It's been awhile since I've written on here, but there have been several things burning on my mind.
Let's tie a few things together.
How do I start?
Well, let's start with love. Everything in the Bible really revolves around that central concept.
The blazing center of the glory of God is Jesus on the cross, finishing the work of His Father by literally becoming sin for us. See Him there...a beautifully poured out life of love.
Why do we question if this is for real?
Why do we question His love for us?
If God didn't withhold from us Jesus, His very best, how can we even accuse Him of withholding anything from us?! How could we say that He is holding something back from us?
He has given us everything! He has given us the incomprehensible...He has given us Jesus.
Full-blown, all-out, passionate love. That's what He has given.
And what do we get?
We get eternal life with Jesus. Eternal life with the One who gave everything for us.
We get to spend eternity with the One who poured out Himself for us.
We get that.
He bet the house for us, God the Father gave up His best, His Only, Jesus, because He is passionate about you.
Because He wants you.
Because He cares.
He's given everything.
All blessing is ultimately summed up in Jesus.
What does Jesus ask of us?
He certainly freely gives us salvation. In return, He asks for our lives.
He asks for our everything.
We pridefully think our everything is a lot.
We pridefully say that we will follow Jesus as long as we don't have to give up our dreams, or our cars, or our friends, or our family, or our time or our money.
We say we will follow Jesus...but only so far.
That doesn't even make sense!
At my Church...we sing a song that I love called "Jesus, I my cross have taken."
I love the song, but I'm worried that I don't really mean the words.
Here are a few of the lyrics:
"Jesus, I my cross have taken
All to leave and follow Thee;
Destitute, despised, forsaken,
Thou from hence my all shall be.
Perish every fond ambition,
All I've sought or hoped or known;
Yet how rich is my condition
God and heaven are still my own."
I love these words, they are deep and profound.
But I fear that I don't really live them out.
Have we truthfully left EVERYTHING to follow Jesus?
Is He really our everything? Or do we still cling to the things that we want, hope for, and have experienced?
Can we really say that, even though we don't have anything left on earth, God and heaven are enough?
I'm not really sure I can say that.
I'm not really sure I can say that because I still have things left on earth. My heart still clings to what I want. I still live in Johnson County, drive a new car, go to Church in a heated or air-conditioned Church, give 10%, go to Church on Sundays and avoid "big" sins.
This really doesn't seem like "all-out love" for Christ.
This doesn't seem like taking my cross and following Him.
Everything goes back to the heart obviously, but the way we live our lives is how we make Jesus known to the world.
And the picture we give, I must say, is a picture that doesn't say anything about surrender.
Our lives are not lived poured-out, all-out.
Our lives don't look like Jesus...and that's scary to me...because we are supposed to be like Christ...we are His ambassadors here on earth.
Philippians 1:27 says, "whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the Gospel of Christ."
Are you living your life, your redeemed life in a manner worthy of the Gospel?
Does your life make sense?
Does what you say you believe match-up with what you do? With how you live?
Does your life make sense?
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Saturday, October 8, 2011
What a heart is beating for
Brace yourselves, take a good look around.
We've all been thinking upside down.
That love's about what life can bring our way.
But love isn't love unless someone pays.
So, with love, the only way to gain: is to give it all away.
Oh, why be afraid? No reason to hide.
Take the chance, put it all on the line.
Draw in a deep breath, and open the door.
Cause that's what a heart is beating for.
Ya, that's what a heart is beating for.
We've all been thinking upside down.
That love's about what life can bring our way.
But love isn't love unless someone pays.
So, with love, the only way to gain: is to give it all away.
Oh, why be afraid? No reason to hide.
Take the chance, put it all on the line.
Draw in a deep breath, and open the door.
Cause that's what a heart is beating for.
Ya, that's what a heart is beating for.
Saturday, October 1, 2011
Giving over
Our lives are always found in the giving over and the giving up, never in the having or holding onto.
From the beginning, we were made to give.
We were made to give everything to the One who holds us in His hands.
We are made "in His image," and He is a wonderfully giving God.
He gave everything for us, how can we not give everything in return?
From the beginning, we were made to give.
We were made to give everything to the One who holds us in His hands.
We are made "in His image," and He is a wonderfully giving God.
He gave everything for us, how can we not give everything in return?
Choices
We don't need a change in circumstances, we need a change in our choices.
Our choices determine our destination.
Our choices determine our destination.
Monday, September 12, 2011
Change
"The definition of our identity is in the transformation of our being,
for better or worse, by sanctification or idolization.
We are shaped by everything we pull away from or push towards, each leaves its distinct mark.
If you are unsatisfied with who you are, don’t wallow at the unmovable;
instead, take a look at the motion of things: activities, conversations, purchases –
things done by decisions towards certain ends.
And then change the ends and watch how everything else follows."
-David Ramos
Relationships
Why are relationships damaged?
Selfishness, pride, lack of communication, lack of trust, lack of honesty, etc.
Relationships are healed by:
Love, commitment, trust, communication, selflessness, honesty, etc.
It's only when we can love without wanting anything in return and only when we are open and honest that relationships can heal, and relationships can be built and flourish.
The same is true with our relationship with God.
When we run from Him, flee from Him, fail to be honest and open with Him, things get messy.
The healing process can take awhile, but He's always there, always waiting to welcome us back into His loving arms.
Run to Him.
Cling to Him.
Be honest with Him.
He's God, He can take it.
He longs for us to run to Him.
"You will seek Him and find Him, when you seek Him with all your heart."
Seek Him like that today.
Selfishness, pride, lack of communication, lack of trust, lack of honesty, etc.
Relationships are healed by:
Love, commitment, trust, communication, selflessness, honesty, etc.
It's only when we can love without wanting anything in return and only when we are open and honest that relationships can heal, and relationships can be built and flourish.
The same is true with our relationship with God.
When we run from Him, flee from Him, fail to be honest and open with Him, things get messy.
The healing process can take awhile, but He's always there, always waiting to welcome us back into His loving arms.
Run to Him.
Cling to Him.
Be honest with Him.
He's God, He can take it.
He longs for us to run to Him.
"You will seek Him and find Him, when you seek Him with all your heart."
Seek Him like that today.
Friday, September 9, 2011
Creativity
Why is it that when kids start to grow up, adults seem to kill their kids creativity, then we have to go to college to learn how to think creatively and live creatively?
Choices
Interesting thoughts from Barry Schwartz:
Choices produce paralysis.
Multiple choices produce imaginative alternatives that are paradise, and this leaves us unfulfilled when we finally make choices.
Choices produce "exaggerated expectations."
There are no more pleasant surprises.
"The best you can ever hope for is that stuff is as good as you expect it to be, you will never be pleasantly surprised because your expectations have gone through the roof."
"The secret to happiness is low expectations."
"With a thousand different choices there is no excuse for failure."
Choices can lead to clinical depression.
"Material affluence produces many choices."
"The peculiar problem of affluence."
Choices produce paralysis.
Multiple choices produce imaginative alternatives that are paradise, and this leaves us unfulfilled when we finally make choices.
Choices produce "exaggerated expectations."
There are no more pleasant surprises.
"The best you can ever hope for is that stuff is as good as you expect it to be, you will never be pleasantly surprised because your expectations have gone through the roof."
"The secret to happiness is low expectations."
"With a thousand different choices there is no excuse for failure."
Choices can lead to clinical depression.
"Material affluence produces many choices."
"The peculiar problem of affluence."
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Wasted
Our lives are wasted with one single wasted moment at a time.
To waste time is to commit suicide by degrees.
It's scary how much time we waste...and it's scary how we think of time.
We don't really think of time as something that has been given to us as a gift from God.
It's precious. Time is precious.
We have to make the most of every single moment...
Cause our lives are so very very short.
Don't waste your life chasing things you could give up.
Don't waste your life on what will never satisfy.
The devil often uses entertainment as a substitute for joy.
We taste entertainment and we are temporarily fulfilled, but it doesn't last.
It is only with Christ that we can ever be fully satisfied.
Lasting joy in Him is the core of the un-wasted life.
Don't give up.
Seek Him.
Seek Him above all else.
Find your joy in Him, find your life in Him.
The blazing glory of the cross is the center, it leads to lasting joy in Him, and the unwasted life awaits.
To waste time is to commit suicide by degrees.
It's scary how much time we waste...and it's scary how we think of time.
We don't really think of time as something that has been given to us as a gift from God.
It's precious. Time is precious.
We have to make the most of every single moment...
Cause our lives are so very very short.
Don't waste your life chasing things you could give up.
Don't waste your life on what will never satisfy.
The devil often uses entertainment as a substitute for joy.
We taste entertainment and we are temporarily fulfilled, but it doesn't last.
It is only with Christ that we can ever be fully satisfied.
Lasting joy in Him is the core of the un-wasted life.
Don't give up.
Seek Him.
Seek Him above all else.
Find your joy in Him, find your life in Him.
The blazing glory of the cross is the center, it leads to lasting joy in Him, and the unwasted life awaits.
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Now My Eyes See So Clearly
"You called and You shouted, broke through my deafness, now I'm breathin' in and breathin' out, I'm alive again. You shattered my darkness, washed away my blindness, now I'm breathin' in and breathin' out, I'm alive again."
"You are more than the choices that you've made, you are more than the sum of your past mistakes, you are more than the problems you create, you've been re-made.
This is not about what you've done, but what's been done for you.
This is not about where you've been, but where your brokenness brings you to.
This is not about what you feel, but what He felt to make you loved.
You've been re-made."
"If I let these dreams die, if I lay down all my wounded pride, if I let these dreams die, will I find that letting go lets me come alive?
Empty my hands, fill up my heart, capture my mind with You."
Now my eyes can finally see so clearly.
"You are more than the choices that you've made, you are more than the sum of your past mistakes, you are more than the problems you create, you've been re-made.
This is not about what you've done, but what's been done for you.
This is not about where you've been, but where your brokenness brings you to.
This is not about what you feel, but what He felt to make you loved.
You've been re-made."
"If I let these dreams die, if I lay down all my wounded pride, if I let these dreams die, will I find that letting go lets me come alive?
Empty my hands, fill up my heart, capture my mind with You."
Now my eyes can finally see so clearly.
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Really?
I really don't know what I want to say.
Hundreds of thoughts have been going through my head tonight.
Most everything centers around this: I live in a culture where people settle.
All of the following statements are things that I have seen first in myself...
People settle for less.
People settle for less than God's best.
We tinker around with college's, relationships, ministry, etc.
We are not people that commit to something and then go do it over the long haul.
We like to do ministry...but we like to do it for a week, or two weeks, or whenever it's convenient.
We are a convenient culture, preaching and living a convenient Gospel.
We too often preach a Gospel that says "pray this prayer, then you're saved" when that's not at all what Jesus said.
We settle for low ambitions.
We fritter away much of our time. And yes, I think fritter is a real word.
It means: to squander.
We squander much of our time.
We are halfhearted creatures fooling around when priceless joy is offered to us.
We are far too easily pleased.
We settle for lifeless relationships/friendships.
We settle for meaningless talks.
Meaningless nights.
We are afraid to be real.
We are insecure.
We don't trust.
We don't love like Jesus.
We just don't.
We like to think we do.
We like to think we've got our theology all figured out, and we put God in a box, wrap it with a perfect sermon, and then go live our own lives persuing our own agendas.
We would rather maintain the status quo than chase anything of real and lasting value.
But when it comes down to it, we are broken, we are sinful, we are messed up, and we tend to think about ourselves 99.9999999% of the time if we really get honest with ourselves.
We often do the right thing because it makes us feel good, or it makes us feel like we are in a better standing with God.
I'm reading a book called "The Ragamuffin Gospel," and while I don't know fully what I think of all of this yet, here is some food for thought:
"The gospel declares that no matter how dutiful or prayerful we are, we can't save ourselves. What Jesus did was sufficient. To the extent that we are self-made saints like the Pharisees or neutral like Pilate (never making the leap in trust), we let the prostitutes and publicans go first into the kingdom while we, in Flannery O'Connor's unforgettable image, are in the background having our alleged virtue burnt out of us. The hookers and the swindlers enter before us because they know they cannot save themselves, that they cannot make themselves presentable or lovable. They risked everything on Jesus, and knowing they didn't have it all together, were not too proud to accept the handout of amazing grace.
When we accept ownership of our powerlessness and helplessness, then God can make something beautiful out of us.
To be alive is to be broken. And to be broken is to stand in need of grace. Honesty keeps us in touch with our neediness and the truth that we are saved sinners. There is a beautiful transparency to honest disciples who never wear a false face and do not pretend to be anything but who they are.
There was the sinful woman in the village who kissed Jesus' feet. There was freedom in doing that. Despised as a prostitute, she had accepted the truth of her utter nothingness before the Lord. She had nothing to lose. She loved much because much had been forgiven her.
The Good Samaritan, chosen as the model of Christian compassion, was despised as a heretic of mixed pagan and Jewish ancestry. He was so unclean already that, unlike the priest and Levite who passed by with their halos on tight, he could afford to express his love for the wounded man left for dead.
Getting honest with ourselves does not make us unacceptable to God. It does not distance us from God, but draws us to Him-as nothing else can-and opens us anew to the flow of grace." - The Ragamuffin Gospel
Perhaps it's time to embrace the fact that we are sinners, and throw ourselves fully on Jesus.
He is the only One who is worthy of our trust, and the only One who can forgive and wash us with grace.
He can handle our messiness.
Kids are messy. We are kids. We are messy. And that's OK.
He loves us anyways.
He doesn't love us because we are good enough.
He doesn't love us because we "look good."
He loves us because He loves us.
There is freedom in that.
There is trust in that.
As children of God, most of our issues come down to our view of God.
If are insecure, it's because of how we view God.
If we don't trust others, it's because we don't trust God.
If we aren't real with others, it's because we aren't being real with God.
Our vertical relationship with God affects all of our horizontal relationships with other humans.
Or perhaps, we are simply faking it like the Pharisees.
Maybe our "faith" isn't real. Maybe we need to really examine our hearts to see where they are before God.
For those of us who have experienced true life change, and for those of us in the kingdom:
Let's start living in that reality that Jesus loves us because He loves us, not because of anything that we do. Let the freedom and the trust that comes from that help us to live joy-filled lives. Help us to live all out, all the time, no matter what...instead of settling for second rate...for shallow lives...for low ambitions.
Really?
Yes, really.
"Walk in a manner worthy of the Gospel."
Does your life make sense?
Hundreds of thoughts have been going through my head tonight.
Most everything centers around this: I live in a culture where people settle.
All of the following statements are things that I have seen first in myself...
People settle for less.
People settle for less than God's best.
We tinker around with college's, relationships, ministry, etc.
We are not people that commit to something and then go do it over the long haul.
We like to do ministry...but we like to do it for a week, or two weeks, or whenever it's convenient.
We are a convenient culture, preaching and living a convenient Gospel.
We too often preach a Gospel that says "pray this prayer, then you're saved" when that's not at all what Jesus said.
We settle for low ambitions.
We fritter away much of our time. And yes, I think fritter is a real word.
It means: to squander.
We squander much of our time.
We are halfhearted creatures fooling around when priceless joy is offered to us.
We are far too easily pleased.
We settle for lifeless relationships/friendships.
We settle for meaningless talks.
Meaningless nights.
We are afraid to be real.
We are insecure.
We don't trust.
We don't love like Jesus.
We just don't.
We like to think we do.
We like to think we've got our theology all figured out, and we put God in a box, wrap it with a perfect sermon, and then go live our own lives persuing our own agendas.
We would rather maintain the status quo than chase anything of real and lasting value.
But when it comes down to it, we are broken, we are sinful, we are messed up, and we tend to think about ourselves 99.9999999% of the time if we really get honest with ourselves.
We often do the right thing because it makes us feel good, or it makes us feel like we are in a better standing with God.
