This Little Light

Greater Plans

2011-11-23T07:43:00.000-08:00

It's rare that I actually feel like I get a direct communication, where it almost seems audible, from God, but today I felt Him clearly telling me this:

Stop trying to fit me into your plans and instead be a part of mine.

It seems like a simple thought, doesn't it, but sometimes the most simple truths are also the most impactful.

It's so easy for me to go along with my head down, focused on my life, what I want to happen, and the plans I have all laid out. I tend to forget how ineffective that way of living is. And I seem to forget, or at least push to the back of my mind, whose plans it is that I get to be a part of. God is way too big and unpredictable to be confined into my little plans. His dreams for me are much bigger than the life I try to create and fit Him into. And most importantly, I miss out on growing closer to Jesus when I try to rely on myself and don't put my trust in Him. He invites us to rest in Him, knowing that He is perfectly in control, and that He will work everything out for our good.

How awesome it is that we get to be a part of God's perfect plan. We've been given the freedom to live with joy and trust, knowing that no matter what happens, somehow it is all a part of God's story. I don't need to perfectly work everything out in my life - instead I just need to be available to be used by God and fulfill the role He has for me.

My plans may turn out ok, and I might actually be somewhat successful in them, but I'll be limiting God's work within me, and I won't be growing closer to Him. But when I exchange my plans and dreams for His, I get to be a part of a much bigger story. Life will still get pretty dreary and confusing at times, but ultimately we live with peace knowing how the great story we're a part of will end - with victory, grace, redemption and amazing joy.

Doubting His Goodness

2011-07-26T13:27:00.000-07:00

I sometimes wonder if all the problems in me don't boil down to one simple thing: not trusting in God's goodness. Think about it - fear, anxiety, anger, insecurity - all those things would not be present if I truly believed and lived in the light of God being who He says He is.

Even if we know in our heads that God is good, why do we so often live like we don't believe it? I think believing something and knowing something through experience are two different things. When we face difficulties, obstacles, hurts, and seemingly impossible circumstances, we have the choice to doubt or to experience God's goodness. We don't trust Him in the sense that He is going to fix all our problems for us, but in the fact that He is right there with us in the middle of them - drawing us to Him, giving us strength, and filling us with the hope of His Glory.

The fact is that God is good. I believe that to be true, but I am just beginning to know it for myself. The past few years have brought situations where I've been forced to trust in God more than ever, and I have seen some glimpses, brief but life-changing, of who He is in my life. I am also coming to understand more of what His goodness involves. God's goodness in our lives shows up in unexpected and sometimes unwelcome ways. His goodness may involve bringing us through a trial where we have nowhere to turn but Him. His goodness often involves pain that brings us to our knees, and to His feet. His goodness allows us to fail over and over, until we realize that we can't do anything apart from Him.

Doubt, not trust, comes instinctively. We need to be intentional about removing doubt, and allowing life to grow our knowledge of God. The more we come to know God, the more clearly we know and trust in His goodness. We need to use every single difficult, frustrating, annoying, and fearful situation as a chance to experience His unfathomable character. Even in our hardest days, we can have the deep down joy of knowing that God is working for our benefit, because He is eternally and unfailingly GOOD.

"When you really begin to trust in God's goodness, a quiet awareness comes over you that will not fully go away, an awareness that God is good, that sin is bad, and that the relief it brings is temporary, and in the long run, futile. You actually begin to believe the Lord when he says, "But take heart! I have overcome the world" (John 16:33). You rest in the guarantee that all the badness in the world will never overcome God's goodness. The last chapter, the one that never ends, will be the story of God's goodness reaching into every part of life: reunions of unparalelled joy, relationships without selfishness, work without pressure, travel without accidents, and the pure laughter of people having a really good time... The message from God seems clear. "You cannot control your life. You are therefore free. You are not trapped by the need to arrange things as you want. Trust me more fully than you ever have before. I am thoroughly good, and I am good enough to trust thoroughly."" -Larry Crabb, Finding God

The Philippians 2 Challenge

2011-06-14T14:08:00.000-07:00

Packed into 14 verses in the same chapter of the Bible are two of the greatest challenges ever presented to mankind.

In Philippians 2, Paul first calls us to imitate Christ's humility. Even though Jesus was God himself, he was the most humble and selfless person who ever lived. He emptied himself of all of His glory and humbled himself to the point of dying for us, in the worst possible way, on a cross. The personal challenge comes in verses 3-4.

"Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others."

Don't do anything for selfish reasons or for personal gain - put others and their interests above yourself? Can you imagine what a life like that would look like? Lived perfectly, it would look like Jesus, but even as an imperfect human it would still look pretty amazing. Someone that would go beyond selfishness, truly living for others without hidden motives or agendas would be a living example of the Gospel. In a life like that, people would see something different - something beautiful that deep in their soul they have been looking for. They would see the reflection of the giving and selfless love of Christ.

The second challenge comes ten verses later in Philippians 2:14-15:

"Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation". Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky..."

Basically, Paul, you're telling me to never complain or argue about anything? Wow. Again, imagine what a life like that would look like. The person that doesn't complain or get negative about anything, and never argues with anyone would be a living example of the peace of Christ. Try it even for a day - you can't complain about anything - and you'll start to realize the magnitude of what Paul is calling us to.

It's so relieving to know that I could never do this on my own. It's only through submitting to Christ at work within me that I'm even able to take these challenges seriously. It's His Spirit that gives me the strength to become more like Him every day. I encourage you to take the Philippians 2 challenge - be humble, put others first, examining your own interests or motives, and don't complain or argue about anything. Just imagine what a difference it could make in your life and the lives around you.

In 3 Days...

2011-04-26T15:54:00.000-07:00

It's amazing to think that the greatest and most important day in history happened on a Sunday around 20 centuries ago. Thinking about that First Easter and the "Good" Friday that preceded it, it's hard to comprehend the magnitude of what happened in that one weekend. I spent some time reflecting this year on the meaning of Easter, and this was my attempt to put at least some of it into words:

In 3 days, everything changed;

hope and love rose anew.

In 3 days, our world was rearranged;

sin and evil turned away.

In 3 days, new life was offered as a gift;

I can be truly free.

In 3 days, Jesus paid the full price;

my eyes can now see.

In 3 days, a way was made;

we will rise again in glory.

In 3 days, conflict, suffering, and victory;

the turning point in God's beautiful Story.

Purpose

2011-04-15T10:17:00.000-07:00

"When you know who you are, you'll know what to do." - Steven Furtick

Recently I started listening to a podcast of a pastor named Steven Furtick, from Elevation church in North Carolina. I've been really impacted by his teaching and how powerfully he applies God's word. Here are my takeaways from a recent sermon I listened to from him.

Too often I get caught up in wondering what God wants me to do in life, or at work, or at home.

Not often enough do I ask the question "Who does God want me to be" in life, at work, or at home.

Our career, where we live, where we go to college - all those things aren't really that important in the big picture. What matters more is what kind of person I'm going to be in whatever community, college, or job I'm in. In this way, who you are is more important that what you do. Our identity gives our activity a purpose, not the other way around. To do something and be truly successful (which to me means bringing glory to God), we need to know where our identity is found.

This is an ongoing process for me: letting go of what I want to do with my life, and who I want to be, and submitting to the kind of person God wants me to be - more like Jesus. Instead of asking what is God's purpose for my life, I'm working on asking myself what is God's purpose period, and how does my life fit into that? Simply put, God's purpose is God's glory - in everything I do and in the person I am, is God's name being magnified?

When I get consumed with God and His passions and His purposes, my purpose will become clear. So many people in our culture have misguided passions and purposes and are using their God-given gifts and abilities for harm instead of good. Rappers are just mis-guided prophets. Rockstars are just misguided psalmists. Drug dealers are just misguided entrepreneurs, etc. If all these people with misdirected passions and purposes could find God's purpose for their lives, imagine the great things that would be released on our world for His kingdom.

When my identity is found in being God's child, when I give up my own desires for my life, when I get caught up in what God is passionate about (loving Him and serving others), and when I'm more concerned with who I am than what I do, my purpose will become more clear than ever.

Wisdom from Karate Kid

2011-03-30T08:40:00.000-07:00

It's always a pleasant surprise when I watch a movie that I know is going to be a waste of 2 hours of my life, and come away with a small nugget of wisdom.

I recently watched the new version of 'Karate Kid' with Jaden Smith and Jackie Chan. It was actually an entertaining movie, but there was one quote in particular stuck with me:

"Being still and doing nothing are two very different things"

It's easy for us to get so busy that we forget to slow down and 'be still'. Forcing ourselves to stop what we're doing can feel like a waste of time. But the wisdom in this quote is that being still can actually be a very productive thing. For me, being still involves spending time with God, taking my focus off the world and putting it on Christ.

Making regular times of 'being still' in my life is crucial for me to keep the right perspective and to not get bogged down by the circumstances of life. For me, being still definitely is not doing nothing, but it is spending time with the God of the universe and being filled by His perfect peace, love and joy.

Freedom

2011-03-03T13:44:00.000-08:00

"Jesus came into the world and died for our sins to set us free from the slavery of fear, craving the praise of man, and the pleasures of security. When God is for us in Christ, we do not need the praise of man. When God promises to be with us, and work all things for our good, the power of fear is broken...When you are deeply peaceful and confident that, because of Christ, God will bring you safely to His eternal kingdom and be the all-satisfying Treasure of your life forever, then you are free to see the truth, and love the truth, and speak the truth no matter what, and joyfully spread a passion for the truth whose name is Jesus."

John Piper from "Think: The Life of the Mind and the Love of God"

Looking for something

2011-02-28T15:57:00.000-08:00

The whole world is looking for something. Some people search their whole lives and never find it. Some people think they've found it, when they've only found a cheap imitation of it. The problem is not that we don't search - the problem is that we tend to look in all the wrong places.

But when we find it - or when we're found by it - we know that we've found exactly what we've been missing and longing for our whole lives. In the few years I've been working with young people, I've seen this so clearly - they are looking for answers, they are looking for meaning, and they are looking for LIFE. So often they look in the wrong places, and they believe the world's lies that the answers can be found in friends, popularity, sports, partying, drugs, sex, gangs, money, success, etc.

We have an amazing opportunity. We can guide people to what they're truly looking for. We can be the ones that share the life, hope, love, grace and joy we've found, to share the true and everlasting life that we've been given through Jesus. The Bible says that we are ministers of reconciliation, bringing people back to the Father. Now being a father myself, I am beginning to understand even more the depth of the love our Heavenly Father has for us. He welcomes us home with loving and open arms when we look to Him for answers, truth and life.

Let's lead people back to the Father. Let's be the ones that help people find what they've been missing and looking for in all the wrong places.

The Real Me

2011-01-20T08:28:00.000-08:00

"There must be a real giving up of the self....As long as your own personality is what you are bothering about you are not going to God at all. The very first step is to try to forget about the self altogether. Your real, new self will not come as long as you are looking for it. It will come when you are looking for Him...Even in social life, you will never make a good impression on other people until you stop thinking about what sort of impression you are making....Give up your self, and you will find your real self." C.S. Lewis, from Mere Christianity

God, I am giving up my self, and I am looking to You. This life is not about me, yet I spend so much time worrying about approval, people liking me, and about making a good impression. Forgive me, Lord. I deeply long for a secure identity, to know exactly who I am, and to be confident in that. I know that as long as I look for my identity apart from You, I will never find it. That is why I surrender to You. I look to You and You alone for answers. I'm giving up on the endless pursuit of self-worth and self-esteem. All worth and esteem belongs to You, Jesus. Through the cross, you free me to be the real me. You have made me uniquely and perfectly for the purpose You have for me. I'm trusting You to shape and mold me, through struggle and waiting, into who You've made me to be - my real, new self.

"I'm just His instrument"

2011-01-11T08:35:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite things in sports is the post-game interviews. It always gives a window into who the person being interviewed really is. Do they take the credit or deflect it? Do they show pride or humility? Do they use their platform to promote themselves or something greater than themselves?

One of the most impressive post-game interviews I've seen came last night after the BCS Championship Game, from Auburn quarterback Cam Newton. Now, if anyone had a reason to be prideful, it would be Cam Newton. He wins the Heisman Trophy (MVP) this year and then leads his team to the National Championship, after his team was pretty much written off at the beginning of the season. But in his answers, Cam showed the kind of person he is.

When asked about his journey through adversity, Cam said "I'm just God's instrument. He is using me on a consistent basis to extend His word. I'm a prime example that He can take something that's bad and turn it into something great."

I pray that we can all learn from this example. In whatever situation we find ourselves in, if we have the attitude that we are just an instrument of God, He will use us. In any circumstance, He can take something bad and turn it into something great - for His purposes.

Struggle and Story

2010-12-08T14:10:00.000-08:00

After writing about Tiger Woods a few weeks ago, I was glued to the tv last Sunday watching him try to get back in the winning circle for the first time since his public downfall. Although I was cheering hard for him, I wasn't really upset when he lost.

This will only make his comeback story better. Think about any good story worth reading - there is always loss and struggle before victory. If he would just come back from all of this and start winning right away, the story wouldn't mean as much. He wouldn't personally learn as much, or grow as a person.

In all of our lives, struggle makes our stories better. Struggle makes us grow, and makes us into better people. It is in the hardest times that God shines brightest through us. We just need to give him the opportunity by surrendering to Him in the struggle.

We can try to do our own thing, we can try to make things happen on our own, we can try to avoid struggle at all costs, but God is telling a story with our lives, and struggle always makes it more meaningful.

Redemption stories

2010-11-22T13:55:00.000-08:00

My three favorite athletes right now are Michael Vick, Josh Hamilton, and Tiger Woods.

Although there are a lot of differences, the common thread I find is the story of redemption. Interestingly, all three are at different stages of the redemption process.

Josh Hamilton came back from years of self-destruction, addiction, and near death to become one of the best players in baseball, likely the 2010 AL MVP.

Michael Vick came back from an 18 month jail sentence and a life full of bad decisions and bad company. He is well on his way to becoming one of the best players in the league and a possible MVP.

Tiger Woods came back from the biggest sports scandal of all time, and is still working his way back to the top of golf.

Coincidentally or not, their stories of spiritual redemption follow similar patterns. Josh Hamilton gave his life totally to Christ, turned his life around, and now lives to serve Christ and bring Glory to God. Vick came back to God in prison, partly through the mentoring of Tony Dungy. In a recent interview, he said that he "just puts it all in God's hands and let's Him take control of his life." Woods, however, seems to still be a long way from being redeemed spiritually. He has gone through the motions of apologizing and trying to be likable again, but has fallen short of true repentance and giving control to God.

I love to cheer for Hamilton because I know he is living to bring glory to God. I love to cheer for Vick because I know he is a redemption story still in process, someone who is learning that life is not about him, but about a loving and forgiving God who now allows him to help others. And I love cheering for Woods because God never gives up on people, and because I love to imagine and pray for the impact he could have if he would turn his life over to God.

I think we all connect with stories of redemption, even in athletes, because in a way they are representations of all of our stories. We are all broken people who have fallen short. We have separated ourselves from God because of our sin, and we have been given a second chance, an offer of redemption. Because of God's grace and free gift of forgiveness through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, our past can be wiped clean. Through his death, Jesus bought us new life.

Josh Hamilton has found and accepted the grace of God. Michael Vick seems to be increasingly finding hope and peace in the forgiveness that only God can bring.

Have you accepted God's grace? Are you embracing your comeback story?

There is a story of redemption available for all of us. Are you living yours?

Tribal Leadership

2010-11-16T14:22:00.000-08:00

I've been trying to read a lot about leadership lately. I've been really fascinated by some of the books I've read, which mostly focus on the business world, but seem to apply just as well to ministry and spiritual leadership. The one I was most impacted by was: 'Tribal Leadership' by Dave Logan and Dan King. 'Delivering Happiness, The Story of Zappos.com', and 'Built to Last' by Jim Collins, are also good reads.

What I've been amazed by is the Christian ideals present in all these books. It seems that today's most innovative and successful models of business follow many of Jesus' teachings from 2000 years ago. In 'Tribal Leadership', the authors talk about 5 stages that companies operate at. The progression goes something like this:

Stage 1- Life sucks.
Stage 2 - My life sucks (but maybe there's something better).
Stage 3 - I'm in it for me.
Stage 4 - We're in it as a group with a core set of values; there is a higher purpose. We're great.
Stage 5 - Our values are everything. We're not fighting competition, we're fighting for a cause.

In each of these books, the emphasized values are similar to how we try to live as believers in Christ: humility, serving, putting others above self, empowering others to become better, connecting, sharing and working together, and sacrificing for a cause bigger than self (glorifying God).

Looking at the stages listed above in the spiritual sense, I believe our personal decision to follow Christ would move us from stage 3 - "I'm in it for me" to stage 4 - "in it as a group, there is a higher purpose". It would be through the process of maturing in faith that we can move to stage 5. In the spiritual sense, stage 5 would translate something like this: "Jesus is everything. We're fighting for His Glory and His Kingdom. We'll fight alongside one another, no matter the cost. We won't fear, because He will empower us, and He will lead us. The potential for ministry and impact is limitless!"

As a ministry leader, this is my goal. It's definitely not about me, and it's not even about "us". It's about Him, and it's about us getting to be a part of His Story, of His Victory, and of His Kingdom. There is no limit to what He can accomplish through people, no matter what field they are in, who are fully submitted to Him and His cause.

Whether or not the authors of these books are believers, I believe they are drawing upon the moral compass built into all of us (no matter how far buried) - to live with humility, sacrifice and for a cause greater than ourselves. I pray that we as believers will have the wisdom and discernment to learn even from a business world often filled with selfishness and greed. I pray that we can take the wisdom of business done with character and integrity, and apply it in our lives for the Glory of God.

