Walk With The (Sean) Wise

My wife led the staff devotions at Divisional Headquarters yesterday, and she asked me to lead the song "'Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus" at the end of our time.  I was elated to be asked, because this is among my absolute favorite songs in the Salvation Army Song Book.  Don't get me wrong here.  There is and always will be a special place in my heart for the entirety of "The Salvation Soldier" section.  But there is definitely something to be said about song #991. As a Soldier of the Holland, MI corps, I enjoyed seeing this song fairly often in the bulletin.  I'm not sure what attracted me to it then.  I just knew that I liked it.  Upon re-reading it recently, though, I think I've figured it out.  So much of its relevance for me comes in just the first verse. "Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus, just to take Him at His word, just to rest upon His promise, just to know: 'Thus saith the Lord.'" - Louisa M.R. Stead While the repetit...

Our sin may be the death of us, But it is atoned for. The cross may be what we deserve, But it's taken for us. Death is the debt that we all pay, But it is defeated. The grave, our body's resting place, But it is vacated. Resurrection's impossible, But it is accomplished. Eternal life is out of reach, But It's purchased for us.

We finally made it. Post 40. The end of the daily Lenten challenge. It feels so good to have stuck with this, pushing through to the end. I knew I wasn't wrong when I called this a challenge. I even expressed at times when writing a post didn't come as naturally as I would have liked. But through it all, you stuck it out with me. Your encouragement was my encouragement in many ways. In this season, I have shared many things here - creativity, frustrations, life events, philosophy, theology, emotions, and more. Above all else, though, as I look back over the other 39 posts, I've really been sharing myself. These posts are very much a part of me, and having you along for the journey has helped me to be a better, more confident me. For those who have said that you hope I'll keep writing after Lent, know that I fully intend to. I don't know what the frequency will be, but, as I said in the first post of this challenge, I made this blog to use it. The completion of this ...

Tonight, a split-second decision has me hanging out at the movie theater with the boys. There doesn't seem to be much better to bring men together than a good superhero movie. Coming off of a fantastic Good Friday service, I certainly count this among the best Friday nights ever. So in lieu of a lengthy blog post tonight, I leave you with this awesomely blurry, selfie-style picture of my crew this evening as we wait an hour for our movie. The showing we wanted was sold out, so for our patience, we upgraded to Captain America: The Winter Soldier in 3D. Here's to the good times. You can't tell from this pic, but I'm wearing a Star Wars shirt to a Marvel movie. I figure I can get away with it since they're both Disney now.

Here's a big shocker - I don't necessarily like everybody.  There are some people I like some of the time, some people I like all the time, and some people I just don't like.  It's been that way for as long as I can remember, and I'm pretty sure I'm not alone there.  Sometimes my like or dislike of someone is situational, and sometimes it's selfish.  My biggest problem there is, I want to like and be liked by everybody.  It's just a desire that I have.  And of course, I have my own thoughts on how that can and should work. Sometimes in my prayer life, I find myself asking God to change the people and/or situations I don't like.  It's an easy thing to do.  When I get into an argument, it's, "God, change their viewpoint so that they can know that I'm right!"  When I want something, but having it is dependent on someone else's actions, it's, "God, make them do this or that so that what I want can happen for me!"...

My daughter asked me today if I had ever been to the Promised Land. I had to fight the urge to say, "well I grew up in Indiana!" So I told her that I have not been there, but maybe someday. I hope to experience the Biblical Education Tour offered by The Salvation Army when I become eligible to go. Seeing the land of Israel is a life-changing experience if I am to believe my family and friends who have taken the trip. But ultimately, I am bound for a different Promised Land - I'm Heaven-bound. Many people are looking forward to Heaven either when they die or when Jesus comes back, whichever comes first. If that hope is able to keep them going, then God bless them. For me, knowing of the riches of Heaven drives me to want to bring its reality closer to the here and now. If you turn on the news or even get to know your next door neighbor, it doesn't take too long to realize that Hell is quite real, and not just as a small town in Michigan. Though I do believe in a litera...

