Attack
Christmas. A time to be with family. A time to reflect on the incredible gift of our Savior. A time to get away from work and the worries of the world for a few days of peace.
A time of war.
War? You bet. The thief and his demons are on full alert over the holidays. What better time to launch a counter attack than on the day we celebrate the birth of the Liberator?
I left Thursday afternoon for 2 days in Atlanta with my wife's family. That morning, I had a run in with a client. This disagreement had been brewing for a week or so and it culminated on Friday morning. The client emailed me and said, "Thanks for the fruit you sent. I'm sorry for our misunderstanding but we don't feel like you give us enough of your time. I've felt that way a long time and I think my wife does too. I may be wrong but I don't think so. Merry Christmas."
It completely blew me away. Totally. Where on earth did this come from? I've spent a great deal of time with this client and his wife over the past 3 months. We had a misunderstanding because I got put in beween my client and his wife. He told me one thing, she another. When I acted on what I was told, he told me I had misunderstood. I thought we had worked it out, then...this. On the Friday before Christmas as I was in Atlanta with in-laws, he pulls the plug on the grenade and drops it in my lap..."you don't spend enough time with us..."
I blew up. It took me out and I had a real battle on my hands for 24 hours fighting the demons as they attacked. Where did this come from?
Why now? Why here 2-3 days before Christmas right when I am shifting out of work mode and into family mode? Why now?
It was an attack - pure and simple. What better way to destroy a family but to launch an attack right as the holiday is starting?
I wonder how many faced similar incidents over the past week? Where does this come from? The enemy. The thief. He comes to destroy.
Thankfully, even though it really upset me, I recognized it for what it was. Rather than centering on my client, I centered on the enemy as the culprit. I called on the Savior to crawl out of His manger and save me. The more we work to recognize the battle, the more clearly we see the magnificence of that gift 2000 years ago.
Soar!
Tuesday, December 26, 2006
Friday, December 15, 2006
Where is the servant?
I saw an interview with Barbara Walters with Joel Osteen - listed as one of the 10 most fascinating people of 2006. No doubt, Joel has an incredibly "successful" church - it is the largest in the US, has a $75 million budget and an 18,000 seat church. Early on, I watched him and I liked what I heard. It made me feel good. He is attractive and polished and his wife looks like a model. But, after a while, something didn't sit right with me. His message week after week seemed to be the same - "Prosperity...God wants us to be prosperous". It seemed that was the only message I heard from him ... it was all about feeling good and being prosperous. The Walter's interview spoke of Osteen's booming personal wealth (his book has been a #1 best seller). When pressed on this issue, Walters asked him, "You talk a lot about money (shows a clip of him praying for the Lord to bless the audience with bonuses, raises, promotions) - do you think God wants us to be wealthy?" Osteen replied, "God wants to bless us in many ways and certainly wealth is one of those ways." Then Walters says, "You avoid the controversy in your preaching about prosperity - you refuse to address the issues of gay marriage, abortion, etc." That was it - he is avoiding anything that is controversial. It is "feel good" Christianity. He isn't challenging our lifestyle choices. It is all about prosperity - ours and his.
Earlier this month, I read an article in the Wall Street Journal about a watchdog group that audits ministries to make sure they are spending God's money where they say they are. The group found discrepancies in the ministry of Joyce Meyer in St. Louis. They dug up that her ministry has bought 5 houses, a private jet worth $6.5 million and expensive art work for her and her ministry and family to use. Ms. Meyer is unapologetic about the riches she has acquired. She spins a mix of down-home frankness and unabashed exuberance for wealth building. Her latest book is entitled, "Look great, feel great" (is that what Jesus talked about?). In 2005, her ministry had revenues of $109 million. No doubt her ministry does some great things in missionary work and in feeding the homeless and they have responded to the inquiries by selling off the houses. She cut her salary from $750,000 a year to $250,000 but changed the set up for the royalties from her books and tapes. Now these royalties run through a private company she owns. "It is kind of ironic" she says, "I am financially better off doing it this way. It is a blessing."
I am better off....(??)
Where is the servant? What are these ministries about? Enriching the pastor/ceo? Building wealth? Looking great, feeling great? Where is the servant?
I don't mean to be critical but there is a pattern here. It seems many of our "leading" pastors have abandoned what the Gospel says and are promoting ways to build a better life. They have tried to tie their message into wealth - to somehow proves God's pleasure in us by His blessing us with wealth. The more "pleasing" the message, the larger the flock grows. The larger the flock grows, the bigger the pastor's paycheck grows, the bigger the worship centers can grow...
Is that what Jesus did? Did he preach "pleasing" messages? Did he stand in the pulpit and pray for God to bless the flock with material possessions? Did he jet around the country in a private jet hawking books, CDs, DVDs just to have all the royalties run through his private company?
If anything in America, do we need to hear one more word about money? Is that America's problem...that we don't have enough money? Or, is it that we are way too focused on it?
Jesus spoke a lot about money but he didn't talk about how we can get more of it. He warned repeatedly about man's love/lust for money and the ruin it can create. We need to be very careful to what we listen to and the package it is wrapped in.
Soar!
I saw an interview with Barbara Walters with Joel Osteen - listed as one of the 10 most fascinating people of 2006. No doubt, Joel has an incredibly "successful" church - it is the largest in the US, has a $75 million budget and an 18,000 seat church. Early on, I watched him and I liked what I heard. It made me feel good. He is attractive and polished and his wife looks like a model. But, after a while, something didn't sit right with me. His message week after week seemed to be the same - "Prosperity...God wants us to be prosperous". It seemed that was the only message I heard from him ... it was all about feeling good and being prosperous. The Walter's interview spoke of Osteen's booming personal wealth (his book has been a #1 best seller). When pressed on this issue, Walters asked him, "You talk a lot about money (shows a clip of him praying for the Lord to bless the audience with bonuses, raises, promotions) - do you think God wants us to be wealthy?" Osteen replied, "God wants to bless us in many ways and certainly wealth is one of those ways." Then Walters says, "You avoid the controversy in your preaching about prosperity - you refuse to address the issues of gay marriage, abortion, etc." That was it - he is avoiding anything that is controversial. It is "feel good" Christianity. He isn't challenging our lifestyle choices. It is all about prosperity - ours and his.
Earlier this month, I read an article in the Wall Street Journal about a watchdog group that audits ministries to make sure they are spending God's money where they say they are. The group found discrepancies in the ministry of Joyce Meyer in St. Louis. They dug up that her ministry has bought 5 houses, a private jet worth $6.5 million and expensive art work for her and her ministry and family to use. Ms. Meyer is unapologetic about the riches she has acquired. She spins a mix of down-home frankness and unabashed exuberance for wealth building. Her latest book is entitled, "Look great, feel great" (is that what Jesus talked about?). In 2005, her ministry had revenues of $109 million. No doubt her ministry does some great things in missionary work and in feeding the homeless and they have responded to the inquiries by selling off the houses. She cut her salary from $750,000 a year to $250,000 but changed the set up for the royalties from her books and tapes. Now these royalties run through a private company she owns. "It is kind of ironic" she says, "I am financially better off doing it this way. It is a blessing."
I am better off....(??)
Where is the servant? What are these ministries about? Enriching the pastor/ceo? Building wealth? Looking great, feeling great? Where is the servant?
I don't mean to be critical but there is a pattern here. It seems many of our "leading" pastors have abandoned what the Gospel says and are promoting ways to build a better life. They have tried to tie their message into wealth - to somehow proves God's pleasure in us by His blessing us with wealth. The more "pleasing" the message, the larger the flock grows. The larger the flock grows, the bigger the pastor's paycheck grows, the bigger the worship centers can grow...
Is that what Jesus did? Did he preach "pleasing" messages? Did he stand in the pulpit and pray for God to bless the flock with material possessions? Did he jet around the country in a private jet hawking books, CDs, DVDs just to have all the royalties run through his private company?
If anything in America, do we need to hear one more word about money? Is that America's problem...that we don't have enough money? Or, is it that we are way too focused on it?
Jesus spoke a lot about money but he didn't talk about how we can get more of it. He warned repeatedly about man's love/lust for money and the ruin it can create. We need to be very careful to what we listen to and the package it is wrapped in.
Soar!
Thursday, December 14, 2006
And the world wonders "Why?"
There is an interesting book review in today's Wall Street Journal on the book "Unprotected" which is about the observations of a campus physician. For 200 pages, she tells of the suffering of young college women. She says cardiologists warn us about fatty foods, pediatricians encourage healthy snacks, helmets and discussion of drugs and alcohol. Everyone condemns smoking and tanning beds. Unfortunately, professionals refuse to address perhaps the most damaging activity a young woman chooses to engage in - sexual choices.
A girl, Heather, speaks about her intense bout of depression. The doctor presses her for a possible cause - she can't think of any and then she says, "Well, I can think of one thing: since Thanksgiving, I've had a 'friend with benefits'" (friend with benefits is the new lingo for someone you have sex with) Heather laments that she wants to spend time with this boy shopping and going to movies and says "that would make it a friendship for me." But the boy says "no" to all that because that would mean they are in a "relationship" and he wants none of that. Heather says, "I'm confused because it seems like I am not getting the friendship but he is getting the benefits."
Scary to say but this is the world we live in - the world our little girls are growing up in. And the world wonders why there are these terrible side-effects of this behavior. The author sees girls who can't sleep, who mutilate themselves and exhibit every symptom of psychic distress. Often, they have no idea why. "As these girls see it, they are acting like sensible, responsible adults: They practice 'safe sex' and limit their partners to 2-3 a year. They are following the best advice modern psychology can offer. They are enjoying their sexual freedom, experimenting and discovering themselves. They can't understand what might be wrong. And yet, something is wrong (amen to that). Sexually active teenage girls were more than three times as likely to be depressed, and nearly three times as likely to have had a suicide attempt, than girls who were not sexually active."
You see the lie in the world's "advice" on sex - "experiment, try many partners, find yourself and enjoy your freedom." Sounds a lot like Satan's advice to Eve in the garden - "experiment, try that fruit, free yourself from God's rules..." It is a lie. He is a liar. Unfortunately the "bright" minds of our world have embraced that "advice" and are spreading it and wreaking untold destruction on legions of young girls.
There are consequences of our sin. The bible is clear on that. Yes, God can and will forgive us but He does not take away the earthly consequences of our sin. Many times, that sin impacts others besides ourselves. These girls face real consequences for falling in under the lie. They face current health issues, suicidal thoughts and depression. Longer-term, they can be real consequences in their marriages.
God knows what He is talking about. "Flee from sexual immorality". Don't talk about it, don't negotiate about it, don't rationalize it...flee from it. Otherwise, there can be hell to pay.
There is an interesting book review in today's Wall Street Journal on the book "Unprotected" which is about the observations of a campus physician. For 200 pages, she tells of the suffering of young college women. She says cardiologists warn us about fatty foods, pediatricians encourage healthy snacks, helmets and discussion of drugs and alcohol. Everyone condemns smoking and tanning beds. Unfortunately, professionals refuse to address perhaps the most damaging activity a young woman chooses to engage in - sexual choices.
A girl, Heather, speaks about her intense bout of depression. The doctor presses her for a possible cause - she can't think of any and then she says, "Well, I can think of one thing: since Thanksgiving, I've had a 'friend with benefits'" (friend with benefits is the new lingo for someone you have sex with) Heather laments that she wants to spend time with this boy shopping and going to movies and says "that would make it a friendship for me." But the boy says "no" to all that because that would mean they are in a "relationship" and he wants none of that. Heather says, "I'm confused because it seems like I am not getting the friendship but he is getting the benefits."
Scary to say but this is the world we live in - the world our little girls are growing up in. And the world wonders why there are these terrible side-effects of this behavior. The author sees girls who can't sleep, who mutilate themselves and exhibit every symptom of psychic distress. Often, they have no idea why. "As these girls see it, they are acting like sensible, responsible adults: They practice 'safe sex' and limit their partners to 2-3 a year. They are following the best advice modern psychology can offer. They are enjoying their sexual freedom, experimenting and discovering themselves. They can't understand what might be wrong. And yet, something is wrong (amen to that). Sexually active teenage girls were more than three times as likely to be depressed, and nearly three times as likely to have had a suicide attempt, than girls who were not sexually active."
You see the lie in the world's "advice" on sex - "experiment, try many partners, find yourself and enjoy your freedom." Sounds a lot like Satan's advice to Eve in the garden - "experiment, try that fruit, free yourself from God's rules..." It is a lie. He is a liar. Unfortunately the "bright" minds of our world have embraced that "advice" and are spreading it and wreaking untold destruction on legions of young girls.
There are consequences of our sin. The bible is clear on that. Yes, God can and will forgive us but He does not take away the earthly consequences of our sin. Many times, that sin impacts others besides ourselves. These girls face real consequences for falling in under the lie. They face current health issues, suicidal thoughts and depression. Longer-term, they can be real consequences in their marriages.
God knows what He is talking about. "Flee from sexual immorality". Don't talk about it, don't negotiate about it, don't rationalize it...flee from it. Otherwise, there can be hell to pay.
Monday, December 11, 2006
The Perfect Dad
We all dream (or dreamed) for the perfect Dad. Men, women, boys and girls ... all have a deep need for a father. I can't speak for women too well but I see it in my wife. I see how even at 42, she still longs for her father. She needs her Dad to see her beauty, to marvel at her wonderful skills as a mother, to take her out for coffee and a talk, to take a real interest in her life and her kids - she needs a Daddy.
I see it in my daughters. There is something about a Daddy/daughter relationship that is very special. I am there and involved in my girl's lives. I am a presence in their lives. At a school play, church or at a basketball game, they will peer up into the crowd just to make sure Dad is there. Once we've made eye contact - they are fine. No need to look back again. Dad is there, just like always..."I can count on Dad. He is here for me."
Don't get me wrong, I'm not perfect but I am around enough to see it. I see their need for a father.
I see it in the grown men around me (and especially in myself). We all long for our Dad. Someone to talk to about our life. Someone to listen as we recount our struggles in work, or with our wives, or with our kids. Someone to listen and say, "I know son, I know...".
We go off into the woods, the lake or to the golf course in search of Dad. Someone to show a geniune interest in us. Someone to show us how a gun works, how to call up a turkey, how to find the bass lurking in the lake, how to be patient to wait for the big buck. Someone to walk beside us down the dirt road into the pine forest or down the fairway with his arm around our back saying, "I am well-pleased with you." Men long for a father to call them and say, "I am thinking about this business opportunity and I want you to come into it with me."
