Charisa Stories

Tag: new creation

  • The Magic of Opening Day Applies to My Faith

    In my mind there is no more special day in sports than Opening Day in baseball. It is an annual rite of Spring to post this article on the magic of Opening Day. The smell of freshly cut emerald green grass delights the senses. The base lines painstakingly and perfectly defined by a grounds crew that is committed to perfection on this day. Red, white, and blue bunting give the ball park a festive World Series look. The players bounce around like little boys. They seem a little extra grateful that they are paid to play a kid’s game.

    The hot dogs taste like gourmet food. Humphrey Bogard wisely said that “a hot dog at the ballpark is better than a steak at the Ritz”. Souvenirs a young fan begs for become treasures to be kept until adulthood. And then it becomes a challenge to explain to your wife why a twenty-five-year old bobble head needs to be in the china cabinet.

    Children skip school and parents do not care because memories are being made for both of them. There was no shot I loved more in my years as a television director than the one of a Dad or Mom pointing to the field and explaining this wonderful game to their child.

    The atmosphere is truly magic. It is Opening Day and every team has hope. Every team is undefeated. Who will be this year’s team that surprises and surpasses all expectations?

    Fans all around the country have dreams and they are hopefully, or perhaps hopelessly, optimistic. This is a new day and a new season. Old mistakes are forgotten. Past errors are no longer important. Today is the annual renewal of the incredible marathon that is big league baseball. It is a clean slate. The team has a new identity.

    I once longed for such a defining moment in my spiritual journey. It took me a long time to understand that God’s Word tells us that every day is like Opening Day (Dave’s paraphrase). I do have a clean slate because of Christ. There is hope. Yesterday’s sins are forgotten if you have accepted the gift of Jesus on the Cross. Every morning that I awake and see the magic of a new sunrise I know that I am renewed, redeemed, and ready to face the day whatever life pitches are thrown my way. I don’t have to wait a year to have a chance for renewal. Paul writes that every day holds the spiritual magic of renewal and victory in Christ.

    This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. (I Corinthians 5:17-18, NLT)

    I am grateful that in my spiritual journey God that has given me a chance for “Opening Day” renewal every day of my life. I have had some really bad seasons during my career as a follower of Jesus. But I am learning that every day is a gift. I had 37 Opening Days as a television director. Now I hope for many more as a fan with my precious grandchildren. Dan Patrick once quipped about an injured player. “He is listed as day to day. But then again, aren’t we all?”

    The fragile nature of our lives makes the bigger questions so much more important even as I enjoy the hope of Opening Day. Every day of my journey with Jesus can be like this special day in baseball. I can be transformed and new. Past losses (sins) can be redeemed and forgiven. There can be an exhilarating freshness in the journey. I can realize that I am a child of God and I can be grateful that I get to call Him Father. I can believe that my hope for the future is real. I can understand that I can be a better teammate to others that I encounter and not expect my team to be perfect. The magic of a fresh start happens once a year in baseball. It can happen every day for a follower of Jesus when we focus on His amazing Grace

  • Eternal Hope Blooms Each Spring

    Texas seasons can be brutal for plants and trees. Last summer the heat and lack of rain impacted a new tree Joni and I had planted that spring. A deep winter freeze added to the struggle. As spring began we were not sure if our tree had survived.

    Day after day the limbs were barren. Then one glorious day tiny buds began to appear on the branches. These green buds sprouted in defiance of summer and winters brutal assault. I stopped and meditated on the miracle of life emerging out of barrenness.

    I thought of the words of philosopher Bernard Williams. “The day the Lord created hope was probably the same day he created Spring.”

    I love that. 

    Is there anything more hopeful than watching the beauty of budding leaves and blooming flowers turning the melancholy of winter into a wondrous palette of invigorating colors? Every spring is a reminder that God will bring beauty from darkness and life from death. 

    The world can seem to be in a state of perpetual winter. But for followers of Jesus we see signs of life even in the darkness. Like that bit of green emerging from a lifeless branch we have a hope this spring. 

    The resurrection. Jesus has conquered death. 

    Martin Luther poetically wrote this. “Our Lord has written the promise of resurrection, not in books alone, but in every leaf in springtime.”

    Followers of Jesus have a hope that our lives are eternal and valuable in Him. We have a hope that death is not final.