I'm reading a book called "The Ragamuffin Gospel," and while I don't know fully what I think of all of this yet, here is some food for thought:
"The gospel declares that no matter how dutiful or prayerful we are, we can't save ourselves. What Jesus did was sufficient. To the extent that we are self-made saints like the Pharisees or neutral like Pilate (never making the leap in trust), we let the prostitutes and publicans go first into the kingdom while we, in Flannery O'Connor's unforgettable image, are in the background having our alleged virtue burnt out of us. The hookers and the swindlers enter before us because they know they cannot save themselves, that they cannot make themselves presentable or lovable. They risked everything on Jesus, and knowing they didn't have it all together, were not too proud to accept the handout of amazing grace.
When we accept ownership of our powerlessness and helplessness, then God can make something beautiful out of us.
To be alive is to be broken. And to be broken is to stand in need of grace. Honesty keeps us in touch with our neediness and the truth that we are saved sinners. There is a beautiful transparency to honest disciples who never wear a false face and do not pretend to be anything but who they are.
There was the sinful woman in the village who kissed Jesus' feet. There was freedom in doing that. Despised as a prostitute, she had accepted the truth of her utter nothingness before the Lord. She had nothing to lose. She loved much because much had been forgiven her.
The Good Samaritan, chosen as the model of Christian compassion, was despised as a heretic of mixed pagan and Jewish ancestry. He was so unclean already that, unlike the priest and Levite who passed by with their halos on tight, he could afford to express his love for the wounded man left for dead.
Getting honest with ourselves does not make us unacceptable to God. It does not distance us from God, but draws us to Him-as nothing else can-and opens us anew to the flow of grace." - The Ragamuffin Gospel
Perhaps it's time to embrace the fact that we are sinners, and throw ourselves fully on Jesus.
He is the only One who is worthy of our trust, and the only One who can forgive and wash us with grace.
He can handle our messiness.
Kids are messy. We are kids. We are messy. And that's OK.
He loves us anyways.
He doesn't love us because we are good enough.
He doesn't love us because we "look good."
He loves us because He loves us.
There is freedom in that.
There is trust in that.
As children of God, most of our issues come down to our view of God.
If are insecure, it's because of how we view God.
If we don't trust others, it's because we don't trust God.
If we aren't real with others, it's because we aren't being real with God.
Our vertical relationship with God affects all of our horizontal relationships with other humans.
Or perhaps, we are simply faking it like the Pharisees.
Maybe our "faith" isn't real. Maybe we need to really examine our hearts to see where they are before God.
For those of us who have experienced true life change, and for those of us in the kingdom:
Let's start living in that reality that Jesus loves us because He loves us, not because of anything that we do. Let the freedom and the trust that comes from that help us to live joy-filled lives. Help us to live all out, all the time, no matter what...instead of settling for second rate...for shallow lives...for low ambitions.
Really?
Yes, really.
"Walk in a manner worthy of the Gospel."
Does your life make sense?
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Creativity
One of the things that I love about God is His creativeness.
In Genesis, at the very beginning of the Bible, we find God creating.
And wow, He is incredible at creating.
One of the coolest things in Genesis is when God creates man in His own image.
This must mean that one of the attributes of humans is creativity.
Because God is creative, and we are made in His image, He has imparted to us His creativity.
What a beautiful gift!
Tonight, I was once again lost in wonder at the creativeness of God.
The sunset was perfect...brilliant...a million colors melting into the distance.
Every sunset is different. A scene imagined in the mind of God and painted on His own canvas.
How amazing it is that He gives us a beautiful portrait every evening and every morning.
Then...when I was driving home...I saw the largest moon I've seen in awhile.
It was incredible.
The heavens do indeed declare the glory of God.
In Genesis, at the very beginning of the Bible, we find God creating.
And wow, He is incredible at creating.
One of the coolest things in Genesis is when God creates man in His own image.
This must mean that one of the attributes of humans is creativity.
Because God is creative, and we are made in His image, He has imparted to us His creativity.
What a beautiful gift!
Tonight, I was once again lost in wonder at the creativeness of God.
The sunset was perfect...brilliant...a million colors melting into the distance.
Every sunset is different. A scene imagined in the mind of God and painted on His own canvas.
How amazing it is that He gives us a beautiful portrait every evening and every morning.
Then...when I was driving home...I saw the largest moon I've seen in awhile.
It was incredible.
The heavens do indeed declare the glory of God.
Monday, August 8, 2011
Upside-Down
I simply can't get around this thought.
The kingdom of heaven is totally upside down.
"When Jesus changes us...He changes us completely."
Everything is different.
Our desires and goals are different.
In the world, the goal of most people is to do whatever they can to get to the top.
They try to climb up the ladder of success, get tons of money, and grasp for as much happiness as they can hold.
On the other hand...
In the kingdom of heaven, instead of straining upwards, it seems that Jesus desires for us to strain downwards.
We must bend low in order to serve and love others like Jesus.
It is in serving that we truly "see God." (Mt. 5)
When we see more of God, that causes us to want to serve more, bend lower, and give more.
This let's us see more of God.
It's a cyclical thing.
Just like people who get more money want more money...
The same is true in the kingdom of heaven.
The lower we go, the more we want to descend.
It feeds on itself.
So today, the idea is simple.
Love for Christ should lead me to bend lower, to love more and to serve more.
I must decrease so He can increase.
The kingdom of heaven is totally upside down.
"When Jesus changes us...He changes us completely."
Everything is different.
Our desires and goals are different.
In the world, the goal of most people is to do whatever they can to get to the top.
They try to climb up the ladder of success, get tons of money, and grasp for as much happiness as they can hold.
On the other hand...
In the kingdom of heaven, instead of straining upwards, it seems that Jesus desires for us to strain downwards.
We must bend low in order to serve and love others like Jesus.
It is in serving that we truly "see God." (Mt. 5)
When we see more of God, that causes us to want to serve more, bend lower, and give more.
This let's us see more of God.
It's a cyclical thing.
Just like people who get more money want more money...
The same is true in the kingdom of heaven.
The lower we go, the more we want to descend.
It feeds on itself.
So today, the idea is simple.
Love for Christ should lead me to bend lower, to love more and to serve more.
I must decrease so He can increase.
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Wow
Today, I relized that I only have 8 classes left in college.
Working for corporate America is right around the corner.
That's not exactly, exciting, but in a lot of ways I'm really looking forward to it.
I love looking back over life and seeing the faithfulness of God.
Because we have a proven record of the faithfulness of God, we can trust Him in the present and in the future, no matter what.
Working for corporate America is right around the corner.
That's not exactly, exciting, but in a lot of ways I'm really looking forward to it.
I love looking back over life and seeing the faithfulness of God.
Because we have a proven record of the faithfulness of God, we can trust Him in the present and in the future, no matter what.
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Excellent, Today
Why can't you be excellent today?
What's stopping you from being excellent today?
And why haven't you figured it out yet?
These questions are simple, primitive even.
Much of my thinking of late has gone back to a single verse in Philippians.
I know it's dangerous to base anything on one verse, but I passionately believe that this verse is a theme of the life of Paul.
It says in Philippians 1:27 - "Let your manner of life be worthy of the Gospel of Christ."
This verse is huge!
It's basically asking us a question and challenging us with this: Does YOUR life make SENSE in light of the Gospel?
Does your life match the Gospel?
The way you spend your moments, and your days says much about the Gospel you believe.
What I love about sports is the striving, the straining towards a common goal.
Paul uses this imagery in his letters.
"That you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel."
"Let us run with endurance the race marked out before us."
"I run to win the prize."
"Run to win."
That quote is so true.
Yet it isn't expansive enough.
It should include TV, sleeping, eating, etc.
Much of the things that occupy my day are things that are NOT excellent.
If we really believe the Gospel.
If we are really passionate about the kingdom, it will change how we live our lives.
It will:
Cause us to wake up early, get on our knees, and beg God for His will to be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
It will cause us to invest in others lives.
It will move us beyond the surfacy existence that we sometimes live in, and move us into real and intimate relationship.
It will cause us to get real with ourselves about how our generation has failed.
It will cause us to get serious about world hunger, global sex trafficing, AIDS, poverty, etc.
If my live is going to make sense in light of the Gospel, lots of things have to change.
One of the story lines I've been watching is the story line of Alex Morgan in the Woman's World Cup for the USA.
She's 22.
She's exactly my age.
I don't know if she loves Jesus, but her life makes sense to me.
Her goal has been to get on the World Cup roster and to make an impact.
She did that.
Imagine the competetiveness, the drive and the work ethic behind all of that.
She graduated college early because she's such a hard worker.
Her life makes sense in light of her goal.
Why is it that so many 22 year olds in the church of Jesus Christ are looking around asking: "I wonder what God's will is for my life?"
Why is that an American thing.
22 year olds in other countries are dying daily for their faith, and we sit around waiting for "the will of God."
That's so unbiblical it's scary.
Perhaps the reason that our lives don't make sense, is that we aren't disciples anyways.
Jesus Himself says:
"Leave father and mother."
"Let the dead bury their own dead."
"Sell everything you have for the priceless treasure of the Gospel."
"Sell all you have, then you will have treasure in heaven."
"Leave everything, and then follow me."
"Take up your cross and follow me."
Perhaps the reason our lives don't make sense is because we have embraced the American gospel instead of Jesus' gospel.
We think we can make it onto the narrow road carrying things with us. Maybe we are trying to carry wealth, popularity, relationships and our dreams onto the road of Jesus.
Maybe we need to re-evaluate. Maybe we need to put down our books, and pick up THE BOOK.
Maybe we need to read the Bible to see what it really says about the Gospel.
Paul urges us to be excellent.
He begs us that our lives would make sense.
Are you living excellently today?
Does your life make sense in light of the Gospel of Jesus?
What's stopping you from being excellent today?
And why haven't you figured it out yet?
These questions are simple, primitive even.
Much of my thinking of late has gone back to a single verse in Philippians.
I know it's dangerous to base anything on one verse, but I passionately believe that this verse is a theme of the life of Paul.
It says in Philippians 1:27 - "Let your manner of life be worthy of the Gospel of Christ."
This verse is huge!
It's basically asking us a question and challenging us with this: Does YOUR life make SENSE in light of the Gospel?
Does your life match the Gospel?
The way you spend your moments, and your days says much about the Gospel you believe.
What I love about sports is the striving, the straining towards a common goal.
Paul uses this imagery in his letters.
"That you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel."
"Let us run with endurance the race marked out before us."
"I run to win the prize."
"Run to win."
Why don't our lives match this?
Why are my passions so childish?
Why don't I dabble around in the sand when priceless joy is offered?
I must confess that I waste a great deal of time on meaningless things, and that is scary.
A friend of mine posted this the other day:
"One of the great uses of Twitter and Facebook will be to prove at the Last Day that prayerlessness was not from lack of time."
— John Piper
— John Piper
That quote is so true.
Yet it isn't expansive enough.
It should include TV, sleeping, eating, etc.
Much of the things that occupy my day are things that are NOT excellent.
If we really believe the Gospel.
If we are really passionate about the kingdom, it will change how we live our lives.
It will:
Cause us to wake up early, get on our knees, and beg God for His will to be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
It will cause us to invest in others lives.
It will move us beyond the surfacy existence that we sometimes live in, and move us into real and intimate relationship.
It will cause us to get real with ourselves about how our generation has failed.
It will cause us to get serious about world hunger, global sex trafficing, AIDS, poverty, etc.
If my live is going to make sense in light of the Gospel, lots of things have to change.
One of the story lines I've been watching is the story line of Alex Morgan in the Woman's World Cup for the USA.
She's 22.
She's exactly my age.
I don't know if she loves Jesus, but her life makes sense to me.
Her goal has been to get on the World Cup roster and to make an impact.
She did that.
Imagine the competetiveness, the drive and the work ethic behind all of that.
She graduated college early because she's such a hard worker.
Her life makes sense in light of her goal.
Why is it that so many 22 year olds in the church of Jesus Christ are looking around asking: "I wonder what God's will is for my life?"
Why is that an American thing.
22 year olds in other countries are dying daily for their faith, and we sit around waiting for "the will of God."
That's so unbiblical it's scary.
Perhaps the reason that our lives don't make sense, is that we aren't disciples anyways.
Jesus Himself says:
"Leave father and mother."
"Let the dead bury their own dead."
"Sell everything you have for the priceless treasure of the Gospel."
"Sell all you have, then you will have treasure in heaven."
"Leave everything, and then follow me."
"Take up your cross and follow me."
Perhaps the reason our lives don't make sense is because we have embraced the American gospel instead of Jesus' gospel.
We think we can make it onto the narrow road carrying things with us. Maybe we are trying to carry wealth, popularity, relationships and our dreams onto the road of Jesus.
Maybe we need to re-evaluate. Maybe we need to put down our books, and pick up THE BOOK.
Maybe we need to read the Bible to see what it really says about the Gospel.
Paul urges us to be excellent.
He begs us that our lives would make sense.
Are you living excellently today?
Does your life make sense in light of the Gospel of Jesus?
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Worship
Tonight I decided to go to the gathering.
It was awesome. I haven't been around real, passionate worship like that in MUCH too long.
It was so refreshing.
The speaker talked about covenant and kingdom.
He gave us the example of how God entered into covenant with Moses, spoke Moses' identity into him, and then called him to live out his kingdom life.
An incredible challenge for us today.
He also reminded us that, when God gave Abraham and Sarah their new names, He imparted His own name to them. He took from His own Name, "YAHWEH," and re-named Abraham and Sarah.
What an incredible picture of a covenant God, and His passion for covenant with His children.
It was awesome. I haven't been around real, passionate worship like that in MUCH too long.
It was so refreshing.
The speaker talked about covenant and kingdom.
He gave us the example of how God entered into covenant with Moses, spoke Moses' identity into him, and then called him to live out his kingdom life.
An incredible challenge for us today.
He also reminded us that, when God gave Abraham and Sarah their new names, He imparted His own name to them. He took from His own Name, "YAHWEH," and re-named Abraham and Sarah.
What an incredible picture of a covenant God, and His passion for covenant with His children.
Saturday, July 9, 2011
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Gifts
Two Thoughts:
One - I love the picture of gifts. It blows my mind how much God has been trying to show this to me.
God has truly blessed us with a million gifts.
If our trust must be earned...He has unequivocally earned our trust by sending Jesus.
On top of all of that...if God has already given us the greatest gift of all, how will He not also graciously give us all things? - Romans 8
That is a thought which absolutely blows my mind.
He is so good.
And it's only when our own selfishness gets in the way, that we fail to see this.
When our own self gets in the way of God's perfect gifts...we become stale, starved and joy-less creatures.
Perspective is everything.
Second - "If we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that our Lord finds our desires, not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased." - CS Lewis
One - I love the picture of gifts. It blows my mind how much God has been trying to show this to me.
God has truly blessed us with a million gifts.
If our trust must be earned...He has unequivocally earned our trust by sending Jesus.
On top of all of that...if God has already given us the greatest gift of all, how will He not also graciously give us all things? - Romans 8
That is a thought which absolutely blows my mind.
He is so good.
And it's only when our own selfishness gets in the way, that we fail to see this.
When our own self gets in the way of God's perfect gifts...we become stale, starved and joy-less creatures.
Perspective is everything.
Second - "If we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that our Lord finds our desires, not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased." - CS Lewis
Saturday, July 2, 2011
Never Change
I'm currently reading: "The Miracle of St. Anthony."
It's a basketball book about Bob Hurley and St. Anthony's basketball in Jersey City, New Jersey.
It's been a great read and has confirmed many of my ideas about what a basketball coach truly does.
I've also been reminded over and over again how incredible the last year has been.
The journey that I'm on has been spectacular and filled with blessings every step of the way.
God is incredible.
It's a basketball book about Bob Hurley and St. Anthony's basketball in Jersey City, New Jersey.
