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Thanks ~ OR ~ No Thanks...

Jesus was always thankful...even in the face of real need.   

On  3 separate occasions Jesus publicly thanked God in the face of great need.

Like Jesus, our gratitude can pave the way for the work of God in our lives.

Scene 1 ~ Jesus thanked God in spite of people problems 
In Matthew 11 Jesus had people problems on two fronts (1) John the Baptist, His lifelong friend, was questioning whether Jesus was even the Messiah (2) Jesus acknowledged that 3 major cities were unreceptive to His ministry. 

I don't know about you.  But when my friends lose confidence in me, and my ministry isn't being received, I start feeling down.   Jesus  publicly thanked God...in the midst of people problems.

Scene 2 ~ Jesus thanked God in spite of personal challenges
Everybody knows the shortest verse in the Bible, "Jesus wept" in John 11:35.  What we don't realize is that Jesus was personally experiencing the pain of the death of His close friend Lazarus.

Jesus publicly thanked God...then He raised Lazarus from the dead.  Before Jesus raised the dead, he raised a prayer of thanks to God.  How many dead areas of our lives might be raised to new life if only we raised a prayer of thanks to God first?

Scene 3 ~ Jesus thanked God in spite of painful circumstances
The night before Jesus was crucified He initiated the Lord's Supper.  Jesus used a cup of wine and piece of bread as object lessons to show how he was going to suffer the painful consequences of our sin the very next day.

Jesus publicly thanked God...then broke the bread and passed the cup.  Jesus endured the physical, emotional, and spiritual suffering of the cross, through a grateful attitude toward God.    

This Thanksgiving, like Jesus, I've got people problems, personal challenges, and painful circumstances.  And like Jesus, I'm going to let my gratitude pave the way for the work of God in my life.

~ Gratitude enables God to do what only He can do ~

Make the most of now!

Have you ever heard the incredible story of the common Mayfly?  They have a life expectancy of just one day.  So they have to cram all their living into one twenty-four hour period.  Check out their fascinating story at this killer website and be sure to watch "The Story of the Mayfly" and take the time to "Give Life to a Mayfly."

What a great way to live life...taking it one day at a time.  It kind of reminds me of something Jesus said once.

If we got serious about living life one day at a time, maybe we'd be less annoyed with our loved ones, our food might taste better, and who knows, we might actually feel the presence of God in a real way.

So how can we make the most of now?

Today ~ Be fully present.  The past is over, the future is not yet, all I have is the present.  Living in the present means I make a decision to live my life under imperfect conditions.

Today ~ Meet God in the moment.  God isn't active in the past anymore.  He's not making the future happen yet.  God works in moments.  Don't miss your God moments by looking past the present.

Today ~ Learn to enjoy being.  Even though I'm not the person God meant for me to be yet, that doesn't excuse me from enjoying life as a person on a growth journey with Jesus.

So how are you going to embrace life and make the most of now???

         

 

Relax and enjoy the ride...

Would you let a 5 year old drive your car?  Of course not!  They'd totally wreck the car, hurt themselves, and probably hurt others.   A car is just too much power and responsibility for a 5 year old to manage.   The steering wheel belongs in the hands of the person who can handle it.

Yet, so often in life I want to take control from God, grab the wheel, and drive my life.  When I'm in control, I crash into things, I collide with others, and I create wreckage.  The bible teaches that the steering wheel to my life belongs in God's hands, not mine. 

Something inside me used to resist giving God control of my life.   For some reason I automatically thought of letting God take control as a negative thing...but not so much any more. 

Here's what I've come to experience...

1.  Riding shot gun is totally relaxing ~  When I'm not at the wheel, I don't have to worry about a thing.  I get to just sit back, find some cool tunes on the radio and relax.   

2.  Being a passenger is more fun ~ There are 2 things I can do as a passenger I can not do as the driver: (1) take off my shoes and put my feet on the dash board (2) put my hand into the wind and do that "up and down" hand in the wind thing.

3. The passenger seat has a better view ~ Wildlife and mountains, or clouds and fields, you get a way better view of these wonders from the passenger seat.   It's impossible to keep your eyes on the road and be inspired by the scenery at the exact same time (unless you're cross eyed).   

4.  Only passengers can daydream ~ One time I was daydreaming while driving and had to slam on my brakes and pull on to the shoulder of the road to avoid a major wreck.  The only safe place to daydream is from the passenger seat.            