It is a very basic human desire to long for a father. God installed that desire in us. All those things we long for in a humanly father are there for the taking with the Holy Father. No, He can't show you how to shoot a free-throw or load a bolt-action rifle but He can walk with you into the woods. He can commune with you. He will listen to your struggles and He will say, "I know son, I know." He will say, "In you, I am well-pleased."
We all long for a father and The Father waits with open arms.
Soar!
We all dream (or dreamed) for the perfect Dad. Men, women, boys and girls ... all have a deep need for a father. I can't speak for women too well but I see it in my wife. I see how even at 42, she still longs for her father. She needs her Dad to see her beauty, to marvel at her wonderful skills as a mother, to take her out for coffee and a talk, to take a real interest in her life and her kids - she needs a Daddy.
I see it in my daughters. There is something about a Daddy/daughter relationship that is very special. I am there and involved in my girl's lives. I am a presence in their lives. At a school play, church or at a basketball game, they will peer up into the crowd just to make sure Dad is there. Once we've made eye contact - they are fine. No need to look back again. Dad is there, just like always..."I can count on Dad. He is here for me."
Don't get me wrong, I'm not perfect but I am around enough to see it. I see their need for a father.
I see it in the grown men around me (and especially in myself). We all long for our Dad. Someone to talk to about our life. Someone to listen as we recount our struggles in work, or with our wives, or with our kids. Someone to listen and say, "I know son, I know...".
We go off into the woods, the lake or to the golf course in search of Dad. Someone to show a geniune interest in us. Someone to show us how a gun works, how to call up a turkey, how to find the bass lurking in the lake, how to be patient to wait for the big buck. Someone to walk beside us down the dirt road into the pine forest or down the fairway with his arm around our back saying, "I am well-pleased with you." Men long for a father to call them and say, "I am thinking about this business opportunity and I want you to come into it with me."
It is a very basic human desire to long for a father. God installed that desire in us. All those things we long for in a humanly father are there for the taking with the Holy Father. No, He can't show you how to shoot a free-throw or load a bolt-action rifle but He can walk with you into the woods. He can commune with you. He will listen to your struggles and He will say, "I know son, I know." He will say, "In you, I am well-pleased."
We all long for a father and The Father waits with open arms.
Soar!
Thursday, December 07, 2006
Secular view on what I've been discussing...
Warren Buffett once said, "Life tends to snap you at your weakest link. So it isn't the strongest link you're looking for among the individuals in the room. It isn't even the average strength of the chain. It is the weakest link that causes the problem. It may be alcohol, it may be gambling, it may be a lot of things. When I look at our managers, I'm looking for people that function very, very well. And that means not having any weak links. The two biggest weak links in my experience: I've seen more people fail because of liquor and leverage. Donald Trump failed because of leverage. He simply got infatuated with how much money he could borrow, and did not give enough thought to how much money he could pay back."
So it is our weakest link that Satan looks to snap. Where are you weakest? Is it another woman? Is it pornography? Is it alcohol? Is it lust for power or money?
Find your weakest link and do what you can to shore it up. The Bible is clear on sex - "flee from sexual immorality". Jesus also spoke a great deal about our lust for money and things being the ruin of many a man.
Guard your flank. Look for your weaknesses and shore that area of your life up. If you can't do it alone, get some help from men you trust.
Soar!
Warren Buffett once said, "Life tends to snap you at your weakest link. So it isn't the strongest link you're looking for among the individuals in the room. It isn't even the average strength of the chain. It is the weakest link that causes the problem. It may be alcohol, it may be gambling, it may be a lot of things. When I look at our managers, I'm looking for people that function very, very well. And that means not having any weak links. The two biggest weak links in my experience: I've seen more people fail because of liquor and leverage. Donald Trump failed because of leverage. He simply got infatuated with how much money he could borrow, and did not give enough thought to how much money he could pay back."
So it is our weakest link that Satan looks to snap. Where are you weakest? Is it another woman? Is it pornography? Is it alcohol? Is it lust for power or money?
Find your weakest link and do what you can to shore it up. The Bible is clear on sex - "flee from sexual immorality". Jesus also spoke a great deal about our lust for money and things being the ruin of many a man.
Guard your flank. Look for your weaknesses and shore that area of your life up. If you can't do it alone, get some help from men you trust.
Soar!
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
Freedom came at the Cross - Abundant life comes via the resurrection
A friend has been struggling and I shared this with him...
I know satan is tugging at you big right now - that is why i wrote to you. It really helps to focus on the John 10:10 verse - "The thief comes to steal, to kill and to destroy. I come that they may have life and have it abundantly." Lean on that verse. When you get bent around the pole over something and that seething anger flies up out of nowhere - realize that is the enemy trying to take you out. When you feel those negative tugs, when you hear that voice that says... "You are a loser, you'll never get control of yourself..." realize where that is coming from. It isn't coming from God. That is the enemy trying to destroy you. It has helped me to lean on that verse every day when I am doing battle (and we do battle every day).
When I am tempted, it helps me to say almost outloud, "that is a lie - you are lying to me - you are a liar - get away from me". Without this, we can become a slave to our sin in total bondage. Where is there freedom in bondage? There isn't any. Christ came to free you. You are free. That is the Cross. We were freed at the Cross. But there is so much more to the story. The church is at fault for stopping at the Cross. Did you know for the first 400 years of Christianity, the Cross was hardly ever mentioned and it was not a symbol of Christianity? What they were so excited about was the resurrection. Lots of folks died on crosses back then - two of them died with Jesus that day. Nothing special about the cross per se. Yes, it is very important - crucial - in the story that Jesus sacrificed for us but it is the resurrection that is truly powerful.
You were freed from sin at the cross but Jesus came to give us life and give it to us abundantly and that is the resurrection. A new you, resurrected and powerful is the benefit of the cross. You are powerful because you have been freed. You don't have to live that old life. You don't have to hang onto your quest for perfection. You don't have to hang onto the incredibly overwhelming guilt you feel. You don't have to hang onto the wound you have in your soul due to your Dad walking out. Those are all real things but you are freed of them by the power of the resurrection and the promise of it.
God wants you to have an abundant life, free of the crap. It is yours for the taking. He gives it freely. Don't get me wrong, it isn't easy to do but it is there. The first step is recognizing that you are under attack and learning how to look for the signs of the attack and rebuking the attack when it comes. Remember, Satan would love nothing more than to totally take you out. He'll turn the dial up on the anger to see if it will blow you out. He'll throw another woman in your path. He'll try to trip you up with alcohol. He'll create havoc in your home with your kids. Anything to blow you up and take you out. Realize it is war and when you hear the whispers, throw that heavy burden off your shoulder. Let go of the expectations. Free yourself. Once you do, the path to an abundant life is right at your feet.
I am here to help you find that freedom and to lift you up in this battle.
A friend has been struggling and I shared this with him...
I know satan is tugging at you big right now - that is why i wrote to you. It really helps to focus on the John 10:10 verse - "The thief comes to steal, to kill and to destroy. I come that they may have life and have it abundantly." Lean on that verse. When you get bent around the pole over something and that seething anger flies up out of nowhere - realize that is the enemy trying to take you out. When you feel those negative tugs, when you hear that voice that says... "You are a loser, you'll never get control of yourself..." realize where that is coming from. It isn't coming from God. That is the enemy trying to destroy you. It has helped me to lean on that verse every day when I am doing battle (and we do battle every day).
When I am tempted, it helps me to say almost outloud, "that is a lie - you are lying to me - you are a liar - get away from me". Without this, we can become a slave to our sin in total bondage. Where is there freedom in bondage? There isn't any. Christ came to free you. You are free. That is the Cross. We were freed at the Cross. But there is so much more to the story. The church is at fault for stopping at the Cross. Did you know for the first 400 years of Christianity, the Cross was hardly ever mentioned and it was not a symbol of Christianity? What they were so excited about was the resurrection. Lots of folks died on crosses back then - two of them died with Jesus that day. Nothing special about the cross per se. Yes, it is very important - crucial - in the story that Jesus sacrificed for us but it is the resurrection that is truly powerful.
You were freed from sin at the cross but Jesus came to give us life and give it to us abundantly and that is the resurrection. A new you, resurrected and powerful is the benefit of the cross. You are powerful because you have been freed. You don't have to live that old life. You don't have to hang onto your quest for perfection. You don't have to hang onto the incredibly overwhelming guilt you feel. You don't have to hang onto the wound you have in your soul due to your Dad walking out. Those are all real things but you are freed of them by the power of the resurrection and the promise of it.
God wants you to have an abundant life, free of the crap. It is yours for the taking. He gives it freely. Don't get me wrong, it isn't easy to do but it is there. The first step is recognizing that you are under attack and learning how to look for the signs of the attack and rebuking the attack when it comes. Remember, Satan would love nothing more than to totally take you out. He'll turn the dial up on the anger to see if it will blow you out. He'll throw another woman in your path. He'll try to trip you up with alcohol. He'll create havoc in your home with your kids. Anything to blow you up and take you out. Realize it is war and when you hear the whispers, throw that heavy burden off your shoulder. Let go of the expectations. Free yourself. Once you do, the path to an abundant life is right at your feet.
I am here to help you find that freedom and to lift you up in this battle.
Monday, November 27, 2006
Wow !
The title of my blog is "Chasing the Adventure" and I've put a few posts up about my hunting adventure. I love nature and love being outside. The woods truly are God's sanctuary. It is amazing to sit and watch nature. My deer hunting is clearly "chasing the adventure".
I hunted a good bit over the Thanksgiving weekend. Friday morning a nice 8-point walked right up to my stand - 15 feet in front of me. I could have shot him but he was young and I decided to let him go. That was hard to do. I also saw a 4-point and 2 spikes.
Sunday - yes, I skipped church! - my area slowed down and I only saw 1 doe. I did watch a turkey and had a goose fly right over my stand through the tops of the pines. But, that said, my "rookie" instincts were telling me my days in the pines were at an end. I needed to move my stand.
I crossed over to the other side of this 1100 acres and followed a road down toward a small creek. There is a large ridge across from the creek and the bottom area is loaded with acorn producing hardwoods. It is an area I've always thought looked conducive to deer. I parked my truck and walked up to the edge of the creek (still in camo) and no sooner than I got to the banks of the creek than did a large 10-point come crashing down the ridge chasing a doe.
About 30 yards in front of me, he hung a sharp right and bugged out away from me sniffing/blowing as he chased her. A sniff sounds like loud, squawking, hoarse chirp of a really big squirrel. Man, what a rush. So I crossed over the creek and as soon as I did, a 6-point came down the ridge chasing the 10-point and the doe - running, with his tounge hanging out. He ran right up to me and stood about 10 feet away from me. We stared at each other for a minute or so and then I moved and he sniffed/blew and crashed across the creek.
I followed him down back across the creek and as soon as I was back across the other side, I heard something else coming down the ridge behind me. A nice 8-point ran right up to the edge of the creek. He stopped and stared at me for another minute and at one point, he stomped his feet in an aggressive move to tell me he was the boss. For a minute there, I thought I was about to be on the next episode of "When animals attack". Finally, he bolted off in the same direction as the big 10-point.
Wow! What a thrill. 3 nice buck in one 2 minute spell. I was totally captivated. Needless to say, I went back and took down my stand and moved it down into this creek bottom!
If I never kill a deer, I have had the time of my life "chasing this adventure".
Soar!
The title of my blog is "Chasing the Adventure" and I've put a few posts up about my hunting adventure. I love nature and love being outside. The woods truly are God's sanctuary. It is amazing to sit and watch nature. My deer hunting is clearly "chasing the adventure".
I hunted a good bit over the Thanksgiving weekend. Friday morning a nice 8-point walked right up to my stand - 15 feet in front of me. I could have shot him but he was young and I decided to let him go. That was hard to do. I also saw a 4-point and 2 spikes.
Sunday - yes, I skipped church! - my area slowed down and I only saw 1 doe. I did watch a turkey and had a goose fly right over my stand through the tops of the pines. But, that said, my "rookie" instincts were telling me my days in the pines were at an end. I needed to move my stand.
I crossed over to the other side of this 1100 acres and followed a road down toward a small creek. There is a large ridge across from the creek and the bottom area is loaded with acorn producing hardwoods. It is an area I've always thought looked conducive to deer. I parked my truck and walked up to the edge of the creek (still in camo) and no sooner than I got to the banks of the creek than did a large 10-point come crashing down the ridge chasing a doe.
About 30 yards in front of me, he hung a sharp right and bugged out away from me sniffing/blowing as he chased her. A sniff sounds like loud, squawking, hoarse chirp of a really big squirrel. Man, what a rush. So I crossed over the creek and as soon as I did, a 6-point came down the ridge chasing the 10-point and the doe - running, with his tounge hanging out. He ran right up to me and stood about 10 feet away from me. We stared at each other for a minute or so and then I moved and he sniffed/blew and crashed across the creek.
I followed him down back across the creek and as soon as I was back across the other side, I heard something else coming down the ridge behind me. A nice 8-point ran right up to the edge of the creek. He stopped and stared at me for another minute and at one point, he stomped his feet in an aggressive move to tell me he was the boss. For a minute there, I thought I was about to be on the next episode of "When animals attack". Finally, he bolted off in the same direction as the big 10-point.
Wow! What a thrill. 3 nice buck in one 2 minute spell. I was totally captivated. Needless to say, I went back and took down my stand and moved it down into this creek bottom!
If I never kill a deer, I have had the time of my life "chasing this adventure".
Soar!
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
Tempted?
Andy Stanley has a good sermon on his website www.northpoint.org on sexual temptation. It primarily deals with sex before marriage. It is a very good summary of why sex before marriage (and outside of marriage) is wrong. The culture doesn't want us to believe it but that is a lie.
He said a divorced woman approached him one time after he gave a similar talk to high school students and she basically said, "That was great and all but you are really just talking to the kids right? I've already been married. That doesn't apply to me ... does it?" He was at a loss for words and knew he had to come up with a one sentence reply that would stick with her. He responded, "Let me ask you this. Whenever you've had sex outside of marriage...has it ever made your life easier? Or does it just make things a bunch more complicated?" He said she teared up immediately and said, "It just complicates things." Of course it does because it is wrong. It isn't God's design and our world seems to have forgotten that.
