Disillusioned

Have you ever been in a situation where you said to yourself, "This isn't what I thought it would be?" Perhaps it's a relationship that has had some of the initial shine of attraction wear off. It might be a new job that seemed like the perfect place to work until you spent a month there. Parenting can certainly cause this thought to dominate your mind--especially during the teenage years. For some, it might even be in the months after baptism when you still struggle with the same old sins & temptations. 

I remember when I entered into ministry in 2003 after teaching high school for nine years. I was excited about the potential of getting a chance to work everyday in an environment that was focused on bringing Christ to those that needed Him. At the end of my first day after an hours long staff meeting, I remember sitting in my office and dejectedly thinking, "This is not at all what I expected." The expectations I had created in my mind were dissimilar to the realities that I was facing. This left me with two options: to go through the motions with lowered expectations or bear down in prayer and work through the situations and trust God to deliver. It reminds me of a quote from Bobby Bowden, former head coach at FSU, who said, "Great jobs don't usually become available. Great leaders get in, work hard, and make the job they have a great one."

If we believe in the sovereign plan of God, then we are not here by accident. He has positioned us in this time and place to achieve His directives and will. Things will not always be as easy as we hoped, but we place our trust in His ability to work in and through us. We move forward in faith knowing that the end result of our endeavors will justify our diligence in overcoming our struggles.

What Matters Most

Leonard Sweet's book, What Matters Most, will cause Christ-followers to reevaluate their relationships and make a choice between pursuing something that is real, or continuing a life of artificial superficiality. His initial charge is based on the premise that we have made rules more important than relationship. This isn't just true within the confines of the church, but overflows into our relationships with family, friends, co-workers, and the rest of the world. To fulfill our mission of reaching the world, we must get back to our roots of developing an intimate, personal relationship with Christ.  

Sweet challenges my thinking in many areas and doesn't hesitate to step on my toes. He creates tension by pointing out the desire of God for in-depth, authentic intimacy in the way that we live out our faith. It is from this initial misconception (and malpractice) that the rest of our relationships suffer and then we wonder why there is no genuine connection or attraction for our Christian lifestyle. 

This book challenges our faith and then examines our relationship with the full spectrum of divinity: God, God's story, other people of faith, those outside the faith & those who are different, God's creation, symbols, art & things, and the spiritual world. He leaves no relationship outside of his challenge to look at them all through the lens of closeness with our Creator. He correctly postulates that all aspects of life will be altered for the better if we commit to making them part of our daily intimacy with God.

Sweet is a deep thinker and expressive writer. His sense of humor (with an occasional hint of sarcasm) illustrates his points well and even made me say, "Ouch" and "Wow" in several passages. He has obviously been challenged to change his approach to his own relationships and his book reveals his conviction that this is necessary for all of us.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

Nothing Happening

I am a thinker and like to analyze & process things as I make decisions. This week has challenged my thoughts in many different things: parenting, ministry, vision, relationships, and even purpose. I don't have a lot of clear answers for these things just yet, but they are a work in progress. As a result of this, my sleep pattern has been off more than usual and the end of the week has left me more tired than usual.

These facts ended up changing my Friday-day-off routine. I normally mow yards (ours & our neighbors) and catch up on leadership podcasts & sermon series while doing so. Today I just couldn't bring myself to challenge my mind anymore & simply put my iPod on shuffle and mowed. My eclectic collection of tunes provided the soundtrack I needed today & gave my brain some much needed rest. 

This mental break only reinforces the decree from God to take a Sabbath. While I like to push myself to limits (and beyond) I'm only cheating myself when I don't "unplug" and allow myself to rest. I won't necessarily do a better job of it next week, but I'm hoping that I can slowly start to make progress in the art of doing nothing.

