After growing tired (very quickly) of MySpace, I never thought I'd join another online community, but I must admit I'm hooked on Facebook. It's quicker, easier, and just better than MySpace...at least in my opinion!
The features just seem simpler and more useful & I've connected with some friends and family I haven't heard from in years. In fact, Laura and I spent hours on Saturday and Sunday night working on our pages & talking with folks we needed to catch up with.
You ought to check it out at www.facebook.com if you haven't tried it. If you have, send me a friend request (I'm always trying to get more friends than Laura, but she's kicking my butt right now & has twice as many friends as me!). |
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| Posted by Aaron Horton at | | | |
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Have you ever had one of those moments, when something just hits you at the right place and time? It happened to me yesterday afternoon. I was flying from Newark to Montreal and listening to my Ipod & this Trisha Yearwood song came on. I've heard it several times before, but for some reason, it just hit me so hard that I began to cry. Sometimes there are mysteries of the heart that don't make sense to the mind.
Then, as I tried to make it appear as if I wasn't crying, I began to think about my beautiful wife. Sure, she looks great - but that is just the tip of the iceberg of her beauty. She is wise, and honest (sometimes brutally so - but never to my harm). She is funny & loving. She's a lover, friend, and a great mom to our kids.
I have so many reasons to love her & cherish her. And I've sung her a thousand love songs before. But none of them was 100% perfect. So many love songs make love sound easy & cheesy! But love isn't something you fall in and out of. It isn't something that just comes and goes like the wind. It's something you work for. It's something that takes your very best effort with no guarantee. Sometimes it feels like it's going to fall apart, but something always holds it together (remember the cord of three strands?).
Laura and I have been married more than eleven years now. And I wouldn't trade our love for anything & I wouldn't take back a minute of it. Even the hard times - because they make today (and all of the good times) even sweeter.
So, I thought I'd post the lyrics. It's our story. I hope you enjoy it.
"TRYING TO LOVE YOU" (Beth Nielson Chapman & Bill Lloyd)
I blew out all my plans,
The world fell in my hands,
The day that I began,
Trying to love you...
The secrets I have kept,
The nights I haven't slept,
I've laughed until I wept,
Trying to love you...
Trying to love you...
No one's come as close or gone so far,
I've lost and found myself in who you are,
So easy and so hard,
Trying to love you...
I've watched myself get stuck,
I squandered all my luck,
I've almost given up,
Trying to love you...
Trying to love you...
It's broke my heart, it's chipped away my pride
everytime I'd see that fault line slide
across the great divide,
Trying to love you...
Trying to love you...
I've screamed your name and slammed a thousand doors,
I've worn a million miles across this floor,
Still I could not ignore,
Trying to love you...
It's pulled the best from me,
For all the world to see,
I guess I'll always be,
Trying to love you... |
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| Posted by Aaron Horton at | | | |
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In the immortal words of Neil Diamond...
"Hello my friends, hello!"
It has been almost 5 months since I've written a new blog post. So much has transpired in that time period, that it would take several days of blogging to bring you up to speed. (And no...I won't bore you with all of those details). And while life has moved so seemingly fast, my heart has been taking baby steps...the kind of shaky, hold-to-the-coffee-table, reach for daddy kinds of steps.
It is so odd to me in some ways that I was on such an aggressive track of spiritual growth. I was writing, and the LORD was teaching me new and wondrous things...almost daily. I went to the "Wild At Heart" boot camp, and the LORD really showed up there, and I grew as a result.
But then...things kind of stopped. Maybe I got in a bit of a funk. Or maybe my mind was just on other things. I'm not sure. Instead of rapid growth...I was slowly, and tentatively moving ahead.
And maybe the LORD wanted it that way. Maybe I was moving too fast, gaining knowledge without experience. Maybe He has slowed me down to let my life sort of catch up. Moving slowly and shakily - I HAVE to depend on Him. I can't do it on my own - even with a head full of knowledge of Scripture. It just doesn't work without a heart full of trust that can only be developed through experience.
One of the concepts that was discussed at the Wild at Heart retreat, was that God sometimes leads us through the wilderness to condition us and develop our faith in Him (even Jesus had to endure the wilderness). See what James 1:2-8 says:
"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does."
