This is one of my more transparent journal entries. I wrote it at 2am on Sunday night, and I almost didn't post it. But I hope that someone can relate to my struggles and screw ups and see that the grace of God is a powerful thing. Some people might not agree with this, but nobody agrees with everybody. Remember these are my thoughts, they don't have to be yours. anyways here goes...
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In Luke 16:10 Jesus says, “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much…” Christian “entrepreneurs” use this a lot – “If you are faithful with a little, God will make you faithful with a lot.” And I am just now realizing there is a small, but major difference from the verse to the saying. And the difference is the words “God will.”
It is not sinful to desire growth and increase. God speaks many times to Israel about increase. It is not sin to want to become better at your craft and more skilled each new day. Ambition is not evil, and many possess what I believe is a spiritual gift to make things grow. If a small group grows because more people are being discipled by disciples, great! If a ministry grows because people have dedicated themselves to prayer, faith, and good works, then praise God! There is healthy growth that I believe God is all about.
The danger I am coming to see, at least in my own life, is that growth has become expected. It should be deserved like hourly wages for labor. You work hard, then you deserve a better life. You give, then you should be given to. It’s only fair. What goes around comes around and you reap what you sow. If you’ve been faithful with the little, then the clock is ticking down for when God makes you faithful with a lot.
Jonathan, you’ve been faithful to serve God in the prison by preaching and leading the music and doing other gigs for free, you deserve your reward of an increased career in ministry and entertainment. The crowds will only get bigger and your songs and sermons will only get better. Because God said, “If you’re faithful with the little, I will make you faithful with much.”
Wait. No. That’s not what he said. What he said was, “Whoever can be trusted with very little CAN also be trusted with much.”
And that is true. It has to be, I mean it’s in the Bible. And I think many, many times that if you are faithful with little that God will make you faithful with much. Sure. But our expectations and our sense of what is owed to us is what is killing us.
I find myself active in ministry and in pursuit of my dreams to do full time and funded what I love doing even now for free. But this American “I deserve” mentality has crept its way into my head and drilled a pipeline that has been feeding into my heart. I go and do what I do because I think it is going to lead to something bigger. All I am doing is paying my dues, getting my street cred, and building bridges that will inevitably take me to my dream life. I’m constantly looking over my shoulder for the right connection that is going to finally see me, love me, and take me to the top. And while, yes, I am doing good works that really do come from good motives, they are not solely fed by Godly desires. And this is the path that leads you out of the anointing of the Lord.
Want to see an effective man go to work and become ineffective? Get him out of the anointing of the Lord. Want to see someone full of potential go chase their tail? Get them out of the anointing of the Lord. That God-given, supernatural ability to be used. Just ask King Saul what it’s like when you lose the Lord’s anointing.
What if God’s whole plan all along was for you and I to serve where he places us, and to be content with what he has called us to do. God may have given you big dreams and desires to see a great accomplishment for the Kingdom that is off the scales, and he does give us dreams and visions like that. But I think that true faithfulness is about being committed and passionate for the work God has given you to do where you are. Only God can open doors anyhow. You can run yourself to death but if God doesn’t want to open a new door, he’s not going to do it. Oh sure you can go kick some doors open yourself, but don’t be surprised when it turns out to be one that leads to emptiness. And isn’t it so much better to knock on doors that God is waiting on the other side of? All this sounds like something Jesus talked about once… (Matthew 7:7)
God’s goal isn’t to screw with your head and heart. He’s not out to make you doubt your calling or your faith in him. But we must daily check our motives for our work in the Kingdom. God will reward us, that is a promise, but it might not be what we think that the reward should be.
There’s a line of a Lifehouse song that has been banging around in my head lately and I feel it lines up well with this—“I didn’t get what I want I got what I need…”
If you’re being faithful with the little, you can probably be faithful with much. But I wonder if there are some things that we are calling little that God is calling much. Perhaps some of the greatest accomplishments for the Kingdom of God show the least amount of results for the kingdom of this earth.
—Father, give us eyes to see things as you see them, and willing hearts to serve as you’ve called us to.—
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Justification and Sanctification
I thought this was a really good look at what the difference between Justification and Sanctification are. You hear these words a lot in church, but I honestly get confused on them. They are separate workings but should never be separated from each other. Meaning, they are 2 different acts, but they go together. I spent some time studying this morning about it and found this website that has a pretty good explanation.
http://www.ffruits.org/firstfruits02/justificationvssanctification.html
check out that page, it give some good bullet points that helped me a lot.
http://www.ffruits.org/firstfruits02/justificationvssanctification.html
check out that page, it give some good bullet points that helped me a lot.
Friday, February 11, 2011
All the Single Babies, All the Single Babies
Ah, wedding season is here again. But does it ever really end? If you’re like me then you have more wedding invitations on your refrigerator right now than you do pudding snacks on inside of it. I currently am living with two roommates who are engaged and getting married this semester, and last year I attended three weddings of my roommates from that year (not to mention all the wedding showers and engagement parties, etc…) And I went to a few more weddings of friends who I didn’t live with. I’ve been a groomsman, given speeches, DJ’d, MC’d, and sang in weddings for the past few years and there are five weddings on the radar for the next three months. So I have been around a lot of this stuff. And if anyone needs any kind of bridal magazine or pre-marriage books let me know, I’ve got a billion of them lying around the apartment and shoved under couches.
This is not to provoke sympathy, although it is welcomed, but this is to let you know that I have seen my share of nuptials. And I’ve gone solo to all of these weddings as well, which as you may know, is one of the things that can make you feel less confident in yourself than any other type of event. It can even be worse than going to the gym and seeing a girl bench press more than you. Not that that’s ever happened to me before.
Before I go any further let me just say that all of this is not directed to anyone who’s married. If I thought you were stupid for getting married I wouldn’t have attended your weddings. Even if I do think you are stupid for getting married, do you really care what I think? Why don’t you just go run to the arms of your spouse for consoling? Go on! Get out of here! We don’t need you! Right, guys? No but seriously, this is not directed at the married folks.