It's been a great read and has confirmed many of my ideas about what a basketball coach truly does.
I've also been reminded over and over again how incredible the last year has been.
The journey that I'm on has been spectacular and filled with blessings every step of the way.
God is incredible.
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Empty
My assignment for this week is simple enough.
I have been asked a question: How do God's children bless Him?
Now, I must try to answer it.
The first ideas that flood my mind are simply, elementary.
The Psalms talk about us blessing God, right?
How do we do that? By praise, worship, prayer, etc.
But how do we do this today? The same way of course.
Perhaps the way we live every moment can be our blessing to God.
But then a friend asks; can we bless God? Can flawed humans bless the Holy One?
I shudder, pull back even, perhaps this is true. Perhaps we cannot bless God.
My mind races.
But quickly I remember. Quickly His Word fills my mind, and I reply: of course we can bless God. He has created us with that ability.
But what am I really saying? I'm not sure I even believe myself, or even know what I'm saying.
What does it REALLY mean for us to bless God? How do we do this?
Am I doing it in my life today? Is it possible?
To answer this question, I first looked up all the verses that mention blessing God, or blessing others.
Here is a small sample:
Psalm 66:8 - Bless our God.
Psalm 103:1-2 - Bless the LORD, o my soul, and all that is within me, bless His Holy Name!
Bless the LORD, o my soul, and forget not all His benefits.
Psalm 134:1 - Come, bless the LORD, all you servants of the LORD.
Psalm 145:21 - Let all flesh bless His Holy Name forever and ever.
Psalm 63:4 - I will bless You as long as I live; in Your Name I will lift up my hands.
So...blessing is essentially praise.
This next quote is from John Piper:
"My thesis is that in the Scripture when God "blesses" men they are thereby helped and strengthened and made better off than they were before, but when men "bless" God he is not helped or strengthened or made better off. Rather (with C. A. Keller in THAT, I, 361) man's blessing God is an "expression of praising Thankfulness" (ein lobendes Danksagen), when the OT speaks of blessing God it does not "designate a process that aims at the increase of God's strength" (THAT, I, 361). It is an "exclamation of gratitude and admiration" (THAT, I, 357)."
This makes complete and total sense.
But is there more?
Is blessing God simply praising Him and giving Him thanks?
Part of me says yes, and part of me says no.
My thought is this: the beatitudes clearly teach "blessed are those."
The new testament teaches that we are the bride of Christ, His chosen ones.
We are clearly taught to give to others because of what God has blessed us with.
We are told that the way that we love reveals our hearts.
So, if we are told to do all of this...
"If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, be warmed and filled," without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that?" - James 2
Can this idea be the beginning of what it means for us to bless God today?
Could it be that we bless God by blessing others?
By taking the blessings that God has given us, and turning around and blessing others with that blessing?
Perhaps.
Next, I turned to a book I've been reading recently..."A Thousand Gifts."
Actually, the book hit me in the face. The words jumped off the page and answered my question more beautifully than I ever imagined.
The majority of the rest of this post is from "A Thousand Gifts," written by Ann Voskamp. I wholeheartedly recommend reading this book.
"In the October mist, eucharisteo opens the eyes, the heart, to the grace that falls upon us, a drop, a river, a waterfall of blessing filling our emptiness. It falls into the open hand and makes life a paradise again. We wonder: If eucharisteo had led us to let go and open the hand to receive all His shimmering river of gifts, how can we now close the hand?
If I close these fingers, try to hold, hoard the river-dam up the grace-won't the water grow stagnant?
Fullness grows foul. Grace is alive, living waters. If I dam up the grace, hold the blessings tight, joy within dies...waters that have no life.
I turn my hand over, spread my fingers open. I receive grace. And through me, grace could flow on. Like a cycle of water in continuous movement, grace is meant to fall, a rain...again, again, again. I could share the grace, multiply the joy, extend the table of the feast, enlarge the paradise of His presence. I am blessed. I can bless. A life contemplating the blessings of Christ becomes a life acting the love of Christ.
All the pieces are finding their place."
The author then cites John 13, which is the account of the last supper, and then proceeds by saying:
"Jesus is about to let flesh be broken with nail, heart be broken with rejection, the chains be broken with bleeding love. And in His last hours before His earthly end, He doesn't run out to buy something or catch a flight to go see something, but He wraps a towel around His waist and kneels low to take the feet of His forsakers gently in hand and wash away the grime between their toes.
This is the full-bodied eucharisteo, the eucharisteo that touches body and soul: hands and knees and feet awash in grace.
At the last, this is what will determine a fulfilling, meaningful life, a life that, behind all the facades, every one of us longs to live: gratitude for the blessings that expresses itself by becoming the blessing.
Eucharisteo is giving thanks for grace. But in the breaking and giving of bread, in the washing of feet, Jesus makes it clear that eucharisteo is, yes, more: it is giving grace away. Eucharisteo is the hand that opens to receive grace, then, with thanks, breaks the bread; that moves out into the larger circle of life and washes the feet of the world with that grace. Without the breaking and giving, without the washing of feet, eucharisteo isn't complete. The Communion service is only complete in service. Communion, by necessity, always leads us into community.
Eucharisteo means "to give thanks," and give is a verb, something that we do. God calls me to do thanks. To give the thanks away. That thanks-giving might literally become thanks-living. That our lives become the very blessings we have received.
I am blessed. I can bless. I could let Him make me the gift.
When the eyes of the heart focus on God, and the hands on always washing the feet of Jesus alone-work returns to its purest state: eucharisteo. The work becomes worship, a liturgy of thankfulness."
"The word we do is only our love for Jesus in action...If we pray the work...if we do it to Jesus, if we do it for Jesus, if we do it with Jesus....that's what makes us content" - Mother Teresa.
"This is what makes us content - the contented, deep joy is always in the touching of Christ-in whatever skin He comes to us in.
Christian hands never clasp
and He doesn't give gifts for gain
because a gift can never stop being a gift-
it is always meant to be given.
In an endless cycle of grace, He gives us gifts to serve the world. This is how to make a life great and eucharisteo embarks us on the path: "Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave."
Isaiah 58 -
Feed the hungry,
and help those in trouble.
Then your light will shine out from the darkness,
and the darkness around you will be as bright as noon.
The LORD will guide you continually,
giving you water when you are dry
and restoring your strength.
You will be like a well-watered garden, like an ever-flowing spring.
It's the fundamental, lavish, radical nature of the upside-down economy of God.
Empty to fill.
While the Deceiver jockeys to dupe us into thinking otherwise, we who are made in the image of God, being formed into Christ's likeness, our happiness comes, too, not in the having but in the handing over. Give your life away in exchange for many lives, give away your blessings to multiply blessings, give away so that many might increase, and do it all for the love of God. I can bless, pour out, be broken and giving in our home and the larger world and never fear that there won't be enough to give. Eucharisteo has taught me to trust that there is always enough God. He has no end. He calls us to serve, and it is Him who we serve, but He, very God, kneels down to serve us as we serve. The servant-hearted never serve alone. Spend the whole of your one wild and beautiful life investing in many lives, and God simply will not be outdone. God extravagantly pays back everything we give away and exactly in the currency that is not of this world but the one we yearn for: Joy in Him.
It is our very presence in each other's lives that make us the gift. It is by the very function of our being, not our doing, that we are the beloved of God. And so we become the love of God, blessing those He loves.
God answers our pleas for a fulfilling life with His promise: 'I will bless you...and you will be a blessing.' - Genesis 12:2
God can enter into me, even me, and use these hands, these feet, to be His love, a love that goes on and on and on forever, endless cycle of grace." - A Thousand Gifts.
When we tangibly love Christ, in whatever skin He comes to us in, we bless God.
Blessing God is wrapped up in love.
I have been asked a question: How do God's children bless Him?
Now, I must try to answer it.
The first ideas that flood my mind are simply, elementary.
The Psalms talk about us blessing God, right?
How do we do that? By praise, worship, prayer, etc.
But how do we do this today? The same way of course.
Perhaps the way we live every moment can be our blessing to God.
But then a friend asks; can we bless God? Can flawed humans bless the Holy One?
I shudder, pull back even, perhaps this is true. Perhaps we cannot bless God.
My mind races.
But quickly I remember. Quickly His Word fills my mind, and I reply: of course we can bless God. He has created us with that ability.
But what am I really saying? I'm not sure I even believe myself, or even know what I'm saying.
What does it REALLY mean for us to bless God? How do we do this?
Am I doing it in my life today? Is it possible?
To answer this question, I first looked up all the verses that mention blessing God, or blessing others.
Here is a small sample:
Psalm 66:8 - Bless our God.
Psalm 103:1-2 - Bless the LORD, o my soul, and all that is within me, bless His Holy Name!
Bless the LORD, o my soul, and forget not all His benefits.
Psalm 134:1 - Come, bless the LORD, all you servants of the LORD.
Psalm 145:21 - Let all flesh bless His Holy Name forever and ever.
Psalm 63:4 - I will bless You as long as I live; in Your Name I will lift up my hands.
So...blessing is essentially praise.
This next quote is from John Piper:
"My thesis is that in the Scripture when God "blesses" men they are thereby helped and strengthened and made better off than they were before, but when men "bless" God he is not helped or strengthened or made better off. Rather (with C. A. Keller in THAT, I, 361) man's blessing God is an "expression of praising Thankfulness" (ein lobendes Danksagen), when the OT speaks of blessing God it does not "designate a process that aims at the increase of God's strength" (THAT, I, 361). It is an "exclamation of gratitude and admiration" (THAT, I, 357)."
This makes complete and total sense.
But is there more?
Is blessing God simply praising Him and giving Him thanks?
Part of me says yes, and part of me says no.
My thought is this: the beatitudes clearly teach "blessed are those."
The new testament teaches that we are the bride of Christ, His chosen ones.
We are clearly taught to give to others because of what God has blessed us with.
We are told that the way that we love reveals our hearts.
So, if we are told to do all of this...
"If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, be warmed and filled," without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that?" - James 2
Can this idea be the beginning of what it means for us to bless God today?
Could it be that we bless God by blessing others?
By taking the blessings that God has given us, and turning around and blessing others with that blessing?
Perhaps.
Next, I turned to a book I've been reading recently..."A Thousand Gifts."
Actually, the book hit me in the face. The words jumped off the page and answered my question more beautifully than I ever imagined.
The majority of the rest of this post is from "A Thousand Gifts," written by Ann Voskamp. I wholeheartedly recommend reading this book.
"In the October mist, eucharisteo opens the eyes, the heart, to the grace that falls upon us, a drop, a river, a waterfall of blessing filling our emptiness. It falls into the open hand and makes life a paradise again. We wonder: If eucharisteo had led us to let go and open the hand to receive all His shimmering river of gifts, how can we now close the hand?
If I close these fingers, try to hold, hoard the river-dam up the grace-won't the water grow stagnant?
Fullness grows foul. Grace is alive, living waters. If I dam up the grace, hold the blessings tight, joy within dies...waters that have no life.
I turn my hand over, spread my fingers open. I receive grace. And through me, grace could flow on. Like a cycle of water in continuous movement, grace is meant to fall, a rain...again, again, again. I could share the grace, multiply the joy, extend the table of the feast, enlarge the paradise of His presence. I am blessed. I can bless. A life contemplating the blessings of Christ becomes a life acting the love of Christ.
All the pieces are finding their place."
The author then cites John 13, which is the account of the last supper, and then proceeds by saying:
"Jesus is about to let flesh be broken with nail, heart be broken with rejection, the chains be broken with bleeding love. And in His last hours before His earthly end, He doesn't run out to buy something or catch a flight to go see something, but He wraps a towel around His waist and kneels low to take the feet of His forsakers gently in hand and wash away the grime between their toes.
This is the full-bodied eucharisteo, the eucharisteo that touches body and soul: hands and knees and feet awash in grace.
At the last, this is what will determine a fulfilling, meaningful life, a life that, behind all the facades, every one of us longs to live: gratitude for the blessings that expresses itself by becoming the blessing.
Eucharisteo is giving thanks for grace. But in the breaking and giving of bread, in the washing of feet, Jesus makes it clear that eucharisteo is, yes, more: it is giving grace away. Eucharisteo is the hand that opens to receive grace, then, with thanks, breaks the bread; that moves out into the larger circle of life and washes the feet of the world with that grace. Without the breaking and giving, without the washing of feet, eucharisteo isn't complete. The Communion service is only complete in service. Communion, by necessity, always leads us into community.
Eucharisteo means "to give thanks," and give is a verb, something that we do. God calls me to do thanks. To give the thanks away. That thanks-giving might literally become thanks-living. That our lives become the very blessings we have received.
I am blessed. I can bless. I could let Him make me the gift.
When the eyes of the heart focus on God, and the hands on always washing the feet of Jesus alone-work returns to its purest state: eucharisteo. The work becomes worship, a liturgy of thankfulness."
"The word we do is only our love for Jesus in action...If we pray the work...if we do it to Jesus, if we do it for Jesus, if we do it with Jesus....that's what makes us content" - Mother Teresa.
"This is what makes us content - the contented, deep joy is always in the touching of Christ-in whatever skin He comes to us in.
Christian hands never clasp
and He doesn't give gifts for gain
because a gift can never stop being a gift-
it is always meant to be given.
In an endless cycle of grace, He gives us gifts to serve the world. This is how to make a life great and eucharisteo embarks us on the path: "Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave."
Isaiah 58 -
Feed the hungry,
and help those in trouble.
Then your light will shine out from the darkness,
and the darkness around you will be as bright as noon.
The LORD will guide you continually,
giving you water when you are dry
and restoring your strength.
You will be like a well-watered garden, like an ever-flowing spring.
It's the fundamental, lavish, radical nature of the upside-down economy of God.
Empty to fill.
While the Deceiver jockeys to dupe us into thinking otherwise, we who are made in the image of God, being formed into Christ's likeness, our happiness comes, too, not in the having but in the handing over. Give your life away in exchange for many lives, give away your blessings to multiply blessings, give away so that many might increase, and do it all for the love of God. I can bless, pour out, be broken and giving in our home and the larger world and never fear that there won't be enough to give. Eucharisteo has taught me to trust that there is always enough God. He has no end. He calls us to serve, and it is Him who we serve, but He, very God, kneels down to serve us as we serve. The servant-hearted never serve alone. Spend the whole of your one wild and beautiful life investing in many lives, and God simply will not be outdone. God extravagantly pays back everything we give away and exactly in the currency that is not of this world but the one we yearn for: Joy in Him.
It is our very presence in each other's lives that make us the gift. It is by the very function of our being, not our doing, that we are the beloved of God. And so we become the love of God, blessing those He loves.
God answers our pleas for a fulfilling life with His promise: 'I will bless you...and you will be a blessing.' - Genesis 12:2
God can enter into me, even me, and use these hands, these feet, to be His love, a love that goes on and on and on forever, endless cycle of grace." - A Thousand Gifts.
When we tangibly love Christ, in whatever skin He comes to us in, we bless God.
Blessing God is wrapped up in love.
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Gifts
God surrounds us and crowns our lives with His gifts.
Tonight, I am praying for His eyes, so that I can clearly see all of His gifts.
Are lives are rich and full, if we see through His eyes and see clearly.
Tonight, I am praying for His eyes, so that I can clearly see all of His gifts.
Are lives are rich and full, if we see through His eyes and see clearly.
Friday, May 27, 2011
The End Or The Beginning
The following set of quotes are from a book titled "A Million Miles in a Thousand Years.
"I don't live good stories."
"You're right, you aren't living a good story."
"Well, what do I do about it?"
"You're a writer. You know what to do."
"No I don't."
Jordan looked at me with his furrowed brow again. "You just put something on the page," he said. "Your life is a blank page. You write on it."
After all of this, after everything I've been through and learned, everything is so simple.