    Then, when our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die, this Scripture will be fulfilled:

    “Death is swallowed up in victory.
    O death, where is your victory?
        O death, where is your sting?    ”

    For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power.  But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ.  So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless. (1 Corinthians 15:54-58, NLT)

    Nothing we do for the Lord is ever useless. Nothing! And even as we face the reality of a dangerous world we know we have the twin promise of victory over sin and death through Jesus. So as spring continues I choose to marvel at the renewing of life and the hope that holds for all of us. Paul wrote about this miracle.

    “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” 
    (2 Corinthians 5:17, ESV)

    We have become new creations now and forever in Jesus. Doesn’t that hope feel especially good this spring? On many days we may feel the struggle but Jesus guarantees one day we will bloom for eternity.

  • Opening Day Hope is Available Everyday

    In my mind there is no more special day in sports than Opening Day in baseball. It is an annual rite of Spring to post this article on the magic of Opening Day. The smell of freshly cut emerald green grass delights the senses. The base lines painstakingly and perfectly defined by a grounds crew that is committed to perfection on this day. Red, white, and blue bunting give the ball park a festive World Series look. The players bounce around like little boys. They seem a little extra grateful that they are paid to play a kid’s game.

    The hot dogs taste like gourmet food. Humphrey Bogard wisely said that “a hot dog at the ballpark is better than a steak at the Ritz”. Souvenirs a young fan begs for become treasures to be kept until adulthood. And then it becomes a challenge to explain to your wife why a twenty-five-year old bobble head needs to be in the china cabinet.

    Children skip school and parents do not care because memories are being made for both of them. There was no shot I loved more in my years as a television director than the one of a Dad or Mom pointing to the field and explaining this wonderful game to their child.

    The atmosphere is truly magic. It is Opening Day and every team has hope. Every team is undefeated. Who will be this year’s team that surprises and surpasses all expectations? For Texas Rangers fans last year’s hope was realized with a World Series Championship.

    Fans all around the country have dreams and they are hopefully, or perhaps hopelessly, optimistic. This is a new day and a new season. Old mistakes are forgotten. Past errors are no longer important. Today is the annual renewal of the incredible marathon that is big league baseball. It is a clean slate. The team has a new identity.

    I once longed for such a defining moment in my spiritual journey. It took me a long time to understand that God’s Word tells us that every day is like Opening Day (Dave’s paraphrase). I do have a clean slate because of Christ. There is hope. Yesterday’s sins are forgotten if you have accepted the gift of Jesus on the Cross. Every morning that I awake and see the magic of a new sunrise I know that I am renewed, redeemed, and ready to face the day whatever pitches are thrown my way. I don’t have to wait a year to have a chance for renewal. Paul writes that every day holds the spiritual magic of renewal and victory in Christ.

    This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. (I Corinthians 5:17-18, NLT)

    I am grateful that in my spiritual journey God that has given me a chance for “Opening Day” renewal every day of my life. I have had some really bad seasons during my career as a follower of Jesus. But I am learning that every day is a gift. I had 37 Opening Days as a television director. Now I hope for many more as a fan with my precious grandchildren. Dan Patrick once quipped about an injured player. “He is listed as day to day. But then again, aren’t we all?”

    The fragile nature of our lives makes the bigger questions so much more important even as I enjoy the hope of Opening Day. Every day of my journey with Jesus can be like this special day in baseball. I can be transformed and new. Past losses (sins) can be redeemed and forgiven. There can be an exhilarating freshness in the journey. I can realize that I am a child of God and I can be grateful that I get to call Him Father. I can believe that my hope for the future is real. I can understand that I can be a better teammate to others that I encounter and not expect my team to be perfect. The magic of a fresh start happens once a year in baseball. It can happen every day for a follower of Jesus when we focus on His amazing Grace

  • Don’t Let the Old Man In

    Toby Keith wrote a song called “Don’t Let the Old Man in” that was inspired by Clint Eastwood. The song has incredibly helpful applications in my life as I grow older and as I grow as a Christian. Let me explain.

    Keith wrote the song after a conversation with Eastwood while they were playing golf. Clint was about to celebrate his 88th birthday by going to film a new movie. Toby Keith was blown away and asked him “how do you do it, man?” Eastwood answered, “I just get up every morning and go out. And I don’t let the old man in.”

