The Pursuit of Happiness

The Declaration of Independence: A TranscriptionIN CONGRESS, July 4, 1776.

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America,

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness…

These men were standing together against tyranny and against a form of government that no longer cared about the inalienable rights of individuals as highlighted in red above.  They stood together against a far superior force and military that for any other reason would be overwhelmed if it had not been for God allowing these men to form a nation:  The United States of America.

This post is not about the rich culture of American History and the men that made this such a great nation.  Not every founding father was a professing christian and had a relationship with Jesus Christ, but we read in Romans 8, that that doesn't matter because God will use who He chooses to use for His good and purpose.  I am so thankful to be a part of this country and to be able to be free to speak and to worship and to read the Bible in public venues without fear of persecution or condemnation.  Clearly, some of you may be thinking that this government is so far away from the original statements laid before in this wonderful Declaration, but we have seen this before.  Communists trying overthrow our government through media channels, Nazis infiltrating very aspects of our society and some other modern day Governments that so desperately crave to destroy the very essence of Freedom.

There is a lot that is wrong with this world and even in our country, but remember this, "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God" Romans 3.  No matter how we hope that legislators and rulers and bosses and so on can get the very essence of God's word to promote justice and freedom and the belief for each and everyone of us to pursue life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, we will always find those that want to stunt this thought and have plans of their own.  Plans that our contrary to the word of God and to the very statutes of our creator.

These founding fathers understood the most important lesson in life:  There is a Creator and every knee will bow and tongue will confess.  So what does that mean for you and I?  Simply put, why should each one of us act differently then the world?  Why should we be humble, teachable and respectful of others?  Why should we love the Lord God with all of our heart, mind, body and soul and secondly why should we love our neighbor as ourselves?  Because Jesus told us that these are the two most important commands to follow (because all the others hinge on this).

What rights do we have as legacy dads:

• To love God
• To read his word daily
• To pray often
• To be loved by Him
• To love our wives unconditionally (Read 1 Peter 3:7)
• To love our children unconditionally
• To pursue our happiness (honoring God all the way)
• To be humble in all circumstances
• To trust and obey (for there is no other way)
• To Submit to God's will for our lives (this brings us His plans and His freedoms for our lives)

What if these are not the case in my life?  What if my life is bearing more sinful nature stuff then the fruit of the Spirit? What should I do, Dante? Lance?  Where can I turn?  How can I right this wrong?  How can I turn this ship around?  How can I take this dead marriage back to life?  YOU CAN'T, BUT  GOD CAN MAKE NEW THINGS AND RAISE THE DEAD TO LIFE!!!

Right now, if this speaks to you:

• Pray, ask God to reveal His will for your life (note:  If you are not reading the Bible, then you will not get this request)
• Get involved with other men (in a bible study, in an accountability group - true accountability)
• Love unconditionally
• If there is more deeper issues (scars, hurts, wrongs) get profession biblical help

Wait on God & Trust Him.

Blessings,

Dante

Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s on the sin of lust

Hebrews 12:1-  (NIV) 12 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.The following is a quote from Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s book, Temptation:

"In our members there is a slumbering inclination toward desire, which is both sudden and fierce.  With irresistible power, desire seizes mastery of the flesh.  All at once a secret, smoldering fire is kindled.  The flesh burns and is in flames.  It makes no difference whether it is a sexual desire, or ambition, or vanity, or desire for revenge, our love of fame and power, or greed for money…"

"At this moment God is quite unreal to us. [Remember those words.] He loses all reality, and only desire for the creature is real.  The only reality is the devil.  Satan does not here fill us with hatred of God, but with forgetfulness of God…  The lust thus aroused  envelopes the mind and will of a man in deepest darkness.  The powers of clear discrimination and of decision are taken from us.  The questions present themselves as, ” Is what the flesh desires really sin in this case?” And, ” Is it really not permitted me, yes, expected of me now, here in my particular situation to appease desire?'"

"It is here that everything within me rises up against the Word of God….  Therefore the Bible teaches us in times of temptation in the flesh, there is one command:  Flee!  Flee fornication.  Flee idolatry.  Flee youthful lusts.  Flee the lusts of the world.  There is no resistance to Satan in lust other than flight.  Every struggle against lust in one’s own strength is doomed to failure."

