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Believing that God Has Something More

February 6, 2012 in Answering God's Call, Discipleship with 2 Comments

Have you ever been at a point in your life that you really doubted that God really has something in store for your life? I don’t really mean just life in general, because of course he has great things for you…in the form of salvation through Jesus Christ. I mean — do you really believe that God has something that he is calling you to do with your life?

In a recent sermon, my pastor related part of his journey to where he is today. He talked about how he and his wife were serving in a previous ministry and embarking on exactly what they had been dreaming of. Then, they lost the ministry and many of their friends and found themselves sinking lower and lower. With each passing month, they found what they had thought of as rock bottom. They were really questioning God, questioning the things that they had been through. They poured themselves out until they were really just empty, crying out to God to move on their behalf. I can’t tell you the entire story, but I can tell you that God has moved greatly on their behalf and called and is currently using them beyond their wildest dreams.

Believing that God has Something More

  Jesus said, “You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that.”

I began to think of my own journey and the journey of many of those close to me. We find ourselves called to something by God, really unsure of how that will play out. At least for me, the calling that God has for me has long been something mysterious. It has had moments of clarity, but really God just told me to go and I did. Here we are several years later and God is beginning to move on my behalf (for his own glory, of course!). But the thought that I had while listening to this sermon was if in fact I actually believe that God has something more, not only for my life in general, but specifically for my ministry. Between you and I — I don’t think this is always the case. I don’t think I always have the faith to stand in this truth.

Believing that God Has Something More

Believing That God Has Something More -- Even More Than More! (HT abhi_ryan on FlickrCC)

The good news — God is smarter than I am. God gives me glimpses of the ‘more’ that He is going to do eventually. Most often, I think that God doesn’t give me the whole picture because either my mind would be totally blown or I would wimp out and walk away. For now, I’m walking in confidence that even if I don’t believe God is wanting to do something mighty in me and through me, He will still have his way.

What about you? Do you have faith issues? Where can you see God moving and asking you to move in turn?

Ten Things I Needed to Know Before College

January 14, 2012 in Answering God's Call, Meaningful Work with 0 Comments

I often think about the things I’m teaching my daughter about life. I think about the lessons that will stick with her for the long haul. I think about lessons that I didn’t get (or maybe just selective chose to miss). I’ve been pondering the top things that I wished that I knew before I went to college.
These are just some of the ideas that I’ve been thinking about, hoping that someone will stumble across them and find them useful.

1. Pay cash for college. Seriously, it sounds really crazy, especially with the rising cost of college tuition, but you don’t want to be like me and paying off your college tuition long after you’ve graduated.

2. Don’t fret over declaring a major. Basically, the first two years of any education are general in nature and it doesn’t really matter what you’re going to eventually study.

3. Value all relationships equally. There is a great temptation to place a great emphasis on a significant other during collegiate years. I’m guilty and chances are most people are. Chances are fairly good that whomever that is will not be your lifelong partner, so don’t treat them that way. Don’t forsake same-sex friendships for romantic flings.

4. Have a budget. There are plenty of opportunities to spend all kinds of cash that you have worked hard for. There is also ample opportunity to spend money that you don’t have provided by shiny little pieces of plastic. DO NOT DO IT! Cash is king, baby!

5. Seek out people who are where you think you want to be in life. If you want to be a marine biologist, get to know some. If you want to be a pastor, get to know some. If you want to be a garbage collector, get to know some. These folks can give you invaluable advice on choosing your direction in college and even outside of college. In all honesty, if I had college to do over again, I would have studied something totally different. I value a good, Biblical education, but I think that pretty much everyone can benefit from that. In addition, I have always felt prepared to do little outside of Ministry related careers. Having education in something more practical in the world would have opened some doors for me.

6. Study. You know those classes that you pay for and spend time in? Yeah, they give you homework that you’re supposed to do. DO IT! If you’re like me, you’re a fairly bright and capable student, but get bored fairly easily. Guess what? Life is boring sometimes. Do the stinking math problems!