    That stuck in Toby Keith’s mind and he penned the song that was featured in the movie “The Mule”. The lyrics are inspiring for me in this season of life.

    Don’t let the old man in
    I wanna leave this alone
    Can’t leave it up to him
    He’s knocking on my door

    And I knew all of my life
    That someday it would end
    Get up and go outside
    Don’t let the old man in

    I love that. As the mileage piles up on the life odometer the aches and pains make it easy to slow down and quit pushing yourself. Challenging yourself to get out and live life as fully as you can for as long as you can is enormously fulfilling.

    Many moons I have lived
    My body’s weathered and worn
    Ask yourself how would you be
    If you didn’t know the day you were born

    I have a few moons to catch up to Clint Eastwood but I need to follow his example. I am still young at heart and my goal is to live out of that feeling for as long as I can. Don’t let the old man in to convince me my time to live life joyfully and fully is diminished. Eventually that will happen. But I want to leave it all on the life playing field until I no longer can.

    There is another area of life that I must concentrate on not letting the old man in. This is actually way more valuable in how I live my life than simply trying to age well. In the Bible Paul talks about how all of us are born with the “old man” or sin nature of Adam. When we decide to follow Jesus we become a new creation and a “new man” now resides in me. Simply put the old man is who I was before I knew Jesus. The new man is who I am now that I am a follower of Christ.

    Paul talks about the finished work of Jesus on the Cross that gives the new man in me the power to change my frustrating responses when the old man ruled my life. Jesus conquered the old man and gave me a new man within.

    ”We know that our old man was crucified with him so that the body of sin would no longer dominate us, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.
    ‭‭(Romans‬ ‭6‬:‭6,‬ ‭NET)

    ‬‬The old man was crucified. That means the old man is dead. I am a new creation and that new man living in my heart gives me the power to live more like Jesus as I recognize that is who I am. Will I live a sinless life? No way. But as I grow in this truth sin should no longer control me. I have the power within me to deal with sin in a way that will encourage spiritual growth in Christ. Recognizing that the new man lives and the old man is dead in God’s eyes is a powerful reminder of where my strength is derived.

    “But now, put off all such things as anger, rage, malice, slander, abusive language from your mouth. Do not lie to one another since you have put off the old man with its practices and have been clothed with the new man that is being renewed in knowledge according to the image of the one who created it.“
    ‭‭(Colossians‬ ‭3‬:‭8‬-‭10‬, ‭NET‬‬)

    So the song by Toby Keith takes on a wonderful new spiritual meaning. I don’t want the “old man” to dominate me in my journey with Jesus. When I battle the fleshly responses that create shame and guilt I need to remember that the old man is dead. I have the ability to set aside those old man impulses. I have the new man living in me through the Holy Spirit and that gives me the freedom to respond differently. The new man lives in my heart and I need to focus daily on that truth. When I struggle with those impulses I can remember the powerful words of this song. Don’t let the old man in.


  • DIY is bad theology

    Joni and I watch a lot of HGTV shows together. I love how they take a house that is dysfunctional and ugly and make it useful and beautiful. The process is intriguing. 

    Identity the problem. Come up with a new plan. Demo the old stuff. Rebuild with hard work. 

    Results? Amazing. 

    Too often we take that process and convert it into a do-it-yourself project to grow as followers of Jesus. The results? Not so amazing.

    I tried executing the DIY blueprint over and over. 

    I am dysfunctional. Check. I have identified the problem. I believe God has a plan for my life. Check. 

    Now I need to rebuild my spiritual dwelling place. This is where I veered off the Biblical script. I thought the self-demolition of my sinful behaviors and personal remodeling of my life would be based on my hard work.

    Bad plan. Jesus doesn’t remodel a messed up structure. He builds a completely new one on the day the contract is signed.

    ”So then, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; what is old has passed away – look, what is new has come!“ (2 Corinthians5:17, NET)

    Not recreated. A NEW creation. We are not remodeled. Jesus came to create a brand new structure. And that new house is built on the firm foundation of Jesus.

