Filed under: Leadership, Spiritual Formation | Tags: ministry, spritual growth
Our backyard neighbors have a beautiful flowering tree in the corner of their fenced yard. I know this because the tree’s branches are covered in amazing, pink blossoms that flow over the top and down the outside of the fence for our enjoyment. As far as I know our neighbors never deliberately chose to have these flowery branches spill over into our view. In fact, I’m quite certain they simply planted a tree for their own pleasure, watered it and nurtured it. They’re probably not aware of how the tree looks from our side of the fence or how we enjoy it every time we look out a back window or spend time in our backyard. One morning as I read my Bible on the patio I looked over at the tree and the words of Jesus came to mind…
“A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart...” (Luke 6:45 NIV)
When we take time to nurture our walk with God and cultivate a relationship with Jesus, his grace, truth and joy flow out of us and into a hurting world. We don’t need to force it. Like our neighbor’s tree it just happens. The natural result of a real and vibrant relationship with God is lives being touched by the overflow. Whether you’re a school teacher, nurse, construction worker, cab driver, waiter, etc., if you have a genuine relationship with Christ you have a ministry. If you don’t have that relationship you don’t have a ministry, regardless of any title, ordination papers or religious activity leading you to believe otherwise.
So go ahead and nurture your walk with God. Make it your highest priority. As He works in you He’ll also work through you. Your job is simple…
1) Enjoy Him
2) Let it overflow
“Ministry blossoms naturally in holy lives” ~ J.I. Packer
(photos are courtesy of my daughter, a ‘budding’ photographer)
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Filed under: Spiritual Formation
A few weeks ago my 11 year old son was having a sleep over with one of his buddies. It was a two-nighter and his mother and I we weren’t sure sleeping over for the second night was such a good idea. Sure enough, as we were settling in for the night the phone rang.
“Dad, I wanna come home. Can you come and get me?”
I couldn’t respond quickly enough.
“I’ll be right there,” I said as I grabbed my car keys.
He’s actually had a few aborted sleepovers through the years and I always love going to pick him up. This particular time as we drove home in the minivan I decided it was the perfect time to share an important message.
“You can always come home, you know. Never forget that. Whether you’re 11 or 20 or 30 or 50 (he grinned sheepishly) it doesn’t matter… you can always come home. Never forget that.”
I’m not sure what he thought of my words but I had no doubt about my goal for the conversation. I wanted this truth etched in his heart and mind. I wanted it to sink in to the very fiber of his being. I wanted him to know that he would always be loved and welcomed home no matter how terrible things seemed or how badly he messed up.
Then it dawned on me that I was feeling something similar to what Father God feels toward us. No matter how far we wander, no matter how poor the choices we make, no matter how big the messes we create… we can always come home… and we’ll always be welcomed with open arms. Always.
“There was once a man who had two sons. The younger said to his father, ‘Father, I want right now what’s coming to me.’
“So the father divided the property between them. It wasn’t long before the younger son packed his bags and left for a distant country. There, undisciplined and dissipated, he wasted everything he had. After he had gone through all his money, there was a bad famine all through that country and he began to hurt. He signed on with a citizen there who assigned him to his fields to slop the pigs. He was so hungry he would have eaten the corncobs in the pig slop, but no one would give him any.
“That brought him to his senses. He said, ‘All those farmhands working for my father sit down to three meals a day, and here I am starving to death. I’m going back to my father. I’ll say to him, Father, I’ve sinned against God, I’ve sinned before you; I don’t deserve to be called your son. Take me on as a hired hand.’ He got right up and went home to his father.
“When he was still a long way off, his father saw him. His heart pounding, he ran out, embraced him, and kissed him. The son started his speech: ‘Father, I’ve sinned against God, I’ve sinned before you; I don’t deserve to be called your son ever again.’
“But the father wasn’t listening. He was calling to the servants, ‘Quick. Bring a clean set of clothes and dress him. Put the family ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Then get a grain-fed heifer and roast it. We’re going to feast! We’re going to have a wonderful time! My son is here—given up for dead and now alive! Given up for lost and now found!’
