Those of you who are first time parents or you have young children may still be under the illusion that your love is enough to protect your children from all kinds of evil that comes into life. You need to rearrange your thinking to know that while you can’t do that, you can make your home a place of protection in the storms.

Life is full of storms. It’s like being in a hurricane sometimes. The things that come in to it just batter us, bruise us and beat us up, and things don’t go the way you planned. Life is very tough and we all need a place of safety, security, peace and protection. God has designed that our homes be that place!

Proverbs 14:26: “Reverence for the Lord gives a man deep strength; his children have a place of refuge and security.” The home is supposed to be a place of refuge and security.

How do we become a shelter in difficult times?
1. Hear. Listen to the people in your family. Don’t be so quick to come up with a solution before you have heard the words and feelings.
2. Hug. Express affection. It says, “I love you.”
3. Hope. Build up people in your family with affirmation. So much negative stuff in the world that it is easy to become just like the world.
4. Help. Focus on the things that really matter.

Proverbs 3 says, “Trust in the Lord with all our hearts…do not lean on our own understanding. In all our ways acknowledge God and He will direct our path.” That’s the goal for your children and mine. Ultimately, we trust God with all our hearts.

See you Sunday!
Hays McKay

Philip Yancey says that is what most of us are looking for from God: someone who will solve our problems, who will punish bad people, give us answers and help us escape from life’s troubles. And yet, what we have learned in life…God doesn’t always give us exactly what we want.

Jesus, the Messiah, will not appear to you like Elijah did in the O.T. On occasion He might, but not likely. Rather, He will come to you in the gentle whisper of your soul, with a gentle voice and self-sacrificing love! In the coming days you and I are going to find ourselves with the opportunity to play the usual power games. Will we follow the script? Or, will we follow the promptings of the Spirit? Will we hear the quiet whisper of Jesus that gives us a new perspective? Or, will we live such loud lives that we can’t hear anything but ourselves?

In this Elijah world, will you follow Jesus?

See you soon,

Hays McKay

She handled it well and the healing has gone according to plan. We are thankful to God and a great surgeon in Birmingham who deals with dancers. When the pin was removed, Lindsey’s first thought was she would be back in the game in no time! Not true! She has done remarkably well, but regaining the use of something that hasn’t been used in weeks takes time! The Physical Therapy is coming along but diligently and carefully. Even though the pin is out, the work has only begun!

I thought about that with our spiritual lives. Sometimes, we carry things in our lives that burdened us and hurt us. It is a reminder that God isn’t through with us yet. The “pin” is there to make us stronger even when we can’t see it. Then the day comes and we are able to move on because we have been set free from the “pin”, the burden of our lives. But the journey of healing has just begun. Regaining trust and hope doesn’t always happen overnight. Sometimes, it is a process of recovery and trusting in a God who never leaves us and never forsakes us.

The Physical Therapy is the study of God’s Word and active service in helping others. That is when the healing begins and you can move forward diligently and faithfully. Sometimes, after the “pin” has been removed a scar remains. The scar is not there to hurt us….but to remind us how far we have come! Thank God for the journey of healing!

See you soon,
Hays McKay

There are two common reactions when we’re defensive:
1. We Accuse. We blame other people. We say it’s your fault, your problem. Remember Adam and Eve? Adam took it like a man and blamed his wife for all his problems. Ever since then, men have been blaming their women and women have been calling men “snakes.” Imagine that!

2. We Excuse. We pretend nothing is wrong. Everything is fine…nothing is wrong. If I ignore it maybe it will go away. But pretending doesn’t work. The tragedy is that a lot of us have problems that can be solved relatively quickly but pretending perpetuates problems. When we won’t ask for help…the pain gets worse and worse.

When you let God meet your needs, it lowers your anxiety and anger level in your life. When I commit my life to Christ and trust Him then I no longer feel unaccepted because He has accepted me, unappreciated because He values me! Because, He says, “I am with you always.”

Remember: it is more rewarding to resolve a conflict than it is to dissolve a relationship!

See you Sunday!
Hays McKay

The truth of the matter is…God can be sitting on the sidelines watching us struggle financially, or He can be actively involved as our financial partner! It all depends on what kind of steward you are. God is not a genie who is going to give you everything your little heart desires….nor will He never allow you to face financial challenges even if you do all the right things!

What we need to do is recognize a new deal in this difficult economic climate. Too often, in this economic climate, we want God involved in our finances because we are desperate! And we try to persuade God to come and rescue us.

God desires a new deal! When we get to the point that God is sovereign over our lives, and that He can intervene directly in our lives…then, what are we waiting for? Doesn’t it make sense to position ourselves to receive His power and influence as soon as possible?

The problem is money is an emotional subject. We are so vulnerable to money and we think irrationally when it comes to our finances. So, you have to base your financial decisions on truth rather than instinct! So, please hear me in this tough, economic climate….when we withhold from God financially, we distance ourselves from the one person in the universe who can forever dispel our fears about money! Protecting yourself financially from God is the biggest mistake of your life and mine.