Anyway, Andy has a great daily prayer he says and I want to share it with you. He ties it to the verse - "You were bought at a price. Therefore, honor God with your body."
"God, I surrender my hands, surrender my eyes, surrender my ears, surrender my feet to You today.
I want You to use this dying, decaying body to honor you somehow today.
I want to go where You want me to go.
I don't want to say what You don't want me to say.
I don't want to hear what You don't want me to hear.
I don't want to see what You don't want me to see.
I want to honor You in all I do.
Whatever the price for what I will miss seeing, hearing or feeling, I will pay to honor You. I will pay because I won't fall for the lie."
Short, sweet and to the point. It is warfare men. Put on the armor every single day and be aware.
Soar!
Andy Stanley has a good sermon on his website www.northpoint.org on sexual temptation. It primarily deals with sex before marriage. It is a very good summary of why sex before marriage (and outside of marriage) is wrong. The culture doesn't want us to believe it but that is a lie.
He said a divorced woman approached him one time after he gave a similar talk to high school students and she basically said, "That was great and all but you are really just talking to the kids right? I've already been married. That doesn't apply to me ... does it?" He was at a loss for words and knew he had to come up with a one sentence reply that would stick with her. He responded, "Let me ask you this. Whenever you've had sex outside of marriage...has it ever made your life easier? Or does it just make things a bunch more complicated?" He said she teared up immediately and said, "It just complicates things." Of course it does because it is wrong. It isn't God's design and our world seems to have forgotten that.
Anyway, Andy has a great daily prayer he says and I want to share it with you. He ties it to the verse - "You were bought at a price. Therefore, honor God with your body."
"God, I surrender my hands, surrender my eyes, surrender my ears, surrender my feet to You today.
I want You to use this dying, decaying body to honor you somehow today.
I want to go where You want me to go.
I don't want to say what You don't want me to say.
I don't want to hear what You don't want me to hear.
I don't want to see what You don't want me to see.
I want to honor You in all I do.
Whatever the price for what I will miss seeing, hearing or feeling, I will pay to honor You. I will pay because I won't fall for the lie."
Short, sweet and to the point. It is warfare men. Put on the armor every single day and be aware.
Soar!
Monday, November 20, 2006
The Rut
As I have posted, I decided to take up deer hunting this year. I've bird hunted a lot but never deer hunted so this is a new adventure. It is also filling a part of my life I've longed to enjoy. I'm drawn to the woods - always have been. Saturday after I hunted, I took my youngest daughter and her friend on a hike in the woods behind our house. We discovered a huge hard wood with the most glorious yellow foliage I've ever seen. We found deer prints, coyote prints and a few other critter prints down near Heiferhorn creek. We spooked a deer in the woods. We pole-vaulted over the small rain creeks (the girls loved that!) and pretended to be on a treasure hunt. We came back and took my black lab back to the creek to let him swim (his reward for being such a good dog). It was a blast. Yesterday, I went back down to the creek to take pictures of the tree and as I walking back through the fall leaves I commented out loud, "How can anyone not love being in a place like this?" The glory of God is man fully alive. I am fully alive in the woods.
Back to the hunt. I have been in my stand each of the last 6 Saturdays and I have seen a deer every time. But I've never seen anything like what I saw this Saturday. The "Rut" is in - the female deer are "coming in" and their scent is everywhere. White-tail deer are one of the most cautious animals on earth. They have extraordinary hearing and scent detection and they can run, when spooked, like the wind. Yet, as cautious as they are, when the rut comes in, they throw caution to the wind.
When I got to the land Saturday morning at 6am, 3 of my buddies were there. They are all very experienced hunters so I am learning a lot just by listening. When I got there, Rich came up to me and said, "You're gonna be amazed this morning. I was in here yesterday and there are big tracks all up and down the road where your stand is. You're going to see a lot of movement today...be patient. You might get a shot at a decent 8-point but wait and be patient because there are some monsters crossing back and forth in here chasing these doe." He was right.
About 8:30 a doe came into my view grazing over to my left. I immediately knew to start looking for the buck. Sure enough, he came in right behind her. A small 8-point - big enough to legally shoot but not big enough for our group's rules so I sat back and watched. He followed all across the pine forest right in front of me. At one point, he got tired and lay down to watch her. I had him in my scope, clear as a bell, lying there watching this doe. He was captivated by her and all his other senses were turned off. He had no idea his death was but a slight pull of a trigger away.
About 30 minutes later, another doe trotted into my left and ran all the way across in front on me - slowly trotting. Two minutes later, in came a small 4-point following her scent with his nose to the ground like a beagle tracking a fox. I wasn't going to shoot him so I decided to see if I could spook him...I barked, grunted, whistled and hooted to try to get him to look up as he ran past me. But he kept his nose to the ground all the way across the pine forest like a dog on the scent. As he got to my far right, he lost her scent and began to back track his way. He worked his way back 1/2 way across my line of site (directly in front on me) and proceeded to walk directly to me. At 15-20 feet in front of me, he stopped and looked at me and then decided to bug out and leave.
Where was the legendary caution? Where was the training of nature? His ears and nose for caution were turned off and all he was thinking about was that doe. There is a lesson in that for us. We can learn a lot from watching the rut. Trophy deer get taken out during the rut. They abandon their years of training and their natural skittishness and throw caution to the wind for the chance to mate with the prime doe. Very often, it gets them killed.
How many a man has abandoned all caution to grab the prize only to be taken down? There is a lesson in here for us.
To end on a good note, I saw another doe about 9:30 and then departed my stand at 10:15 and headed home. Rich called me later that day and we traded stories about what we had seen. He said he came out about 10:30 and as he was walking down the road coming up past my stand, he saw a monster 8-point chasing a doe heading right toward my stand. He said he kept saying "Shoot Richard, shoot!" He couldn't figure out why I didn't shoot until he got to the trucks and realized I was gone.
The good note is that 1) Rich was right - had I stayed patient and waited, I would have had my shot at a trophy and 2) There is a monster right there in my zone. Hopefully over the Thanksgiving holiday, I will get another chance at him.
Soar!
As I have posted, I decided to take up deer hunting this year. I've bird hunted a lot but never deer hunted so this is a new adventure. It is also filling a part of my life I've longed to enjoy. I'm drawn to the woods - always have been. Saturday after I hunted, I took my youngest daughter and her friend on a hike in the woods behind our house. We discovered a huge hard wood with the most glorious yellow foliage I've ever seen. We found deer prints, coyote prints and a few other critter prints down near Heiferhorn creek. We spooked a deer in the woods. We pole-vaulted over the small rain creeks (the girls loved that!) and pretended to be on a treasure hunt. We came back and took my black lab back to the creek to let him swim (his reward for being such a good dog). It was a blast. Yesterday, I went back down to the creek to take pictures of the tree and as I walking back through the fall leaves I commented out loud, "How can anyone not love being in a place like this?" The glory of God is man fully alive. I am fully alive in the woods.
Back to the hunt. I have been in my stand each of the last 6 Saturdays and I have seen a deer every time. But I've never seen anything like what I saw this Saturday. The "Rut" is in - the female deer are "coming in" and their scent is everywhere. White-tail deer are one of the most cautious animals on earth. They have extraordinary hearing and scent detection and they can run, when spooked, like the wind. Yet, as cautious as they are, when the rut comes in, they throw caution to the wind.
When I got to the land Saturday morning at 6am, 3 of my buddies were there. They are all very experienced hunters so I am learning a lot just by listening. When I got there, Rich came up to me and said, "You're gonna be amazed this morning. I was in here yesterday and there are big tracks all up and down the road where your stand is. You're going to see a lot of movement today...be patient. You might get a shot at a decent 8-point but wait and be patient because there are some monsters crossing back and forth in here chasing these doe." He was right.
About 8:30 a doe came into my view grazing over to my left. I immediately knew to start looking for the buck. Sure enough, he came in right behind her. A small 8-point - big enough to legally shoot but not big enough for our group's rules so I sat back and watched. He followed all across the pine forest right in front of me. At one point, he got tired and lay down to watch her. I had him in my scope, clear as a bell, lying there watching this doe. He was captivated by her and all his other senses were turned off. He had no idea his death was but a slight pull of a trigger away.
About 30 minutes later, another doe trotted into my left and ran all the way across in front on me - slowly trotting. Two minutes later, in came a small 4-point following her scent with his nose to the ground like a beagle tracking a fox. I wasn't going to shoot him so I decided to see if I could spook him...I barked, grunted, whistled and hooted to try to get him to look up as he ran past me. But he kept his nose to the ground all the way across the pine forest like a dog on the scent. As he got to my far right, he lost her scent and began to back track his way. He worked his way back 1/2 way across my line of site (directly in front on me) and proceeded to walk directly to me. At 15-20 feet in front of me, he stopped and looked at me and then decided to bug out and leave.
Where was the legendary caution? Where was the training of nature? His ears and nose for caution were turned off and all he was thinking about was that doe. There is a lesson in that for us. We can learn a lot from watching the rut. Trophy deer get taken out during the rut. They abandon their years of training and their natural skittishness and throw caution to the wind for the chance to mate with the prime doe. Very often, it gets them killed.
How many a man has abandoned all caution to grab the prize only to be taken down? There is a lesson in here for us.
To end on a good note, I saw another doe about 9:30 and then departed my stand at 10:15 and headed home. Rich called me later that day and we traded stories about what we had seen. He said he came out about 10:30 and as he was walking down the road coming up past my stand, he saw a monster 8-point chasing a doe heading right toward my stand. He said he kept saying "Shoot Richard, shoot!" He couldn't figure out why I didn't shoot until he got to the trucks and realized I was gone.
The good note is that 1) Rich was right - had I stayed patient and waited, I would have had my shot at a trophy and 2) There is a monster right there in my zone. Hopefully over the Thanksgiving holiday, I will get another chance at him.
Soar!
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
Ransomed
Les Miserables is a great story and the introduction is a fabulous picture of the Gospel. Jean Val Jean is a criminal. He spent 19 years in jail for stealing food. He finds himself out of prison, alone, with no place to sleep except a park bench. By chance (now really, are there any "chances" in the Kingdom?), a lady approaches him and says to him, "You haven't knocked on that door...knock there".
Ask, and it shall be given to you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you. Matthew 7:7
So Jean knocks on the door and the Bishop opens it. Jean says, "I am a criminal" and the Bishop says, "I know who you are, you are welcome in my home."
The Bishop takes Jean in, feeds him and gives him a bed for the night to which Jean says "A meal and a bed to sleep in - in the morning, I will be new man." Yet Jean is pulled by his old ways and he wakes up in the middle of the night and steals the Bishop's silverwear. When the Bishop stumbles across him in the darkness, Jean knocks him out and flees.
God offers and at times we knock Him to the floor, reject his offer of unconditional love and flee.
Jean is captured the next day and returned to the Bishop. The Bishop backs Jean's story and tells the police to let him go that he gave Jean the silver and wondered why he didn't also take the candlesticks he had offered him.
God's love outpours more than we can imagine...
Jean Val Jean is freed. The Bishop stares at him and says, "Don't forget, don't ever forget, you've promised to become a new man." (Born again?) Jean is speechless..."why are you doing this".
And then the key line, "Jean Val Jean my brother, you no longer belong to evil. With this silver, I bought your soul. I've ransomed you from fear and hatred. Now I give you back to God."
Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many. Matthew 20:28
It is a remarkable piece of art that captures so clearly the Gospel. Jean did not deserve the Bishop's grace. He spit on the Bishop and stole from him. Yet, he was forgiven. He was given the Bishop's most valuable possession so he could begin his life as a "new man" - free of the bondage he was facing. Even after rejecting him, knocking him down and taking his most valued possession - even after all that, the Bishop "ransomed" his life and "bought" him out of his slavery to sin.
Soar!
Les Miserables is a great story and the introduction is a fabulous picture of the Gospel. Jean Val Jean is a criminal. He spent 19 years in jail for stealing food. He finds himself out of prison, alone, with no place to sleep except a park bench. By chance (now really, are there any "chances" in the Kingdom?), a lady approaches him and says to him, "You haven't knocked on that door...knock there".
Ask, and it shall be given to you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you. Matthew 7:7
So Jean knocks on the door and the Bishop opens it. Jean says, "I am a criminal" and the Bishop says, "I know who you are, you are welcome in my home."
The Bishop takes Jean in, feeds him and gives him a bed for the night to which Jean says "A meal and a bed to sleep in - in the morning, I will be new man." Yet Jean is pulled by his old ways and he wakes up in the middle of the night and steals the Bishop's silverwear. When the Bishop stumbles across him in the darkness, Jean knocks him out and flees.
God offers and at times we knock Him to the floor, reject his offer of unconditional love and flee.
Jean is captured the next day and returned to the Bishop. The Bishop backs Jean's story and tells the police to let him go that he gave Jean the silver and wondered why he didn't also take the candlesticks he had offered him.
God's love outpours more than we can imagine...
Jean Val Jean is freed. The Bishop stares at him and says, "Don't forget, don't ever forget, you've promised to become a new man." (Born again?) Jean is speechless..."why are you doing this".
And then the key line, "Jean Val Jean my brother, you no longer belong to evil. With this silver, I bought your soul. I've ransomed you from fear and hatred. Now I give you back to God."
Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many. Matthew 20:28
It is a remarkable piece of art that captures so clearly the Gospel. Jean did not deserve the Bishop's grace. He spit on the Bishop and stole from him. Yet, he was forgiven. He was given the Bishop's most valuable possession so he could begin his life as a "new man" - free of the bondage he was facing. Even after rejecting him, knocking him down and taking his most valued possession - even after all that, the Bishop "ransomed" his life and "bought" him out of his slavery to sin.
Soar!
Monday, November 13, 2006
War
If it is the heart, then it is also war. We are at war. The battle is over the heart.
"There was a war in heaven. Satan, who deceives the whole earth, was thrown down to the earth and his angels were thrown down with him... he was overcome by the blood of the Lamb...Woe to the Earth and the sea, because the devil has come down to you, having great wrath because his time is short...and the dragon was enraged with the woman, and went off to make war with her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus." Revelation 12:7-17
There was war in heaven...
Satan was thrown down to earth as were his angels (demons)...
Woe to the earth because the devil has great wrath...
He was enraged with the woman...
And went off to make war with her offspring.
