Don't Waste Your Life
I am more alive today than I have been in years, perhaps decades. Yet, I was more dead than I can ever recall just three months ago. Praise the good Lord! I was dead. Dead to my senses. Dead to my work. Dead to my family. Dead to the amazing, stunning, captivating, empowering God that loves me.
Wake up men. Wake up.
Life is surging all around you. Are you asleep? In John Piper's book Don't Waste Your Life, he gives credit to CS Lewis for leading him to his awakening. "Lewis gave me an intense sense of the "realness" of things. The preciousness of this is hard to communicate. To wake up in the morning and be aware of the firmness of the mattress, the warmth of the sun's rays, the sound of the clock ticking, the sheer being of things. He helped me become alive to life. He helped me see what is there in the world - things that, if we didn't have, we would pay a million dollars to have, but having them, we ignore."
Think about that last sentence. Really think about it. Look at my blog page and study the picture of that red-tailed hawk. Look at it's colors and details. Marvel at the beauty of it's design. My awakening is to things like the two hawks nesting on my property. It is to the sweetness of my little girl saying the word "Daddy". It is to sitting on a Saturday morning with my stunning wife drinking coffee. It is to the sense and feel of working my butt off in the yard, moving rock, building paths, planting gardens -- dripping with salty sweat. It is awakening to the absolute, unconditional love of my black lab, Bo. It is to the incredible opportunity my career affords me to touch lives and minister to people. It is to the twenty, 7th grade boys that faithfully show up each Wednesday morning at 7:15am to listen to my feeble attempts to lead their Bible study.
Imagine for a moment if I were blind or deaf or handicapped...imagine what I would pay (millions) for just one chance to experience all these things God has laid before my feet to experience every day.
And yet, just 3 months ago, I was dead to this. Asleep.
This is the barbaric call God is driving me to. We only get one pass at life men...what are you waiting for? I am going to do anything God will allow me to help other men wake up and soar.
Saturday, May 27, 2006
Wednesday, May 24, 2006
Welcome Men --
Today, I signed letters along with Michael Harris inviting 20 men (mostly from Wynnbrook) to attend a meeting Thursday morning June 8th at 6:30am at Dogwood Lodge on Wynnbrook's campus. We'll have breakfast and coffee and will be done by 8am. In with that letter was a copy of Erwin McManus' book The Barbarian Way. I highly encourage you to start reading this book.
The adventure has begun.
We now embark on our journey for men to "awaken spiritually, have deeper and more meaningful connections with other men and to experience adventurous Christian living." That is the "mission" statement of this fledgling group of Columbus men. Who knows where God takes this? 20 men at Wynnbrook could blossom into hundreds of men across the city waking up to the true purpose God has intended for their lives.
This is exciting. Soar.
Today, I signed letters along with Michael Harris inviting 20 men (mostly from Wynnbrook) to attend a meeting Thursday morning June 8th at 6:30am at Dogwood Lodge on Wynnbrook's campus. We'll have breakfast and coffee and will be done by 8am. In with that letter was a copy of Erwin McManus' book The Barbarian Way. I highly encourage you to start reading this book.
The adventure has begun.
We now embark on our journey for men to "awaken spiritually, have deeper and more meaningful connections with other men and to experience adventurous Christian living." That is the "mission" statement of this fledgling group of Columbus men. Who knows where God takes this? 20 men at Wynnbrook could blossom into hundreds of men across the city waking up to the true purpose God has intended for their lives.
This is exciting. Soar.
Monday, May 22, 2006
Forward
This is all about moving forward. This is about the call of the wild. God is calling. Occasionally, we hear it and we are drawn to it. Throw off the shackles. Rid yourself of things that weigh you down. Cast your eyes on Jesus and run the race before you.
I, for myself, am disappointed in the past five years of my life. I've let my job distract me from my walk with God. Bad stock markets have a way of doing that and yet, one day I'll get to Heaven and God will say to me, "I lost you for about 5-7 years there...what were you doing?" I'll reply, "It was my job - you know, the one you gave me - things were terrible, we had the dot.com crash, 9/11, recession and I was spending my every waking moment thinking about my clients (you know, the ones you gave me) and worrying about the stock market." And God, in all his majesty will sadly, quietly say, "The stock market, what is a stock market?"
You see, God isn't focused on the things that consume us. Oftentimes (I suspect) the things that absolutely consume us, don't even register on His screen. He is focused on us. We are his children and He isn't terribly worried about our job, our home, our things, our place in the community - God is just standing on the edge of the pasture calling out to a lost sheep.
This "awakening" for me is all about never going back to the life I formerly knew. Life is too short to waste it. My call is to help other men wake up. To help other men throw off the shackles that weigh them down - to drop a life of expectations and to pick up a race with God.
The Barbarian says - "The future is uncertain, but we need to move toward it with confidence. There's a future to be created, a humanity to be liberated. We need to stop wasting our time and stop being afraid of what we cannot see and do not know. We need to move forward full force because of what we do know."
Soar.
This is all about moving forward. This is about the call of the wild. God is calling. Occasionally, we hear it and we are drawn to it. Throw off the shackles. Rid yourself of things that weigh you down. Cast your eyes on Jesus and run the race before you.
