By Eric Abney

Most people love their morning coffee.  We all have our morning routines where we head to the local coffee shop or brew our own before we leave the house.  I noticed one day after I had purchased my coffee that I was having a hard time drinking it with the lid on.  I felt like I had to suck it out instead of it just pouring out freely.  As I examined my coffee cup I noticed that there were two holes in the lid.  One was on one side where your lips would be.  The other was on the other side.  One is a small pin hole for venting purposes.  That hole was stopped up.  I had to clear it so that the cup could breathe and allow the coffee to freely flow out of the cup.

We too need to breathe.

Sometimes we get clogged up with life’s troubles.  We need to vent, let the air out.  We need to talk to someone.  If I continue to drink my coffee with the vent plugged, sometimes the vent breaks under pressure and the coffee just flows right into my mouth unhindered and I am not ready for it.  The coffee burns my lips, tongue, and roof of my mouth, and often overflows to the outside of my face then falling right into my crotch.  I then have a moment of coming to my senses after various parts of my body have been scalded and as I am using some sort of napkin to wipe myself off I usually think of several four letter words that I could use to describe my feelings in this situation.  In this moment I realize if we don’t vent we too will blow up.  We can only keep things bottled up inside for so long.  The pressure will build up and we will let go and whoever is around will not be ready for it.  The other people around us in that moment will be scalded by our words and/or our actions.  We will be left to clean up after ourselves, but the things we’ve said and the things we’ve done cannot be taken back.  So take a moment, sit back, breathe, and let someone know what’s going on.  They are ready to listen, be ready to vent.  Breathe on!

Be Encouraged and Live Adventurously,
-Eric

New Name Blog

By Jeremy Glaze

Relationships are one of the most valuable possessions that we have in life.  Whether it is our relationship with God, our spouse, children, parents, or friends, there is not much that we hold closer to our hearts.  I have finally begun to realize the direct correlation that my relationship with others has with my relationship with God.  I have heard the golden rule many times, “Do to others as you would have them do to you” (Luke 6:31), but there was something else that Jesus said that really hit home for me.  He said “whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me” (Matthew 25:40).  I realize that He was talking about helping the ones who are in need here, but I don’t think it is too far-fetched to apply this to our relationships as well.

So I have asked myself the following questions.  How much better could my relationship with my wife be if I realize the way I treat her is the way I am treating Christ Himself?  If the way I act toward the ones I work with is the way I am acting toward God, how much would my attitude improve?  And finally, if the way I react to someone in need is the way I am reacting to God, how compassionate would I be?  Every relationship I have would be so much better if I applied that whatever I do to others, I am doing to God.  I would become an overall better person.  And most importantly, my relationship with God would strengthen.

Again, relationships are valuable.  When it is all said and done, our relationships are what we will look back on.  So let’s try to make them the best they can be.  And in doing so, I believe we will be the light that God has called us to be.

Jeremy Glaze

New Name Blog

By Jason Glaze

It was a lazy Sunday afternoon I was chilling out at the house watching TV when my youngest son Will walked up to me and asked me a question that brought a huge smile to my face.  He asked, “Daddy, will you set up a ramp for me so I can jump my bicycle?”  I love it when I see the adventurous spirit in my kids come out so I jumped up and went down to the basement to see if I could find anything to use for a ramp.  After looking around for a while I came up with what I needed and went into the front yard to set up the ramp up.  I made the jump high enough to give Will the thrill he was looking for but low enough not to scare him to death.

So the jumping began!  Before his first jump Will had that look in his eye like he was on an episode of Nitro Circus or something.  His first jump was a success, so were his second and third.  After a while I could tell that he wanted me to go back inside so he could be alone.  I was like this as a kid also.  I liked to do my thrill seeking alone so I could really pretend like I was Evil Knievel raising my arms in victory after each jump.  So I left him alone and went back inside.

About 30 minutes later the front door opened and in walked Will with tears rolling down his cheeks as he grasped at his knee.  Yep, he crashed!  It wasn’t anything too serious, nothing that a little ice
couldn’t take care of.  I could tell that Will was crying from fear as much as he was from the physical pain.  I began to wonder if his jumping days were over.

Here is where the story gets really good for me.  The next day I was at the office.  It was late afternoon and I had just finished up a counseling session when my phone rang.  I answered the phone and heard the sweet yet brave voice of my little boy ask, “Daddy, would it be okay if I set up the ramp and jumped some more?”  With pride in my voice I answered, “Absolutely!”

When I got home I told Will that I was so proud of him.  He did something that is very hard to do.  He had gotten hurt, but he was not willing to allow the fear of getting hurt again stop him from doing
what he loved.