Inner-Silence

2010-10-29T12:12:00.000-07:00

One of the hardest things for me to do is to turn off my mind. Even when I make the conscious effort to eliminate all outward distractions, there often still seems to be an ongoing self-dialogue. I know it sounds crazy, but I would suspect I'm not alone on this.

It's difficult to achieve real silence (especially in our culture), but once we taste the experience, we realize how precious it is. Recently, on a backpacking trip, I was sitting on a bluff overlooking a river. As I watched the water flow, not only were there no distractions around me, but my mind and heart became quieted. There was no inner dialogue in my mind, only an awareness of beauty and peace in Creation. Here's another example: The other night, it was really windy, and I couldn't sleep. Around 12:30, I got up and went to sit on our balcony. It was eerily quiet in the pauses between the howling wind. I sat for probably 15 minutes and looked at the clouds in the sky, and felt the wind move across my face. After praying to God and pouring out my heart, I began to feel His presence. I didn't need to talk anymore, and I didn't have all kinds of thoughts running through my mind. God knows my heart perfectly, I thought, even better than I do myself. It was as if He was right there with me and allowed me the blessing of being able to just sit in quiet awe.

God speaks to us, not in shouts, but often in whispers. We need to get quiet enough to hear Him in our spirit.

The writer Fredrick Buechner puts it this way:

"What deadens us most to God’s presence within us, I think, is the inner dialogue that we are continuously engaged in with ourselves, the endless chatter of human thought. I suspect that there is nothing more crucial to true spiritual comfort . . . than being able from time to time to stop that chatter . . . "

The kind of silence I'm talking about doesn't necessarily need to be while you're alone. It's more of a forgetfulness of self than anything, and an awareness of the beauty of life. This kind of inner-silence can come as the result of a conversation, getting lost in a song, serving someone in need, witnessing beauty in creation, a look from a spouse, or seeing the miracle of life on an ultrasound. In these moments, we become aware of the sacredness of everyday life and the beauty of things we otherwise take for granted.

When we daily ask God to silence our hearts and minds in His presence, we are freed to better serve others. When the self-dialogue is quieted, so is the self-focus. We can be more aware of the needs of others, and of God's presence within us.

I think the writer of Eccelsiastes sums it up best:

"Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God. God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few... Much dreaming and many words are meaningless.
Therefore stand in awe of God." Ecclesiastes 5:2,7

Today's challenges = tomorrow's faithfulness

2010-10-26T13:19:00.000-07:00

Recently, I sat down to write about some of the things that God has done in my life so far. I intended to just write a few bullet points about the things that God has brought me through. I ended up writing for 4 hours straight. 24 journal pages and a sore hand later, I realized that I had basically written the story of God's faithfulness in my 26 years of life.

I would encourage you, if you are facing something seemingly impossible in your life, to take some time to think back on what God has brought you through. In my limited understanding, I probably can't even begin to see everything that God has done in and through me, but in the small portion I can see, His Faithfulness shines through.

As I face the next step of my journey and start this new adventure of working with 'Youth For Christ', it is easy to feel overwhelmed. But as I reflect back, I can see that the same God who moved mountains and slayed giants in the past is ready to do the same for me now. The same Savior who delivered humankind from sin and death is present in my life, giving me hope, joy and strength for the journey. God uses the difficulties and struggles to grow us, to prepare us, to make us more like Jesus, to force us to depend on Him. He uses the things that seem impossible to us to make an eternal impact on the lives of others.

I am confident that the challenges I face today will form a new chapter in my story, one that I will look back on and marvel at God's goodness. Above all, I realize that I get to play a small part in God's Great Story - how awesome is that. We all do - He has a specific role for you to play in human history- otherwise you would not still be here. Trust in that, and trust in Him - He is faithful, yesterday, today and tomorrow.

If You Need Someone to Root for In World Series...

2010-10-13T14:28:00.000-07:00

"Josh Hamilton Included in Celebration" article: http://sports.espn.go.com/dallas/mlb/news/story?id=5679952

Josh Hamilton also tells his amazing life story in an autobiography

called "Beyond Belief" - highly recommended.

If I Lost It All....

2010-10-12T14:04:00.000-07:00

What an awesome truth to know that no matter what comes in life, we will always belong to God! Even if everything else in life is taken from us, He remains unchanged - full of grace and love with open arms. I love the lyrics from the Kutless song below: "when my life isn't what I expected, when the plans I made have failed... will you be enough for me, will my broken heart still sing?" On my own strength, the answer is definitely no. But with "His incomparably great power for us who believe (Ephesians 1)" at work within me, I know that there is nothing to fear, and I can face anything the world brings with joy. Even if I lost it all, I know that I am always and forever His.

If You washed away my vanity

If You took away my words

If all my world was swept away

Would You be enough for me?

Would my beating heart still sing?

If I lost it all

Would my hands stay lifted

To the God who gives and takes away

If You take it all

This life You've given

Still my heart will sing to You

When my life is not what I expected

The plans I made have failed

When there's nothing left to steal me away

Will You be enough for me?

Will my broken heart still sing?

If I lost it all

Would my hands stay lifted

To the God who gives

And takes away

If You take it all

This life You've given

Still my heart

Will sing to You

Even if You take it all away

Youll never let me go

Take it all away

But I still know

That I'm Yours

I'm still Yours

Oh, I'm Yours

I'm still Yours

Do Vs. Done

2010-09-28T14:00:00.000-07:00

If you think about every main religion in the world apart from Christianity, they can all be summed up by the idea of "Do". Do this, and God will forgive you. Do that and maybe you will get to heaven. Do this, otherwise God will be mad at you. Do these 5 things, and you will be right with God.

Jesus came to show a different way. Through Him, all of it is already "Done". When he died on the cross after a sinless life to bring us back to God, he said "It is finished". There is nothing that we can do to earn God's love, forgiveness or grace, because it is already done. Jesus paid a debt that He did not owe, the same debt that we could never pay.

The pressure to "do" is off. Through Christ's redeeming life, death, and resurrection, it is already "done"!

Overcome

2010-09-27T13:41:00.000-07:00

I attended an event this weekend called Chicago Harvest Crusade. It was an amazing, powerful time, with a clear message. You could feel the Spirit's presence in the arena. Three of the high school students I took were at first skeptical and not too sure about the whole thing, but ended up responding to the call to come forward and accept Christ. Praise God!

Jeremy Camp was there on Sunday, and talked about some of the loss and suffering he had been through. He sang a song off his new album called "Overcome". At one point, he had everyone raise their hands as we sang. I looked around the arena and literally got chills. Knowing that Jesus has overcome the world, and that through Him, we also overcome anything we go through, was a powerful truth. This is what heaven will be like, I thought, only a lot more people. You can watch the full video of the Harvest event by following this link: http://www.harvest.org/crusades/2010/chicago/webcast/sunday.html , but here is Jeremy's song with lyrics:

Seated above, enthroned in the Father's love

Destined to die, poured out for all mankind

God's only son perfect and spotless one

He never sinned, but suffered as if He did

All authority, every victory is Yours

Savior, worthy of honor and glory, worthy of all our praise, You overcame

Jesus, awesome in power forever,awesome and great is Your name, You overcame

Power in hand speaking the Father's plan

You're sending us out, light in this broken land

We will overcome by the blood of the Lamb

and the word of our testimony, everyone overcome

(Jesus said) "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." John 16:33

"This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God."

1 John 5:3-5

Learning from Trees

2010-09-23T14:20:00.000-07:00

One thing that I love about Jesus' life and teaching is that he used so many everyday examples to communicate his message. Throughout his ministry, he used the analogies of sheep, food, water, farming, dishes, coins, parties, and work -all topics that are universal to all people in all times. Using common concepts, He taught us how to live and shared the eternal hope of heaven with us.
Probably my favorite object that Jesus used in his teaching was trees. Here's one example:

"Early in the morning, as he was on his way back to the city, he was hungry. Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it, "May you never bear fruit again!" Immediately the tree withered. When the disciples saw this, they were amazed. "How did the fig tree wither so quickly?" they asked. Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and it will be done. If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer." -Matthew 21:18-22

I partly love this story because it shows Jesus' humanity. He was frustrated because he was hungry and here was this tree that was not providing what it was supposed to. But I love it even more because Jesus took this opportunity to teach his disciples about the power of prayer. From an ugly, dead tree, he showed his disciples something beautiful.

Soon before his death, Jesus was spending time with his disciples, and the subject of trees and fruit came up again. Likely knowing that his disciples clearly remembered the fig tree incident, he took the opportunity to communicate something that would change their lives going forward.

"Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." John 15:4-5

This message applies equally to us. Trying to live life apart from him, we'll end up just like that fig tree. The fig tree looked alive, it had leaves -just no fruit.

This is something that I struggle with daily. I want my life to be successful, important, meaningful. I want my time on earth to count and to leave an impact. But the problem is me - when its all about me and what I want to do - no fruit. Jesus understands this perfectly. He knows how hard life can be and how much every person longs for meaning and purpose. He knows that people, including his disciples, would be tempted to try to make good things happen on their own. He knows that people would want to pursue their own agenda to feel good about themselves. He knows the weakness and selfishness that we are so prone to. But (I always love the 'but'), He also knows the power we can find in him, the abundant love and grace that he has to pour out. He makes himself available to us so that we can live a joy-filled life of meaning. Just as a branch is filled with life through the vine, so we are filled with life through Christ.

What an awesome thing! The Creator of the universe is available to abide in, to get to know more, to have a deep relationship with. He wants us to "bear much fruit", to do great things for His kingdom. And he wants to 'abide' in us - His spirit actually lives inside of us when we allow Him to! We can choose to be constantly connected to Him, his life-giving power flowing through us. He just asks that we don't try to do it on our own - because he knows that we can't.

He came, he died, and he lives to give us life, and life in its fullest form.

Total Surrender

2010-09-03T10:34:00.000-07:00

My new favorite show is on the Discovery Channel, called "Surviving the Cut". Each week, they show a different group of military recruits trying to make it into the elite divisions of their field - Marine Recon, Army Rangers, Air Force Rescue. They show the brutal training the recruits have to endure in order to make it to their goal. The training is usually several weeks long, and by the end, about half have dropped out. The most recent one I saw, at the end of a 20 hour training day, they had to march 3 miles uphill while carrying a 200 pound dummy on their back and getting bombarded with tear gas.

The common theme that comes up every episode is mental toughness. The trainers explained that everyone gets broken down by the physical aspect of the training. What separated the best from the rest is their mental attitude - their commitment, and their surrender to the process. A recruit who is willing to endure only certain things but not others is going to fail - but the successful ones are those who are willing to fully surrender their body and thier mind to achieve the goal.

I really believe that it is the same with our lives. God calls us to fully surrender to Him, and He does so to bring us to the end goal of joy and salvation in Him. When Jesus came to earth, He fully surrendered to being a human and the suffering that He would endure, and He now invites us to do the same. So often, I find myself wanting to submit my whole life to God, only to hold back in certain areas.

For example, I recently found out that I am losing my job come Labor Day. Basically, there are not enough funds available in the organization, so they had to eliminate my position altogether. Now in a way this has been an answer to prayer for me. I have been praying for guidance and the right doors to open and close how God would want them to. I have also been praying for a chance to grow closer to God and to glorify Him through trials. But talking about it and living it out are two different things. When I got the news about losing my job, I surrendered the situation in my mind and my heart to God. I wanted Him to have control, but I found myself holding on to worry and anxiety about what this meant for my life. I find it easy to surrender the big picture things to God but when it comes down to the practical aspects of suffering through a trial, I tend to feel entitled to worry and fear.

God is teaching me that just like the military recruits, anything less than full surrender will end in failure. I need to commit myself to the process, to the pain. Just like one of the trainers on "Surviving the Cut" said, "it's gonna suck anyway, so you might as well enjoy it". Losing a job is going to suck, but I can choose to take joy in it, knowing that God is bringing me closer to Him, into a more dependent relationship with Him. God has given me no reason ever not to trust Him. He has always been faithful, and I know that He is calling me to submit everything to Him.

Through the process of brutal training, the military recruits become prepared to go out into the battlefields and save lives. Through the process of trials, we draw close to God and become prepared to go into our world and make Him known to others.

I no longer want to hold anything back. I want to give my whole life to Jesus and commit to His plan for my life. Every trial, every gritty detail, every mundane day, and every fear, worry and doubt, I surrender all to Him.

Looking Up

2010-07-21T16:39:00.000-07:00

As I was driving back last weekend from Wisconsin, I began to notice how big the outdoors is. It probably sounds odd, but as we drove through the flat Wisconsin farmland, I began to notice the sky, the clouds, the sun, the horizon, and how big it all seemed. It made me think about how often I actually take the time to look around when I'm outdoors. Most of the time, I tend to only notice and pay attention to the things immediately around me. It seems to be only when I consciously make time to look up at the clouds, gaze at the stars or go for a hike that I notice the beauty and the wonder of our creation.

I think this is similar to what happens in our daily lives. We tend to only focus on what is immediately around us, and we forget to look up. We get so caught up in our own small sphere of circumstances that we forget about the unseen reality. This is when anxiety, worry and fear seem to creep in, when we lose sight of the big picture. But it is when we choose to look beyond our own concerns and desires, that things come into focus.

The reality is that the Creator of the universe loves us with an unending, unfailing and extravagant love. He shows us mercy beyond what we can imagine, and has taken all of our sin from us, giving us a hope and a future with Him that we don't deserve. He gives us new life, even now, when we turn to Him, realizing our brokenness and pleading for His grace. God invites us into a relationship with Himself through Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit. We can know Him personally and we can be known by the eternal, all powerful God! And we have an eternal home with Him to look forward to.

If we really believe these things, if we meditate on these beautiful truths every day, we will begin to discover the hidden treasure worth more than anything that Jesus describes in his parable (Matthew 13:44). When we are owners of this treasure, what life circumstance can bring us down? What hurt, what disappointment, can ever steal our joy?

I hope that no matter what is going on in your life, you choose to look beyond your immediate surroundings. And the next time someone asks you how things are going, even in a difficult time, you will be able to respond: "Well my circumstances haven't changed. I'm still hurting, I'm still disappointed, I'm still going through this unbelievably hard time. But I'm keeping sight of the big picture....I have Jesus, and I'm looking up."

"Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God." Colossians 3:1-3

The purpose of authority

2010-07-01T19:33:00.000-07:00

"...the authority the Lord gave me for building you up, not for tearing you down. " 2 Corinthians 13:10

Paul, in talking to the early believers in Corinth, made it very clear what the purpose of his God-given authority over them was: to build them up. This seems to be such a simple and clear concept, yet authority is something that is badly abused and misused all over the world every day.

If you find yourself in any type of leadership position, whether at work, on a sports team, in your community, at your church, at your school, or as the leader of your family, God has a purpose for giving you that role. He wants you to use your authority and your position for the good of others - to build them up, encourage them, and love and care for them.

This summer, as I have been running a summer camp for 110 kids, I at times get overwhelmed by the responsibilities and feel incapable of the position given to me. But when I came across this verse, it became very clear to me the reason why God allowed me to be in this position. He has never given anyone a position of authority or leadership for the purpose of bringing down others or being destructive. He intends for each person who leads another to build them up in love, truth, and grace. This is humbling to me, and it quickly reminds me that any authority I am granted is not about me - it is about the construction and growth of His kingdom.

The next time you find yourself in a leadership role, remember this verse. And when the people you have authority over frustrate you and let you down, use it as an opportunity to love, forgive, and build up others for the Kingdom of God.

Living in Victory

2010-07-01T19:05:00.000-07:00

"...for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God." -1 John 5:4-5

"...the saying that has been written will come true: "Death has been swallowed up in victory"...But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." - 1 Corinthians 15:54, 57

I can only imagine what life would be like if I 100% believed, trusted, and practically applied these verses. We are told that if we believe in Jesus, we overcome the world. But yet, every day, doubt, fear, anxiety, and worry seem to slowly creep into my thoughts and my life. In my head, I know that there is nothing in this life that God doesn't have power over. I know that as a believer who puts my faith in Him, He has already given me victory over everything in this world. The daily challenge is putting that knowledge into practice.

But I'm finding that the more I meditate on these verses, and on the fact that through Christ, I have overcome the world, the more I realize I have nothing to truly fear or worry about. The more I submit to God's amazing mercy and power in my life, the more I realize who's really in control. And the more that I come to personally know my Savior and King, the more joy and peace I experience no matter what comes.

Despite the knowledge of what Jesus has done for us, we still often live with a "defeated" mindset. Obstacles seem to become insurmountable and problems seem to be unsolvable. We let temporary things and circumstances of this world overcome us. But if we instead, in humility, submit our life to Christ, we begin to see how powerless we are alone, and how perfectly His power comes through in our weakness.

When we learn to give up control, to let go of our selfish desires and self-centered fears and worries, that is when we can begin to live out the faith that overcomes the world. The victory is already ours - over death, over evil, over the enemy, and over fear - we just need to believe it, and with an act of faith, take hold of it.

No doubt restrains

2010-05-14T06:25:00.000-07:00

Have you ever met someone who is so cynical that they don't believe anything you tell them unless they've personally experienced it? Its very easy to get sucked into the thinking that seeing is believing and that we should only believe what we see. The global sharing of information and media have made us skeptical to the point of doubting most of what we hear. And there is always value, I think, in testing what we hear and examining for ourselves what is true. But when it comes to our spiritual lives and how we view God, I believe we have let this mindset of doubt take over not only our minds, but also our hearts.

I personally have a tendency to limit how I think of God. A lot of times, I base the way I see Him on my limited experience and knowledge. Its easy to think of God how you want to see Him, and miss the truth. But God is not who we wish He is - He just IS.

