Called Out

Today I am captured by a thought:

Why don't I ask God for bigger things?

Is it possible for me to outdream God? Is it possible for me to dream of impossible scenarios for Him?

What if God is waiting for me to ask before He provides?

As a dad of a 2 year old, I can wrap my brain around this pretty well. There are times when Jonathan wants something; for the sake of simple reading, let's call it a drink. I know Jonathan wants the drink. I want to give him the drink. In fact, I know that he probably needs the drink. But, as a dad, sometimes I make him ask for it. There are a TON of reasons that I might do this. I may want him to learn to say "please" or to work on his language skills. I might want him to experience his dad as one who provides for him when he asks or needs something. Maybe I just want him to slowly begin the process of humility, learning to ask for help.

Do you think our Heavenly Father would ever take that kind of approach with us?

It occurs to me today, that he might. So, I flipped open my Bible and found a couple of familiar passages that are inspiring me all over again.

Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.

You parents—if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not! So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him. -Jesus, Matt. 7:7-11

You want what you don’t have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous of what others have, but you can’t get it, so you fight and wage war to take it away from them. Yet you don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it. And even when you ask, you don’t get it because your motives are all wrong—you want only what will give you pleasure. - James 4:2-3

So, I'm going to start asking for big things. Obviously, my motivation and heart needs to be pure. But, I'm going to ask all the same, and ask God to refine what is not made of pure gold.

God, this is me asking again. I believe you are ABLE! Amen, so be it.

A few selected verses that stood out to me in John 12 (all quoted from the Amplified Bible). . . .

v. 17 - The group that had been with Jesus when He called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from among the dead kept telling it [bearing witness] to others.

v. 24 - I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains [just one grain; it never becomes more but lives] by itself alone. But if it dies, it produces many others and yields a rich harvest.

v. 32 - And I, if and when I am lifted up from the earth [on the cross], will draw and attract all men [Gentiles as well as Jews] to Myself.

v. 42-43 - And yet [in spite of all this] many even of the leading men (the authorities and the nobles) believed and trusted in Him. But because of the Pharisees they did not confess it, for fear that [if they should acknowledge Him] they would be expelled from the synagogue; for they loved the approval and the praise and the glory that come from men [instead of and] more than the glory that comes from God. [They valued their credit with men more than their credit with God.]

And here's the nagging thought for me today, that I want to wrestle with some more . . .

When Christ is lifted up (praised, magnified, glorified) HE draws people to His marvelous light. Furthermore, I have seen "death to life" transformations in myself and in those around me. I can think of people I know who are truly living today because of the work God did in them that helped them leave behind the dead of their past. So, why do I not continually spread His Good News? Truth is, sometimes I love the approval of men more than the glory of God.

Ouch. That hurts.

I think I'm going to find someone to share the Good News with today. Not in a "shove it down someone's throat" sort of way, but in a "this is my incredible story" sort of way.

How about you? Are you living for the glory of man or the glory of God?

So, I'm beginning to wonder if only the verses that I normally have read over are going to stand out to me. I suppose it makes sense that they would. I've read the book of John many times, but for whatever reason I feel like I have a different set of lenses this time.

Two related sections of John 11 stood out to me.

Then he said to his disciples, "Let us go back to Judea." "But Rabbi," they said, "a short while ago the Jews tried to stone you, and yet you are going back there?" -John 11:7-8

Then Thomas (called Didymus) said to the rest of the disciples, "Let us also go, that we may die with him." -John 11:16

In the midst of all the turmoil, of His life, Jesus has upset enough folks by threatening the status of power over people that they have tried to sieze him and have nearly stoned him to death. As this interaction is taking place, Jesus and his disciples are out of the immediate line of fire.

And here's Jesus, ready to head back into the center of the chaos.

That doesn't surprise me so much, I guess. After all, he's Jesus. I've come to expect bold, brave, and daring things from him.

But, the words of Thomas . . . those mess with me.

Thomas (and we don't see that any of the 12 argued with him) was willing to die, if that's what it meant to follow Jesus. For Thomas, it wasn't about safety or comfort. It was about obediently following his Master, the Messiah.

And I have to wonder, am I willing to follow Jesus to my own death? In my self-assured moments, I am apt to claim that this is the road that I'm willing to go down. But, I have to admit, I think it's a road that I secretly hope that I don't have to go down.

