1). Sometimes we can fix it ourselves. (a flat tire)
2). Sometimes we have the ability, we just need the resources (flat tire but forgot a tube or air)
3). Sometimes someone we have neither the ability or resources. (a chain breaks)
4). Sometimes we have to go to the local bike shop to get help because it can’t be fixed on the road. The shop owner has better tools and he does that type of repair all day.
5). Sometimes we have to take it to the maker (manufacturer) in which case the local shop owner will walk you through all the headaches to make sure everything is taken care of.

Our Christian walk is a lot like fixing a bike, if we are smart about it.

1). Sometimes we can pray over the situation ourselves and get through it, because we’ve been there before or it is simple enough.
2). Sometimes we have the ability to pray but don’t physically have the resources to fix it, but a friend or family member does.
3). Sometimes we can’t even see how to pray for it nor do we have the ability to fix it but a group of friends or small group or church family does.
4). Sometimes we just need to spend time in counseling with a local pastor or church elder and they can help guide and pray us through it.
5). Sometimes none of these can fix it and we have to spend time prostrate before our maker and allow him to fix us, and a local pastor or church leader will help walk us through this healing process.

Do you have all of these people in your life? If not, you may want to reevaluate your situation and stance on this thing called the “Christian” walk.

We were never meant to walk through life alone. The same God that saw Adam was alone and deemed it not good, created the church body, where every individual is needed in order for it to function properly.

And if I’m not mistaken, the same thing happens each time: a fellow rider or a passer-by, assuming there is one nearby, stops to ask if they can help, and they do it with all sincerity….they actually want to help. Normally, nowhere in the conversation do they start blaming you for being on the side of the road. They also normally don’t question to find out if you caused the flat or if you were reckless and deserved to be there. They just offer to help.

What if, and here is a novel idea, we reacted the same way with our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ? What if we simply asked how we could help? What if we didn’t ask if they had caused it or if they had brought it on themselves and we just offered to walk through it with them?

You know what, they may be at fault. They may absolutely be reaping what they’ve sown, but so what? Aren’t we allowed to help someone even though it was their own fault. Didn’t God help us, and continue to forgive us, for things that we cause.

We, as believers, can be quick to tear people down instead of building them up. By the time we show up to help we’ve already convicted them of the crime and sentenced them in the court of our own mind.

I don’t know why we are like that but I sure hope I can learn to be better at it. I trust that as I strive to be more Christ-Like that I will at the same time become more compassionate and forgiving and less nosy and holier-than-thou.

Let’s all pray for that before we go to sleep tonight….

And of course that got me to wondering. Was I feeling guilt for not riding or was I missing the feeling and benefits I get from riding? I started remembering the long rides and how great it felt afterwards, like I could eat anything I wanted and not feel bad. I came to the conclusion that I missed the camaraderie of my fellow riders and the joy of sitting on a bike for a couple of hours. I missed sucking down gels like they were M&Ms and drinking water while trying not to lose focus on the wheel 12 inches in front of me. But mainly I just missed doing something that is good for me and that I enjoy.

On the same vibe, God doesn’t guilt us into doing things either. He did not give us the Bible in order for us to be guilted into serving Him or doing the right things. Romans 8:1 says, “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

I’ll have to admit it took me sometime (years) to figure out what I believe it means. What it means is that God does not show us things in our life that are wrong so that we will feel bad and change. He shows us things that are blocking our ability to see Him and His will for our lives. And once we see what those things are, we have the awesome opportunity to fix them or remove them. And once we do, we are that much closer to Him and to what we were created to be. There is no guilt involved.

Have you ever been sitting or standing in church, either during the worship time or when the pastor was teaching, and thought of something in your life that needs to be changed? I sure have. And I’ve come to the realization that those thoughts aren’t guilt, they are a chance for me to correct something before it gets out of hand, so that my life grows and my relationship with my Savior grows.

Those quiet times at church, or anywhere for that matter, are an incredible opportunity for us as believers to communicate with God. If we will simply listen to what He is telling us we can learn some cool things that will make this life easier; because as we remove sin from our lives the line of communication between us and God become that much clearer.

I have a friend that lives in the mountains of Mexico and he text (or texts) like we do in the U.S., using texting shortcuts. I am in the process of learning Spanish and he isn’t helping at all. Not only do I have to figure out what the Spanish phrases mean (and by the way he doesn’t use periods) but I have to decipher “dtb” and “t” and “jeje” and many others.

But I guess the fact that he feels comfortable enough to communicate naturally, like he would with anyone else, is pretty cool –and for that I am greatly appreciative.

I think sometimes I look at other cultures and countries with so much mystery that I forget that deep down inside they are just like us. The language is different and even some of the everyday struggles are different but we all have a need to communicate as effectively as possible.