Try something new. Wake up tomorrow and instead of thinking about how to make a living…think about giving! Because, if you want God involved in your finances, you need to put your finances to work for God’s interests and not your own! And that means….giving! Your financial fears don’t go away until you get this giving thing right! Perhaps your “old deal” hasn’t been working for you! Maybe…just maybe, God is opening the door for a new deal when it comes to your money!

See you soon!
Hays McKay

We clutter our lives with so many things, don’t we? We hear the words again and again, “hurry up!” Sometimes, we are overwhelmed! As you move through these summer days maybe you need to pray (as I need to pray) “Lord Jesus, don’t let the fire in my purpose die!”

We are going to encourage less clutter this fall. I think you will find it very helpful so that you can focus on what impacts your life spiritually. How is your worldview? Is it cluttered with endless activities and voices crying out for more and more? If so, remember the words of Kem Meyer: “You can’t get what you could have until you let go of what you do have.”

So, let’s stay the course and work on some personal, spiritual habits. Get what you could have by letting go of what you do have! See you soon.

Hays McKay

Paul says in Romans 12, “Do everything possible, on your part, to live at peace with all men.” More relationships die from inflexibility than from anything else! Think about these seven rules for fighting fair. As we walk in Christ, we live from the spirit and attitude of cooperation!

See you soon!
Hays McKay

Have you settled the issue of personal responsibility? I am who I am today basically because I choose to be that way. If I’m in a rut it’s because I’m choosing to stay there. If I’m ever going to get out of this rut I’m going to choose to do it - my decision. I’m going to turn towards God. I’m going to let Christ come into my heart and fill me with His love and power and His purpose for life.

Have you settled this matter of priorities? What’s really important in life? If you don’t get your priorities right, you’re always guided by priorities or pressure. If you don’t recognize the God given purpose for your life someone else will be happy to tell you what to do!

Have you settled the issue of difficulty? I realize that problems are going to come into my life but every problem can be an opportunity for growth if I respond in the right way. Although I can’t control the things that come into my life I can control how I will respond to them.

Moses, the great leader of Israel, wasn’t afraid of Pharaoh. Why? Because he had his eyes on God! That’s what made Moses the success that he was in life. He settled these issues. You can too! Moses was under tremendous tension. He was leading two million people but he had peace of mind because he dealt with these basic issues!

So stand firm and remember who you are! God loves you - warts and all! He knows who you are. He made you. His Word to you is, “Don’t try to be somebody you’re not. Relax. I have given you an identity of your own.” That identity is right in the center of the will of God! Claim it and do great things!

See you soon!
Hays McKay

But we are not in control!

Have you ever read the great story by Dr. Seuss entitled, Yertle the Turtle? Yertle rules over a little pond of turtles. One day he decides his kingdom needs extending, so there went out a decree that all the turtles should be stacked up to become Yertle’s throne. The King lifts his hand, and the whole pond scrambles to obey. First dozens, then hundreds - he could see for miles.

Yertle thought his throne was as secure as a throne could be. But it came to pass that at the bottom of the turtle stack there was an obscure, powerless turtle named Mac.
“That plain little Mac did a plain little thing.
He burped!
And his burp shook the throne of the king!”

Yertle Augustus had a great fall. And all the king’s horses and all the king’s men could not put Yertle together again.

Jesus said, the first shall be last…and everyone who exalts himself shall be humbled. So, even if you think you are Yertle VIP, MVP, PhD, CEO, BMOC - You’re just one burp away from reality (John Ortberg)! As the children of Israel were entering the Promise Land, Moses said, “Remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you the ability to produce wealth.”

See you soon!
Hays McKay

I have had minor surgeries in my past so I thought I knew what to expect! Not true! When your daughter is being rolled away from you it is an overwhelming feeling of emotion and anxiety. Of course, waiting is the hardest part, isn’t it? And so we waited!

it was in those moments that God’s Word came to me. I have told you many times as a church that memorizing scripture is a good thing because there will come a time when that is all you have. Yesterday, that is all I had when they rolled Lindsey down the hall for surgery. I remembered in Proverbs that an anxious heart weighs a man down! I remembered reading in Romans that we can be full of joy here and now, even in our trials and troubles…these things will give us patient endurance. I remembered in Psalms that we are to trust in God at all times…pour out our hearts to him, for God is our refuge. And I remember in Isaiah that when you pass through the deep waters God says, I will be with you…your troubles will not overwhelm you!

I know many of you have dealt with far more serious issues than this particular experience. But, I want you to know that scripture memory is an incredible source of strength when you aren’t sure where to turn. So, go to God’s Word. Read it…saturate yourself in His Word and watch what happens. So, whatever you are facing this week…whatever you are going through…God’s Word will remind you that you aren’t alone! God is with you right now…don’t be overwhelmed!

See you soon!
Hays McKay