The title of my blog is The Wonder Of A Blank Page.
Why did I choose this?
Because I'm a writer and because one of the best things about being a writer is you get to create whatever you want to create on that page.
The same is true in our lives...we have a blank page, a blank canvas, in front of us.
We can write whatever we want on it.
Since last August, I haven't been living a very good story.
Oh sure, there have been great parts...but overall, the story I've been writing isn't the one I want to be writing.
Writing a good story is easy. Daydreaming about all that I want life to be is easy.
I want a lot of things. I want to change the world.
All of that is fine and good, but who really cares?
Everybody wants that.
Few people actually do it.
That's why so many people never reach their dreams...they aren't willing to get up off the couch and pursue those dreams. They're never willing to pursue those dreams and sacrifice whatever is necessary to obtain those dreams.
So for me...this is the end...or the beginning.
As of today, I'm going to stop writing and start living.
I'm turning off the TV, shutting the laptop, deactivating Facebook, Twitter, stop blogging, etc.
I'm going to stop dreaming and start living.
Perhaps today is the end of my writing journey, or maybe it's finally the beginning.
"I wonder, then, if when people say life is meaningless, what they really mean is their lives are meaningless?" - Donald Miller
I refuse to sit around and dream and hope.
It's time to get up.
It's time to live a good story.
It's time to live a consistent story, every day.
Living a good story is all about choices. We make thousands of choices every single day, and those choices mark our journies.
Our choices define us.
So today I am choosing to start over, to start fresh, to start new.
I'm choosing to write a good story.
It won't be easy.
I'll want to crawl back and hide in the familiar.
Writing a good story will involve risk and hardship, but it will be worth it in the end.
At the end of your life, you won't look back at all the money you made or the classes you passed or the things you had, you will look at the people around you.
Your journey will define you.
The story you write with your life is the story that everyone will remember you by.
I want to write a good story.
Today is Ch. 1.
"The average Christian in the United States spends ten minutes per day with God; meanwhile, the average American spends over four hours a day watching television."
"Are you willing to say to God that He can have whatever He wants? Do you believe that wholehearted commitment to Him is more important than any other thing or person in your life? Do you know that nothing you do in this life will ever matter, unless it is about loving God and loving the people He has made?"
"God measures our lives by how we love." - Francis Chan
What kind of story will you write with your life?
"God is not someone who can be tacked onto our lives?" - Francis Chan
"I don't live good stories."
"You're right, you aren't living a good story."
"Well, what do I do about it?"
"You're a writer. You know what to do."
"No I don't."
Jordan looked at me with his furrowed brow again. "You just put something on the page," he said. "Your life is a blank page. You write on it."
After all of this, after everything I've been through and learned, everything is so simple.
The title of my blog is The Wonder Of A Blank Page.
Why did I choose this?
Because I'm a writer and because one of the best things about being a writer is you get to create whatever you want to create on that page.
The same is true in our lives...we have a blank page, a blank canvas, in front of us.
We can write whatever we want on it.
Since last August, I haven't been living a very good story.
Oh sure, there have been great parts...but overall, the story I've been writing isn't the one I want to be writing.
Writing a good story is easy. Daydreaming about all that I want life to be is easy.
I want a lot of things. I want to change the world.
All of that is fine and good, but who really cares?
Everybody wants that.
Few people actually do it.
That's why so many people never reach their dreams...they aren't willing to get up off the couch and pursue those dreams. They're never willing to pursue those dreams and sacrifice whatever is necessary to obtain those dreams.
So for me...this is the end...or the beginning.
As of today, I'm going to stop writing and start living.
I'm turning off the TV, shutting the laptop, deactivating Facebook, Twitter, stop blogging, etc.
I'm going to stop dreaming and start living.
Perhaps today is the end of my writing journey, or maybe it's finally the beginning.
"I wonder, then, if when people say life is meaningless, what they really mean is their lives are meaningless?" - Donald Miller
I refuse to sit around and dream and hope.
It's time to get up.
It's time to live a good story.
It's time to live a consistent story, every day.
Living a good story is all about choices. We make thousands of choices every single day, and those choices mark our journies.
Our choices define us.
So today I am choosing to start over, to start fresh, to start new.
I'm choosing to write a good story.
It won't be easy.
I'll want to crawl back and hide in the familiar.
Writing a good story will involve risk and hardship, but it will be worth it in the end.
At the end of your life, you won't look back at all the money you made or the classes you passed or the things you had, you will look at the people around you.
Your journey will define you.
The story you write with your life is the story that everyone will remember you by.
I want to write a good story.
Today is Ch. 1.
"The average Christian in the United States spends ten minutes per day with God; meanwhile, the average American spends over four hours a day watching television."
"Are you willing to say to God that He can have whatever He wants? Do you believe that wholehearted commitment to Him is more important than any other thing or person in your life? Do you know that nothing you do in this life will ever matter, unless it is about loving God and loving the people He has made?"
"God measures our lives by how we love." - Francis Chan
What kind of story will you write with your life?
"God is not someone who can be tacked onto our lives?" - Francis Chan
He IS our lives!
He is the King, who made the ultimate sacrifice for us.
He crucified His beloved Son because He wants you.
He wants all of you.
He doesn't just want part of you, sometimes.
He wants all of you.
All the time.
For the rest of your life.
That's how passionate He is about you.
Writing a good story is easy, living a good story is much harder.
It requires being very intentional.
It requires sacrifice.
A goal.
And a million other things.
It's time to live a good story.
Today is your day, your story is waiting.
Oh! The Places You’ll Go!
by the incomparable Dr. Seuss
Congratulations!
Today is your day.
You’re off to Great Places!
You’re off and away!
You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself any direction you choose.
You’re on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the guy who’ll decide where to go.
You’ll look up and down streets. Look’em over with care. About some you will say, “I don’t choose to go there.” With your head full of brains and your shoes full of feet, you’re too smart to go down a not-so-good street.
And you may not find any you’ll want to go down. In that case, of course, you’ll head straight out of town. It’s opener there in the wide open air.
Out there things can happen and frequently do to people as brainy and footsy as you.
And when things start to happen, don’t worry. Don’t stew. Just go right along. You’ll start happening too.
Oh! The Places You’ll Go!
You’ll be on your way up!
You’ll be seeing great sights!
You’ll join the high fliers who soar to high heights.
You won’t lag behind, because you’ll have the speed. You’ll pass the whole gang and you’ll soon take the lead. Wherever you fly, you’ll be best of the best. Wherever you go, you will top all the rest.
Except when you don’t.
Because, sometimes, you won’t.
I’m sorry to say so but, sadly, it’s true that Bang-ups and Hang-ups can happen to you.
You can get all hung up in a prickle-ly perch. And your gang will fly on. You’ll be left in a Lurch.
You’ll come down from the Lurch with an unpleasant bump. And the chances are, then, that you’ll be in a Slump.
And when you’re in a Slump, you’re not in for much fun. Un-slumping yourself is not easily done.
You will come to a place where the streets are not marked. Some windows are lighted. But mostly they’re darked. A place you could sprain both your elbow and chin! Do you dare to stay out? Do you dare to go in? How much can you lose? How much can you win?
And if you go in, should you turn left or right…or right-and-three-quarters? Or, maybe, not quite? Or go around back and sneak in from behind? Simple it’s not, I’m afraid you will find, for a mind-maker-upper to make up his mind.
You can get so confused that you’ll start in to race down long wiggled roads at a break-necking pace and grind on for miles across weirdish wild space, headed, I fear, toward a most useless place.
The Waiting Place…for people just waiting.
Waiting for a train to go or a bus to come, or a plane to go or the mail to come, or the rain to go or the phone to ring, or the snow to snow or waiting around for a Yes or No or waiting for their hair to grow. Everyone is just waiting.
Waiting for the fish to bite or waiting for wind to fly a kite or waiting around for Friday night or waiting, perhaps, for their Uncle Jake or a pot to boil, or a Better Break or a string of pearls, or a pair of pants or a wig with curls, or Another Chance. Everyone is just waiting.
No! That’s not for you!
Somehow you’ll escape all that waiting and staying. You’ll find the bright places where Boom Bands are playing. With banner flip-flapping, once more you’ll ride high! Ready for anything under the sky. Ready because you’re that kind of a guy!
Oh, the places you’ll go! There is fun to be done! There are points to be scored. There are games to be won. And the magical things you can do with that ball will make you the winning-est winner of all. Fame! You’ll be famous as famous can be, with the whole wide world watching you win on TV.
Except when they don’t. Because, sometimes, they won’t.
I’m afraid that some times you’ll play lonely games too. Games you can’t win ‘cause you’ll play against you.
Today is your day, your story is waiting.
Oh! The Places You’ll Go!
by the incomparable Dr. Seuss
Congratulations!
Today is your day.
You’re off to Great Places!
You’re off and away!
You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself any direction you choose.
You’re on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the guy who’ll decide where to go.
You’ll look up and down streets. Look’em over with care. About some you will say, “I don’t choose to go there.” With your head full of brains and your shoes full of feet, you’re too smart to go down a not-so-good street.
And you may not find any you’ll want to go down. In that case, of course, you’ll head straight out of town. It’s opener there in the wide open air.
Out there things can happen and frequently do to people as brainy and footsy as you.
And when things start to happen, don’t worry. Don’t stew. Just go right along. You’ll start happening too.
Oh! The Places You’ll Go!
You’ll be on your way up!
You’ll be seeing great sights!
You’ll join the high fliers who soar to high heights.
You won’t lag behind, because you’ll have the speed. You’ll pass the whole gang and you’ll soon take the lead. Wherever you fly, you’ll be best of the best. Wherever you go, you will top all the rest.
Except when you don’t.
Because, sometimes, you won’t.
I’m sorry to say so but, sadly, it’s true that Bang-ups and Hang-ups can happen to you.
You can get all hung up in a prickle-ly perch. And your gang will fly on. You’ll be left in a Lurch.
You’ll come down from the Lurch with an unpleasant bump. And the chances are, then, that you’ll be in a Slump.
And when you’re in a Slump, you’re not in for much fun. Un-slumping yourself is not easily done.
You will come to a place where the streets are not marked. Some windows are lighted. But mostly they’re darked. A place you could sprain both your elbow and chin! Do you dare to stay out? Do you dare to go in? How much can you lose? How much can you win?
And if you go in, should you turn left or right…or right-and-three-quarters? Or, maybe, not quite? Or go around back and sneak in from behind? Simple it’s not, I’m afraid you will find, for a mind-maker-upper to make up his mind.
You can get so confused that you’ll start in to race down long wiggled roads at a break-necking pace and grind on for miles across weirdish wild space, headed, I fear, toward a most useless place.
The Waiting Place…for people just waiting.
Waiting for a train to go or a bus to come, or a plane to go or the mail to come, or the rain to go or the phone to ring, or the snow to snow or waiting around for a Yes or No or waiting for their hair to grow. Everyone is just waiting.
Waiting for the fish to bite or waiting for wind to fly a kite or waiting around for Friday night or waiting, perhaps, for their Uncle Jake or a pot to boil, or a Better Break or a string of pearls, or a pair of pants or a wig with curls, or Another Chance. Everyone is just waiting.
No! That’s not for you!
Somehow you’ll escape all that waiting and staying. You’ll find the bright places where Boom Bands are playing. With banner flip-flapping, once more you’ll ride high! Ready for anything under the sky. Ready because you’re that kind of a guy!
Oh, the places you’ll go! There is fun to be done! There are points to be scored. There are games to be won. And the magical things you can do with that ball will make you the winning-est winner of all. Fame! You’ll be famous as famous can be, with the whole wide world watching you win on TV.
Except when they don’t. Because, sometimes, they won’t.
I’m afraid that some times you’ll play lonely games too. Games you can’t win ‘cause you’ll play against you.
All Alone!
Whether you like it or not, Alone will be something you’ll be quite a lot.
And when you’re alone, there’s a very good chance you’ll meet things that scare you right out of your pants. There are some, down the road between hither and yon, that can scare you so much you won’t want to go on.
But on you will go though the weather be foul. On you will go though your enemies prowl. On you will go though the Hakken-Kraks howl. Onward up many a frightening creek, though your arms may get sore and your sneakers may leak. On and on you will hike. And I know you’ll hike far and face up to your problems whatever they are.
You’ll get mixed up, of course, as you already know. You’ll get mixed up with many strange birds as you go. So be sure when you step. Step with care and great tact and remember that Life’s a Great Balancing Act. Just never forget to be dexterous and deft. And never mix up your right foot with your left.
And will you succeed?
Yes! You will, indeed!
(98 and ¾ percent guaranteed.)
Kid, you’ll move mountains!
So…be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray or Mordecai Ale Van Allen O’Shea, you’re off to Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting.
So…get on your way!
Whether you like it or not, Alone will be something you’ll be quite a lot.
And when you’re alone, there’s a very good chance you’ll meet things that scare you right out of your pants. There are some, down the road between hither and yon, that can scare you so much you won’t want to go on.
But on you will go though the weather be foul. On you will go though your enemies prowl. On you will go though the Hakken-Kraks howl. Onward up many a frightening creek, though your arms may get sore and your sneakers may leak. On and on you will hike. And I know you’ll hike far and face up to your problems whatever they are.
You’ll get mixed up, of course, as you already know. You’ll get mixed up with many strange birds as you go. So be sure when you step. Step with care and great tact and remember that Life’s a Great Balancing Act. Just never forget to be dexterous and deft. And never mix up your right foot with your left.
And will you succeed?
Yes! You will, indeed!
(98 and ¾ percent guaranteed.)
Kid, you’ll move mountains!
So…be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray or Mordecai Ale Van Allen O’Shea, you’re off to Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting.
So…get on your way!
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Garden - 70x7
I simply cannot stop thinking about everything that the events in the Garden of Eden mean.
The Garden tells us a ton about the heart of God, and the love that He has for His kids.
The story of the Garden is one place we can find tremendous blessing and incredible hope in the midst of the shambles.
It is in the midst of the wreckage of humanity, in the moments before and after Eve takes the forbidden fruit and takes the bite that alters the course of history, that we find incredible lessons of the goodness and faithfulness of God.
Many subjects could be talked about, but for now, I will simply talk about: Forgiveness.
After Eve takes the bite, after she says "NO" to her Lover and says "YES" to her deceiver, we learn much about the heart of God.
We vividly see the forgiving heart of God.
Immediately after Eve sins, God comes looking for His children.
Of course He knew what they had done, but He came looking for them.
What did they do? They heard Him coming...and they hid.
They hid.
We do that too don't we?
When we hurt someone, we want to hide.
When we sin against God, we hide. But hiding doesn't heal broken relationships.
We then see the exchange between God and man.
We see the pronouncement of cursing...and blessing. (there is a TON that goes into this)
What we don't see is God violently angry at His children. He passes judgment, strong judgment, but He shows forgiveness and love.
In the very middle of this exchange, we see a huge "Garden moment."
God asks, "who told you? what have you done?"
Of course He already knows the answer...but it's almost as if He is wanting them to see HOW they fell.
Very simple - when Adam and Eve listened to a voice other than God's, they fell.
When they failed to do EXACTLY as He said, They rationalized Truth away, and fell.
Don't we do that all the time?
The voice of the world is loud, and we too often listen to the world.
Like Eve, we listen to the voice that says "did God really say?" and we eat the forbidden fruit.
because of this, many things are broken. We are fallen! We are messed up!
And then we hide...
And Jesus passionately pursues us and forgives us.
And it's this forgiveness that changes everything.
God sent His only Son to earth to die and rise again, because He has forgiven His children.
For all of us that have been gloriously called into His family, He has forgiven us in a way that is beautiful.
For everyone else...His judgment is sure. Turn to Jesus.
One of the most beautiful lines in scripture comes in Genesis 5:22 - "Enoch walked with God."
After everything that happened...after the relationship was broken in the Garden...the promise of relationship still remains.