Satan is here. He is about making war with us and he is enraged. Pretty scary stuff. What does he rejoice in? Ted Haggard's fall. A man secretly trapped by pornography. An affair between a family man and a woman in his office. Greed taking over a man's decision making compromising his beliefs for the extra buck. A CEO seeking his own glory and riches ahead of the best interests of his employees and shareholders. All of these make the demons shout with glee.
I heard an interesting commentary about leadership - especially spiritual leadership. The speaker said, "You know the exceptionally bright, driven 25-year old employee who wants to be the CEO. He wants it bad. Yet, he is incredibly unprepared for that role. He is bright - no doubt - but he is immature. He isn't battle-tested. He hasn't seen the cycles to know when to expand and when to store dry powder. Those that crave power and responsibilty and leadership have no idea what they wish for."
Those that sit around and dream of becoming "the next Billy Graham", or the next spiritual leader of a church or community, have no idea what they are asking for. Satan prowls around looking for someone to devour. Who better than our spiritual leaders?
Satan came here to wage war. He is looking for men he can take out. Many a great leader has stumbled never to stand again - exactly the intent of the war. Take you out once and for all. Men, beware. Stand on guard. Watch your back. Watch the back's of your closest friends. Don't compromise. Don't let yourself get into situations where you can't escape. Be on guard.
The good news? "He was overcome by the blood of the Lamb."
Soar!
If it is the heart, then it is also war. We are at war. The battle is over the heart.
"There was a war in heaven. Satan, who deceives the whole earth, was thrown down to the earth and his angels were thrown down with him... he was overcome by the blood of the Lamb...Woe to the Earth and the sea, because the devil has come down to you, having great wrath because his time is short...and the dragon was enraged with the woman, and went off to make war with her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus." Revelation 12:7-17
There was war in heaven...
Satan was thrown down to earth as were his angels (demons)...
Woe to the earth because the devil has great wrath...
He was enraged with the woman...
And went off to make war with her offspring.
Satan is here. He is about making war with us and he is enraged. Pretty scary stuff. What does he rejoice in? Ted Haggard's fall. A man secretly trapped by pornography. An affair between a family man and a woman in his office. Greed taking over a man's decision making compromising his beliefs for the extra buck. A CEO seeking his own glory and riches ahead of the best interests of his employees and shareholders. All of these make the demons shout with glee.
I heard an interesting commentary about leadership - especially spiritual leadership. The speaker said, "You know the exceptionally bright, driven 25-year old employee who wants to be the CEO. He wants it bad. Yet, he is incredibly unprepared for that role. He is bright - no doubt - but he is immature. He isn't battle-tested. He hasn't seen the cycles to know when to expand and when to store dry powder. Those that crave power and responsibilty and leadership have no idea what they wish for."
Those that sit around and dream of becoming "the next Billy Graham", or the next spiritual leader of a church or community, have no idea what they are asking for. Satan prowls around looking for someone to devour. Who better than our spiritual leaders?
Satan came here to wage war. He is looking for men he can take out. Many a great leader has stumbled never to stand again - exactly the intent of the war. Take you out once and for all. Men, beware. Stand on guard. Watch your back. Watch the back's of your closest friends. Don't compromise. Don't let yourself get into situations where you can't escape. Be on guard.
The good news? "He was overcome by the blood of the Lamb."
Soar!
Tuesday, November 07, 2006
It is the heart...
It is the heart. The heart is what matters. We spend so much time and money on the body, the external, the view others see. We can polish up the outside and have everything looking perfect when the inside is rotting and decaying. The heart is dying. The world/Satan pitches in to help attacking us from all sides with the message of "conform or be castout". Sellout. "Just swear your oath to the king and we'll end the pain". When a man sells out - his heart dies. When a man accepts mediocrity and slumps into his lay-z-boy with a beer to dull the pain - his heart dies. When we dream great dreams and then say..."one day..." - a part of our heart dies.
But this isn't really what I want to talk about.
I have seen three incidents lately that speak to the heart.
I see a church of a friend at war with itself. Sides are being taken. Horrible things are being said. People are willing to "draw blood". Over what? "Things aren't the way they used to be, too much is changing." Nevermind that great things are happening for the kingdom - people are being saved, families are being healed, and even the budget is balanced. But oh no, folks are willing to totally rip the church apart due to egos, turf and control. The outside looks great but the heart is rotting and the damage could be catastrophic.
I see a school that is pretty on the outside. Beautiful new buildings are being built. Great things are being trumpeted about. The message is captivating. But parent after parent is beginning to say the same thing - "I wonder if anyone over there really cares about my child?" It is the heart. The outside is pretty but the heart is hurting. I sat with a mom this morning and she described the battle her 9th grade son is facing. He is an exceptional - I mean truly exceptional - student and athlete. As she described his struggles in the classroom and on the playing field, she burst into tears and she said "I just get the feeling none of them care - truly care - about my son." There are some sub-par teachers, counselors and administrators going through the motions working 8-to-4 with absolutely no passion for making a lifelong impact on children. But to the public, the message is "this is a truly outstanding place". It isn't the facade, it isn't what you say...it is the heart.
I see a business where the manager has done everything possible to pretty the place up. New carpet, new paint, new furniture, new sidewalks, new signs, bottled water and starbucks coffee. The "bling" is all there. The package looks about as pretty as it can. Yet, the heart is hurting. The people working there feel like "no one cares about me". The manager spends no time one-on-one with his people. He has made no effort to understand them or their business (the businesses that produce his paycheck). He cares about the external appearance but the business he is there to run is rotting beneath him and he doesn't even know it.
If you want to set the world on fire, if you want to change people's lives forever you go to heart. You can have the most outstanding school on earth in simple butler buildings if you get the heart right. A church can move mountains if it has the heart right and it doesn't need a $40 million campus to do it. A business can prosper and flourish as never before if it gets the heart right. It is the heart. Get the heart right and prepare to soar.
Soar!
It is the heart. The heart is what matters. We spend so much time and money on the body, the external, the view others see. We can polish up the outside and have everything looking perfect when the inside is rotting and decaying. The heart is dying. The world/Satan pitches in to help attacking us from all sides with the message of "conform or be castout". Sellout. "Just swear your oath to the king and we'll end the pain". When a man sells out - his heart dies. When a man accepts mediocrity and slumps into his lay-z-boy with a beer to dull the pain - his heart dies. When we dream great dreams and then say..."one day..." - a part of our heart dies.
But this isn't really what I want to talk about.
I have seen three incidents lately that speak to the heart.
I see a church of a friend at war with itself. Sides are being taken. Horrible things are being said. People are willing to "draw blood". Over what? "Things aren't the way they used to be, too much is changing." Nevermind that great things are happening for the kingdom - people are being saved, families are being healed, and even the budget is balanced. But oh no, folks are willing to totally rip the church apart due to egos, turf and control. The outside looks great but the heart is rotting and the damage could be catastrophic.
I see a school that is pretty on the outside. Beautiful new buildings are being built. Great things are being trumpeted about. The message is captivating. But parent after parent is beginning to say the same thing - "I wonder if anyone over there really cares about my child?" It is the heart. The outside is pretty but the heart is hurting. I sat with a mom this morning and she described the battle her 9th grade son is facing. He is an exceptional - I mean truly exceptional - student and athlete. As she described his struggles in the classroom and on the playing field, she burst into tears and she said "I just get the feeling none of them care - truly care - about my son." There are some sub-par teachers, counselors and administrators going through the motions working 8-to-4 with absolutely no passion for making a lifelong impact on children. But to the public, the message is "this is a truly outstanding place". It isn't the facade, it isn't what you say...it is the heart.
I see a business where the manager has done everything possible to pretty the place up. New carpet, new paint, new furniture, new sidewalks, new signs, bottled water and starbucks coffee. The "bling" is all there. The package looks about as pretty as it can. Yet, the heart is hurting. The people working there feel like "no one cares about me". The manager spends no time one-on-one with his people. He has made no effort to understand them or their business (the businesses that produce his paycheck). He cares about the external appearance but the business he is there to run is rotting beneath him and he doesn't even know it.
If you want to set the world on fire, if you want to change people's lives forever you go to heart. You can have the most outstanding school on earth in simple butler buildings if you get the heart right. A church can move mountains if it has the heart right and it doesn't need a $40 million campus to do it. A business can prosper and flourish as never before if it gets the heart right. It is the heart. Get the heart right and prepare to soar.
Soar!
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
He came to bring us Life...
This is taken from John Eldredge's Daily email for today - ties in with what I wrote yesterday...
"The glory of God is man fully alive." (Saint Irenaeus)
When I first stumbled across this quote my initial reaction was . . . You’re kidding me. Really? I mean, is that what you’ve been told? That the purpose of God—the very thing he’s staked his reputation on—is your coming fully alive? Huh. Well, that’s a different take on things. It made me wonder, What are God’s intentions toward me? What is it I’ve come to believe about that? Yes, we’ve been told any number of times that God does care, and there are some pretty glowing promises given to us in Scripture along those lines. But on the other hand, we have the days of our lives, and they have a way of casting a rather long shadow over our hearts when it comes to God’s intentions toward us in particular. I read the quote again, “The glory of God is man fully alive,” and something began to stir in me. Could it be?
I turned to the New Testament to have another look, read for myself what Jesus said he offers. “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10). Wow.
That’s different from saying, “I have come to forgive you. Period.” Forgiveness is awesome, but Jesus says here he came to give us life. Hmmm. Sounds like ol’ Irenaeus might be on to something.
“I am the bread of life” (John 6:48).
“Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him” (John 7:38).
The more I looked, the more this whole theme of life jumped off the pages. I mean, it’s everywhere.
“Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life” (Prov. 4:23).
“You have made known to me the path of life” (Ps. 16:11).
“In him was life, and that life was the light of men” (John 1:4).
“Come to me to have life” (John 5:40).
“Tell the people the full message of this new life” (Acts 5:20).
This is taken from John Eldredge's Daily email for today - ties in with what I wrote yesterday...
"The glory of God is man fully alive." (Saint Irenaeus)
When I first stumbled across this quote my initial reaction was . . . You’re kidding me. Really? I mean, is that what you’ve been told? That the purpose of God—the very thing he’s staked his reputation on—is your coming fully alive? Huh. Well, that’s a different take on things. It made me wonder, What are God’s intentions toward me? What is it I’ve come to believe about that? Yes, we’ve been told any number of times that God does care, and there are some pretty glowing promises given to us in Scripture along those lines. But on the other hand, we have the days of our lives, and they have a way of casting a rather long shadow over our hearts when it comes to God’s intentions toward us in particular. I read the quote again, “The glory of God is man fully alive,” and something began to stir in me. Could it be?
I turned to the New Testament to have another look, read for myself what Jesus said he offers. “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10). Wow.
That’s different from saying, “I have come to forgive you. Period.” Forgiveness is awesome, but Jesus says here he came to give us life. Hmmm. Sounds like ol’ Irenaeus might be on to something.
“I am the bread of life” (John 6:48).
“Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him” (John 7:38).
The more I looked, the more this whole theme of life jumped off the pages. I mean, it’s everywhere.
“Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life” (Prov. 4:23).
“You have made known to me the path of life” (Ps. 16:11).
“In him was life, and that life was the light of men” (John 1:4).
“Come to me to have life” (John 5:40).
“Tell the people the full message of this new life” (Acts 5:20).
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
The battle for freedom
"The thief comes only to steal, and kill, and destroy; I came that they might have life, and might have it abundantly." John 10:10
There it is. Simple. The battle lines are drawn. The thief is out there - he has been there long before Adam & Eve. After he tried to overthrow Heaven, he was thrown out with 1/3 of the angels who joined him in his evil plot. Ever since, he has prowled around looking for someone to destroy and he first reappears in the Garden as a serpent whispering to Eve, "You don't need God, you need knowledge."
Even today, he is there (perhaps more so today than ever) - looking, prowling, sneaking...hunting. As I do all I can to sneak into my deer stand and position myself just right for the right shot at the right moment to take the prized buck down and out, so too the thief sits in waiting. He sits hidden, camouflaged, covered over...waiting. Don't kid yourself men, he sits and waits for the right chance to take you out. Be it another woman, alcohol, power, self-accomplishment, greed, you name it - all weapons are fair game to him.
And yet, there is Christ who came to give us life. LIFE. And importantly to give us life that we "may live it abundantly". What this says to me is He wants me to live life with a passion that draws others in. So often, we think coming to God means installing a bunch of rules on our life - "don't do __________". The church has done a disservice in this regard by encouraging a bunch of "don'ts" on man and by encouraging men to "be nice".
We wonder why the men are checked out in church and the reason is pretty simple, Jesus came to give us life and give it to us to live abundantly with great passion and enthusiasm and the institution has tried to smother that. John Eldredge visited a mega-church in Texas a few years back to do a seminar and went downstairs to pray. He went into a 3-4 year old classroom and noticed a sign in the corner that read "How to make God happy" and it listed 9 things...1) Sit still 2) Don't talk out of turn 3) Don't touch any other child ...
John said it made him so mad he wanted to throw a chair across the room...a bunch of "Do Nots". Right there at an early age the church is sitting on the passion of a child - snuffing it out. Conform. Behave. Be nice. The most holy are those that best keep the laws - those that are so in control of their life that they somehow sin less than others. Comply. And we wonder why the men are drifting off.
Jesus came to free us. He ransomed us from a life of captivity so we might have freedom. William Wallace when he was being gutted alive was told, "just pay respect to the King and we will end the pain"...in other words, give in, sell out. Refusing to comply he shouted his last words, "FREEDOM".
Erwin McManus says this, "This is how life is supposed to work - it's an adventure, a journey, a trek filled with uncertainty, excitement and risk. I am convinced there is a voice in each of us crying out, a confession waiting to be declared without shame, "I want to live!". We were created with a passion to live. So many of us have abdicated our passions for obligations, as if passion is a luxury for the young and we all must grow up. The drive to eliminate sin has more than contributed to the problem of passionless living. We have come to believe (let me interject that the perhaps the enemy has lied to us) that human passions are adversarial to God and corrupting in their nature. We've been taught that the solution is to restrain our passions with His commands. The result has been a Christian religion based on rules, rituals and obligations. When this is the case, Christianity is essentially like all other world religions - all of which instruct their follows to restrain their passions - this is the essence of Buddha - to exist without desire."
