The True Story of A Real Fake

“What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.”
(Philippians 4:9)

In 2002 in the movie, “Catch Me If You Can” Leonardo DiCaprio played the part of real life con artist Frank Abagnale Jr. Mr. Abagnale, born April 27, 1948, is CEO of Abagnale & Associates, security consultants & is known for his history as a former con-man, check forger, imposter, and escape artist.

He became notorious in the 1960s for passing $2.5 million worth of meticulously forged checks across 26 countries over the course of five years, beginning when he was only 16 years old. He claimed to have assumed no fewer than eight separate identities, some of which were an airline pilot, a doctor, a U.S. Bureau of Prisons agent and a lawyer. The man was amazing, at being something he was not. The tagline for the movie was “The true story of a real fake.”

Being fake, may get you a shot at $2.5 million, but it wont make you godly or spiritual. In Philippians 4:8-9 Paul tells us to practice whatever is true, honorable, just, pure lovely, commendable & anything excellent or worthy of praise. Practice these things that you have seen in me, Paul says. Paul says, I’m not faking it, I’m really striving daily to walk with Christ. If you will only do it, you will be transformed into the likeness of Christ.

Don’t do these things to look godly & spiritual, but to become godly & spiritual. Don’t do these things to fake people out & to make them think you are what you‘re not, but strive to live them to become more like Christ. You live them, you allow Christ to live through you, unhindered…people will notice the difference.

“To call yourself a child of God is one thing. To be called a child of God by those who watch your life is another thing altogether.” (Max lucado)

Vern

Nothing But A Slab

“For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.”
(1 Corinthians 3:11)

Back in 2011 Alabama experienced some deadly, destructive tornados which left many with homes & lives totally destroyed. Driving around in theses areas was scary, when you thought about how massive & fast the destruction was. One place that I have had to visit often due to my job in building materials, was a small area called Shoal Creek Valley just north of Pell City Alabama. Shoal Creek Valley is on county road 22, a long strip through what use to be a beautiful valley, until the tornado left twisted trees, scattered debris, concrete slabs where there use to be homes & broken hearts.

While driving through I would always be amazed at the concrete slabs that were often the only reminders of a home ever existing in that place. It made me think about foundations, now our company also pours foundations, but that’s not what I mean. I was thinking about spiritual foundations. 

How often our lives are up & blown away, destroyed sometimes we look at them & they look nothing like we dreamed they would or they seem totally gone, like there’s nothing left. But when that happens, what do you have left? Do you have that foundation? That foundation of Jesus Christ, that stability that when all else is gone…He is still standing strong. Something that can be rebuilt on.

You can lay many foundations in your life. Foundations such as your business, marriage, friends, parents, etc… But what happens when they are gone? Any foundation that you lay in a worldly manor can be taken away. First Corinthians 3:11 tells us that “…no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” When everything is gone, you can be assured that if your foundation is built of Jesus…then when people look at you when you are broken & you feel there is no way you can be a light to show Jesus to the world, know that He can work through your brokenness much better than your strength. Let people see your foundation…that can’t be blown away…let them see Jesus in you, even through the storms.

Vern

Zaxby's Lesson

"…my cup overflows.”

(Psalm 23:5)

I was out to eat with one of my sons, at one of our local restaurants, Zaxby’s, when we are at the counter and my son orders, he orders a large "big gulp size" drink…my first thought is, “Hey, we are eating here”, I mean, why get a large cup that you will pay extra for when you can have all you want to drink from the drink fountain. So I said, give him a regular size cup. Found out that he didn’t want to have to get up to refill his cup…lazy teens…LOL.

Why do we think that we have to go and get a bigger cup to catch all the over flow of blessings that God may send our way. In Luke we are told of a story where a man is blessed, and instead of taking the overflow and finding someone to bless he says, “I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods.” God said that he was foolish. We don’t need to build more to hold more; we need to take the overflow and us it to minister, to bless those who God places on our hearts. So take the cup enjoy the blessings it's filled with, and spread the excess. Imagine a world where the body of Christ reached out to the poor and needy, the sick and the homeless, the widow and the orphan. Imagine what would happen if we would have been doing it instead of the government. Instead of people being enslaved by the government, they could have been freed by the King of kings. Instead of people being dependant on Uncle Sam, they would have been independent in Jesus.

Not saying that I’ve always done my part…can’t tell you the number of times I’ve sped up to make the light at the bottom of the off ramp to avoid the guy with the cardboard sign or acted like I was answering my phone when the bell ringer with the kettle spoke to me as I passed by. So don’t hear me judging, heck, I’ve got a tree in my eye. But I believe we could really change lives if we just took the time to look at what we have and look for those who have not, to get into our mind that if we wear the same shirt within a week…we won’t be put to death. That we don’t really need 10 pairs of brown shoes and that I don’t have to have that latest smart phone when I just got one a year ago without the knowledge that the latest was just around the corner.

Look, it’s not about socialism, where the government takes and redistributes, it’s what you do with what God blesses you with…don’t have money or “the finer things”? You still have time, mercy and love…you still have the knowledge of what Christ did for you on the cross…give it. Even if you have “The finer things”, you are still going to need time, mercy and love to give the way Jesus would. It’s not about a government program but a heart filled with the love of Christ Jesus that is willing to stop thinking about themselves & start thinking about the Kingdom.

Vern