    Honestly, I am not sure if I didn’t understood that process or just couldn’t trust it. I tried self-demolition of my fleshly behaviors. It seemed to work for a bit. But as I returned to my DIY rebuild there were new walls of wrong actions and bad motive structures that needed removing. It felt like every time I reviewed my spiritual house there was more junk to be dealt with. This DIY show went on for season after season.

    I kept thinking if I put the right plan in place and worked diligently I would see a beautiful improvement in my spiritual house.

    On the sidelines the enemy told me I would not be having these problems if I would;

    • Read God’s Word more faithfully
    • Pray more fervently
    • Love and serve others more consistently
    • Tell others about Jesus
    • Give more to the church

    All of those things on that list are good and valuable. But that list is not what makes you righteous. You are righteous because of Christ. 

    Period. 

    When you trust that and believe that you have a new identity as a new creation then the list above becomes a grateful desire and not a begrudging obligation to try and be better. All of the guilt and shame and sin that used to define you is no longer true. That old house is demolished. You are a new structure. New life has begun. 

    My life was changed over four decades ago when I decided to trust Jesus as my Lord and Savior. It took me way too long to understand that I was completely remade as a new creation at that very moment. I spent many frustrating years trying to fix something that Jesus had already fixed. My life was completely revamped when I began to fully understand who I am in Christ and that I just need to live my life daily trusting in His grace and love.  

    My DIY days are over. Now my desire is build on the foundation of Jesus and decorate my spiritual home with truth, love, and grace. 

    Remind yourself daily who you are. You are a new creation when you trusted in the finished work of Jesus. Your sin was completely demoed on the Cross. God has delivered righteousness to that new structure on day one. Your yard sign says you are a saint. I know. Your neighbors might be surprised but they don’t see what God sees. Jesus has built a new life.

    My job became so much better. Live joyfully and without condemnation. Trust His new creation and enjoy the beauty of forgiveness and grace. I can’t do it myself.


  • How to Focus on Jesus in a Chaotic World

    When I feel a bit discouraged or sad I like to cue up songs that remind me that my hope was, is, and will always be in Jesus. Today I listened to Michael W Smith sing a hymn that was written in 1918. That makes this week’s song even older than me.

    Helen Lemmel, an accomplished hymn writer and soloist, titled the song“The Heavenly Vision”. But most of us know it by the first line of the refrain, “Turn your eyes upon Jesus”.

    Turn your eyes upon Jesus
    Look full in his wonderful face
    And the things of earth will grow strangely dim
    In the light of his glory and grace

    I love the concept of turning my eyes toward Jesus but I am all about application. How can that action cause my struggles to dim in the light of His glory and grace? I think there are two foundational steps to get me to that place of comfort with Jesus.

    Step one is reminding myself of all of things Jesus accomplished for me and gifted to me when I put my trust in Him as my Savior. We subtly (or in my own experience, not so subtly) believe that growth is about doing more right things. That righteousness somehow requires busyness for Jesus. We think that change can only happen when you are trying hard and being disciplined for God. The truth is that a dramatic change has already happened when you make that faith commitment to follow Jesus. Scripture tells you that you now have a new identity. You are literally a new creation. Your spiritual DNA is completely changed. You have the imputed righteousness of Christ. That is a nice theological term that simply means that God sees you as righteous because of your relationship with Jesus.

    All because of Jesus. That’s it. Nothing you have done or ever will do earns that righteousness. It is a gift of grace. And Jesus gave us the most amazing gift when He returned to His Father in Heaven. Followers of Jesus now have the immediate presence of the Holy Spirit to comfort, direct, and give strength in trials. Jesus explained the ministry of the Holy Spirit in John 14.

    And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. (John 14:16-17, NLT)

    When I turn my eyes toward Jesus I meditate on the transaction that occurred the moment I trusted Christ. I am forgiven. A saint. A new creation. A child of God. I have the constant presence of the Holy Spirit. All because of the finished work of Jesus on the Cross.

    The second step is remembering all of the times that God was present in difficult seasons. When I review all of the answers to prayers, blessings I have experienced, and growth I experienced in my trials I know that I am loved by Jesus.