Anytime we get hurt in life, the fear of getting hurt again always follows.  It’s normal.  But the question is this….  Is that fear of getting hurt again holding us back?  Is the fear preventing us from taking the risk of being fully alive and living as our true selves?  Personally, I want to let Will’s story be my story.  Having courage does not mean that we don’t feel fear.  True courage is not allowing that fear to keep us from living.

New Name Blog

By Eric Abney

When was the last time you set out for some sort of escapade only to find yourself let down by what you experienced.  It happens quite often, we look for some sort of satisfaction in different things and in different ways.  Some of us try to accomplish things and in all the doing we just don’t feel as though we have done enough.  Others of us look to people to help us feel what we want to feel, but people have consistently let us down.  Sometimes we buy possessions hoping that when we have them we will attain some sort of fullness.  Many of us try to control our situations and circumstances.  In doing so we think we will get what we need.  Often we may try to become whatever the circumstances may call for.  We do this because we want to be liked and ultimately we want to fit in, but even in trying to become all things to all people we may feel lacking at the end of the day.

Could it be that in all of these things we were never suppose to get real satisfaction and completeness.  If I’m honest I hear this come to life when people begin to talk about their first sexual experience.  They say, “It didn’t give me what I thought I was going to get.”  Which poses the question: “What are we looking for?”  I think we are looking for love.  We are also looking to be accepted.  We want to feel some sense of value, a sense of being worthy or worth something.  We all want to feel safe, to have some sense of security.  Time after time we launch out on our own to try and satisfy these needs.  We can not satisfy them.  We can’t satisfy them for ourselves, nor for other people.  Don’t get me wrong, we can do it for a while, but it ends up being futile.  There is a design and blueprint that is a part of us.  It is at the center of our being.  That design was for someone far bigger than us to meet these crucial needs.  We can only know true love, real acceptance, intrinsic value, and certain security in the person of who God is.  Everything else is only trying to squeeze blood out of a turnip or press water out of a rock.  It won’t happen, it can’t happen.  It’s not the way it was designed to happen.

Be Challenged and Live Adventurously,
-Eric

New Name Blog

New Name CTC held a special event this weekend called Awaken To Your New Names.  The event was a huge success and we would like to thank everyone involved who made this possible.  We would like to give an extra thanks to all who joined us in attendance.  We hope that it was just as exciting for you as it was for us.

By Eric Abney

When I was 15 my Dad found the coolest car for me.  It was a 1979 Z28 Camaro.  When I turned 16 my Dad would let me drive the car to school and to work.  I remember one of the first places I drove was a high school football game.  It felt amazing.  One night I was coming home from a retail store and I got behind someone going 50 miles an hour.  Well clearly the speed limit was 55 and I was in an incredible car that wanted to go faster.  I got to a place in the road just before a bridge and I went for it.  I punched it and pulled into the other lane.  About the time the first half of my car was in line with the rear half of the car in front of me a strange thing happened.  There was a small dip in the road ahead only large enough to hide someone’s headlights for a few moments and as I was passing this car all of a sudden I saw headlights rise above the dip in the road much like the sun rises into view above the horizon.  We were headed for a head-on collision.  I completely freaked out and slammed on the brakes.  I jerked my wonderful gold Camaro to the right and began to spin out of control.  I ran over someone’s mailbox and found myself on the side of the road facing the wrong way.  To my right I saw the people who had been headed straight for me.  They were pulled over, but not for long.  They pulled away as soon as I looked over.  I’m sure they were thinking, “We need to get out of here before this drunk guy goes nuts and tries to chase us down.”  I pulled into the driveway of the folks whose mailbox was lying in the middle of the road.  I threw it in the ditch and went and told them I was sorry and I would be back tomorrow to fix the mailbox and post.

I drove home in shock and disbelief.  I could not believe this had happened to me.  I thought God was out to get me, like He was trying to make a teenager’s life hell so I would fully live for Him.  I was upset and angry.  What was interesting to me is what I said to my father when I got home that night.  I pulled into the driveway late and my Dad came out to meet me.  I knew I had to tell him.  He was going to see the car anyway.  My words to him were, “Dad, God just isn’t blessing me right now.”

I think it’s interesting how we pull God into things.  Let’s be honest, this wasn’t God’s fault, this was my fault. I pulled into the lane to pass.  I freaked out and mishandled the car.  If anything God had protected me from killing myself or someone else.  It’s just it didn’t feel like it at the time.  Feelings are a big deal and they deserve to be acknowledged, but we can’t simply act on how we feel, we must choose to respond.  I needed to take responsibility for what I had done.  In this case God was concerned about my safety, not wrecking my car to talk me into living for Him.