Sometimes I just have to sit back and shake my head. It's all so plain in Scripture...just look at how directly that passage above speaks to the last few months of my life.
I was riding the lawnmower on Monday night, and this old hymn kept coming into my head. The refrain is taken directly from 2 Timothy 1:12. I used to sing this old song, sort of half-jokingly because it just seemed like a stodgy old hymn. But I was just belting it out the other night on the mower, because now it really hits home. Here's what the 3rd verse (the one the Baptists never sing) and the refrain say:
"I know not what of good or ill
May be reserved for me,
Of weary ways or golden days,
Before His face I see.
But I know Whom I have believèd,
And am persuaded that He is able
To keep that which I’ve committed
Unto Him against that day."
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| Posted by Aaron Horton at | | | |
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I've been reading some blogs of friends and associates over the past couple of weeks, just to catch up since I've been out of the loop.
One of my good friends has hosted some pretty heated discussions about the modern church and ministers of today. I read with much interest as people weighed in with their various opinions. There was much passion displayed - and some truth too...on both sides of the argument.
But in the midst of those postings and discussions, I saw what I believe to be a rather alarming trend. That is the comparison of modern day evangelical pastors to the Pharisees of Jesus' day. I've seen this a lot in writings from home-church proponents, and opponents of the traditional church structure as many of us know it today.
While there are, no doubt, some bad apples out there - I don't believe this is a valid comparison at all. Here are some reasons why:
1) The Pharisees were not filled with the Holy Spirit. If a modern day pastor claims to have a relationship with Jesus, and it is a believable claim, then Scripture teaches he is filled with the Holy Spirit. The Pharisees were not filled with the Holy Spirit, and therefore had to rely on their religious acts to prove to others that they were favored by God. Although some could fairly make the point that many modern-day pastors add "works" to the Christian life they espouse, I don't believe most of these pastors would claim that the works are a requirement for salvation. (Titus 3:5).
2) We cannot know the hearts of modern-day pastors to the same depth that Jesus understood the hearts of the Pharisees. Unfortunately - words and actions don't always add up. Sometimes we know what's right, and still can't do it. The Pharisees knew the truth and actually prevented the people from finding it with their rules and regulations (Matthew 23). None of us can knowingly make that claim against another brother or sister in Christ. We can rightly divide truth from error, and we can indeed judge actions as righteous or not. But we CANNOT know the heart...only JESUS can!!!! (I Sam 16:7, I Cor. 13:12).
3) If the point of calling modern-day pastors "Pharisees" is to get them to repent from legalism or a works-based salvation, then this approach contradicts Scripture. Jesus did not go after the Pharisees in Matthew 23 to bring about their repentance. They had already set their hearts against the truth. Jesus knew they would not repent. Jesus does not lead us to repentence by harsh words and accusations. In fact, Scripture teaches distinctly that His kindness is what leads us to repentance. Whatever one might call it, comparing a pastor to a Pharisee is certainly not kind (Romans 2:4 & Titus 3:4).
These are just a few of the reasons that I cannot view modern day pastors as Pharisees. Does the church of today have some problems? YES! Has it missed the mark in reaching people with the full measure of truth from the Gospel? YES! Do we have to be careful about buildings and spending our time on business and things not associated with growing the Kingdom? YES!
But are our modern church leaders the same as the Pharisees?
Absolutely not!!!
I don't really have an agenda here - except to try and focus on the Truth as presented in Scripture. I can't judge the hearts of the people who make the pastor/pharisee comparisons - or even know all of their reasons for doing so. But what I can offer is this. Scripture. Titus 3. Take it as you find it. I didn't say it...God did!!!
Titus 3
" 1Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, 2 to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and to show true humility toward all men. 3 At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. 4 But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. 8 This is a trustworthy saying. And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone. 9 But avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and arguments and quarrels about the law, because these are unprofitable and useless. 10 Warn a divisive person once, and then warn him a second time. After that, have nothing to do with him. 11 You may be sure that such a man is warped and sinful; he is self-condemned. 12 As soon as I send Artemas or Tychicus to you, do your best to come to me at Nicopolis, because I have decided to winter there. 13 Do everything you can to help Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their way and see that they have everything they need. 14 Our people must learn to devote themselves to doing what is good, in order that they may provide for daily necessities and not live unproductive lives. 15 Everyone with me sends you greetings. Greet those who love us in the faith. Grace be with you all."