God has blessed me with some great Latino friends here in South Carolina as well and I look forward to church on Sunday where I get to spend time not only playing the guitar but worshipping with a culture that is different than mine. I am not just learning to appreciate the differences…I actually enjoy them. It is the differences between them and I that make it the most fun. I laugh at them when they say something ridiculous in English and they laugh at me when I say anything at all in Spanish.

But at the end of the day, it is what’s on the inside that counts. And what’s inside all of us at that little Hispanic Church service is a desire to worship the one, true, God that created all of us and put us on this planet for a reason……no matter what language we speak.

royb

With a group from Radius Church, I recently went to a part of Mexico that I’ve never been. We flew into Mexico City and drove 4+ hours to Rio Blanco and then an hour or so up the mountain to Atlahuilco, where we stayed each night for the remainder of the week. To say it was green and had many trees and farms would be an understatement. The parts of Mexico that I’ve visited in the past were in the far north and looked nothing like this, they were flat and barren in comparison.

But, from the get-go it started to grow on me and I ended up taking nearly a thousand pictures. And out of those thousand or so I chose four to share with you; these four were some of my favorites –as an aside, the main title picture at the top of the blog is also from that trip. Each one of these four pictures are from a different town in the area –Atlahuilco, Tepepa, Tequila and Xoxocotla.

This particular short-term missions trip was different from any of the others I’ve been a part of. We were there strictly as an evangelism team and from day to day our individual roles changed. Depending on the weather (rain, rain and more rain) and the amount of people in the towns, we may be going door-to-door or playing soccer in the town square for three hours. Each morning we split up into different teams and boarded a bus, knowing only one thing: today we would be sharing the love of Christ with people –where, when and with whom, was the unknown part.

If you’ve read any of my previous posts or my “about’ page then you know I have a heart, or a weakness, for playing the guitar. I take my guitar to every country I go to and pray that God will allow me to find like-hearted people to worship with. I played my guitar on this trip more than I ever have. We woke up playing, played on the bus to the town, played on the bus home from the town and then played again at night. We played for hours every day and it was great. I help lead worship at a Hispanic church in S.C. and I was able to bring back a whole bunch of new songs to play here in the states.

What I brought back from this trip was a sense of fulfillment; like I had been training for something that finally came to fruition. I felt more at home fumbling through Spanish and playing the guitar in the mountains of Mexico then I do at any church here in S.C. For the past year and a half I’ve been learning Spanish worship songs and the Spanish language, and for 8 straight days I was totally immersed in it. And I felt more comfortable then I could have imagined.

I don’t think the comfort I felt was because the churches I attend here are not any good, but it was because God has called me to be a part of a specific type of ministry and this trip allowed me to do what I I’ve been training to do.

Thanks for reading,

Roy Bauer

In his book, Not a fan, Kyle Idleman hits at the core of fanship. He gets to the root of what a true disciple is –and it certainly isn’t merely a fan. From the first chapter, Not a Fan forced me to look at why I do what I do. Am I guilty of just being a fan of Jesus instead of truly seeking after His heart? Like Nicodemus, we are to be willing to leave our comfortable place and go after Him –regardless.

This book was a great read and I recommend it to everyone, even those of you (or especially those of you) that think you have this “Christian” thing figured out. We all need to be challenged to look at our motives and to keep our lives in check. Doing life everyday takes its toll and we can get off track and not even realize it, sometimes until it’s too late. Not a Fan came to me at the perfect time and I looked forward to reading it. I received the book free from Zondervan to read and review and was appreciative that I did. It got me thinking about things in my life that need to be reevaluated and tweaked.

You can buy this book at www.amazon.com or www.barnesandnoble.com
Download the first chapter or prologue here from notafan.com

Roy Bauer

From the website www.notafan.com

Are you a follower of Jesus?

Don’t answer too quickly. In fact, you may want to read this book before you answer at all. Consider it a “Define the Relationship” conversation to determine exactly where you stand. You may indeed be a passionate, fully devoted follower of Jesus. Or, you may be just a fan who admires Jesus but isn’t ready to let him cramp your style. Then again, maybe you’re not into Jesus, period.

In any case, don’t take the question—Are you a follower of Jesus?—lightly.

Some people don’t know what they’ve said yes to and other people don’t realize what they’ve said no to, saysPastor Kyle Idleman . But Jesus is ready to clearly define the relationship he wants with his followers.

Not a Fan calls you to consider the demands and rewards of being a true disciple. With frankness sprinkled with humor, Idleman invites you to live the way Jesus lived, love the way he loved, pray the way he prayed, and never give up living for the One who gave his all for you.