So here many of us sit. Single. Ready to mingle. No one to mingle with. It can get pretty depressing and discouraging sometimes. I mean let’s just be honest, watching everyone else seem to find their soul mates while you sit on the couch watching documentaries about nature on Friday night can be a bummer. And then they show all the animals finding their mates and you’re like “Ah come on, Discovery Channel!!” And then to top it all off, even Michael Scott is finally finding love.
You start to wonder why the heck God even has verses in the Bible like Genesis 2:18.
“The Lord God said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a suitable helper for him.’” Or Proverbs 18:22, “He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favor from the Lord.”
So apparently this whole marriage thing is a good thing because they keep using the word good, and doesn’t the Bible also say that God will withhold no good thing from us? (Psalm 84:11) So what game is God trying to play here? Is it that old gag from the cartoons where they dangle the carrot in front of the horse to get it to move but the horse doesn’t realize he can’t actually get the carrot? Is God dangling this idea of love and marriage in front of us even though it’s not something we will ever get to?
If there’s something good then why don’t I have it? Why am I getting older and older and having less and less single friends while I stick it out by myself? Have I not sought the Lord as much as everyone else? Am I caught up in some kind of sin I don’t know about? Am I way behind everyone else in maturity and I’m really not ready for a relationship still?
Are any of these questions you have asked? I have asked all of them, and some I still ask.
You start to re-analyze your life and situations and thought patterns. You move from feeling you deserve love straight to thoughts that you’re in the wrong because you want the love of a spouse when really you should just desire God only. There’s got to be some middle ground there doesn’t there, though?
No, we don’t deserve love. We don’t deserve any good thing that the Lord has already blessed us with or will bless us with. But that being said, he still wants to bless us. And the Lord has given us an innate desire to be with someone. I don’t think it is evil at all.
I believe that the Lord should be the one who satisfies us, but what does the Bible say? “He satisfies your desires with good THINGS,” (Psalm 103:5). So God establishes relationships in our lives (with spouses and friends alike) that allow us to be satisfied, and though it is through a person, it is part of God satisfying us.
You’re not evil for wanting to belong to a loving relationship. It’s as natural as desiring food to eat. It’s a God given instinct. But just like with food, too much desire for it is where the problem comes in.
The danger I see in the American church today, though, is that in our efforts to uphold the sanctity of marriage and push for husbands and wives to live holy and fully in love with each other and in service to each other (which is a great thing to be preached and it very much should be) is that we’ve turned marriage into a destination and an idol. Now grant it, I am on the other side of this thing, but so many times it seems to me that we treat marriage like the starting point of actual, real life. “Alright, you’re married, now you’re officially a man.”
We think that people are just magically shot with a new dose of wisdom because they now wear a ring, or now they are way more advanced in their maturity than the single folks. And so, warped by this view, we turn marriage into a necessary achievement to obtain peace and to have purpose in life. It can so easily become an idol to people who are single. We desire it so deeply and passionately that it transforms into lust. Like some kind of Transformer from the movies… Optimus Bride? (ok yeah that was stupid.)
Church people do a great job of putting it on a pedestal, too. I truly believe that people may be in good intentions with me, but it’s crazy how many times someone has asked me how I’m doing, only to follow it up with, “Are you dating anyone?” I know they are just curious and want what’s best for me, but Church, how are we supposed to expect people not to view marriage as an idol when it comes up every conversation, and like it is something we are supposed to have by now that we don’t have.
>>Side note: Now for Jonathan Tony, I admit I bring a lot of it on myself with my stupid songs and “clubs” I’ve started. (But doing comedy you gotta use what’s in front of you, and then you blow it up.) And you won’t and don’t usually upset me if we talk about relationships and my views on them. And if you really know me I hope you can tell that I joke around about it a lot. That’s kind of how I view the power of humor- it can keep things in perspective. And I enjoy talking about it. If you’re ever unclear on what I’m really thinking just ask me. Ok side note over.<<
I know that God never intended marriage to be this. This destination. This goal. This idol that it can so easily turn into. Anything that takes the place of God is sin, and isn’t it just like sin to take a blessing of the Lord and pervert it so it becomes what takes us away from the Father?
When marriage changes from a blessing to a beginning point we miss out on so much of what God has done and is doing. The blessings and purpose of our past seem meaningless, just time we had to spend in time out until teacher let us back onto the playground. The work that we were able to accomplish because we were single seems pointless because we didn’t have anyone to share it with or take dorky pictures with and put them on Facebook. To put it bluntly- this is so stupid.
YOUR LIFE DOES NOT BEGIN AT MARRIAGE! See what large letters I use as I type to you with my own hand. People, we have got to get past the glory of a wedding and the thrill of changing a status to “In a Relationship.” We must grow up! I am speaking all of this to myself by the way. Jonathan, quit being silly. See? I really believe that the church cannot rise up until it grows up. And this is part of the growth process.
Let’s look at what are the facts for the singles out there. You are single. God is not rejecting you. You are single. If you seek the Lord and fear him, I truly believe that there is not much room to screw up something as lifelong and important as marriage. So apparently God has a plan for you right now that does not involve a partner yet. So what are you doing now? What are your advantages? I’ve heard it said of aspiring missionaries that if they are not serving like missionaries right now, then what makes them think they will do it when they get overseas? I believe the same goes for us. What makes us think marriage will kick life into high gear if we’re not already at work in what God is calling us to do?
Our lives must have completeness and meaning based on something that no man or woman can give. The source of our strength and realization of purpose must come from the Lord.
And now let me just be clear, I am pro-marriage. Yes, it’s a good thing. You don’t want to be standing at the altar on your wedding day and saying something like, “Hey, my life is perfectly fine and I’m wholly content without you, you know? But… I guess this is ok, too.” Of course a spouse will add joy and blessing to your life, but it cannot be what defines our lives. The truth is, we may never be married, and if we die unwed I don’t want to be going out feeling like I did not accomplish something. Marriage is not an accomplishment. It is a calling, and in itself a ministry of service to God.