Letting God take the wheel, and giving Him control of my life is not easy...but it's definitely a way better way to live. 

Every time I get stressed out I say, "God, this is your program, I'm just going to kick my shoes off, put my feet up, stick my hand in the wind and daydream about how great it is to not have to be in control of everything."

All in favor of a free ride?

Happy Wife ~ Happy Life...

I ran across this list buried in a file somewhere and I thought, "Wow, I could really benefit from these practices!"  Maybe they'll help you too?  Be sure to click the links and read the bible passages for each one.

Twelve Rules for a Healthy Marriage...

1. Never both be angry at once.

2. Never yell at each other unless the house is on fire.

3. Remember that it takes two to make an argument. The one who is wrong is the one who will be doing most of the talking.

4. Yield to the wishes of the other - as an exercise in self-discipline, if for no other reason.

5. If you have a choice between making yourself or your mate look good - choose your mate.

6. If you feel you must criticize, do so lovingly.

7. Never bring up a mistake of the past.

8. Neglect the whole world rather than each other.

9. Never let the day end without saying at least one complimentary thing to your life partner.

10. Never meet without an affectionate greeting.

11. When you've made a mistake, talk it out and ask for forgiveness.

12. Never go to bed mad.

Life Is...Relationships!

Nothing will determine the quality and direction of our lives like our relationships.  As our relationships go, so goes our lives. 

Very few things can ruin relationships faster than gossip.     Here's a helpful definition ~ "gossip is passing on information about others when I am neither part of the problem, nor part of the solution."

FACT ~ Gossip destroys relationships.

FACT ~ God totally hates gossip.

FACT ~ Gossip is the Devil's playground.

Most people don't realize that the Devil's name refers to his favorite strategy for ruining our relationships.  Whenever we slander, criticize or accuse others falsely...we're being duped into doing the Devil's job for him.

We all know that spreading gossip is wrong, but did you know it's just as wrong to listen to gossip?  Listening to gossip is like accepting stolen property, it makes you just as guilty as the person who committed the crime.

In order to have a great life, we must work hard to maintain great relationships.  So here are a few  biblical ways to guard your relationships from gossip.

Six Steps To Stopping Slander - OR - Six Rules For Respecting My Relationships...

1. I will not listen to, or give audience to, anyone who's sharing the shortcomings of others.
2. I will dismiss negative reports about others and give them the benefit of the doubt.
3. I will immediately redirect the gossiper to the person they talked about.
4. I will not repeat what I heard to anyone other than the involved parties.
5. I will protect the reputation and dignity of those in my relationships.
   
6. I will make no exceptions to these rules.

Proverbs 26:20 says, "Where there is no fuel a fire goes out; where there is no gossip arguments come to an end."

I've never met a person who worked hard at relationships and lived a lonely, regret-filled life.  But I have met lots of people who are living lonely, regret filled lives.   As your relationships go...so goes your life!

Not Very Christian...

Our friends at Community Christian Church in Naperville have done it again.  Dave Ferguson and his team have creatively put the cheesy Christian subculture in it's place.   Check out this parody of the Mac vs PC commercials...

Here's the real issue.  One popular surveyor noted that 84% of Americans claim to be Christian.  Yet for all our Christian t-shirts, Christian book stores, Christian radio and Christian bumperstickers ~ the lifesyles of "Christians" and non-Christians are virtually identical.

So here's what I'm advocating > let's abandon the "Christian subculture's" reliance on "Christianese" stuff as a way to express our faith!

The best expression for your Christian faith is a Christ honoring lifestyle.  Remember, it wasn't Christ followers who came up with the name "Christian" anyway.  It was the non-Christians who referred to Christ's followers as "Christians" as a derogatory name > read for yourself.

Sincerely In Christ ~

A "non-Christian" Christ Follower

Wake UP ~ It's 10:02...

 

Guess what time it is?  It's 10:02.  The moment you entered the community of Jesus, He puts you to work.  Here's a simple way you can do your part in helping others find and follow Jesus. 

1.  Set a reminder on your watch or cell phone for 10:02am. 
2.  Everyday when your reminder goes off take a moment.
3.  And pray Luke 10:02.

This simple idea comes from the book The Organic Church. I've set the alarm on my phone to go off each day at 10.02 am.  At that point I stop what I'm doing and take some time to ask God to raise up more workers and leaders for His mission fulfilment at The Crossing Church. 