In Margaret Feinberg’s book Hungry for God, she takes the reader through her personal life experiences, which provide glimpses into some of the ways the Creator speaks to His children. She illustrates that inside every human heart lies the desire for intimacy, companionship, and fulfillment. While some search for these things in worldly pleasures that never truly satisfy our soul cravings, Feinberg provides insight that we are starving for God and only He can fill what is void in our lives.
She tackles the question that so many readers are afraid to ask: How do I hear from God? She confesses that in her own prayer life there are times she feels that her prayers can fall flat. How do we hear the voice of God, and also block out the shouts that come from the world that tell us to go against God’s law? Feinberg answers:

“God invites us to fix our eyes on the Lord. If we want our lives pointed Godward, then our focus must stay on him. God tucks himself into our life experiences and reminds us to look for him in the everyday. Hunger for God compels us to seek the Lord” (77).

She beautifully sprinkles scripture throughout the book to support biblical truths regarding prayer, as well as offer her personal stories that have helped shape her relationship with the living God.

Feinberg assures the reader that God does not always speak on the top of a holy mountain, but rather His presence is often illustrated through bible passages, a person, or even a tugging in your heart. Thus we can experience Him working in our everyday lives.
Hungry for God is a good read for individuals no matter where they are in the Christian faith.

Lil Mason

You can purchase this book at www.amazon.com

I received this book from Zondervan to read and review.
–Roy Bauer

There are times when we take pictures just for the fun of it. Times where we take them to remember a moment. Times where we take pictures to make a statement. And then there are some pictures we take that we don’t even realize the importance until later.

This top picture is of my (then) 3-year old on our trip to Peru in 2008.We were visiting friends of ours who were serving the people of Peru through a missionary organization. On one of the days we had the privilege of visiting a community they were working in; a very poor community as you could imagine. We were simply there observing and learning about the ministry, but we had the opportunity to help as well –in the form of handing out food to the many, many kids who had come. Robbie (the 3 year-old) wanted to help hand out food, and as you can see from the picture, he did a great job.

Why does this picture mean so much? I was proud of my little buddy for helping but it was more than that.  It is a reminder of my role as a parent and my kid’s capacity for learning. Even at 3 years of age Robbie knew there was something to this helping thing. Of course he didn’t fully understand why he was doing it but there was a seed planted in his head and, more importantly, in his heart; a seed that hopefully will keep growing along with him.

My role as a parent (along with my wife, Heidi) is to continue to give he and his siblings opportunities to serve and to learn. We can’t make our children be compassionate, but we can try to a) show them what it means to serve people and b) put them in environments where they can be active participants.

This second picture was taken in Nicaragua just a few weeks ago, on a trip with Radius Church. The team was split into two parts: a construction team and a medical team.

This particular day I was with the medical team helping to translate. (stop laughing). The doctor was having to put stitches very close to a teenage boy’s eye, with the boy lying on a picnic table, and another team member, we’ll call him Michael, was holding his hand and doing his best to keep him calm.

You can see ‘Michael’ in the picture with the boy. I specifically left off the boy’s head because I realized that because of ‘Michael’s heart for people, his compassion for children, and God’s grace that flows out of every pore of his body, any child could be sitting on that table and Michael would hold their hand all the way through it.

Luckily no one was paying any attention to me because I actually had to leave and go to another section of our little clinic to avoid the tears in my eyes being seen. Why the tears? Because I was picturing one of my children on that table and I know with out a shadow of a doubt that if I needed him to, ‘Michael’ would do the same thing for them……and for yours as well.

During that trip, I saw many people step up and do what God has called them to do. ‘Michael’ wasn’t the only one. But in that moment, it felt like one of God’s purposes in ‘Michael’s’ life was coming to fruition and I was able to be a witness to it and bring back a tiny snapshot of it.

royb

Normally, if you are third then you have someone in front of you to pull if the leader needs a break and then you can decide whether or not to say there and take a turn or move back further down the line. But, both people in front of her moved out at the same time and the job of pulling was thrust upon here whether she wanted it or not. And by her reaction, she didn’t.

I know the lady who said this and she is a pretty strong rider; so it wasn’t the physical part of pulling that she hated it was the mental, or intangible, part. You see, if a rider is riding behind someone –or a lot of someones—all they have to do is ride and keep from hitting the wheel in front of them. But, when you are leading your responsibilities go up. You now are responsible for making sure everyone is going the right way and for the speed (you don’t want to slow the group down –too much at least). It can be a little daunting, for someone who isn’t used to it, when you look back and there are 50+ people right on your wheel following you.