So as we watch our friends ride off into the sunset with their husbands and wives, we must not sit back and wish the whole time that it was us... and like cut out their faces from the wedding pictures and put ours in them. Or randomly walk around throwing bouquets of flowers into random crowds of people. That kind of stuff can get you arrested. So let us remember the command from Romans 12:15, “Rejoice with those who rejoice!” Let’s be happy for people when good things are happening! And pray to God they remember we did and then will get us huge gifts when it’s our weddings!
You know who the happiest person I saw lately was? It was a little baby in church. Laughing and smiling at everyone. And I’m pretty sure that baby was single. So hey, if a baby can be single and happy with life, why shouldn’t we be, too? This is a call to be big babies.
Matthew 6:8
“Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.”
This is not to provoke sympathy, although it is welcomed, but this is to let you know that I have seen my share of nuptials. And I’ve gone solo to all of these weddings as well, which as you may know, is one of the things that can make you feel less confident in yourself than any other type of event. It can even be worse than going to the gym and seeing a girl bench press more than you. Not that that’s ever happened to me before.
Before I go any further let me just say that all of this is not directed to anyone who’s married. If I thought you were stupid for getting married I wouldn’t have attended your weddings. Even if I do think you are stupid for getting married, do you really care what I think? Why don’t you just go run to the arms of your spouse for consoling? Go on! Get out of here! We don’t need you! Right, guys? No but seriously, this is not directed at the married folks.
So here many of us sit. Single. Ready to mingle. No one to mingle with. It can get pretty depressing and discouraging sometimes. I mean let’s just be honest, watching everyone else seem to find their soul mates while you sit on the couch watching documentaries about nature on Friday night can be a bummer. And then they show all the animals finding their mates and you’re like “Ah come on, Discovery Channel!!” And then to top it all off, even Michael Scott is finally finding love.
You start to wonder why the heck God even has verses in the Bible like Genesis 2:18.
“The Lord God said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a suitable helper for him.’” Or Proverbs 18:22, “He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favor from the Lord.”
So apparently this whole marriage thing is a good thing because they keep using the word good, and doesn’t the Bible also say that God will withhold no good thing from us? (Psalm 84:11) So what game is God trying to play here? Is it that old gag from the cartoons where they dangle the carrot in front of the horse to get it to move but the horse doesn’t realize he can’t actually get the carrot? Is God dangling this idea of love and marriage in front of us even though it’s not something we will ever get to?
If there’s something good then why don’t I have it? Why am I getting older and older and having less and less single friends while I stick it out by myself? Have I not sought the Lord as much as everyone else? Am I caught up in some kind of sin I don’t know about? Am I way behind everyone else in maturity and I’m really not ready for a relationship still?
Are any of these questions you have asked? I have asked all of them, and some I still ask.
You start to re-analyze your life and situations and thought patterns. You move from feeling you deserve love straight to thoughts that you’re in the wrong because you want the love of a spouse when really you should just desire God only. There’s got to be some middle ground there doesn’t there, though?
No, we don’t deserve love. We don’t deserve any good thing that the Lord has already blessed us with or will bless us with. But that being said, he still wants to bless us. And the Lord has given us an innate desire to be with someone. I don’t think it is evil at all.
I believe that the Lord should be the one who satisfies us, but what does the Bible say? “He satisfies your desires with good THINGS,” (Psalm 103:5). So God establishes relationships in our lives (with spouses and friends alike) that allow us to be satisfied, and though it is through a person, it is part of God satisfying us.
You’re not evil for wanting to belong to a loving relationship. It’s as natural as desiring food to eat. It’s a God given instinct. But just like with food, too much desire for it is where the problem comes in.
The danger I see in the American church today, though, is that in our efforts to uphold the sanctity of marriage and push for husbands and wives to live holy and fully in love with each other and in service to each other (which is a great thing to be preached and it very much should be) is that we’ve turned marriage into a destination and an idol. Now grant it, I am on the other side of this thing, but so many times it seems to me that we treat marriage like the starting point of actual, real life. “Alright, you’re married, now you’re officially a man.”
We think that people are just magically shot with a new dose of wisdom because they now wear a ring, or now they are way more advanced in their maturity than the single folks. And so, warped by this view, we turn marriage into a necessary achievement to obtain peace and to have purpose in life. It can so easily become an idol to people who are single. We desire it so deeply and passionately that it transforms into lust. Like some kind of Transformer from the movies… Optimus Bride? (ok yeah that was stupid.)
Church people do a great job of putting it on a pedestal, too. I truly believe that people may be in good intentions with me, but it’s crazy how many times someone has asked me how I’m doing, only to follow it up with, “Are you dating anyone?” I know they are just curious and want what’s best for me, but Church, how are we supposed to expect people not to view marriage as an idol when it comes up every conversation, and like it is something we are supposed to have by now that we don’t have.
>>Side note: Now for Jonathan Tony, I admit I bring a lot of it on myself with my stupid songs and “clubs” I’ve started. (But doing comedy you gotta use what’s in front of you, and then you blow it up.) And you won’t and don’t usually upset me if we talk about relationships and my views on them. And if you really know me I hope you can tell that I joke around about it a lot. That’s kind of how I view the power of humor- it can keep things in perspective. And I enjoy talking about it. If you’re ever unclear on what I’m really thinking just ask me. Ok side note over.<<
I know that God never intended marriage to be this. This destination. This goal. This idol that it can so easily turn into. Anything that takes the place of God is sin, and isn’t it just like sin to take a blessing of the Lord and pervert it so it becomes what takes us away from the Father?
When marriage changes from a blessing to a beginning point we miss out on so much of what God has done and is doing. The blessings and purpose of our past seem meaningless, just time we had to spend in time out until teacher let us back onto the playground. The work that we were able to accomplish because we were single seems pointless because we didn’t have anyone to share it with or take dorky pictures with and put them on Facebook. To put it bluntly- this is so stupid.
