The Manliness of Christ

Jesus was manly. There, I said it.

At first, that statement might not sound earth shattering. But think about the image we often portray of Christ in our art:

  • Have you ever seen a picture of Christ going hunting?
  • Even better, have you ever seen a rendering of Christ skinning and gutting an animal?
  • What about a picture of Jesus with mud on His robe –or messed up hair?
  • Has an artist ever painted Christ with dirt under His fingernails?

See what I’m saying? It seems that we have embraced a feminized Messiah whose everyday life on earth avoided manly tasks that required getting dirty. There are way too many pictures of Jesus with perfect hair and a well-groomed beard.

I want my son to become a man who imitates Christ –the real Christ –not a dry-cleaned, feminized, safe, feel-good, manicured, marketable version of Christ.

I want my son to know that Jesus:

It seems like the only pictures we have of Jesus getting dirty are renderings of His arrest, beatings, and execution. This strange divide between pre-arrest Jesus (clean and neat), and post-arrest Jesus (dirty and bleeding), may unintentionally send the wrong signal.

If we never establish the fact that Jesus was manly before his arrest, it is difficult to process the great restraint he practiced during the passion week.

I want my son to know that when Jesus was arrested, beaten, tried, and crucified; He could have fought back. He wasn’t a wimp. He wasn’t timid. He wasn’t forced into a position against His will.

Instead, Jesus was strong and manly. He could have put up a good fight, but He chose to incur the wrath of God for my sin.

Teaching my son about the manliness of Christ will help him learn what true humility and compassion consist of:

  • Strength under authority,
  • Conviction over compulsion, and
  • Faithfulness in the midst of suffering.

What is Obvious About Your Church?

The church is called to make disciples. I think most of us would agree on that. Further, I think we would all agree that we are called to make disciples of all nations (people groups).

From this perspective, you would assume that every church would have obvious and overt practices, plans, and opportunities for all sorts of people to be discipled.  Unfortunately, from my experience, this is not the case.

In fact, if you sent an unbeliever without any church background into the typical church, I doubt that he would guess that their Great Commission is to make disciples. Instead, they might assume it is to make memories, make music, make meals, or make money. And while none of those things are wrong, isn’t it disturbing that they seem to take priority over making disciples?

If we really believe that we are called to make disciples of all nations, wouldn’t the church be engaging the community looking for lost people (aka ‘future disciples)? And wouldn’t the members of the church have some idea of the expectation of personal growth in their lives (discipleship)? And if we really believed that it was for all people, wouldn’t we go out of our ways to make sure that people felt welcome and loved no matter their socio-economic condition (all nations)?

I’m preaching to myself as much as I’m preaching to anybody else. And yes, I know there are churches that are making tremendous progress in fulfilling the Great Commission. But I also know that most of our churches have a long way to go… and yet, it’s really not that far away. It’s the message that’s been with us all the time. Really, I think it’s just time to take it seriously.

Wouldn’t it be great to hear someone visit your church and say, “It’s OBVIOUS that they are committed to the Great Commission?”

Underneath the Sand Castles

Ever hear a song for the millionth time and hear something new? Check out these lyrics:

Waters rose as my doubts reigned
My sand-castle faith, it slipped away
Found myself standing on your grace
It’d been there all the time

The lyrics brought to mind my spiritual journey over the past four years. In so many ways, I feel like my faith has been that sand castle. Sand castles look great -I’ve seen some magnificent creations on the beach before. The only problem is that they are weak. When the tide comes in or the rain comes down, the sand castles slip away.

But, that’s not the end of the story. I love the rest of the lyrics -“found myself standing on your grace -It’d been there all the time.”

Wow. That’s me. Anything that might look like magnificent faith on my part is actually God’s grace being revealed as my inefficiencies are swept away. Truly my faith is not isolated to my efforts, but instead my faith is built upon Christ -the Solid Rock!

If my faith were dependent upon my own works and righteousness, then I would be completely decimated. But because my faith looks to Christ, trusts in Christ, and rests in Christ, I am always secure in Christ. Praise God!

 

Four Popular But Inadequate Theories on God’s Will

The following is an excerpt from my book, “Navigate: Understanding & Pursuing God’s Will.”