“The essence of chastity is not the suppression of lust, but the total orientation of one's life towards a goal. Without such a goal, chastity is bound to become ridiculous. Chastity is the sine qua non of lucidity and concentration.”

"No sacrifice is too great if it causes us to conquer a lust which cuts us off from Jesus. Both eye and hand are less than Christ, and when they are used as the instruments of lust and hinder the whole body from the purity of discipleship, they must be sacrificed for the sake of Him. The gains of lust are trivial compared with the loss it brings – you forfeit your body eternally for the momentary pleasure of eye or hand. When you have made your eye the instrument of impurity, you cannot see God with it."

----

As a men's ministry leader (and Elder) I find it very interesting to watch different guys and there walks (and some without their walks walking aimlessly and without direction looking to find God's will for their lives, without being in the Word or praying for God's will in our life).  What surprises me most are men that are at peace with mediocrity:

• In a marriage that is just coasting instead of healthy and vibrant
• In a marriage that is lacking friendship, intimacy and security and trust
• In a job that is not God-honoring (meaning that the man (employee) is not serving God instead of serving his self
• In a family that he is completely disconnected with
• In a church or community that he is just going through the motions with

I do not have the statistics on me this evening, but talking with my wife a while back, there were studies on marriages that were either flailing (failing or downright dead) and the couples that stuck through it, got counseling and worked on their communication were 5 times happier than couples that ended in divorce and were left wanting (hurting and remorseful).

The thing about sin (lust, temptation and desire) is that at that "moment" or time when we are called to flee and instead finding ourselves sticking around the temptation the positive results are never positive and I don't care who you are that says otherwise.  I will stand on scripture and believe that God's ways and his plan for the abundant life far outweighs our knowledge (the world's knowledge) on what we should do for ourselves.  Scripture is clear:  FLEE (Run, Move quickly, do not be slow, GET AWAY NOW) from the temptation of sin.

I love the men and saints who have come before us who have been deeply rooted in scripture and the study thereof.  They may or may not be smarter than us in this current day, but they have put the miles in on their relationship with God and His word and prayer.  They have been battled (spiritual) tested (in Dietrich's case:  both spiritually and physically at war) and have left great thoughts and writings (paved the way for us to go).

We can choose two things in life:

• Our attitude
• Whom we will serve

As for me and my house, we choose to serve the Lord.

Blessings,

Dante

Are smart phones a sin....?

Before I go into different parallels on this question, I wanted to ask you, the reader, what your initial reaction was?  Was it:  1) No way! 2) Hmmm 3) I never really thought about that 4) hmmm, okay, I can see where this is going?  If you are truly in tune with the word and with our old self (sin nature) and our new self (a new creation in Christ) then you could clearly choose option 3 and or option 4.The reality of the question really becomes what is the writer really trying to ask me.   Does it have to be a phone?  Can it be a computer, a tv, a car, a person, a cherished item and/or what.  The real question is:  Are they any people, places or things in your life that are a sin?  Now you are probably saying how can a people be a sin in my life?  That is a fair question and one that deserves to be answered (not yet).  Stay with me, please.

To be in tune with what I am really asking, ask yourselves these questions:

• Is the Lord over areas in my life, or does He control them all?
• Are there idols in my life that I need to destroy or set in their proper place?
• How can I serve two masters?
• Is what I prioritize in my life honoring God?
• If not, why not?

Job 12:6English Standard Version (ESV) 6 The tents of robbers are at peace, and those who provoke God are secure, who bring their god in their hand.[a]

How can people, places or things be a sin in our life?  When we put the word of God into this perspective, then the answer really is:  easily!  Some choose to idolize a movie star, a child, a rock star, and so on.  Others choose to worship stuff and assets and things that they covet and yet still others choose to put things before God making all these other things a small "g" (god).

So, back to the original paragraph: How can a cell phone be a sin?  Simply put, if it comes before everything else in our life.  Seriously, next time you go out to dinner with the family (put down your cell phone, heck, turn it off and leave it in the car) and watch your family.  Watch the people around you and watch how everyone (even intimate relationships) put these idols before their very own lives.

Technology is not a sin when we use it for good.  However, as humans, not many of us know how to filter, how to time manage and how not to covet what the world throws at us.  I know this, because as I type these very words, I am convicted by some of these idols in my life.

So the focus question here for all of us:

Is the Lord the Lord over all of our lives?Thoughts?