And I guess that makes sense, we are talking about living after all. But, I think death is as much of a metaphor as it is a reality. For instance, am I willing to follow Jesus in such a way that:

• my financial security is at the risk of death?
• my popularity and social status is at the risk of death?
• my self-centered dreams and ambitions are at the risk of death?
• my pride and carefully constructed public facade is at the risk of death?

I want to be a man that holds nothing back from Jesus . . . even if it means walking toward some type of death. I have a feeling I know which thing in my life He's leading me to place at the risk of death. (Which I will share some other day.)

What about you? What thing in your life might Jesus be leading you to place at the risk of death?

I'm beginning to get this feeling that God is leading me toward some sort of breakthrough that will happen in the remainder of these 21 Days. As I read today, many thoughts popped out, but one had lasting power:

"his sheep follow him because they know his voice"

Today, that's my prayer. "God will you reveal your voice to me."

What has been your prayer lately?

I love the strong emphasis on spiritual sight in John 9, but the phrase that really stuck out to me to day was this one in verse 27:

I have told you already and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again?

Confession time: I'm not the best listener. I want to be, but sometimes I'm just not. (Go ask my wife, she'll verify this reality.) I've worked really hard to be a better listener of people. And I desire deeply to hear from God. But, I have to admit, I think I've heard God say to me what the healed blind man said to the Jewish leaders.

Ben, I've told you already, and you didn't listen. Why do you want to hear it again?

Truth is, sometimes I've needed to hear things a second time. But, I want to be a man who moves at the impulse of God's words to me.

So, I'm going to continue to try to eliminate the distracting noises that make it difficult for me to hear God.

What about you? Do you hear the first time?

Well, I apologize for my blogging absence over the weekend. We're working on painting our house and . . . well, you don't care.

Suffice it to say that I didn't make the time to post anything. However, I have been continuing to walk in step with the 21 Day challenge, taking some time in John 8 today.

I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. - John 8:12

I told you that you would die in your sings; if you do not believe that I am he, you will indeed die in your sins. - John 8:24

I don't know how to express the fullness of what swirling in my heart as I re-type these words. I know what Jesus had to say in verse 24 isn't popular. But, I believe it. I really do.

Without the grace of Christ, we are all dead in our sin. Without hope. Without purpose. Without life.

But, the Great News trumps the path of death. If we follow after Christ. If we cling to Him. If we rely on Him. If we trust in Him. If we believe in Him, we will have the light of life.

Today, my heart is grieving over those who don't see this light. My heart is broken for those who don't know.

And then, I remember these thoughts (to quote my wife and Mary):

How many people know what it feels like to be satisfied? To be truly full
and have eaten their fill, enough so that the feeling of hunger is completely
gone? In the same sense, how many people know what it means to feel full
spiritually? To never hunger or thirst for answers or for His loving
arms?

Oh God, may I never lose sight of your love for those who don't know you.

What about you? What are you learning?

Continuing on in the journey. I know this sounds silly, but giving up soda, sweets, dessert, and the like has been a bit harder than I thought it would be. But, it's good. I'm glad for it. Let's just say I'm reminded often of God's presence and good work in my life.

I have to tell you, the more days I use the Amplified Bible for my personal study, the more I like it. For the longest time, I only read it as a reference or study source. But, I am very much enjoying the new ways that I am seeing the Scriptures as I read from it. If you want to know more about the Amplifed Bible, you can go here or here.

As I was reading John 5 this morning in the Amplified Bible (I have been reading multiple translations each day), verses 38-39 really stood out to me:

And you have not His word (His thought) living in your hearts, because you do not believe and adhere to and trust in and rely on Him Whom He has sent. [That is why you do not keep His message living in you, because you do not believe in the Messenger Whom He has sent.]

You search and investigate and pore over the Scriptures diligently, because you suppose and trust that you have eternal life through them. And these [very Scriptures] testify about Me!

I think there are a lot of us (myself included) who miss out on the life-giving nature of our Heavenly Father because we are too caught up in the intellectual pursuit of knowledge. I really like to learn new things. Consequently, I tend to esteem people and situations that teach me new things. And this, in and of itself, isn't bad. But, if I ever depend on the words (even the words of the Bible) instead of God (who gave them to us), I am missing out on present day manifestation of eternal life in me.