I, for myself, am disappointed in the past five years of my life. I've let my job distract me from my walk with God. Bad stock markets have a way of doing that and yet, one day I'll get to Heaven and God will say to me, "I lost you for about 5-7 years there...what were you doing?" I'll reply, "It was my job - you know, the one you gave me - things were terrible, we had the dot.com crash, 9/11, recession and I was spending my every waking moment thinking about my clients (you know, the ones you gave me) and worrying about the stock market." And God, in all his majesty will sadly, quietly say, "The stock market, what is a stock market?"
You see, God isn't focused on the things that consume us. Oftentimes (I suspect) the things that absolutely consume us, don't even register on His screen. He is focused on us. We are his children and He isn't terribly worried about our job, our home, our things, our place in the community - God is just standing on the edge of the pasture calling out to a lost sheep.
This "awakening" for me is all about never going back to the life I formerly knew. Life is too short to waste it. My call is to help other men wake up. To help other men throw off the shackles that weigh them down - to drop a life of expectations and to pick up a race with God.
The Barbarian says - "The future is uncertain, but we need to move toward it with confidence. There's a future to be created, a humanity to be liberated. We need to stop wasting our time and stop being afraid of what we cannot see and do not know. We need to move forward full force because of what we do know."
Soar.
Sunday, May 21, 2006
Where are we going with this?
What is all this about? Where is it leading?
Simply put, I don't know. A good friend Michael and I are in active discussions about this and what becomes of it at Wynnbrook. He is engaged. He recently tore through The Barbarian Way and has had a surge of excitement about what God is going to do.
The book is no magic elixer. Neither is Wild at Heat or Why Men Hate Going to Church or Dangerous Wonder. These were all written by very human men. They are not the Gospel. There is but one Gospel, one truth. However, God gives man talents for a reason. Man can interpret what the Gospel says and with the gift of writing, can lay that out in a way that touches many.
So while these books are not "the" solution, they are speaking to men profoundly. Why? I think they all share the same basic message that the institutional church has quite unintentionally driven men away. Domesticated men, passive and submissive are like a dog with a really strong shock collar. The church doesn't encourage men to be men. We don't talk about the dangerous wonder of a faith in God (although Bill Shorey talked about that this morning). Men are naturally attracted to action/adventure/purpose. Men need lofty ideals to aspire to.
Where does this go? I don't know. What I do know is that I want to put this message on the street and see if other men are awakened to it as I have been and as my friend Michael has been. I suspect many a man in the pew will be drawn to this and more importantly, this will enable "bored" men to become emboldened in their faith to share it with a lost world. That should be our only purpose.
Soar.
What is all this about? Where is it leading?
Simply put, I don't know. A good friend Michael and I are in active discussions about this and what becomes of it at Wynnbrook. He is engaged. He recently tore through The Barbarian Way and has had a surge of excitement about what God is going to do.
The book is no magic elixer. Neither is Wild at Heat or Why Men Hate Going to Church or Dangerous Wonder. These were all written by very human men. They are not the Gospel. There is but one Gospel, one truth. However, God gives man talents for a reason. Man can interpret what the Gospel says and with the gift of writing, can lay that out in a way that touches many.
So while these books are not "the" solution, they are speaking to men profoundly. Why? I think they all share the same basic message that the institutional church has quite unintentionally driven men away. Domesticated men, passive and submissive are like a dog with a really strong shock collar. The church doesn't encourage men to be men. We don't talk about the dangerous wonder of a faith in God (although Bill Shorey talked about that this morning). Men are naturally attracted to action/adventure/purpose. Men need lofty ideals to aspire to.
Where does this go? I don't know. What I do know is that I want to put this message on the street and see if other men are awakened to it as I have been and as my friend Michael has been. I suspect many a man in the pew will be drawn to this and more importantly, this will enable "bored" men to become emboldened in their faith to share it with a lost world. That should be our only purpose.
Soar.
Wednesday, May 17, 2006
Tough Times / Spiritual Warfare / Breaking Through
A good friend, a fellow warrior, an inner circle member is really struggling. He has already broken through and is way ahead of me in this process yet he is really having a hard time. The enemy is attacking him on all sides.
I am having a break through of some sorts but, the honeymoon is over. Warfare is ramping up on me. I am losing the battle against stress. My job is killing me. As a financial advisor, I carry the weight of my client's investments. There is absolutely no glamour in what I do for a living. It is an extraordinarily hard business. The past week has beaten me to a pulp. I want nothing more than to make all my clients money on a consistent basis and yet, there are times when nothing I do is right. Satan uses times like this past week to beat the hell out of me as he pounds me with "you see, you are no good", "you're a phony", "your clients don't trust you", "you're a loser", "so-and-so is far smarter than you are", etc.
It is a tough business. Since 1999, it has been nearly impossible to make money for clients on a consistent basis. Even your very best clients (those that truly trust you) are always prone (it is human nature) to say "what have you done for me lately?"
I'm OK with it and I will survive it. It has just been a very tough week and I see that there is warfare going on all around me. My friend is struggling with it and now, I am.