Is that what Jesus taught? That we should exist without desire? No! Whatever else Jesus came to do, one thing is clear - He came to set you free. God is not a warden; He is a deliverer. He so cares about your freedom that He was willing to be taken captive and crucified on your behalf just so you can run free.
Soar!
"The thief comes only to steal, and kill, and destroy; I came that they might have life, and might have it abundantly." John 10:10
There it is. Simple. The battle lines are drawn. The thief is out there - he has been there long before Adam & Eve. After he tried to overthrow Heaven, he was thrown out with 1/3 of the angels who joined him in his evil plot. Ever since, he has prowled around looking for someone to destroy and he first reappears in the Garden as a serpent whispering to Eve, "You don't need God, you need knowledge."
Even today, he is there (perhaps more so today than ever) - looking, prowling, sneaking...hunting. As I do all I can to sneak into my deer stand and position myself just right for the right shot at the right moment to take the prized buck down and out, so too the thief sits in waiting. He sits hidden, camouflaged, covered over...waiting. Don't kid yourself men, he sits and waits for the right chance to take you out. Be it another woman, alcohol, power, self-accomplishment, greed, you name it - all weapons are fair game to him.
And yet, there is Christ who came to give us life. LIFE. And importantly to give us life that we "may live it abundantly". What this says to me is He wants me to live life with a passion that draws others in. So often, we think coming to God means installing a bunch of rules on our life - "don't do __________". The church has done a disservice in this regard by encouraging a bunch of "don'ts" on man and by encouraging men to "be nice".
We wonder why the men are checked out in church and the reason is pretty simple, Jesus came to give us life and give it to us to live abundantly with great passion and enthusiasm and the institution has tried to smother that. John Eldredge visited a mega-church in Texas a few years back to do a seminar and went downstairs to pray. He went into a 3-4 year old classroom and noticed a sign in the corner that read "How to make God happy" and it listed 9 things...1) Sit still 2) Don't talk out of turn 3) Don't touch any other child ...
John said it made him so mad he wanted to throw a chair across the room...a bunch of "Do Nots". Right there at an early age the church is sitting on the passion of a child - snuffing it out. Conform. Behave. Be nice. The most holy are those that best keep the laws - those that are so in control of their life that they somehow sin less than others. Comply. And we wonder why the men are drifting off.
Jesus came to free us. He ransomed us from a life of captivity so we might have freedom. William Wallace when he was being gutted alive was told, "just pay respect to the King and we will end the pain"...in other words, give in, sell out. Refusing to comply he shouted his last words, "FREEDOM".
Erwin McManus says this, "This is how life is supposed to work - it's an adventure, a journey, a trek filled with uncertainty, excitement and risk. I am convinced there is a voice in each of us crying out, a confession waiting to be declared without shame, "I want to live!". We were created with a passion to live. So many of us have abdicated our passions for obligations, as if passion is a luxury for the young and we all must grow up. The drive to eliminate sin has more than contributed to the problem of passionless living. We have come to believe (let me interject that the perhaps the enemy has lied to us) that human passions are adversarial to God and corrupting in their nature. We've been taught that the solution is to restrain our passions with His commands. The result has been a Christian religion based on rules, rituals and obligations. When this is the case, Christianity is essentially like all other world religions - all of which instruct their follows to restrain their passions - this is the essence of Buddha - to exist without desire."
Is that what Jesus taught? That we should exist without desire? No! Whatever else Jesus came to do, one thing is clear - He came to set you free. God is not a warden; He is a deliverer. He so cares about your freedom that He was willing to be taken captive and crucified on your behalf just so you can run free.
Soar!
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
Wild at Heart
Having returned from Colorado and John Eldredge's Wild at Heart boot camp, I can easily say this was the most significant spiritual time of my life. I cannot yet put words easily around what all I took in. It was simply incredible - God used this weekend to open my eyes in ways that have never been opened before.
I see my life in an entirely new context - my life is part of a grand design. We were born into an epic. We play a key role in the "play" and the enemy is looking for chances to take us out. I understand spiritual warfare better than I have ever understood it after this weekend. I see now - clearly - the ways the enemy has been trying to take me out all through my life. I see the battle for my wife. I see her struggles and see how the enemy is scratching away at her, wearing her down, attacking her in an attempt to take her down and, as a result, take me down. Satan went after Eve in the garden - not Adam. I see that he will come after my wife.
I see my role in my daughter's lives clearly. I learned how to pray for them. Frankly, I learned how to pray in general. I've been a "hey Jesus, you're great, I need ________" prayer person. John taught me how to pray - how to get on my knees, call the Spirit in and do business with God.
I see spiritual warfare oh so clearly. We are at war. We were born into a world at war. John uses video clips from secular movies to make his points. He showed the opening scene from Saving Private Ryan - perhaps the single most intense, graphic movie scene ever filmed. When I left that movie years ago, I said "every American needs to see the first 10 minutes of this movie to fully appreciate what our forefathers did for our freedom." I now say, "every Christian needs to see those first 10 minutes because it captures - perfectly - the image of being born (riding the boats symbolizes the womb and the doors dropping symbolizes the birth) into a world at war". If you will remember that scene, as soon as the doors opened, the men were slaughtered.
Satan sits on the beach with a machine gun looking to take us out. He'll use whatever he can and play on our sin to drive us over the edge. Guilt, shame, competition, anger, a father who didn't meet our needs, lust, the internet, television, alcohol...you name it, all is fair game as a tool for the enemy.
Perhaps the driving point of this weekend is our critical need for a band of brothers to walk with us through this war and help us "unpack" the battles we are facing. No wars are won by a single soilder charging up hills. Wars are won by men banding together to fight the enemy and watch each other's backs. So it is true for the spiritual wars we fight.
I will write more - much more - on this. What a weekend! We hiked to the top of the mountain at YoungLife's Frontier Ranch to watch the sun come up over the Rocky Mountains. We rappelled down a 125 foot cliff. We prayed together. Men wept as they came to terms with the wounds on their hearts, the agreements they've made with these wounds and their desperate need for a Savior. What a weekend!
I soar as never before!
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
Chasing the Adventure (2 of them)
I named my blog "Chasing the Adventure". As the fall sets in, I am starting to chase 2 new adventures. Thursday, I leave for Colorado to spend 4 days with John Eldredge and his team for the Wild At Heart boot camp. This will give me a chance to hear John, first hand, teach Wild At Heart. We'll be at Frontier Ranch - the YoungLife camp - in the Colorado mountains. The forecast is for snow. I can't wait. If you have read any of my posts where I reference Eldredge, you will know how in tune I am with what John is trying to teach.
My second adventure is deer hunting (and I hope later in the season, turkey hunting). I've bird hunted a lot but I've never hunted for deer. I love the outdoors and feel one with God when I am in the quiet of the woods. Deer hunting gives me a chance to spend some quality time early Saturday mornings alone with God.
I didn't grow up in a family that hunted. My father never hunted. Neither did my brothers. Yet, this is always something I longed to do. I wish my family owned land and I wish my father had been a hunter/fisherman who would have taught me about the sport growing up.
While that didn't happen, I decided last year to do this myself. I didn't want to get to the end of my life and say "you know, I wish I had hunted..." I'm setting out on the adventure - I'm "chasing the adventure". A great friend took me to Barrows to buy my rifle and scope. He sighted it in for me and got me set. I bought a nice stand from Cabelas and 2 weeks ago scouted the land I hunt on and found a great spot to plant my first stand. There are signs all around my stand of deer activity and I spooked a big one that day near my stand. I'm ready to go.
Who knows if this will stick with me. I might hunt this season and never hunt again but the important thing for me is that this is something I wanted to do and I am doing it. No one is showing me how, I'm just going to do it and I am looking forward to my mornings alone with God in the stand watching his sun come up and seeing the forest come to life. Let's hope I get a shot at a nice buck while I am at it!
Soar!
I named my blog "Chasing the Adventure". As the fall sets in, I am starting to chase 2 new adventures. Thursday, I leave for Colorado to spend 4 days with John Eldredge and his team for the Wild At Heart boot camp. This will give me a chance to hear John, first hand, teach Wild At Heart. We'll be at Frontier Ranch - the YoungLife camp - in the Colorado mountains. The forecast is for snow. I can't wait. If you have read any of my posts where I reference Eldredge, you will know how in tune I am with what John is trying to teach.
My second adventure is deer hunting (and I hope later in the season, turkey hunting). I've bird hunted a lot but I've never hunted for deer. I love the outdoors and feel one with God when I am in the quiet of the woods. Deer hunting gives me a chance to spend some quality time early Saturday mornings alone with God.
I didn't grow up in a family that hunted. My father never hunted. Neither did my brothers. Yet, this is always something I longed to do. I wish my family owned land and I wish my father had been a hunter/fisherman who would have taught me about the sport growing up.
While that didn't happen, I decided last year to do this myself. I didn't want to get to the end of my life and say "you know, I wish I had hunted..." I'm setting out on the adventure - I'm "chasing the adventure". A great friend took me to Barrows to buy my rifle and scope. He sighted it in for me and got me set. I bought a nice stand from Cabelas and 2 weeks ago scouted the land I hunt on and found a great spot to plant my first stand. There are signs all around my stand of deer activity and I spooked a big one that day near my stand. I'm ready to go.
Who knows if this will stick with me. I might hunt this season and never hunt again but the important thing for me is that this is something I wanted to do and I am doing it. No one is showing me how, I'm just going to do it and I am looking forward to my mornings alone with God in the stand watching his sun come up and seeing the forest come to life. Let's hope I get a shot at a nice buck while I am at it!
Soar!
Friday, October 06, 2006
What is truth?
We are struggling with our school over the way they are teaching our kids. The work load is enormous - hours of homework and tests stacked one on top of the other. The school has significantly ramped up its pace in order to keep up with the other independent schools in the South. We've seen a disturbing trend in private education over the past few years. Schools are gearing themselves toward only the very brightest students. The push is on.
My wife and I wrestle with just what it is we want for our kids. We want our kids to be educated - but - we also want them taught values, character and integrity. We want them to work hard - but - we also want them to be kids. As a 10-year old, I remember coming home and playing in the woods, building forts, playing football and riding my bike. My 10-year old comes home eats a snack and does 1-2 hours of homework every single night. There is no play. There is no laughter. There is no downtime. There is no riding bikes with her friends. There is just school work.
Can't you see what is happening by just reading the above paragraph? The world is taking away, bit by bit, chunks of my daughter. A death by a 1,000 cuts. Is it any wonder our society is heading toward destruction? When a 10-year old is so stressed by her school load that she can't enjoy life itself? Jesus came to give us life. Life. And yet our world and our schools is slowing stripping life out of us.
The world is lying to us. The world haves us believe these things are important...Harvard, Yale, global competition, what the Indian children are doing, what the Japanese kids are being taught...if we don't run, if we don't push, our kids will fall behind. It's a LIE.
You know it is a lie when you fall into the trap and don't see a way out. I can't pull my kids out ... "what will everyone think?" or "what will they miss?" It's a lie because the schools are keeping up with the Joneses and the parents are following right along.
To boot, the school is teaching creationism and challenging kids by saying "you can't prove any of what you read in the bible whereas scientists can prove..."
The pros will tell you that advanced education is all about opening up the students mind. Challenging them to not accept the status quo - to reach and question their basic beliefs. It is about becoming "evolved". It is - in it's very basic sense - a lie.
Think about all the things we hear that go on in education today. God is stripped out. Harry Potter is being read. The occult is being studied. Godless teachers are telling children "you can't prove this..." Prayers are forbidden at school events. All in the name of "freeing" up the children to explore their beliefs. Freeing children up to "evolve". If you think about that...sounds a lot like what Satan whispered to Eve in the garden. "You don't need God...you need knowledge".
The world (satan) is lying to us. It is telling us "this is important". It flies in the face of God. Our kids are being taught/trained to go in another direction from God.
I am just coming to terms with what is going on around me and my kids and I don't like what I am seeing. More to come...
We are struggling with our school over the way they are teaching our kids. The work load is enormous - hours of homework and tests stacked one on top of the other. The school has significantly ramped up its pace in order to keep up with the other independent schools in the South. We've seen a disturbing trend in private education over the past few years. Schools are gearing themselves toward only the very brightest students. The push is on.
My wife and I wrestle with just what it is we want for our kids. We want our kids to be educated - but - we also want them taught values, character and integrity. We want them to work hard - but - we also want them to be kids. As a 10-year old, I remember coming home and playing in the woods, building forts, playing football and riding my bike. My 10-year old comes home eats a snack and does 1-2 hours of homework every single night. There is no play. There is no laughter. There is no downtime. There is no riding bikes with her friends. There is just school work.
Can't you see what is happening by just reading the above paragraph? The world is taking away, bit by bit, chunks of my daughter. A death by a 1,000 cuts. Is it any wonder our society is heading toward destruction? When a 10-year old is so stressed by her school load that she can't enjoy life itself? Jesus came to give us life. Life. And yet our world and our schools is slowing stripping life out of us.
The world is lying to us. The world haves us believe these things are important...Harvard, Yale, global competition, what the Indian children are doing, what the Japanese kids are being taught...if we don't run, if we don't push, our kids will fall behind. It's a LIE.
You know it is a lie when you fall into the trap and don't see a way out. I can't pull my kids out ... "what will everyone think?" or "what will they miss?" It's a lie because the schools are keeping up with the Joneses and the parents are following right along.
To boot, the school is teaching creationism and challenging kids by saying "you can't prove any of what you read in the bible whereas scientists can prove..."
The pros will tell you that advanced education is all about opening up the students mind. Challenging them to not accept the status quo - to reach and question their basic beliefs. It is about becoming "evolved". It is - in it's very basic sense - a lie.
Think about all the things we hear that go on in education today. God is stripped out. Harry Potter is being read. The occult is being studied. Godless teachers are telling children "you can't prove this..." Prayers are forbidden at school events. All in the name of "freeing" up the children to explore their beliefs. Freeing children up to "evolve". If you think about that...sounds a lot like what Satan whispered to Eve in the garden. "You don't need God...you need knowledge".
The world (satan) is lying to us. It is telling us "this is important". It flies in the face of God. Our kids are being taught/trained to go in another direction from God.
I am just coming to terms with what is going on around me and my kids and I don't like what I am seeing. More to come...