Dante

Be Watchful, Stand Firm, Act Like Men

"What does this verse mean to you?

To Calvin, it meant, "13. Watch ye. A short exhortation, but of great weight. He exhorts them to watch, in order that Satan may not oppress them, finding them off their guard. For as the warfare is incessant, the watching requires to be incessant too. Now watchfulness of spirit is this -- when, free and disentangled from earthly cares, we meditate on the things of God. For as the body is weighed down by surfeiting and drunkenness, (Luke 21:34,) so as to be fit for nothing, so the cares and lusts of the world, idleness or carelessness, are like a spiritual surfeiting that overpowers the mind. [169]

The second thing is that they persevere in the faith, or that they hold fast the faith, so as to stand firm; because that is the foundation on which we rest. It is certain, however, that he points out the means of perseverance -- by resting upon God with a firm faith.

In the third exhortation, which is much of the same nature, he stirs them up to manly fortitude. And, as we are naturally weak, he exhorts them fourthly to strengthen themselves, or gather strength. For where we render it be strong, Paul makes use of only one word, which is equivalent to strengthen yourselves.

14. Let all your things be done in love Again he repeats what is the rule in all those transactions, in which we have dealings with one another. He wishes, then, that love shall be the directress; because the Corinthians erred chiefly in this respect -- that every one looked to himself without caring for others.

-----

To US:  What does this verse mean (what should this verse mean) for Legacy dads around the world:

Be Watchful

• Study the word of God
• Know the way your enemy works
• Be on Guard and ready to act
• Flee from evil

Stand firm in the faith

• Do not give in to peer pressure
• Be ready to give an answer
• Don't be swayed from the truth

Act Like Men

• Read Here

Be Strong

• Trust in the Lord
• Do not lean on your own understanding
• God is our strong tower (our refuge)
• He is our strength
• Find your Joy in the Lord (for the joy in Him is our Strength)

Let All That You Do Be Done In Love

• Read Here
• Carry Each other's burdens
• Love one another
• Do not devour your Christian brothers and sisters

What are you thoughts on this?

Dante

The Ultimate Gifts

Both Lance and I have posted on the Movie, The Ultimate Gift, back in 2007 and 2011, and I decided to have my family watch that movie last night.  My three kids (ages 10, 9 and 7) all thoroughly enjoyed the movie and were saddened with tears through parts of the movie.  I learned a lot about my kids (more teachable moments) in that was both my intention and my hope that they would connect to a life lesson that I was trying to bring them.  The theme of the movie is in its title:  The Ultimate Gift and my family and I were not let down.There are gifts that the main character has to learn throughout the movie (that are applicable to life)

• The Gift of Work - if you can appreciate this gift and learn to love the gift you can accomplish anything in life
• The Gift of Money - when you realize good stewardship and that its all God's, then you can appreciate what He has given you
• The Gift of Friends - when hard times hit, you know who you true friends truly are
• The Gift of Learning - you will never be old enough to continue to learn, appreciate the learning times
• The Gift of Problems - Read James 1 (life will not be easy, it's how you embrace them that can carry you through)
• The Gift of Family - No matter what, family (both biological and church) should always be close to you (and your heart)
• The Gift of Laughter - Life is too serious, enjoy these precious moments of laughter
• The Gift of Dreams - Set the curve high and reach for God's best in your life
• The Gift of Giving - to give is truly better than to receive, for the blessing lies in this
• The Gift of Gratitude - appreciate these moments that others do for you no matter how significant or insignificant
• The Gift of a Day - life, as it is said, is way too short, so appreciate the days that the Lord has given you
• The Gift of Love - the Ultimate Gift!  In one of my favorite musicals (Les Miserables) there is a line that says, "to love another person is to see the Face of God"...

What I really liked about this movie is:  Everything!  What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his own soul (answer:  nothing!).  This movie encapsulates a road to discipleship that is biblical and that it truly tells you that giving is better than receiving.  This is completely counter-culturual in that it shows you that when you give without expectation (letting the right hand not know what the left hand is doing) God's blessing is so much better than what we possibly could think.