It was as if God was promising: Men will still walk with God.
Are you hiding today?
What are you hiding from?
Is there someone you need to forgive?
Is there someone who needs your forgiveness?
Is there someone who needs you to love them again?
What needs to be made right?
Forgiveness changes everything.
The love of Jesus is our ultimate hope.
There is no place for dis-unity in the Body of Christ...may we be people quick to forgive and quick to love.
This is one of the hardest things for us to do...because it means we have to die to our own desires and choose to walk like Jesus.
How many times am I supposed to forgive?
"Jesus replied: Seventy times seven."
The Garden tells us a ton about the heart of God, and the love that He has for His kids.
The story of the Garden is one place we can find tremendous blessing and incredible hope in the midst of the shambles.
It is in the midst of the wreckage of humanity, in the moments before and after Eve takes the forbidden fruit and takes the bite that alters the course of history, that we find incredible lessons of the goodness and faithfulness of God.
Many subjects could be talked about, but for now, I will simply talk about: Forgiveness.
After Eve takes the bite, after she says "NO" to her Lover and says "YES" to her deceiver, we learn much about the heart of God.
We vividly see the forgiving heart of God.
Immediately after Eve sins, God comes looking for His children.
Of course He knew what they had done, but He came looking for them.
What did they do? They heard Him coming...and they hid.
They hid.
We do that too don't we?
When we hurt someone, we want to hide.
When we sin against God, we hide. But hiding doesn't heal broken relationships.
We then see the exchange between God and man.
We see the pronouncement of cursing...and blessing. (there is a TON that goes into this)
What we don't see is God violently angry at His children. He passes judgment, strong judgment, but He shows forgiveness and love.
In the very middle of this exchange, we see a huge "Garden moment."
God asks, "who told you? what have you done?"
Of course He already knows the answer...but it's almost as if He is wanting them to see HOW they fell.
Very simple - when Adam and Eve listened to a voice other than God's, they fell.
When they failed to do EXACTLY as He said, They rationalized Truth away, and fell.
Don't we do that all the time?
The voice of the world is loud, and we too often listen to the world.
Like Eve, we listen to the voice that says "did God really say?" and we eat the forbidden fruit.
because of this, many things are broken. We are fallen! We are messed up!
And then we hide...
And Jesus passionately pursues us and forgives us.
And it's this forgiveness that changes everything.
God sent His only Son to earth to die and rise again, because He has forgiven His children.
For all of us that have been gloriously called into His family, He has forgiven us in a way that is beautiful.
For everyone else...His judgment is sure. Turn to Jesus.
One of the most beautiful lines in scripture comes in Genesis 5:22 - "Enoch walked with God."
After everything that happened...after the relationship was broken in the Garden...the promise of relationship still remains.
It was as if God was promising: Men will still walk with God.
Are you hiding today?
What are you hiding from?
Is there someone you need to forgive?
Is there someone who needs your forgiveness?
Is there someone who needs you to love them again?
What needs to be made right?
Forgiveness changes everything.
The love of Jesus is our ultimate hope.
There is no place for dis-unity in the Body of Christ...may we be people quick to forgive and quick to love.
This is one of the hardest things for us to do...because it means we have to die to our own desires and choose to walk like Jesus.
How many times am I supposed to forgive?
"Jesus replied: Seventy times seven."
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Perspective
One of the most important things in life is perspective.
How we view things is pivotal to the way that we live.
"The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, the education, the money, than circumstances, than failure, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company... a church... a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past... we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it. And so it is with you... we are in charge of our Attitudes.”
-Charles Swindoll
Behind the clouds, the sun is always shining.
We just don't realize that sometimes.
When our days are dark, and the sun just doesn't seem to shine, we forget that the sun is still shining.
Like Eve way back in Eden, our perspective is often faulty.
When Satan asked, "Did God really say?" it was instantly a decision of perspective.
What God had said was plain to Eve, but her perspective was off.
Her perspective was off, and she took the fruit, and ate it, and the rest as they say...is history.
Like Eve, we face garden moments every day.
Things don't go the way we want them to; are we going to say "curse God and die" or "when He has tried me, I shall come forth as gold?"
How do you respond when things don't go your way?
How do you respond when you lose a basketball game?
Fail a test?
Fail a friend?
Lose a friend?
How do you respond when what you want seems just out of reach?
When your parents die?
When your siblings don't love you?
What do you do when your best friends abandon you?
Or you don't get the job you want?
Or you don't get to do what you want with your summer?
Or you just can't have that relationship?
What do you do?
Where is God in all of that?
Is God still good in all of that?
Of course!
But often, I fail to realize that.
Often my perspective is off.
So for today, I'm simply asking that my perspective be right.
I'm praying for the eyes of Jesus so I can see things like He does.
So I can see through the clouds and see the sun.
Trials WILL come.
Life WILL be hard.
But we can have joy in any moment.
We can have joy in any moment because we serve a God who is always good.
God is a God who loves us too much to give us what we want...
He gives us His BEST instead.
He is working everything out for His great glory in the midst of all of our struggling and fighting.
We often perceive things to be a delay.
When God doesn't answer our prayers, we make it out to be a delay.
But there is no such thing in God's book.
There are no delays when it comes to God.
He exists outside of time, and He is ALWAYS working to accomplish His glory.
Take hard.
Keep fighting.
You CAN have joy in ANY moment.
God is working everything out for His good, and working everything out for His glory.
He loves you too much to leave you where you are...
He will not rest until sin is destroyed from every fiber of your body.
He will not rest until He makes you like His Son.
Our life is a struggle for perspective.
May Jesus give us eyes to see things like He does.
Everything is about His glory.
May my attitude, and my perspective be the way He wants them to be.
May I be able to say thanks and praise God even when things don't go my way.
How we view things is pivotal to the way that we live.
"The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, the education, the money, than circumstances, than failure, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company... a church... a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past... we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it. And so it is with you... we are in charge of our Attitudes.”
-Charles Swindoll
Behind the clouds, the sun is always shining.
We just don't realize that sometimes.
When our days are dark, and the sun just doesn't seem to shine, we forget that the sun is still shining.
Like Eve way back in Eden, our perspective is often faulty.
When Satan asked, "Did God really say?" it was instantly a decision of perspective.
What God had said was plain to Eve, but her perspective was off.
Her perspective was off, and she took the fruit, and ate it, and the rest as they say...is history.
Like Eve, we face garden moments every day.
Things don't go the way we want them to; are we going to say "curse God and die" or "when He has tried me, I shall come forth as gold?"
How do you respond when things don't go your way?
How do you respond when you lose a basketball game?
Fail a test?
Fail a friend?
Lose a friend?
How do you respond when what you want seems just out of reach?
When your parents die?
When your siblings don't love you?
What do you do when your best friends abandon you?
Or you don't get the job you want?
Or you don't get to do what you want with your summer?
Or you just can't have that relationship?
What do you do?
Where is God in all of that?
Is God still good in all of that?
Of course!
But often, I fail to realize that.
Often my perspective is off.
So for today, I'm simply asking that my perspective be right.
I'm praying for the eyes of Jesus so I can see things like He does.
So I can see through the clouds and see the sun.
Trials WILL come.
Life WILL be hard.
But we can have joy in any moment.
We can have joy in any moment because we serve a God who is always good.
God is a God who loves us too much to give us what we want...
He gives us His BEST instead.
He is working everything out for His great glory in the midst of all of our struggling and fighting.
We often perceive things to be a delay.
When God doesn't answer our prayers, we make it out to be a delay.
But there is no such thing in God's book.
There are no delays when it comes to God.
He exists outside of time, and He is ALWAYS working to accomplish His glory.
Take hard.
Keep fighting.
You CAN have joy in ANY moment.
God is working everything out for His good, and working everything out for His glory.
He loves you too much to leave you where you are...
He will not rest until sin is destroyed from every fiber of your body.
He will not rest until He makes you like His Son.
Our life is a struggle for perspective.
May Jesus give us eyes to see things like He does.
Everything is about His glory.
May my attitude, and my perspective be the way He wants them to be.
May I be able to say thanks and praise God even when things don't go my way.
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
How Will He Not Also?
"God gave up Jesus for us. He washed our grime with the bloody grace. He drove the iron ore through His own vein. Doesn't that memory alone suffice? Need there be anything more? If God didn't withhold from us His very own Son, will God withhold anything we need? If trust must be earned, hasn't God unequivocally earned our trust with the bark on the raw wounds, the thorns pressed into the brow, your name on the cracked lips? How will He not also graciously give us all things He deems best and right? He's already given the incomprehensible. The counting of all blessing is ultimately summed up in the One."
-Ann Voskamp
Romans 8 - "He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?! Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies! Who is to condemn? (Nobody!) Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? (Nobody!) Shall tribulation (nope), or distress (no way), or persecution(not even then), or famine(feast on Christ), or nakedness(complete in Thee), or danger(I have learned to be contentent whatever the circumstance), or sword(trials are blessing from the Hand of the Lover)? As it is written,
"For your sake we are being killed all the day long;
we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered."
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord."
-Ann Voskamp
Romans 8 - "He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?! Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies! Who is to condemn? (Nobody!) Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? (Nobody!) Shall tribulation (nope), or distress (no way), or persecution(not even then), or famine(feast on Christ), or nakedness(complete in Thee), or danger(I have learned to be contentent whatever the circumstance), or sword(trials are blessing from the Hand of the Lover)? As it is written,
"For your sake we are being killed all the day long;
we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered."
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord."
Sunday, May 8, 2011
Re-Post - At God's Pace
This is a re-post from last year about this same time.
Enjoy.
------------------------------
"In God's place, at God's pace, by future Grace."
The above title was written by John Piper in his book, "Battling Unbelief."
Those 9 words have stuck with me for awhile. Behind these 9 words I see the words: trust, patience, and letting go.
Trust.
The word "trust" occurs 202 times in the Bible, give or take a few depending on what version you read.
It would seem that trust may be rather important.
When we really stop and look around, we see that much of life is about trust.
Examples...
The only reason that Abraham was willing to lay his son down was because of trust.
Noah build the ark because he trusted God.
The disciples preached the gospel because they trusted God, and they trusted that His promises were sure.
Martyers throughout history have refused to deny Christ because they trust in the reality of Jesus.
Bad examples...
Jonah was eaten by a whale because he didn't trust God.
Lot's wife looked back at Sodom and was turned into a pillar of salt because she didn't trust.
The Israelites grumbled in the desert because they didn't trust God.
Also, it is only when we FULLY trust Jesus with our WHOLE heart that we find TRUE and REAL JOY. Romans 15:13 - "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." We are filled with all joy and peace AS we trust, never before we trust.
Trust is ultimately, surrender.
It's saying, "God, you must do this, I can't do this."
It's taking ourselves off of the throne, and placing God back in His rightful place.
In America especially, we really don't understand the meaning of trust. We don't have to, unless we are intentional about it.
Without much effort we are provided with our daily necessities. If we have a lot going on, we may have to trust God for help on a test. If a person comes across our path that we don't like very much, instead of learning patience by interacting with this person, we simply move on with our lives.
I never have to really trust God for my daily bread...for a warm bed, for water or food, for the basic necessities.
But sometimes, God sends things into our life that force us to trust, that force us to wait, that force us to let go, that force us to learn patience...and He does this because those things are absolutely vital. They are things that we must learn, or we will never truly live as God intends for us to live.
Do we get this? Do we really understand that we cannot live Biblically until we learn to trust? We will never be able to experience real relationship with Christ until we can accept anything from His loving hands as GOOD.
It is amazing the freedom and the rest that comes from fully trusting.
It takes all of the pressure off.
It's placing everything back into the hands of the One who made the world.
It brings real joy and real peace.
Oh, but it's hard to do.
It's real hard.
It's hard to do because my heart is deeply flawed by sin
it's hard to do because I am a selfish creature and I need to be continually changed by God
it's hard because I seize control back from God because I think I know better
it's hard because...well...I make it hard. I kick and scream when God is trying to teach me patience, but I will never win.
God's arms are too long to box with, I might as well stop trying and give in.
I am really immature when it comes to life sometimes.
Life really isn't all that complicated.
It's trust. But sometimes I just don't get that.
It's as plain and simple as that, sometimes I just don't get it.
I kick and scream and I want my own way.
And God just kinda looks down and smiles and He must laugh at all of my striving, and He lets me kick and scream some more and then, finally I get tired. Finally I come to my senses and give in. I say, "ok God, all of this striving has led up to this vital moment...You must do this, I cannot do this."
"In God’s place" - Certain things will happen in life, they are all planned out. They are sure...but they are In God's place.
"At God’s pace" - The things are planned and sure, but they will happen in HIS time and NOT MINE.
"By future grace" - God has been faithful to provide grace for every step of the journey so far, and He will continue to provide it in the future.
"Impatience is a form of unbelief. Its what we feel when we start to doubt the wisdom of God’s timing or the goodness of God’s guidance. …The opposite of impatience is not a glib denial of loss. It’s a deepening, ripening, peaceful willingness to wait for God in the unplanned place of obedience, and to walk with God at the unplanned pace of obedience – to wait in his place and go at his pace.
Patience demands tremendous inner strength." - Piper
"The strength of patience hangs on our capacity to believe that God is up to something good for us in all our delays and detours." - Piper
"A legend says that Moses once sat near a well in meditation. A wayfarer stopped to drink from the well and when he did so his purse fell from his girdle into the sand. The man departed. Shortly afterwards another man passed near the well, saw the purse and picked it up. Later a third man stopped to assuage his thirst and went to sleep in the shadow of the well. Meanwhile, the first man had discovered that his purse was missing and assuming that he must have lost it at the well, returned, awoke the sleeper (who of course knew nothing) and demanded his money back. An argument followed, and irate, the first man slew the latter. Where upon Moses said to God “You see, therefore men do not believe you. There is too much evil and injustice in the world. Why should the first man have lost his purse and then become a murderer? Why should the second have gotten a purse full of gold without having worked for it? The third was completely innocent. Why was he slain?” God answered “For once and only once, I will give you an explanation. I cannot do it at every step. The first man was a thief’s son. The purse contained money stolen by his father from the father of the second man, who finding the purse only found what was due him. The third was a murderer who crime had never been revealed and who received from the first the punishment he deserved. In the future believe that there is sense and righteousness in what transpires even when you do not understand." - Piper
"When delays and detours and frustrations and opposition ruin our plans and bode ill for us, faith in future grace lays hold on the sovereign purpose of God to bring something magnificent to pass. This is the key to patience." - Piper
Lamentations 3
21 Yet this I call to mind
and therefore I have hope:
22 Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.
23 They are new every morning;
great is Your faithfulness.
24 I say to myself, "The LORD is my portion;
therefore I will wait for Him."
25 The LORD is good to those whose hope is in Him,
to the one who seeks Him;
26 it is good to wait quietly
for the salvation of the LORD.
27 It is good for a man to bear the yoke
while he is young.
28 Let him sit alone in silence,
for the LORD has laid it on him.
29 Let him bury his face in the dust—
there may yet be hope.
31 For men are not cast off
by the Lord forever.
32 Though he brings grief, he will show compassion,
so great is his unfailing love.
37 Who can speak and have it happen
if the Lord has not decreed it?
38 Is it not from the mouth of the Most High
that both calamities and good things come?
39 Why should any living man complain
when punished for his sins?
40 Let us examine our ways and test them,
and let us return to the LORD.
55 I called on your name, O LORD,
from the depths of the pit.
56 You heard my plea: "Do not close your ears
to my cry for relief."
57 You came near when I called you,
and you said, "Do not fear."
I will not fear because God is near.
The LORD is good to those who wait for him. Lamentations 3:25
Patience is vitally necessary.
Trust is vitally necessary.
Rest is vitally necessary.
Trust is:
Trust is believing that God's ways are right even when they don't make sense here and now.