YOUR LIFE DOES NOT BEGIN AT MARRIAGE! See what large letters I use as I type to you with my own hand. People, we have got to get past the glory of a wedding and the thrill of changing a status to “In a Relationship.” We must grow up! I am speaking all of this to myself by the way. Jonathan, quit being silly. See? I really believe that the church cannot rise up until it grows up. And this is part of the growth process.
Let’s look at what are the facts for the singles out there. You are single. God is not rejecting you. You are single. If you seek the Lord and fear him, I truly believe that there is not much room to screw up something as lifelong and important as marriage. So apparently God has a plan for you right now that does not involve a partner yet. So what are you doing now? What are your advantages? I’ve heard it said of aspiring missionaries that if they are not serving like missionaries right now, then what makes them think they will do it when they get overseas? I believe the same goes for us. What makes us think marriage will kick life into high gear if we’re not already at work in what God is calling us to do?
Our lives must have completeness and meaning based on something that no man or woman can give. The source of our strength and realization of purpose must come from the Lord.
And now let me just be clear, I am pro-marriage. Yes, it’s a good thing. You don’t want to be standing at the altar on your wedding day and saying something like, “Hey, my life is perfectly fine and I’m wholly content without you, you know? But… I guess this is ok, too.” Of course a spouse will add joy and blessing to your life, but it cannot be what defines our lives. The truth is, we may never be married, and if we die unwed I don’t want to be going out feeling like I did not accomplish something. Marriage is not an accomplishment. It is a calling, and in itself a ministry of service to God.
So as we watch our friends ride off into the sunset with their husbands and wives, we must not sit back and wish the whole time that it was us... and like cut out their faces from the wedding pictures and put ours in them. Or randomly walk around throwing bouquets of flowers into random crowds of people. That kind of stuff can get you arrested. So let us remember the command from Romans 12:15, “Rejoice with those who rejoice!” Let’s be happy for people when good things are happening! And pray to God they remember we did and then will get us huge gifts when it’s our weddings!
You know who the happiest person I saw lately was? It was a little baby in church. Laughing and smiling at everyone. And I’m pretty sure that baby was single. So hey, if a baby can be single and happy with life, why shouldn’t we be, too? This is a call to be big babies.
Matthew 6:8
“Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.”
Monday, August 23, 2010
Do the Body Good
So I’ve been doing some recording of my songs with my friend Jordan in his room, I call it the J-Dub Music Factory. It’s been a lot of fun, hearing something I wrote on a piano or guitar and adding more instruments to it is so cool to hear when it’s all put together.
The hardest part of it is when you hear what you just recorded played back, raw, unedited and with no accompaniments. You feel so exposed and nervous. Like a kid in middle school that just sent a note to a girl that says he likes her only to see her laugh at it with her friends while they point fingers towards me… I mean him. But anyways, you’re like, “Dang, that’s me? That sounds awful!” You hear yourself differently than you hear yourself singing in the shower. It’s pretty tough to hear, especially for a singer like me.
But what’s crazy is that after Jordan played the other instruments we’d recorded with me singing, it didn’t sound so bad. I was like, “Hey, I can actually listen to this. Not completely terrible.”
I think it’s the same thing with our daily lives in the Body of Christ.
Romans 12:4-5
“Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.”
It is my belief that there are no soloists in the Body of Christ. Sunday morning church may have told you differently. And trust me, I love Sister Maggie’s Sunday offering solo special as much as the next guy, but we’re not meant to sing our lives out alone. “Each member belongs to all the others,” we are each an instrument that was made to play in a glorious orchestra.
Just like the other instruments that were added helped to cover up the cracks, shallowness, and altogether weakness of my 12-year-old boy-like singing voice, as members in the Body we are meant to balance, protect, and uplift the other members.
Romans 12:15-16
“Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another.”
The Body is meant to care for the Body. Yet for so long we’ve been a masochistic body. Sometimes more than the world could ever hurt us, we’ve been hurting ourselves. Instead of rejoicing with those who rejoice, we get jealous. Instead of weeping with those who weep we say that they should get over it, or counsel them with all of our great wisdom and analyze their problems to death, when really they just need someone to listen to them.
A hand never goes to the places a foot has been. The foot was not really made to be a hand but got demoted; it was perfectly designed and placed by God to be a foot. A hand should not try to make a foot another hand. Nobody wants to try and eat a sandwich with a foot-hand. Gross. You’ve been perfectly designed and placed in the Body by God. Be who you are supposed to be in it! But the Body must work together.
I remember a Savior who was on his hands and knees as a servant, placing hands where feet step. I remember a Savior who was pierced in his hands and feet because he loved every part of the Body.
His body is our example, and we are his body. Really weep with those who weep. Really rejoice with those who rejoice. Be who you are in this great Body of Christ. Jesus told us to remember his body that was broken. So be pierced. Be humbled.
We are broken, and we belong to each other, and we all belong to Jesus. We are the body of a Savior who was “pierced for our transgressions and crushed for our iniquities,” but we are beautiful.
The hardest part of it is when you hear what you just recorded played back, raw, unedited and with no accompaniments. You feel so exposed and nervous. Like a kid in middle school that just sent a note to a girl that says he likes her only to see her laugh at it with her friends while they point fingers towards me… I mean him. But anyways, you’re like, “Dang, that’s me? That sounds awful!” You hear yourself differently than you hear yourself singing in the shower. It’s pretty tough to hear, especially for a singer like me.
But what’s crazy is that after Jordan played the other instruments we’d recorded with me singing, it didn’t sound so bad. I was like, “Hey, I can actually listen to this. Not completely terrible.”
I think it’s the same thing with our daily lives in the Body of Christ.
Romans 12:4-5
“Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.”
It is my belief that there are no soloists in the Body of Christ. Sunday morning church may have told you differently. And trust me, I love Sister Maggie’s Sunday offering solo special as much as the next guy, but we’re not meant to sing our lives out alone. “Each member belongs to all the others,” we are each an instrument that was made to play in a glorious orchestra.
