Mission Reboot: Ugly Duckling

I am leading a mission team in Show Low, AZ this week working with Apache Native Americans. Several posts from my blog this week will be a re-posting of the most read blogs from the past year.

When you only hear the negative things that people say you start to believe that is who you are. As an adult it becomes further validation of the ugly things that were part of your childhood from family, bullies, schools, and friends. You begin to believe you can never be good enough, that you were a mistake, that you'll never measure up to (fill-in-the-blank). Your weaknesses become the things that people are quick to point out instead of your positive potential. Your past actions & attitudes threaten to overwhelm your personal estimation of worth. We fall victim to the lie of defining ourselves by what we have done and what has been done to us.

This is heavy stuff. It can derail the momentum of a changed life when we refuse to believe that we have value simply because we are sons & daughters of the King. The truth is that our past (and sometimes our present) is ugly. We don't need to run away from that truth. We find hope when we realize that God is in the business of transforming our ugliness into beauty. In fact, it's what He specializes in. His power over our sinful circumstances and His willingness to reach into the mess of who we are is what makes Him a Father like no other. He sees the inner potential of His creation and is able to compassionately complete our transformation. 

He makes beautiful things out of us. Thank you, Abba.

Mission Reboot: Gentle Rebuke

I am leading a mission team in Show Low, AZ this week working with Apache Native Americans. Several posts from my blog this week will be a re-posting of the most read blogs from the past year.

I was sitting in church this past Sunday and had just shared a communion thought for Advent that reflected on the hope found in Christ. I have to admit that I had been struggling through a few personal things that morning in my prayer & preparation. I had spent time committing it to God, but knew it was going to be a continual process. As I sat there I felt God speak directly to me and giving me a gentle rebuke. I wrote it down so that I wouldn't forget that moment & the truth of what He is saying:

"You preach this all the time, but do you really believe that there is hope in me? Do you believe that my love for you is unfailing and can't be outsinned? Why do you carry the weight of hopelessness when I have offered you my true hope?"

I confess that there are times when I wrestle with the veracity of God's hope for me and my family. I know in my heart that it is true, but that doesn't always translate into my spirit. I suppose my response to God would simply be:

"I know that my only true hope is found in You, but sometimes the weight of ministry, the journey of parenting, the burden of my sin, and the details of life overwhelm me. Forgive me, Father and thank You for restoring my confidence even when I can't see the end of these st

Mission Reboot: Too Soon

I am leading a mission team in Show Low, AZ this week working with Apache Native Americans. Several posts from my blog this week will be a re-posting of the most read blogs from the past year.

I experienced one of the coolest athletic feats at a CIY Move conference several years ago. We had a team in the annual dodgeball tournament and were actually playing pretty well. We had moved through the first few rounds and were playing against the worship band. Five of the six members of our team got knocked out very quickly and it looked like our run was over. What happened next was incredible to watch and is a story that I have shared with many people since.

Our one remaining team member was a young man named Trent Turner. Trent was a natural athlete with an incredible arm. He realized how the odds were stacked against him and seemed to take his intensity up a notch (as if it could be any higher for him.) He started methodically mowing down the opposite team by catching everything they threw at him and then knocking them off one at a time. He was throwing so hard that the ball bounced off of their chests as they tried to catch it. When he knocked out a few of them and we realized that he had a shot at pulling this off our cheers grew louder. The crowd surrounding the court started to grow as people came running over to witness this great comeback. When Trent knocked out the last opposing team member we rushed the court with shouts of victory and picked him up to carry him around. It was like we had won the World Series or the Super Bowl.

Trent passed away this week in a car accident-another life taken from us far too soon and my heart is heavy for my own grief and for that of his family & friends. I think back to that day of dodgeball and see how it encapsulates my thoughts of Trent. He lived life with passion and intensity. He drew people to him-we all loved him and his infectious personality and laughter. He would fight for those he loved and for those who couldn't fight for themselves. When he was fired up about a project or goal there was no stopping him from getting it done. All of us wanted to see him succeed and to cheer him on when he did. He lived life at full throttle and I treasure the times of laughter, tears, sweat, worship, and service that we shared together.

