Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Oneliners- 2
"Everyone ends up somewhere in life; some people will get there on purpose." - Andy Stanley
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Oneliners- 1
If God can transform and use Paul's life, he can certainly transform me and you! -1 Tim 1:12-17
Monday, July 26, 2010
The Emo Slump
Situations change, our faith remains the same. At least, that's the note I'm ending on for today.
Today was an odd day. There would be a lot of people who would say that I shouldn't be so openly vulnerable, that I shouldn't tell you what I'm about to tell you, but I think I'm going to fly in the face of that right now.
I was told that grief was one of those ugly beasts that would continue to reveal itself at the strangest times. The past few weeks I've on an emotional and spiritual high. I was my old self again, leading, joking, and being cynical about everything. Today wasn't like that at all. Today was an "Emo Slump" day.
It's hard to say really what all started it. It was just strange. You see, I didn't wake up today at any decent time. I found myself feeling down and depressed, and I waking up this morning just wasn't high on my to-do list. Then again, neither was anything else. Everything I thought about was depressing. Nothing seemed like it would make me feel any better.
The worst thing about being depressed, and maybe you've experienced this before, is that you don't feel like doing anything and the things you do feel like doing often leave you more depressed. It's another one of those vicious cycles.
So I wish I could tell you I had a profound spiritual and Jesus-y moment that helped me bounce back. That would be lying. The truth is, I finally forced myself to the gym, puked twice, texted some great people, and came back home feeling worse about life. I was resigning myself to a wasted day when a good friend texted me to hang out. After that, I went on my Monday half-day retreat & hike, and I guess you could say God gave me a friendly reminder. I read this in James:
"Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him." (1:12)
So I organized my thoughts, took some time to remember my dad, thought about how high of a calling I had to live for, and realized it just wasn't worth staying down. I had to persevere. I had to press on. That life thing just sounded too good to pass up.
I realize that's not how it works for everyone, but that's how I got out of the Emo Slump. I'm sure you've had a day like that (maybe it was even a week, a month or a year). I'd love to read your posts and comments about what you did and how you got through it.
Thanks again for taking the time to read, I hope you'll also take some time to write!
Today was an odd day. There would be a lot of people who would say that I shouldn't be so openly vulnerable, that I shouldn't tell you what I'm about to tell you, but I think I'm going to fly in the face of that right now.
I was told that grief was one of those ugly beasts that would continue to reveal itself at the strangest times. The past few weeks I've on an emotional and spiritual high. I was my old self again, leading, joking, and being cynical about everything. Today wasn't like that at all. Today was an "Emo Slump" day.
It's hard to say really what all started it. It was just strange. You see, I didn't wake up today at any decent time. I found myself feeling down and depressed, and I waking up this morning just wasn't high on my to-do list. Then again, neither was anything else. Everything I thought about was depressing. Nothing seemed like it would make me feel any better.
The worst thing about being depressed, and maybe you've experienced this before, is that you don't feel like doing anything and the things you do feel like doing often leave you more depressed. It's another one of those vicious cycles.
So I wish I could tell you I had a profound spiritual and Jesus-y moment that helped me bounce back. That would be lying. The truth is, I finally forced myself to the gym, puked twice, texted some great people, and came back home feeling worse about life. I was resigning myself to a wasted day when a good friend texted me to hang out. After that, I went on my Monday half-day retreat & hike, and I guess you could say God gave me a friendly reminder. I read this in James:
"Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him." (1:12)
So I organized my thoughts, took some time to remember my dad, thought about how high of a calling I had to live for, and realized it just wasn't worth staying down. I had to persevere. I had to press on. That life thing just sounded too good to pass up.
I realize that's not how it works for everyone, but that's how I got out of the Emo Slump. I'm sure you've had a day like that (maybe it was even a week, a month or a year). I'd love to read your posts and comments about what you did and how you got through it.
Thanks again for taking the time to read, I hope you'll also take some time to write!
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Unfinished Business
My senior year of college at Milligan, I had this ridiculously boring history class that I had to take to graduate. It was so boring that there were only 3 other students there, and 2 of them rarely showed up.
Everyday was a discussion about the same topics, and we barely covered any ground. That didn't stop the well-meaning professor from giving us a final, however. I really didn't care to prepare, it was my last final, and I just wanted to graduate to move on with my life. Because of that, I rushed through the test, barely responded to the essay questions, and in fact, I think I finished the last essay by saying, "I really do know more than this, you're just going to have to take my word for it."
Lame, right? I was on track to getting a great grade in the class, but the professor rewarded my "hard work" by dropping me a whole letter grade. Just 20 more minutes of effort and I could have finished well. Looking back, I probably would have done it right if I could do it over again because it wasn't worth the consequences.
My wife and I are reading a similar story of unfinished business. In Joshua, we're reading what many consider to be the brutal, ungodly conquest of Joshua to take over the Promised Land of Canaan. Question what you will about the grace and mercy of God in this story, God makes it pretty clear that the whole land is there and everyone else needs removed. Sounds harsh, right?