Big Buts (one T)

It's commonly said that if you say something positive and then follow with "but," it negates whatever was said first. I don't necessarily disagree with that theory--especially in view of God's Word. The phrase "But God" carries such weight that it overpowers circumstances, devastation, devious schemes, and even death. I've had a sermon series on this phrase planned for three years & hope to have an opportunity to share it one day. 

In lieu of a sermon on this blog, however, I offer a few Scriptures to affirm the hope we have when God intervenes.

• Genesis 8:1  But God remembered Noah and all the wild animals and the livestock that were with him in the ark, and he sent a wind over the earth, and the waters receded.
• Genesis 50:20  You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.
• Psalm 9:18  But God will never forget the needy; the hope of the afflicted will never perish.
• Jeremiah 10:12  But God made the earth by his power; he founded the world by his wisdom and stretched out the heavens by his understanding.
• Acts 2:24  But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.
• Acts 3:15  You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this.
• Romans 5:8  But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
• 1 Corinthians 1:27  But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.
• Galatians 3:18  For if the inheritance depends on the law, then it no longer depends on the promise; but God in his grace gave it to Abraham through a promise.
• 1 John 5:9  We accept human testimony, but God's testimony is greater because it is the testimony of God, which he has given about his Son.

Captain Plan-It

Some people might think it odd that I got excited to see a delivery from Franklin Covey today. For those not in the know (or in the cool crowd for that matter) this is the company that I have used since 1995 for my planning needs. I actually keep previous years--I currently have 2003-2011 stored in my closet & only got rid of 1995-2002 when we moved to GA. Needless to say, I am a proponent of the Franklin Covey planning system.

Part of my excitement is in getting something new, but I really think it is more about what the blank pages of the planner represent. It can be discouraging to keep doing the same thing each day without understanding how it all fits into a preferred future. Even some things that might seem beneficial on the surface don't bring the same satisfaction if I don't see how it is helping me to achieve my overall life goals. A fresh new planner is an opportunity for planning ahead & staying organized, but it is more of a reflection of fulfilling vision and plans to put that into action. As ridiculous as it may sound to some, it symbolizes hope for a brand new year and the continuation of the work that God is doing in me & my family. 

It's the potential for progress and trusting in God's vision for something new that stirs my spirit.

Mark My Words

I've always found it a bit puzzling that in the Gospels Jesus tells His disciples what is coming and they are still surprised when it happens. There are multiple instances of Jesus predicting His death and resurrection and yet His followers react in stunned panic when it actually occurs. I know that I have the benefit of reading the entire story, but I do often wonder why no one commented on His words coming true.

I guess that's because it's much easier to see the truth of something when you already know the outcome. When we are in the moment, there are times when we don't understand what God is saying either. He can be direct & to the point and we still search for hidden meaning instead of acting on the truth He is trying to tell us. 

Why is that? I think the most honest answer is that it's just not what we want to hear. It's too uncomfortable for us, an area of sin we don't want to confront, a risk of faith we aren't ready to take, a step of obedience we don't want to follow through on, or perhaps it just seems overwhelming. 

Ignoring God's message doesn't negate its value nor does it remove our responsibility to act on it. He'll just keep telling us through prayer, the Word, and other people and leave the decision of obedience up to us.

Sign of the Times

In Mark 8, Jesus has just performed another miracle and fed 4,000 people with seven loaves and a few fish. This is the second time that He has taken what was available and turned it into enough to benefit the people there to experience Him. The interesting thing is that right after this, the Pharisees come to Him and ask for a miraculous sign of power. He chastises them and tells them that there will be no signs for this generation even though He had just performed a miracle. He obviously didn't contradict Himself or deceive them so there must be some other explanation.

I think what Christ is saying is that the motivation of the person seeking Him is key. If we are simply out for selfish gain then it doesn't matter what happens--no sign/miracle/wondrous event will increase our commitment to Him. It is only when the driving factor behind our search for Christ is simply to know Him more that we can be blessed. Our belief triggers a genuine passion for Christ's deliverance instead of sitting and waiting for God to impress us before we jump in.