Day 213 - This Blog Just Got Weird

"It was weird."

Sometimes a good idea at the time gets weird. I have thought in my mind something would turn out good and then it turns out...

I once heard an interview with Tom Hanks. He said he had made a few good movies and a lot of bad ones. I get it Tom! 

We have to call it. It is better to admit it and move forward. I had some guys in our young adults ministry when I was leading it drive up on a Vespa with helmets and round goggles on riding together. The first words out of the drivers mouth were "It just got weird." Indeed. We had a good conversation afterward from what I remember. 

Have you had anything like this happen to you? What do you do when things get weird? 

Day 212 - Trimming Our Sails

"It looks like we are going back into a mode of church growth and aligning ourselves for momentum. Trimming our sails and catching the wind if you will. It takes work on our part to find where the Spirit is moving and direct our lives and ministries to be moved in the direction He is leading."

Sailing has so many parallels to life. Throughout the Bible you will find nautical terms. One of the most famous is the one in Hebrews that says we have this hope as an anchor for our soul. 

Even if you haven't sailed I'm sure you can imagine a boat in the water with a sail on it. The wind moves and if the sail is set up right then the boat is pushed by the wind. The better you catch the wind the faster the boat moves. 

Momentum in our lives is a lot like that. As we align ourselves with the word of God and get in position to catch what the Spirit is doing it will move us in the direction of our goals. If we fight against God we will have no momentum. In fact in sailing terms, when you are facing the wind and go nowhere, it is called being 'in irons' or we would say in handcuffs or jail. You aren't able to do anything as long as you are working against the wind. Similarly you wont do anything when you work against God!

Find out where God is moving and get in line with it. Close in and set your course. Stay faithful and close to Him. As you do you will have a Godly momentum that cannot be stopped. 

Have you experienced adjusting your life to catch the momentum of God? How can we make those adjustments and sustain momentum?

Day 211 - The Long Haul

"Only people with longevity get to see those types of things." 

The reward of longevity is seeing goals accomplished. Ask anyone who has weathered a storm or who has stuck it out if they were glad they did. They will tell you that it was tough but totally worth it. 

My father in law has been the pastor of our church for the past 27 years. He took a group of 12 people, most of whom were his family, and today tens of thousands attend our church. A few years ago he told a group of pastors one of the secrets of his success. He told them the reason he was successful when others failed was because he outlasted them. 

The same is true in all areas of life. Don't stop until you reach the goal. Stay in for the long haul. You will be glad you did!

Have you stuck out any storms? What rewards have you seen for staying in for the long haul? 

Day 210 - This is Really Important

"The decision was made by a best two out of three game of Rock, Paper, Scissors."

Very important decisions should be made with this system, specifically, the best two out of three. You can't just do one game and that's it. The decisions I often have made with this method have included but are not limited to; diaper changing, getting up with kids in the middle of the night, cleaning the kitchen after dinner, and many other life and death decisions. 

Whatever the outcome of the game I know I played well and left it all on the battlefield. 

I think this parallels the Bible verse that says the lot is cast into the lap but the answer comes from the Lord. This might be the modern day equivalent. 

God knows our ways and directs our paths. We can trust that no matter if decisions are fun or tough that we will be okay and God is working it together for our good. 

What decisions have you made with Rock, Paper, Scissors? How can you tell that God is working things out on your behalf?

Day 209 - What To Do When You Don't Know What To Do

"The question is 'Should we?' We agreed again to wait on The Lord."

What do you do when you don't know what to do? The answer is simpler than we think. I know I have a way of complicating things in my mind by looking to multiple outcomes. Eventually my mind is exhausted and I give up on any solutions and end up doing nothing. 

The simple answer is that We are to wait on the Lord. It is a simple answer and sounds like we should do nothing. On the surface it seems that waiting on the Lord means we sit back and God will either do it all for us or He will eventually give us the answer. I am not throwing those scenarios out because God can do whatever He wants. But the definition of waiting on the Lord is surprisingly active on our part. 

Waiting on the Lord means that we intertwine ourselves with the Lord. The image that we get from this word is that we are like the braided rope that is wrapped around and woven together. 

So what do you do when you don't know what to do? Get wrapped up in the Lord and wait with expectancy for His way to be accomplished. As you get wrapped up in Him He will be in you and you can't go wrong with that! 

What are some ways we can get wrapped up in God? Have you seen this work in your life?

Day 208 - Look Right Through Me

"The cry of my heart tonight is “Lord I need You!” Everywhere and in every way. May I not get puffed up with the praises of men or caught up in my own publicity. I humble myself and exalt Christ."

It almost seems counterproductive to post this section of my journal because it deals with humility. You can tell someone is not humble when they tell you they are. I am not tooting my own horn, I am revealing a very personal cry of my heart that I pray daily in hopes that it will help you. 

I battle pride. The Bible calls it a snare of the devil. I don't want to get caught up in it and have everything I have worked for end up in ruins. When we get into pride the Bible tells us we will actually have God opposing us. It is only in our humility that we will receive the grace of God we need to get the job done. 

I recently read a story of a man who was watching a goat ascend a small trail up the steep part of a mountain. On this narrow trail another goat came down and the two met face to face. At first they paused and then both stepped back a few paces. Then to the man's amazement he watched as the first goat knelt down and allowed the other goat to walk over it's back in order to get by. Then the first goat stood up and continued climbing the mountain. 

It is when we humble ourselves that we will be exalted. The way up is down. When we lower ourselves in humility and submit ourselves to God's will and way for our lives He Himself will lift us up to where He wants us to be. 

The cry of my heart is that people would look right through me and see God. It doesn't matter who knows my name. What matters is that they know the name of Jesus. 

How do you battle pride? What are some ways we can humble ourselves?

Day 207 - Passion

"I preached a passionate word to the end that my voice was starting to go on me."

Is there something you are passionate about? Something that moves you? Something that wakes you up out of bed? 

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said "If a man has not discovered something that he will die for he isn't fit to live."

Now before you get down on yourself if you haven't discovered that something yet remember that there is someone Who is passionate about you. When you get a hold of how passionate He is then your passion becomes like a fire within. 

God is passionate about you. That is why Jesus went to the cross. His passion led Him to die for you. 

When I understood the passion of God it changed my life. It has fueled every decision I have made. And now my life's work is telling others the good news that God loves them and is passionate about them. 

God wants to be involved in our lives on the macro and micro levels. He delights in us and dances over us with joy. That is kind of a weird thought, God dancing. It shows His passionate love for us. As a Father with their children so is God with us. 

How does knowing God's passion for you fuel your passion for Him? How can we express that passion?