Luke 15:11-24 (The Message)
Filed under: Leadership, Spiritual Formation | Tags: influence, leadership, obedience, Romans 12:1-2, transformation
Today is the first day of school for my kids. After the typical photo shoot and goodbyes with my daughters I had some time with my son whose classes start later. I decided that breakfast was a great opportunity to discuss some basics of leadership with him. I already see his leadership ability and I want to encourage that gift and channel it in the right direction. During the conversation I asked him to explain the difference between the head and the tail in the animal world. He looked at our dog sprawled across the kitchen floor and said “The tail has a butt under it but the head has a chest under it.” I guess you never know what to expect when asking a 10 year old boy a question. We went on to discuss how the head always determines the direction of the tail and not the other way around. We talked about how everyone is either influencing or being influenced. I prayed with him and asked God to make him a leader and influencer at school this year. I prayed that he would be the head and not the tail.
Romans 12:1-2
The Message
Filed under: Spiritual Formation | Tags: choices, consequences, death, Romans 6:23, sin
Cheerful title, huh? This is not a warm and fuzzy blog post but I hope you’ll read it.
Over the weekend my wife defrosted our upright freezer which sits in our garage. I was reminded of an incident several months prior when I was getting a loaf of bread out of that freezer. I reached into the lower freezer bin and saw something disgusting… a dead mouse. Somehow it had gotten into the freezer, ripped a hole in a bag of bread, eaten as much as it could and died right there on the spot. I guess our freezer door was accidentally left open an inch or so (a frequent mishap) and the hungry little mouse took advantage of the situation… or so it thought. Interestingly the mouse died beside the bread and not the door. There were no scratches indicating an attempt to escape. It appeared that when the door was shut the mouse just kept enjoying the bread. With the rise and fall of blood sugar levels and the onset of hypothermia it probably paused to take a nap between fillings. The nap was permanent.
Once I got past the disgust of a dead mouse in my freezer the spiritual implications hit me. The incident is a vivid picture of how we often deal with sin. We’re quick to indulge in it while ignoring God’s Word and the danger signs. Romans 6:23 makes it clear that the wages of sin is death but like the mouse we think, “Just a little is okay!” or “Just a little more and then I’ll stop!” We’re oblivious to the fact that it’s killing us. It numbs us to reality without our even knowing it. Our spiritual senses become dull. We think we’re in control but we’re not. The deception leads to more poor decisions. We bring pain and destruction upon ourselves and those around us. It feels great at first but eventually we have to face the consequences. For some, the destruction is permanent. For others, recovery is possible but grueling. For some there is only partial recovery. Although God forgives completely we often have to live with the consequences of our sin. For all, the situation is avoidable.
So if you’re indulging in sin right now, this just might be your wake-up call.
Seriously.
Just in case the description wasn't disgusting enough here's a picture.
Filed under: Spiritual Formation, Worship | Tags: be still, calm, devotions, dogs, faith, guidance, lightning, peace, prayer, reassurance, storms, stress, thunder, trials, trust
It happened again. Turbulent storms pushed their way through middle Tennessee with torrential rains, deafening thunder and dramatic lightning.
I love storms but my dog doesn’t. She paces back and forth, hides under tables and my keyboard (think music not computer) and sometimes she even drinks from the toilet if we forget to put the seat down. I know that’s gross but humans have peculiar ways of dealing with stress, too. Last night as our beautiful Lab/Husky paced the floor I tried to calm her. I petted her gently and spoke in a calm, reassuring voice. I told her everything was going to be alright. She didn’t believe me. Actually, she had no idea what I was saying. She was completely focused on the violent thunder and lightning. Her tail, which normally wags with happy-go-lucky delight, was pointed straight down as she paced and panted. I wanted so badly to calm her but I couldn’t get through to her. I knew everything was going to be okay but I had absolutely no way of conveying that truth. It was sad. I was sad.
Then it hit me. Could this be how God feels toward us at times? He’s promised to take care of us and meet our needs. He’s promised to never leave us or forsake us. He’s promised to finish the work he began in us. But we can only hear the thunder and see the lightning. We’re focused on what the checkbook or the evening news or the doctor is telling us, shouting at us. Sometimes, many times, the voices are also internal.
“It’s helpless.”
“It’s hopeless.”
“You’re hopeless.”
But it’s all lies. He’s standing there waiting and wanting to reassure us, calm us, quiet our hearts. He wants to give us a peace that passes all understanding. If only we would turn to him. If only we would ask. If only we would receive. But on we go in our struggle and stress. We pace, we worry, we fret. We listen to the voices, but not his voice. If only we would tune everything out we would hear him. We’d hear that still, small voice whisper three simple words.