This is why it is called a break through. The image of literally breaking through a wall implies a degree of difficulty and pain. Like getting through a wall of sheet glass - it ain't easy and you're going to bleed but there is something wonderful on the other side of the pain. Part of the break through for me professionally is a release of my control over this - I turn it over to God. He knows exactly what will happen and He knows fully the outcome of my life. He has given me talents and abilities and it is up to me to employ those in a way that will bring honor and glory to Him.
A good friend, a fellow warrior, an inner circle member is really struggling. He has already broken through and is way ahead of me in this process yet he is really having a hard time. The enemy is attacking him on all sides.
I am having a break through of some sorts but, the honeymoon is over. Warfare is ramping up on me. I am losing the battle against stress. My job is killing me. As a financial advisor, I carry the weight of my client's investments. There is absolutely no glamour in what I do for a living. It is an extraordinarily hard business. The past week has beaten me to a pulp. I want nothing more than to make all my clients money on a consistent basis and yet, there are times when nothing I do is right. Satan uses times like this past week to beat the hell out of me as he pounds me with "you see, you are no good", "you're a phony", "your clients don't trust you", "you're a loser", "so-and-so is far smarter than you are", etc.
It is a tough business. Since 1999, it has been nearly impossible to make money for clients on a consistent basis. Even your very best clients (those that truly trust you) are always prone (it is human nature) to say "what have you done for me lately?"
I'm OK with it and I will survive it. It has just been a very tough week and I see that there is warfare going on all around me. My friend is struggling with it and now, I am.
This is why it is called a break through. The image of literally breaking through a wall implies a degree of difficulty and pain. Like getting through a wall of sheet glass - it ain't easy and you're going to bleed but there is something wonderful on the other side of the pain. Part of the break through for me professionally is a release of my control over this - I turn it over to God. He knows exactly what will happen and He knows fully the outcome of my life. He has given me talents and abilities and it is up to me to employ those in a way that will bring honor and glory to Him.
Monday, May 15, 2006
Barbaric
More from The Barbarian Way...
Perhaps the tragedy of our time is that such an overwhelming number of us who declare Jesus as Lord have become overly domesticated - or, if you will civilized. We have lost the simplicty of our earlier faith. Beyond that, we have lost the passion and power of that raw, untamed, and primal faith.
Christianity as a civilized religion claims to have a group plan negotiated with God. Everybody gets the same package. And, of course, the package is always the premium plan - get rich, get comfortable, get secure, get safe, get well when you get God. The result and proof of faith are that you get to live a life without risk, which is ironic when you realize that for the early church, faith was a risky business.
Andy Stanley has a great sermon on the heart. In it, he brings up 3 kids and says, "I'm going to give away an Apple Video iPod." He gives each kid a package and they open them. Sarah (I can't recall their exact names) opens hers and it is a video iPod, Bill opens his and there is a $100 gift certificate to the Apple store (not enough for a video iPod but close) and John opens his and finds an apple. That is it. Just an apple (the kind you eat). Andy sends them back off stage and then talks about jealousy. He says Bill and John might well decide to turn on Sarah because she got the iPod. But as Andy points out, "who should they be mad at, Sarah or me?"
Life isn't fair and we tend to shake our fists at God because He handed us a different package than Sarah. Life comes so easy to her. She works 1/2 as hard and earns 3x what I make. She is skinny. Her kids make straight A's and are the star of the athletic teams. She lives in the 10,000 sq foot house...paid for. "God, it ain't fair!" we shout.
Nowhere does God promise to make life fair. God gives each of us our own individual package. As the Barbarian says, the church is at fault by preaching the message of "success". It is one of the reasons I struggle to listen to some pastors - the message is always one of prosperity, peace, success. Most Christians struggle with modern life because we all want one thing, "a worry-free life".
God doesn't call all of us to sameness. The calls are all different. Some calls are barbaric. Some are called to be like John - a barbarian - a man who ate locusts and wild honey and wore clothes made from camel's hair. Some are called to chunk tradition and expectations and convention to embrace the call of the wild.
Soar.
More from The Barbarian Way...
Perhaps the tragedy of our time is that such an overwhelming number of us who declare Jesus as Lord have become overly domesticated - or, if you will civilized. We have lost the simplicty of our earlier faith. Beyond that, we have lost the passion and power of that raw, untamed, and primal faith.
Christianity as a civilized religion claims to have a group plan negotiated with God. Everybody gets the same package. And, of course, the package is always the premium plan - get rich, get comfortable, get secure, get safe, get well when you get God. The result and proof of faith are that you get to live a life without risk, which is ironic when you realize that for the early church, faith was a risky business.
Andy Stanley has a great sermon on the heart. In it, he brings up 3 kids and says, "I'm going to give away an Apple Video iPod." He gives each kid a package and they open them. Sarah (I can't recall their exact names) opens hers and it is a video iPod, Bill opens his and there is a $100 gift certificate to the Apple store (not enough for a video iPod but close) and John opens his and finds an apple. That is it. Just an apple (the kind you eat). Andy sends them back off stage and then talks about jealousy. He says Bill and John might well decide to turn on Sarah because she got the iPod. But as Andy points out, "who should they be mad at, Sarah or me?"