The Tight Rope Theory

This teaching declares God’s will is like a tight rope where one wrong move will ruin your life and require you to start all over again -or worse, be eternally out of God’s will.  This view assumes God is powerless to work through the faults of man.

The tight rope theory has a difficult time explaining how Moses could lead the children of Israel out of Egypt with first-degree murder on his record (Exodus 2:11-12) or how Peter could preach powerfully at Pentecost (Acts 2:14-41) when months earlier Jesus rebuked him and called Him Satan. (Matthew 16:23)   It seems God is not wringing His hands worried that imperfect men will mess up His will.

The Perfect Will of God Theory

Another theory describes a state of being where everything magically lines up to put you in God’s perfect will.  (Of course this implies that God also has an imperfect will -which sounds really strange for God.)  “Those who [espouse] this view [seem] to think that there [are] a range of possible choices that [are] acceptable to God, but that our main goal should be to hit God’s bull’s-eye.”

This view leaves God at our mercy by assuming He has to take the decisions we make and do His best with them.  Isn’t it funny how we never hear Jesus speak this way to anyone?  “I’m sorry Andrew, the healing you performed was good, but if you would have been in my perfect will, it would have been great!  Try to do better next time.”

The Open Door Theory

Many people believe that if a door of opportunity opens in life, it must be from God. Quoting Revelation 3:8, “…I have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut…,” they take this passage totally out of context.  But even if the interpretation were correct, it would still leave a difficult question: which door?  Every situation in life has multiple possibilities for open doors.

Apparently Peter picked the wrong door when he tried to free Jesus by cutting off a Roman soldier’s ear.   Jesus rebuked him saying, “Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels?” (Matthew 26:53)  Translation: “I’m going through a different door.”  I wonder how many of us would have chosen the same one.

The Follow Your Heart Theory

Some misguided believers have spiritualized the secular adage to “follow your heart.”  The only problem, according to Jeremiah 17:9, is “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” (Samson may be the first to say, “Amen!”) Sometimes this view comes in the form of the phrase “You’ll just know,” which is code for “I don’t have a clue.”  Other times someone may refer to having a “peace” about a situation.  But Jesus wasn’t experiencing emotional peace in Luke 22:41-44 when He sweat drops of blood in the garden.  And there is no doubt He fulfilled God’s will.

It Shouldn’t Be Confusing

All of the theories about God’s will have caused many to feel anxious about making any decisions without some sort of divine guidance, so they begin to believe that every hunch or feeling must be God’s way of trying to tell them something.

Many times, the feelings they interpret as divine revelation are merely reflections of their circumstances.  Jennifer’s attraction to Tim’s guitar skills may be the real reason she thinks God is leading her to date him. The test Craig bombed in his business class could account for his desire to change majors. And Jim’s rough week at the office may have shaped his desire to move to California.  Just like Jonah stumbling upon a boat headed to Tarshish, opportunities can seem providential when we already have a desire for them.

All of the stress and strain of trying to stay on the tightrope or in the bulls-eye of God’s will seems strange for those who have been promised “…my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:30)  The constant feeling that God’s will is always dangling just out of reach seems at odds with “…ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” (Luke 9:11)

But where do we find God’s Will?

Check out my book “Navigate: Understanding & Pursuing God’s Will” to read more.

How I Prepare Sermons

Recently, some of my preacher friends have participated in an online discussion of how to prepare sermons. I really enjoyed reading their insights and decided to jot down a few of my own thoughts. For those of you who are preachers, hopefully these words will be beneficial in your own preparation. I would certainly love to receive your feedback and ideas.

For those of you who are not preachers, perhaps this will be an interesting peek into the labor your pastor performs each week on your behalf. Preparing sermons is a long process that can easily fill thirty to forty hours in a week (or more!). Be sure to thank God for your pastor’s work and pray for preparation each week.

What follows are a basic summary of principles I use to prepare sermons:

Start with the text: The purpose of a sermon is to communicate what God has said –not what you think. Starting with the text helps guard you from the latter.

Be sure to select a complete thought. This could potentially be one verse or an entire book depending upon how much you choose to “zoom in” or “zoom out.”