This movie aloud me the privilege to share a beautiful teaching moment with my family - What really matters in life.  I taught about God's love for us and what he calls us to do in return.  My youngest (7) was hit hard with the realization of death and that one day mom and dad will be gone (be sensitive to this), but what the tears aloud us to do was to connect on so many different levels.  I learned not to be afraid to share bitter truths in life with our kids.  The reality and frailty of this conversation led to a much bigger theme:  The Gift of Family and the Gift of Love (God's love for us).  When we put these things in our life and move towards God's path for us, then we find the abundant life that He promises us.

I would love to see a follow-up movie on this.  My theme in this would be a man who used to be a trust-fund brat and totally of this world, moving to a true disciple of Jesus Christ making a difference in the world.  Looking like something Job quotes in his book: Job 29.

Trust in the Lord with all of your heart and lean not on your own understanding.  In all of your ways acknowledge him and He will make your paths straight (Proverbs 3).

Blessings,

Dante

PS - there is a sequel/prequel called the ultimate life (movie preview to follow once it is viewed)

Movie Review: When the Game Stands Tall

My wife and I recently rented the movie, When the Game Stands Tall.  We were very pleased with this rental and thoroughly enjoyed the life lessons that were taught in it.  A lot of these themes coincidentally lineup with Lance and I and to be more specific, line up with truth in Scripture.It amazes me when Hollywood veers away from truth in Scripture and tries to create their own dialogue and sensationalism (ie. Noah and Exodus - not true at all to Scritpure.  Hollywood needs to learn, that whether we like it, believe it, and or just down right demand it - there is a lot of wealth to be made if they stick to biblical truth and tell the story that God's word has been doing forever!

That being said, some life lessons that were given through the movie:

• When you base your life on truth in Scripture (you will have a good life).  This does not mean that you will be free from trials and tribulations, but you will have a good life
• Scripture (and the truth in Scripture) can change a community (For the better)
• Do not ignore your primary role as spiritual leader to your wife and kids (it not only is your main directive, it is imperative to making their faith real)
• Carry each others burdens (community is essential in the Christian life)
• Forgive (even when it is hard)
• Be humble in all circumstances

The movie was very entertaining and brought home so very biblical principles.  www.legacydad.com movie review:  A-

Blesssings,

D

The Secret to Life - A 75 Year Study from Harvard University

This Saturday will be the first Men of Faith (men's group) of the year 2015 and I will have the pleasure to lead this group.  There are times in life when I like to look at secular viewpoints so I Googled the "Secret to Life" and was overjoyed when I find this article from the Huffington Post written back in 2013, The 75-Year Study that found the Secrets to a fulfilling life.  To put it simply, there was a Harvard University Grant that followed 268 male Harvard undergrads from the classes of 1938 to 1940 who are well into their 90's at present day.  George Vaillant, the Harvard Psychiatrist, who conducted this study from 1972 to 2004 wrote a book about it, in order to revisit the findings.  Below were 5 lessons from the Grant Study to apply to your own pursuit of a happier and more meaningful life (I will add scripture context to see if this hold true):Love Is Really All That Matters:  "It may seem obvious, but that doesn’t make it any less true: Love is key to a happy and fulfilling life. As Vaillant puts it, there are two pillars of happiness. "One is love," he writes. "The other is finding a way of coping with life that does not push love away."  (Scripture test:  Click Here).

It's About More than Money and Power:  "The Grant Study's findings echoed those of other studies -- that acquiring more money and power doesn't correlate to greater happiness. That’s not to say money or traditional career success don’t matter. But they’re small parts of a much larger picture -- and while they may loom large for us in the moment, they diminish in importance when viewed in the context of a full life."  (Scripture test:  Click Here)

Regardless of How We Begin Life, We Can All Become Happier:  "A man named Godfrey Minot Camille went into the Grant study with fairly bleak prospects for life satisfaction: He had the lowest rating for future stability of all the subjects and he had previously attempted suicide. But at the end of his life, he was one of the happiest. Why? As Vaillant explains, “He spent his life searching for love.” (Scripture Test:  Click Here)

Connection Is Crucial:  ""Joy is connection,” Vaillant says. "The more areas in your life you can make connection, the better." The study found strong relationships to be far and away the strongest predictor of life satisfaction. And in terms of career satisfaction, too, feeling connected to one's work was far more important than making money or achieving traditional success.  "The conclusion of the study, not in a medical but in a psychological sense, is that connection is the whole shooting match," says Vaillant.  As life goes on, connections become even more important. The Grant Study provides strong support for the growing body of research that has linked social ties withlongevity, lower stress levels and improved overall well-being.  (Scripture Test:  Click Here)