Life isn't fair and we tend to shake our fists at God because He handed us a different package than Sarah. Life comes so easy to her. She works 1/2 as hard and earns 3x what I make. She is skinny. Her kids make straight A's and are the star of the athletic teams. She lives in the 10,000 sq foot house...paid for. "God, it ain't fair!" we shout.
Nowhere does God promise to make life fair. God gives each of us our own individual package. As the Barbarian says, the church is at fault by preaching the message of "success". It is one of the reasons I struggle to listen to some pastors - the message is always one of prosperity, peace, success. Most Christians struggle with modern life because we all want one thing, "a worry-free life".
God doesn't call all of us to sameness. The calls are all different. Some calls are barbaric. Some are called to be like John - a barbarian - a man who ate locusts and wild honey and wore clothes made from camel's hair. Some are called to chunk tradition and expectations and convention to embrace the call of the wild.
Soar.
Friday, May 12, 2006
Happy Birthday Shannon
My wife is wonderful. Today is her birthday. Shannon became my wife 17 years ago this week and today we celebrate her birthday.
Shannon doesn't play the society "game". She is a home body. She makes our home the wonderful refuge it is. She is my peace. Our home is complete only because of Shannon.
Our girls have a wonderful mother - always there, always with a hot meal, always listening to their needs, meeting their needs and loving them through the good days and the bad.
I've often kidded her that when she dies, it will be all the "little" people that show up to pay tribute to her. In this, she shows her faith. Shannon doesn't play up to the "right" people. She befriends the checkout girl at Publix and Target. They all know her by name. The seamstress loves Shannon because Shannon treats her as a total equal. Shannon is a friend to the not-so-important people - she loves the least among us.
So here is to my wonderful wife. I love her so much and she is such a mighty blessing to me.
My wife is wonderful. Today is her birthday. Shannon became my wife 17 years ago this week and today we celebrate her birthday.
Shannon doesn't play the society "game". She is a home body. She makes our home the wonderful refuge it is. She is my peace. Our home is complete only because of Shannon.
Our girls have a wonderful mother - always there, always with a hot meal, always listening to their needs, meeting their needs and loving them through the good days and the bad.
I've often kidded her that when she dies, it will be all the "little" people that show up to pay tribute to her. In this, she shows her faith. Shannon doesn't play up to the "right" people. She befriends the checkout girl at Publix and Target. They all know her by name. The seamstress loves Shannon because Shannon treats her as a total equal. Shannon is a friend to the not-so-important people - she loves the least among us.
So here is to my wonderful wife. I love her so much and she is such a mighty blessing to me.
What is it all about?
Bill Shorey gave me a book yesterday (The Barbarian Way) that is really speaking to me. Again, a convergence of events I cannot explain. If I can't explain it, God must be in it.
"Strangely enough, though, some who come to Jesus Christ seem to immediately and fully embrace this barbarian way. They live their lives with every step moving forward and with every fiber of their being fighting for the heart of their King. Jesus Christ has become the all-consuming passion of their lives. They are not about religion or position. They have little patience for institutions or bureaucracies. Their lack of respect for tradition and ritual makes them seem uncivilized to those who love religion...they're not about "religion"; their about advancing the revolution Jesus started 2,000 years ago.
This is the simplicity of the barbarian way. If you are a follower of Christ, then you are called to fight for the heart of your King. It is a life fueled by passion - a passion for God and a passion for people. The psalmist tells us to delight ourselves in the Lord, and He will give us the desires of our heart. When Christianity becomes just another religion, it focuses on requirements. Just to keep people in line, we build our own Christian civilization and then demand that everyone who believes in Jesus become a good citizen.
It's hard to imagine that Jesus would endure the agony of the Cross just to keep us in line. Jesus began a revolution to secure our freedom."
If you've been reading my posts (God bless you) - then I think you can see why this text is speaking to me. Convergence. All themes, peoples, thoughts, prayers, feelings heading in one direction - a powerful, fresh relationship with Jesus.
What's it all about? Being good? Being nice? Not drinking beer? Not cussing? Living by a set of rules? No. It is about a dangerous passion for Jesus and a passion for sharing this message with a world completely lost.
Soar.
Bill Shorey gave me a book yesterday (The Barbarian Way) that is really speaking to me. Again, a convergence of events I cannot explain. If I can't explain it, God must be in it.
"Strangely enough, though, some who come to Jesus Christ seem to immediately and fully embrace this barbarian way. They live their lives with every step moving forward and with every fiber of their being fighting for the heart of their King. Jesus Christ has become the all-consuming passion of their lives. They are not about religion or position. They have little patience for institutions or bureaucracies. Their lack of respect for tradition and ritual makes them seem uncivilized to those who love religion...they're not about "religion"; their about advancing the revolution Jesus started 2,000 years ago.
This is the simplicity of the barbarian way. If you are a follower of Christ, then you are called to fight for the heart of your King. It is a life fueled by passion - a passion for God and a passion for people. The psalmist tells us to delight ourselves in the Lord, and He will give us the desires of our heart. When Christianity becomes just another religion, it focuses on requirements. Just to keep people in line, we build our own Christian civilization and then demand that everyone who believes in Jesus become a good citizen.