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| Posted by Aaron Horton at | | | |
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I work in downtown Nashville right next door to the building where they are holding auditions for the TV show "America's Got Talent." You know the show where people show off their talents that go far beyond just a simple singing competition. It's also the show where the incomparable David Hasslehoff serves as one of the three judges.
So, as I look down at the street, there must be a few thousand people standing in freezing weather in a long line around the entire block.
Mixed in with the countless loonies, show-offs, and general freaks, are probably some very talented people - who are willing to go to very great lengths just for a few seconds of audition time. It seems crazy to me - because it is the longest of long shots that any of these people will ever become rich or famous.
While I was standing in line to buy lunch, I ran into a really nice family from Bay St. Louis, Mississippi who had traveled all the way to Nashville so their grand-daughter could audition for the show. She was a really sweet kid, and they weren't your typical pushy showbiz wanna-be family. She just wanted a chance...no matter how slim...to show what she could do (in this case, an impression of Minnie Pearl).
I've been reflecting on this crazy day, and thinking about the lengths people will go to...when there is so little hope. But just a little hope is all it takes. For any of us...right?
After all, hope causes us to do some pretty irrational stuff, doesn't it? Some people buy Lottery tickets in hopes of wealth and fortune. Some set off on perilous journeys in the hopes of setting a record or accomplishing something noteworthy. Some will paint their bodies and sit in the freezing cold - hoping to see their sports team emerge victorious. Heck, even I'm not immune from this. One time I bought some seaweed soap from an infomercial in the hopes that it would help me shed some unwanted pounds. (I know...it's embarassing to admit...but sadly, it's very true).
But hope is central. It's a theme that runs through the entire course of history. Maybe that's why the Bible talks so much about it. Not just a hope of fame or fortune. But something deeper. Here are some interesting things about Hope found in Scripture:
- The term "hope" is found in Proverbs 12-15 times (depending on which translation you have)
- Ecclesiastes 9:4 says "Anyone who is among the living has hope —even a live dog is better off than a dead lion!"
- The famous "Prayer of Jabez" speaks of the "hope" the Lord has plans to give (Jer. 29)
- Romans 5:5 says that ..."Hope does not disappoint us...."
- Romans 15 refers to God as the "God of Hope"
- The "Faith, Hope & Love" chapter calls it one of the three things that remain (1Cor. 13)
- Colossians 1:27 says "To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory."
As I scanned over several passages...the message of hope was not for fame, glory, money, or scrubbing pounds off with seaweed soap. The true hope of Scripture is FREEDOM. Real freedom.
It's an almost surreal scene as I look again out my window. I try to dismiss it all as foolishness. But, if Hasselhoff peeks out, I might even join the riot (where's my 8x10 glossy photo from Knight Rider?).
I laugh and shake my head. What a mess down there. A big, swarmy, stinky mass of hope. And I thank God He's given it to all of us. What a gift. Hope. Only God is that good!
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| Posted by Aaron Horton at | | | |
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Has your life ever felt kind of...flat? Like drinking a Coca-Cola with no fizz? Sure, all the ingredients are there. It's got plenty of sugar and caffeine...but it's just not quite right.
I often wonder what causes us to go through periods like that. Everything is just kind of routine, and you just feel kind of "blah."
I've walked through some times like that recently. I just wondered if anybody else has ever noticed that in their life. It's weird to be walking through that. Even stranger, is that I'm kind of OK with it. I'm not sure if that's a bad thing or not.
In some ways, I'm very content and grateful because I have a great life. But in other ways, I feel convicted about the things I still need to change.
I'm going to think and pray over the next few days and try to remember other times in my life when I've been in this same position. Maybe I'm on the edge of something more, or maybe God is preparing me for tougher times ahead.
Any thoughts?
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| Posted by Aaron Horton at | | | |
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Many of you know that I went to the "Wild At Heart" boot camp this last year. It's a men's retreat, sort of, which is hosted by John Eldredge and the Ransomed Heart team. John Eldredge has written a number of best-selling books, including Wild At Heart, Waking the Dead, The Way of the Wild Heart, Epic, Captivating, and others.