Wednesday, October 04, 2006
Teen Advisors
I had the honor to sit with members of the board of Teen Advisors yesterday to discuss the future of this wonderful ministry. I have previously served on the Board and they invited me back to "consult" with them on their future. We met for 2 hours and it was a great meeting. Men and women gathered around desperately seeking God's direction for this ministry.
Richard & DeeDee Stephens started this ministry 20 years ago. What a legacy! From a bunch of mothers sitting in a sandbox talking about how hard it is to raise kids to a ministry today that is reaching 300+ kids a year in Columbus area schools. Over 20 years, I'd guess that more than 5,000 kids have been touched in some way by TA. 5,000 kids! My 13-year old daughter was at Double Churches School this morning volunteering for Velocity (TA's ministry to the middle school). She witnessed and talked about peer pressure and standing firm in her beliefs. She is now counted as one of the ones touched by Richard & DeeDee's love.
This has been a labor of love for Richard & DeeDee. They have prayed, cried, sweated, anguished, trusted, leaned on, depended on and funded this ministry for 20 years. Richard is a successful businessman that has tithed from his business his money, time and love for TA. DeeDee is a mom that rolled up her sleeves and dreamed an impossible dream and made it happen. Most of us when our kids graduated and moved on, we would have moved on too. Not DeeDee. Her kids have been out of high school for a decade or more. She is grandmother 8 times over and is still in there fighting and sweating and loving for those kids. Our kids. My kid.
I feel most assured that the Lord is well pleased with how Richard & DeeDee have given so generously back to the Kingdom. What a sacrifice. What an example. What a labor and what a reward. 5,000 kids. Imagine the trickle down impact on 5,000 kids. Imagine the lives that have been saved. Imagine the good, solid marriages that are now in place because these kids got grounded and found the Lord through TA. Imagine the former TA's that are now teaching Sunday School, leading TA chapters, volunteering on YoungLife committees, raising their own kids in Godly homes and ministering in the workplace.
Man cannot quantify the impact. Only God knows. Again, I am sure He is well pleased.
So now, TA moves on. DeeDee is transitioning her Executive Director roll to Nick Cash. We sat and prayed with Nick and he wept because he realizes the big shoes he is about to fill. Please lift Nick up in your prayers.
Lastly, we talked about fundraising. It is hard for TA to raise money. Year after year, the budget is a challenge and a call to lean on God. We were struck by the realization that over the past 6-7 years - RiverCenter, CSU, Brookstone School, YMCA, PAWS, National Infantry Museum, the Library - that Columbus has raised more than $300 million for bricks and mortar ... building campaigns. $300 million. Yet, TA has a hard time raising $300,000 a year. People will give money to build buildings that in 100 years will be torn down.
TA builds lives. TA builds souls. TA is eternal and exponential in its impact.
Pray for Teen Advisors. Lift the ministry up and Nick Cash up and pray that eyes and ears and hearts will be opened across the city to meet TA's needs.
I had the honor to sit with members of the board of Teen Advisors yesterday to discuss the future of this wonderful ministry. I have previously served on the Board and they invited me back to "consult" with them on their future. We met for 2 hours and it was a great meeting. Men and women gathered around desperately seeking God's direction for this ministry.
Richard & DeeDee Stephens started this ministry 20 years ago. What a legacy! From a bunch of mothers sitting in a sandbox talking about how hard it is to raise kids to a ministry today that is reaching 300+ kids a year in Columbus area schools. Over 20 years, I'd guess that more than 5,000 kids have been touched in some way by TA. 5,000 kids! My 13-year old daughter was at Double Churches School this morning volunteering for Velocity (TA's ministry to the middle school). She witnessed and talked about peer pressure and standing firm in her beliefs. She is now counted as one of the ones touched by Richard & DeeDee's love.
This has been a labor of love for Richard & DeeDee. They have prayed, cried, sweated, anguished, trusted, leaned on, depended on and funded this ministry for 20 years. Richard is a successful businessman that has tithed from his business his money, time and love for TA. DeeDee is a mom that rolled up her sleeves and dreamed an impossible dream and made it happen. Most of us when our kids graduated and moved on, we would have moved on too. Not DeeDee. Her kids have been out of high school for a decade or more. She is grandmother 8 times over and is still in there fighting and sweating and loving for those kids. Our kids. My kid.
I feel most assured that the Lord is well pleased with how Richard & DeeDee have given so generously back to the Kingdom. What a sacrifice. What an example. What a labor and what a reward. 5,000 kids. Imagine the trickle down impact on 5,000 kids. Imagine the lives that have been saved. Imagine the good, solid marriages that are now in place because these kids got grounded and found the Lord through TA. Imagine the former TA's that are now teaching Sunday School, leading TA chapters, volunteering on YoungLife committees, raising their own kids in Godly homes and ministering in the workplace.
Man cannot quantify the impact. Only God knows. Again, I am sure He is well pleased.
So now, TA moves on. DeeDee is transitioning her Executive Director roll to Nick Cash. We sat and prayed with Nick and he wept because he realizes the big shoes he is about to fill. Please lift Nick up in your prayers.
Lastly, we talked about fundraising. It is hard for TA to raise money. Year after year, the budget is a challenge and a call to lean on God. We were struck by the realization that over the past 6-7 years - RiverCenter, CSU, Brookstone School, YMCA, PAWS, National Infantry Museum, the Library - that Columbus has raised more than $300 million for bricks and mortar ... building campaigns. $300 million. Yet, TA has a hard time raising $300,000 a year. People will give money to build buildings that in 100 years will be torn down.
TA builds lives. TA builds souls. TA is eternal and exponential in its impact.
Pray for Teen Advisors. Lift the ministry up and Nick Cash up and pray that eyes and ears and hearts will be opened across the city to meet TA's needs.
Thursday, August 17, 2006
Spiritual Battles
It has been a month since my last post. Wonder why?
About 6 months ago, I began to experience this great awakening in my faith. God was pulling together resources from a lot of angles and converging events in my life. In my first posts on this blog, I wrote of the excitement and energy I was feeling from my renewed relationship with God. I spoke of just getting a taste of it and desperately wanting to hold onto the freshness of my relationship.
The months went by and God presented a lot of exciting opportunities to me. Michael Harris and I took a bold step of challenging 20 men at Wynnbrook to read The Barbarian Way and join us on a new adventure. We met during the summer and had 10-12 men each week coming to our group. I was disappointed that 6-7 of the men we sent the book to never responded. I've run into a few of them over the summer and they have never even mentioned "hey thanks for the book and invite but I just couldn't fit it in..." They didn't say squat.
Our meetings went well but began to fizzle some later in the summer. We took a break to allow for vacations and when I returned I learned the consensus of some of the group was we should meet monthly instead of weekly. With that, the momentum we had building collapsed like a sail on still lake. This effort to reach men and energize them in their faith has ground to a halt.
10 months ago I was flat as a pancake but God woke me up 6 months ago and gave me a new charge to reach out to other men and start a ministry to them. 3 months ago I was hitting a new high daily. And like the sun coming up in the morning, you could have predicted what was about to happen...spiritual warfare was about to kick in.
Fastforward to today and the sail is flat and the ship is directionless. That said, today, I am kicking off phase two of this awakening. I am not going to crawl back under my blanket and hide. I am going to reach out, start over and get our group back up and running. We are going to do Eldredge's Wild At Heart (the video series) and we are going to push this question of "how do we awaken the passion in men for Christ?"
Pray for me and us as we once again try to Soar.
It has been a month since my last post. Wonder why?
About 6 months ago, I began to experience this great awakening in my faith. God was pulling together resources from a lot of angles and converging events in my life. In my first posts on this blog, I wrote of the excitement and energy I was feeling from my renewed relationship with God. I spoke of just getting a taste of it and desperately wanting to hold onto the freshness of my relationship.
The months went by and God presented a lot of exciting opportunities to me. Michael Harris and I took a bold step of challenging 20 men at Wynnbrook to read The Barbarian Way and join us on a new adventure. We met during the summer and had 10-12 men each week coming to our group. I was disappointed that 6-7 of the men we sent the book to never responded. I've run into a few of them over the summer and they have never even mentioned "hey thanks for the book and invite but I just couldn't fit it in..." They didn't say squat.
Our meetings went well but began to fizzle some later in the summer. We took a break to allow for vacations and when I returned I learned the consensus of some of the group was we should meet monthly instead of weekly. With that, the momentum we had building collapsed like a sail on still lake. This effort to reach men and energize them in their faith has ground to a halt.
10 months ago I was flat as a pancake but God woke me up 6 months ago and gave me a new charge to reach out to other men and start a ministry to them. 3 months ago I was hitting a new high daily. And like the sun coming up in the morning, you could have predicted what was about to happen...spiritual warfare was about to kick in.
Fastforward to today and the sail is flat and the ship is directionless. That said, today, I am kicking off phase two of this awakening. I am not going to crawl back under my blanket and hide. I am going to reach out, start over and get our group back up and running. We are going to do Eldredge's Wild At Heart (the video series) and we are going to push this question of "how do we awaken the passion in men for Christ?"
Pray for me and us as we once again try to Soar.
Monday, July 17, 2006
Let go of the past so you can move forward
More from "Chasing Daylight" by McManus...
One moment in the past continues to haunt every moment of your life. A moment in your history that steals from you all the moments in the future. To relive the past is to relinquish the future. If you are willing to let go of the past, then you are ready to step into the future. When you choose to remain stuck in a moment, you become incapable of seizing divine moments. If you're stuck in a moment, turn around, stop looking backward, and dare to look forward. Thre is a life that awaits you, an opportunity to explore and even create a future. Right now, this moment, put away the baggage from the past, shake yourself free from the fear of the future unknown. Right now, choose life - seize divine moments! God's greatest gift to you is that He calls you to be a pioneer, explorer, and even creator. There are things God does for you and things that God waits for you to do. The journey begins when you choose. Stop wasting daylight. Choose a life of meaningful adventure. When you do, you will live in the epicenter of God's activity.
This is a powerful text for me. I struggle to hold onto mistakes in my past. I've worried too much about what other people think of me. These have had the power to stop me from doing things I feel God is leading me to accomplish. Over the past 6 months, I've freed myself from some of the world's expectations for me and some wonderful new ministry opportunities have opened. I have a group of men at church that is bonding together and some new and powerful friendships are forming. We are sharing some of our deepest concerns and worries and we are finding strength in each other's struggles. This group started by men throwing off expectations and saying "I need this and I bet other men do also." This group started because men followed God's nudging and took a step of faith.
What is God calling you to do? What is it you are waiting on to get started? There are some things God does for you and there are others He waits for you to start. Get started. Live the adventure.
Soar.
More from "Chasing Daylight" by McManus...
One moment in the past continues to haunt every moment of your life. A moment in your history that steals from you all the moments in the future. To relive the past is to relinquish the future. If you are willing to let go of the past, then you are ready to step into the future. When you choose to remain stuck in a moment, you become incapable of seizing divine moments. If you're stuck in a moment, turn around, stop looking backward, and dare to look forward. Thre is a life that awaits you, an opportunity to explore and even create a future. Right now, this moment, put away the baggage from the past, shake yourself free from the fear of the future unknown. Right now, choose life - seize divine moments! God's greatest gift to you is that He calls you to be a pioneer, explorer, and even creator. There are things God does for you and things that God waits for you to do. The journey begins when you choose. Stop wasting daylight. Choose a life of meaningful adventure. When you do, you will live in the epicenter of God's activity.
This is a powerful text for me. I struggle to hold onto mistakes in my past. I've worried too much about what other people think of me. These have had the power to stop me from doing things I feel God is leading me to accomplish. Over the past 6 months, I've freed myself from some of the world's expectations for me and some wonderful new ministry opportunities have opened. I have a group of men at church that is bonding together and some new and powerful friendships are forming. We are sharing some of our deepest concerns and worries and we are finding strength in each other's struggles. This group started by men throwing off expectations and saying "I need this and I bet other men do also." This group started because men followed God's nudging and took a step of faith.
What is God calling you to do? What is it you are waiting on to get started? There are some things God does for you and there are others He waits for you to start. Get started. Live the adventure.
Soar.
Friday, July 14, 2006
Venturing out
A lot has been happening over the course of these past four months for me and I wonder, "What are you doing God? Where are you taking me?"
I'm a dreamer by nature and that isn't a bad thing but recently, I've felt God's pull to start putting dreams into action. I read from McManus' book Chasing Daylight last night and this hit me right were I am...
"Don't sleep through your dreams!" Ever heard that voice? It calls you like a temptress to abandon the monotony of life and to begin an adventure. It threatens to leave you in the mundane if you refuse to risk all that you have for all that could be. If ignored, the voice dims to silence. Yet every now and again, like a siren, she sings and begins to woo you back. She awakens within you dreams and longings you put to bed long ago. It is rarely a conscious action to choose to exist rather than to live. For most of us we are simply lulled to sleep. But there is no rest in this condition. To sleep through your dreams is to choose a life of restless nights and unfulfilled days. To avoid the pain of fear, doubt, and disappointment we have numbed ourselves from the exhileration of a life fully lived.
We are all haunted with the fear of living lives of insignificance, and we all hear the voice that tells us we can live the dream. Somehow, we know to play it safe is to lose the game. By definition and adventure is "an undertaking or enterprise of a hazardous nature." In other words, it comes at great risk and at significant cost. And life as God intends for you to live it is nothing less than an adventure.
God is calling me to an adventure. It will be exciting, scary and fulfilling if I seek Him all the way through the journey. Soar.
A lot has been happening over the course of these past four months for me and I wonder, "What are you doing God? Where are you taking me?"
I'm a dreamer by nature and that isn't a bad thing but recently, I've felt God's pull to start putting dreams into action. I read from McManus' book Chasing Daylight last night and this hit me right were I am...
"Don't sleep through your dreams!" Ever heard that voice? It calls you like a temptress to abandon the monotony of life and to begin an adventure. It threatens to leave you in the mundane if you refuse to risk all that you have for all that could be. If ignored, the voice dims to silence. Yet every now and again, like a siren, she sings and begins to woo you back. She awakens within you dreams and longings you put to bed long ago. It is rarely a conscious action to choose to exist rather than to live. For most of us we are simply lulled to sleep. But there is no rest in this condition. To sleep through your dreams is to choose a life of restless nights and unfulfilled days. To avoid the pain of fear, doubt, and disappointment we have numbed ourselves from the exhileration of a life fully lived.