It's hard to imagine that Jesus would endure the agony of the Cross just to keep us in line. Jesus began a revolution to secure our freedom."
If you've been reading my posts (God bless you) - then I think you can see why this text is speaking to me. Convergence. All themes, peoples, thoughts, prayers, feelings heading in one direction - a powerful, fresh relationship with Jesus.
What's it all about? Being good? Being nice? Not drinking beer? Not cussing? Living by a set of rules? No. It is about a dangerous passion for Jesus and a passion for sharing this message with a world completely lost.
Soar.
Thursday, May 11, 2006
Where are the men?
Consider this...
Nursery, Sunday School, weddings, baptisms, baby-dedication services, baby showers, small groups, funerals, hand-bell choir, Kay Arthur/Beth Moore studies, Wednesday night suppers...
Does any of that appeal to men? If you are reading this, you are probably a man --- re-read those "ministries" - honestly, be brutally honest --- does any of that appeal to you?
Not be crass but most of those words make my skin crawl.
Here is the point, where are the ministries to men? What does it feel like to wake up on Sunday morning and have your wife say, "Oh, honey, don't forget, today we have to keep the nursery today? Tuesday night is our small group where we get together and "open" ourselves up. Of course, you need to be at the church Wednesday at 5 for supper and oh, by the way, I signed us up for a Friday night social at the church."
Might as well shoot me.
Again, I am sorry to be crass but this is what I have been driving out all these blog postings ... the church dares to wonder "where are all the men?"
Why do we wonder this when we have nothing targeted directly to the God-given gifts a man possesses? About the only thing we do to attract men is build buildings. That holds a man's attention for a while because men like to build things (Hey, I still have a huge Lego set) but after a while, the man realizes that the building is for an expanded pre-school or nursery or for a larger room for Wednesday night suppers and eventually, the building holds no interest for the man. Men build buildings, raise the money so the women can minister inside.
I am afraid the men are absent because the church itself is feminized. This is a very politically incorrect statement but I don't apologize. For me, it "is what it is" and I fear a lot of other men feel the same thing.
The good news is there is a solution. God is not a god of small groups, hand-bell choirs and garden clubs - God is a god of action, adventure and the passionate pursuit of all of us. We need to wake up and challenge men to re-engage - get back in the game. But the church has to sell men on why they should come back.
Soar.
Consider this...
Nursery, Sunday School, weddings, baptisms, baby-dedication services, baby showers, small groups, funerals, hand-bell choir, Kay Arthur/Beth Moore studies, Wednesday night suppers...
Does any of that appeal to men? If you are reading this, you are probably a man --- re-read those "ministries" - honestly, be brutally honest --- does any of that appeal to you?
Not be crass but most of those words make my skin crawl.
Here is the point, where are the ministries to men? What does it feel like to wake up on Sunday morning and have your wife say, "Oh, honey, don't forget, today we have to keep the nursery today? Tuesday night is our small group where we get together and "open" ourselves up. Of course, you need to be at the church Wednesday at 5 for supper and oh, by the way, I signed us up for a Friday night social at the church."
Might as well shoot me.
Again, I am sorry to be crass but this is what I have been driving out all these blog postings ... the church dares to wonder "where are all the men?"
Why do we wonder this when we have nothing targeted directly to the God-given gifts a man possesses? About the only thing we do to attract men is build buildings. That holds a man's attention for a while because men like to build things (Hey, I still have a huge Lego set) but after a while, the man realizes that the building is for an expanded pre-school or nursery or for a larger room for Wednesday night suppers and eventually, the building holds no interest for the man. Men build buildings, raise the money so the women can minister inside.
I am afraid the men are absent because the church itself is feminized. This is a very politically incorrect statement but I don't apologize. For me, it "is what it is" and I fear a lot of other men feel the same thing.
The good news is there is a solution. God is not a god of small groups, hand-bell choirs and garden clubs - God is a god of action, adventure and the passionate pursuit of all of us. We need to wake up and challenge men to re-engage - get back in the game. But the church has to sell men on why they should come back.
Soar.
Monday, May 08, 2006
Andy Stanley
I highly encourage you to go onto Andy Stanley's website www.northpoint.org and listen to his sermon called "Storyline". In about 40 minutes, he takes you all the way through the Bible. He points out that the Bible was written by 40 writers, most of who never met, spanning nearly 1,500 years and through all that, the Bible tells one story. Redemption (to redeem, to buy back). That, in an of itself, is amazing. One story. 1,500 years. 40 writers - most never met. And yet, it tells one story. The story of God's love for you and me and the redemption.
It is a fabulous sermon and Andy talks in a way that draws you in. He converses. He chats. You just want to keep on listening. A new friend of mine, Andy Christiansen of Life Impact ministries goes to Andy's church and simply says, "he is annointed".
Listen to the sermon and let it soak in. Andy finishes and says "is it any wonder that millions of people who know this story, who grasp what has taken place, it is any wonder that millions start each day on their knees saying 'Yes, Lord, whatever you want'" The greatest miracle isn't what is in the Bible, it is the Bible. The most compelling argument isn't what is in the Bible, it is the Bible itself.