Instead, God wants me to live a life of belief, trust, reliance, and obedience to Him. And when I do that, those words become words of life!

What do you think? Am I off base on this one?

I would love to hear what you have to say.

I hope you're being challenged and stretched as much in this journey as I am. Before I share my thoughts on John 4. I have to point you to my friend, Mary's post on what she's going to be trying as a part of this 21 Day journey. Click here to read about it. She inspires me.

Anyone else want to try her challenge? I'm considering it.

On to John 4 . . .

I had one clear thought stand out today, and it came from verses 13-19.

Jesus offers living water, water that will mean that she will never thirst again. And, strangely enough, he goes straight to her greatest thirst in life.

This woman comes to the well at noon, a time when nobody comes to the well likely due to the heat of the midday sun. Fetching water from the well and taking it home is tough work. But, she likely does this avoid the mumbled comments, sideways glances, and disapproval of others. If she went at a time when nobody else was there, she wouldn't have to be rejected . . . like she has been so many times before.

But, there's Jesus. And he asks her for a drink. Something that you wouldn't do unless you actually found that person valuable in some way. How long has it been since someone found her valuable?

Jesus then offers her living water, in other words: life.

When she asks how to get life, how does Jesus respond? He goes to her greatest place of shame. Go ahead, read it for yourself. How do YOU think she felt?

Here's my revelation this morning: God wants to give me life. And the path to that abundant, overflowing, never-ending life goes through my greatest shame.

The path to life travels directly through my lingering sense of insufficiency. The path to life travels directly through my lame attempts to be the husband and father that my wife and son deserve. The path to life travels directly through my dark, inner secrets.

What about you? Where is the path of life going to travel in your life?

I'm convinced that I will never experience the reality of the "no regrets" life that God has for me until I am willing to allow him to shine His light into the darkest corners of my life and expose the lies for what they are.

What do you think? Share your thoughts . . .

So, the 21 Day journey continues . . .

One of the pieces of this journey is to fast from something, and I wanted to let you know what I've chosen: sweets. No candy, dessert, or soda for three weeks.

Normally this wouldn't be a big deal for me. I'm more of a salty guy than a sweet guy. But, over the past 4-6 weeks, I've noticed that I've been consistently craving sweet snacks. So, I thought this might be the perfect thing for me to give up to be consistently reminded of the presence of God in my life, and His desire to give me a life of "no regrets".

I'm only a couple of days into this, I don't know that I've seen more tempting or delicious desserts than I have over the past couple of days. My house has open bags of Halloween candy, and the lunch I was at yesterday was offering delicious looking desserts for FREE!!! (Those of you that know me know how much I love free stuff!) But, I'm committed to this deal, and I'm looking forward to all that God has to show me.

Now for my thoughts on John 3 . . .

Above all else there is one portion that stood out to me today: verse 3. "No one can see the Kingdom of God unless he is born again."

I don't know about you, but I am constantly asking God to show me what He is up to in this world. I want to see.

I constantly ask questions like:

• God, what are you up to?
• God, who do you want me to talk to?
• God, what do you want me to do?
• God, will you show me your way?

I want to see.

How about you? Are you consistently asking to see?

I believe with all of my heart that God sees the world at a deeper and more meaningful level than I could ever hope to attain. So, I regularly beg Him to show me what I don't see.

This morning, God reminded me that the only way I will see the Kingdom (His work and ways in the world) is for me to continue to live life with a new set of lenses.

The truth is that we all see the world through a set of lenses. And these lenses are colored and tinted by a ton of different factors: self-image, successes, failures, pain, shame, etc.

My lens is often tinted by a sense of insufficiency and inadequacy. Consequently, I work harder. I promise bigger. I hide more.

But the truth is this: I am the child of God.

Where I am weak, He is strong. In fact, in 1 Cor. 12:9, God's Word says, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."

The new lens that allows me to see His Kingdom is a lens of grace. After all, Jesus didn't come to condemn me, but to save me from the broken lenses through which I see the world.

How about you? What lenses do you see the world through?

Day 2 of the 21 Day journey is here. As promised, I spent some time in John 2 this morning, and I wanted to share some of my thoughts. As always, I'd love to hear some of your thoughts as well. If you want to find out more about the 21 Day journey, go here, here, or here.