We may think of God as love and compassion, which is true, but do we also think of Him as jealous, angry and just? We may see God as big, strong and mighty, but do we realize what that actually means? Just this week, I read that there is a star in our own Milky Way galaxy called "Eta Carinae" that is 5 million times brighter than our Sun. Can you imagine the power and might of a God who created that just by speaking? We may see God as infinite, but do we even come close to understanding the concept of eternity? Last night, I was thinking about how God has no beginning. Think about it for more than 30 seconds and it will blow your mind - every single thing and person we know has some sort of beginning, some specific time that it/they were brought into being - except God. He just always was.

My point in all this is that no matter how we as broken human beings try to contain God inside our small and fallen minds, He is uncontainable. Even the most expanse night sky glittered with shining stars cannot contain the greatness of our God. I love the line in the song below:

"And no sky contains, no doubt restrains, all You are,

the greatness of our God"

No matter how the world views God, it does not change who He is. None of our doubts will ever restrain His glory. Although we can never, in this life, fully know God, we can get closer to Him and know Him through His Son. Jesus opened the way for us to come to God personally and have a life-giving relationship with Him. We can approach Him in all His brilliance and power, falling down on our knees, and He accepts us just as we are, because He sees us through Jesus' eyes - washed clean, redeemed through the cross.

It is a freeing thing to not place any limitations on how I see God. My mind is gradually being opened to the overwhelming and glorious reality of who my Creator/Savior/King really is. I'm allowing God to reveal Himself to me, but not just in the way that I want to see Him. And that is where real relationship, and real love, begins - when we come to know someone for who they truly are, not just who we want them to be for our own purposes.

Even scientists are amazed at the Sun in all of its power and light, but at the same time we know that millions of light years away is Eta Carinae, shining 5 million times brighter. In the same way, we get limited glimpses of who God is in this life- His beauty and His might, but our hearts long for the life to come when we will see beyond the sun to greater glory.

Amidst the brokenness and confusion of this life, the good news is that beyond any doubts, beyond what anyone believes or thinks, God was, is and will always remain who He is; shining infinitely brighter than anything we've known or seen.

Putting Aside Feelings

2010-04-28T16:01:00.000-07:00

"We are never more fully who we really are than when we follow God whether we experience Him or not. " - Larry Crabb

One of the most important spiritual truths that I am learning is to be honest with God and with myself. When I try to pretend or force myself to feel something I don't, I am only fighting a losing battle. God knows exactly where my heart is and exactly what I am thinking and feeling. There is no need and no benefit in not being exactly who I am with Him.

The reality is that often, and probably most of the time, I don't feel God's presence. I often don't feel that He is close to me, and at times, He doesn't even feel real. But what I am learning that it is in those times that God gives us the choice to trust and exercise our faith.

It is out of times of wondering where God is, wondering why we don't feel His presence, that we can grow closest to Him. It is in those times that we see the extent of our brokenness and our deep need for Him. We realize that our greatest fear is that our greatest longing will go unfulfilled - to be known and loved in a way that gives us worth and identity, and to know the One who has made us, redeemed us, and gives us life.

I am choosing to follow Jesus and know Him more regardless of how far He feels from me. I am choosing to keep Him first in my life regardless of the circumstances. I am learning to put aside my feelings and follow the only One that brings true hope in spite of life's negative feelings, painful emotions and trying circumstances - Jesus Christ- the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

Reminders of Reality

2010-04-05T07:15:00.000-07:00

One thing I enjoy about Midwest winters is that it forces me to spend 4+ months reflecting on how much I love the outdoors, camping, hiking, biking, and golf. I really think if I lived in Florida or Arizona, I would not appreciate the weather and the outdoors as fully as I do now. Each spring, I gain a new passion for outdoor activities, a passion grown through feet of snow and below zero windchills. Each year, the winter drudge reminds me of the reality to come, and gives me time to reflect and appreciate the beauty of the warm months.

I think Easter is kind of like that, but in a much more profound sense. Each year, Easter is a reminder for me of deeply powerful truths. It reminds us to reflect on the power of the cross and of the empty tomb. The fact that Jesus not only died in our place, but that He also rose again, brings me back to true reality. It is very easy to get focused on the material reality of our daily lives, the worries, the disappointments, and the things the world wants us to chase after. But there is a whole other reality out there - a spiritual reality that I was reminded of again this Easter weekend. The beauty, though, of this spiritual reality, is that it does not exist separately from our physical world - Jesus Christ bridged the gap. We were created to be in fellowship and relationship with God, which was broken when man sinned and disobeyed God. Only God himself could bring us back to Him, and He did so by becoming a man, being humiliated, suffering unimaginable agony, and rising again to new life!

What do we really have to be anxious about? Of whom should we be afraid? What things should we strive after on our own effort? The reality of Easter gives us the wonderful answers: nothing and no one. We will fight battles in this life, but the war is won. The victory over sin, over death, over Satan is already ours - claim that victory through Jesus today!

I want to live in the reality of Easter, in the truth of the cross and of the empty tomb. I want to live in the power and freedom that Christ purchased for me through them. And more than just a weekend a year, I want to live a life full of Easter, being daily reminded of the beauty and joy-filled reality that relationship with Jesus brings.

Life Lessons at the Olympics

2010-02-26T07:31:00.000-08:00

I purely love the Olympics. As much entertainment as the games provide, I also think that there is so much we can learn from them. I'm always amazed at how many stories come out of the Olympics that are really about so much more than sports. You have the athletes who come back from injury or overcome amazing odds just to be there to compete. You have the people who face tremendous pressure from their countries to succeed and bring home a gold medal. You have the figure skater who lost her mom a few days ago and shows courage and heart by gutting out a bronze medal performance (And then you have the always overly-dramatic American female skiiers,who think everything is about them). But for every group of inspiring and uplifting stories, there are always the few that just give you a bad feeling in your stomach.

Sven Kramer from the Netherlands completely dominated the 10,000 meter speed skating race. The only thing was that his coach told him on the last lap to abruptly switch lanes, which ended up being the wrong decision and disqualified Sven, costing him the gold. Sven was furious - and I get it. You work for 4 years for this event, and it all comes down to this, and a silly mistake costs you the gold. And although it was mostly the coaches fault, Sven still could have made his own decision to stay in the lane he instinctively knew was right. If you saw any of the highlights, Sven's reaction lacked any grace whatsoever. He threw his glasses (see above), shoved away his coach when he tried to explain, shooed away teammates and other skaters who tried to console him, and went on to place the blame squarely on his coach in the press conferences. Like I said, I get it - I understand the pure frustration he must feel at a mistake that could have been avoided. I get that (even thought he is already a millionaire), this mistake costs him several hundred thousand dollars in sponsorship bonuses. But for all the kids watching, and for all the people who look up to him, please show a little humility and grace. I understand that skating may be your whole life, but let's put things in perspective here: you skate to entertain other people-because people enjoy watching your athletic ability. Otherwise it wouldn't be a sport at all.

This all got me thinking to what lesson we can take away from a reaction such as Sven's. Whereas Sven's reaction was a pure example of "ungrace", we can always look back to God for the complete opposite - true grace. Every day, through our bad decisions and human brokenness, we take away the glory that God is due, just like the mistake of the coach took away the glory of the gold medal that Sven was due. But instead of pushing us away and putting the blame on us, God did something amazing. He came to earth, as a human, to take all of our blame on Himself. After being continually robbed of the glory He deserves, He is the one that pursues us, showing us loving grace that we never have deserved, and drawing us into relationship and eternal life with Him. This is unbelievable.

So how can we repay Him for what He has given us? The answer is that we can't - ever. But what we can do is live a life of gratitude, laying our whole life at His feet as the only thing we have to offer Him.

Safe in His Arms

2010-02-26T07:25:00.000-08:00

This has been one of my favorite songs recently. I love the lyrics. Just think about it: the same hands that built the mountains, healed the leper, calmed the storm; the very hands that hold the world, are holding my heart. "These are the arms that were nailed to a cross to break our chains and set us free....." Awesome!

He's Changing Me

2010-02-03T07:08:00.000-08:00

Throughout life, I have tended to get caught up what God's will is for me. Where does he want me to live? What job does he want me to have? What ministries does He want me involved in? And as much as these are all valid questions, I think there is a more important question to be asking throughout life, and it has more to do with our heart than anything: What is God doing in and through me in my current circumstances? I think the simple answer to that question would be: "He's changing me."

Regardless of where God may lead us or the job or people He places us around, He cares more about the inner us - He desires our hearts to be changed and transformed to be more like Christ. A life of following Christ is a continual transformation of the heart and of our character. When our heart and character are transformed, our actions will follow, and we will end up exactly where God wants us to be.

Each day and each circumstance is an opportunity to be changed for the better by allowing God to work in you.

Have you been changed by what is going on in Haiti? Have you allowed your view of suffering and your role in that to be transformed?
Has your heart been changed by a recent circumstance in your life? Have you allowed what you're going through to bring you to a place where you fully trust in God?
Has someone challenged you or given you some constructive criticism lately? Have you blown it off or have you taken it to heart and allowed it to change you?

I praise God that He cares and loves me enough to change me and make me more like His son. Sometimes progress is slow, and it almost always involves pain. Change comes about over time, and life is a continuous transformation. But if we allow ourselves to be clay in the Potter's hand, and allow our life to be a work of art shaped and molded by the Artist, I have a feeling the end result will be beautiful.

So next time someone asks what God is doing in my life, I will be able to answer them with only 3 simple words: He's changing me.

Who Will Rise Up?

2010-01-17T15:59:00.000-08:00

I highly encourage you to go to the link below and watch the video posted on the main page. I literally can't get the song, and the question posed within the song, out of my head.

Who will rise up?

http://churcheshelpingchurches.com/

Haiti

2010-01-13T10:22:00.000-08:00

I wanted to pass along this email to you. Haiti is weighing very heavy on my and I'm sure many of your hearts. Please help in any way you can. Your prayers are some of the most valued gifts you can give, they are coveted by the people of Haiti, and they are crying out for help from God. Take some time today to lift up our brothers and sisters in Haiti who are suffering in ways beyond imagination. Somehow, I trust that God is sovereign and in control and that He will make Himself known through this!

"DearFriends,

There has been a very destructive 7.0 earthquake in Haiti. Many buildings have collapsed. Please pray for the safety and rescue of the millions of people who are affected by this disaster. Phil is in Canada. He is there for speaking engagements and meetings with our supporters. Thank you for your prayers.

Literally hundreds of thousands of folks have surely lost their homes today, with no way to immediately rebuild. I am thinking tonight of the motherless children and mothers whose children are lost , injured or killed. And they are in the dark.God have mercy on us if we do not help!

The epicenter of the Haiti earthquake occurred at the crossroads of Carrefour, which is the hub of all traffic to the south. There will be no water, power, or sanitation for the residents of Port au Prince. Roads are surely impassable. The US must send military in to provide humanitarian relief. If only the US would lift immigration restrictions for our Haitian friends. Haitians should be allowed refugee status. Please talk to your friends and neighbors about contributing today so that we can provide immediate help to the victims. Our Haitian volunteers will be able to provide food , water and other supplies soon when we send funds. Thank you for caring about our Haitian Family.
Respectfully,
Amber Snyder

GLOW Ministries is a first responder in all disaster situations in Haiti. Please contribute at:www.glowmi.org"

Gifts

2009-12-30T11:56:00.000-08:00

I'm very blessed to have a caring and loving family who gives meaningful and caring gifts for Christmas. I would have to say, though, that my favorite gift this year was a letter. It was a letter from a Haitian man named Jonas. Kelli and I sponsor Jonas to be able to go to college after meeting him while we were there a few years ago. There is something about someone not knowing a language fully that makes their writing all the more sincere. And if you could meet Jonas, you would know that he means everything he says in this letter 110%.

I hope that you have been blessed and will be blessed this new year. But more than that, I hope that you are able to be a blessing to someone else, sharing the gifts that keep giving - relationship and love. I'll share the letter with you here:

"Dear Kelli and Brian,

How are you doing? I don't know the best way to start this letter, cause you're so useful in my life. Sincerely, I keep tight my school, last time I did an official exam I did my best in it and I'll make success. You know, without school we can't make a step, because I live in a wrong country. Since my down age, I dream to be an agronomist just to help the peasants how to sow and dig land, and how to use the fertilizer. My second dream is to be a pastor, just to save some lost soul in this devil world.

More and more God will bless you and your family wherever you are, be faithful in me, I will never decieve you. Finally, I advice you to love more God. Cause He is the best Way even if sometimes you let attack by Satan. Thank you so much. I love you. Jonas, your best friend"

Perfect Love

2009-12-15T07:14:00.001-08:00

The other day Kelli pointed out a habit that I have - kind of a silly nervous habit. It was something that was embarrasing to me to realize and it made me self-conscious about it. But the more I heard her talk about it, I realized that she was sharing this not only because she wanted me to be able to work on it, but because she thought it was cute. She saw this flaw that I had, and loved me in spite of it.

This got me thinking. How amazing that the person who knows me best on earth can know all of the worst and most embarrassing things about me, and still love me despite those things. How much more amazing, then, that the One who made me and knows every part of my being, more than anyone on earth could ever know, loves me with an amazing, awe-inspiring and relentless love. I think it is beautiful how God gives us glimpses of what His love is like through people here on earth. Through Kelli, I get a taste of God's unconditional love - a love that is based not on circumstances or what I do, but on the person she knows God created me to be.

This type of human love is but a glimpse of our Father's unconditional love for us. We have done everything to deserve nothing but punishment and wrath. Why would God even look our way or care about us? Because He sees us not in the shadows of our sins, or in the darkness of our past, but chooses to see us in the light of the Son. When we accept what Jesus has done for us through the cross and rising again to new life, our sin is washed away, and all that the Father sees in us is Jesus and His sacrifice and substitution for us.

As much as we may try to deny it in our minds, God knows us. He knows us in a deep down, most inward part of our soul kind of way. He knows the worst thing about us, our terrible thoughts and actions that no one else sees, and our dark past. But get this - He loves us anyway, and when we trust in Jesus to wash us clean, that is exactly how God sees us - as new, clean, born-again people.

As we try to understand this astounding love that God has for us, may we give others glimpses of it, pointing them to a higher love, a perfect love that can and will make all things new.

Opportunities

2009-12-15T07:01:00.000-08:00

Every day, hour and minute,
Every relationship, conversation and decision,
Every task, decision and disappointment,
Every illness, hardship and period of waiting,
Every triumph, victory and defeat,
Every shattered dream, longing fulfilled and broken hope,
Every moment of grief and moment of celebration,

Is an opportunity - an opportunity for God to reveal Himself in our lives.
If we humble ourselved under His Mighty Hand, He will work through every single one of these things for His good and perfect purposes. In whichever of these circumstances that you face today, will you trust in Him? Will you face each day in life as a chore, or as an opportunity?

Finishing Faith

2009-12-15T06:51:00.000-08:00

It was in Christ that I came to faith -
and it is in Christ that my faith will continue to grow and mature.
Jesus is the author AND perfector of my faith.
Too often I try to limit Jesus to only being the author while I try to be the finisher myself.
I act like it is up to me and that it is possible with enough effort, to grow and become more of the person that God wants me to be - but this will never work.

When I "fix my eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of my faith" (Hebrews 12:2), I can be confident that "He who began a good work in me will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus" (Phil. 1:6).

Mission Statement

2009-12-01T06:42:00.000-08:00

Any effective organization is led and directed by definitive goals and a clear vision of what they would like the future of their business or field to look like. But at the heart of any successful venture is the overarching purpose and reason for pursuing the goals and vision in the first place - the mission statement.

I was thinking that if mission statements have this much value in the workplace, they must have some value in our own lives as well. Have you ever thought about writing out a mission statement for your life, or if you have a family, writing a mission statement as a family? I believe that often in life, we want to live for God, and we want to make a difference, we are just lacking a clear direction to move in. But what if we made a life mission statement, and followed it with a list of goals for our life? The mission statement would be meant as an overall guiding purpose for our life, and the goals would be more detailed things falling under that purpose. The mission statement should be something that will remain the same throughout our life but the goals will most likely change, as God works in and through us in surprising and unexpected ways. The idea is for the mission statement to guide our goals to become what God wants them to be and for the mission statement to transform our dreams and aspirations into Spirit-directed, loving and unselfish aspirations that reflect the heart of God.

I am still working on my life mission statement, but I believe that it will look something like this:

"I will live each day following and bringing glory to Jesus no matter the cost, surrendering my whole life to His Spirit, increasingly becoming more like Christ in gratefulness, generosity and servant love, daily sharing with others the joy, hope and new life that I have through Jesus' death and resurrection."

People-Pleasing

2009-12-01T06:11:00.000-08:00

Have you ever heard someone say that you should live your life based upon what you would want people to say at your funeral? I think that there is some value to this, to basing our actions and decisions upon the impression that we will leave on people. But I find that when I try to live this way, I begin to care too much about what people think of me and how I am appearing to them.

My life in this world is temporary, and human opinions rise and fall, but God is eternal and unchanging. When I live to bring glory to God alone, I don't need to worry about what people think or say about me. I long for the day when Jesus welcomes me home and tells me that because I lived this life for Him, I have brought Him glory and joy.

Transforming our Story

2009-11-19T07:04:00.000-08:00

"The Son of God was born into the world to begin a new humanity, a new community of people who could lose their self-centeredness, begin a God-centered life, and, as a result, slowly but surely have all other relationships put right as well....When we discern Jesus moving toward us and encircling us with an infinite, self-giving love, we are invited to put our lives on a whole new foundation. We can make him the new center of our lives and stop trying to be our own Savior and Lord. We can accept both his challenge to recognize ourselves as sinners in need of his salvation, and his renewing love as the basis of our identity. Then we don't need to prove ourselves to others. We won't need to use others to bolster our fragile sense of pride and self-worth. And we will be enabled to move out toward others as Jesus has moved toward us." -Timothy Keller, "The Reason for God"

When we give our lives to Jesus, and invite His spirit to come into our hearts and direct our lives, a transformation process begins. When we believe in the power of the death and resurrection of Jesus, we will never be the same, and our whole lives will be profoundly changed. When we come to faith in Christ, we are given new life and a new identity, but the process is far from over. Day by day, when we allow Him, God works in us to make us more like Himself, emptying us of our self-centeredness and filling us with the perfect and selfless love that is at the core of His being. Increasingly and beautifully when living for Christ, we experience true love and true life.