So what else can you do but throw your hands up and surrender to the God that has, and can, and will keep His promises?
The "good" news isn't good news, it is astonishing news, amazing news.
Soar.
I highly encourage you to go onto Andy Stanley's website www.northpoint.org and listen to his sermon called "Storyline". In about 40 minutes, he takes you all the way through the Bible. He points out that the Bible was written by 40 writers, most of who never met, spanning nearly 1,500 years and through all that, the Bible tells one story. Redemption (to redeem, to buy back). That, in an of itself, is amazing. One story. 1,500 years. 40 writers - most never met. And yet, it tells one story. The story of God's love for you and me and the redemption.
It is a fabulous sermon and Andy talks in a way that draws you in. He converses. He chats. You just want to keep on listening. A new friend of mine, Andy Christiansen of Life Impact ministries goes to Andy's church and simply says, "he is annointed".
Listen to the sermon and let it soak in. Andy finishes and says "is it any wonder that millions of people who know this story, who grasp what has taken place, it is any wonder that millions start each day on their knees saying 'Yes, Lord, whatever you want'" The greatest miracle isn't what is in the Bible, it is the Bible. The most compelling argument isn't what is in the Bible, it is the Bible itself.
So what else can you do but throw your hands up and surrender to the God that has, and can, and will keep His promises?
The "good" news isn't good news, it is astonishing news, amazing news.
Soar.
Saturday, May 06, 2006
Men need other men to push us...
Bill Shorey had this on his blog and it really struck a nerve with me - sums up what I am trying to say very well...
There are many men who live shallow lives, but deep beneath their surfaces lie grand purposes -- buried. I believe every man struggles with this -- a sort of "self-dummying down". Day-to-day life becomes the pursuit of the insignificant, but these men are haunted by a desire to search out and find grand purposes. Those purposes are not absent -- just buried.
Every redeemed man must come to understand that he possesses a glory that has been buried. He needs to recognize that silt has settled into the deep channels of his soul, turning his depths into shallows. He needs a settled belief that he is not meant to remain shallow. Secondly, shallow men need other men -- understanding men -- who persevere with unfailing love to draw out the hidden glory from the depths of a murky soul. Men of understanding are rare; few are willing to engage in the tedious and dirty job of dredging.
The deep treasures of the soul lie buried in deep waters.
The past 3 months has been a time of dredging for me. I am digging out the junk that has filled my soul - the mindless "things" that occupy my time and take me away from the man God intended me to be. It is hard work and it doesn't clear up as fast as I hoped but as I do this, I get a taste, a whisper, a hint of life on the other side and it is sweet.
I am waking up to the realization that my children are getting older and will leave me soon. All these things I say I want to do with them - trips across America, a weekend camping trip, a fishing trip, a day at Callaway riding bikes - I talk a good game but I fail to act. What am I waiting for?
I shared this blog with a good friend and business companion and we had lunch yesterday. He was struck by some of the things I said about fathers and sons. He confessed his struggle to spend quality time with his two sons. He is a good man - very good - but he sees the same things I see - we intend but fail to deliver.
Dredging helps with this because dredging focuses us on the real priorities. The priority in my life isn't the private school board or the United Way campaign or a Chamber committee or Rotary Board -- the priority is God, my wife and my two daughters. "Things" that take us away from the task at hand are "silt" - sooner or later, they will fill up what was once a "deep" man and make him very shallow. I'm guilty. Are you?
This adventure is about freedom. It is about total dependence on God and, therefore, total freedom. The more I depend on God, the more free I become. Hopefully, my lunch yesterday with my friend helped dredge a bit of his soul to free him. It helped free me - to no longer say, "one day, I'd like to take my girls to ____". Times a wastin', what ya waitin' for?
Another friend read this blog and his takeaway was essentially, "I don't do well in group settings bonding with men, I much prefer to be alone to contemplate life." I just don't believe that is God's model for our lives. Men need other men to keep the channels open and dredge silt. We need each other to enable us to soar.
I am haunted by my desire to search out grand purposes for my life. God is calling me to so much more. He is calling me to Soar.
Bill Shorey had this on his blog and it really struck a nerve with me - sums up what I am trying to say very well...
There are many men who live shallow lives, but deep beneath their surfaces lie grand purposes -- buried. I believe every man struggles with this -- a sort of "self-dummying down". Day-to-day life becomes the pursuit of the insignificant, but these men are haunted by a desire to search out and find grand purposes. Those purposes are not absent -- just buried.
Every redeemed man must come to understand that he possesses a glory that has been buried. He needs to recognize that silt has settled into the deep channels of his soul, turning his depths into shallows. He needs a settled belief that he is not meant to remain shallow. Secondly, shallow men need other men -- understanding men -- who persevere with unfailing love to draw out the hidden glory from the depths of a murky soul. Men of understanding are rare; few are willing to engage in the tedious and dirty job of dredging.
The deep treasures of the soul lie buried in deep waters.
The past 3 months has been a time of dredging for me. I am digging out the junk that has filled my soul - the mindless "things" that occupy my time and take me away from the man God intended me to be. It is hard work and it doesn't clear up as fast as I hoped but as I do this, I get a taste, a whisper, a hint of life on the other side and it is sweet.