Just like the other instruments that were added helped to cover up the cracks, shallowness, and altogether weakness of my 12-year-old boy-like singing voice, as members in the Body we are meant to balance, protect, and uplift the other members.
Romans 12:15-16
“Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another.”
The Body is meant to care for the Body. Yet for so long we’ve been a masochistic body. Sometimes more than the world could ever hurt us, we’ve been hurting ourselves. Instead of rejoicing with those who rejoice, we get jealous. Instead of weeping with those who weep we say that they should get over it, or counsel them with all of our great wisdom and analyze their problems to death, when really they just need someone to listen to them.
A hand never goes to the places a foot has been. The foot was not really made to be a hand but got demoted; it was perfectly designed and placed by God to be a foot. A hand should not try to make a foot another hand. Nobody wants to try and eat a sandwich with a foot-hand. Gross. You’ve been perfectly designed and placed in the Body by God. Be who you are supposed to be in it! But the Body must work together.
I remember a Savior who was on his hands and knees as a servant, placing hands where feet step. I remember a Savior who was pierced in his hands and feet because he loved every part of the Body.
His body is our example, and we are his body. Really weep with those who weep. Really rejoice with those who rejoice. Be who you are in this great Body of Christ. Jesus told us to remember his body that was broken. So be pierced. Be humbled.
We are broken, and we belong to each other, and we all belong to Jesus. We are the body of a Savior who was “pierced for our transgressions and crushed for our iniquities,” but we are beautiful.
Monday, April 12, 2010
Layers Upon Layers Upon Layers
Matthew 7:24-27
The Wise and Foolish Builders
24"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash."
I had just graduated high school. My greatest dreams lay ahead of me. I could go anywhere I wanted to go, be anything I wanted to be. The possibilities were endless that summer.
So where else was there to go but to a tree farm to work out in the hot sun all the live-long summer. Every young, ambitious man’s dream. Obviously.
If you’ve never had to do manual labor for an extended period of time I suggest you try it. Apparently it builds character? Thanks for those words of wisdom, mom.
I learned many things at the blessed tree farm. Like what a man smells like who refuses to bathe. And that you can get a massive sunburn even if it’s cloudy outside. And also that if you drive a lawn mower over a PVC water pipe, that you will have created an erupting geyser in a split second.
Of all the wonderful things I learned there, I suppose the thing that most impressed me was that it’s much harder to plant a tree than you’d think. You don’t just drop the tree (with a 2-foot diameter root ball) in hole, kick some dirt in, spray it with some water and leave. The tree will die if you do that. I know. I saw them die. Not my fault of course.
To properly plant a tree you must put it in the ground and as you fill in the hole with soil, you must use a hose and continually wash in the dirt. It takes much longer than you’d think, and it is so vital that there are no air pockets around the roots. Fill in dirt. Wash it in. Repeat. Repeat. Get a blister. Repeat.
When you’re walking by a palm tree you really have no clue what the roots look like underneath and how important it is for its life that it was properly planted. You only see the surface, but the most important part of the tree is beneath the ground.
Have you ever had big, amazing, life changing moments in the presence of God? Maybe times where you’ve cried harder than you ever thought you could. Maybe the power of God was so strong you couldn’t even stand. Maybe you heard his voice so direct and so clear. Maybe you felt his love deeper than anything ever before. Maybe you saw a miracle. These are some of the moments we never forget. The ones we give testimonies about in church or on mission trips. The ones you know you would never even need a picture to remember it by because it will always be clear in your mind’s eye.
Those moments are great and important to our spiritual lives, but if we live waiting for the next big God explosion to blow our minds, I believe we will be people who are spiritually dying.
I think that like the roots of the trees, perhaps it is the things we will never remember that are the most important for our growth. Just because you can’t see them or remember them does not mean they were not impactful in a most important way. They are the daily times of communion with God that we must wash in over and over, a foundation of layers of continual faithfulness and seeking after God. And just because maybe you can only see or remember the top layer (perhaps what you read in your Bible yesterday) does not mean the other layers of time with God in the past have no relevance or significance.
We are building our foundations on the Rock of Jesus with every daily reading of scripture, prayer service, time of worship, and good deed. So when the rains come down, the streams rise, and the winds blow and beat against us we will not fall, because our layers are firm and our roots run deep. If our foundation is not solid, there’s no way anything on top of it will remain.
Jesus teaches us in Matthew 6 to pray, “Give us this day our daily bread.” The bread we buy from Publix was not the bread he was referring to. Real bread only stays fresh for about a day then it gets hard and stale. When I was in Paris I saw people go to the bakery every morning for fresh bread → une baguette. I think with God and man, it must be a daily walk, daily trust, daily praise, and a daily dose of grace and guidance. Our daily bread.
Just like the soil around the roots, the word of God must be continually washed into our lives. “Pray continually.” (1 Thessalonians 5:17)
You’re not going to remember every moment you ever spend with the Lord, just like Michael Jordan doesn’t remember every basket he’s ever made, but each moment with God is necessary to our growth. You can’t build on top of something that is not there.
Seek the Lord. Build layers on top of layers of intimate and precious moments with your God. Because I believe with all my heart that even if you don’t remember them all, your Father does.
The Wise and Foolish Builders
24"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash."
I had just graduated high school. My greatest dreams lay ahead of me. I could go anywhere I wanted to go, be anything I wanted to be. The possibilities were endless that summer.
So where else was there to go but to a tree farm to work out in the hot sun all the live-long summer. Every young, ambitious man’s dream. Obviously.
If you’ve never had to do manual labor for an extended period of time I suggest you try it. Apparently it builds character? Thanks for those words of wisdom, mom.
I learned many things at the blessed tree farm. Like what a man smells like who refuses to bathe. And that you can get a massive sunburn even if it’s cloudy outside. And also that if you drive a lawn mower over a PVC water pipe, that you will have created an erupting geyser in a split second.