I have a habit of bursting out into song at the most random times. No, there's not a story there. I'm just sharing. I hope I don't offend. When I start, you can tell me to stop. Especially if I'm exhausted and unbearably off-key. Trust me, even then I wouldn't stop myself. I've got a song in my heart, and it must be heard! Besides, isn't there something in Scripture about making a joyful noise?

I've made several albums, And they all bear my name. There's just one small problem - All my songs sound the same. Yes, I use different chords Different words, different lines, But the dead give-away Is the simplistic rhymes. Though it isn't just me. No, it's many of them. It's a problem that lies In so much CCM. But the music still sells. Guess it's not so wrong then. You all know who I am - My name is ...oh, never mind.

There is a terrible disease that will only serve to destroy those who contract it. That disease is jealousy. It keeps us from being satisfied with what we have. It makes us bitter against those who we think have more or are in a more favorable position than us.  Jealousy is closely related to another equally deadly disease - pride. Pride is the notion that we are better or more deserving than others. Pride causes us to exalt ourselves, to think more highly of ourselves than we should. We become the star of our own show, and think, "no one can compare to me!" Jealousy uses our pride to see others with what we think we should have. We begin to harbor bitterness to them. We may even begin to say belittling things about them to build ourselves up by tearing them down. In effect, pride will ultimately destroy you, but jealousy has adverse effects on all parties involved. Jealousy strains relationships. The strongest, longest lasting friendships can crumble in mere moments when jea...

Life is short. Its end is unpredictable.  Make amends now. Seek reconciliation n ow.  Don't spend years wondering what went wrong. Do what you can to make things right.  We aren't guaranteed tomorrow. To truly love and be loved is the only way to make the most of today. A godless life is temporary and meaningless. A life with God is eternal and full of purpose. Walk with the wise and become wise. Walk with the Sean Wise and, well, who knows?

This question recently came up in a group I'm a part of.  "Why is it that we so easily put our trust into people we don't even know that well (i.e. pilots, daycare providers, etc.), and yet we find it so hard to put our trust in God?"  What an insanely valid point.  I'm no expert on these things, but as one who has been too quick to trust people and not quick enough to trust God, allow me a moment to go through some of my ponderings on this. I think we have a tendency to lump God in with people.  Because we trust too quickly sometimes, people change their behavior, sometimes shattering our thought of who they really are.  Sometimes we can deal with the same person day in and day out, but almost every time we have to interact with that same person, we don't even know which personality to expect!  Comedian Taylor Mason explains in a routine that every morning when he wakes up, his wife plays a game with him entitled, "Guess which mood I'm going to be ...

When you know something is coming to an end, it's just that much harder to keep at it. This post is the first of the final ten in my challenge, and I've hit a point where I want to give up. I hear logic telling me, "you're so close! Don't give up now!" Ultimately, that's exclactly what I'm going off of. Pushing through to the end is worth it. I know that. I'm already better for having taken this challenge on, and I really don't want the growth to stop. But still, as is often the case when the end is in sight, it's hard not to think about the desire for the end to just be here so that something new can start. Many of my friends have expressed a desire for me to keep going on this blog after this challenge is over. I very well might, but I don't know what that will look like. However, I'm very excited to find out. These next few days and posts will be like packing for a trip with an unknown destination. To those who have been on this ...

A couple weeks ago, I posted how I wanted to do some blog posts weekly involving questions to and from my readers. I set up an inbox for that particular purpose and gave out the email address so that anyone who wanted to participate could. Since that time, that box has looked like this: It doesn't quite seem to be going how I planned. So perhaps I'll keep doing posts the way I have been, and if the questions ever do come, I suppose I'll handle them then. Since no one has been the first yet, the odds are very much in your favor. Send your questions to walkwiththeseanwise@gmail.com to get involved with the Wise Questions segment! Until then, I press on. 30 down. 10 to go.

