New batteries in my toothbrush:

When I was growing up my Dad used to find sermon illustrations in everything. I used to think it was kind of strange until I started doing it a few years ago. I told myself a few months ago I would start writing them down. 

New Batteries in my Toothbrush:

When Bethany and I got married she got me to start using a Crest Spinbrush. They are great. They are a lot cheaper than sonicare but better than an ordinary toothbrush. They have replaceable heads and use two AA batteries. 

I have been using the same head  and batteries on mine for about the last 3 months. Apparently I am really brush my teeth really hard because I looked at the head of my brush and it looked pretty rough. The batteries were also going out on it and if I bit down on it with even the slightest form of pressure it would stop "spinbrushing"(?). So I decided it would be best to change both the batteries and the head. 

Wow!! It was like a whole new toothbrushing experience! The brush actually spun and the bristles were firm and actually did what they were designed to do! Then it hit me. That's what this toothbrush was supposed to be like the whole time. It was my fault for letting it get to the point of being mundane. The toothbrush didn't do anything different, I just let it get worn down. 

How often do we go to a special service at church, or a conference, summer youth camp, or retreat of some sort and have this awesome "experience" with God. We come back and we are on a high and our relationship with God is awesome and then it just gets mundane and ordinary... again. Who changed? It certainly wasn't God. "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." Hebrews 13:8 (ESV)

How often does it happen in our churches? How many people will leave an existing church to go to a new church because its exciting? Then in 5 years it is the exact same as the church they left? 

We have to be ever so vigilant as Christians and church leaders that we do not get into a rut in our spiritual lives and in our churches. It is not good enough to do something because  "that's the way we have always done it".  I'm not saying that we do away with church traditions; as long as they have a foundation in the Scriptures. 

"For the word of God is living and active..." Hebrews 4:12 (ESV) 

If we find our time with the Lord to be stale, then change it up. Pray more. Change up your routine. Our God is not stale. He is not mundane. He is the King of the Universe, the Sovereign God over all of creation! How dare we make Him boring.