Of all the wonderful things I learned there, I suppose the thing that most impressed me was that it’s much harder to plant a tree than you’d think. You don’t just drop the tree (with a 2-foot diameter root ball) in hole, kick some dirt in, spray it with some water and leave. The tree will die if you do that. I know. I saw them die. Not my fault of course.
To properly plant a tree you must put it in the ground and as you fill in the hole with soil, you must use a hose and continually wash in the dirt. It takes much longer than you’d think, and it is so vital that there are no air pockets around the roots. Fill in dirt. Wash it in. Repeat. Repeat. Get a blister. Repeat.
When you’re walking by a palm tree you really have no clue what the roots look like underneath and how important it is for its life that it was properly planted. You only see the surface, but the most important part of the tree is beneath the ground.
Have you ever had big, amazing, life changing moments in the presence of God? Maybe times where you’ve cried harder than you ever thought you could. Maybe the power of God was so strong you couldn’t even stand. Maybe you heard his voice so direct and so clear. Maybe you felt his love deeper than anything ever before. Maybe you saw a miracle. These are some of the moments we never forget. The ones we give testimonies about in church or on mission trips. The ones you know you would never even need a picture to remember it by because it will always be clear in your mind’s eye.
Those moments are great and important to our spiritual lives, but if we live waiting for the next big God explosion to blow our minds, I believe we will be people who are spiritually dying.
I think that like the roots of the trees, perhaps it is the things we will never remember that are the most important for our growth. Just because you can’t see them or remember them does not mean they were not impactful in a most important way. They are the daily times of communion with God that we must wash in over and over, a foundation of layers of continual faithfulness and seeking after God. And just because maybe you can only see or remember the top layer (perhaps what you read in your Bible yesterday) does not mean the other layers of time with God in the past have no relevance or significance.
We are building our foundations on the Rock of Jesus with every daily reading of scripture, prayer service, time of worship, and good deed. So when the rains come down, the streams rise, and the winds blow and beat against us we will not fall, because our layers are firm and our roots run deep. If our foundation is not solid, there’s no way anything on top of it will remain.
Jesus teaches us in Matthew 6 to pray, “Give us this day our daily bread.” The bread we buy from Publix was not the bread he was referring to. Real bread only stays fresh for about a day then it gets hard and stale. When I was in Paris I saw people go to the bakery every morning for fresh bread → une baguette. I think with God and man, it must be a daily walk, daily trust, daily praise, and a daily dose of grace and guidance. Our daily bread.
Just like the soil around the roots, the word of God must be continually washed into our lives. “Pray continually.” (1 Thessalonians 5:17)
You’re not going to remember every moment you ever spend with the Lord, just like Michael Jordan doesn’t remember every basket he’s ever made, but each moment with God is necessary to our growth. You can’t build on top of something that is not there.
Seek the Lord. Build layers on top of layers of intimate and precious moments with your God. Because I believe with all my heart that even if you don’t remember them all, your Father does.
Monday, March 8, 2010
Wave Pool Life
When I was a kid I spent a lot of time at Ocala’s premier water park Wild Waters. Oh yeah, Ocala has it all. We even have TWO Wal-Marts!
Anyways, like most of the other kids in the park, I’d drop whatever I was doing or leave whatever line I was in and run as fast as I could (or walk safely if a lifeguard was around) to get to the wave pool whenever I heard that it was time for the “Wild Waters Waves!” A big, booming voice would come on every hour and announce that the once still waters of the giant wave pool were about to… well… wave. And I’m talking massive waves! The kind that could sink ships! It was always exciting.
On one particular wave experience, I turned out to not be as excited as I usually was. I don’t know if it was a bad corndog, too much energy spent from running all over the park, or if I was just too overcome with excitement, but for some reason these waves seemed a bit bigger than they were any other time before. And somehow I had gotten out into the middle of the wave pool and didn’t even have a raft.
The waves kept coming. Each one fiercer than the last. I found myself losing all of the energy I had once before had. With every second that passed it became harder and harder to stay afloat. My head kept going underwater and by the time I had kicked myself up enough to catch my breath I would start sinking again. There I was, an eight-year-old kid coming closer than ever before to what I knew of death.
At one point, I looked to the right and saw a girl around my same age floating on a tube with her dad swimming right next to her. In an act of desperation I reached out and grabbed onto her tube so that I could keep above water. And then, suddenly, the girl looked back at me and into my eyes… and she gave me the weirdest look I’d ever seen someone give me. Perhaps that was the first weird look from a girl I had ever gotten; I should have known right then that I would live a life constantly filled with many more.
After that girl stared into my soul and annihilated my self-esteem, I decided to let go of her floatation device. Apparently I would have rather died than take a look like that from a woman. (Nowadays I kind of embrace them; perhaps I am numb to them?)
As I tried my best to survive in those wild waters, completely exhausted and with shattered confidence, I prayed to God every second for the waves to stop. Finally they did. And thankfully, I did not die.
Years later, I still feel like I am in the same place as that awkward boy in the wave pool. Not really getting anywhere. Not really swimming. Just treading water. Trying not to die. So much effort spent on kicking and paddling as hard as my feet and arms can, but going nowhere. Just treading water.
The Psalmist, that boy, and now this man all pray the same thing:
“Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck. I sink in the miry depths where there is no foothold. I have come into deep waters; the floods engulf me.” (Psalm 69:1-2)
It’s a frustrating place to be, especially when one of my greatest fears is wasting time I will never get back. But here I am, treading water. For all my dreams, attempts, and pursuits, I am swimming nowhere it seems. I tread water. I swim to keep myself from drowning.
I’m not dying, but am I really living? And is this life abundantly?
I am finding life is not a straight shot to the finish line. It is a road with intersections, turns, and traffic lights. Sometimes when we feel like we are stuck, just treading water and going nowhere, maybe we are really just transitioning.
2 Corinthians 4:16
“Therefore, we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.”
Maybe we are in another transition point in life. Some transitions are smooth and painless, but some are complicated and take more time than we expected them to. But this is real life. And I think that’s why they are called transitions and not dead ends, because we are going somewhere still, it’s just that things are changing. Time is not our enemy; it is a part of our process.