7. Work. Remember when I said that you should pay cash for college and your fun time? Where do you think that cash is going to come from? My wife worked her way through college. Guess who’s student loans we are paying off? Not hers! Additionally, your job can teach you invaluable skills that you’ll use after college. Business administration, meeting deadlines, communication skills, marketing skills, and countless other valuable skills can be learned even in the most menial tasks.

8. Listen to your parents. Yeah, them. They love you and really do want what is best for you. Additionally, they are way smarter than you. This it the point in your relationship where you either become best friends for life or simply tolerate each other. God tells us to honor our parents…I’m voting on the former!

9. Drive a beater. So you’re going to a very expensive private Christian University and all the cool kids have sweet rides. Guess what? Either they will be paying for them for a long time or their parents already did. Drive what you can buy with cash. No financing, no lease…Cash!

10. Have fun. Yes, these are some of the best years of your life. You’ll make friends that will last for life. You’ll have significant relationships that will deeply impact how you interact with your future spouse. You’ll develop habits that will last into your adult years….Just have some fun!

What about you? What would you add to this list?

Answering God’s Call

January 10, 2012 in Answering God's Call with 2 Comments

Answering God's Call

In the big picture of life, there are few questions that beg to be answered as much as “What is God’s will for my life?” Additionally, it can be very overwhelming answering God's call on your life. I’ve had countless discussions with people over the past decade on this very topic. In Christian circles, especially those in Christian Colleges and ministry related fields, the topic of God’s will is often mulled over.

In our efforts of answering God's call for our lives, we often miss the hand of God working at guiding our search. Personally, I’ve struggled over the years to really discern God’s call in my life. At times, I have had my vision, motivation, and direction misguided by various endeavors. Other times, I’ve been laser focused on answering God’s call on my life.

So, how do you really answer God’s call on your life? How do you even know what God’s call on your life is? What I’ve discovered is that the process of figuring this out is intensely personal, but it cannot be figured out on your own. Left to our own devices, we get comfortable just living the lives that we have. We need some stimulus to force us to think outside of ourselves. For me, I spent a lot of time reading books, listening to podcasts, sending hounding emails, annoying my wife, and much time on my knees in prayer. If you’re anything like me, you’ve been there. You’ve arrived at some conclusion as to God’s call, and then made a choice to either step out in faith and follow or sit or wallow. Frankly, I’ve chosen to wallow far more than I’ve chosen to follow.

Really, it isn’t that hard to answer God’s call. All we have to do is just that. Answer. God talks, we listen and do. Pretty easy, right? The Bible is filled with stories of people on both sides of the coin; those who listened and those who didn’t. Reading Hebrews 11 is like reading a roll call for people who heard from God and did what he said. From Abel to the pioneers of the New Testament Church, God had some pretty crazy ideas! Taking on crazy missions from building boats in the desert to hand delivering the Gospel to unbelieving nations, these faith filled people took God at his word and moved. For you and I, that is all we need to do, too. We need to have the faith (being certain of that which we do not see – Hebrews 1) to follow God wherever he calls.

Tips for answering God’s call on your life:

  • Surrender yourself in prayer
  • Think about the recurring themes in your life. Where have you missed God speaking?
  • Where do your greatest passions/desires intersect with the world’s greatest need?
  • What do you just love to do?
  • Talk to those who know you best.

What is your struggle? Do you have any ideas about what God is calling you to do? Do you need help answering God’s call? Maybe it is as simple as deciding to follow him…I don’t know, but I do know that answering God’s call has been the most freeing experience of my life. Won’t you join me?

The Pain of Staying the Same

September 3, 2011 in Answering God's Call, Church, Church Planting, Meaningful Work, Work with 1 Comment

The Pain of Staying the Same

“We change our behavior when the pain of staying the same becomes greater than the pain of changing. Consequences give us the pain that motivates us to change.” — Henry Cloud