We are all haunted with the fear of living lives of insignificance, and we all hear the voice that tells us we can live the dream. Somehow, we know to play it safe is to lose the game. By definition and adventure is "an undertaking or enterprise of a hazardous nature." In other words, it comes at great risk and at significant cost. And life as God intends for you to live it is nothing less than an adventure.
God is calling me to an adventure. It will be exciting, scary and fulfilling if I seek Him all the way through the journey. Soar.
Saturday, July 08, 2006
Take a risk - in life and in your faith
Sir John Templeton is one of the greatest investors of the 20th century (Franklin/Templeton Mutual funds). He is a devout Christian. He wrote this...
What is the risk in doing nothing? Certainly the choice to do nothing is your own business. But deep inside, every one of us knows we're meant to be active, and we know in what directions that activity should be aimed. What happens to air and water when they remain still, silent? They grow stagnant. They become a breeding ground for germs and disease.
Instinctively you know that doing nothing is resisting and avoiding the natural flow of life, because it's not the nature or design of the human being to be inert. You have too much power, too much energy in mind, body and spirit for that to be true. Unused, those gifts are wasted. So if you do nothing, never start, never step forth, never try, it's not going to be easy to remain at peace with yourself for very long. The longer you do nothing, the more you procrastinate, and the harder it is to talk yourself into doing anything positive and worthwhile.
What is the risk in doing something? You might not do it well. You might not like it. You might be wrong; it might not work. It might turn out to be a useless idea or effort. You might look foolish. You might waste time, energy, money. You might fail. Fear of failure is a paralysis!
Even if you try and fail, you will generate energies in the process that can create a new perspective for you, give you a new way of seeing things. Your experience gives you new knowledge and wisdom, and that is never wasted. And you know...you might just succeed. Even if you're nervous or afraid, go ahead and do the thing and see what happens. Say to your fear, "Yes, I know you. But I'm going to do it anyway." You've started down the road, and your momentum will gather. So start with the present idea and do something. More ideas will meet you on your way, and you will find yourself living fully alive!
Soar!
Sir John Templeton is one of the greatest investors of the 20th century (Franklin/Templeton Mutual funds). He is a devout Christian. He wrote this...
What is the risk in doing nothing? Certainly the choice to do nothing is your own business. But deep inside, every one of us knows we're meant to be active, and we know in what directions that activity should be aimed. What happens to air and water when they remain still, silent? They grow stagnant. They become a breeding ground for germs and disease.
Instinctively you know that doing nothing is resisting and avoiding the natural flow of life, because it's not the nature or design of the human being to be inert. You have too much power, too much energy in mind, body and spirit for that to be true. Unused, those gifts are wasted. So if you do nothing, never start, never step forth, never try, it's not going to be easy to remain at peace with yourself for very long. The longer you do nothing, the more you procrastinate, and the harder it is to talk yourself into doing anything positive and worthwhile.
What is the risk in doing something? You might not do it well. You might not like it. You might be wrong; it might not work. It might turn out to be a useless idea or effort. You might look foolish. You might waste time, energy, money. You might fail. Fear of failure is a paralysis!
Even if you try and fail, you will generate energies in the process that can create a new perspective for you, give you a new way of seeing things. Your experience gives you new knowledge and wisdom, and that is never wasted. And you know...you might just succeed. Even if you're nervous or afraid, go ahead and do the thing and see what happens. Say to your fear, "Yes, I know you. But I'm going to do it anyway." You've started down the road, and your momentum will gather. So start with the present idea and do something. More ideas will meet you on your way, and you will find yourself living fully alive!
Soar!
Monday, June 26, 2006
You don't think manhood is under attack? Read on...
Much of what we have discussed has been about manhood. I've talked about the "feminization" of the greater church and we've discussed the basic decline of men in America. I've read of a very scary scenario regarding black men and Islam. Islam is growing fast in the black community especially among the poorest parts of the black community. There, Islam is catching fire. Black men are drawn to Islam because it gives them a new purpose (to men who have no hope) and because it puts men far above women. The scary scenario started to play itself out in a getto in Miami last week. A group of black men, drawn to Islam, were organizing to "declare war on America". Clearly in Black America, manhood is under attack and it might lead to an all-out war on America.
But I am speaking of the attack on manhood in organized religion. I told my wife about the recent developments in the Presbyterian church over the weekend. This follows the news from the head of the US Episcopal Church (a female) regarding homosexuality. When we talked about it, my wife commented, "The end has to be near". Read what the Presbyterian's are saying...
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — The divine Trinity — "Father, Son and Holy Spirit" — could also be known as "Mother, Child and Womb" or "Rock, Redeemer, Friend" at some Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) services under an action Monday by the church's national assembly. Delegates to the meeting voted to "receive" a policy paper on gender-inclusive language for the Trinity, a step short of approving it. That means church officials can propose experimental liturgies with alternative phrasings for the Trinity, but congregations won't be required to use them.
"This does not alter the church's theological position, but provides an educational resource to enhance the spiritual life of our membership," legislative committee chair Nancy Olthoff, an Iowa laywoman, said during Monday's debate on the Trinity.
The assembly narrowly defeated a conservative bid to refer the paper back for further study.
A panel that worked on the issue since 2000 said the classical language for the Trinity should still be used, but added that Presbyterians also should seek "fresh ways to speak of the mystery of the triune God" to "expand the church's vocabulary of praise and wonder."
Besides "Mother, Child and Womb" and "Rock, Redeemer, Friend," proposed Trinity options drawn from biblical material include:
— "Lover, Beloved, Love"
— "Creator, Savior, Sanctifier"
— "King of Glory, Prince of Peace, Spirit of Love."
Early in Monday's business session, the Presbyterian assembly sang a revised version of a familiar doxology, "Praise God from whom all blessings flow" that avoided male nouns and pronouns for God.
On Tuesday, the assembly will vote on a proposal to give local congregations and regional "presbyteries" some leeway on ordaining clergy and lay officers living in gay relationships.
Ten conservative Presbyterian groups have warned jointly that approval of what they call "local option" would "promote schism by permitting the disregard of clear standards of Scripture."
Manhood is under attack even in our mainline denominations. Not only are we under attack but the FATHER Himself is under attack. So I guess if you don't believe you - as a man - are under attack, then you need look no further than the demoninations themselves. They've moved beyond attacking man to attacking God Himself. Our days may indeed be numbered.
Much of what we have discussed has been about manhood. I've talked about the "feminization" of the greater church and we've discussed the basic decline of men in America. I've read of a very scary scenario regarding black men and Islam. Islam is growing fast in the black community especially among the poorest parts of the black community. There, Islam is catching fire. Black men are drawn to Islam because it gives them a new purpose (to men who have no hope) and because it puts men far above women. The scary scenario started to play itself out in a getto in Miami last week. A group of black men, drawn to Islam, were organizing to "declare war on America". Clearly in Black America, manhood is under attack and it might lead to an all-out war on America.
But I am speaking of the attack on manhood in organized religion. I told my wife about the recent developments in the Presbyterian church over the weekend. This follows the news from the head of the US Episcopal Church (a female) regarding homosexuality. When we talked about it, my wife commented, "The end has to be near". Read what the Presbyterian's are saying...
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — The divine Trinity — "Father, Son and Holy Spirit" — could also be known as "Mother, Child and Womb" or "Rock, Redeemer, Friend" at some Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) services under an action Monday by the church's national assembly. Delegates to the meeting voted to "receive" a policy paper on gender-inclusive language for the Trinity, a step short of approving it. That means church officials can propose experimental liturgies with alternative phrasings for the Trinity, but congregations won't be required to use them.
"This does not alter the church's theological position, but provides an educational resource to enhance the spiritual life of our membership," legislative committee chair Nancy Olthoff, an Iowa laywoman, said during Monday's debate on the Trinity.
The assembly narrowly defeated a conservative bid to refer the paper back for further study.
A panel that worked on the issue since 2000 said the classical language for the Trinity should still be used, but added that Presbyterians also should seek "fresh ways to speak of the mystery of the triune God" to "expand the church's vocabulary of praise and wonder."
Besides "Mother, Child and Womb" and "Rock, Redeemer, Friend," proposed Trinity options drawn from biblical material include:
— "Lover, Beloved, Love"
— "Creator, Savior, Sanctifier"
— "King of Glory, Prince of Peace, Spirit of Love."
Early in Monday's business session, the Presbyterian assembly sang a revised version of a familiar doxology, "Praise God from whom all blessings flow" that avoided male nouns and pronouns for God.
On Tuesday, the assembly will vote on a proposal to give local congregations and regional "presbyteries" some leeway on ordaining clergy and lay officers living in gay relationships.
Ten conservative Presbyterian groups have warned jointly that approval of what they call "local option" would "promote schism by permitting the disregard of clear standards of Scripture."
Manhood is under attack even in our mainline denominations. Not only are we under attack but the FATHER Himself is under attack. So I guess if you don't believe you - as a man - are under attack, then you need look no further than the demoninations themselves. They've moved beyond attacking man to attacking God Himself. Our days may indeed be numbered.
A Father's Blessing
On Saturday, my daughter passed me in the kitchen and said, "Hey Dad, I left a message on your blog thing...pretty cool." I didn't think too much of it right away but later that night, I sat down to check what she had posted and I was deeply moved.
hannah said...
dad. the cool thing about God is that he uses ordinary people to do extrodinary things. God know that Mr. Hank was going to follow him the whole time! i love you! - hannah
She just turned 13 and became a Christian about 2 years ago. The youth group at Wynnbrook has been a God-send for her. School is tough on Hannah - lots of mean girls, lots of peer pressure, lots of kids with parents seemingly far more interested in their own partying than raising their kids -- it makes for a tough environment for a new Christian. Yet, she has the outlet of that youth group - a place she can escape the junk she faces daily at school and be uplifted in her faith. She missed several home football games (breeding ground for all kinds of trouble for 12-13 year olds) this fall to be with the youth group's Friday night events. I just can't put words on how special that group of leaders are in that youth group.
So as I read her post, I was moved by her faith. At 13, she "gets it". Wow! What a blessing that is for a Dad who loves his girls mightily.
On Saturday, my daughter passed me in the kitchen and said, "Hey Dad, I left a message on your blog thing...pretty cool." I didn't think too much of it right away but later that night, I sat down to check what she had posted and I was deeply moved.
hannah said...
dad. the cool thing about God is that he uses ordinary people to do extrodinary things. God know that Mr. Hank was going to follow him the whole time! i love you! - hannah
She just turned 13 and became a Christian about 2 years ago. The youth group at Wynnbrook has been a God-send for her. School is tough on Hannah - lots of mean girls, lots of peer pressure, lots of kids with parents seemingly far more interested in their own partying than raising their kids -- it makes for a tough environment for a new Christian. Yet, she has the outlet of that youth group - a place she can escape the junk she faces daily at school and be uplifted in her faith. She missed several home football games (breeding ground for all kinds of trouble for 12-13 year olds) this fall to be with the youth group's Friday night events. I just can't put words on how special that group of leaders are in that youth group.
So as I read her post, I was moved by her faith. At 13, she "gets it". Wow! What a blessing that is for a Dad who loves his girls mightily.
Tuesday, June 20, 2006
Following God's Nudging - My friend Hank
If you read my last post about Andy Stanley's sermon then this story will resonate with you. I work with a guy that has felt for some time God's call to the ministry. He has struggled with this over the past year or so and finally settled on God's call to start a new church in north Phenix City/Smiths Station. He has spent the past year+ reading, studying, outlining what he felt God was calling him to do. He has some very strong beliefs about the church and can back up his points with scripture. He feels the call to do some very unconventional things.
Problem is, he has a family to think about and financial needs. He knew that starting a new church was going to probably mean he'd have to have another "full-time" job until the church could get up and running. It would mean probably meeting in a house or a shopping center or store front until enough critical mass could be reached to build a building. His timeline was probably to start the church in the spring and hope to have enough folks to consider a permanent location in a year or so. His plans...
God had a different plan and just like in Andy's sermon, it was far greater than Hank could imagine. A few weeks ago he was invited to preach at a small church in South Phenix City with an elderly membership. He agreed to do it so he could get another sermon under his belt. About the same time a friend put him in touch with a principal in one of the P.C. schools. Seems there was a vacancy for a 7th grade math teacher. Hank's hope was that he could land that teaching job and that would give him a year of a decent salary and insurance and hours that were compatible with the plan to start a church. So he applied for the job.
Last week, he found out he got the teaching job - a perfect job to help him during the transition to full-time ministry. Meanwhile, the small south PC church liked Hank's sermon and began to ask him about possibly coming on as their full-time pastor. The church has 19 regularly attending members and they are old. He wrestled with this but decided to follow God's plan (vs. his plan) and agreed to meet with the membership. At the 2-hour meeting, Hank laid out his specific points for the call God had given him. Hank's challenge to the church was essentially, "Here is what God had laid on my heart and here is the vision I have for the church and here are the key points to God's ministry through me, I'll only come if you will agree to this upfront."
The church voted Sunday 19-0 to elect Hank as their new pastor paying him a good bit more than he expected. (God's provision)
So, all of a sudden, Hank has a teaching job with a decent salary - a job perfectly suited to the launching of his ministry. All of a sudden, Hank has the job as a pastor of a 200-seat, paid for church in South P.C. with money in the bank and a group of members hungry for a vision.
Hank heard God's call and took the bold (really bold when you think about all that was at stake) step of following God's call. Hank's vision was a church in the north part of PC. Hank's vision was a "make-do" start up church until enough mass could be obtained to build a building. God's vision was a paid for, 200-seat church in south PC surrounded by trailer parks. God wanted Hank right there and provided a total blessing to Hank for following His lead, His nudging, His inspiration.
Here is to Hank - a man after God's will. A man willing to throw off all the "you shouldn'ts" of the world to soar.
If you read my last post about Andy Stanley's sermon then this story will resonate with you. I work with a guy that has felt for some time God's call to the ministry. He has struggled with this over the past year or so and finally settled on God's call to start a new church in north Phenix City/Smiths Station. He has spent the past year+ reading, studying, outlining what he felt God was calling him to do. He has some very strong beliefs about the church and can back up his points with scripture. He feels the call to do some very unconventional things.
Problem is, he has a family to think about and financial needs. He knew that starting a new church was going to probably mean he'd have to have another "full-time" job until the church could get up and running. It would mean probably meeting in a house or a shopping center or store front until enough critical mass could be reached to build a building. His timeline was probably to start the church in the spring and hope to have enough folks to consider a permanent location in a year or so. His plans...