    I was changed completed the moment I trusted in Jesus. The trick is living out of that truth. I often let my shortcomings and sin get me down. Satan attacks and tells me I am failing miserably. When those attacks inevitably happen I picture Jesus putting His arm around me. I see Him telling me that my sins are completely forgiven. I see Him explaining to me that all of those things that used to be true about me are no longer true. That no matter what the Accuser might say those things are dead and buried at the Cross. I see Jesus telling me that I have the Holy Spirit to comfort me and provide an unshakeable source of strength. That I don’t have to grit my teeth and try harder to win favor and please Him. That sin does not have power over me anymore.  That if I trust Him and let God love me I will please Him. My faith and trust is what pleases Him according to God’s Word.

    Those two meditations allow me to focus on Jesus and look full in His wonderful face. The second stanza of the song is so true in this crazy and unsettled world.

    His word shall not fail you he promised
    Believe Him and all will be well
    Then go to a world that is dying
    His perfect salvation to tell

    His word shall not fail. I do believe that all will be well even in a world that is dying. His words comfort me today and everyday.

    “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid. (John 14:27, NLT)

    When the world seems overwhelming take a moment. Turn your eyes upon Jesus. And if you fully embrace what Jesus has done for you the things of earth will fade in the light of His glory and amazing grace.

  • The Most Dangerous Theft of All?

    The Most Dangerous Theft of All?

    Identity theft is a huge problem. It is one of the fastest growing crimes in the United States and recent stats suggest that as many as 15 million cases occurred in the past year. The rise of identity theft has produced a number of companies that protect you from criminals that might steal your good name and credit rating. A few years ago one of my card numbers was compromised and some low life was merrily buying electronic gear on my tab in Malaysia. Fortunately that was fairly easily resolved since I could prove I was safely hunkered down in North Texas when the purchases were made.

    It occurred to me that another identity theft occurs in the lives of Christians all the time and there seems to be very little uproar about it. I pondered if I could start a company to protect followers of Jesus from this serious and sometimes tragic crime. The crime is Christian identity theft. Any follower of Jesus has the potential to fall victim. The target of this scam is the truth found in the Second Letter to the Church at Corinth.

    This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! (2nd Corinthians, 5:17)

    Because of Christ you have a new identity. You are righteous because of Him and not because of trying to do more right “stuff”. You are a saint and there is no condemnation in Christ Jesus. It is a liberating and joyous message. But there is a problem. Satan hates that message of hope and change. And so he goes about trying to “steal’ our identity in Christ. I am afraid we make it all too easy because we find it difficult to really trust that we are changed. When we fail the old messages are instantly cued and start playing loudly.

    You will never change.
    You always do that.
    I can’t believe you did that again.
    What is wrong with you?
    And then you start blaming yourself and thinking you would not be having these problems if you were (pick one or more):

    1. Reading God’s Word more faithfully
    2. Praying more fervently
    3. Loving and serving others more consistently
    4. Telling others about Jesus
    5. Giving more time or money to the church

    All of those things on that list are good and valuable. But that list is not what makes you righteous. You are righteous because of Christ. Period. When you trust that and believe that you have a new identity then the list above becomes a grateful desire and not a begrudging obligation to try and be better. All of the guilt and shame and sin that used to define you is no longer true. That old life is gone. You are a new creation. New life has begun. All of those accusations that Satan (and others who are quite happy to help) hurl your way are no longer true about you.

    My life was changed over 50 years ago when I decided to trust Jesus as my Lord and Savior. It has just been in the past twelve years that I have begun to fully understand who I am in Christ and that I live my life daily in grace. The ministry Trueface changed my view on identity and this statement from my friend John Lynch rocked my world.

    If you are a Christian, God is not interested in changing you. That has already happened. You were changed when you trusted Christ. You were imputed with His righteousness. Your very spiritual DNA was rewritten and you became a new person. So the change happened right away. God is now interested in maturing you into what is already true about you.

    That has been my journey for the past several years. When the accuser starts I simply remind myself that those things are no longer true about me. I have a new identity. I focus on what is true about me.

    Protect your identity in Christ with even more fervor than you protect your financial identity. Look in the mirror each day and remind yourself of these things.

    My identity is in Christ.
    I am a new person.
    God sees me as a saint.
    I am righteous because of Christ.
    I am changed. That has already happened and that is what is true about me.


    A new life has begun. Live it joyfully and without condemnation. That is your identity. Guard it zealously.