Interpret the text. Study the text carefully before reaching for commentaries. This will help you engage the text with your mind and sharpen your biblical study skills. When you stand up to proclaim the text, you need to know it inside and out. Remember, you are searching for the author’s intended meaning in the culture and context in which the text was written. Let Scripture interpret Scripture and be careful to avoid reading the current culture back into history.

Determine the main idea. If you don’t know the main idea, your sermon will be pointless (literally). The main idea will always hover around a timeless truth.

Prepare to communicate the text: After you have determined what the author’s intended message was to his original audience, you are ready to plan for communicating to your audience.

Ask yourself how the timeless truth of the text applies to your audience today. Try to write your sermon in one sentence (not a run-on). This may take a little work, but it pays off in organizing your thoughts.

Prepare an outline in the order that will communicate best (ie. chronological order, the order of the text, logical order, etc). Fill out your outline with specific concrete examples, word pictures and illustrations. Think through the issues from your listener’s point of view. What situations do they encounter which this text speaks to? Your task is to connect their world to the text.

Prepare your introduction and conclusion last. I find it helpful to introduce a problem or tension in the introduction so that the sermon serves to provide a biblical solution, which of course is ultimately found in Christ.

Point to Christ: Jesus said that the law and the prophets testify of Him. In other words, every sermon should come back to Christ. Sometimes this is more challenging than at other times. But without the redemptive message of the gospel, a sermon is simply an informative lecture or moralistic pleading.

Call for application: Sermons are meant to be acted upon -not merely digested. But the preacher must not assume that his hearer will automatically put two-and-two together. The most effective sermons serve the listener by suggesting application points and challenging the hearer to take action. Whether it is a call to repentance or deeper commitment, application is essential.

Cut the fat: The hardest part of sermon preparation for me is to trim away the unnecessary ideas in order to present a clear and potent message.

Avoid the temptation to use an interesting story, fact, or illustration just because you like it. If it doesn’t point clearly to the main idea of the sermon, it will only be distracting.

Practice: I find that the more I practice presenting a sermon, the better I can refine it. And simultaneously, the message begins to burn in my heart. Someone has said, “what comes from the heart speaks to the heart.”

Pray: Ultimately, the power of preaching is not in us. The Holy Spirit illuminates the Word to hearts of the listener. He pierces the soul with the Sword of the Spirit. Our study and preparation, then, must not be outmatched by the effort and time we pour into prayer. Pray that God would help you understand the text fully. Plead with God to prepare the hearts of the listeners. Ask that God would grant you clarity of thought and guard you from error as you preach.

Most of these ideas and principles have been gleaned from my classes under Dr. Jesse Thomas and Dr. Joel Slayton. In addition, I have greatly benefitted from the book “Biblical Preaching,” by Haddon Robinson, and “Christ-Centered Preaching” by Bryan Chapel.

What about you? What ideas or principles would you add? What have you found helpful in sermon preparation? Do you have certain resources that you would recommend? I’d love to hear from you.

Quit Multitasking Family

We use the term “multitasking” quite a bit. While it may be possible to do two things at once physically (walking and chewing gum at the same time), I’m not sure it is possible to do two things at once mentally (at least not voluntarily). Have you ever tried to reply to email and simultaneously carry on a telephone conversation? What about listening to your wife over dinner while watching Sports Center in the background?  See what I mean?

According to Dr. Rene Marois of Vanderbilt University, scientific research indicates that the brain can’t do two things effectively at once. Our minds, no matter how complex, still can only think actively about one thing at a time.

Here’s a typical example from my life: I pick up my son from school. My favorite radio sports talk show is discussing breaking news regarding my favorite football team. As I’m trying to listen intently to every detail, my son begins to tell me about his day at school.

I try to listen to both the radio and my son. I can even feel my brain trying to switch to my son’s conversation and for the as the radio personality pauses and switch back when my son pauses. The result? I don’t comprehend what either is saying! At this point I get really frustrated and have to make a decision:

1)   Turn off the radio and listen to my son,

2)   Ask my son to wait while I listen to the radio.

Asking Bryce to wait while I listen to the radio isn’t always a bad idea. Breaking news regarding severe weather or impending danger should be treated with priority. Further, to a degree, Bryce needs to learn that he is not the center of the universe and that sometimes he has to be patient.

Most of the time, however, I need to turn the radio off. It allows me to spend time focusing on what’s really important –my son.