Psalm 46:10
Mark 4:39
Romans 8:31-32
Philippians 1:6
Philippians 4:6-7
Filed under: Ideas, Spiritual Formation | Tags: dreams, faith, guidance, ideas, provision, trust
The other night I had a dream that has changed my perspective on some things. For several weeks leading up to the dream I was searching for a desolate, dirt road to film a video I’m producing. I drove around the countryside several times looking for a location to match the picture in my head but to no avail. Everything in my area is so lush and green and dirt roads are hard to find. It’s way too pretty for what I need. In my dream, however, I found exactly what I’d been seeking and it was a familiar place I’d seen many times before. I just didn’t realize it was there because I wasn’t looking at it from the right perspective. In the dream I remarked “It was here all along. I just didn’t see it.” Then I woke up. The odd thing is that to my knowledge the physical location in the dream doesn’t actually exist. If it does, I’m not sure it’s as ideal in reality as it was in the dream. For me the ‘aha’ moment was the most vivid part of the whole ordeal and it’s actually the point.
It’s so easy to spend our lives focused on what we don’t have. We think, “If only I had more _______ !” (most common answer… money) or “If only ________ would give me a chance!” (most common answer… Oprah? 
) or “If only I had access to ____________,” (insert influential, powerful or famous person in your field) or “When ____________ happens my life will be so much better” (insert unlikely miraculous event). We’re convinced that some person, event or change of circumstance is the key to our success. For me, the dream is a vivid reminder that I already have everything I need. Specifically, I believe that I’m sitting on a particular idea (maybe more than one) that will be very successful once I act upon it. I don’t need to wrack my brain for new ideas (which I do a lot) or pursue some elusive, illusive circumstance or connection. I have what I need because God has called me and equipped me to fulfill his purpose for my life. Will he use other people along the way? Sure. Will he engineer specific circumstances? No doubt. But he’ll orchestrate things in my life (his part) as I am faithful to utilize what he’s already given me (my part). I won’t sit back and do nothing. I’m just giving up the notion that someone or something is out there and I’ll never be successful until I find him/her/it. You may have heard of the person who died in poverty on their own land which was later discovered to hold a large natural deposit of diamonds. I don’t know if it’s a true story or not but it’s a true lesson. It’s an accurate picture of how many people live life never harnessing their talents, gifts and ideas to follow a calling and impact the world.
Since my dream I’ve been looking at things quite differently and praying differently, too. I’m thanking God for his provision and asking him to help me see it in areas where I’m missing it. I’m also praying I’ll be drawn to the right idea(s) because I usually have so many to choose from. I encourage you to do the same. Begin with the perspective that you have everything you need and just need guidance on how to use it. Assume that you have the talent and brilliant ideas that just need developed. What would you do differently with this as your starting point?
And here are my scripture footnotes (along with music and artwork)…
Filed under: Worship | Tags: Bible, Bible reading, Bible study, Christian disciplines, Christianity, devotions, guidance, prayer, wisdom
A few days ago I wrote my wife a thank you note for the wonderful things she does for me and our three kids. I left the note in her Bible so she would find it in the morning during her quiet time. I hoped it would brighten her day and let her know how much she is appreciated. There was just one problem with my plan. She never opened her Bible that day. As the day went on I wondered if maybe she had read from a different Bible. Like many people she has two or three. I wondered if perhaps she overslept that morning and had to rush out the door. But the truth was I had no idea what happened. All I knew for sure was I had left her a message and she never got it. It just sat there in her Bible. She was completely unaware of it.
As I tried to figure out what may have happened it dawned on me (insert angelic voices). God has written a message to each of us. It’s personal and it speaks to every situation in our lives. Through the Holy Spirit this message comes to life and gives us wisdom, hope and guidance. But what if we don’t take the time to read it? What if we’re preoccupied with a busy schedule or messages from others? Could we be missing out on the answer to a problem we can’t solve? Are we foregoing insight into a struggling relationship? Are we passing up wisdom for a big decision? I think the answer is probably yes but it’s hard to know for sure because the truth is… we don’t know what we’re missing.
