September 2011
1 post
Uncommon Love
It’s funny, lately the books that I’ve been exposed to the most (not reading them yet, just in my radar and putting them on my list) have been all about being different - “Radical” by David Platt, “Weird” by Groeschel, even “The Cost of Discipleship” by Bonhoeffer has a core message of not letting things be easy (which, by definition, being normal...
January 2011
1 post
Moments to ask, "Who are you, and what are you...
There are two statements, one a truth and the other a question, that I have been trying to base my life around as of late (and mostly failing brilliantly). Neither of these are strictly religious or faith based statements (GASP! Heresy!), yet for me, there is no way to address them without the presence and totality of my faith. In fact, both statements push me to a deeper place of longing for,...
November 2010
17 posts
Never - I mean never - in my life have I had my feet pulled out from under me like I did today.
Never have I had such a radical difference between two days.
The enemy put out his best attack on me, and today I lost. I lost my passion, I lost my clarity. And worst of all I lost my peace.
If there’s any good in this day, it’s that now I can be more certain that the day before was...
A Spirit-led Future
I’ve never been as expectant, excited, and motivated to pursue what God’s spirit is leading me to.
And praise God - His spirit is moving me to a place of less of me.
I had not realized how far I had gone down the hole of Self. Self promotion, self service, self maintenance. I wanted all the right things, but for the wrong reasons.
But this weekend was a big turning point for me...
A Lesson in the Body of Christ
I learned a lesson in operating as the Body of Christ this weekend, and it blessed me beyond measure. It was a perfect example of a seemingly small role starting a great transformation by means of God’s spirit working through a team.
My role in the transformation seemed like nothing to me - all I did was say “hi,” show a student that I cared about him, and asked if he was...
Who do we think we are?
Who are we to think that our lives are even ours to divide up into “areas of life?”
Our whole self is taken, used, and purposed for the sake of something greater than little old us.
Nothing in our life is apart from God. Therefore, nothing should be, or really can be whole without an anointing from God. Accepting that and living accordingly brings joy, strength, and abundance.
What empowers us?
God works in ways I can’t begin to understand.
Reading back on things I’ve written down in my moleskine and some that made it on to here, a common theme was living for something more - that empowered life that simply needs to be accepted.
Then what do you know, Indiana State Youth Convention’s theme was “Empowered!” I honestly did not know the theme of the...
The Abundance and Power of a Backward Life
It’s hard for me to put this into words. I can mostly only express this to myself in a feeling or an inexpressible thought, or at best a body gesture or look in my eye. But goodness, there is this something that is absolutely unmistakable, and totally identifiable that bubbles up from my soul. Every day it captivates me, by no other explanation except that this something is not from myself,...
If there is bitterness, there can be no forgiveness.
Without forgiveness, there can be no healing.
Without healing, there can be no change.
May we never hold on to bitterness, so that we may eventually change and be changed.
Some thoughts of late that seem connected
So often I pray for things that, while it was not my intention, only exalt myself.
I pray for wisdom, discernment, opened eyes and ears of the soul, even spiritual greatness. All amazing things, but what was my motivation? To exalt myself.
This has been tough to stomach.
Still, I believe the life spent for Christ is an abundant and empowered life - so how is it abundant without exalting...
What is Marriage Really Supposed to be?
I know you could point at countless Biblical references to what a marriage should be like, but my question is this - Why do so many married, Christian couples settle for separate spiritual lives? Why could I ask most middle-aged Christian couples how their Bible study that they surely discuss, pray, work through together every day, and be met with the answer of, “We don’t have...
A Needed Change in Dialogue, a Needed Change in...
We always ask God to help us grow. But by growing ourselves, we become stronger, more capable, more able to be independent from God.
May we seek and pray not to grow ourselves, but to allow God to grow within us. From this, what comes out of us in action and thoughts and words will be less and less of us, and more of God, which is what we are called to.
I don’t know if when others have...
Let the children come to who?
Do I want students to love me, or love Jesus?
That’s not a question of which option is right or wrong - the answer is obvious.
What’s at hand is this - Have I been measuring my “success” by how much I am loved rather than how much Jesus is loved?
What does it look like for me to promote love of God, not love of Joel? Does it look different than what’s been going...
Something More
I have a hunger for something more. I’m tired of things that aren’t real - nice suits, comfy chairs, worship that is more like a concert - I want to be a part of something that is blatantly obvious it’s existence is one that needs God. It cannot exist without God. What good is anything that could maintain itself without close communion with God?
I feel so unsatisfied with...
“Very few people are committed to the idea that when they die, the world will be...”
– Jim Lyon
20-Somethings
Today, 20-somethings are consistently looking back at their church experience growing up and deciding that church missed the point… They start thinking about how church hasn’t taken care of social problems, the poor and needy, etc. I’m convinced this isn’t true. Maybe just as much an issue to them as the Church not taking care of the problems is that they weren’t...
“We are either advancing the rule of Satan or establishing the rule of God.”
– I don’t remember.
Zacchaeus
Jesus befriended Zacchaeus, the least liked guy in town.
Why? Maybe because he saw that inside, Zacchaeus was desperately lost… Looking for just one person to reach out to him.
But he didn’t want to show it, so he kept doing what he was known for.
God, may I and you other Faithful see through the facade people create.
Ezekiel 22:30
“I looked for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found no one.”
Lord, may I, your humble servant, be that man.
September 2010
2 posts
Wrong Tupperware lid
Ecclesiastes 2:11
I’m filling my life with things. Things that last a few days, and then I don’t care about them anymore (or at least for a while). This isn’t how I normally am, and I see myself doing it. I’m trying to fill something, I know that. And I know what that something is - so why, I ask myself, do I continue with this? How is it that I can know what...
In order to motivate people to change...
In a staff meeting this past summer, we were talking about how to motivate people (the congregation) to change gears, to move to a new vision. It was said in a video seminar that the first step in motivating people to change is to convince them that what is they are currently experiencing - be it format, actions, style, whatever - is not what is best. Not what they really want.
Sounds like...