Placing your focus on family seems simple, but it’s not always as easy as turning off a radio. What about turning off certain things in your brain?

For example, I struggle with leaving work at the office. It is very difficult for me to shift gears from thinking about projects, strategies, and loose ends to dinner, bicycles, and board games.

At the same time, my son has the gift of talking… a lot! He is a natural communicator and loves to give me every detail about everything going on in his world.

What really makes it frustrating is when my mind is thinking about something work-related and my son wants to tell me about the picture he drew, the story he read, the game he invented, the imaginary friends he created, and the cartoon he watched –all in intricate detail.

What I am learning is that it takes incredible discipline to intentionally ignore work and purposefully listen to my son. The issues may be different for you. Your struggle may not be with thinking about work, it may be thinking about relationships, housework, hobbies, or shopping. No matter what the issue, it always comes back to a battle between the urgent and the important.

Like Paul, we must “take every thought captive” (2 Cor. 10:5) not only to discern right thoughts from wrong thoughts, but also to determine if it is the appropriate time to contemplate those thoughts.

Have you ever had a “light bulb” come on in your mind just as your spouse engages you in conversation? What do you do? What about when you have mentally arrived at a solution to a major problem at work right as your son asks you to listen to the story he made up? What if there is no pen or paper handy to jot down your thoughts?

Are you willing to risk losing the idea for the sake of focusing on your family?

I have to confess that far too many times I have acted like I was listening to my son while secretly thinking about my idea. I have gone into “uh-huh” mode and not heard a word he was saying more times that I would like to admit.

While this may sound harmless to some, I beg to disagree. Why? Because every time my son interrupts my train of thought with a question, story or thought, it is serious business to him. What I consider an interruption, he considers an invitation –an invitation into his world.

You see, in thirteen years my son will be a senior in high school. On graduation day, I don’t want to have “small talk” –I want to have deep, meaningful conversation. But that can’t happen if day after day, year after year, I continually ignore his invitation to come into his world.

I don’t want to be the parent who wonders what is going on in his child’s life –I want to be a part of his life! Jobs, ideas, solutions, may all come and go –but I will always be Bryce’s dad. Nobody else can fill those shoes.

So will it be easy to block out work from my mind in order to listen to my son? No, but it will be worth it!

And its not just a matter of guarding against the thoughts themselves, but it’s also a matter of guarding against the anxiety of unresolved issues! I must resist the temptation to worry about work while I am at home and instead choose to “not be anxious about anything” (Philippians 4:6).

Ultimately, it boils down to whether or not I trust God’s sovereignty. If I am going to be obedient to him, I have to place my priority on being a dad.  Since that is what God has called me to do, I have to believe that He will provide for everything else. He knows all of my work-related issues and, better yet, he knows the all of the solutions too!

So here are some ways I am going to try to eliminate multitasking my family:

1)   I’m going to keep the radio, TV, and internet to a minimum to avoid distractions.

2)   I’m going to keep paper and pencil (or iPhone) handy to take notes when vital so that my mind is free to engage in meaningful conversation with my son.

3)   I’m going to remind myself as I leave the office everyday that my identity is not in my work, but it is in my Savior who calls me to be a faithful dad.

4)   I’m going to leave issues at the office.

5)   I’m going to trust God when I need to let an idea go.

I’d like to hear from you. What competes for the attention you should be giving to your family? What skills have you learned to help you avoid multitasking your family?

How’s Your Service?

Customer Service. Has anybody heard of it?

Apparently not the young lady at the store where I bought my groceries today. She talked to her friend the entire time she was scanning my items. Even worse, she would stop scanning items to look her friend in the eyes occasionally (her communications skills far exceed her customer service performance).

The young man at the fast food restaurant I recently visited must have missed out on customer service training as well. As I walked up to the vacated counter to order, he looked up from the deep fryer and said, “Sorry, ain’t my job” (at least he used good manners, although poor grammar).

When someone finally came to take my order, she was talking on her cell phone.  She looked at me and said, “just a second” as she finished up her phone conversation. I guess from the perspective of the person on the other end of the line, she was being considerate.

I could go on and on –and I’m sure you could too. Customer service is hard to come by these days. It certainly is frustrating.