God had a different plan and just like in Andy's sermon, it was far greater than Hank could imagine. A few weeks ago he was invited to preach at a small church in South Phenix City with an elderly membership. He agreed to do it so he could get another sermon under his belt. About the same time a friend put him in touch with a principal in one of the P.C. schools. Seems there was a vacancy for a 7th grade math teacher. Hank's hope was that he could land that teaching job and that would give him a year of a decent salary and insurance and hours that were compatible with the plan to start a church. So he applied for the job.
Last week, he found out he got the teaching job - a perfect job to help him during the transition to full-time ministry. Meanwhile, the small south PC church liked Hank's sermon and began to ask him about possibly coming on as their full-time pastor. The church has 19 regularly attending members and they are old. He wrestled with this but decided to follow God's plan (vs. his plan) and agreed to meet with the membership. At the 2-hour meeting, Hank laid out his specific points for the call God had given him. Hank's challenge to the church was essentially, "Here is what God had laid on my heart and here is the vision I have for the church and here are the key points to God's ministry through me, I'll only come if you will agree to this upfront."
The church voted Sunday 19-0 to elect Hank as their new pastor paying him a good bit more than he expected. (God's provision)
So, all of a sudden, Hank has a teaching job with a decent salary - a job perfectly suited to the launching of his ministry. All of a sudden, Hank has the job as a pastor of a 200-seat, paid for church in South P.C. with money in the bank and a group of members hungry for a vision.
Hank heard God's call and took the bold (really bold when you think about all that was at stake) step of following God's call. Hank's vision was a church in the north part of PC. Hank's vision was a "make-do" start up church until enough mass could be obtained to build a building. God's vision was a paid for, 200-seat church in south PC surrounded by trailer parks. God wanted Hank right there and provided a total blessing to Hank for following His lead, His nudging, His inspiration.
Here is to Hank - a man after God's will. A man willing to throw off all the "you shouldn'ts" of the world to soar.
Friday, June 16, 2006
God wants us to trust him
I heard a great sermon by Andy Stanley www.northpoint.org on faith and want to share a quick summary. It challenged me to pay better attention to those nudgings I get from God.
"I really believe God is nudging me to do _________________..." (what comes next?)
We struggle with this - my job, my money, my status, etc. "If I do this thing I feel God is nudging me to do, I might have to part with _____________ and I'm not really sure I can let go of it just yet." We hesitate to follow the call of Jesus because we are afraid of what it might cost us (money, reputation, failure) yet whatever I tend to withhold from God, what I fail to surrender as it turns out, God is not interested in. He isn't interested in controlling you or making you miserable, He is interested in making you better. Consider this...
Jesus is preaching to a crowd (Luke 5:5) and Peter is nearby cleaning up his nets after a long night of fishing. Peter is in the family business, he is a fisherman doing what he thinks he is supposed to be doing. As the crowd grows, Jesus winds up down by the water and asks Peter to push his boat offshore. He then asks Peter to do something really risky - to go out into the deep water and put out his nets (the very nets he has just spent hours cleaning and rolling up after a long night of work). This is risky. The crowd on the shore could very well have laughed at Peter - his reputation as a businessman was on the line.
Peter gave Jesus some info (as if He needed it), "we've worked long and hard...." Sort of like our saying, "Yes but God, I can't quit this job and follow your lead, I have my reputation in the community, I have this mortgage..." But after arguing with Jesus for a moment, Peter does something extraordinary and essentially says, "God you are nudging me to do something and if I follow you, it seems like such a high price to pay and this just doesn't make sense to me...but because You asked, I will do it".
As you know, Peter puts his nets out and in the heat of the day catches so many fish that his nets begin to break. He calls over another boat and it fills with so many fish that it starts to sink.
We mistakenly think the value of what we are holding onto is the issue...it's not. The issue is faith.
God isn't interested in taking things away from us (think back to when you were not a Christian and you didn't want to "sign up" because you thought being a Christian meant you had to give up all that was fun) - God isn't interested in controlling us - He is interested in making us better.
Steps of faith often require us to give something up. What Jesus wants is not the thing we give up, He wants us to have the faith to follow Him. In Peter's case, He rewarded his act of faith with a bounty of fish so great that it filled two boats and ultimately led to Peter becoming a "fisher of men" and the rock of the Church. Just an ordinary fisherman minding his own business took a step of faith and followed Jesus and oh, how he was rewarded.
Soar.
I heard a great sermon by Andy Stanley www.northpoint.org on faith and want to share a quick summary. It challenged me to pay better attention to those nudgings I get from God.
"I really believe God is nudging me to do _________________..." (what comes next?)
We struggle with this - my job, my money, my status, etc. "If I do this thing I feel God is nudging me to do, I might have to part with _____________ and I'm not really sure I can let go of it just yet." We hesitate to follow the call of Jesus because we are afraid of what it might cost us (money, reputation, failure) yet whatever I tend to withhold from God, what I fail to surrender as it turns out, God is not interested in. He isn't interested in controlling you or making you miserable, He is interested in making you better. Consider this...
Jesus is preaching to a crowd (Luke 5:5) and Peter is nearby cleaning up his nets after a long night of fishing. Peter is in the family business, he is a fisherman doing what he thinks he is supposed to be doing. As the crowd grows, Jesus winds up down by the water and asks Peter to push his boat offshore. He then asks Peter to do something really risky - to go out into the deep water and put out his nets (the very nets he has just spent hours cleaning and rolling up after a long night of work). This is risky. The crowd on the shore could very well have laughed at Peter - his reputation as a businessman was on the line.
Peter gave Jesus some info (as if He needed it), "we've worked long and hard...." Sort of like our saying, "Yes but God, I can't quit this job and follow your lead, I have my reputation in the community, I have this mortgage..." But after arguing with Jesus for a moment, Peter does something extraordinary and essentially says, "God you are nudging me to do something and if I follow you, it seems like such a high price to pay and this just doesn't make sense to me...but because You asked, I will do it".
As you know, Peter puts his nets out and in the heat of the day catches so many fish that his nets begin to break. He calls over another boat and it fills with so many fish that it starts to sink.
We mistakenly think the value of what we are holding onto is the issue...it's not. The issue is faith.
God isn't interested in taking things away from us (think back to when you were not a Christian and you didn't want to "sign up" because you thought being a Christian meant you had to give up all that was fun) - God isn't interested in controlling us - He is interested in making us better.
Steps of faith often require us to give something up. What Jesus wants is not the thing we give up, He wants us to have the faith to follow Him. In Peter's case, He rewarded his act of faith with a bounty of fish so great that it filled two boats and ultimately led to Peter becoming a "fisher of men" and the rock of the Church. Just an ordinary fisherman minding his own business took a step of faith and followed Jesus and oh, how he was rewarded.
Soar.
Monday, June 12, 2006
UPRISING
I got another book by Erwin McManus called Uprising. I'm about 30 pages into it and I like what I am reading. Consider this. "This is how life is supposed to work. It's an adventure, a journey, a trek filled with uncertainty, excitement, and risk. One bad or painful experience can cause you to remain on the banks (of the river). But when you do, you neither move forward nor backwards; there you sit, just watching life go by." For the men that might read this and those in the Wynnbrook "uprising" that has started -- this is why I am doing this...I am tired of the boredom of my Christianity. God is a strong, wild river and I don't want to sit on the safety of the banks watching God roar by. I want in. I want to live. God called me (and you) for so much more than safety. He called us to do something with us. We are troops in His kingdom. He has a bold purpose for us. I feel God calling me (us) to stand up and dream. To move forward with bold purpose. Consider one of my favorite quotes of all time...
"Some men see things as they are and ask why. I dream things that never were and ask, why not?"
McManus continues, "So many of us have abdicated our passions for obligations, as if passion is a luxury for the young, and we must all grow up one day. We, even if reluctantly, fall into place to live a life of conformity that we describe as "maturity." We've made acting like adults synonymous with living apathetic lives. If apathy is adulthood and passion is childish, then I understand all the more the words of Jesus when He said that to enter His kingdom we must come as little children."
This is about a passionate dream of what a real, vibrant relationship with Jesus can be and throwing off the things that stop us from pursuing Him. It is about dreaming what we want from a men's group and making that happen. It is about moving FORWARD.
I got another book by Erwin McManus called Uprising. I'm about 30 pages into it and I like what I am reading. Consider this. "This is how life is supposed to work. It's an adventure, a journey, a trek filled with uncertainty, excitement, and risk. One bad or painful experience can cause you to remain on the banks (of the river). But when you do, you neither move forward nor backwards; there you sit, just watching life go by." For the men that might read this and those in the Wynnbrook "uprising" that has started -- this is why I am doing this...I am tired of the boredom of my Christianity. God is a strong, wild river and I don't want to sit on the safety of the banks watching God roar by. I want in. I want to live. God called me (and you) for so much more than safety. He called us to do something with us. We are troops in His kingdom. He has a bold purpose for us. I feel God calling me (us) to stand up and dream. To move forward with bold purpose. Consider one of my favorite quotes of all time...
"Some men see things as they are and ask why. I dream things that never were and ask, why not?"
McManus continues, "So many of us have abdicated our passions for obligations, as if passion is a luxury for the young, and we must all grow up one day. We, even if reluctantly, fall into place to live a life of conformity that we describe as "maturity." We've made acting like adults synonymous with living apathetic lives. If apathy is adulthood and passion is childish, then I understand all the more the words of Jesus when He said that to enter His kingdom we must come as little children."
This is about a passionate dream of what a real, vibrant relationship with Jesus can be and throwing off the things that stop us from pursuing Him. It is about dreaming what we want from a men's group and making that happen. It is about moving FORWARD.
Wednesday, June 07, 2006
Point of View
Life depends on your point of view. Many of us suffer from the tyranny of the urgent. We are so busy that we miss the point of life. We have our "wants" and we seek to have them met. We run so hard that we miss the entire point of the walk Christ has given us to reach others for His kingdom.
Last night, Shannon and I had a free night. Our oldest daughter left for the Souled-Out beach retreat and our youngest daughter spent the night out. So we had a free night. I rode my bike yesterday for the first time this year (shame on me) and was starving because my only lunch was a power bar. We stopped by a neighbor's house on the way out of the neighborhood. Shannon had been trying to work with this neighbor on association issues. Shannon was trying to make the situation better and walked into a buzz-saw. I stayed in the car because selfishly, I was ready to eat. I could see her inside the house talking and talking. It took forever. The longer it went on, the madder I got. Little did I know that she was under attack in the house for trying to do the right thing. She needed me by her side and I was too busy focused on my needs to meet hers. How often do we do this?
On the way to dinner, she cried and told me what happened. I was a jerk to not be in there with her but I wanted my needs met. We went to Carrabbas to spend some coupons and the meal wasn't great. I don't much care for their food (again, "my" needs).
But here is the point -- and it is real powerful. When we left the building walking to my truck, we passed a couple and their small girl in a wheelchair. The husband walked up to the wife and gave her a big hug and said "dinner was great honey, happy birthday". With that, this angel of a little girl had her face light up and she shouted with glee, "Daddy, I want a happy birthday hug too" and she whipped her wheelchair over to her Mom and Dad to get her hug. The look on her face was unforgettable. Priceless. Stunning. Deathly convicting.
Dadgum it men, WHAT ON EARTH ARE WE DOING??? God shook me like a pine tree during a raging thunderstorm last night. There in all my needs and wants, God showed me a true want. A little girl with withered legs slayed my evil spirit right there in that parking lot. I, who have all any man could want, was taught a powerful lesson by a little girl who would pay millions just for chance to walk across a Carrabba's parking lot. Even though she "wanted" to walk, her true want was a hug from her Daddy. Shame on me.
This is what I am talking about in all these blogs. The tyranny of the urgent makes us act like jerks because we don't get what we want when all along what we truly want is sitting right there under our fat noses. God is calling us to so much more than "being too busy" to play a game with our kids or sit and listen to our wives or reach out to that man at work whose life is coming apart. God is calling you and I to soar.
Life depends on your point of view. Many of us suffer from the tyranny of the urgent. We are so busy that we miss the point of life. We have our "wants" and we seek to have them met. We run so hard that we miss the entire point of the walk Christ has given us to reach others for His kingdom.
Last night, Shannon and I had a free night. Our oldest daughter left for the Souled-Out beach retreat and our youngest daughter spent the night out. So we had a free night. I rode my bike yesterday for the first time this year (shame on me) and was starving because my only lunch was a power bar. We stopped by a neighbor's house on the way out of the neighborhood. Shannon had been trying to work with this neighbor on association issues. Shannon was trying to make the situation better and walked into a buzz-saw. I stayed in the car because selfishly, I was ready to eat. I could see her inside the house talking and talking. It took forever. The longer it went on, the madder I got. Little did I know that she was under attack in the house for trying to do the right thing. She needed me by her side and I was too busy focused on my needs to meet hers. How often do we do this?
On the way to dinner, she cried and told me what happened. I was a jerk to not be in there with her but I wanted my needs met. We went to Carrabbas to spend some coupons and the meal wasn't great. I don't much care for their food (again, "my" needs).
But here is the point -- and it is real powerful. When we left the building walking to my truck, we passed a couple and their small girl in a wheelchair. The husband walked up to the wife and gave her a big hug and said "dinner was great honey, happy birthday". With that, this angel of a little girl had her face light up and she shouted with glee, "Daddy, I want a happy birthday hug too" and she whipped her wheelchair over to her Mom and Dad to get her hug. The look on her face was unforgettable. Priceless. Stunning. Deathly convicting.
Dadgum it men, WHAT ON EARTH ARE WE DOING??? God shook me like a pine tree during a raging thunderstorm last night. There in all my needs and wants, God showed me a true want. A little girl with withered legs slayed my evil spirit right there in that parking lot. I, who have all any man could want, was taught a powerful lesson by a little girl who would pay millions just for chance to walk across a Carrabba's parking lot. Even though she "wanted" to walk, her true want was a hug from her Daddy. Shame on me.
This is what I am talking about in all these blogs. The tyranny of the urgent makes us act like jerks because we don't get what we want when all along what we truly want is sitting right there under our fat noses. God is calling us to so much more than "being too busy" to play a game with our kids or sit and listen to our wives or reach out to that man at work whose life is coming apart. God is calling you and I to soar.
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