This process turns our lives into an amazing adventure; one filled with joy and pain, triumph and loss, hope and uncertainty. Change is hard, and the new way of life is often filled with painful experiences, but it is so worth it. We get to be a part of God's epic story when He becomes the center of ours. A self-directed life ends up being a boring, meaningless story that ends only in tragedy, but a Spirit-directed life leads the way to a better story; one filled with meaning, purpose and joy. And when we reach the end of this earthly adventure, it will by no means be the end of our story, but, in fact, just the beginning.

"As C.S. Lewis puts it, all the adventures we have ever had will end up being only "the cover and the title page." Finally we will begin "Chapter One of the Great Story, which no one on earth has ever read; which goes on forever; in which every chapter is better than the one before."

A Reflection on Faithfulness

2009-11-13T07:15:00.000-08:00

As we were talking before going to bed, my wife said something really powerful last night. She said this: "When you think about it, God has been preparing you for this job since 6 years ago in college - you were working with youth and not really knowing why. Think about His faithfulness - He was working in you and preparing you for something you had no idea would come about 6 years later. We really can trust in Him, even when we can't see what He's doing."

Think about what that means for your life. Take a minute and reflect back on things that have happened in your life in years past and look for God's loving hand. Maybe He was protecting you from something, maybe He was preparing you for something you didn't know was coming, and maybe He was growing you through a storm of life. We can't always see it, but He is there. He doesn't change - He is ever faithful, ever gracious, ever powerful, and ever victorious - victorious over the grave, over the enemy, over evil, and over our fears. In whatever circumstances you face today, let me assure you that you can trust in Jesus, the maker and perfecter of all things. He is faithful - He was as faithful to me 6 years ago as He is today and He will be tomorrow.

Relationship Patience

2009-11-13T06:22:00.000-08:00

As I get more experience working with youth and in youth ministry, I'm realizing that working with youth is much more like a marathon than a sprint. Being a person that likes to see instant and tangible results, I've been forced to exercise patience more than ever. Studies have shown that the most effective youth ministry and the most successful mentoring relationships are built over several years, not just weeks or months. Like in most relationships, it can take a year or more of knowing someone before you develop trust and open up to that person.

I've found that when I ease up on my expectations and just go about building relationships patiently, it's much easier to love the person and get to know them for who they really are. Unrealistic expectations can suffocate relationships and prevent growth from ever happening. That doesn't mean, however, that we shouldn't look for the potential and hope for the best in our relationships.

The key to youth ministry, as I'm finding, and to any relationship really, is being secure enough in our identity to not need the approval of anyone else but Christ. When we are expecting that person or that successful relationship to validate us and make us feel whole, we tend to place unhealthy expectations on people. Let's face it - no one or no thing on this earth will ever make us whole or complete. We won't be complete until everything is made new by Jesus himself. But until then, I can trust that my identity has been won at the cross, and live in light of that.

When I trust that who I am is solely dependent on God's love for me, I am free to love and care about others without any fear of letdown. And when I stop expecting relationships to go perfectly, I can get to know the person for who they really are. And I think this is when real relationships can be built, and when mentoring and youth ministry is most successful, when we pour ourselves into others lives with no need for validation or approval. When who we are is based on what Christ has already accomplished, we can wait patiently for results, knowing that He will work through us in His timing.

Future Perspective

2009-11-03T07:25:00.000-08:00

If you watch enough modern tv or movies, you will notice the "live for today" mindset that our culture has adopted. It seems that it has become cool to "live for the moment" and to live like "today is all we got". Although I agree there is value in not dwelling on the past or worrying about the future, if we only live for the current moment, we lose perspective.

Increasingly, I am choosing to live for the future. I am living for the future hope of a new world, of restoration and renewal, but most of all, I am living for an eternity in the presence of Jesus.

I find that an amazing thing happens when we live with a future perspective: the present takes on more and less meaning at the same time. What I mean is that when I view my life with an eternal perspective, things like relationships, serving Christ, and bringing glory to Him while I am here take on new, increasingly beautiful meaning. But at the same time, things of this world like money, worries, fears and insecurities, and what other people think just don't carry the weight that they used to. With an eternal perspective, we can realize that all money is from God's hand, that our security is only found in the eternal One, and that in the end, it only matters how God views us: as people washed clean through the grace and mercy of the cross.

No matter what we go through in life and no matter how hard it gets, we can keep our eyes on the open door of eternal life where we will be with Christ. And no matter how uncertain this world and this life get, those with their hope in Christ KNOW how it will end, and have no reason to fear.

"See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name." Revelation 3:8

Hope in things vs. Hope in the King

2009-10-22T06:30:00.000-07:00

It's easy to put our hope in things in the culture we live in. Many people place their hope in their job, in their money, in relationships, in their house, in their pursuit of happiness, in their reputation or level of success.

Much like the word "love", the word "hope" has become overused and abused in this age. We say "I really hope it doesn't rain today" or "I hope the Yankees beat the Phillies in the World Series". Hope, at it's root and true meaning, is the lifeblood of humankind. Without some kind of hope, we don't have much of a reason to be here. That's why people grasp on to so many different things to put their hope in, but the problem is that hoping in any thing will ultimately lead to disappointment. Things change; people change; our circumstances change; and any hope placed in things of this world will be deflated over time, leaving us more empty and lost than ever.

The good news though, is that there is One in whom we can place ALL of our hope, our greatest hope. Placing all of our hope in the King of the Universe, Jesus Christ, will give us faith and courage for tomorrow. In an ever-changing world, He is the only One who is changeless, who is certain as certain can be. Our hope in Him will never come back empty. "No one whose hope is in You will ever be put to shame", David prays in Psalm 25. The hope that God has created us for a purpose that He will fulfill through us when we submit to Him, and the hope of an eternal home with Jesus will carry us through our days. Hope in the King allows us to "rejoice in our sufferings", to "keep our minds on things above", and to be "joyful in hope, patient in affliction, and faithful in prayer".

One way to assure that we are placing hope in the King is to spend time with Him, to listen to Him through prayer and His Word. In the gospels, we read the story of Mary and Martha. Jesus was at Martha's, and her sister Mary's home. Martha chose to be worried about all the preparations and busy work that had to be done, while Mary chose to sit at Jesus' feet, listening intently to what He said. Martha became upset and basically "told on" Mary, telling Jesus to have Mary help her. Jesus gives a profound reply:

"Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her." Luke 10:41-42

At the time, Martha was placing her hope in things, worrying about preparations and all the things she thought she had to do, whereas Mary chose to trust that her time couldn't be better spent than at Jesus' feet. I love how Jesus says that there are many things that we can be worried and upset about, but "only one thing is needed".

Think about that for a minute - Jesus only requires one thing from us in this life, and everything else follows in line from it. The pressure and worries of this life fade away when we put all of our hope and energy into the "one thing" that Jesus requires - knowing Him more by spending time with Him and giving Him our everything.

In this world, in this country, and in this hour of history, I pray that we are increasingly and joyfully sitting at His feet, placing our hope in the King.

Why did you doubt?

2009-10-15T07:21:00.000-07:00

I've always loved the story of Jesus walking on water. It was probably the most visually impressive of all his miracles, and for his disciples to see him walking toward them on top of the crashing waves must have been both amazing and completely frightening.

Until recently, I had never really thought too deep into it, or thought about the reason that Jesus actually did this. He obviously didn't walk on the water just to impress his disciples and do something amazing. The other day, I heard a quote in a sermon on the radio that helped me understand the meaning behind Jesus' actions:

"Why did Jesus walk on the water? Jesus walked on the water to teach us that everything that is over our heads is under His feet."

My favorite part of the story is how Peter asks Jesus if he can walk out to him on the water. Jesus simply says "Come". Amazingly, Peter actually gets down out of the boat and starts to walk on the water. Peter, although hard-headed and outspoken at times, had some amazing faith. In the middle of the lake with wind and waves crashing about, Peter takes the leap of faith to step out on the water towards Jesus. Unfortunately, Peter doesn't keep his eyes on Jesus very long, because once he begins to focus on the wind and waves, he becomes afraid and starts to sink, crying out for Jesus to save Him. Jesus immediately reaches out for him, lifts him up and asks him this: "Why did you doubt?".

Jesus seems to be saying that when we focus on Him instead of the circumstances around us, and when we fully trust in His power instead of our own ability, we can do amazing things - we can step out into the wind and waves with confidence. We all have wind and waves in our lives - things that are over our heads. Whether its a job, a relationship, a medical condition, someone we love who is in pain, a financial hardship, or anything else, we inevitably face circumstances that cause us to doubt and become afraid.

When Jesus walked on the water, he was in complete control. He reached out his hand and caught Peter before he sank. As soon as they got back into the boat, the wind died down. What seemed to be over Peter and the other disciples heads was under Jesus feet. In our lives and in our world, Jesus remains in complete control. He is not worried or afraid, because He knows exactly what will come next and how He will use it for His glorious purposes and plan. Knowing and remembering this, we should have no reason to doubt.

In whatever you are facing today, can you hear Jesus speaking to you?

As I surrender my life to Him and like Peter, cry out for Him to save me, I can feel him reaching out and asking me:

"Why do you doubt, my child? I want you to know and to trust that whatever is over your head is already under my feet. I am in complete control. Trust in me; come to me; keep your focus on me, and the although the waves will still be there, they will no longer have any power over you."

Ruin Me

2009-10-07T16:45:00.000-07:00

Woe to me, I am unclean

A sinner found in Your presence

I see you seated on Your throne

Exalted, Your Glory surrounds You

Now the plans that I have made

Fail to compare when I see your glory

Ruin my life, the plans I have made

Ruin desires for my own selfish gain

Destroy the idols that have taken Your place

'Till its You alone I live for, You alone I live for

Holy Holy is the Lord Almighty

Holy is the Lord!

-Jeff Johnson, "Ruin Me"

Sufficiency

2009-10-01T16:05:00.000-07:00

The more I go through life, the more I realize how incapable and insufficient of a human being that I am. In the secular world, people would probably tell me that I need to have more self-esteem and that I should believe in myself. Well, the fact is that I have no confidence, esteem or belief in who I am on my own. But the awesome and amazing part is that the more my short-comings are uncovered, the more I am discovering how totally sufficient and capable the Lord is.

It is a terrifying thing when you feel completely incapable of a task or responsibility that lies before you. For example, with my job, I don't feel like I am up to the task of running a program that is supposed to positively impact kids and their families, and I think I feel this way because it is true. But - and this is a big "but" - when I am empowered by the Spirit of God, and when I am filled with His love and His presence, there is nothing that He cannot do through me. And as I submit to His Hand and guidance in my life, I am amazed at the things that He wants to do through me.

Is this true with you? Have you faced your insufficiency? Or are you still trying to "make it"- to "make life work" on your own. Whenever I fall back into thinking that I can do things on my own, I end up getting really down and feeling sorry for myself. And if it were just me in this life - if I didn't know that God is always with me, I would probably constantly feel sorry for myself. What else can a sinful, broken, incapable human being living on their own do? I suppose swelling up with pride and self-reliance would be the other alternative apart from God, but that can only last so long.

I am so thankful that God has allowed me to go through times when I feel utterly incapable and insufficient to handle what this life brings. As miserable as it feels at the time, it is through these times that I have come to the feet of Jesus, empty and broken, asking for nothing else but to be filled by His all-sufficient and all-capable Love and Grace.

Beautiful Life

2009-09-23T07:46:00.000-07:00

Knowing the beauty of God opens our eyes to see the beauty that is present all around us.

The true beauty of creation, relationships, and of other people can only be seen and appreciated when we behold the beauty of the One who spoke it all into being.

As we stand in awe before the Glory of God, we begin to see His marvelous light shining into the darkest places; and life, in the midst of all its struggles and pain, can become a bright, hope-filled, and beautiful experience.

My Life Goal

2009-09-10T07:13:00.000-07:00

I tend to overthink life in general. Sometimes when I wake up in the morning, I have thoughts about 10 different things racing through my head. I've been making a conscious effort to surrender all of those things to God first thing in the morning and take on a different mindset.

Every morning, I want to remember how amazing each new day is. We tend to take for granted that we exist on a giant ball spinning and rotating thousands of miles per hour with an unseen force called gravity being the only thing keeping us in place. We tend to take for granted that there are thousands of things going on inside our bodies that work together in order for us to even wake up in the morning. The complexities of our organs, muscles, nerves and brain are astounding when you think about it. We tend to take for granted that we live in a universe full of billions of other stars and galaxies that dwarf the size of our sun in comparison. We tend to take for granted that there is an exact amount of oxygen in the atmosphere that allows us to take each breath. Yet as amazing as all of these things are, the most amazing fact of all is that the One who created all of these things and holds them in place also loves us with an amazing, outrageous love that is totally undeserved. How can we not be filled with joy when we remember this? The all-powerful, all-knowing, almighty God of the universe came down to earth to become one of us and suffer the worst pain imaginable in order to give us new life - AMAZING!

But how easy it is to get caught up in our own lives and forget these things. That is why every day, we should ask God to fill us with Himself and empty us of ourselves. No matter how many times we forget the extent of God's love for us, He will always draw us back with open arms when we come to Him.

How amazing it is to know that God has a purpose for you and for me. Whether you know it or not, if He didn't have a purpose for you still on this earth, you wouldn't be here. How freeing it is to know that I don't have to make things happen on my own, but that as I submit to Him, Jesus will make something of my life. The only thought that truly matters when I wake up is that today is all about bringing glory to God.

A new song by the band "Fee" has become my new life goal: It's called "Glory to God Forever". Each new day, I want to echo the song's lyrics in my life:

"Creator God you gave me breath so I could praise

Your great and matchless name all my days, all my days
So let my whole life be a blazing offering

A life that shouts and sings the greatness of our King
Take my life and let it be

All for you and for your glory

Take my life and let it be yours

Glory to God, Glory to God

Glory to God, Forever"

Check out the song here (and just ignore the really annoying lady at the beginning):

Lesser Things

2009-09-01T12:17:00.000-07:00

I watched one of those Dateline specials this week about Steve McNair, the former Titans quarterback. It talked about his life, his background, and the years and circumstances leading up to his murder. It was really sad to see how with all the good things going on in his life - being a good father and being really involved in the community - that there was a different, darker side to him as well. From how the show portrayed it, as his fame and fortune grew, he allowed the temptations - the party scene, drinking, drugs, and women - to take over his life.

The show definitely warned of the temptations that pro athletes face, and the dangerous roads that can be gone down, but it made it sound like people in the spotlight are the only ones who face these struggles. As I was thinking about it, I realized that Steve McNair faced the same struggles that all of us face. I know he may have faced them more intensely and the ability to act upon the temptations were more in his face, but when it comes down to it, we all face the struggle of pursuing lesser things that we think will make us happy. When the interviewer asked Steve's friend and former teammate Eddie George what he thought about Steve's partying and extracurricular activities with women, Eddie said that he was disappointed and that Steve was obviously looking for something - looking for happiness and fulfillment.

We may think we have it right and that life is going good, but if we are pursuing any desire more than we are pursuing God, we are going the wrong way. There are a million lesser desires out there in the world that we can pursue to try and fill our deep emptiness, but there is only One Pursuit that can give lasting joy, peace and rest. I pray that for Steve McNair, he knew his salvation was secure, and He wanted to live for God, but he was just struggling to fight against his earthly desires.

The only remedy for the pursuit of lesser desires is to discover Jesus as our most valued treasure. To know Him more and to bring Him glory with our lives, no matter what struggles we face, will fill us to the point where the lesser desires are drowned out by the One Great Desire of our souls. Even though we often don't feel it in our earthly emotions, we can trust in Him to be the delight of our souls, the answer to our most important questions, and the fulfillment of our deepest longings.

When we see Jesus as our highest pursuit, we won't necessarily want the desires of this world any less - we will just want Him more.

Trusting the Unseen Hand

2009-08-23T12:44:00.000-07:00

As a follower of Jesus Christ, the cornerstone of our Christian walk is TRUST. As a follower of Jesus Christ, the hardest part of our Christian walk is also TRUST.

For me personally, I tend to get frustrated with life circumstances. If I don't feel like God is using me to my full potential, I get frustrated and tend to think that my current life has no purpose. But what I have been learning is that it is exactly in the times of frustration that God is doing His best work.

The key in all of this is again, trust. I've learned that frustration is not always a bad thing. Frustration with my circumstances often leads me to give up control, and to discover the trust that I deep down want and need to have in God. Frustration stirs my heart to want to know God more, and to find the fulfillment of my deepest desires in Him alone. Frustration reminds me that I can't do life on my own - that I need to abide in Him in the middle of pain and frustration. It leads me to trust in Him even when the world tells me to do the opposite, to trust in man and make things happen for myself.

For the past 2 years, I have experienced frustration with my job. Feeling like I am not being used by God, and that my gifts and talents are not being utilized, I often let myself get down about it. But deep down in my heart, I trusted (most of the time at least) that somehow and someway, God was doing His work in and through me, even if I couldn't see the results. And sometimes in life, we don't get to see the purposes and results of His work for decades or maybe not even until we can ask Him face to face in heaven.

