
Jesus is here to bring us redemption and hope! Stop looking for answers in men. Stay focused on living out your life according what God has called us to do. Be on mission. Share the Gospel. Be the hands and feet of Jesus Christ. Be salt and light to a dark and dying world, and when the storms of life come, the foundation is set, and you know who will continue to hold you even when things don’t look so good.
Trump is not our hope. Hillary is not our hope. Our only lasting and eternal hope is Jesus Christ, and when we put our trust and real hope in Him, everything else fades into the background.
Run free in this truth today, and let Jesus shape and mold your future no matter what happens in our country!
Jesus IS KING!
by Caleb Gordon | Apr 26, 2016
I believe Christian men have the ability to do some amazing things. The sad thing is that most of us are not looking to actually make a difference. Most of us are just in a state of existence that is life withdrawing.
We are showing up to jobs we hate; we sit quietly through church services that we’re not particularly excited about; we walk through our days feeling like there should be more. What if there was more? What if God designed men to accomplish amazing things? What if there were more, and we were missing out? Would you want more?
I think most of us would say yes, but the sad part about us wanting more is that we might need to take a few risks to get there. Some risks might be really big; others might be smaller, but regardless, there are risks involved. I want you to see this:
“Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me” (Ps. 23:4).
Even when you’re walking through some deep waters, Jesus promises us that He’s with us. He might not pull you out of the water, but he’s right beside you, giving you comfort and encouragement. We have got to stop living in the fear that our culture propagates onto us. The news is in a constant state of fear. It’s almost like we eat, sleep, breathe and live this thing called fear!
Did you know that there are more than 365 verses that compel us not to live in fear? We as men have got to stand up and take serous our mandate from God. The mandate to lead, guide, provide and protect, and in order to do that, we have to trust and rest in God’s word as it tells us ‘fear not’ over and over again. I think we can do more and be a part of greater things if we truly live in a state of actually believing and trusting in the person of Jesus. Men! Start looking for ways to live out your mission that God’s called you to do. Don’t accept just ’OK.’ Strive for greatness. Strive for excellence.
One of those ways you can strive for excellence is get re-energized at REWIRED 2016. This happens this weekend! You should go!
by Caleb Gordon | Apr 18, 2016
That’s insane, right? You’re thinking about the adventures you’re going to have…the family that you will grow together, the places you will go together.
What happened? The wedding day was so full of excitement and joy. Why is it that just a few short years later we are ready to throw the towel in on our marriages? Where did we disconnect?
I mean think about it. When you were dating, she was the most amazing thing in the world. You could not wait to see her. He could do no wrong; you were his biggest fan. What happened? Was it just one day the attraction stopped? I don’t think it happens like that. I think it’s a slow fade.
Here are a few things that I think cause our marriages to fall apart.
1. Unmet Expectations
So we all have expectations in life. We think things should go a certain way, and they don’t. You know what I’m talking about. We all plan stuff in our minds and dream about how a day or an event is going to go, and when it goes south or goes a direction we were not thinking or planning on, we tend to get upset.
This happens in marriages every day. Men and women both set expectations and, sadly, don’t communicate those expectations. We tend to think the other person should automatically know what we want or need. But they don’t! We need to communicate and talk about what we are expecting and be willing to have some give and take in our expectations. Look at this verse, “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want” (Psalm 23:1).
Make Christ the center point of your marriage. When both parties are looking to Jesus as the founder and perfecter of their lives, we have less reason to disagree. This means BOTH parties are chasing Jesus, not their personal expectations. So therefore, if an expectation does not get met, we put our own “rights” to death and put the other person’s needs ahead of our own. Just think how this alone would transform our marriages.
2. Laziness
Yes, both parties can, over time, get lazy. Just think how much effort and time you put into wowing your girl when you were dating. You planned out your dates, in hopes of making her just look at you in awe and wonder. When she was looking at purses, you stuck by her like glue and ACTED interested. When she asked “What do you think?” you actually gave her a response that showed you were interested in her.
When you were dating, you took time to look and smell good. But for some reason, both parties seem to get a lazy mindset and just stop trying to look attractive for one another. When you were dating, both of you did your best to look your best. That needs to be something that still happens in your marriage. Don’t get lazy.
3. You Stop Paying Attention
When you were first dating your spouse you paid attention to their likes and dislikes, and if they said something like “I really like (fill in the blank),” you paid attention, and you took mental notes and went back and bought it later, and then in a fun way you surprised them with (fill in the blank) thing. But somewhere along the line you stopped paying attention. When you stop paying attention to details you make the other person not feel as valuable as they once were. Try paying attention again and see how that goes. LISTEN! And then DO!
4. You Stopped Flirting
When you first noticed your spouse, you went out of your way to flirt with them. You pursued them, you did things that made them feel like they were the most valued person in your life. Somewhere along your journey together you stopped flirting. It is never a bad idea to pursue and flirt with your spouse! It’s never a bad idea to make your spouse feel special and valued.
The moment you destroyed your marriage was the moment you stopped working on it.
Here is the thing, your marriage is going to take work. It’s going to take BOTH of you doing the above things plus maybe a few more things to actually make it work. Coasting is never an option. You both have to be engaged and working to put the other person FIRST! I’ve never seen a marriage fall apart if both people in the marriage are striving to put the other person first! It always will work!
Look at this verse:
“Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor” (Rom. 12:10).
I think if we lived this verse out, we’d have less divorces and more anniversary parties.
by Caleb Gordon | Apr 6, 2016
Dear Men,
Can I be honest for a second?
You are really a big lynch pin in the transformation of your family. If you value Godly things, statically, your whole family will value them. If you value Christ-centered things, typically, your wife and children will as well.
If men are committed to the church, every other ministry grows in healthy ways as well. If you invest in the ministry of your local church, you can rest assure that you are investing in eternal things. The eternal rewards will be mind blowing.
I understand that we are all being pulled in every sort of direction in our life, but seriously, you’re going to blink, and this thing called life is going to be over. What is your legacy going to be? I mean it! Ask yourself that kind of question on a regular basis. It’s important.
There will come a day when we will have to give an account for how we lived this life, and if we don’t value the things of God now we’re going to wish we had. It’s not too late. Stop making excuses, and start laying plans to lead your family to the feet of Jesus! You’ll be so glad you did!
JESUS IS BETTER!
by Caleb Gordon | Mar 21, 2016
This will be a really quick thought, but I think it’s important!
We live in a culture that appears to have a hatred for the Word of God. Sadly, even church culture is following this path.
A report shows 57% of ‘evangelicals’ think that salvation can be found through religions other than Christianity. Yes you read that correct. That’s more than HALF! It’s no wonder that the culture war that is happening in our world is being lost by Christ followers. We don’t even believe our own message. The ones who should be championing the message of the Gospel are Christians…we should not be challenging that message. Shame on us for doing that!
“For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Heb. 4:12).
The reason we don’t want to believe our own message is because that message tells us we are broken, and we don’t like being told that. But in all reality, that message is so good because we are not left in a state of brokenness. Jesus has come to seek and save that which is lost (broken). Now that’s GOOD NEWS!
We need to be chasing after what Jesus says and cling to that WORD and stop trying to trust in everything else that is happening in our culture. He is all that matters!