I am waking up to the realization that my children are getting older and will leave me soon. All these things I say I want to do with them - trips across America, a weekend camping trip, a fishing trip, a day at Callaway riding bikes - I talk a good game but I fail to act. What am I waiting for?
I shared this blog with a good friend and business companion and we had lunch yesterday. He was struck by some of the things I said about fathers and sons. He confessed his struggle to spend quality time with his two sons. He is a good man - very good - but he sees the same things I see - we intend but fail to deliver.
Dredging helps with this because dredging focuses us on the real priorities. The priority in my life isn't the private school board or the United Way campaign or a Chamber committee or Rotary Board -- the priority is God, my wife and my two daughters. "Things" that take us away from the task at hand are "silt" - sooner or later, they will fill up what was once a "deep" man and make him very shallow. I'm guilty. Are you?
This adventure is about freedom. It is about total dependence on God and, therefore, total freedom. The more I depend on God, the more free I become. Hopefully, my lunch yesterday with my friend helped dredge a bit of his soul to free him. It helped free me - to no longer say, "one day, I'd like to take my girls to ____". Times a wastin', what ya waitin' for?
Another friend read this blog and his takeaway was essentially, "I don't do well in group settings bonding with men, I much prefer to be alone to contemplate life." I just don't believe that is God's model for our lives. Men need other men to keep the channels open and dredge silt. We need each other to enable us to soar.
I am haunted by my desire to search out grand purposes for my life. God is calling me to so much more. He is calling me to Soar.
Wednesday, May 03, 2006
Powerful text
Yaconelli's book hit me hard in 2000 when I read it. During this convergence of events over the past 3-4 months, I pulled Dangerous Wonder out and re-read it. Once again, I was blown away. Yaconelli's book focuses on children - their dangerous wonder, risky curiousity, wild abandon, daring playfulness, wide-eyed listening, irresponsible passion, etc. and says these traits should be the traits we as Christians possess. This fits exactly what I am feeling. Here is a follow on to my last post...
"If Christianity is simply about being nice, I'm not interested. What happened to radical Christianity, the un-nice brand of Christianity that turned the world upside-down? What happened to the category-smashing, life-threatening, anti-institutional gospel that spread through the first century like wildfire and was considered (by those in power) dangerous? What happened to the kind of Christians whose hearts were on fire, who had no fear, who spoke the truth no matter what the consequence, who made the world uncomfortable, who were willing to follow Jesus no matter where He went? What happened to the kind of Christians who were filled with passion and gratitude, and who every day were unable to get over the grace of God?
I'm ready for a Christianity that "ruins" my life, that captures my heart and makes me uncomfortable. I want to be filled with an astonishment which is so captivating that I am considered wild and unpredictable and ... well ... dangerous. Yes, I want to be dangerous to a dull and boring religion.
A.W. Tozer said a long time ago, "Culture is putting out the light in man's souls." He was right. Dullness is more than a religious issue, it is a cultural issue. Our entire culture has become dull. Dullness is the absence of the light of our souls. Look around. We have lost the sparkle in our eyes, the passion in our marriages, the meaning in our work, the joy in our faith.
The greatest enemy of Christianity may be people who say they believe in Jesus but who are no longer astonished and amazed."
Wow ! Hits me exactly where I am - exactly what I am trying to communicate. Am I alone in this? Am I the only man sitting in the pew Sunday after Sunday bored? Am I the only man seeking the adventure, thrill, excitement of a really close walk with Jesus?
I don't think so. Soar.
Yaconelli's book hit me hard in 2000 when I read it. During this convergence of events over the past 3-4 months, I pulled Dangerous Wonder out and re-read it. Once again, I was blown away. Yaconelli's book focuses on children - their dangerous wonder, risky curiousity, wild abandon, daring playfulness, wide-eyed listening, irresponsible passion, etc. and says these traits should be the traits we as Christians possess. This fits exactly what I am feeling. Here is a follow on to my last post...
"If Christianity is simply about being nice, I'm not interested. What happened to radical Christianity, the un-nice brand of Christianity that turned the world upside-down? What happened to the category-smashing, life-threatening, anti-institutional gospel that spread through the first century like wildfire and was considered (by those in power) dangerous? What happened to the kind of Christians whose hearts were on fire, who had no fear, who spoke the truth no matter what the consequence, who made the world uncomfortable, who were willing to follow Jesus no matter where He went? What happened to the kind of Christians who were filled with passion and gratitude, and who every day were unable to get over the grace of God?
I'm ready for a Christianity that "ruins" my life, that captures my heart and makes me uncomfortable. I want to be filled with an astonishment which is so captivating that I am considered wild and unpredictable and ... well ... dangerous. Yes, I want to be dangerous to a dull and boring religion.
A.W. Tozer said a long time ago, "Culture is putting out the light in man's souls." He was right. Dullness is more than a religious issue, it is a cultural issue. Our entire culture has become dull. Dullness is the absence of the light of our souls. Look around. We have lost the sparkle in our eyes, the passion in our marriages, the meaning in our work, the joy in our faith.
The greatest enemy of Christianity may be people who say they believe in Jesus but who are no longer astonished and amazed."