In this case, it was after a few years that the work of His hand began to reveal itself. Within the period of the past week, God has led me to a new job working at a Christian organization with youth in poverty. I trust that this is completely God's leading, especially since I didn't pursue this job at all and wasn't even expecting to find another job around here. Kelli and I thought we would be moving within a year or so to a different area and getting different jobs. Once again, God is showing us to expect to be surprised, to be open to what He has in store, and to lay down our dreams and plans at His feet. Looking back now, I can start to see God's hand working in me through those 2 years, preparing me for His purposes and for this new work He was going to call me to.

Walking by faith and not by sight is always easier said than done. But more than ever, I trust in God's perfect purposes. If you find yourself frustrated with life's circumstances, it doesn't have to be a bad thing. If the frustration is a result of life itself and not of sin, trust that God is working in you, drawing you closer to Himself and preparing you for greater things - for the joy of knowing Him more.

God's love, grace, and purposes are always higher and stronger than our circumstances. As I am increasingly finding to be true, God often does allow us to be stripped of our happiness in order to prepare us for joy. We can trust in the Unseen Hand.

Finding Yourself

2009-08-13T07:53:00.000-07:00

I always thought people were a little off-base when they talked about "finding themselves". For example, if a friend took a year off of college, or went on a trip to Europe for the purpose of "finding himself", I have to admit, it sounded like pure nonsense to me.

Only recently have I discovered that there may be something important to this idea. I think when people go on the quest to find themselves, they are headed in the right direction. Finding out more about who you are and who you are meant to be can never be a bad thing. The problem is that most of the time, people go looking in all the wrong places. People often fail in the search for their identity because they never get past themselves, and the quest remains self-centered and self-serving. To me, it only makes sense that we need someone or something greater than ourselves to tell us who we are, what our identity is.

Just as a painting recieves its purpose and uniqueness from the artist who created it, we find who we are from our creator. I believe that no one will ever truly "find themselves" apart from God. We can search the whole world through looking for meaning, purpose, and a sense of identity, but its only when we look beyond what we can see, beyond what we can understand, that we will find who we are made to be.

When we look beyond our own little worlds, and humble ourselves in light of the bigger picture; and when we surrender to the mysteries of a gracious and loving King who gave his life for us, we can begin to find ourselves, and to see who we really are - people made for the grand and beautiful purpose of bringing glory to our Creator.

No Eye Has Seen

2009-08-04T08:59:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, Kelli and I went backpacking for a long weekend on North Manitou Island, off the shore of Northwest Michigan. We had an amazing time, and the few days of solitude, peace and the beauty of creation was enough to fully refresh my body and spirit.

We camped on the west side of the island on a dune overlooking Lake Michigan, so we had a great view:

As I took in this view of the sunset on the first night, I picked up The Bible and came across this passage:

“ 'Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man, The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.'

But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God." 1 Corinthians 2:9-10

As I read this, I was filled with emotion at the thought that even the beauty of the creation pales in comparison to what God has prepared for us. Our hearts cannot even imagine the treasures that are found in a relationship with Christ.

As I watched the sun descend over the horizon, I realized that this is not some far-off promise of hope only reserved for heaven. As Paul tells us in the passage, God has revealed these things to us through His Spirit. And as many times as I had read this passage before, I realized that I had now slowed down and allowed enough quiet to hear the Spirit speaking to me. Not only does God have unimaginable treasure planned for us in heaven someday, but He also graciously gives us bits and pieces of that treasure, available here and now through the movement of the Spirit in our hearts.

The Spirit searches the deep things of God, which are beyond our understanding, and in a mysterious and miraculous way, makes them known to us when we seek Him.

As much as I enjoyed the sunsets and the glistening night sky this weekend, I realized that the beauty seen in creation points to something deeper and even more beautiful.

The sun bows down before its creator and the stars sing His praises - longing for His return, when all will be made new. With tears in my eyes, I realized that all I can do is join them, bowing down before Him and singing His praises, awaiting His return and longing to know and love Him more. All I can do is dwell in His infinite beauty, and recieve with gratitude the deep and wondrous things He has prepared for me, looking forward to the day when I will know Him as I am fully known.

Happiness and Joy

2009-07-27T13:28:00.000-07:00

By God's amazing grace,I'm starting to care less about happiness and more about joy. At times, I'm now learning, God strips us of our happiness in order to prepare us for joy.

How will we ever break the cycle of self-reliance?

We strive to create short-lived happiness,

but only The Creator can bring joy.

Happiness may patch the tears caused by hurt

but joy grants a new garment, whole and clean.

Happiness is found in having the life you want;

Joy is found in your soul being made new.

The fulfillment of our desires brings happiness;

The answer to our soul's deepest cry brings joy.

Happiness can be found in many places;

Joy is found in one alone.

You alone, God, are my joy.

Take my happiness, empty me of all that I want,

to fill me with all that I need.

You took my place on the cross,

so that I can recieve grace instead of guilt,

living water for my thirsty soul,

and joy in the midst of pain.

"Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls." 1 Peter 1:8-9

Incomparable

2009-07-20T19:39:00.000-07:00

As 59 year old Tom Watson, who was 1,000-1 odds to win going into the week, held the lead going into the last 9 holes of the British Open, I knew it was an amazing sports moment. As I watched, Mike Tirico, announcer for the ABC broadcast, said something that really caught my attention. To paraphrase what he said: “We live in a culture where we try to compare everything. When something like this happens, we look for something similar in sports history to reference. But with this, a 59 year old leading the Open on Sunday, there is nothing that we can compare it to. This is unlike anything else in sports.”

And although Watson couldn’t pull it out in the end, losing in a playoff, it will still be remembered as an amazing and unreal week of golf on a beautiful stage. There is really nothing that we can compare it to, and I don’t think we should try.

As Mike Tirico said, I think there are some things in life that we can’t compare to anything else. Being the over-analytical person that I am, I realize that I need to just let some experiences be unique, without having to compare them to anything else. I know that I need to accept the one-of-a-kind experiences that life brings me with the joy and wonder of a child, without thinking too far into it.

In the same way, we have a God who is utterly incomparable, yet many times, we try to fit him inside our head. God is beyond comparison to anything else on earth. The extent of His love, power and goodness cannot even be imagined. We will never fully understand how amazing He is until we can gaze upon His beauty in person, but as we are able to glimpse His glory in this life, we can delight in how much greater He is than anything in the universe. Much more than with any golf tournament or life experience, we can find joy and rest in the fact that our God – Father, Son and Spirit in One- is completely incomparable.

The Richest of Fare

2009-07-15T07:55:00.000-07:00

"Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare." Isaiah 55:2

Anyone who knows me well knows that I love to eat. Plain and simple, it's one of my favorite activities. At one point, I was thinking about listing it as an interest/hobby on my resume, but thought better of it. I think that food is one of God's greatest blessings for every human to enjoy when it is enjoyed rightly.

But have you ever made the mistake of eating a bunch of sweets or snacks in place of a full meal? Any time I do this, I end up feeling unsatisfied, even though I am no longer hungry. One of my friends had an incident like this last weekend at a party. Within an hour of being there, he had consumed 3 full bowls of cheese dip before the hot dogs and brats were even on the grill. Needless to say, he ended up leaving early and not having the best night. Or what about the similar mistake of downing a soda after exercising or playing sports on a hot day? The sweetness of the soda may taste good right away, but there is no way it will satisfy your thirst. If anything, it will make you far more thirsty.

If this happens with eating and drinking, how much more do you think it happens with our lives? If we settle for the sweet things of this world, and expect to be satisfied and filled, we will continue to be empty. If we settle for the sugary syrup or worldly things that taste good momentarily, we will continue to be thirsty. God understands how much we long to be filled, and He understands how prone we are to seeking satisfaction in empty things. That's why He asked this question of the Israelites and asks the same question of us today: "Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy?".

Instead of endlessly seeking to be filled by the world and what it offers, He invites us to instead come to Him, where our soul will "delight in the richest of fare". He doesn't just invite us to be filled, but to delight and take joy in the best of the best. God Himself is the richest fare that our soul will ever find. We cannot even imagine the depths of joy and peace that can be ours in a relationship with God through Jesus. And not only is the richest of fare available, it is completely free. It's nothing but a waste to exhaust ourselves, laboring for what Jesus has already payed for in full on the cross.

We don't need to continue going after things that will never satisfy. We don't need to waste our money, effort or time on things that don't really feed us. We don't need to continue guzzling syrup when there are springs of living water available. We don't need to settle for anything less than the richest of fare. I don't know where you seek to fill the hunger of your soul. For me, I try to fill it with importance, success, approval, busyness, pleasure and fun things - and my soul has been left wanting. There is nothing wrong with pursuing these things in themselves, but the problem comes when they become the desires of our heart and we pursue them as our treasure.

But as I begin to experience more of God, and grow closer to Him through each circumstance, I find my soul being filled in a way I've never known. I've discovered that the transformation of my heart doesn't happen necessarily as a result of wanting the things of this world less, but as a result of deeply wanting Him more.

As God invites us to do in Isaiah 55, we can come as we are, broken and helpless, into the presence of Christ, and as we dwell there, our souls will find and delight in the richest of fare.

Answers and Planning vs. Mystery and Uncertainty

2009-07-07T12:09:00.000-07:00

One of my aunts has a rule about looking up answers online. For example, if she has one of those questions that drives you crazy, (for me it would be things like who won the 1995 World Series*, or what were the names of the bullies that always gave Cory a hard time on Boy Meets World**, important stuff like that) she gives herself at least 24 hours to figure it out on her own, rather than immediately looking it up online. I think there is something important to this, something that our information-overloaded world has taken away. There is something inherently right about allowing mystery in our lives, instead of always having to have the answers.

Many times, in similar fashion to wanting all the answers, I find myself wanting to know everything that lies ahead in life. I want to plan life out to the point where there is no unpredictability, tension or waiting periods filled with uncertainty.

I, for one, tend to struggle with the waiting/uncertainty periods. And I think this is exactly why God is allowing one of these periods in my life right now. If you asked me what my life will be like a few years from now, I would tell you that I have no idea where I will be living, what job or what type of work I will be doing, if I will be back in school, if there will be kids in the picture, if I will be healthy or even living. When I try to figure out the future of my life on my own, I get overwhelmed by the cloud of uncertainty and fear that looms over my head. I sometimes see no possible human way that things will work out for my good.

But rather than avoid this uncertainty by planning my own way and trying to make my life work the way I want, I have decided to embrace the tension, uncertainty and mystery by simply TRUSTING in God. I want to let go, to trust in God's control (and give up on my illusion of control) and lean fully on His strength and goodness. I have come to see this time not as a waste, but as an opportunity, an important choice laid out in front of me.

So I've made the choice to accept the tension and uncertainty, knowing that mystery is the opportunity for me to trust, rather than plan. And although it terrifies me at times, I want to live in the full mystery and uncertainty of life - with no answers or plans other than knowing a gracious and sovereign God who loves and moves in mysterious ways.

*Braves over Indians in 6

** Harvey "Harley" Keiner is a bully who leads Frankie "The Enforcer" Stechino, a large boy who acts as muscle and enjoys poetry and is the (fictional) son of real-life professional wrestler Big Van Vader, and Joey "The Rat" Epstein, who is much smaller and talkative. (thanks to Wikipedia...seriously, who takes the time to type this stuff in?)

New Way Living

2009-07-01T13:05:00.000-07:00

I am reading this book called "The Pressure's Off" by Larry Crabb, and it is flat-out blowing me away. At times I feel like he wrote the book specifically for me, and it's obvious that God is working through him to help people see that through Christ, there's a new, different, and deeply satisfying way to live.

Here's a few paragraphs from the book that when I read them for the first time, I literally felt a weight lifting off my heart. Check out the book if you have time:

"Life has proved disappointing. You don't feel the disappointment while you're closing a deal, having sex, eating, or involved in fun and meaningful activities. Which of course, explains your addiction to these things. When your life is working as you want and the pleasures keep rolling in, it's hard to crank up much interest in a spiritual journey. But when life gets hard, or when you realize the good life you have isn't satisfying something deep inside, your interest in a new way to live develops quickly....

You cannot rest until you rest in God. You cannot celebrate as you were meant to celebrate until you celebrate God more than everything else that is good - or bad.

It may never have occured to you before that what's missing is the enjoyment of God - not more obedience, not more discipline, not more blessings, not more ministry, not more emotional security, not more prayer, not more self-esteem.

What's missing from your life is a genuine, deeply felt experience of the presence of God, an experience that is enjoyable in the deepest parts of your soul.

And what's wrong is that you're living the Old Way. That explains why you're not enjoying God. You're living to use God to enjoy something else. You've never seriously considered the radical invitation to live the New Way, to put all your eggs in the one basket of God and to take a risk, to come to Him in the hope that knowing Him will make you whole, but only when you stop demanding wholeness and revel only in His glory."

Giving up, but not losing heart

2009-06-25T12:16:00.000-07:00

"I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living." - Psalm 27:13

What awesome news it is that we don't have to wait until this life is over to see the goodness of God. King David, despite all of his failures, trials, and painful circumstances, was certain that he would see God's goodness in this life. In fact, I think it was exactly in the middle of all the failures, trials and painful circumstances that David was already seeing God's goodness shining through.

I'm sure it would have been really easy for David to lose heart, to wallow in despair and feel sorry for himself. And I'm sure there were times when he was close to doing those things. But everytime he was, he remembered God's faithfulness, and took joy in the fact that he would know God and His goodness more and more in his lifetime. This demonstrates pure trust on David's part. But the key to David's trust comes in the very next verse:

"Wait on the LORD; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the LORD!" -Psalm 27:14

David didn't rush to get away from his trials and get out from under his pain. And he didn't try to get through it on his own strength, because if that was the case, he would have definitely lost heart. Instead, he depended on God for strength, he waited on the Lord. It was when he gave up on self-effort and trying to make things happen on his own, and instead waited on God to strengthen his heart that David experienced God's goodness and strength.

David knew, hundreds of years before Paul wrote the words, that God's power is made perfect in our weakness. He knew that it is when we give up on finding our own way, and submit to The Way; it is when we give up on the world's lies, and surrender to The Truth; and it is when we give up on making a better life for ourselves to instead find The Life; that we will begin to see God's goodness in all circumstances of this life.

Learning about leadership from the Zen Master

2009-06-15T13:37:00.000-07:00

As I rooted for the Magic to make the series more exciting last night, I instead witnessed the pure dominance of the Lakers on display. To me, one reason I enjoyed watching the Lakers so much throughout the playoffs, besides Kobe's ridiculous play, was Phil Jackson. He always seemed so laid back and chilled out on the bench, regardless of whether his team was up or down. He seemed to have so much faith in his team and in his players. Some may criticize his leadership or make excuses about him having the best players (which is true), but I still think he is one of, if not the greatest, basketball coach of all time.

And as I watched the post-game interviews, one comment in particular stuck out to me. When Derek Fisher was asked why Phil Jackson has been such a successful coach, he gave a great answer. He said something like this:

"It's because Phil doesn't try to control you as a player. Instead, he empowers you to reach your potential, to be your best. I love that man..."

What an awesome lesson about leadership I thought this was. Leaders, whether it be coaches, teachers, mentors, ministry leaders, politicians, bosses, employers, pastors, or any type of leader, should never use their power or authority to control people. Rather, a good leader empowers people to do their best without forcing anything on them.

Just as true love is always based on freedom, leadership needs to allow freedom instead of coercing people to do what we want. When we lead in this way, I think it fosters respect and relationship instead of authority and heirarchy.

Oh the lessons you can learn from watching sports....right Kelli?

One Thing

2009-06-09T12:08:00.000-07:00

If you were given the chance to ask something of God, but you could only ask for one thing, what would you ask for?

If you could only seek after one goal your whole life, what would you pursue?

When faced with these questions, it's tempting to answer based on what would benefit us most. Maybe I would ask for a successful and meaningful career path, maybe for deep and loving relationships, maybe for financial blessings, or more peace and rest in life. And on the surface, there is nothing wrong with asking God for these things and pursuing them, but when we limit ourselves to asking only for earthly blessings and only pursuing earthly goals, I think we set our sights far too low.

When King David pondered these questions, he told us his answers in the form of a song, a Psalm:

"One thing I ask of the Lord,

this is what I seek;

that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,

to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek Him..."

Psalm 27:4

David knew that the real blessing, the real treasure, was not found only in the blessings, but in the One who gave those blessings. Given the choice of asking only one thing of God, David did not choose anything material or worldly, but rather he chose to dwell in the beauty of God.

I think many times, we get caught up in pursuing blessings from God instead of pursuing God himself. We so often strive to live the right way, trying to "get it right", and figure life out in order to experience the blessings that God gives. Living this way gets exhausting - we fight a constant upward battle to live for God, only to fail time and again on our own strength. God desires for us to know Him more instead of trying to use Him for our gain.

I want to become more like David. I want my soul's one desire to be experiencing God, and knowing Him more. I don't want to worry about living the right way or about earning blessings from God, but instead I want to delight in the satisfaction and wholeness that knowing God brings. His gift of new life and freedom is free - all I need to do is admit my brokenness and accept His grace.

I want to get my life to the point of the Psalmist's, when he says this in Psalm 74:

"And earth has nothing I desire besides you"

Once we begin to know God more and experience His beauty, our desires change. Things of this earth become less important. Our circumstances carry less weight, less stress. Living with and for God, we can find contentment in every situation and take joy in any blessings that He does choose to give. But no blessing will ever compare to the experience of knowing the Blesser Himself.

Friday break-from-work fun

2009-05-29T12:20:00.000-07:00

I know I usually post more serious things, but this guy does the most ridiculous things I've ever seen. Thought it would be a nice break from work to watch this video...Check it out....