Being people that want to be continually moving forward is not a bad thing, but we must realize that occasionally the only action needing to be taken is the act of patience. If we are putting our trust in the Lord, we must put our timing in Him as well.
Sometimes saying, “I’ll stay where you have me,” is just as important as saying, “I’ll go where you send me.”
It’s amazing what a little shift in your perspective can do for your faith. Try looking at your situation a little differently, and know above all else that God is looking at your situation, too.
If it feels like you’re treading, maybe you’re really just transitioning.
Psalm 116:5-7
“The Lord is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion.
The Lord protects the simple-hearted; when I was in great need, He saved me.
Be at rest once more, O my soul, for the Lord has been good to you.”
Anyways, like most of the other kids in the park, I’d drop whatever I was doing or leave whatever line I was in and run as fast as I could (or walk safely if a lifeguard was around) to get to the wave pool whenever I heard that it was time for the “Wild Waters Waves!” A big, booming voice would come on every hour and announce that the once still waters of the giant wave pool were about to… well… wave. And I’m talking massive waves! The kind that could sink ships! It was always exciting.
On one particular wave experience, I turned out to not be as excited as I usually was. I don’t know if it was a bad corndog, too much energy spent from running all over the park, or if I was just too overcome with excitement, but for some reason these waves seemed a bit bigger than they were any other time before. And somehow I had gotten out into the middle of the wave pool and didn’t even have a raft.
The waves kept coming. Each one fiercer than the last. I found myself losing all of the energy I had once before had. With every second that passed it became harder and harder to stay afloat. My head kept going underwater and by the time I had kicked myself up enough to catch my breath I would start sinking again. There I was, an eight-year-old kid coming closer than ever before to what I knew of death.
At one point, I looked to the right and saw a girl around my same age floating on a tube with her dad swimming right next to her. In an act of desperation I reached out and grabbed onto her tube so that I could keep above water. And then, suddenly, the girl looked back at me and into my eyes… and she gave me the weirdest look I’d ever seen someone give me. Perhaps that was the first weird look from a girl I had ever gotten; I should have known right then that I would live a life constantly filled with many more.
After that girl stared into my soul and annihilated my self-esteem, I decided to let go of her floatation device. Apparently I would have rather died than take a look like that from a woman. (Nowadays I kind of embrace them; perhaps I am numb to them?)
As I tried my best to survive in those wild waters, completely exhausted and with shattered confidence, I prayed to God every second for the waves to stop. Finally they did. And thankfully, I did not die.
Years later, I still feel like I am in the same place as that awkward boy in the wave pool. Not really getting anywhere. Not really swimming. Just treading water. Trying not to die. So much effort spent on kicking and paddling as hard as my feet and arms can, but going nowhere. Just treading water.
The Psalmist, that boy, and now this man all pray the same thing:
“Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck. I sink in the miry depths where there is no foothold. I have come into deep waters; the floods engulf me.” (Psalm 69:1-2)
It’s a frustrating place to be, especially when one of my greatest fears is wasting time I will never get back. But here I am, treading water. For all my dreams, attempts, and pursuits, I am swimming nowhere it seems. I tread water. I swim to keep myself from drowning.
I’m not dying, but am I really living? And is this life abundantly?
I am finding life is not a straight shot to the finish line. It is a road with intersections, turns, and traffic lights. Sometimes when we feel like we are stuck, just treading water and going nowhere, maybe we are really just transitioning.
2 Corinthians 4:16
“Therefore, we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.”
Maybe we are in another transition point in life. Some transitions are smooth and painless, but some are complicated and take more time than we expected them to. But this is real life. And I think that’s why they are called transitions and not dead ends, because we are going somewhere still, it’s just that things are changing. Time is not our enemy; it is a part of our process.
Being people that want to be continually moving forward is not a bad thing, but we must realize that occasionally the only action needing to be taken is the act of patience. If we are putting our trust in the Lord, we must put our timing in Him as well.
Sometimes saying, “I’ll stay where you have me,” is just as important as saying, “I’ll go where you send me.”
It’s amazing what a little shift in your perspective can do for your faith. Try looking at your situation a little differently, and know above all else that God is looking at your situation, too.
If it feels like you’re treading, maybe you’re really just transitioning.
Psalm 116:5-7
“The Lord is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion.
The Lord protects the simple-hearted; when I was in great need, He saved me.
Be at rest once more, O my soul, for the Lord has been good to you.”
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Casting and Baking
So I’ve been in Ft. Pierce the past few days; naturally I had to go fishing today. Despite what you may have heard, I am the worst fisherman you know. I mean, if I believed in luck, I’d say all the Irish in my blood floats away from me the moment I get a rod and reel in my hands. I think I’m averaging about one fish a year. And that’s not an exaggeration. (And one of those fish I didn’t even hook; I just reeled it in and took the credit.)
I wish I were one of those people that could say, “Oh, it doesn’t matter if I catch anything. It’s just about being out there and being with nature.” But I’m not. I get annoyed. I get mad at the fish. “You stupid fish! Bite the lure! You’re not better than me, fish!” And of course there’s always some 10-year-old who’s catching sharks and whales like twenty yards down from me. And while I’m not catching fish, I just get to thinking about things and analyzing my situations. And thus, here I am with another journal entry.
I think life is a lot like fishing. It seems like we cast a lot. Always casting. Throwing it out there. Trying. Sometimes it works. The fish bite. People like you. You reel in a big one. Things work out pretty well, and it’s enjoyable. But a lot of the times you just cast. No one bites. You try a different spot; try something new. No bites. Apparently, even the fish don’t want to be around you, and they’re fish. And then you start to rethink mama’s words of wisdom, “Oh, there’s plenty of fish in the sea, Sweetie.”
But we cast on. Waiting. Praying. Just thinking maybe this will be the cast that works. Praying that if God really loves you, you’ll get something on this cast.