Challenges --and the Perspective They Give You -- Can Make You Happier:  The journey from immaturity to maturity, says Vaillant, is a sort of movement from narcissism to connection, and a big part of this shift has to do with the way we deal with challenges.  Coping mechanisms -- “the capacity to make gold out of s*@t,” as Vaillant puts it -- have a significant effect on social support and overall well-being. The secret is replacing narcissism, a single-minded focus on one's own emotional oscillations and perceived problems, with mature coping defenses, Vaillant explains, citing Mother Teresa and Beethoven as examples. “Mother Teresa had a perfectly terrible childhood, and her inner spiritual life was very painful," says Vaillant. "But she had a highly successful life by caring about other people. Creative expression is another way to productively deal with challenges and achieve meaning and well-being. "The secret of Beethoven being able to cope with misery through his art was when he wrote 'Ode to Joy,'" says Vaillant. "Beethoven was able to make connection with his music."  (Scripture test:  Click Here)

---------

Some questions that I would have asked these men in this Grant Study:

• Do you know the Lord as Savior?
• How did you come to find these answers (through the Word of God)?
• Why is Love so important to you?

Harvard Laws of 1642:

Harvard College Lawes of 1642 (from New England's First Fruits)

1. When any Schollar is able to Read Tully or such like classicall Latine Author ex tempore, and make and speake true Latin in verse and prose suo (ut aiunt)Marte, and decline perfectly the paradigmes of Nounes and verbes in the Greeke tongue, then may hee bee admitted into the  College, nor shall any claime admission before such qualifications.2. Every one shall consider the mayne End of his life and studyes, to know God and Jesus Christ which is Eternall life. Joh. 17.3.3. Seeing the Lord giveth wisdome, every one shall seriously by prayer in secret, seeke wisdome of him. prov. 2.2,3 etc.4. Every one shall so exercise himselfe in reading the Scriptures twice a day that they bee ready to give an account of their proficiency therein, both in theoreticallobservations of Language and Logicke, and in practicall and spirituall truthes as their tutor shall require according to their severall abilities respectively, seeing the Entrance of the word giveth light etc. psal. 119, 130.5. In the publicke Church assembly they shall carefully shunne all gestures that shew any contempt or neglect of Gods ordinances and bee ready to give an account to their tutors of their profiting and to use the helpes of Storing themselves with knowledge, as their tutours shall direct them, and all Sophisters and Bachellors (until themselves make common place) shall publiquely repeate Sermons in the Hall whenver they are called forth.6. they shall eschew all prophanation of Gods holy name, attributes, word, ordinances, and times of worship, and study with Reverence and love carefully toreteine God and his truth in their minds.7. they shall honour as their parents, Magistrates, Elders, tutours and aged persons, by beeing silent in their presence (except they bee called on to answer)not gainesaying shewing all those laudable expressions of honour and Reverence in their presence, that are in uses as bowing before them standing uncovered or the like.8. they shall be slow to speake, and eschew not onely oathes, Lies, and uncertaine Rumours, but likewise all idle, foolish, bitter scoffing, frothy wanton words and offensive gestures.

Happy New Year - From Legacy Dad

Jeremiah 29:11 (ESV) “11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare[a] and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”Philippians 3:13-14 (ESV) “13 Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

Whether you celebrate the New Year by toasting grape juice, pillows (going to bed early), or even Champagne, we would like you to look back for a gander in 2014.  For some of you, it has been full of travel and work and more travel and for others it has been just another year under the belt.   For some, it has been a year of trials and tribulations and for others it has been a year of jubilee and blessing.  While yet, for others, it may have been a year of both trial and blessing.  Whatever and where ever you are in this life - we would like to humbly wish you all a very Happy New Year.

So what is our challenge for 2015?

• Calling all Legacy dads:
• Strain toward the goal (finish well)
• Press toward walking more with God
• Lean more on God (Jesus and His Spirit) and less on ourselves
• Declare God's plan for our lives (and not our own)

When we work toward the goal of Jesus, we learn to work out our salvation with fear and trembling, then we see more of God's will in our lives and less of our will.

Remember, God does have plans for us - really good plans.

Happy New Year and the best to your and your families in 2015!

Blessings,

Lance & Dante