Trust is being willing to change schools because God says so, and then change again...and then change again.
Trust is going to spend a summer at a camp when people are telling you not to go, that there are better things to do with your time.
Trust is going to Thailand over Christmas break even if I can't see where the money will come from.
Trust is adopting a child, moving to Africa, selling your house, giving your money away.
Trust is knowing there is a reason for ministry.
Trust is waking up at 6:00 every morning for a huge goal.
Trust is knowing there is a reason for the circumstance.
Trust is starting the orphanage even when it appears that there isn't sufficient funds.
Trust is believing that God wants you to adopt a child from China even when people around you are saying don't do it, it costs too much.
Trust is doing what God says, even when others say IT COSTS too much...
Trust is believing that God is up to something good in all of our percieved detours and delays.
Trust is remembering ALL that God has done in the past! And KNOWING, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that He will continue to lead, guide and direct in the days ahead.
Trust brings joy.
Trust brings rest.
Trust brings salvation.
Trust brings hope.
Trust is surrender.
Because we can trust Jesus, our trust is never in vain, it is secure.
Our trust is sure.
While I cannot say that I trust well all of the time, or even part of the time, I can say that it is something that God is teaching me. If we think about it, we learn to trust with every breath we take, with every step we make. We are always trusting something, but sometimes trust just gets thrown to the forefront and it becomes really obvious that trust is what God is teaching.
So, for now, even though I am not good at it yet...
I will trust that God is teaching me to trust.
I will trust that the hands of the Refiner are molding my heart to more fully trust His heart.
I will trust that one of the most important things for God to teach us is trust, and so, I will walk through the fire and pray that He purifies through it.
God is an unsatisfied Redeemer.
He will not rest until every fiber of sin is completely destroyed from the hearts of His children.
He loves us too much to leave us in the state we are in, and so He sets about restoring us from the inside out.
Because He is in the process of changing us, He must change our heart and make it fully His.
He also must teach us to trust.
It is a loving thing to do for the Father to teach His children to trust Him.
What intimacy there is in this picture!
At the end of the day, we are to "have the same attitude Jesus Christ had," Phil. 2:5 - Jesus trusted His Father completely...
and so, we must get to the point where we can say, "not my will, Father, but Yours be done."
We must fully recognize, and understand and trust that, "As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the LORD is flawless," 2 Samuel 22:31. God's way is always perfect.
Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as rightousness. Abraham trusted God.
Hebrews 11:
1 - "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." Faith is a lot like trust, they are very similar, very closely related.
(I know they are not fully the same, but this is just to make a point.)
2 - This (faith) is what the ancients were commended for.
8 - By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.
10 - For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.
17 - By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice.
At the beginning of Hebrews 12, we see a wonderful picture of a person running a race.
The verses say to "fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."
Why would those verses say to fix our eyes on Jesus?
Why not just concentrate on running a little harder?
Why not take a drink?
Why not look around and take in the scenery?
To get a little better view of this, let's use our imaginations a little bit.
Imagine you are running across a beach towards an ice cream stand!
It is a sunny afternoon, 85 degrees, beautiful.
However, the beach is very crowded, and there are many obstacles and hardships and scary people and crashing waves and loud noises. Oh, and you are a 3 year old little kid.
This is a scary place! Running doesn't sound so much fun anymore!
You start to tremble, your pace starts to slow, fear begins to overcome you, trust goes out the window.
But then you look up, and you see your Fathers eyes peering down at you.
He is walking slowly and confidently at your side, just a little bit ahead of you. You are simply following your Father.
He smiles, and says, "come on son, just a few more steps, and then we can get some ice cream!"
Immediately, all of your fear and trepidation is immediately washed away!
You bound ahead, full of joy and energy.
As long as your Father is there, everything is going to be ok.
That same picture is conveyed here.
As long as our eyes are on the One whose intense love for us was revealed on that old rugged cross, nothing can stop us.
As long as our eyes are on the One who holds the stars in His hands, we have hope.
It is easy to trust in the Author of the story. The Author has already penned the ending, and His children are His prize possession.
Trials may come.
Hope may seem to fade.
Mountain peaks may loom.
Danger may come.
But nothing can ever touch His children without His consent.
As for God, His plans for His children are perfect.
We must simply trust in Him, trust in the One who is the Author of the story, and find peace.
And so for now...
even though I have yet to fully learn to trust...
I am content.
God is teaching me to trust.
He is teaching me to wait.
He is teaching me to be patient.
He is teaching me to let go.
As a sinner, those are very foreign concepts for me.
But my heart is under construction by a faithful God who will not rest until it fully restored.
Transformation may not always be easy, it can in fact hurt.
But it is such an incredible blessing from the hand of a God who is more loving than I can fully comprehend.
Thank You Jesus, for teaching me to trust.
Thank You Jesus, that You never stop working on me.
Thank You Jesus, that You are the Author of the story and that You have already penned every page of my story.
Thank You Jesus, that You have allowed me to be a part of Your story, help me to bring You glory, because the story is all about You, it's never about me.
Thank You Jesus, that You bring neverending joy to my life!
Thank You Jesus, for Your place.
Thank You Jesus, for Your pace.
Thank You Jesus, for Your grace.
Enjoy.
------------------------------
"In God's place, at God's pace, by future Grace."
The above title was written by John Piper in his book, "Battling Unbelief."
Those 9 words have stuck with me for awhile. Behind these 9 words I see the words: trust, patience, and letting go.
Trust.
The word "trust" occurs 202 times in the Bible, give or take a few depending on what version you read.
It would seem that trust may be rather important.
When we really stop and look around, we see that much of life is about trust.
Examples...
The only reason that Abraham was willing to lay his son down was because of trust.
Noah build the ark because he trusted God.
The disciples preached the gospel because they trusted God, and they trusted that His promises were sure.
Martyers throughout history have refused to deny Christ because they trust in the reality of Jesus.
Bad examples...
Jonah was eaten by a whale because he didn't trust God.
Lot's wife looked back at Sodom and was turned into a pillar of salt because she didn't trust.
The Israelites grumbled in the desert because they didn't trust God.
Also, it is only when we FULLY trust Jesus with our WHOLE heart that we find TRUE and REAL JOY. Romans 15:13 - "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." We are filled with all joy and peace AS we trust, never before we trust.
Trust is ultimately, surrender.
It's saying, "God, you must do this, I can't do this."
It's taking ourselves off of the throne, and placing God back in His rightful place.
In America especially, we really don't understand the meaning of trust. We don't have to, unless we are intentional about it.
Without much effort we are provided with our daily necessities. If we have a lot going on, we may have to trust God for help on a test. If a person comes across our path that we don't like very much, instead of learning patience by interacting with this person, we simply move on with our lives.
I never have to really trust God for my daily bread...for a warm bed, for water or food, for the basic necessities.
But sometimes, God sends things into our life that force us to trust, that force us to wait, that force us to let go, that force us to learn patience...and He does this because those things are absolutely vital. They are things that we must learn, or we will never truly live as God intends for us to live.
Do we get this? Do we really understand that we cannot live Biblically until we learn to trust? We will never be able to experience real relationship with Christ until we can accept anything from His loving hands as GOOD.
It is amazing the freedom and the rest that comes from fully trusting.
It takes all of the pressure off.
It's placing everything back into the hands of the One who made the world.
It brings real joy and real peace.
Oh, but it's hard to do.
It's real hard.
It's hard to do because my heart is deeply flawed by sin
it's hard to do because I am a selfish creature and I need to be continually changed by God
it's hard because I seize control back from God because I think I know better
it's hard because...well...I make it hard. I kick and scream when God is trying to teach me patience, but I will never win.
God's arms are too long to box with, I might as well stop trying and give in.
I am really immature when it comes to life sometimes.
Life really isn't all that complicated.
It's trust. But sometimes I just don't get that.
It's as plain and simple as that, sometimes I just don't get it.
I kick and scream and I want my own way.
And God just kinda looks down and smiles and He must laugh at all of my striving, and He lets me kick and scream some more and then, finally I get tired. Finally I come to my senses and give in. I say, "ok God, all of this striving has led up to this vital moment...You must do this, I cannot do this."
"In God’s place" - Certain things will happen in life, they are all planned out. They are sure...but they are In God's place.
"At God’s pace" - The things are planned and sure, but they will happen in HIS time and NOT MINE.
"By future grace" - God has been faithful to provide grace for every step of the journey so far, and He will continue to provide it in the future.
"Impatience is a form of unbelief. Its what we feel when we start to doubt the wisdom of God’s timing or the goodness of God’s guidance. …The opposite of impatience is not a glib denial of loss. It’s a deepening, ripening, peaceful willingness to wait for God in the unplanned place of obedience, and to walk with God at the unplanned pace of obedience – to wait in his place and go at his pace.
Patience demands tremendous inner strength." - Piper
"The strength of patience hangs on our capacity to believe that God is up to something good for us in all our delays and detours." - Piper
"A legend says that Moses once sat near a well in meditation. A wayfarer stopped to drink from the well and when he did so his purse fell from his girdle into the sand. The man departed. Shortly afterwards another man passed near the well, saw the purse and picked it up. Later a third man stopped to assuage his thirst and went to sleep in the shadow of the well. Meanwhile, the first man had discovered that his purse was missing and assuming that he must have lost it at the well, returned, awoke the sleeper (who of course knew nothing) and demanded his money back. An argument followed, and irate, the first man slew the latter. Where upon Moses said to God “You see, therefore men do not believe you. There is too much evil and injustice in the world. Why should the first man have lost his purse and then become a murderer? Why should the second have gotten a purse full of gold without having worked for it? The third was completely innocent. Why was he slain?” God answered “For once and only once, I will give you an explanation. I cannot do it at every step. The first man was a thief’s son. The purse contained money stolen by his father from the father of the second man, who finding the purse only found what was due him. The third was a murderer who crime had never been revealed and who received from the first the punishment he deserved. In the future believe that there is sense and righteousness in what transpires even when you do not understand." - Piper
"When delays and detours and frustrations and opposition ruin our plans and bode ill for us, faith in future grace lays hold on the sovereign purpose of God to bring something magnificent to pass. This is the key to patience." - Piper
Lamentations 3
21 Yet this I call to mind
and therefore I have hope:
22 Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.
23 They are new every morning;
great is Your faithfulness.
24 I say to myself, "The LORD is my portion;
therefore I will wait for Him."
25 The LORD is good to those whose hope is in Him,
to the one who seeks Him;
26 it is good to wait quietly
for the salvation of the LORD.
27 It is good for a man to bear the yoke
while he is young.
28 Let him sit alone in silence,
for the LORD has laid it on him.
29 Let him bury his face in the dust—
there may yet be hope.
31 For men are not cast off
by the Lord forever.
32 Though he brings grief, he will show compassion,
so great is his unfailing love.
37 Who can speak and have it happen
if the Lord has not decreed it?
38 Is it not from the mouth of the Most High
that both calamities and good things come?
39 Why should any living man complain
when punished for his sins?
40 Let us examine our ways and test them,
and let us return to the LORD.
55 I called on your name, O LORD,
from the depths of the pit.
56 You heard my plea: "Do not close your ears
to my cry for relief."
57 You came near when I called you,
and you said, "Do not fear."
I will not fear because God is near.
The LORD is good to those who wait for him. Lamentations 3:25
Patience is vitally necessary.
Trust is vitally necessary.
Rest is vitally necessary.
Trust is:
Trust is believing that God's ways are right even when they don't make sense here and now.
Trust is being willing to change schools because God says so, and then change again...and then change again.
Trust is going to spend a summer at a camp when people are telling you not to go, that there are better things to do with your time.
Trust is going to Thailand over Christmas break even if I can't see where the money will come from.
Trust is adopting a child, moving to Africa, selling your house, giving your money away.
Trust is knowing there is a reason for ministry.
Trust is waking up at 6:00 every morning for a huge goal.
Trust is knowing there is a reason for the circumstance.
Trust is starting the orphanage even when it appears that there isn't sufficient funds.
Trust is believing that God wants you to adopt a child from China even when people around you are saying don't do it, it costs too much.
Trust is doing what God says, even when others say IT COSTS too much...
Trust is believing that God is up to something good in all of our percieved detours and delays.
Trust is remembering ALL that God has done in the past! And KNOWING, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that He will continue to lead, guide and direct in the days ahead.
Trust brings joy.
Trust brings rest.
Trust brings salvation.
Trust brings hope.
Trust is surrender.
Because we can trust Jesus, our trust is never in vain, it is secure.
Our trust is sure.
While I cannot say that I trust well all of the time, or even part of the time, I can say that it is something that God is teaching me. If we think about it, we learn to trust with every breath we take, with every step we make. We are always trusting something, but sometimes trust just gets thrown to the forefront and it becomes really obvious that trust is what God is teaching.
So, for now, even though I am not good at it yet...
I will trust that God is teaching me to trust.
I will trust that the hands of the Refiner are molding my heart to more fully trust His heart.
I will trust that one of the most important things for God to teach us is trust, and so, I will walk through the fire and pray that He purifies through it.
God is an unsatisfied Redeemer.
He will not rest until every fiber of sin is completely destroyed from the hearts of His children.
He loves us too much to leave us in the state we are in, and so He sets about restoring us from the inside out.
Because He is in the process of changing us, He must change our heart and make it fully His.
He also must teach us to trust.
It is a loving thing to do for the Father to teach His children to trust Him.
What intimacy there is in this picture!
At the end of the day, we are to "have the same attitude Jesus Christ had," Phil. 2:5 - Jesus trusted His Father completely...
and so, we must get to the point where we can say, "not my will, Father, but Yours be done."
We must fully recognize, and understand and trust that, "As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the LORD is flawless," 2 Samuel 22:31. God's way is always perfect.
Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as rightousness. Abraham trusted God.
Hebrews 11:
1 - "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." Faith is a lot like trust, they are very similar, very closely related.
(I know they are not fully the same, but this is just to make a point.)
2 - This (faith) is what the ancients were commended for.
8 - By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.
10 - For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.
17 - By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice.
At the beginning of Hebrews 12, we see a wonderful picture of a person running a race.
The verses say to "fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."
Why would those verses say to fix our eyes on Jesus?
Why not just concentrate on running a little harder?
Why not take a drink?
Why not look around and take in the scenery?
To get a little better view of this, let's use our imaginations a little bit.
Imagine you are running across a beach towards an ice cream stand!
It is a sunny afternoon, 85 degrees, beautiful.
However, the beach is very crowded, and there are many obstacles and hardships and scary people and crashing waves and loud noises. Oh, and you are a 3 year old little kid.
This is a scary place! Running doesn't sound so much fun anymore!
You start to tremble, your pace starts to slow, fear begins to overcome you, trust goes out the window.
But then you look up, and you see your Fathers eyes peering down at you.
He is walking slowly and confidently at your side, just a little bit ahead of you. You are simply following your Father.
He smiles, and says, "come on son, just a few more steps, and then we can get some ice cream!"
Immediately, all of your fear and trepidation is immediately washed away!
You bound ahead, full of joy and energy.
As long as your Father is there, everything is going to be ok.
That same picture is conveyed here.
As long as our eyes are on the One whose intense love for us was revealed on that old rugged cross, nothing can stop us.
As long as our eyes are on the One who holds the stars in His hands, we have hope.
It is easy to trust in the Author of the story. The Author has already penned the ending, and His children are His prize possession.
Trials may come.
Hope may seem to fade.
Mountain peaks may loom.
Danger may come.
But nothing can ever touch His children without His consent.
As for God, His plans for His children are perfect.
We must simply trust in Him, trust in the One who is the Author of the story, and find peace.
And so for now...
even though I have yet to fully learn to trust...
I am content.
God is teaching me to trust.
He is teaching me to wait.
He is teaching me to be patient.
He is teaching me to let go.
As a sinner, those are very foreign concepts for me.
