“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)

Click to view slideshow.

“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)

Stay Right Here was born out of an unforgettable moment in God’s presence. I was standing on the plains of Colorado staring up at Pikes Peak in the middle of a hot summer afternoon. The view was overwhelming, God’s presence even more so. I was completely lost in the moment. Suddenly it occurred to me that I’d lost track of time. Had minutes passed? Hours? I really had no idea. It was the closest thing to timelessness I’ve ever experienced. It felt as though time stood still. Somewhere during that time I started singing a few phrases, a simple description of what was happening at that moment… intimate songs… sweet tender words… flowing between heaven and earth. I had only completed a few lines when I decided it was time to head back to the ‘real’ world. Ironically, I was actually leaving the real world to return to the unreal world but we don’t usually think in those terms. I got in my car and began driving along the highway, still overwhelmed by God’s presence. Another lyric came to me. I pulled over to jot it down. I didn’t want to lose anything from this moment. I wanted to savor ever second. A mile further down the highway another phrase came to me. I pulled over again. It felt like taking dictation. I know that opens a theological can of worms for some but it’s just the best way to describe how it felt. It’s also not a commentary on the quality of the song. It’s just what it felt like to write it. I arrived home with a few more lyrics and still feeling completely enveloped in God’s presence. It was like coming up out of water completely clothed. I was drenched and felt like I was dripping everywhere. The feeling lasted about three days and I kept writing lyrics and melody as they came, intermittently yet effortlessly. Then it wore off and the song was done. I often write songs during prayer and quiet times but this was unlike anything else. It’s never happened to me since.

From the very beginning I always envisioned Stay Right Here with just piano and cello. I felt like the two instruments would captured the intimate flavor of the song and represent the simplicity of interaction between God and man that day. I was blessed to have the gifted John Catchings play cello for the track. My talented producer, Jason Garner, worked up some additional string parts to enhance the dynamics. I love it all.

I once had a successful country songwriter listen to a rough demo of Stay Right Here. He really liked it and wanted to change some lyrics to make it a country love song. He thought it had potential to get recorded by a major artist. But I couldn’t change it. The song meant too much to me. I kind of thought of Stay Right Here as “our song” (between God and me) in the way that lovers use the phrase for a special song that captures their relationship. So I broke one of the unwritten rules of Nashville and told a successful songwriter ‘no’. I made it clear that I wanted to write with him but that I just didn’t want to rewrite Stay Right Here as a love song. Truth be told it was always a love song… but not an earthly one. Although I tried to carefully explain my reasons, he was offended and made it clear that he no longer had an interest in writing with me at all.

Worship songs like Stay Right Here have recently come under criticism in certain circles. For some folks the imagery in worship songs like this is too much like that of ‘earthly’ love songs. Several times in scripture we see bride & groom imagery used to describe the relationship between Christ and the church but that’s not how I would explain my choice of lyrics for Stay Right Here. I simply chose the words that best described an amazing moment in God’s presence. If I could come up with a better, more accurate way to describe it I would.

If you’ve never experienced a moment like the song describes I hope you will someday. You’ll be blown away by His glory and beauty. You’ll probably lose track of time and you’ll probably want to stay right there in the moment. Maybe you’ll write a song about it, too.

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  

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)…