The Pain of Staying the Same

The above quote is one that I’ve heard attributed to many sources, but I really like how Dr. Cloud sums it up. This weekend, my pastor (on twitter @RLPASTORJ), mentioned a quote like this in his sermon and it really got me thinking. You see, I’ve battled a lot of things in the past 7 years having to do with my life, vocation, calling, jobs, work, ministry…call it all what you will but I’ve faced a lot of different choices/issues. I’ve tried various things that didn’t work out or didn’t work out as I had planned. I’ve wavered between doing many different things with myself. I’ve blown a whole lot of good things and not gone after some not as good things. I’m at a place where from the outside, people who don’t really understand my heart/calling would say I’m on a really solid career path with a bright future. I’m glad God has provided me a position where I can do a little good, make a decent living, and also have a good deal of fun. Outside of work, I’m doing various things that run alongside the gifts and talents I have been blessed with. I’ve got an incredible family; A wife that is straight out of Proverbs, a daughter that is so stinking awesome, and extended family who love us and we love so much. By all appearances, we’re living the dream, baby! And to be honest, a lot of the time we are.

The Pain of Staying the Same

We Change When the Pain of Staying the Same Becomes Greater than the Pain of Change

So, what does this really have to do with the quote that I started out with? Basically, I’m leading the same life I lead before we moved to Orlando. It is nearly the same, just without 6 months of really cold! Good job, good church, great family..same stuff, different town! Now, I like to learn, sometimes I just learn a little bit slow…And I’m basically at a point that the pain of staying the same is greater than the pain of changing.

Abandoning Dreams Because of Pain of Staying the Same is Medicated

You see, I think that many people that abandon their dreams simply settle because of the pain factor. I can see how it happens. You work your way up the corporate ladder, get that white picket fence (and maybe a house behind it), two cars in the driveway, and 2.5 kids in the bedrooms behind your front door. I’ve been in that home, and while there are struggles and challenges, it is really nice. It is a mostly painless life that is very easy to become comfortable with. I’ve tried. I really have. But for me, the pain of staying the same is greater than the changes that I need to make. It is happening, regardless if I really want it to. And you know what? Totally stoked! The pain that I’ll have to endure in the coming months is nothing compared to the pain of staying the same.

You feel me? Where are you at?

I Suck at Everything I do in Life

November 3, 2007 in Answering God's Call, Uncategorized with 2 Comments

The title of this post has led a number of people to this blog via keyword searches. In August I wrote a post that outlined some areas of my life that I was felling pretty sucky at. Evidently, there are a lot of people who feel that the suck at things in life. In all honesty, absolutely everyone has areas of their lives that aren’t perfect and need work to improve. I have a feeling that the people who are searching for reading material about sucking at everything they do have some other issues that they need to iron out. I have had times in my life where I very much felt this way. Times when I didn’t know where my next meal was going to come from because I quit yet another minimally paying job in hopes that something better was around the corner. Times when I had to beg my mom for money yet again because I screwed up in my financial life. Time when I was not doing well in a class that I really needed to do well in. I’ve been there. We all have. I get the feeling that the people who are searching for this phrase are looking for some hope in the midst of the pain. You see, they probably want to take one of three courses of action.

  1. On the positive end, they are looking for some motivational material to find a way out of the mess that they’ve created (or someone else has created) in their lives. If that is you, I’d love to talk to you. I would love to help you make a plan to discover your purpose in life. You see, everyone was made on purpose, with a purpose, and for a purpose. We’ve just got to figure it out. Contact me if you so wish.
  2. On the semi-negative end, they are searching for others who also think that they are failures in life. Why do this? Misery loves company. If this is you, stop looking for company. Misery does love company, but that company only makes you more miserable. Again, if you need someone to talk to, contact me. I can probably put you in touch with someone in your area that would be more than willing to help you iron things out.
  3. On the extreme negative end of things, they are at the last resort before doing something harmful to themselves or others. Desperation necessitates action. You’ve heard the saying that desperate times call for desperate measures. This could go either a good way or a very bad way. If this is you, you have a choice. You can choose to not take the easy way out and figure out what is “wrong” with your life and how to fix it. Of course you can also choose to knock over the corner gas station or take your own life, but honestly that is the punk way out. Ending up in jail/prison because you are sad or things aren’t going the way you thought is just plain stupid. I know people who sit behind bars who you can ask if their decision was a good one or not. I also know some people who have taken the ‘easy’ way out and taken their own life. Unfortunately, you cannot talk to them. Ever. Again, contact me, I’d love to help you figure things out and if I can’t help you figure them out, I can probably point you to someone who can.