I don't know why God told them to do this, but I do know that God says that when they get to the land, they should not worship the foreigner's gods. This would only lead to more heartache and pain later.
So let's fast forward. Joshua and company don't finish their mission, they celebrate their work prematurely, the Canaanites remain a thorn in their side for the next few hundred years, and in the end, the Israelites worship other gods and eventually end up in exile because of their sinfulness. That's a long stretch from being the light of the world.
It makes me so sad because I know how their story ends. They only needed to push a little harder and obey God until the work was done. As a result,Their fate was far worse than a lower GPA.
We could fast forward again and realize that none of that mattered because Jesus came and set it all straight. While it is true that we now live under grace, I think there's still something to be learned from Joshua's story.
Too often God calls us to do something and we don't see it through til the end. We give up too soon. Maybe we have something to do at work and we don't finish it with excellence because it's "good enough." If you're a student maybe you just turn a project in early or because you want to be done with it. If you're a parent, you give up trying to teach your kids something because it just isn't worth the effort. If you are a follower of Jesus seeking spiritual maturity, maybe you've given up a spiritual discipline because it was too hard.
The bottom line is this: FINISH WELL! I'm not saying you become a workaholic or a perfectionist, but our God deserves our best. It's not enough to quit early or to be satisfied with mediocrity. Save yourself some pain, enhance your witness, and whatever you do, work at it with all your heart as for the Lord and not for men (Col 3:23).
Just like the work of Joshua, the work that God has for us is more important than a grade. I say enough with the unfinished business. Don't give God your leftovers.
Everyday was a discussion about the same topics, and we barely covered any ground. That didn't stop the well-meaning professor from giving us a final, however. I really didn't care to prepare, it was my last final, and I just wanted to graduate to move on with my life. Because of that, I rushed through the test, barely responded to the essay questions, and in fact, I think I finished the last essay by saying, "I really do know more than this, you're just going to have to take my word for it."
Lame, right? I was on track to getting a great grade in the class, but the professor rewarded my "hard work" by dropping me a whole letter grade. Just 20 more minutes of effort and I could have finished well. Looking back, I probably would have done it right if I could do it over again because it wasn't worth the consequences.
My wife and I are reading a similar story of unfinished business. In Joshua, we're reading what many consider to be the brutal, ungodly conquest of Joshua to take over the Promised Land of Canaan. Question what you will about the grace and mercy of God in this story, God makes it pretty clear that the whole land is there and everyone else needs removed. Sounds harsh, right?
I don't know why God told them to do this, but I do know that God says that when they get to the land, they should not worship the foreigner's gods. This would only lead to more heartache and pain later.
So let's fast forward. Joshua and company don't finish their mission, they celebrate their work prematurely, the Canaanites remain a thorn in their side for the next few hundred years, and in the end, the Israelites worship other gods and eventually end up in exile because of their sinfulness. That's a long stretch from being the light of the world.
It makes me so sad because I know how their story ends. They only needed to push a little harder and obey God until the work was done. As a result,Their fate was far worse than a lower GPA.
We could fast forward again and realize that none of that mattered because Jesus came and set it all straight. While it is true that we now live under grace, I think there's still something to be learned from Joshua's story.
Too often God calls us to do something and we don't see it through til the end. We give up too soon. Maybe we have something to do at work and we don't finish it with excellence because it's "good enough." If you're a student maybe you just turn a project in early or because you want to be done with it. If you're a parent, you give up trying to teach your kids something because it just isn't worth the effort. If you are a follower of Jesus seeking spiritual maturity, maybe you've given up a spiritual discipline because it was too hard.
The bottom line is this: FINISH WELL! I'm not saying you become a workaholic or a perfectionist, but our God deserves our best. It's not enough to quit early or to be satisfied with mediocrity. Save yourself some pain, enhance your witness, and whatever you do, work at it with all your heart as for the Lord and not for men (Col 3:23).
Just like the work of Joshua, the work that God has for us is more important than a grade. I say enough with the unfinished business. Don't give God your leftovers.
Friday, July 23, 2010
Forgotten God Part 4 (Final)
As I finished up the final chapter of Forgotten God, I felt a double dose of conviction:
1) With the Spirit of God living inside of us who call ourselves Christians, why is it that the rest of the world still displays the Fruit of the Spirit far better than we ever could? Why are we not the most joyful, kind, self-controlled, loving, peaceful, patient, gentle and generous people on the planet?
Chan tells the story of a gang leader who began attending his church. After just a few months of regular attendance, the gang leader stopped attending. Curious, Francis tracked him down and asked him what happened, to which the gang leader responded, "When I joined your church, I thought it would be a lot like a gang. I thought people would care for each other more than just one day a week."
So let's stop faking like we're the Church. Let's step up. Invite someone new to your home this week. Talk to a stranger. Work on that community and love and compassion that we're called to have. Let's live like God lives in us.
2) So I've learned a bunch of stuff about the Holy Spirit, what God could do in and through me. I hope you've gotten something out of all this too. But here's the deal. James 4:17 says that, "Anyone, then, who knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, commits sin." It's not enough just to learn a bunch of stuff if we aren't following through. So again I'll say it, go live like God lives in you. Get rid of the noise and comfort that keeps us from noticing God. Go overcome that sin that's been defeating you. Stop living life on your own power.