And then… suddenly. What’s that?! A tug. A nibble. You feel the rod shake a little. Finally! You start to reel in quickly. This must be a big one! Look at the rod bending! Alright… wait. It’s stuck on a stupid rock.
Once again, it’s disappointment, a moment of hope and excitement, only to be let down again. And it kind of feels worse because you got your hopes up. But maybe that’s life—a lot of casting, and a lot of reeling in seaweed.
When the fish aren’t biting, there’s nothing you can do about it. There is nothing in your tackle box that can make a fish want to bite. And if you’re like me, that is the most frustrating thing in the world. Being helpless to change a situation. And no amount of casts, tries, or even prayers can change it.
Sometimes we just cast.
If we’re real with ourselves, I’m sure we can look back on many times in our lives where the fish weren’t biting, and there was nothing you could do about it. Prayers didn’t change it. Your tears didn’t change it. And of course, your heartfelt words might as well have not even been spoken.
Sometimes the fish aren’t biting.
Sometimes we just cast.
But you know what I started realizing on each cast? I was getting better. Each cast was going farther. In fact, I almost caught a bird. And I would have, too, but I didn’t want to deal with a bird on a hook.
And maybe the Master of the waters knows something we don’t about these fish. It’s hard to see when you’re just standing there feeling like an idiot with a stick and a hook, but maybe there is something going on below the water that we can’t see.
Sometimes there’s nothing you can do, and that is alright.
I’m not much of a baker either, but I do know a few things about cakes. When you’re making a cake from scratch you have to crack the eggs, put in the flour, pour in the oil and the water, add something else I probably don’t know about, and then mix it. Mix it all in. Keep mixing. Then pour it in the pan. But then, you put it in the oven and leave it.
There is nothing more you can do now. It’s the oven’s turn to do something you cannot. You must let it bake.
You must let it go, and let it bake.
In some situations, I believe there comes a time in our process when we must give it over to God, stop working and wrestling with it, and let it bake. It’s a time that the Lord will release you to let it go, and there’s nothing more you need to do but wait. Wait while He does something you cannot do. Let it bake.
Psalm 27:13-14
I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.
Never stop praying. Never stop casting. But we must remember that God is continually teaching us, and that He loves us very much. If you are doing what you can do, He will do what you are not able to do. And if the fish aren’t biting, maybe He knows something you don’t. I think Jesus knows a thing or two about fishing (check out John 21.)
Sometimes we can’t make the fish bite or the cake bake, but at some point the fish have got to eat, and at some point you’ll be eating some pretty good cake.
I wish I were one of those people that could say, “Oh, it doesn’t matter if I catch anything. It’s just about being out there and being with nature.” But I’m not. I get annoyed. I get mad at the fish. “You stupid fish! Bite the lure! You’re not better than me, fish!” And of course there’s always some 10-year-old who’s catching sharks and whales like twenty yards down from me. And while I’m not catching fish, I just get to thinking about things and analyzing my situations. And thus, here I am with another journal entry.
I think life is a lot like fishing. It seems like we cast a lot. Always casting. Throwing it out there. Trying. Sometimes it works. The fish bite. People like you. You reel in a big one. Things work out pretty well, and it’s enjoyable. But a lot of the times you just cast. No one bites. You try a different spot; try something new. No bites. Apparently, even the fish don’t want to be around you, and they’re fish. And then you start to rethink mama’s words of wisdom, “Oh, there’s plenty of fish in the sea, Sweetie.”
But we cast on. Waiting. Praying. Just thinking maybe this will be the cast that works. Praying that if God really loves you, you’ll get something on this cast.
And then… suddenly. What’s that?! A tug. A nibble. You feel the rod shake a little. Finally! You start to reel in quickly. This must be a big one! Look at the rod bending! Alright… wait. It’s stuck on a stupid rock.
Once again, it’s disappointment, a moment of hope and excitement, only to be let down again. And it kind of feels worse because you got your hopes up. But maybe that’s life—a lot of casting, and a lot of reeling in seaweed.
When the fish aren’t biting, there’s nothing you can do about it. There is nothing in your tackle box that can make a fish want to bite. And if you’re like me, that is the most frustrating thing in the world. Being helpless to change a situation. And no amount of casts, tries, or even prayers can change it.
Sometimes we just cast.
If we’re real with ourselves, I’m sure we can look back on many times in our lives where the fish weren’t biting, and there was nothing you could do about it. Prayers didn’t change it. Your tears didn’t change it. And of course, your heartfelt words might as well have not even been spoken.
Sometimes the fish aren’t biting.
Sometimes we just cast.
But you know what I started realizing on each cast? I was getting better. Each cast was going farther. In fact, I almost caught a bird. And I would have, too, but I didn’t want to deal with a bird on a hook.
And maybe the Master of the waters knows something we don’t about these fish. It’s hard to see when you’re just standing there feeling like an idiot with a stick and a hook, but maybe there is something going on below the water that we can’t see.
Sometimes there’s nothing you can do, and that is alright.
I’m not much of a baker either, but I do know a few things about cakes. When you’re making a cake from scratch you have to crack the eggs, put in the flour, pour in the oil and the water, add something else I probably don’t know about, and then mix it. Mix it all in. Keep mixing. Then pour it in the pan. But then, you put it in the oven and leave it.
There is nothing more you can do now. It’s the oven’s turn to do something you cannot. You must let it bake.
You must let it go, and let it bake.
In some situations, I believe there comes a time in our process when we must give it over to God, stop working and wrestling with it, and let it bake. It’s a time that the Lord will release you to let it go, and there’s nothing more you need to do but wait. Wait while He does something you cannot do. Let it bake.
Psalm 27:13-14
I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.
Never stop praying. Never stop casting. But we must remember that God is continually teaching us, and that He loves us very much. If you are doing what you can do, He will do what you are not able to do. And if the fish aren’t biting, maybe He knows something you don’t. I think Jesus knows a thing or two about fishing (check out John 21.)
Sometimes we can’t make the fish bite or the cake bake, but at some point the fish have got to eat, and at some point you’ll be eating some pretty good cake.
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