His Love is Over, Underneath, Inside, In Between

2009-05-26T11:52:00.000-07:00

I know I need You, I need to love You
I'd love to see You, but it's been so long
I long to feel You, I feel this need for You
I need to hear You
Is that so wrong?

Now You pull me near You
When we're close I fear You
Still I'm afraid to tell you all that I've done
Are You done forgiving?
Can You look past my pretending?
I'm so tired of defending what I've become
What have I become?

But I hear You say
"My love is over, It's underneath
It's inside, It's in between

The times that you doubt me, And when you can't feel
The times that you question, Is this for real?
The times that you're broken, The times that you mend
The times you hate me, The times that you bend

My love is over, It's underneath
It's inside, It's in between

The times that you're healing,
And when your heart breaks
The times that you feel like you've fallen from grace
The times that you're hurting, The times that you heal
The times you go hungry and are tempted to steal
In times of confusion, In chaos and pain

I'm there in your sorrow
under the weight of your shame
I'm there through your heart-ache,
I'm there in the storm
My love I will keep you by my power alone

I don't care where you've fallen or where you have been
I'll never forsake you, My love never ends
It never ends"

-"Times" by Tenth Avenue North

Going All In

2009-05-21T11:23:00.000-07:00

When my friends and I would play poker in college, the most nerve-wracking time of the night would be when someone would go "all in", meaning that they would risk all of their chips on that one hand. If they lost, they were done for the night, and if they won, they would at least double their chips and keep going. It was always a big risk, but
definitely one worth taking if it ended up being successful.

Jesus tells us a short story about a man who went "all in" in a much more important way. He said this:

The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. -Matthew 13:44

The man in this story found so much joy in the treasure, everything he owned paled in comparison. He had no need for anything else in the world as long as he had the treasure. His all-in venture probably seemed risky and even unintelligent to those who weren't aware of the treasure, but he knew its true value.

The kingdom of God here on earth is hidden - it's there - but hidden. So we need to seek it out, and when we find it, and experience the joy that is life-in-Christ, we will have no need for anything else. And when we go all-in for Christ, we are guaranteed victory. We are not guaranteed an easy, painless or struggle-free life, but we can be confident in having the ultimate victory. Some people will probably question our move to sell-out for Jesus, to make Him the one and only great treasure of our lives. But year after year in the struggles of life, we will prove the value of our treasure, and we will discover depths of spiritual riches we have never before known.

The key to Jesus' story, I think, is the phrase, "in his joy". This man didn't give up everything just because it was the right thing to do or because he was afraid of being poor without the treasure. Rather, he found great joy in doing what he did and likely lived the rest of his life delighting in the treasure he had found. The man wasn't sad about selling everything he had, because he had found everything his heart always longed for.

Many things in life may look like treasure, and we may pursue them as such, but they end up losing their value over time. But this is not so with Christ- the value of the treasure we have in Him only increases with time and continually proves its worth as we go through life.

What about you? Have you found your treasure? Or are you still looking for something that's worth going all-in for?

Trustworthy / Unpredictable

2009-05-13T14:49:00.000-07:00

As I grow in my relationship with God, I find more things about Him that on the surface, don't seem to make sense. If you knew someone in your life that was totally unpredictable and was always doing things you never expected, you probably wouldn't assume that the person was also completely trustworthy. But that exactly describes the character of God - completely trustworthy, yet completely unpredictable.

When we live for God, we can find complete comfort and peace in Him because He and His love for us never change. But we also find that life is full of surprise and adventure, never knowing what plans He has in store for us. His plans are much higher than anything we come up with on our own, and a lot of times, His plans are beyond anything we could even dream up. I love the fact that I will never have God fully figured out and I can never know what He will bring next - that life in Him is one big adventure through the ups and downs.

I'm so thankful that God is forever and unchangingly strong, loving, trustworthy, sincere, powerful, and graceful. But I am also learning to be thankful that He is forever and unchangingly unpredictable.

Traffic Story

2009-05-06T16:01:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, on my way to work, I got stuck in traffic for about an hour. Living in the Chicago area, this happens far more often than I would like. And let me be very clear - I don't hate many things in life, but I HATE traffic. I would rank traffic right up there ahead of mosquitoes and the Cubs on the list of things I don't like. As I approached the off-ramp for my exit, there was a huge backup. Soon enough, as I crawled along, I started to see people whipping by me on the right side along the shoulder of the road. Then, more and more, I would see people veer out of the lane I was in and onto the shoulder in order to zoom around everyone and presumably cut in when they got to the front. As I watched in my rear view mirror, I even saw the guy behind me spend some time contemplating his decision to take the shoulder. He would glance over his shoulder, turn the wheel a little bit, but then not make the move. Then he would glance again and turn the wheel a little more. As more people did it, he seemed to be encouraged, and finally made the move past me on the shoulder. As I sat there watching this, I fought the temptation to join the shoulder-riders, knowing that staying in the lane was the right thing to do.

I began to think how, in a lot of ways, this was a picture of how the world works. It can become very frustrating to continue living the right way, plugging along and doing good, when it would be so easy to get ahead by veering off. The more people we see becoming successful in the world's eyes by taking shortcuts and going down the wrong path, the more tempting it is to take that path ourselves.

As I sat in the car and prayed for patience, I found peace in the fact that doing the right thing, not only in traffic, but in life overall, has its own reward: the development of integrity and character. The more we do good, not only by avoiding what's wrong, but also by pursuing what is just and true, the more joy we will experience as we become more like Christ.

"And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up." Galatians 6:9

A Unified Life

2009-04-30T06:00:00.001-07:00

Do you ever feel like your life is split up into different categories, and divided into separate parts? Have you ever found yourself feeling fragmented and not able to keep up with the various areas of life? I think a lot of people, including myself, fall into living like this for a time, if not for their whole life. There's the work part of life, the friends part, the family part, the fun and entertainment part, and the church and spiritual part. We may find ourselves living according to this divided system of life and for example, acting much differently at work than we do in the "church part" of our lives. (Given, we all act a little differently based on the situation and who we're around, but my point is that our character and integrity should never change.)

I've been trying to learn how to live a more unified life. Just as a work group or sports team becomes unified when they pursue the same goals and purposes, our lives become unified when each "part" of our life takes on the same underlying goal and purpose. I think Jesus came to show us that every part of life is sacred, that it's no longer just the priest who is able to be in the presence of God, but that we all are in the presence of God, at all times, in every area of life. As Jesus opens the door for us to be in His presence, every area of our life becomes sacred. So whether we are doing tedious paperwork at our job, eating dinner with our family, doing house work, going to church, reading the Bible, riding a bike, or hanging out with friends, all of these things take on a new importance in the light of God's presence. If we live with the underlying purposes of tuning into God's presence, bringing glory to God, and putting others before ourselves, every part of our life comes together to form a beautiful, unified picture. When we pursue these purposes, we no longer need to have separate areas of life, because our whole life works together to take on the heart of God.

We can see in the Bible that Paul learned how to live a unified life. He was driven by the sole purpose of glorifying God, and whether he was rich or poor, in jail or out preaching, with friends or alone, his purpose remained the same. In 1 Corinthians 10:31, he puts it simply this way:

"So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God."

Resting

2009-04-24T07:42:00.000-07:00

"By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done" Genesis 2:2-3

I've always been puzzled over this verse. Just the fact that God rested is something that I've never been able to wrap my mind around. Of course, He had just finished created everything in existence, and brought the whole universe into being from nothing. But it's not like He was tired and needed a rest - the Bible tells us that He is inexhaustible and that He does not grow weary. God's rest, therefore, is not a rest of weariness or inactivity but it is a rest of finished work.

We often tend to think of the word rest in a physical sense, as something we need to do when we're physically tired. I think the sense in which the Bible uses this word points to something much more profound and beautiful. After God created the world and Adam and Eve, they lived for a time fully in His rest. Before they believed in the lies Satan told them and disobeyed God, they lived a spiritually restful life free from self-effort, fear, worry and insecurity. After giving up God's rest through sin, humanity now bears a heavy burden.

The amazingly good news for you and me is that Jesus came to lift the burden and bring us back into the rest God offers. Through his death for us, He gives freedom from self-effort and striving. Just as light eliminates the darkness in any space it reaches, God's rest eliminates the fear and doubt that dwell in our hearts. The rest that Jesus came to give is not something that we earn or do, but it is something that comes when we cease to do - it is a release from the burden of our broken humanity. The person "that is entered into God's rest, has also ceased from his own works, as God did from His", as Paul tells us in Hebrews. Entering God's rest involves the often difficult realization that, "apart from Him, we can do nothing" (John 15:5).

When we accept what Jesus has done for us, and when we accept who we are in Him, we find rest for our souls. Submitting our lives to Jesus, we realize that there is nothing we can do to earn His rest, but that He offers it freely for those who come to Him. Living in His rest, we can cease to pretend, cease to care so much about what others think of us. We can stop beating ourselves up for not accomplishing enough in life. And we can be free from trying to earn favor in the eyes of others, and start living to please God alone.

As so many in this world wander through life, carrying around heavy burdens and desperately searching to find peace for their weary hearts, I pray that we can point them to Christ, the only place where they can truly enter into rest.

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls." Matthew 11:28-29

A New Way

2009-04-21T07:14:00.000-07:00

I just finished a book called "The Lost City of Z", which is about an explorer who ventured into the Amazon jungle in the 1920's in search of an ancient civilization he called Z. The book was pretty entertaining as it described his adventures into places no other explorers had dared to venture. At times, the book explains, the jungle was so thick that it would take the group 2 or 3 hours just to cut through one mile of the thick vines, weeds, grass and branches. They would literally have to cut with their machetes a new way, a new path, that no one had previously taken.

In a lot of ways, this is what Jesus did when he came to earth. He came to make a new way for us, and he came to cut through the tangle of sin, brokenness and fear. He made a new path, one that goes against the grain, and he invites us to follow Him. Jesus cuts us free from all the things that entangle and weigh us down, and opens the door to a new life - a life of freedom. This new way that Jesus offers is not the easy way - we still have to go through the jungle, but it is a way that leads us to wholeness, joy, and peace. And as we pray for courage and strength to follow Him down the path, He is always leading, cutting a new way ahead of us.

"But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit..." Romans 7:6

"I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them." Isaiah 42:16

"You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand." Psalm 16:11

Results

2009-04-16T07:34:00.001-07:00

Like a lot of people, I am a results kind of guy. I like to see results from what I do, whether in work, relationships, sports, or volunteering. Plain and simple, I like results, and I like them clear, easily identifiable, and immediate - on my schedule. I've recently been mentoring a 10 year old boy once a week through Big Brothers, and at times I find myself being disappointed in the "results" of the relationship. If it were up to me, I would like to see his grades improve, his detentions disappear, and his family life get better because of our time together. As I thought about this yesterday after meeting with him, I realized that this attitude was not only unrealistic after only 2 months, but that it was also completely selfish.

I think this struggle I have to see results from what I do, not only in the mentoring, but in all aspects of life, boils down to my wanting to feel important, wanting to feel like what I do matters. I want to know that my life has clear worth and purpose, and the easiest way to know this is to see concrete results. Now if we know anything about how God works, the key word here is easiest. God doesn't work in ways that make things easy for us, but gracefully, He works in ways that are best for us. God knows that it is best for us to sometimes not be able to see results in our lives. He knows its best for us to learn how to completely trust in Him, and rely on Him to bring about the results.

I'm sure we all have someone, if not several people in our lives, that we pray and pray for, asking the Lord to reveal Himself to that person who is so lost. Or maybe there's someone going down a completely wrong path, and we try to build a relationship and show them the way to Jesus, investing months and years in that person's life, spending hours on our knees praying for them. Maybe you toil away at your job, giving it your all, and thanklessly plugging along to do the best you can. In most of these cases, we won't see immediate results. We may not see results until years or decades later. We may never see results (at least the ones we hope for) in our lifetime. This is where we can get easily discouraged, when we put in the effort, yet see no results.

Fortunately for us, like with so many other things, God doesn't work based on what we think is best. He doesn't conform to the results that we want to see. God never fits inside our boxes, and He refuses to be contained inside the limitations of our minds. The truth is, we should never want to limit ourselves to the results that we hope for - because in the end, we would miss the bigger picture. Our results would only form a small piece of something much greater, and would be insignificant compared to the beautiful, grand picture that God paints through each of our lives. God works through each and every day, each and every person, each and every "failed" result, to bring together His loving and perfect purposes.

So as I struggle in life, just hoping to see some positive results, hoping to feel purposeful and significant, I will hold on to God's promises and I will trust him to fill my deepest needs. He promises that there will be a day when everything will be made clear, when with new vision we will behold the perfection of HIS results and HIS purposes. He also promises that He works all things for the good of those love Him. He is good, He is faithful, He never changes, and we can put our full weight on Him. I know that I can leave all my striving for significance behind as my heart finds it's home in Jesus.

As I trust in these promises, I'm learning to take God at His word, to not underestimate the small things in life; learning that each action, however seemingly insignificant, through God, can result in something much greater than we could have thought, something much bigger than ourselves.

So today and every day going forward, I want to live for Christ, to give Him my all - and leave the results up to Him.

If only you knew

2009-04-10T07:30:00.000-07:00

I was in a work meeting yesterday when the subject of Easter weekend came up. As we were talking, one of my co-workers, who has in the past made several spiteful comments about Christianity and the Church, said laughing rather sarcastically, "What happened on that day again, like, Jesus rose from the dead or something like that? Oh yeah, that's what it is. Ha." My heart immediately sank and I felt my stomach churn as anger rose up within me. I wanted to say something, but shrank back, thinking the setting was probably not appropriate for a response at that time.

On my way home from work, as I was thinking about what she had said, I found my anger turning to sadness for her. Tears welled up in my eyes as I thought of what Jesus would want to tell her:

"If only you knew....

if only you knew who I am,

if only you knew the life that comes through The Father and The Spirit,

if only you knew the true meaning of Easter,

that I died for you, and that I did rise on that Sunday, for you

if only you knew how much I love you,

and the peace that could be yours through me,

if only you knew how I long to hold you in my arms,

how I desire to heal your past,

if you only knew what you are worth in my eyes...."

The Losing Interview

2009-04-07T12:55:00.000-07:00

I always love to watch the interview with the losing coach or player after a championship game. I find that interview the most fascinating of all the post-game hoopla (besides "One Shining Moment" of course). We all watch as the winning players celebrate on the court with cheering, loudness, laughing, dancing, and obvious joy. Then we cut to what always seems like the janitor's closet of the arena, where a reporter is standing with a solemn looking coach. A lot of times, this interview goes a long way in determining the level of respect I have for the person being interviewed. Tom Izzo did a pretty good job last night of taking most of the blame for the loss and giving credit to North Carolina where credit was due, and showing some integrity.

Watching this unfold, I was thinking how easy it is for us to be happy when we win, when we are successful in life. As broken people, however, it is very difficult to take any joy in losing or failing. And, in fact, I don't think we should ever be happy when we fail. Being joyful, however, in the midst of our losses, in our most broken moments, is a different story. This is where the glaring difference between happiness and joy becomes apparent. Happiness is purely based on circumstances and is always temporary, while joy is based on lasting truth and is something that nothing and no one can ever take from us.

In James 1:2, James flat-out tells us this- "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance."

I pray that I increasingly get to the point in my life where in every win, in every victory, and more importantly in every loss, in every failure and valley, I find joy. But how can I find joy in "the bad"? Plain and simple, because God knows what he's doing, he is working for my good, even when and especially when I can't see it. Paul says in Phillipians 3:8, "What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things".

When we "lose all things" for the sake of Christ, finding our life and worth in Him alone, every loss becomes a win, and every trial becomes a victory in which we find pure joy.

His Timing

2009-04-03T11:10:00.000-07:00

Do you ever have times where you feel like God provides the exact encouragement you need at that time in your life? I read the following devotion this week and it was like I could clearly hear God's voice speaking to me through it.

I am thankful for instances like this in my life where God seems to step in to remind me- "I am faithful, I know what I'm doing and I love you more than you can imagine. A lot of times in life you will lack the things you want, but you don't need to doubt, you will find all of the things you need in Me. And most of the time, life won't unfold on your ideal schedule, please remember that this life is not about you, but in your waiting, you will find the grace and perfection that always exists in My timing"

Here is the devotion:

"We must remind ourselves that our faith is in God and not in what He does for us.

God knows that it's hard for us to walk by faith. So He assures us, 'I'm not going to leave you wondering what I'm going to do. I don't want you to be overcome by fear. So I'm going to make some promises to you so that you can get through the difficult days. You don't have to take your view of life only from what you can see happening right in front of you. You're not imprisoned by the crazy talk someone is putting into your head that you know isn't true. Hang onto the things that I told you.'

And while we wait, God builds our faith."

Expectations

2009-03-31T07:54:00.000-07:00

We all have certain expectations in life, and we certainly all experience broken expectations throughout our lives. I know that I expect to live a certain way, I expect to have a good job, I expect to have a nice house, I expect to do significant and important things with my life, I expect, I expect. The problem with living with these kinds of expectations is that whether they are fulfilled or not, we make life about ourselves, and we live far too inwardly focused.

A few years ago at my church, I listened to a powerful and convicting message entitled "What Do You Expect?". In the sermon, the speaker gave the church some homework to do the following week: he asked everyone to go home and make a list of all of their expectations - everything they wanted and expected for their lives. The next step he assigned was to take this list, to light a match, and to burn it. Living by our own expectations, he was saying, only brings disappointment, selfishness, and unfulfillment. If we live by these things and one of them gets broken, we begin to feel cheated, like we deserved something that has been unfairly withheld from us.

The majority of time, it seems that our circumstances and uncertainty about the future are what challenge and break our expectations. We get to places in life where we didn't expect to be, and we have a hard time understanding how God allowed us to get to that place. We look ahead and cannot see how any good can come out of where we are. We look to the future, and see only uncertainty, who always seems to be accompanied by his close companion, fear.