Sometimes, I spend a lot of time thinking through topics and phrasing, trying to write the post that someone else would want to read. It's never worked out too well. Honestly, I can't be writing on here trying to keep everyone happy with what I write. If this blog is going to serve any effective purpose long-term, it needs to match two criteria: 1. It must be pleasing to God. 2. I must be satisfied with having my name on it. So really, writing here should be the same as everything else I do - filling those two requirements should be the baseline for every word, action, and thought that I have. Anything less than that is nothing more than worthless dirt. When I'm gone, I can't take anything I do with me, and all I can leave behind long-term is a legacy. This is the foundation from here on out of what is written, said, and done. I'm sorry if you don't like this, but as much as having the readers is nice and necessary, I'm not writing for you. I write for me, a...

I mentioned yesterday that I'm at a camp with 1000 different guys. Being here, I've witnessed firsthand just how different we all are. Of course there are external factors like skin color, clothing style, and language, but even more striking is the many different life circumstances we find ourselves in. One of my favorite things about The Salvation Army is the fact that everyone is welcome. At any given time, this inexperienced Lieutenant was mingling with Colonels and Commissioners. Recovering drug and alcohol addicts have been sitting among long-term saints of the church. Anyone who walked in on our meetings wouldn't even have been able to tell who was who, because for this weekend, we are of one accord. A friend of mine once warned me of judging anyone, whether they were in prison, rehab, or other situation of that kind. He explained with great clarity that the difference between me and them is just one choice. I've made many less-than-perfect choices in this life, s...

Over 1000 men have gathered in Carlinville, IL to be blessed by spiritual ministry. I am among them, and after several hundred miles traveling with a three-vehicle caravan from Minneapolis, I can't wait to see what this weekend will bring. The delegation has representatives from all eleven states in The Salvation Army's United States Central Territory. Can you imagine the power God can display through 1000 men across the Midwest whose hearts have been changed and whose lives have been fired up by the Holy Spirit? There is tremendous power that comes when men of God make a bold stand for Him! I often try to use my posts to give my insights out to my audience. This time, however, can I make a request? Will you lift up this conference in prayer? Will you offer up prayers for the speakers, leaders, and delegates? Will you petition God to send down fires of revival on the men of the Central Territory gathered here, fires that will spread like wildfire as we return home at the end of...

It's interesting how much of a difference there can be between what we hear and what is actually said. My kids, like several million others, thoroughly enjoy the movie "Frozen." When they were already trying to sing the songs after just seeing it once at the theater, it seemed like a good idea for me to buy the soundtrack. They both rarely ever want to listen to anything else, and they have essentially memorized all the lyrics to the singing songs. Right before everyone's favorite Elsa song, my daughter asks me, "Daddy, do you want to hear me sing the next song?" "Of course I do!" I reply. She doesn't need any more encouragement and begins to belt out "Let It Go" as if she were Adele Dazeem herself. I listen in fascination as my four-year-old matches pitches and words perfectly, but then, in the second verse, she changes the words. One line in the song says, "To test the limits and break through!" My daughter, without lackin...

I was twelve years old when I first felt called into ministry as a Salvation Army officer. Three months later, 9/11 happened. All I wanted to do in the following weeks was to find some way to go to New York and do something to make everything better. When my parents split up and eventually divorced, I felt the need to be strong for my family. I just wanted to do whatever I could to make everything better. Through the years, I have seen people hurting in very minor and very major circumstances. I've been serving as an officer for almost ten months now, and I've learned something very important. I can't make everything better. But the drive to do so hasn't left me yet. Sometimes it's frustrating knowing how much I want to fix all the problems around me, knowing that I really can't. Sometimes I want to call God out on it. "Why would you give me a desire for something I can't fulfill?" But then I remember, I'm not called to make everything better. ...

I wanted to write a totally believable, yet completely false story today, but ultimately, I couldn't bring myself to it. All I kept thinking of to write would be my love of the New England Patriots, winter, and olives. But alas, none of these topics would be believable. I used to be good at April Fool's Day. Jokes and pranks used to flow naturally. But then I developed an external conscience. I'm a terrible liar. Even in "just kidding" circumstances, my face gives me away. And somehow, even if I thought of a true enough sounding work of fiction, I'm sure my attempted deceit would manifest itself in my writing style. So for this year, I am throwing in the towel on this whole day of pranksters. I think instead, I will just sit back and relax to the tunes of my favorite band, Air Supply. APRIL FOOLS! (I really don't even know who that is...)