As I ended the post that I previously wrote, I’m still a man in need of a savior. The same is true for you, especially if you think you suck at everything in life. Truthfully, I’m not a bible thumper, but I do think that there are times when you and I need to be hit over the head with the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. God sent himself (Jesus, God, and the Holy Spirit make up the one triune God) to earth to take away all the sins of the the people so that the people could once again enter into an intimate relationship with him. He did it for you, he did it for me, he did it for everyone. All you have to do is believe and respond to that lump in your throat.

Lion Chaser’s Manifesto

October 17, 2007 in Answering God's Call, Church, Church Planting with 0 Comments

One of the books that has impacted me in the last year is Mark Batterson’s In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day. Great book. Mark has posted the Lion Chaser’s Manifesto a number of times and posted it again the other day. Read it over. Let it get into your spirit. If you haven’t read Mark’s book, pick it up. I have one copy that I bought for someone and never gave it to them. If you would like it, let me know and I’ll send it to you free of charge.

Quit living as if the purpose of life is to arrive safely at death. Set God-sized goals. Pursue God-ordained passions. Go after a dream that is destined to fail without divine intervention. Keep asking questions. Keep making mistakes. Keep seeking God. Stop pointing out problems and become part of the solution. Stop repeating the past and start creating the future. Stop playing it safe and start taking risks. Expand your horizons. Accumulate experiences. Enjoy the journey. Find every excuse you can to celebrate everything you can. Live like today is the first day and last day of your life. Don’t let what’s wrong with you keep you from worshiping what’s right with God. Burn sinful bridges. Blaze a new trail. Criticize by creating. Worry less about what people think and more about what God thinks. Don’t try to be who you’re not. Be yourself. Laugh at yourself. Quit holding out. Quit holding back. Quit running away.

Chase the lion.

The Struggle

October 4, 2007 in Answering God's Call, Church, Church Planting, Meaningful Work, Passion with 1 Comment

I’ve started several posts in the last week that haven’t made it to print. I’ve been wrestling with several things this past week. I’ve been struggling with vision problems, no not the kind with my eyes. I’ve been struggling with spiritual warfare in my family. I’ve been struggling with a heavy heart because two men I know are hurting. To both of you: You are in my prayers daily. The God of All Comfort is your’s yesterday, today and tomorrow.

I’ve been immersing myself in scripture this week. I’ve stripped away all books, commentaries, devotionals and have simply been reading God’s Word to me. Truthfully, I’m loving reading the adventure of taking however much time I need to wade through the richness of the Word.

I’m headed out on Sunday to spend a couple days in the woods with a Bible, a couple of books (maybe), a couple of pads of paper and an open spirit. I’m longing to hear from God for a renewed vision of the future. I’m longing to be alone. That might sound stupid but I am refreshed when I can spend a few days alone. I used to go to the movies alone. I once went on vacation for 10 days alone. Don’t get me wrong, I love people but very literally 24/7 I am physically with someone. Could be my wife, my daughter or my co-workers. I need a couple days in the woods.

My overall personality is one that can come off as not-so-serious, maybe slackeresque. I have to say that now more than ever I am serious about the future. I am serious when I say that I am called by God to plant a church in Orlando, FL. Many of you think that I am nuts. To that I say, THANKS! It takes a certain measure of insanity to move to a place that has as many things ‘wrong’ with it as Orlando with no job, no home and plans to charge the gates of Hell with a squirt gun. I don’t just think that it is a good idea and I need a job. I don’t need a job. I have a job where my overall compensation is higher than most every pastor I personally know. God has something that only I can accomplish and if I don’t go do it, I’m sinning and I will live a life of regret. If you know me personally, you know that I have had a ton of ideas about what to do with my life. I’ve searched every corner of the earth for my purpose and found everything wanting. Truth-be-told, God first called me to ministry when I was 16 years old. I spent the next 11 years trying to reason my way out of it and find something else to do with my life.

This is a little disconnected, but it is all what is going on inside of me.

Look for some changes in format here on this blog. It’ll be dark for a few days, check back next week to see what God said to me over the quiet days.

Grace and Peace.