Alright, now picture this: You are in a small group setting with 10-15 friends from church and everyone is talking and discussing the book that the group is reading and the leader looks at you and says, “Hey, can you lead us in prayer?” OH CRAP!

Or how about this one: Your Sunday School teacher finishes up with the class for the day and then says to the group that she’ll be out for a couple weeks. She then looks at you and says, “Hey, can you lead this group while I’m gone?” OH CRAP!

More than likely it isn’t the Bible knowledge that scares you. It isn’t having to study and prepare that scares you. It is probably the fact that you feel like you’ll have 4 or 5 or 20 people looking at you assuming you have all the answers and that you are there to lead them on this fantastic voyage of perfect and exact knowledge. But the problem is you aren’t perfect and you may even stutter or forget what you are saying or you may say something stupid or wrong. Join the club.

We all know who Moses is right? The always-eloquent, all-knowing, never-doubting, wonderful leader who lead the Israelites into the Promise Land. Read Exodus Chapter 3 and 4 when you get a chance and you’ll find a man just like the rest of us.

Let me set this up for you: Moses is busy tending the sheep when God says to him, “…I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt…” (Exodus 3:1-10) So, we have Moses who, like the cyclist, is just cruising along and all of a sudden BOOM a leadership position is thrust upon him and a decision has to be made. Does he say yes or no? Here is his answer:

1 Moses answered, “What if they do not believe me or listen to me… (Exodus 4:1)

¹⁰ Moses said to the LORD, “O Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.” (Exodus 4:10)

When asked to lead, Moses said he couldn’t because he didn’t feel like the Egyptians would believe him and that he wasn’t confident in his ability to communicate effectively. Isn’t that what scares us when we are asked to step out in a spiritual application –whether it be praying or leading a Bible Study. “What if they don’t believe me?” What if I sound like an idiot and no one understands what I’m saying?” What did God say to Moses after Moses responded that he didn’t feel like he was the right communicator for the job?

“…What about your brother, Aaron the Levite? I know he can speak well. He is already on his way to meet you, and his heart will be glad when he sees you. ¹⁵ You shall speak to him and put words in his mouth; I will help both of you speak and will teach you what to do. (Exodus 4:14-15)

My favorite line is, “He (his brother Aaron) is already on his way to meet you…” How awesome is that. God knew what Moses’ objection was going to be and he had the remedy already in place. Moses was the right man for the job the whole time and God knew what he would need in order to get it done. God never asked Moses to do something he couldn’t handle. WE will never be asked to do something we can’t handle –with God’s help and provision. However, we may not see all of the answers at once. Moses didn’t know his brother was on the way when God asked him to lead the people.

Whatever it is that God is asking you to do, remember he won’t ask you to do it alone. He will always provide the tools you need to get the job done and done right. But, you may have to wait for your “brother” to arrive sometimes. Be patient and trusting of an almighty God.

royb

^{Galatians 5:1-6}

¹It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. ²Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all. ³Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law. ⁴You who are trying to be justified by law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. ⁵But by faith we eagerly await through the Spirit the righteousness for which we hope. ⁶For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.

Unless I’m missing something, the two verses following Galatians 5:4 actually give the answer to the question of how we get anything at all…….FAITH.

And to further make the point, Paul says in Ephesians 2:8-9,

⁸For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— ⁹not by works, so that no one can boast.

Abraham was credited righteousness even though there wasn’t even a law to follow yet. How? Faith. Read Hebrews or Genesis, it’s all there.

For some reason this has really bothered me. I saw the sign about 4 1/2 hours ago and I can’t get it out of my head. I think the reason is because of what that first verse up there says (Galatians 5:1). “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free…” He did not set us free to go back into a different kind of slavery. We are not to trade one type for another, which is what some churches try to do to people. Read the second half of verse 1, “…and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” Paul was writing this letter to the believers in Galatia because “Christian” leaders were trying to attach all kinds of rules and regulations to the people’s salvation: Faith + ______.

Paul wrote Galatians to put the kibosh on this teaching. That is deceitful and manipulative teaching, and churches have been using that tactic for thousands of years. I pray that we as believers can truly live in freedom. God did not just save us from something bad. He saved us to something better. God did not just deliver the Israelites and leave them in the desert to rot. He delivered them from slavery to the promise land. Please don’t let anyone put a yoke of slavery back on you. Or, like Paul fears in Galatians 4:11, someone wasted time in preaching salvation to you to begin with.

Back to the church sign. Maybe the church sign was simply a conversation starter: put there to get the drivers-by to ask questions. Somehow I doubt it. I pray that it will change here soon back to something less controversial…..to me at least.

Please comment on what you’ve read here. If you agree or disagree, let me know why. I’d love the feedback.

royb