The problem with all this kind of thinking is that we don't have any clue what's best for ourselves. We think that if all of our expectations and desires are fulfilled, we will be happy and life will be good. We have our own definitions of what is good and what is bad, and many times these definitions are based on feelings and emotions instead of truth. The good news, The Gospel, is that God does know what's best for us, and that He wants to work ALL THINGS for our good if we allow Him. He has already won the greatest victory of all, the victory that defeated all of the expectations that sin and evil places on us. He has brought us back to Himself, through Jesus dying on the cross in our place, and has given us Himself truly, fully, and eternally.

The fact is that no matter how much we trust and rely on God, as humans, we will always have expectations for our lives, and most of these expectations will end up being broken. The only way to defeat these ugly expectations is to accept the victory that Christ has already won for us. When we do that, we only need to have one transforming expectation: to live to magnify Christ.

Each day, I want to let all of my selfishness go, and accept this: That no matter what circumstances I am in, no matter what life brings me to, wherever I am, whoever I am with, regardless of the uncertainties ahead, I will live for Christ! I pray to God that each day I will wake up trusting that He is working for my good, trusting that His ways are beyond my understanding, and that His love and grace are always enough for me.

Letting go of our expectations is a freeing experience - to live simply and humbly, not assuming that we deserve anything, transforms our lives in a beautiful way. We've been called according to God's purposes - not our own. We can trust in that. When we live with the sole expectation of living for Christ; each and every day, each and every blessing, becomes a gift of grace, undeserved and unexpected, yet more real and more true than anything we ever experience apart from the love of Christ.

“Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, And which have not entered the heart of man, All that God has prepared for those who love Him.” 1 Corinthians 2:9

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28

Gathering Together

2009-03-30T11:23:00.000-07:00

For the past 3 months, I have played in a basketball league on Saturday mornings. This past Saturday, my team competed in the playoffs, making it to the championship game before falling to the #1 seeded team. To make it to the championship, however, was no easy task. Our team faced a 17 point deficit with about 9 minutes left to go in the second half, before putting together an amazing comeback to send the game to overtime, where our momentum carried us to the win. As memorable as the game was for us, and as much as it showed our heart and unity as a team, our time together off the court during the season is what I am most grateful for.

We started the season with only 2 of the 9 guys knowing each other, and no one having met before. Since our league is a church-based league, we commit to spending about an hour after each game getting to know each other, reading God's word together and praying for what's going on in each other's lives. In the 12 weeks together, I think we were all far more impacted by our time off the court than by the basketball games.

What I've learned is that when we commit to really getting to know others, even when that person starts out as a complete stranger, something mysterious and beautiful happens, and that something is community. When we meet with the shared purpose of encouragement and prayer, and make it our desire to know God more together, I believe that God shows up in a powerful way. In the few months together, we experienced some amazing answers to prayer, we had relationships developed, and we saw personal and spiritual growth that I didn't think were possible in such a short period of time.

I've learned that in order to continually grow as a person and as a follower of Christ, I need to surround myself with people who will be encouraging, who will speak truth to me, and who will pray for and with me; and just as important, I need to be those things for others. Sometimes all it takes is committing to an hour or two per week with those people to experience some unexpected results.

The first followers of Christ were all about community - they lived together, shared all their possessions, looked out for each other, and basically "did life together". We have a lot to learn from them (see the book of Acts). Now I'm not trying to compare our basketball team to this kind of community at all. What I am saying is that when we commit to relationships, to truly knowing people, and when we're willing to open ourselves up and share our lives, encouraging and praying for each other, I think God will work through that in powerful ways. I want to make a commitment in my life to do this; to live in community, to be in constant relationship, without any expectations, except that God will be there with us.

In Matthew 18:20, Jesus says this:
"For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them."

No Not One

2009-03-27T10:10:00.000-07:00

I thought I would share my current favorite song with you. If you're having a busy day or feel stressed or anxious, take a minute to read the lyrics and then close your eyes and listen to this song. For me, it really puts life back in perspective. Hope has come!!

No better word than from your lips
No perfect life than what you left
No greater gift, no not one
No brighter star has ever shined
No better hope for all man kind
No higher mind, no not one
No one has ever known, this kind of love you’ve shown

There has never been a greater love, than your son, no not one
And there will never be a greater love, no not one
With his life you have forgiven us
Hope has come, hope has come
And there will never be a greater love, no not one. No

Knowing it’s true sweeter frame
No simple word can match your name
No greater fame, no not one
No one has ever seen, the depth of your Majesty

There has never been a greater love, than your son, no not one
And there will never be a greater love, no not one
With his life you have forgiven us
Hope has come, hope has come
And there will never be a greater love, no not one. No

No greater God
You gave us all a reason to live
No greater love
You gave us all a reason to give
No greater life
You gave us all a reason to shine
No greater love
Forever mine

You can listen here:

Having It All (Part II)

2009-03-20T09:00:00.001-07:00

"What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? Romans 8:31-33

You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore. Psalm 16:10-11

To me, one of the most freeing concepts in life is that we don't need to do anything to earn God's grace or love. It is completely free - all we have to do is accept it and get out of our own way to allow the grace to take hold. The verses above say that God freely gives us all things. He doesn't withhold any of His good gifts from us, and He doesn't give them begrudgingly or with hesitation, but He gives them freely and gladly to those who ask.

So what is meant here by "all things"? I think it simply means that when we have God, we will lack nothing in this life. We may lack physical things, or lack things we would like or want for ourselves, but we will never lack the things we truly need. When we ask Him, God delights in fulfilling our deepest needs and longings- He gives us purpose in life, deep meaning of what we are living for, He gives us security, approval, gives us an identity, and unending love and grace, eternal hope and peace. What more can we ask for? I guarantee if you ask God to give you these things, you will find yourself being increasingly content with life, and decreasingly full of greed, want and unfilfilled desires.

Note in the second passage above, it says that we find the fullness of joy in God's presence. When we live life with, in and through Him, God not only gives joy, he gives the fullness of joy; He not only gives us a few things to tide us over, He gives us all things; He not only gives us life, He gives us life to the full.

Next time you hear someone say, "man, that person really has it all", take a minute to think about what that means. Do they really have it all? Or are their lives filled with material and temporary things that will never fulfill any deep longing. Do they only outwardly appear to "have it all"?

Oddly enough (or maybe not odd at all), the people I have met in life who truly "have it all" don't seem to have much in the material world, and if they do, they don't seem to put much importance at all in those things. They have no need to pursue the material, the temporary, or the fleeting; for in Christ, they already possess the the spiritual, the eternal, the everlasting. They have already recieved and experienced the fullness of joy, and found life to the full in the One who freely gives us all things.

Having it All (part I)

2009-03-17T09:21:00.000-07:00

For a while I remember thinking that if I truly followed Jesus, that my life as I knew it would be over, that all the fun would be gone, and it would be a boring life void of any excitement. I remember thinking that there were so many things in life that I never wanted to let go of. I feared what life would be like if I surrendered all of my selfishness to Him. I felt that if he had his way, Jesus wanted to remove all fun and happiness from my life.

But as I have been finding, the exact opposite is true. As I seek after Jesus and get to know Him more- joy, excitement, meaning and purpose increase all the more, and I find peace and freedom in letting go of all the other things that previously filled my heart. I have a long way to go in surrendering my selfishness and letting God fill that empty space with Himself, but I'm increasingly finding what it means to be content, to find everything I need and long for in the One who will never change.

A.W. Tozer sums up this concept beautifully, saying this:

"We need not fear that in seeking God only we may narrow our lives or restrict the motions of expanding hearts. The opposite is true. We can well afford to make God our All, to concentrate, to sacrifice the many for the One....The man who has God for his treasure has all things in One. Many ordinary treasures may be denied him, or if he is allowed to have them, the enjoyment of them will be so tempered that they will never be necessary to his happiness. Or if he must see them go, one after one, he will scarcely feel a sense of loss, for having the Source of all things he has in One all satisfaction, all pleasure, all delight. Whatever he may lose he has actually lost nothing, for he now has it all in One, and he has it purely, legitamitely and forever."

Quote for thought

2009-03-11T08:49:00.000-07:00

Here is a quote I came across last night - take a minute to think it over... What does it mean to you?

"He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep
to gain what he cannot lose."

-Missionary Jim Elliot

I think he is saying that we should come to the point where we surrender everything we have on this earth to God: our physical earthly lives, our possessions, everything we have while on earth. If we are willing to lay those things down and risk them for the love of God, we will gain something that can never be taken away from us: His presence in our hearts and eternal life with Him.

This is not to say that we should sell everything we own and not enjoy anything on this earth, but rather that we should get to a point of contentment in our lives where even if we did lose all those things, even the things we hold most dear, we would still have everything we need - God would still be our all.

Simplify

2009-03-06T07:44:00.000-08:00

Have you ever thought about how life would change if you only had weeks to live? What would you eliminate from your life? What would you add to it? Would your life would become more complicated during that time or would it become simplified? How would your outlook change?

I think we have all thought about this at one time or another. The sad thing to me is that there is so much that many of us would change if that time came. If given weeks to live, a lot of people may choose to end a certain relationship, choose to stop spending so much time on things that they now realize don't really matter, or they may choose to pursue something they've always wanted to do. Why is it then, that we live in a way we would choose not to if we only had a short time left?

Kelli recently put one of those painted wooden signs on a shelf in our living room - it says "Simplify". Seeing that sign as I walk out the door every day, I've been thinking about what it actually means to "simplify". The conclusion I've come to about myself is this: I want to simplify life to the point where my priorities and goals become the same as they would be if I only had days left to live. If I have something in my life that I would change if I was going to die, why not change it now? If there is something wasting my time and focus, why not get rid of it now? Why stress, worry and plan over future months and years that we are not even guaranteed?

I'm not saying we should go all "Tim McGraw", riding on bulls named Fu Man Chu and going skydiving, but I'm saying something more simple than that. I think we should simplify our hearts and our lives to the point where we find the beauty and hope that exist in both the most ordinary and extraordinary circumstances. We should eliminate all the static and fluff which distract us from all the things that truly matters in life, which of course, are usually not things at all.

I guess the questions to ask ourselves would be: Am I living how I would if the end of my life was near? What are the empty pursuits filling up my life? How can I change my outlook in life to make it more about what really matters? If I could look back from the end of my life, would I regret the way I'm currenly prioritizing?

For me personally, every day I'm trying to make the sole desire of my heart to know God more; to become more like Him. As I seek Him and open my life to everything that He wants to be and do in and through me, life becomes simplified. And when I make my life about God and not myself, I experience a peace and joy that endures through any circumstance. And if the time ever comes when I know that I have only weeks to live, I won't need to make any dramatic changes. My desires and goals will stay the same as they are today - to keep pursuing God and becoming the person He made me to be, treasuring the beauty that comes with each day.

"But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Matthew 6:20-21

Honesty

2009-02-25T14:03:00.000-08:00

I've found that life is much more enjoyable when I live honestly. What I mean is that when I am honest not only with others, but honest with myself, and most importantly honest with God, I'm able to experience the freedom that true joy and peace bring.

Lately, I find myself trying to force my thoughts to be positive, and trying to deny the struggles going on in my life and in my mind, all the while burying what's really going on in my head and heart. It's not that I have any huge, life-altering circumstances going on right now, but I think even the smallest of struggles we face can turn into a mountain of trouble if left ignored and supressed.

So this morning, I took a different approach. When I woke up, instead of attempting to will myself to have positive thoughts (which really doesn't go far at all), I prayed to God - and I was completely honest with Him. I told him about my struggles, how I'm feeling, and I asked Him to take those things from me - I surrendered it all, asking Him to take everything I percieve as negative in my life and use it for His good.

Not that I should have been surprised, but I felt an unexpected wave of peace wash over me as I continued to pray and let Him speak back to me. I need to always remember that Jesus delights in taking our burdens upon himself, so that we don't constantly have to be weighed down by them. He delights in giving us peace and joy even in the midst of our toughest times. And He loves when we are real with Him, when instead of trying to use willpower or force to find our peace and happiness, we submit and lay everything down before Him, trusting that His grace is always enough.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Phillipians 4:6-7

The best is yet to come!

2009-02-20T11:38:00.000-08:00

No matter where I find myself in life, I am continually encouraged by the thought that the best is always yet to come. There is definitely beauty to be found in this life, but as evidenced by all the pain and suffering that is present, our world is broken and incomplete. And somehow, God is taking this life, and he is making it right, making it complete, and He invites us to be a part of that through a relationship with Jesus.

To me, knowing the joy that I have to look forward to in this life and beyond, helps to put things in proper perspective. In my highest peaks and in my lowest valleys of life, I want to be able to say with confidence that the best is still to come, that God has amazing things in store for us. Let's take some joy in that promise today, regardless of the circumstances of our lives.

Jeremy Camp speaks to this in his song "There will be a Day":

I try to hold on to this world with everything I have

But I feel the weight of what it brings, and the hurt that tries to grab

The many trials that seem to never end, His word declares this truth,

that we will enter in this rest with wonders anew

But I hold on to this hope and the promise that He brings

That there will be a place with no more suffering

There will be a day with no more tears, no more pain, and no more fears

There will be a day when the burdens of this place, will be no more,

we'll see Jesus face to face

But until that day, we'll hold on to you always

And perhaps Paul puts it best when he quotes the book of Isaiah in

1 Corinthians chapter 2:

"No eye has seen,

no ear has heard,

no mind has conceived

what God has prepared for those who love him"

My Alex Rodriguez Post

2009-02-18T07:37:00.000-08:00

So as it turns out, arguably the 3 greatest baseball players of our generation- Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds, and A-Rod, are all guilty of using steriods during their careers (Bonds, as much as I wanted to believe in his innocence for all these years, now seems to be undoubtably guilty as well).

The question that continues to come into my mind is this: Why would these guys, among others, who (pre-steroids) already had some of the greatest baseball talent out there, feel the need to use something they know is illegal to try and make themselves better? I think much of the answer can be found in A-Rod's response to a similar question posed to him last week. Even though he may not have been completely open and truthful in much of his interview, I believe there was one part where honesty really won out in his response- when asked why he took the steroids, he said this:

"...I felt an enormous amount of pressure. I felt like I had all the weight of the world on top of me, and I needed to perform, and perform at a high level every day... And I wanted to prove to everyone that, you know, I was worth being one of the greatest players of all time.”

Don Miller, in his book Blue Like Jazz, tells of another interview he saw on CNN with comedian Tom Arnold. Arnold was promoting a book he wrote, and was asked why he wrote the book. His response shocked Miller with a form of brutal honesty that is extremely rare in our culture, and after hearing the response, Miller says that his respect for Tom Arnold went through the roof. This was essentially what Arnold said:

"The reason I wrote this book is because I’m a broken person and basically everything I do is to get people to love me."

If we are really honest with ourselves, we all feel some kind of pressure in life, and we all share the deep need to be loved and approved of. We all do things that we hope will make people like us and affirm us. And to be honest, when I look at Alex Rodriguez, Barry Bonds, Tom Arnold, or the single mom who now has 14 kids after recently having octuplets, I don't see cocky and self-confident celebrities, but I see broken people who are desperately in need of approval, acceptance and love.

And the truth is, even if A-Rod hit 70 home runs a year and was loved by fans everywhere he went, even if Tom Arnold was recognized as the funniest man on earth and sold millions of books, even if the octuplet lady was loved and praised for being the best mom on earth, and even if I got my dream job and was loved by everyone for what I did, would our deepest longings be fulfilled? I truly don't believe they would. 1000 years from now, all those things will be gone. Why do we continue to look to those around us to fulfill our deepest human needs when what they are able to give is incomplete and temporary? Maybe it's because we don't know where else to look.

Thankfully, God gave us a set of writings now called The Bible to read about how much we are worth, and more than that, He gave us His Son. God, the source and creator of everything in the universe, loves us, approves of us, and shows us that we are worth infinitely more to Him than we are to anyone on earth. Think of the person who loves you the most in life.... and now imagine an eternal, all powerful being that loves you far more perfectly and unconditionally.

May we be thankful everyday that our true worth has already been established, and all of our deepest longings have already been fulfilled 2000 years ago on a cross by God himself. We don't need to strive for human approval, we don't need to do things with the purpose of getting people to like us. Because of Christ's love, death and rising to life again, we are free to be ourselves. And in all seriousness, I pray that A-Rod and the others mentioned here can come to the cross, the only place where they will find what their hearts are after.

Less of Me + More of Others = Bigger Life

2009-02-13T10:52:00.000-08:00

Here's a simple, yet profound truth that God continues to pound home in my life: The more I make life about me, the more unhappy I become. On the flip-side, the less I make life about me and the more I make life about others, the more joy I experience.

I think in many ways, how we deal with the issue of self vs. others determines the scope and the size of our lives. What I mean is that the people who live the most meaningful lives are the ones who are always thinking of others. In a sense, these people become self-conciousless. The scope of their lives is widely broadened beyond themselves to include everyone in their lives. When we limit our focus to our own little worlds, our lives are very limited and can become quite depressing. But when we open our focus to put all others above self, we can begin to move past our self-absorbed ways.

For example: when I wake up in the morning, I am often guilty of thinking about everything I have to do that day, thinking of what I can do to further my goals or my desires, and focusing only on the scope of my life. Living this way, I am stressed out and anxious by the time I've been awake only 5 minutes. By contrast, if I wake up and immediately take the focus off myself, and think about what I can do that day for others, ways that I can show love and compassion to those in my life, and focus on the possibilites to serve others, my day then becomes an adventure, one that is open to all possibilities and that looks beyond myself to all the possibilities that life may present. All the things I have to do can become opportunities to serve others, to do those things the best I can for the benefit of others.