So Jesus died for you and me, and before he did that he said this, "But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you."
God lives in you- live like it!
1) With the Spirit of God living inside of us who call ourselves Christians, why is it that the rest of the world still displays the Fruit of the Spirit far better than we ever could? Why are we not the most joyful, kind, self-controlled, loving, peaceful, patient, gentle and generous people on the planet?
Chan tells the story of a gang leader who began attending his church. After just a few months of regular attendance, the gang leader stopped attending. Curious, Francis tracked him down and asked him what happened, to which the gang leader responded, "When I joined your church, I thought it would be a lot like a gang. I thought people would care for each other more than just one day a week."
So let's stop faking like we're the Church. Let's step up. Invite someone new to your home this week. Talk to a stranger. Work on that community and love and compassion that we're called to have. Let's live like God lives in us.
2) So I've learned a bunch of stuff about the Holy Spirit, what God could do in and through me. I hope you've gotten something out of all this too. But here's the deal. James 4:17 says that, "Anyone, then, who knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, commits sin." It's not enough just to learn a bunch of stuff if we aren't following through. So again I'll say it, go live like God lives in you. Get rid of the noise and comfort that keeps us from noticing God. Go overcome that sin that's been defeating you. Stop living life on your own power.
So Jesus died for you and me, and before he did that he said this, "But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you."
God lives in you- live like it!
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Forgotten God Part 3
Only one more chapter to go through this thought-provoking journey. Tomorrow should be the finale.
Before that though, I have to work through the fact that Chan just told me to forget about God's will for my life. Yeah, I was as initially shocked as you are right now.
As it turns out, I, and I'm sure many others, use the future as an avoidance mechanism. After all, if I'm concerned with what God has for me down the road, I don't really have to think too much about who I am or what I'm called to do right now. Looking ahead feels spiritual, it feels like we're just envisioning the truth as God has laid it out for us. But this thinking can keep us from living the full life that God has for us right now.
I certainly feel called to church planting. I sense that God is going to open doors for me to lead a brand new congregation of people toward a life with Jesus. While that's exciting and while it sounds pretty Jesus-y, preoccupation in that direction tends to lead me away from caring about the ministry I have now.
So what does that look like for you? What distracts you from living God's call right now? As Paul says, "we must continue to work out our salvation with fear and trembling just as God continues to work in us to will and act toward his good purpose." Sounds kind of churchy, but the bottom line is this:
God's Spirit is in us right now to work God's power through us right now, so that means we need to step up right now!
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Forgotten God Part 2
So let's say you want to live like the Holy Spirit lives within you. Let's say you recognize the power that God offers willingly if we get our motives straight and get out of the way. Why don't you feel any different?
Francis Chan says maybe it's one of two things: maybe you're so comfortable with life right now that you really don't need a Comforter. God is close to you but maybe you aren't experiencing that because your life is too cushion-y and you aren't taking enough risks for your faith.
Maybe it's that your life is too loud. You never let yourself slow down enough to notice God's presence inside of you. Right now I have a cell phone flipped open, a Bible, two computers, a flashing phone, and a meeting on the horizon that I can't get off my mind. A lot of us hold our busyness up as almost a Christian virtue, but is it really any shock that we can't hear God's voice with all this?
So I'm not sure what it is for you. Maybe you're hoping God will still live within you when you're living a life of mistakes. Maybe there's someone you still need to forgive. Maybe you just need to slow down, or maybe you need to step out of your comfort zone.
Whatever it is, open your eyes to the power that God can work through you. There is too much at stake in this world for you to sulk around washed up and defeated. I pray in the same words as Paul for you that "you will understand the incredible greatness of God's power for us who believe in him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God's right hand in the heavenly realms."
You have access to the same power that raised Christ from the dead, and it comes from seeing God living within you. So live fully, and let God live out of you!
Francis Chan says maybe it's one of two things: maybe you're so comfortable with life right now that you really don't need a Comforter. God is close to you but maybe you aren't experiencing that because your life is too cushion-y and you aren't taking enough risks for your faith.
Maybe it's that your life is too loud. You never let yourself slow down enough to notice God's presence inside of you. Right now I have a cell phone flipped open, a Bible, two computers, a flashing phone, and a meeting on the horizon that I can't get off my mind. A lot of us hold our busyness up as almost a Christian virtue, but is it really any shock that we can't hear God's voice with all this?
So I'm not sure what it is for you. Maybe you're hoping God will still live within you when you're living a life of mistakes. Maybe there's someone you still need to forgive. Maybe you just need to slow down, or maybe you need to step out of your comfort zone.
Whatever it is, open your eyes to the power that God can work through you. There is too much at stake in this world for you to sulk around washed up and defeated. I pray in the same words as Paul for you that "you will understand the incredible greatness of God's power for us who believe in him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God's right hand in the heavenly realms."
You have access to the same power that raised Christ from the dead, and it comes from seeing God living within you. So live fully, and let God live out of you!
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