But what is more frustrating is the fact that many folks who are quick to complain about how they are treated at a local business are guilty of treating others the same way.

“When,” you may ask, “does this happen?” Every time someone visits your church. If you’ve ever been the visitor, you know how uncomfortable it is when people who are supposed to be hospitable totally ignore you in order to talk to their friends. Or how hurtful it is when it is obvious that you are alone, but nobody invites you to sit beside him or her. Or, even worse, when right in front of your face, they invite each other’s families to go out to eat after the service without inviting you.

In my opinion, fast food restaurants and grocery stores will eventually get back to teaching their employees about customer service when enough people complain and business suffers.

Unfortunately, however, the church reacts differently. In my experience, when people don’t return after visiting, the church tends to go into denial. Phrases like, “They just didn’t fit in,” or “I guess they are just church-hoppers” shift the blame from ourselves and places it upon them.

While it’s true that every visitor won’t end up joining your congregation, that does not diminish the fact that your church is called to be hospitable and to love your neighbor as yourself.

Otherwise, we are like a waitress who wonders why nobody wants to sit at her table. The same table, by the way, which she never wipes down.

Avoid Hiring a Staff Infection

In most cases, your church’s hiring practices will have major ramifications that reach beyond your awareness. It’s not just a matter of whether a candidate can do the job or not. The real impact of your hiring decision will be seen in:

  • How they interact with your church members
  • Whether they make the people around them better or bitter
  • The amount they “buy into” the overall mission of your church
  • How passionate and loyal they are toward the people they serve

There are plenty of basic “measurable” by which to judge a potential staff member such as education, experience, and skills. But those sort of issues only deal with the science of hiring –not the art.

The art of hiring requires more observation and interaction. It is hard work to be sure –but well worth it.

Some key questions that a church should ask when hiring staff are:

Will this person fit in our church’s culture? It has been said that culture trumps strategy every time. This doesn’t mean that the new hire must come from the same culture (He doesn’t have to be a city slicker to minister in NYC), but instead that he can fit in that culture. It’s really a question of the person’s adaptability. The last thing you want to do is hire someone who will always feel (and act) like they are a fish out of water. That’s not helpful for the church or for them. We are all different, and we must recognize that we all have different levels of adaptability.

Discerning whether the prospect will be a good fit for your church’s culture means that you must first identify your culture! Is it a busy or laid back culture? Is it a meeting driven or relationship driven culture? Is it a culture of calm or chaos? Is it formal or informal? How do people view the importance of appearances, grammar, professionalism, availability, etc?

After getting a clear picture of your own culture, take the time to ask about the prospects current cultural environment. Take note of which elements make the comfortable or uncomfortable. Consider visiting them in their current setting. Be open with them about your culture. Be transparent about things you think they will and won’t be comfortable with.

Don’t overlook this. I’ve seen too many good men leave the ministry because they got chewed up and spit out –all due to cultural difficulties.

What drives this person? Past success is not always a positive on a resume. Consider what drove the person to that success. Was it greed or a hunger for power? That’s probably not the kind of person you want to hire.

So how can you find out what drives them and motivates them? I think there are two main ways. First, spend plenty of time listening to the person. Most people, if given enough time, will talk about what is most important to them. This requires more than just the time of a formal interview, so you will want to schedule a few other times to meet with them for extended periods (dinner at your home, etc). If they tend to talk about themselves, their possessions, or their accomplishments more than their family, their friends, and their faith; you should see red flags.

If you hire a person with sinful motives, one of two things will happen. The church will eventually have a scandal on its hands, or the church will always sense something is wrong. Since most churches avoid firing staff barring a moral failure, this misery could go on for years and damage a church for decades. I’ve seen it happen.

Will his family be on board? The Bible makes it clear that pastors should lead their family well. After all, if they can’t lead their family, how will they lead the church?

But beyond the minister’s ability to lead his family, consideration must be given to how the family feels about the possible move. If a family is divided over a ministry environment, it will soon become obvious to the church.

Family members who aren’t on board will tend to withdraw and sometimes even resent the location. This presents all sorts of problems. A congregation’s suspicions may turn to gossip and distrust.