But my heart is under construction by a faithful God who will not rest until it fully restored.
Transformation may not always be easy, it can in fact hurt.
But it is such an incredible blessing from the hand of a God who is more loving than I can fully comprehend.
Thank You Jesus, for teaching me to trust.
Thank You Jesus, that You never stop working on me.
Thank You Jesus, that You are the Author of the story and that You have already penned every page of my story.
Thank You Jesus, that You have allowed me to be a part of Your story, help me to bring You glory, because the story is all about You, it's never about me.
Thank You Jesus, that You bring neverending joy to my life!
Thank You Jesus, for Your place.
Thank You Jesus, for Your pace.
Thank You Jesus, for Your grace.
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Passion
(This post turned into a really dis-jointed collection of thoughts. Sorry about that! Sometimes everything God is trying to teach is hard to fully explain.)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Do not worry about tomorrow, today has enough trouble of its own."
-Matthew
These words that Matthew wrote as He was moved by the Holy Spirit, scream a very important message. The message is simple: live all out, where you are, TODAY.
These few words implore us and urge us to live passionately.
Many phrases like this can be found in the Bible.
"Take up your cross and follow Him."
"Leave everything and follow Jesus."
"She loved much."
"Be doers of the Word, and not hearers only."
These verses, at their core, challenge every part of our lives in America.
We live in a culture where dying to your own desires, is unheard of.
We live in a culture where people want what they want, right now.
We live in a culture where we want to keep things to ourselves, and get more things.
Our culture teaches us to love ourselves, instead of loving others or loving God.
Our Churches are filled with people that merely listen to the Word, and then go live the "American Dream" the other 6 days of the week.
How can this be so?
How can "radical Christians who love Jesus" sit around and play video games, watch movies all day, watch the latest reality TV show, spend thousands of dollars on food and entertainment, settle for shallow relationships that only leave hurt and bitterness, and live every day as if the whole word revolves around them?
Ya, ya, ya, none of these things are "wrong" or "bad"...I get that.
All I'm asking is a simple question: is it right?
Is it right for us to live like that?
Or is something missing?
Is passion missing from our lives?
I thought it was for a long time, but I don't think so anymore.
Sadly, I think the problem isn't a lack of passion, but a mis-guided passion.
We are too often passionate about things that God isn't passionate about.
Isn't that really the point of prayer and of reading the Word?
When we do that, when we genuinely seek Him, we find Him, and when we find Him, His will finds us.
His passions BECOME our passions.
When we find Him, we no longer live as we used to live.
We are no longer OK with indulging in the worldly pursuits that we once used to walk in.
The scary part here is this: if we say we've found Him, but we don't live for Him...it's probably time to examine where we stand before the Creator and Judge.
The truest reflection of our state of salvation is the fruit we are producing or the deadness of our lives.
There is a lot of deadness in America. The Church is sick...very sick.
Many of us in my generation talk about being radical...and that's great!
We see there is a problem, and that is a good thing.
Many see the fix. We want to "go be a missionary someday." We want to "be in ministry." All those things are great. If that's God's calling on your life, go do it! Don't wait!
But perhaps, for some of us at least, the beginning of a radical existence lived solely for our Savior, is a life that simply uses time well.
Praying instead of watching sports.
Choosing to read our Bibles instead of read the latest celebrity gossip.
Writing deep thoughts and reading deep books instead of...(you fill in the blank.)
Etc.
The Gospels unmistakeably call us to a "radical lifestyle."
But we don't understand what this really means.
To paraphrase John Piper: Jesus calls us to a "war-time mentality."
In war, people sacrifice. People cut out the things that are unnecessary.
They focus on the ultimate goal. They focus on the task at hand.
The challenge today is simple.
What is the goal? To live like Jesus tells us to live.
What are the steps to get there? God reveals this to us in His word!
What do we need to eliminate from our lives so that we live fully for Jesus, right here and right now? Why would we take part in something He isn't passionate about?
Remember: "the way we live our days, is the way we live our lives."
I am in the process of reading the book "Radical" by David Platt.
One of the sections talks about "American Wealth and a World of Poverty."
The author says: "More than twenty-six thousand children today (did you catch that? that's 26 THOUSAND...TODAY) will breathe their last breath due to starvation or a preventable cause."
Think about that? Today, 26,000 people died...because nobody was willing to help...because the Church in America is selfish...because I'm selfish.
Think about how many of those kids will die tomorrow while we go to a nice air-conditioned Church in the middle of one of the richest counties on the planet.
Is this a blind spot in our lives?
We are quick to condemn the Christian's who approved and even encouraged slavery 150 years ago. What will Christian's say about us in 150 years if Jesus doesn't come back first?
What will Jesus say to us?
Does this seem backwards to anybody?
We live in HUGE houses...drive INCREDIBLE cars...go to BEAUTIFUL churches...
We indulge in American prosperity whether we want to admit it or not...and I am afraid it has stolen our passion.
Our passions don't really line up with the passions of Jesus, and that scares me.
At the very least, I've realized that my passions aren't fully aligned with Jesus, and I need to diligently and desperately seek His face about that.
One of my favorite lines from Tenth Avenue North says:
"If there's no other way, I'm done asking why."
Stop asking why, and go live all out for Jesus.
Let's live TODAY, like He wants us to live.
Be passionate about the things that He is passionate about.
Dare to strive for excellence.
Dare to live on less, so others can live and find life in Jesus.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Do not worry about tomorrow, today has enough trouble of its own."
-Matthew
These words that Matthew wrote as He was moved by the Holy Spirit, scream a very important message. The message is simple: live all out, where you are, TODAY.
These few words implore us and urge us to live passionately.
Many phrases like this can be found in the Bible.
"Take up your cross and follow Him."
"Leave everything and follow Jesus."
"She loved much."
"Be doers of the Word, and not hearers only."
These verses, at their core, challenge every part of our lives in America.
We live in a culture where dying to your own desires, is unheard of.
We live in a culture where people want what they want, right now.
We live in a culture where we want to keep things to ourselves, and get more things.
Our culture teaches us to love ourselves, instead of loving others or loving God.
Our Churches are filled with people that merely listen to the Word, and then go live the "American Dream" the other 6 days of the week.
How can this be so?
How can "radical Christians who love Jesus" sit around and play video games, watch movies all day, watch the latest reality TV show, spend thousands of dollars on food and entertainment, settle for shallow relationships that only leave hurt and bitterness, and live every day as if the whole word revolves around them?
Ya, ya, ya, none of these things are "wrong" or "bad"...I get that.
All I'm asking is a simple question: is it right?
Is it right for us to live like that?
Or is something missing?
Is passion missing from our lives?
I thought it was for a long time, but I don't think so anymore.
Sadly, I think the problem isn't a lack of passion, but a mis-guided passion.
We are too often passionate about things that God isn't passionate about.
Isn't that really the point of prayer and of reading the Word?
When we do that, when we genuinely seek Him, we find Him, and when we find Him, His will finds us.
His passions BECOME our passions.
When we find Him, we no longer live as we used to live.
We are no longer OK with indulging in the worldly pursuits that we once used to walk in.
The scary part here is this: if we say we've found Him, but we don't live for Him...it's probably time to examine where we stand before the Creator and Judge.
The truest reflection of our state of salvation is the fruit we are producing or the deadness of our lives.
There is a lot of deadness in America. The Church is sick...very sick.
Many of us in my generation talk about being radical...and that's great!
We see there is a problem, and that is a good thing.
Many see the fix. We want to "go be a missionary someday." We want to "be in ministry." All those things are great. If that's God's calling on your life, go do it! Don't wait!
But perhaps, for some of us at least, the beginning of a radical existence lived solely for our Savior, is a life that simply uses time well.
Praying instead of watching sports.
Choosing to read our Bibles instead of read the latest celebrity gossip.
Writing deep thoughts and reading deep books instead of...(you fill in the blank.)
Etc.
The Gospels unmistakeably call us to a "radical lifestyle."
But we don't understand what this really means.
To paraphrase John Piper: Jesus calls us to a "war-time mentality."
In war, people sacrifice. People cut out the things that are unnecessary.
They focus on the ultimate goal. They focus on the task at hand.
The challenge today is simple.
What is the goal? To live like Jesus tells us to live.
What are the steps to get there? God reveals this to us in His word!
What do we need to eliminate from our lives so that we live fully for Jesus, right here and right now? Why would we take part in something He isn't passionate about?
Remember: "the way we live our days, is the way we live our lives."
I am in the process of reading the book "Radical" by David Platt.
One of the sections talks about "American Wealth and a World of Poverty."
The author says: "More than twenty-six thousand children today (did you catch that? that's 26 THOUSAND...TODAY) will breathe their last breath due to starvation or a preventable cause."
Think about that? Today, 26,000 people died...because nobody was willing to help...because the Church in America is selfish...because I'm selfish.
Think about how many of those kids will die tomorrow while we go to a nice air-conditioned Church in the middle of one of the richest counties on the planet.
Is this a blind spot in our lives?
We are quick to condemn the Christian's who approved and even encouraged slavery 150 years ago. What will Christian's say about us in 150 years if Jesus doesn't come back first?
What will Jesus say to us?
Does this seem backwards to anybody?
We live in HUGE houses...drive INCREDIBLE cars...go to BEAUTIFUL churches...
We indulge in American prosperity whether we want to admit it or not...and I am afraid it has stolen our passion.
Our passions don't really line up with the passions of Jesus, and that scares me.
At the very least, I've realized that my passions aren't fully aligned with Jesus, and I need to diligently and desperately seek His face about that.
One of my favorite lines from Tenth Avenue North says:
"If there's no other way, I'm done asking why."
Stop asking why, and go live all out for Jesus.
Let's live TODAY, like He wants us to live.
Be passionate about the things that He is passionate about.
Dare to strive for excellence.
Dare to live on less, so others can live and find life in Jesus.
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Adoption
For the last 9 months, God has been teaching me TONS about the word "Adoption."
I have much I want to say about it, and I want to build the Biblical case for adoption, but that will have to wait until after finals.
For now though, I will say this:
Tonight I have been listening to a couple tell the story of their adoption of two little boys.
The boys they had adopted had never seen the light of day.
They had been kept inside with all of the other babies in an orphanage overseas.
They were adopted when they were one, and the first time they went outside they screamed because it was so bright.
When we look at this from a salvation standpoint, what does this symbolize?
This is incredibly symbolic of our own salvation...of our own adoption.
Before Christ came and rescued us from ourselves, we were that little baby stuck inside in the dark.
We had no hope, no real nourishment, no real life, no real love...
But then...
But then Jesus came and shattered the darkness, He tore down the walls, He ripped us violently out of the kingdom of darkness and ushered us lovingly into His Kingdom of light and of love.
I think tonight would be a good time to thank HIM again for such incredible love.
"I once was lost
in darkest night
yet thought I knew the way
the sin that promised,
joy and life
had led me to the grave.
I had NO hope
that You would own
a rebel to Your will.
And if You had
not loved me first
I would refuse You still."
-All I have is Christ
Because He loved us first, because He chased after us and adopted us and calls us His sons and daughters, we can be fully satisfied IN HIM.
Thank You Jesus, for the wonderful gift of adoption.
Thank You Jesus, for rescuing me.
I have much I want to say about it, and I want to build the Biblical case for adoption, but that will have to wait until after finals.
For now though, I will say this:
Tonight I have been listening to a couple tell the story of their adoption of two little boys.
The boys they had adopted had never seen the light of day.
They had been kept inside with all of the other babies in an orphanage overseas.
They were adopted when they were one, and the first time they went outside they screamed because it was so bright.
When we look at this from a salvation standpoint, what does this symbolize?
This is incredibly symbolic of our own salvation...of our own adoption.
Before Christ came and rescued us from ourselves, we were that little baby stuck inside in the dark.
We had no hope, no real nourishment, no real life, no real love...
But then...
But then Jesus came and shattered the darkness, He tore down the walls, He ripped us violently out of the kingdom of darkness and ushered us lovingly into His Kingdom of light and of love.
I think tonight would be a good time to thank HIM again for such incredible love.
"I once was lost
in darkest night
yet thought I knew the way
the sin that promised,
joy and life
had led me to the grave.
I had NO hope
that You would own
a rebel to Your will.
And if You had
not loved me first
I would refuse You still."
-All I have is Christ
Because He loved us first, because He chased after us and adopted us and calls us His sons and daughters, we can be fully satisfied IN HIM.
Thank You Jesus, for the wonderful gift of adoption.
Thank You Jesus, for rescuing me.
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Hope
At first, I thought this may be too shallow of a post for a day as big as this.
But after pondering a few thoughts, that doesn't seem to be the case anymore.
In fact, perhaps this is one of the most profound aspects of the resurrection.
I will try to make my point as simply as possible.
Big idea: With Jesus, there is always hope --- You never know what can happen in a day.
Have you ever thought about the disciples?
Have you ever thoughts about what was going through their heads on Saturday night?
While their eyes stared upwards at the ceiling from their beds, when sleep wouldn't come, what filled their minds?
Were they wondering if the last three years with Jesus had been real?
Were they wondering what was next?
What were they going to do now?
What's going to happen tomorrow?
I can't say that these were the questions going through their mind, I can't say if they were worried or anxious or afraid. But I can guess, that they were at the very least a little bit afraid or fearful or unbelieving or bitter or something like that.
That's not the point though.
The point is that Saturday night, things looked REALLY dark.
Jesus had died on the cross the day before.
Everybody was calling them crazy.
What was there to live for anymore?
He was just another fake.
Here's the point, don't miss this...
As they drifted off to sleep, things were utterly hopeless.
When they woke up the next morning, He had risen as He said He would!
One single day had passed, and now, everything had changed.
Jesus was alive!
Their hope was back.
Their joy was back.
It had seemed hopeless, and now, everything was going to be fine.
Jesus is alive, He is alive.
Whenever our lives seem "hopeless," remember: With Jesus, there is always hope.
We never know what can happen tomorrow, we never know when Jesus is going to break through in our lives and fix everything that seems broken.
He doesn't have to do this.
He doesn't have to "fix" everything in our lives.
But we know, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that HE holds tomorrow in His loving hands.
"Sometimes our greatest "disappointments" are just blessings in disguise."
God doesn't have to fix everything...He doesn't have to fix anything!
But sometimes He does, and sometimes He does it in a single moment.
And that is breathtaking.
Even if He doesn't fix things to be like we want them to be, we can rest assured that the same Jesus who conquered death is completely worthy of our trust.
He is always worthy of our trust, no matter the circumstances.
With Jesus, there is always hope.
With Jesus, we never know what can happen in a day.
Thank You, Jesus for being completely trustworthy.
But after pondering a few thoughts, that doesn't seem to be the case anymore.
In fact, perhaps this is one of the most profound aspects of the resurrection.
I will try to make my point as simply as possible.
Big idea: With Jesus, there is always hope --- You never know what can happen in a day.
Have you ever thought about the disciples?
Have you ever thoughts about what was going through their heads on Saturday night?
While their eyes stared upwards at the ceiling from their beds, when sleep wouldn't come, what filled their minds?
Were they wondering if the last three years with Jesus had been real?
Were they wondering what was next?
What were they going to do now?
What's going to happen tomorrow?
I can't say that these were the questions going through their mind, I can't say if they were worried or anxious or afraid. But I can guess, that they were at the very least a little bit afraid or fearful or unbelieving or bitter or something like that.
That's not the point though.
The point is that Saturday night, things looked REALLY dark.
Jesus had died on the cross the day before.
Everybody was calling them crazy.
What was there to live for anymore?
He was just another fake.
Here's the point, don't miss this...
As they drifted off to sleep, things were utterly hopeless.
When they woke up the next morning, He had risen as He said He would!
One single day had passed, and now, everything had changed.
Jesus was alive!
Their hope was back.
Their joy was back.
It had seemed hopeless, and now, everything was going to be fine.