Before I begin, I just have to make a couple of observations:

1. Does the interaction between Jesus and his mother (v.1-5) make anyone else smile?
   Here's Jesus, enjoying the wedding, and his mom comes along and gets him involved. He lovingly tells her that it's not his time yet. So, in classic motherly fashion, she turns to the servant and says, "Do whatever he tells you."
   
   There wasn't even a discussion!!! She knew that her son would just do what she said. Love it.
2. After Jesus turns the water into wine (which apparently was very good wine), how many wedding invitations do you think he received? I mean . . . come on. That's a pretty handy dude to have on hand for the reception when your beverage options are likely either water or wine.

Alright, on to more "serious" reflections . . .

As I read today, there is one word that stood out to me: believe.

We're only two chapters in, and already we've seen that concept mentioned on 5 different occasions. I think John is trying to help us clue in on something.

The concept and thought process behind this word is more than just intellectual assent. It's more than just acknowledging with our minds that this or that is true. The idea of believe when we read it in the book of John is that of "adhering to, trusting in, relying on" Jesus. So, when it says in v.11 that his disciples believed in Jesus, it's saying that they trusted in Jesus. They adhered to His teaching. They were relying on Him.

The word shows up again in v. 23, but this time the context is believing in His name. Here's what I wrote in my journal this morning as I reflected on that statement:

"belived in His name"

That phrase still stands out to me, Lord. Your name captures the sum of who you are. Love. Truth. Almighty God. Wonderful Counselor. Prince of Peace. Lord of Lords. King of Kings. Everlasting God. Waymaker. Guide. Provider. Protector. Healer. Immanuel. Savior. Rock.

There are so many more names for You that describe who you are. In what ways do I fail to believe?

The reality that truly believing means to "adhere to, trust in, and rely on" is not lost on me. We have made believing such an intellectual exercise. When in reality believing is a matter of where we put our trust and confidence. What am I willing to stake my life on?

As for me and my house, we will serve, follow, and trust in teh Lord of Hosts. For His Kingdom never ends. His Kingdom will reign forever. His Kingdom will bring light to the world. Some may trust in horses, some may trust in chariots, but we will trust in the name of the Lord.

God, where do I lack trust? Where am I holding out?

How about you? Where are you holding out trust in God?

The alarm clock rang, I pulled myself out of bed in the dark, flipped on the light, and opened my Bible to John 1. Here's what was awaiting me there this morning . . .

A few verses really stood out to me. Especially v. 12-13, v. 14, v. 17, and v. 46. Great stuff there!

But again, the theme that stood out to me is that of identity.

Who am I? Who are you?

According to v. 12-13, anyone who receives and welcomes Christ, anyone who believes in His name, is the child of God. In other words, if we put our trust in Jesus, if we rely on Him in our lives, if we adhere to His ways, God has given us the right (the privilege, the authority, the power) to be called a child of God.

So, who are you?

I think I too often lose sight of this identity in my own life. I am the son of God, the carrier of the family name and family traits.

I know that may not mean a whole lot in our culture, but we don't have to go back far into our history to find a time when ancestry meant a TON to people. In fact, your ancestry often defined who you were. And even today, we often carry our family names (aka - last names) with us our whole lives. And, as a carrier of the family name, you also carry the family reputation and way of life.

Do you think there are expectations if you're a Kennedy or a Bush? How about a Hilton (ask Paris) or a Simpson (ask Ashley)? Do you think Michael Jordan's kids had abnormal pressure as athletes? (You bet.)

Our family, our heritage, often helps to define who we are. So, here John writes these profound, yet simple, words: "he gave the right to become children of God".

Phenomenal.

Whose are you?

That's a question I need to wrestle with every day. And every day, I need to be reminded that I am the son of God.

Emphasize the "am".

It's not that some day you will be or could be or might reach the level of the son of God. It's who you are today. Plain and simple.

I get distracted by thinking about what others might say or think or do. I get distracted by my own messed up ideas of what I need to do or accomplish to be successful, loved, and accepted. I get distracted by my own pride and sense of self-sufficiency.

Bottom line: I get distracted. But, even in all of that, I am the son of God.

What distracts you from believing that you're the child of God?