Whenever I feel that my life is small and insignificant, it is a good sign that I am focusing too much on myself. The best part is that if we're not sure how to do this, we've been left some amazing examples. All we have to do is first look at the life of Jesus, and then the lives of his early followers to learn what a selfless, meaningful, BIG life looks like.

(See the gospel of John and Acts chapter 4 for more...)

Ready for Adventure

2009-02-06T11:15:00.000-08:00

Maybe its because we're supposed to reach 50 degrees here in Chicago this weekend. Maybe its ever since Kelli and I took the road trip out to Washington last summer, and maybe its all of the episodes of Man vs. Wild and Survivorman I have watched this winter, but more than ever, I have an itch for some adventure. Probably every week, I propose to Kelli a new road trip or outdoor excursion that we should take. As a good wife seems to do, she brings me back down to earth and helps me take a more realistic view of things, but also like a good wife seems to do, she allows me to dream and she dreams with me of the road trips, vacations, and adventures that we will take in our lifetime.

To me, there is nothing like experiencing something new and beautiful in God's creation. To find yourself surrounded by snow-capped mountains, to hike through a deep green forest or red-tinted rock formations, to watch the sun set over a lake - I will never get tired of drinking in God's beauty through these experiences. Outdoor adventures for me are one way to experience the greatness of God and worship Him through what He has created. I look forward to experiencing all of the places that by God's grace, I will be able to go: Alaska, Grand Canyon, Hawaii, Glacier National Park, Thailand, Africa, New Zealand (ok, those last few may kind of be long shots, but who knows).

All this to say, God has been showing me that there is something else to remember. I think God definitely loves seeing us experiences nature and the beauty of creation, and I believe God wants us to be open to whatever adventures life throws our way. But I also think there is something more important for me to remember - that adventure comes in many different forms and varieties. God has been showing me that all of life is an adventure.

I think one of the biggest adventures in all of life is our relationships. As a husband, sharing life with another human being, getting to know that person more closely than anyone else, and experiencing the journey of life together is something that continues to blow my mind. What a complicated and beautiful people we are, when you can spend your whole life with one human being and still not know that person fully and completely. Other friendships and relationships are also adventures, as others gradually let us into their beautiful, complicated and tangled lives and we attempt to do the same.

There are countless other adventures in life that we may miss out on if we get to wrapped up in the world's point-of-view. How we view our circumstances is often all about a choice - we can choose to let that seemingly insurmountable challenge in front of us become a huge stress and headache, or we can choose to view it as an adventure to live out, to learn from, and to grow stronger through.

As we travel through life, our journey of faith becomes the greatest adventure of all. Never knowing what's around the corner, but nonetheless trusting in the goodness of a God who we know but have never seen, requires a spirit of courage and adventure.

As much as I take joy in the possibility of the backpacking, road trips, mountain hikes and National Geographic-sized adventures that I hope to take in life, I take even more joy in the adventure of faith that I'm living right now, and in the adventures of life that lie ahead.

Where's YOUR Focus?

2009-02-02T12:18:00.001-08:00

I've been somewhat down on myself for a while now, just beating myself up about not being good enough, not achieving enough with my life and not being the person I want to be. After feeling this way for a while, I wanted to start this week off right. I spent some time this morning talking and listening to God, desperately asking Him to show Himself to me. In His ever-faithful fashion, I felt Him gently speaking to me, telling me:

Don't focus on who you are,
Don't focus on the person you are on your own,
Don't spend your time thinking about what you can't do,
I don't want you to focus on your faults,
Don't focus on the worries of life,
Don't focus on what you can't accomplish,
And don't focus on what you are lacking in this life.

BUT INSTEAD...

Focus on who I AM,
Focus on who you are IN ME,
Spend your time taking joy in what I can do through you,
I want you to focus on my strength coming powerfully through in your weaknesses,
To focus on the peace that you find only IN ME,
Please, loved one, focus on everything that I have already accomplished,
and focus on the abundant life that is yours THROUGH ME!

ESPN Story - Get the kleenex

2009-01-29T12:42:00.000-08:00

Have you ever been watching ESPN, enjoying the highlights, and then they throw in on of those real emotional stories that you totally weren't expecting? Man, those get me every time. I honestly don't know if I've made it through one of those with a dry eye.

Here's one of those stories I came across online. It's a powerful example of simply showing someone that they are someone, that they matter and that they are cared about. It's amazing how far these types of actions can go in giving someone hope.

You can read the story here: http://sports.espn.go.com/espnmag/story?section=magazine&id=3789373

'Stuff Christians Like'

2009-01-27T13:02:00.000-08:00

I recently came across this blog - http://stufffchristianslike.blogspot.com/. Besides being hilarious with his sarcastic posts about some of the silly aspects of the Christian culture, the author, Jon Acuff, also writes some serious and seriously good stuff.

This post - http://97secondswithgod.blogspot.com/2009/01/hiding-in-fields.html - titled 'Hiding In Fields' really spoke to me. Check it out if you have a few minutes.

Performance vs Grace

2009-01-26T08:39:00.000-08:00

When I was in middle school, I played the trumpet in band. For whatever reason, I was just never very good at it. It was probably a combination of not practicing enough and a general lack of musical talent. So there would be these performace tests once or twice a year, where I would have a few weeks to practice a piece before playing it in front of judges, who would rate my performance. Now along with public speaking, starting high school, and doctor's appointments, at that time the musical performances were the most nerve-wracking events of my life. I would literally be shaking as I began playing and the notes would shake as well. The judges were always very kind and tried to assure and relax me, but it didn't seem to help much.

Until just the other day, I never realized why I got so nervous for things like the musical performance and speaking in public. As I was thinking about it, I realized that I put so much into these things because I felt I was being judged as a person on the basis of them. As silly as it sounds, my self worth, at least for a time, was being determined by my performance of playing a song or giving a speech.

The world, to a large degree, seems to be similar in this way. Who I am is determined by my performance; everything seems to depend on what I do and how well I do it. The problem of this attitude comes in the inevitability of human failure. Being judged solely on our performance, solely on what we do, can be devastating to the human spirit.

Today, I don't seem to get nearly as nervous or worried anymore about things that have to do with performance, something I know can only be the result of grace in my life. As I've gotten to know God more over the past few years, I've come to realize that He doesn't play by the world's rules; He doesn't conform to this performace-based attitude. Jesus came to the earth to call us to a different way, one that depends not on our performace, but on his own. Jesus has already won for us on the cross God's full acceptance.

Our true worth comes through nothing else than who we are in Christ - people who are loved and accepted beyond what we can comprehend. In light of this and in view of God's grace, any judgment the world places on us now doesn't matter nearly as much. There is nothing I can do or not do to make God love me more or less. God's love is there for the taking - and the most important decision any of us will ever make is whether to ignore, reject or accept the free gift of grace, love and acceptance God is offering.

It is because of grace that we don't need to perform to the world's standards, and it is because of grace that we don't need to achieve to be accepted. We just need to follow Jesus - loving and selflessly serving others as one whose worth and acceptance has already been won. As many faithful followers of Christ have already shown, the results will take care of themselves.

To Serve - Martin Luther King

2009-01-19T08:15:00.000-08:00

GK Chesterton

2009-01-16T13:47:00.000-08:00

I'm currently reading GK Chesterton's Orthodoxy - it's a little deep and heavy to get through at times, but there are some real gems of quotes in there. Here is one I read recently:

"The poet only asks to get his head into the heavens. It is the logician who seeks to get the heavens into his head. And it is his head that splits"

I think GK is onto something here- that the more we try to figure everything out in life, the more we drive ourselves crazy. As someone who is often over-analytical, I want to live more as the poet does, with a sense of wonder at life, at love, at creation. Trying to analyze and figure out the reasons for everything that happens in my life will only drive me crazy.

Instead, if through faith, I can come to the realization that God's thoughts and purposes are higher than mine, I can begin to live life in peace. I can trust that His reasons are greater than I can imagine, that He is working for my good.

When I give up on trying to figure life out, I can begin to get my head into the heavens. I can take joy in the things I will never understand on this earth, and live in the light of God's beautiful mysteries.

Thinking about how I "see" people

2009-01-07T08:12:00.000-08:00

I read this quote recently and began to feel very convicted about how I view some people in my life, whether it's co-workers, people at church, or people I meet randomly. I began to question if my viewpoint is sometimes more judgmental than loving.

"To love a person, means to see him as God intended him to be"
-Fyodor Dostoevsky

Do I really see everyone as God intended them to be, do I see past their faults, their sins, the things that may bother me about them? Or do I focus on these negatives?

In his book "What's So Amazing About Grace?" (which I highly recommend), Philip Yancey talks about having "grace-healed eyes". It is only because of the grace that is ours through God, and it is because of the way Jesus sees us, that we are able to see others in the same way. Jesus, while on earth, saw people for the divine creation that they were, despite all the ways they fell short. The same is true for us; Jesus sees past the things that hold us down, and he sees the real person underneath. He chooses not to identify us with our sin, but rather sees the sin as something that doesn't belong, something that holds us back from truly being the people we're desinged to be. God longs to free us from sin, allowing us to return to our real selves.

I'm not one for New Year's resolutions, but one of my goals this year is to increasingly see people - to see everyone in my life - through "grace-healed eyes", to love people by seeing them as God intended them to be.

Take a Few Minutes to Pray

2009-01-07T07:42:00.000-08:00

I don't pretend to know or understand everything that is going on in Gaza right now, but I do know it is a serious, serious situation with major global and historical implications at stake. In addition to other current global crises (AIDS pandemic, food and poverty crisis), this is a situation that Christians across the world should be taking time to talk to God about.

Ultimately, we know God is sovereign, that he is in control. The judgment is not up to us for the actions of leaders and governments, it will be up to God in the end. In the meantime however, God tells us to approach Him with our desires and requests confidently. There is power in hundreds, thousands, and even millions of people coming together to ask the same thing of God, for peace and resolve and healing in these situations, for Him to work His purposes (which are always beyond what we can see) through these terrible events. I also know that I need to be doing more personally about these crises that threaten our world such as writing government officials and participating in peaceful resistance demonstrations.

There is a lot in this world I am uncertain about, a lot of things I don't understand. But I take comfort in the one thing I know will never change; that God is with us, loves us more than we can imagine, and that He will always be in control.

Happy New Year!

2008-12-31T12:57:00.000-08:00

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you," declares the LORD.

No matter how many times I hear this passage, I never get tired of it. I pray that this be true for you for the New Year; may you take this to heart for 2009!

Article - "Listening for the Voice of God"

2008-12-22T13:17:00.001-08:00

Here is the link to an article I wrote for the website: TheJustLife.org. Just go to the "featured story" towards the bottom left of the page.

The article is about how God speaks into our lives and how He has been doing so in mine during the past year. Hopefully you can relate.

Celebrate the Light!

2008-12-22T12:00:00.000-08:00

Along with all the happiness and joy during the Christmas season, it is also easy to begin to feel the weight of the world on us. But it is especially when we feel the darkness of the world weighing upon us that we should take the time to celebrate light. At times this life can feel like being in the dark, not even being able to see where we are going. In darkness, we can't find our purpose, can't find hope to hold onto.

If we want to find our way to the light, the first step is to admit that we are in darkness. Feeling the weight of the darkness and admitting our inability to find our own way out allows us to fully appreciate the light. This also allows us to help others find the light.

I believe the true meaning of Christmas represents all that is good and filled with light in our world. More than anything else, I hope that your Christmas this year is about the Light of the World, Jesus, coming to earth to save us from the darkness of sin and hopelessness. As the lights shine on our trees and houses, I hope they serve to remind us of the True Light in our lives.

With this in mind, take a moment to read the gospel of John, Chapter 1, this Christmas and celebrate the light.

Merry Christ-the Light of the World-mas!

Not Ready?

2008-12-16T13:50:00.000-08:00

Often times, things come up in our lives that we don't feel ready for. It might be a new job, a hurting relationship, an opportunity to forgive someone that has hurt us, a chance to reconcile a broken marriage, or a call to serve in a ministry. Whatever they may be, we all have things lying before us that we don't feel we are ready for. For me at least, I think these feelings stem from an underlying sense of inadequacy, which often leads me to fear the future. Unfortunately, I think we miss out on a lot in life because of these feelings of inadequacy, of insufficiency. Our fear often disables us from taking any action on the opportunities presented to us.

One thing I have been learning recently is that, in a sense, feeling not ready and not good enough is exactly the place where God wants us. God desires to work through our brokeness and inadequacy, but can only do so when we surrender our fear to Him. When we are right with God, we can be confident and at peace with who we are as we realize the worth that we have in the Creator's eyes.

In our pop-psychology-filled world, I believe self-esteem has become an over-emphasized concept. I believe a healthy self-esteem is necessary to be successful in life, but this can only come from finding our worth in God. We can't just muster up more self-esteem on our own. If we try to develop a high self-esteem apart from God, we will eventually just end up either disappointed in ourselves or become conceited and prideful. I think something important has been lost in society's quest to over-promote self-esteem; humility. Humility also seems to have taken on a negative connotation, being viewed in a degrading sense. We would do well to remember what humility is not. Humility is not having a negative view of ourselves. Humility is not beating ourselves up over mistakes we make. Humility doesn't mean that we have low-self confidence. Rather, humility means having a proper perspective of who we are in God's eyes, admitting that we are weak on our own. Humility always deflects the glory to someone else.

If we can harness the power of humility, it will promote a healthy self-esteem. Self-esteem then becomes a balance between humility (what we are incapable of on our own) and strength (what God is capable of through us). God's power is, afterall, "made perfect in our weakness". It is precisely when we don't feel ready on our own, when we surrender our lives to God, that we become empowered to face whatever is before us.

A scene from a recent movie gives a good picture of what I am talking about. At the end of The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, Aslan calls the kings and queens of Narnia to come and stand before him. When one of them, Prince Caspian, stays on a knee, Aslan tells Caspian that he too should rise to take on his responsibility as king.

"I do not think I am ready" says Caspian.

Aslan's responds by saying:

"It is for that very reason, that I know you are"

May we all humble ourselves in this way, letting God transform our fear into strength through our feelings of inadequacy.

Supernatural Love

2008-12-12T12:48:00.001-08:00

The pastor at my church made an interesting observation in his sermon last week. The sermon was about loving others deeply and increasingly. God calls us to love others above ourselves, despite circumstances, he said. This kind of love: a lasting, deep love that persists despite tough times, is not a natural thing for us. In fact, it is quite unnatural to love like this, to sacrifice ourselves for the good of others. Left to ourselves, the love we can offer in this life is temporary, fleeting, conditional and shallow, at best.

But because of the love God has for us, and because He loved us first, we are empowered to love beyond anything we alone are capable of. And since God loves us this much, because He unconditionally gives us grace and forgiveness and new life every day, we surely ought to love one another above ourselves. In response to God's love for us, anything less than sacrificial love for others would be selfishness on our part. The true test of love is time, and God has loved and will love us for all time, despite everything we have done to distance ourselves from Him.

Here are a few examples of practical ways to increasingly love those around you:

Love by...
Putting every person in your life on a new page...meaning to offer forgiveness and reconciliation to those who have hurt you in the past. View people in the light of their future, of what their potential is.
Love by...
Really taking the time to listen to people in your life. Learn about them, hear them out, and show genuine interest and care. Taking the time to listen to someone can change their whole outlook.
Love by...
Taking conversations with people to the highest level. Beyond shallow, small talk, take the time to talk with people about the things in life that really matter. Listen to and share dreams, fears, and passions.
Love by...
Befriending someone or helping someone you may not usually interact with. Find a way to show love to a homeless person, a person you don't get along with at work, a neighbor who gets on your nerves, a friend who you have been hurt by.

May God empower us to recieve His love through Jesus, respond to that love, and give that love to others.

Quote for thought

2008-12-02T08:55:00.000-08:00

I heard this quote a few months back from a South African pastor named Alan Storey, and heard it again today. I believe there is much power and beauty in this one sentence. I pray that we all take the time to reflect on what this fact really means for our lives:

"Jesus refuses to see us in the shadow of our past;
he rather chooses to see us in the light of our future."

Waiting

2008-12-01T13:20:00.000-08:00

Someone once described the process of waiting on God like this:

Instead of waiting in the traditional sense; not doing anything until something happens, is there another way to think about a period of waiting in our lives? Instead of doing nothing and waiting for God to do something, maybe we should be "waiting" on God like a "waiter" does at a fancy restaurant. Maybe we should be always attentive to our surroundings, always looking for an opportunity to serve and "wait upon" God and other people in our lives. Waiting on God with this mindset transforms the process into action, as we look for and take advantage of every opportunity we have to serve Him in the meantime, no matter how small it may seem at the time. God has a way of blessing those who are faithful with the small things.

What if God wants to transform us in the process of waiting on Him to move? What if, in the period of my life that feels like waiting for the next adventure to come, God is leading me on a journey of character?

There are a few things in my life right now that are up in the air; I don't know which way God will lead me and I don't know which things He will lead me to. I pray that as God prepares me for the next chapter of my life of serving Him, I can learn that in the meantime, I need to attentively wait on Him, serving Him and others around me in any way possible.

People like this make me thankful

2008-11-25T13:38:00.000-08:00

Here's a little guy that we can all learn from. With what seems the world collapsing around us, here is a young person with the courage, peace, and humility to live for something greater than himself, even in the face of death. Instead of wishing for a trip, Disneyland, or other wishes that would have been completely understandable, Brenden's dying wish was that the homeless people would be cared for. May we all be encouraged by Brenden in our hope for the human heart and spirit.

The best quote I read from Brenden was this: speaking of the homeless people he wanted to feed, he said "they're probably starving, so let's give them a chance, they're my friends."

Amen, Brenden.