One of the primary things I learned during that weekend was how drastically the Christian's life can be impacted by making agreements with the Enemy. Scripture is clear that we have an enemy (Satan) who is roaming around seeking to thwart us at every turn. And when we make agreements with the Enemy and begin to believe his lies...then we are setting ourselves up for perpetual failure.
One of the Enemy's primary tactics seems to be getting Christians to reject or forget the fact that we have an enemy at all (or that the enemy is ourselves or our own hearts!). If we forget that Satan is the enemy, we are surely not going to be vigilant against his attacks. That can be devastating.
I've learned that its not in fire or flood that he "steals, kills & destroys"...but in the subtle agreements we make with him about ourselves. Sometimes the lies come after difficult struggles, or even through the words of other people.
For example, the enemy might come to us and say "You're so inadequate, God could never love you." Maybe its through a parent, a teacher, a spouse...and somehow, we agree with the Enemy in our heart. So we live our lives in desperation to prove our adequacy to God and others. Always seeking approval. Doing whatever it takes to please people. And when we don't get the approval we seek, the cycle just repeats. That same lie is further ingrained into our hearts...deeper and deeper...until we believe that is the reality. And because of that, we're willing to do ANYTHING or commit any act (no matter how sinful) to achieve the approval we seek. But at that point, it's impossible for us to fathom the truth that God loves us, just because He chose to. And it has nothing to do with our us or how adequate or inadequate we are.
I strongly believe that the root of almost every destructive behavior or habitual sin is found in some agreement we've made with the Enemy.
But don't despair because there is hope. We can break these agreements through the power of the blood of Jesus Christ. We simply must invite Him into those places in our hearts where the agreements lie. And ask him to expose them and rid us. We must seek the truth in what God says about us...not what the Enemy says.
Read through 1 & 2 Corinthians. Read through Philippians. Read through the OT prophet, Ezekiel. God has some pretty good things to say about our hearts and the work He has done in us. It sounds nothing like what the Enemy says. We are not inadequate, or unlovable, or ugly, or treacherous. Not if we're in Christ. We are new creations...completely new (2Cor 5:17). So to really fight Satan's lies...we MUST know what God says about us...we must know the TRUTH.
That's how we defeat the enemy. With the "sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God" (Eph. 6). The sword is the only offensive spiritual weapon mentioned that passage. What God says...His Word...it's a sword that can defeat the lies of the Enemy.
What lies have you believed? What agreements have you made with the Enemy? As Dr. Phil would say, "How's that workin' for ya'?"
I challenge you to find those agreements in your own heart. Break them TODAY in the power of Jesus name. Run to the truth...where the real FREEDOM lives!
Be blessed!
AH
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| Posted by Aaron Horton at | | | |
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Just wanted to wish everyone a happy 2008. I hope this new year finds you healthy, happy & full of hope for the future.
Thanks for reading my blog and being a part of our life.
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| Posted by Aaron Horton at | | | |
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We hear this all the time...to strive for balance in our lives. You know what I mean: the balanced diet, a balanced checkbook, rotate and balance your tires..etc.
Many of you know I'm a huge fan of John Eldredge and I have to pass along a snippet from his book, Waking the Dead. This just speaks so clearly to the need for balance in our journey as followers of Christ.
From Waking the Dead pp.98-99 (my emphasis added):
When the apostles needed the help of some good men to shepherd the exploding new church, they chose men “full of the Spirit and wisdom” (Acts 6:3). The two go together; we need them both. We need to walk by the inspiration of the Spirit, and we need wisdom as well. Wisdom and Revelation. Early on in our journey, I think we should lean more into wisdom. It takes time to learn to walk with God in a deeply intimate way, and many challenges face us before we are accustomed to the way of the heart. We must practice our chords; we must do our drills.
"For the waywardness of the simple will kill them,
and the complacency of fools will destroy them;
but whoever listens to me will live in safety
and be at ease, without fear of harm."
"Then you will understand what is right and just
and fair – every good path.
For wisdom will enter your heart,
and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.
Discretion will protect you,
and understanding will guard you."