So, I'm two days behind in my postings, but there are two thoughts I want to share. I'll handle one this post, and another in the next.

For the next 21 Days, Indian Creek Community Church is going on a journey together. The basic idea is pretty simple: what would happen in your life if you cleared the calendar of some of life's stuff, and intentionally sought God out for 21 Days?

If we were all to do that, I think an amazing work of the Holy Spirit would take place. So, here's the 21 Day Challenge:

1. Read the book of John. For the next 21 days, read one chapter of John per day. Starting with chapter 1 on October 6th, and finishing with chapter 21 on October 26th. It's just that simple. Read one chapter every day. Study it. Examine it.
2. Journal your thoughts. One of the most beneficial personal practices you can engage in is journaling. By having the discipline to write down your thoughts and prayers, it brings clarity and focus to our spiritual journeys. I want to especially encourage you to write out your prayers. You'll be amazed at the clarity that it brings to your prayer life. It's not magical, but it is significant.
3. Fast from something. One of the most ancient of spiritual practices is to fast, to basically go without something in your life that is a privilege. Some will fast a particular meal each day. Others will fast from something specific like pop or candy or Starbucks. The point of fasting is simple: each time you crave that thing you are fasting from, it is a reminder to shift your focus to God. To pray. To express gratitude.
4. Pray that God will speak to you. My prayer is that every person would hear from God every day. One of my daily prayers is "God, speak to me today. Open my eyes that I can see you. Open my ears that I may hear your voice. Open my mind that I may understand your wisdom. Open my heart that I may feel as you do. Open my mouth to speak your truth."

I'm going to take the challenge. I'll be sharing my story here. You can follow the stories of others (and tell your own) at 21days.indiancreek.org.

What would happen if you took time every day to seek God in an intentional way? Better yet, what would happen if you did that every day for 21 Days. Better yet, what would if we, as a community, did that together?

I believe we'd see a movement of God.

So, will you join me for a 21 Day adventure? What excites you about the possibilities?

This morning I found myself praying a familiar prayer. I'm going to try to meditate and reflect on this one today. It was penned by a man known as St. Francis of Assisi. I truly believe that if we were to pray this prayer with genuine desire, amazing things would happen in our lives.

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred . . . let me sow love
Where there is injury . . . pardon
Where there is doubt . . . faith
Where there is despair . . . hope
Where there is darkness . . . light
Where there is sadness . . . joy
O, Divine Master,
Grant that I may not so much seek
To be consoled . . . as to console
To be understood . . . as to understand,
To be loved . . . as to love
For it is in giving . . . that we receive,
It is in pardoning, that we are pardoned,
It is in dying . . . that we are born to eternal life.

Amen - so be it.

So, I got to thinking this morning whether or not it is wise to be planting churches in an "uncertain" financial climate. After all, when the financial picture is uncertain, how could you possibly dream of trying to raise extra funds to support this type of effort?

But, as I thought more and more, I began to think that perhaps this is a perfect time to be planting churches. We are in the midst of the "Great American Dream" being exposed as a lie. In our times of financial prosperity (even if it was built upon perceived equity instead of stable assets), we (as a society) began to buy into the lie that we could have it all, do it all, be it all: right now.

Of course, if we were to step back and analyze that ideal, we would quickly realize that the "Great American Lie" (as I like to call it) is simply not true. Unfortunately, for many people, the fallout of this massive unveiling of the lie is a sense of despair, hopelessness, pain, worry, and doubt.

Isn't this the very essence of the human condition that Jesus came to bring healing and redemption to? Consider the words of Psalm 121:

I look up to the mountains—
does my help come from there?
My help comes from the Lord,
who made heaven and earth!

He will not let you stumble;
the one who watches over you will not slumber.
Indeed, he who watches over Israel
never slumbers or sleeps.

The Lord himself watches over you!
The Lord stands beside you as your protective shade.
The sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon at night.

The Lord keeps you from all harm
and watches over your life.
The Lord keeps watch over you as you come and go,
both now and forever.

The church is God's chosen instrument of grace and reconciliation in the world. Isn't this the perfect time for us to be looking to our neighbors, and offering them a relationship with the One who can bring hope, purpose, confidence, and peace?

Perhaps this is the perfect time to plant a church. Perhaps this is the perfect time to plant a whole network of churches.

What do you think?