Wow ! Hits me exactly where I am - exactly what I am trying to communicate. Am I alone in this? Am I the only man sitting in the pew Sunday after Sunday bored? Am I the only man seeking the adventure, thrill, excitement of a really close walk with Jesus?
I don't think so. Soar.
Tuesday, May 02, 2006
Conform or be cast out
Last post, I talked of being "sick of convention", tired of doing what I am "expected" to do, etc. This could be viewed as being rebellious. If so, great! For 2,000 years, man has sought God and that has almost always involved a certain degree of rebellion against the established church. Jesus certainly was a rebel vs. the established practices of the church.
In the 1980's there was a rock song that actually had a good message. In the song, they warned that society was pushing you to conform saying repeatedly, "Conform or be cast out." Unfortunately, there is push in the modern church for conformity. A whole lot of "you should nots" or "you shoulds"...
Part of what I am struggling with, feebly trying to articulate, is my passion for more. Romans 12:2 says, "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." This process for me is a renewing of my mind and a renewing of my relationship with God.
One of my favorite recent books is Ragamuffin Gospel by Brennan Manning. In it, he says;
"The crowd does not take kindly to nonconformity. It is the scorn of our peers probably more than anything else that hinders our living out of center. The fear of ridicule paralyzes us more effectively than flat-out opposition. How much good is left undone because of this fear! The irony is that the opinions we fear most are not those of people we really respect, yet these very persons influence our lives more than we want to admit. The desire to stand well with "them" can lead to an appalling mediocrity and a frightening unfreedom. Living "out of center" shapes and forms a liberated Christian. Albert Camus once said, "The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so totally free that your very act of existence becomes an act of rebellion." There is nothing more maddening to the mob than a truly free person."
This whole process for me is about transformation. It isn't about conformity. It isn't about winning a popularity contest at Wednesday night supper.
One book I will quote often because it just blew me away (along with Wild at Heart) is Dangerous Wonder by Michael Yaconelli. In it, he quotes an Episcopal priest named Robert Capon, "We are in a war between dullness and astonishment. The most critical issue facing Christians is not abortion, pornography, the disintergration of the family, moral absolutes, MTV, drugs, racism, sexuality, or school prayer. The critical issue today is dullness. We have lost our astonishment. The good news is no longer good news, it is okay news. Christianity is no longer life-changing, it is life-enhancing. Jesus doesn't change people into wild-eyed radicals anymore, He changes them into "nice" people."
I'm tired of being dull. I want the passion and excitement I first felt when I became a believer. That is what this quest is all about.
Next post...more from Yaconelli..."I want to be filled with an astonishment which is so captivating that I am considered wild, unpredictable and...well...dangerous. Yes, I want to be dangerous to a dull and boring religion."
Soar.
Last post, I talked of being "sick of convention", tired of doing what I am "expected" to do, etc. This could be viewed as being rebellious. If so, great! For 2,000 years, man has sought God and that has almost always involved a certain degree of rebellion against the established church. Jesus certainly was a rebel vs. the established practices of the church.
In the 1980's there was a rock song that actually had a good message. In the song, they warned that society was pushing you to conform saying repeatedly, "Conform or be cast out." Unfortunately, there is push in the modern church for conformity. A whole lot of "you should nots" or "you shoulds"...
Part of what I am struggling with, feebly trying to articulate, is my passion for more. Romans 12:2 says, "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." This process for me is a renewing of my mind and a renewing of my relationship with God.
One of my favorite recent books is Ragamuffin Gospel by Brennan Manning. In it, he says;
"The crowd does not take kindly to nonconformity. It is the scorn of our peers probably more than anything else that hinders our living out of center. The fear of ridicule paralyzes us more effectively than flat-out opposition. How much good is left undone because of this fear! The irony is that the opinions we fear most are not those of people we really respect, yet these very persons influence our lives more than we want to admit. The desire to stand well with "them" can lead to an appalling mediocrity and a frightening unfreedom. Living "out of center" shapes and forms a liberated Christian. Albert Camus once said, "The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so totally free that your very act of existence becomes an act of rebellion." There is nothing more maddening to the mob than a truly free person."
This whole process for me is about transformation. It isn't about conformity. It isn't about winning a popularity contest at Wednesday night supper.
One book I will quote often because it just blew me away (along with Wild at Heart) is Dangerous Wonder by Michael Yaconelli. In it, he quotes an Episcopal priest named Robert Capon, "We are in a war between dullness and astonishment. The most critical issue facing Christians is not abortion, pornography, the disintergration of the family, moral absolutes, MTV, drugs, racism, sexuality, or school prayer. The critical issue today is dullness. We have lost our astonishment. The good news is no longer good news, it is okay news. Christianity is no longer life-changing, it is life-enhancing. Jesus doesn't change people into wild-eyed radicals anymore, He changes them into "nice" people."
I'm tired of being dull. I want the passion and excitement I first felt when I became a believer. That is what this quest is all about.
Next post...more from Yaconelli..."I want to be filled with an astonishment which is so captivating that I am considered wild, unpredictable and...well...dangerous. Yes, I want to be dangerous to a dull and boring religion."
Soar.
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