Filed under: Spiritual Formation | Tags: AW Tozer, CS Lewis, Dr James Dobson, faith, God, hardship, heartache, JI Packer, John, Luke, Mark, Mattew, pain, Phillip Yancey, Psalms, suffering, trust
Recently I was blessed to be the speaker and worship leader at a youth retreat for a group of Huntsville, Alabama students. The theme of the retreat was Go Deep and the messages and worship music emphasized the vastness of God and how much there is for us to discover.
I began the opening teaching with an interesting exercise, the results of which have haunted me ever since. I handed out 3×5 cards and asked each person to write out how they would honestly finish this statement, “I wish God wasn’t so ____________.” I instructed everyone to leave off names to ensure anonymity and honesty. They then placed the cards into a box where I later retrieved them.
Now before you read on, take just a moment to fill in the blank for yourself. Until I did this activity (which was an unplanned last minute idea) I had never considered such a thing. Like many people, I was taught at an early age to accept God as he is and that ‘ours is not to question’. To some it may even seem blasphemous to consider or confess something we don’t like about God. I disagree. I think questions like this are honest and probing. Going deep with God means taking a hard look at ourselves and any ‘issues’ we may have with him. God can handle it!
Later when I read the cards I noticed many were expressing similar things in different ways. All the comments easily fell into two categories. The most popular response was, “I wish God wasn’t so distant.” The second and only other response was, “I wish God wasn’t so strict.”
I was both saddened and excited about the results of the exercise. Saddened because these teenagers held such a depressing view of the God of the universe. Saddened because I believe a large number of Christians, young and old, would probably give the exact same answers. The picture of a distant, strict God is one that the Church has all too often painted. If I were to give a definition ‘religion’ it would include a description of God as distant and strict. I’m so thankful Christianity isn’t a religion!
But I was excited, too! Excited because I now had the privilege of sharing some GREAT news with these teens. God is NOT distant and God is NOT strict! Woohoo! (yes, go ahead and do a little happy dance right now) Throughout the remainder of the retreat we discussed why God sometimes appears to be both distant and strict. We talked about suffering, legalism and why we sometimes feel abandoned by God. To sum it up…
God sometimes appears distant because…
1) The harshness of life and a fallen world seem at odds with his goodness.
2) God’s goodness necessitates freewill for everyone. Some misuse it and create tremendous suffering for others.
3) A sense of guilt that comes from others is often mistaken for God’s displeasure.
God sometimes appears strict because…
1) Sin is fun. If it wasn’t, hardly anybody would do it.
2) Christianity is often taught as a pathway to God instead of God’s pathway to us via the cross. This leads to lots of rules and the need to perform.
3) A sense of guilt that comes from others is often mistaken for God’s displeasure (yes, this is also point three from the other misconception).
4) God has given us instructions, commandments, etc. out of his goodness. He does this so we can be safe and enjoy life but we think he just wants to keep us from having fun.
Of course, this is not an in-depth theological discussion but I hope these few thoughts are enough to get you thinking and asking some questions, too. Go ahead and fill in the blank for yourself. Then ask God to show you where you may be wrong. As A.W. Tozer has pointed out, holding a wrong view of God is the essence of idolatry. Personally I have found nothing to be as liberating as dropping the chains of a wrong view of God.
For a deeper look into these issues I recommend the following books…
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The Problem of PainBy C.S. Lewis / HarperOne |
![565065: Shattered Dreams: God"s Unexpected Pathway to Joy](http://ag.christianbook.com/g/thumbnail/5/565065t.gif "565065: Shattered Dreams: God"s Unexpected Pathway to Joy") |
Shattered Dreams: God’s Unexpected Pathway to Joy By Dr. Larry Crabb / Random House, Inc |
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Suffering and the Sovereignty of GodBy John Piper & Justin Taylor, eds. / Crossway Books & Bibles |
![82372: When God Doesn"t Make Sense, softcover](http://ag.christianbook.com/g/thumbnail/8/82372t.gif "82372: When God Doesn"t Make Sense, softcover") |
When God Doesn’t Make Sense, softcoverBy Dr. James Dobson / Tyndale House |
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Disappointment with GodBy Philip Yancey / Zondervan |
For a deeper understanding of God’s character and attributes, spend some time in the book of Psalms and all four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John if you are not familiar with the Holy Bible). I also recommend these classics…
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The Knowledge of the Holy By A.W. Tozer / HarperOne |
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Knowing God: 20th Anniversary Edition By J.I. Packer / Inter-varsity Press |