The prospect should be asked if he has discussed the possible move with his family and what their reaction was. Further, if the candidate moves forward in the process, his wife (and possibly children) should be engaged in the conversation.

Issues of culture, motivation, and family will not show up on a resume. They are not easily measured or reported. And yet, they are among some of the most important factors in hiring new staff. It is better to not make the hire if you can’t make the right hire. It saves everyone a lot of time, energy, and heartache!

 

When Judging Is Good

We hear phrases like “stop judging me,” “you are so judgmental,” or “who am I to judge” often.

It’s a shame that the word “judge” has gotten such a tarnished reputation. Ironically, those who think all judging is wrong have, indeed, made a judgment!

Perhaps the agenda against judgment has come from a misunderstanding of Matthew 7:1-2 where Jesus said, “Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you.”

This verse is commonly used out of context. Notice that Jesus does not prohibit judging, but instead calls us to judge our own hearts before we judge others. I recognize at this point that you may be thinking, “Did he just imply that we should judge others?” Yes, I did. Before you jump to conclusions, read the rest of what Jesus said:

Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.

There is great value in exercising judgment in others’ lives. Helping others in their deepest needs requires that we have an accurate judgment of their current situation. For instance, if you see a friend wearing the signs of drug addiction, love would compel you to share your concern with your friend. Of course, that would require a judgment.

Similarly, if you care about your co-worker, you would inquire if they seemed bothered or depressed. That again, would require a judgment.

And likewise, if your friend asked for your counsel in a difficult situation, you would ask questions and draw conclusions (judgments) from their answers. Nobody wants to receive counsel from someone who hasn’t taken the time to consider his or her problems with sound judgment.

When performed with a Christ-like attitude, judgment can be a useful, loving tool. So how does one ensure that they are judging from a Christ-like attitude? The answer, as Jesus stated, is to “take the log out of your own eye” first. Here are a few takeaway thoughts:

  • Judgment should be used to edify others and not to exalt self.
  • When you notice faults in someone else’s life, change the focus to your own heart.
  • Never judge someone else until you have judged your own heart and responded properly.
  • When helping someone else with his or her problems, consistently come back to your own heart. Be on guard against pride and hypocrisy. They can easily blind you and cause you to make a bigger mess in someone else’s life.

Bottom line: Jesus’ words here are condemnation of hypocricy rather than a condemnation of judgment. Further, for someone to say they care about their friend, and yet continue to ignore the sin that is destroying them; they are not really loving their neighbor as themselves. Understanding the difference requires (you guessed it) judgement.

When You Need to Keep on Going Through the Motions

The phrase, “going through the motions” has a negative connotation -and rightfully so. It refers to someone who keeps up external appearances and expectations without the proper internal motivation. We use it a lot in the church world to describe Christians who go to church, sing the songs, and give their offerings without their “heart being in it.”

Of course, this doesn’t mean that such people have no motivation. It just implies that they have the wrong motivation (impress friends, avoid embarrassment, live up to externally imposed expectations, etc). Usually we look down upon such a situation calling it hypocritical or unspiritual.

This begs the question, however, what do I do when I don’t feel like doing what I know I ought to do?

In his book, Faith and Feelings, author Brian Borgman addresses the issue like this:

If God commands us to do something and we don’t do it, what is our normal course of action? Confession and repentance. Why should the protocol be any different when we fail to feel the way God commands us to feel? If he commands us to come and worship him with gladness (Ps. 100:1–2), yet we don’t feel like worshiping him with gladness, that is a sin. If we have no joy at the prospect of gathering with God’s people on his day to sing his praise there is some serious darkness in our hearts and some mixed-up priorities. The lack of joy is sin. Confess it. “Father forgive me for not taking joy in what ought to be the true joy of my heart.” And then repent, bringing forth fruits in keeping with repentance by going to church. Even if your heart does not change right away, do what you are supposed to do with a repentant heart. What you will find is that the power comes in the doing. God will forgive us and our hearts will change in the process.

I love the way he phrases those last few sentences – “Even if your heart does not change right away, do what you are supposed to do with a repentant heart.” And what is that? “Repent bringing forth fruits in keeping with repentance.” And, remember, “the power comes in the doing.”

In other words, there is nothing hypocritical about going through the motions when the heart of your desire is for your desires to catch up with your actions!