Proverbs 1:32-33; 2:9-11
We seek wisdom because the trail is narrow and hard to find. It is a cruel thing to tell someone to follow their dreams without also warning them what hell will come against them.
This passage is so dead-on accurate. It should hit the heart of every believer. But what is "wisdom" and how do we acquire it?
To me, wisdom is a combination of things, like knowledge and experience (but not just any experience).
In our walk with Christ, the knowledge part comes from reading and studying His WORD. It is the most complete and reliable source of information we have to teach us about the character of God and His plan for creation. The local church is a great resource for knowledge of the scripture. There are lots of folks who have years of experience in studying the word and digging into the deeper things of scripture.
What the local church needs to improve is the "experience" part of that. Even Bill Hybels, pastor of one of the largest churches in the US, recently noted the need for this. Churches are good at the knowledge...but not so good at real discipleship.
That's because the real key is that the experience part comes from walking closely with others who can "disciple" us along the way. That process simply cannot be institutionalized. Proverbs 13:20 tells us that "He who walks with the wise grows wise." You can't get that simply from taking a Bible study class.
Read about Jesus in the Temple in Luke 2:41-52. Jesus knew so much, and they were amazed. But he still sat there, listening and asking questions of the wise men. Check out the last verse of that passage, Luke 2:52: "And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men." Even for Jesus, wisdom was a process.
So, that leads me to this conclusion:
Knowledge + guided experience = Wisdom
The point of this whole thing is simply to encourage you wherever you are. If you're a new believer, you may need to plant yourself firmly in a local church and begin to really study and learn the scriptures. Some of you are really knowledgeable in the scripture, but short on the experience part. You need to be praying for (and be on the lookout for) those who are older and wiser in the faith that can come alongside you and disciple you towards true wisdom. Some of you have a lot of knowledge AND experience under your belt...and you need to get busy discipling those who are coming behind you.
His Kingdom is so big and far-reaching, that He has provided everything we need. Everything..."according to His riches in glory."
Have a great weekend!
AH
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| Posted by Aaron Horton at | | | |
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I have been tinkering with a new song idea lately, and it's got me wondering about a lot of things in my life.
Then, I'm watching this show last night on A&E about interventions for addicts. The man leading the intervention talks about how an addict has to get to rock bottom before they break.
At first I think, "Well thank God I'm not an addict."
And then the bell rings and the lightbulb pops up. "Oh yeah, I am an addict of sorts." My first thought was, "I'm overweight...so I'm addicted to food." That seems very sensible. But my addiction runs deeper than pizza and ice cream. My addiction is far older and more devastating to the soul than alcoholism or drug addiction.
I'm addicted to ME.
There's step 1 in the old 12-Step program. I'm admitting I have a problem. I'm addicted to myself...what I want, what I need, what makes me happy, what makes me comfortable...the list goes on.
And now I'm beginning to realize that the LORD has been trying to communicate this truth to me for so long, but I've spent my life building a wall of protection around my self-addiction to the point where it's unbreakable. And while very painful, the LORD proved once again that my walls are no match for His grace.
I think of the lyrics of "Beginning of the End," a song written by Andy Gullahorn:
Truth comes like a thief
When the ceiling caves in
Such a sweet relief the beginning of the end
You have to tear it apart
To get the pieces to mend
A strange place to start...the beginning of the end.
Man...he hits the nail on the head with that lyric. Brokenness is the place of new beginnings. To be truly broken today, I only needed to read Philippians 2. Read that chapter. Read it out loud. And let me encourage you to do this. Read it...while looking at yourself in the mirror.
Check out verses 3 & 4 from that passage.
"Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others."
So my place in the journey is right here...step #1 of the ultimate 12-step program. The Beginning of the End of my addiction to myself.
Maybe some of you want to walk that journey with me. Maybe you're an addict too. I'm now more convinced than ever that every external addiction (food, drugs, sex, money, etc.) is the direct product of a deeper and older addiction. One that has run through our souls since that day in the Garden.
No, the next steps will not be easy or pretty. There will be defeats and relapses to be sure. But it's a journey that must be walked. It's a story that must be told.
I'll start my story this way...
My name is Aaron H. I'm a recovering me-aholic. I've been sober for 8 hours now.
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| Posted by Aaron Horton at | | | |
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