You will be missed my friend. I am grateful for the gift that you were to the lives around you.

Mission Reboot: What a Waste

I am leading a mission team in Show Low, AZ this week working with Apache Native Americans. Several posts from my blog this week will be a re-posting of the most read blogs from the past year.

We grew up fairly poor by most standards. There wasn't an excess of food, clothing, or new things as we struggled to meet our day-to-day needs. We very rarely threw things away as we would use them until they fell apart or were handed down to someone else. It was a common understanding that we needed to be careful with what we had because we couldn't afford to waste it. We knew that our supply was very limited so being profligate wasn't an option.

Unfortunately, this attitude of cautious usage isn't the norm. Societally we tend to be wasteful people with our food, money, energy, and relationships. Spiritually, our repetitively sinful actions reflect our waste of God's grace & mercy. We cast them aside as we seek short-term pleasures and then beg God for more as these temporary visions fall short of fulfillment. We squander His forgiveness through our own selfishness and then fall before His compassionate nature in desperation

How fortunate are we that God is recklessly extravagant with His gifts for His children? Even as I continually stumble, I am grateful that God's supply of grace is bigger than the demand of my sin.

Mission Reboot: Straight Aim

I am leading a mission team in Show Low, AZ this week working with Apache Native Americans. Several posts from my blog this week will be a re-posting of the most read blogs from the past year.

When we partnered with Vaughn Chapel to host a camp for underserved children in Milledgeville this summer, we went to a camp that had a ton of activities. One of the most fun for the campers (and staffers) was when we got to shoot the BB guns. It was enjoyable for a bit and then they put up some paper targets and aluminum cans for us to aim at. That transformed a fun activity into something that quickly got serious. Several of our male staffers were suddenly very interested in shooting the guns (including yours truly) and spent several minutes and dozens of BBs trying to see who could hit the most targets. Once we knew what we were aiming at it changed our focus and intensity.

It's no different in a Christian life either. We can meander through attending church services and going to events and yet feel that something is missing. When we choose to purposefully read God's Word, determine how it impacts our life, and then do something about it, things change. Identifying the targets that God wants us to focus on and then working on them will put emphasis on the life-changing principles that matter. Much like shooting BB guns, the challenge and excitement of working towards something is pretty rewarding.

Mission Reboot: Something New

I am leading a mission team in Show Low, AZ this week working with Apache Native Americans. Several posts from my blog this week will be a re-posting of the most read blogs from the past year.

I want something more. This isn't a statement of greed or desire for physical pleasures, but a yearning for an increase of God's power and direction in my life. My eyes have continually been opened to the great changes that He has worked in me and yet it only heightens my awareness of how much more needs to be transformed. The journey is difficult, but I am longing for the next phases of discovery for me & my family. I feel that we are on the cusp of something powerful in our faith progression and calling, but I know that this will also call for new, bold moves of living out our faith. I don't know the details of what that looks like, but I know that it impassions me to see the potential of  God-given vision become a reality. I have full confidence that He will do this great work and I know that our obedience in attitude, word, and deed are required as well. The deliverance of a preferred future calls for an increase of active faith in our present reality.

Family Matters

My wife & I are in Arizona on our annual mission trip to work at the American Indian Christian Mission in Show Low. This is my 10th year and 16th overall trip to Show Low and I never get tired of the experience. This year is different because we are sharing it with our oldest daughter, Lindsay. This is her first mission trip and I am pumped to show her the places we have only talked about for a decade. Her sisters will make this journey over the next two years as we go through this rite of passage. It's a great way to share with them the need to sacrifice financially, physically, and spiritually to help share Christ with other people. It teaches them the value of hard work and doing something that truly is for the benefit of others, even if it does make you feel good in the process. I love that our family gets to share in this and while I don't want to wish time away, I can't wait for all of my girls to be out here with us on this journey.