In some way have you shrugged off your responsibility onto God so you wouldn’t have to deal with it?  Think about it.  Maybe it’s time to stand up and stop saying “that’s God’s fault” and start saying, “You know what, I am responsible for that.  It’s my fault. I am to blame.”  Taking responsibility allows us to be honest.  When we are honest we become free.  When we are honest we have more intimacy with this loving God that truly protects us.  What is it that you are responsible for today?

Be Challenged and Live Adventurously,

-Eric

New Name Blog

By Jeremy Glaze

Do you know Dave Matthews?  If you have been under a rock and do not, we need to talk because you are missing out.  I am kind of a music nut and I am a fan of Dave Matthews.  I can tell you about all the albums he has released, recite the lyrics to most all his songs, and tell you the meaning behind a lot them.  I can play several of the songs on the guitar.  I have seen the DMB in concert a number of times.  But I have never met Dave Matthews.  I do not know him personally.

I also love the NFL.  I was sad last week after the Super Bowl because I realized that football is over for several months.  It was a great Super Bowl.  The only thing that could have made it better if the Packers or Vikings would have got in.  I have been a Brett Favre fan since the early 90’s.  I can tell you all about his NFL career, stats, and records.   I have been to Lambeau Field to watch him play.  But I have never had a conversation with Brett Favre. I do not know much about him away from the football field.

My point is that it is possible to know someone with out really knowing them.  And it does not just have to be some one famous.  It could be your college professor that you have never talked to outside of class.  It could be a client or coworker that you have never had a conversation with outside of work.  It could be someone that you go to church with.

Most importantly, it could be God.

I have known about God all my life.  I do not remember a time in my life where I did not proclaim to be a Christian.  I know there has never been a season where I was not in church.  I read the bible, I have chosen a doctrine to follow, and I even have a faith in Christ to try to live my life by.  But I cannot say that I have always personally known God.
You see, God is not just the higher power that we choose to believe in.  Jesus cannot be narrowed down to a religion that we try to follow.

The point of following Christ is relationship.  Jesus called His followers His friends.  And unlike the people I mentioned above, we have the opportunity to know God personally.  He is here for us to talk to, to listen to.  We can know about Him more than just as a historical figure, more than just an example to follow.  We can know His heart, His mind, and His tendencies.  More than the friend, parent, sibling, or spouse that we know like the back of my hand, we can know God intimately.  Regardless, He already knows us.  He knows our every thought, all our needs, and even the number of hairs on our head.  We cannot hide anything from Him, and He does not hide anything from us.  No matter how great our spouse, friend, parents, and siblings are, they are not perfect.  And we are not perfect to them.  But God is perfect.  He can never fail us.  He will never lead us the wrong way.  And He is always here with us.

So I encourage us not to seek a religion, a denomination, or church.  Let’s seek a relationship with the Lord of the earth who laid down His life for His friends.  The rest will come.  Let’s get to know Him.  Let’s find a quite place where we are still, and listen to Him.  He is all around us, moving in our lives.  He is talking to us.  Let’s make sure that we are listening.

Jeremy Glaze

New Name Blog

By Jason Glaze

What are we doing to ourselves and each other when we see people in the light of stereotypes?  This is a subject that I am extremely sensitive to and nothing would thrill me more than to see this change.

Stereotyping is a common problem in all areas of society, but in my opinion no where does it do more damage than among those of us who follow Christ.

Modern vs. Postmodern
Conservative vs. Liberal
Traditional vs. Contemporary
Small Church vs. Mega Church….
And the list goes on and on.

I’m well aware that there are unique differences among us and the last thing we need is a bunch of cookie-cutter Christians.  I also believe there is a place for healthy debate when it comes to these subjects.  However, I believe we can have these differences without having the attitude that seems to often come along with these differences.

I’m growing weary of any way of thinking that creates an “Us vs Them” mentality.  I’m growing weary of anything that causes division in a body that is already painfully divided.  Is it possible for us to let these stereotypes go?  Can we die to the attitude that says if you are not “into” what I’m “into” you are not as spiritual as I am?  Can we simply be ourselves without judging those who are not like us?  We may not even be causing division with our words but our attitudes are speaking loudly.

I know that the change I want to see starts with me, so I have an idea for action concerning this problem and I’ll take the lead and go first.  I right now give anyone who knows me permission to call me out if they ever see this attitude of division in me.

Now it’s your turn.

Jason Glaze

New Name Blog

By Eric Abney

I can remember growing up and getting a lego set for Christmas or my birthday.  I was never really big on reading the instructions I would just build stuff.  I thought that I could come up with some pretty cool things but if I’m honest, nothing I made ever looked as cool as what was on the instructions.