Jesus is alive, He is alive.
Whenever our lives seem "hopeless," remember: With Jesus, there is always hope.
We never know what can happen tomorrow, we never know when Jesus is going to break through in our lives and fix everything that seems broken.
He doesn't have to do this.
He doesn't have to "fix" everything in our lives.
But we know, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that HE holds tomorrow in His loving hands.
"Sometimes our greatest "disappointments" are just blessings in disguise."
God doesn't have to fix everything...He doesn't have to fix anything!
But sometimes He does, and sometimes He does it in a single moment.
And that is breathtaking.
Even if He doesn't fix things to be like we want them to be, we can rest assured that the same Jesus who conquered death is completely worthy of our trust.
He is always worthy of our trust, no matter the circumstances.
With Jesus, there is always hope.
With Jesus, we never know what can happen in a day.
Thank You, Jesus for being completely trustworthy.
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Little is Much
Right before Jesus begins to tell His disciples what will happen in the last days, and right before the events leading up to the cross, He tells a story about a widow.
-----------------
Once upon a time, there was a widow that lived during Jesus' day.
The Bible doesn't say more than a few verses about her,
but her actions have forever left an imprint upon my all too often hardened heart.
The scene sets up like this:
Jesus was sitting in the temple...
He was watching.
Think about that for a second!
Jesus was sitting in the temple, watching PEOPLE.
He was watching people He had created Himself.
This boggles my mind.
Anyways, Jesus was watching.
He happened to notice the rich people giving their gifts.
Their tithes as it were.
How did He know they were rich?
He's God obviously, so He just knew.
But I think that something about these people stuck out to Him.
Maybe it was they way they carried themselves.
Perhaps they were arrogant.
Perhaps they were dressed really nicely.
But I bet the thing that really gave them away was something simple.
They were LOUD people.
When they gave, they clanked their coins loudly into the jar.
It was almost like they were saying "Look at me! Look at how much I am giving!"
We soon find out what Jesus thinks of this kind of giving.
But first, we meet the main character here other than Jesus.
Jesus sees an old widow.
She puts in two small copper coins, which was about a days wages.
Much could be said about this, and I won't really get into it - but perhaps she did this every day. Perhaps she gave her days wages to Jesus everyday, but it doesn't say that.
Anyways, she puts in two coins.
The average person watching this situation unfold would hardly notice, or they would say "the rich are very important because they give so much! but the widow hardly gave any."
This isn't how Jesus sees things though.
He makes a shocking statement by saying that they widow gave MORE than ALL the rich!
Not in terms of a dollar amount, but He says she gave out of her poverty and the rich gave out of their abundance.
What does this mean?
Well, let's break it down.
If you have $1,000, and give $10, how much do you have left? $990 right?
Well, if you have $10, and you give $10, how much do you have left? ZERO.
That's right.
We are getting closer to fully understanding this concept.
When He says she gave out of her poverty, it seems that He is really speaking to how much she had left. She had NONE left. She had nothing else to give her Master...and because of this, Jesus was very pleased.
The rich still had TONS left.
This goes back to the heart of Jesus' call: Leave everything and follow Me. He who does not forsake father, and mother, and brother, and everything He has CANNOT be my disciple.
this is what Jesus says! These are hard words!
The rich give a lot in human terms, and they think they are doing the best thing since the invention of sliced bread.
The poor widow gives everything, and probably thinks: "what else can I give? I've given everything else away."
This attitude brings the praise of Jesus.
But the attitude that hoards for our own desires is not pleasing to Jesus.
This is a life principle: Jesus wants everything, He wants our best, He wants us to give everything we have. It can be just a little, but as long as we give Him everything, He is satisfied...that's all He asks for: everything.
I heard a story about a missionary that was laying on His death bed.
His children had come to be with him in his last days.
With tears of peace in his eyes he said to his kids: "I wish I had something to leave you after I go home to be with God. But I gave everything to Jesus long ago."
There is a man who understands the principle of storing up treasures in heaven and giving all of our earthly possessions, talents, and efforts away.
May people look at us and see JESUS!
May we be the kind of people to whom Jesus says: "he gave more than everyone else...he gave out of his poverty...he gave everything he had to live on."
Luke 21:1-4
-----------------
Once upon a time, there was a widow that lived during Jesus' day.
The Bible doesn't say more than a few verses about her,
but her actions have forever left an imprint upon my all too often hardened heart.
The scene sets up like this:
Jesus was sitting in the temple...
He was watching.
Think about that for a second!
Jesus was sitting in the temple, watching PEOPLE.
He was watching people He had created Himself.
This boggles my mind.
Anyways, Jesus was watching.
He happened to notice the rich people giving their gifts.
Their tithes as it were.
How did He know they were rich?
He's God obviously, so He just knew.
But I think that something about these people stuck out to Him.
Maybe it was they way they carried themselves.
Perhaps they were arrogant.
Perhaps they were dressed really nicely.
But I bet the thing that really gave them away was something simple.
They were LOUD people.
When they gave, they clanked their coins loudly into the jar.
It was almost like they were saying "Look at me! Look at how much I am giving!"
We soon find out what Jesus thinks of this kind of giving.
But first, we meet the main character here other than Jesus.
Jesus sees an old widow.
She puts in two small copper coins, which was about a days wages.
Much could be said about this, and I won't really get into it - but perhaps she did this every day. Perhaps she gave her days wages to Jesus everyday, but it doesn't say that.
Anyways, she puts in two coins.
The average person watching this situation unfold would hardly notice, or they would say "the rich are very important because they give so much! but the widow hardly gave any."
This isn't how Jesus sees things though.
He makes a shocking statement by saying that they widow gave MORE than ALL the rich!
Not in terms of a dollar amount, but He says she gave out of her poverty and the rich gave out of their abundance.
What does this mean?
Well, let's break it down.
If you have $1,000, and give $10, how much do you have left? $990 right?
Well, if you have $10, and you give $10, how much do you have left? ZERO.
That's right.
We are getting closer to fully understanding this concept.
When He says she gave out of her poverty, it seems that He is really speaking to how much she had left. She had NONE left. She had nothing else to give her Master...and because of this, Jesus was very pleased.
The rich still had TONS left.
This goes back to the heart of Jesus' call: Leave everything and follow Me. He who does not forsake father, and mother, and brother, and everything He has CANNOT be my disciple.
this is what Jesus says! These are hard words!
The rich give a lot in human terms, and they think they are doing the best thing since the invention of sliced bread.
The poor widow gives everything, and probably thinks: "what else can I give? I've given everything else away."
This attitude brings the praise of Jesus.
But the attitude that hoards for our own desires is not pleasing to Jesus.
This is a life principle: Jesus wants everything, He wants our best, He wants us to give everything we have. It can be just a little, but as long as we give Him everything, He is satisfied...that's all He asks for: everything.
I heard a story about a missionary that was laying on His death bed.
His children had come to be with him in his last days.
With tears of peace in his eyes he said to his kids: "I wish I had something to leave you after I go home to be with God. But I gave everything to Jesus long ago."
There is a man who understands the principle of storing up treasures in heaven and giving all of our earthly possessions, talents, and efforts away.
May people look at us and see JESUS!
May we be the kind of people to whom Jesus says: "he gave more than everyone else...he gave out of his poverty...he gave everything he had to live on."
Luke 21:1-4
Monday, April 18, 2011
Impossible
Starting today, this is the theme: Impossible is not a word, it's just a reason for someone not to try.
All of my goals, and all of the reasons for staying home this summer are wrapped up in that sentence.
Everybody says it's impossible...
I will dare to say it is possible, we just have to try.
All of my goals, and all of the reasons for staying home this summer are wrapped up in that sentence.
Everybody says it's impossible...
I will dare to say it is possible, we just have to try.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Crisis Man
"Father, make of me a crisis man. Bring those I contact to decision. Let me not be a milepost on a single road; make me a fork, that men must turn one way or another on facing Christ in me." ~ Jim Elliot
“I don't know... maybe there aren't many men like that left : ‘crisis men.’
Men who want to study the Word with their wives and lead them in spiritual work.
Men who have a vision to raise a family for the glory of God and impact a generation with the knowledge of the saving power of Christ.
Men who want to expend their lives doing hard things that MATTER instead of building a career and living comfortable, useless lives.
Men who value purity above beauty and passion above personality.”
I want to be that kind of a man...I want to be, a crisis man.
“I don't know... maybe there aren't many men like that left : ‘crisis men.’
Men who want to study the Word with their wives and lead them in spiritual work.
Men who have a vision to raise a family for the glory of God and impact a generation with the knowledge of the saving power of Christ.
Men who want to expend their lives doing hard things that MATTER instead of building a career and living comfortable, useless lives.
Men who value purity above beauty and passion above personality.”
I want to be that kind of a man...I want to be, a crisis man.
Monday, April 11, 2011
Grief
Everyone knows that life is hard sometimes...
but when people have to walk through unspeakable grief...when people have to literally walk through the valley of the shadow of death, and you can't do anything to ease the pain...that's when your heart simply breaks in two.
It's comforting to know that God is with you always.
I believe that always, always, our Savior never fails.
It's wonderful to know that we have a strong and perfect plea before the Throne of God. And His Name is LOVE, even if you can't fully see that now.
He has it all under control, and I admire your courage through unspeakable grief.
My heart hurts for you and my prayers are for you.
This is just another reminder that this is not our home, and things will never be the way they were meant to be until Jesus comes back for His bride.
My heart longs for heaven today.
but when people have to walk through unspeakable grief...when people have to literally walk through the valley of the shadow of death, and you can't do anything to ease the pain...that's when your heart simply breaks in two.
It's comforting to know that God is with you always.
I believe that always, always, our Savior never fails.
It's wonderful to know that we have a strong and perfect plea before the Throne of God. And His Name is LOVE, even if you can't fully see that now.
He has it all under control, and I admire your courage through unspeakable grief.
My heart hurts for you and my prayers are for you.
This is just another reminder that this is not our home, and things will never be the way they were meant to be until Jesus comes back for His bride.
My heart longs for heaven today.
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Blessings
Laura Story - "Blessings" Lyrics
We pray for blessings
We pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering
All the while, You hear each spoken need
Yet Love is way too much to give us lesser things
‘Cause what if your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise
We pray for wisdom
Your voice to hear
And we cry in anger when we cannot feel You near
We doubt Your goodness, we doubt Your love
As if every promise from Your Word is not enough
All the while, You hear each desperate plea
And long that we'd have faith to believe
‘Cause what if your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
And what if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise
When friends betray us
When darkness seems to win
We know the pain reminds this heart
That this is not, this is not our home,
It's not our home
‘Cause what if your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
And what if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
What if my greatest disappointments
Or the aching of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can’t satisfy
And what if trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are your mercies in disguise
We pray for blessings
We pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering
All the while, You hear each spoken need
Yet Love is way too much to give us lesser things
‘Cause what if your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise
We pray for wisdom
Your voice to hear
And we cry in anger when we cannot feel You near
We doubt Your goodness, we doubt Your love
As if every promise from Your Word is not enough
All the while, You hear each desperate plea
And long that we'd have faith to believe
‘Cause what if your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
And what if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise
When friends betray us
When darkness seems to win
We know the pain reminds this heart
That this is not, this is not our home,
It's not our home
‘Cause what if your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
And what if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
What if my greatest disappointments
Or the aching of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can’t satisfy
And what if trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are your mercies in disguise
Friday, April 1, 2011
Driving
I am probably going to be guilty of over-spiritualizing this concept, but hang with me and see if I can make this analogy.
This morning I was driving home from taking my little brother to a test.
About halfway home, I began noticing some extremely impatient drivers around me.
Most of them would get right up on someones tail, and then make a quick maneuver around them and speed away. Some made split second decisions. Some made decisions in the nick of time to avoid disaster.
All were impatient. All were trying to get somewhere faster.
And I began to think: isn't this the way that many of us live?
We are impatient people who try to hurry the process. We tap our foot repeatedly while standing in line at the grocery story so we can hurry up and get out the door. We have invented microwaves so we can cook our food faster. We live in an instantaneous society...we want everything...and we want it NOW.
Often, we fail to live with any vision.
We drive ourselves as fast as we can and then we make a herky jerky move at the last possible second as we change lanes.
Everything goes smoother if we drive steadily and plan ahead.
The Bible says in Proverbs: "For lack of vision the people perish."
Could this frighteningly be true of us? For lack of our vision, we perish?
Because we love to run through life so quickly, have we missed the main thing?
Have we missed Jesus in our haste to live life quickly?
Whatever happened to patience and waiting on Jesus?
What's wrong with slowing down and simplifying our lives?
I dare to say that we all need to slow down, simplify and live with clarity and vision...or else, we may perish.
This morning I was driving home from taking my little brother to a test.
About halfway home, I began noticing some extremely impatient drivers around me.
Most of them would get right up on someones tail, and then make a quick maneuver around them and speed away. Some made split second decisions. Some made decisions in the nick of time to avoid disaster.
All were impatient. All were trying to get somewhere faster.
And I began to think: isn't this the way that many of us live?
We are impatient people who try to hurry the process. We tap our foot repeatedly while standing in line at the grocery story so we can hurry up and get out the door. We have invented microwaves so we can cook our food faster. We live in an instantaneous society...we want everything...and we want it NOW.
Often, we fail to live with any vision.
We drive ourselves as fast as we can and then we make a herky jerky move at the last possible second as we change lanes.
Everything goes smoother if we drive steadily and plan ahead.
The Bible says in Proverbs: "For lack of vision the people perish."
Could this frighteningly be true of us? For lack of our vision, we perish?
Because we love to run through life so quickly, have we missed the main thing?
Have we missed Jesus in our haste to live life quickly?
Whatever happened to patience and waiting on Jesus?
What's wrong with slowing down and simplifying our lives?
I dare to say that we all need to slow down, simplify and live with clarity and vision...or else, we may perish.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Tournament Hope
Tomorrow starts the 64-team national homeschool basketball championships in Springfield, Missouri.
There are many reasons to be hopeful going into the tournament.
I love spring, and everything that it brings.
Here we go fella's.
One team.
One heartbeat.
One goal.
"Iron sharpens iron."
There are many reasons to be hopeful going into the tournament.
I love spring, and everything that it brings.
Here we go fella's.
One team.
One heartbeat.
One goal.
"Iron sharpens iron."
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Quote
As a Christian, if we see suffering accurately, we will see it as a mechanism God uses to destroy our worldliness.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Purpose
How can we live without purpose?
How can we proceed without an intended destination?
How can we run without a finish line?
Why would we run if there wasn't a prize? We wouldn't!
Since there IS a prize at the end of our lives, if we are living for Jesus, we better be running for it!
As Paul says, I do not beat the air, or run aimlessly. The point he is trying to make is that we must live with purpose!
We must live FOR JESUS.
What does this look like?
Our hearts must beat for what is dear to His heart.
Our hearts must break for what breaks His heart.
We must live for Him, no matter the cost to our wallet, our ego, or our adjenda.
We must live for Him no matter the cost.
We must run to Him, run toward the prize without looking back.
We must run with our eyes fixed on Jesus.
And not run, as one running aimlessly.
How can we proceed without an intended destination?
How can we run without a finish line?
Why would we run if there wasn't a prize? We wouldn't!
Since there IS a prize at the end of our lives, if we are living for Jesus, we better be running for it!
As Paul says, I do not beat the air, or run aimlessly. The point he is trying to make is that we must live with purpose!
We must live FOR JESUS.
What does this look like?
Our hearts must beat for what is dear to His heart.
Our hearts must break for what breaks His heart.
We must live for Him, no matter the cost to our wallet, our ego, or our adjenda.
We must live for Him no matter the cost.
We must run to Him, run toward the prize without looking back.
We must run with our eyes fixed on Jesus.
And not run, as one running aimlessly.
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