Well wouldn’t you know that as I grew up and became a man I never really read instructions. . . for anything.  Once my Dad was helping me wire up something in my car and in doing so we had to disconnect the battery.  After we were done we reconnected the battery and I began to check everything to be sure that it worked.  I found that my electric window on the driver’s side was not working properly.  I was distraught. I began to check fuses and think we might have cut one of the wires in our wiring process.  I was at my wits end and I thought I was going to have to take the car into the shop.  But before I did that I thought, “I had better pull out the instruction manual.”  I did, and in reading the instructions I found that when we disconnected the battery the driver’s side switch reset and all I had to do was hold it down for a few seconds and “shazam!!!” it was working like new.  In our lives often times I feel as though we just build things much like I did with legos.  We “build” our homes, families, businesses, and dreams and at the end of the day I wonder if we just end up building “stuff”.

God said this in the book of Psalms 32:8 “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go.  I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.”  He instructs us.  Often times we seek the instruction only when something we don’t want to happen happens, much like when my window was broken.  What would happen if we right now heeded whatever instruction God was giving us?  What would our lives look like?  Can you see your life becoming the picture God has painted for you?  Just as with my lego building collection there was a picture of what was to be built.  I believe God himself has a picture of what is to be built in our own lives.  If we try to build something on our own it never looks as good as when we read the instructions and follow the way that is laid out for us.  What are the instructions God is giving to you?  His instruction may lead to you greater peace than you have ever imagined.

Be Encouraged and Live Adventurously,

-Eric

New Name Blog

By Jeremy Glaze

If you are unfamiliar with the story of the prodigal son, I strongly suggest that you read Luke 15: 11-32.  In my opinion it is one of the most important parables that Jesus told.  There is so much in this passage, but I am only going to touch on one verse here.  The parable is about a wealthy father and his two sons.  One of the sons ask the father for his share of the estate, then leaves the family the to go live on his own out in the world.  This son ends up blowing all his money on living wildly.  And after he was broke, a severe famine struck the country and he had absolutely nothing.  He was hungry.  He ended up with a job feeding pigs, but he was not even allowed to eat the food that he was feeding to the pigs.  He finally had enough and decided to go back to his family.  He prepared a short speech for his dad asking him to take him back as a servant, and he headed home.

I imagine that this was a long journey home.  I picture doing stupid things as a teenager and having to go home and tell my parents what I did and how I let them down.  Those were always long rides home.  Or when I had to call them to come get me, awaiting their arrival was the most painful part of the whole process.  And to think that this particular son left home and blew his whole inheritance from his father on hookers and who knows whatever else.  That would be a tough ride home.  I can see him preparing what he would say as he journeyed home.  ”Dad, I’m sorry, I have let you down, I don’t deserve to be in the family, just let me be a servant.”

But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him.  He ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him (Luke 15:20).

Wow.  Just think about that.  While the son was still a long way off, his father saw him. The son did not have to walk up and knock on the door.  He did not have to ask the father to let him back in.  While he was still a long way off, his father saw him.  What does that say about the father?  It says to me that the father was looking for him, he was waiting on him to come home.  I do not know how long he was away from home, but due to the fact that he had enough time to blow all of his inheritance, I am thinking he was gone for awhile.  And I bet his dad spent several days watching the road that lead up to the house.  Just waiting for his son to come home.  And when he saw the little figure walking up in the distance, before he could even make out who it was was, I bet a smile came over his face and tears flooded his eyes.  I can almost hear him saying with excitement in his voice, “there he is!!”

He ran to his son. As soon as he saw his son, he ran to meet him.  He did not wait for his son to come to him, he ran to his son.  He threw his arms around him and kissed him.  Considering the son was broke, starving, and had been working in a pig pin, I can almost guarantee he was nasty.  And he most likely stunk something awful.  And his father hugged him and kissed him.  He did not wait for his son to come inside and clean up, He ran to where his son was at and hugged and kissed him as he was.  Through the filth.

You see, most all of us have ran away from God before.  I have done this.  I have left and spent all my money and time on the awful things of this world.  And notice how we do not come back to God while everything is still ok.  We wait until we are broke, hungry, nasty, and in a pig pin before we realize we need to come back home.  And the second that God sees us realize this, He comes running toward us.  He… runs… to us.  That is amazing to me.  And He does not wait until we get right with ourselves or get right with God.  He doesn’t wait until we start doing the right things.  He wraps His arms around us right there where we are at and kisses our nasty face.  When we stink, filthy with sin, He holds us and kisses us.

This goes against all logic.  This goes against all human nature.   But this is Grace.  This is Love.

It’s Amazing Grace, Amazing Love.

Jeremy Glaze

New Name Blog