It takes lots of workers and leaders to help people discover and develop a relationship with Jesus.  Jesus risked His whole mission on a handful of disciples who would reproduce His life in others.   

All in favor of joining me in praying the 10:02 ~ please comment below or email me to let me know you're in.

God has spoken...all the rest is conversation

Con‧ver‧sa‧tion ~ "informal interchange of thoughts, oral communication between persons."   Too often we get obsessed with the sound of our own voices.  When it comes to communication in relationships, most of us are good at making conclusions, corrections and comments.  But very few of us are good at the lost art of conversation.      

In communicating your thoughts there are only 2 choices...

• Monologue ~ where the only voice heard is our own.

• Dialog ~ where we exchange ideas with others.

The bible describes people who use more monologue than dialog as foolish ~ read for yourself.
Jesus was not only the greatest communicator who ever lived, but He was also the greatest conversationalist who ever lived. Jesus leveraged the power of personal conversations to...

~ Reveal His identity to people who were spiritually far from God...here's an example.

~ Help people take their next spiritual steps...here's an example.

~ Develop His disciples into growing leaders...here's an example.

Instead of telling others how to think or what to believe, we'd be wiser to follow Jesus' example of using the art of conversation. Following Jesus' method of conversation is a simple as A, B, C...

Ask good questions ~ For someone who knew everything, Jesus sure asked a lot of questions.  In fact, He asked 183 of them.  Jesus asked personal questions, unsettling questions, re-aligning questions, and transforming questions.

Too often we give people answers to solve their problems instead of using questions to draw them into a conversation.  Jesus used questions in conversation to get people to open up and engage Him in deep and personal exchange.

Be a good listener ~ Jesus always "heard" what were saying in response to His questions.  All too often, we use the time when others are talking just to figure out what we're going to say next.  Jesus modeled hearing people by listening to them.    

I am constantly amazed at how often I encounter people interrupting each other in conversation.  OK ~ I'm just as guilty.  What I'm saying is that I'm not a very good listener - how about you?  Take this quiz to see for yourself.

Clarify God's truth ~ Jesus always helped people understand what God already said.  More than anything, people need to hear God's voice, not our opinions or advice.  To those who were struggling ~ His conversation was comforting.  But to those who were self-serving ~ His conversation was discomforting.

God has spoken...all the rest is conversation. We're never more like Jesus than when we leverage the power of conversation to help people discover, process, and engage in the greatest dialog ever ~ the one that's going on between their heart and God's. 

 

After 40 Hours Of Prayer...

After praying for 40 hours over 30 days, I wanted to pass along what I'm learning and what I'm unlearning...

I'm learning ~ that more than anything, God wants my honesty, and He can take it.
I'm unlearning ~ my requirement of saying the right words in order for God to hear me.

I'm learning ~ that prayer is about listening to God's voice and allowing Him to speak.
I'm unlearning ~ my need to use words to present my lists, or make my case to God.

I'm learning ~ to focus on the presence of God and to be still in silence before Him.
I'm unlearning ~ my assumption that praying requires me to say anything to God.

I'm learning ~ that God places images, scenes, and pictures in my mind to speak with me.
I'm unlearning ~ my concept that the voice of God can only be given through the Bible.

I'm learning ~ that God's voice is a whispering voice that speaks quietly, tenderly, and intimately.
I'm unlearning ~ my distrust of the nudges, impressions, and promptings of God's Spirit.

I'm learning ~ that the presence of God...is a healing presence that restores all that soaks Him in.
I'm unlearning ~ my limited thinking that God's presence cannot be enjoyed more and more deeply.

I'm learning ~ that prayer is hospitality with God ~ "Another" lives within me that I can know.
I'm unlearning ~ my view that prayer is talking to God, instead of enjoying time with God.

I'm learning ~ that prayer is my relationship with God.
I'm unlearning ~ my attitude that prayer ends when I say "amen."

I'm learning ~ that there is no wrong way pour out your heart to God in prayer.
I'm unlearning ~ my hangup that God is strict toward my stumblings in prayer.

How do I follow up on 40 hours of prayer?  By going deeper!

Currently I'm reading, praying and journaling my way through a great book written by my friend and advisor.

To learn more about prayer, click here to listen to the "Pray it Forward" series I did in February.

The BIG IDEA from the series ~ "God doesn't require you to be perfect for Him to respond to your prayers.  But He does require you to be perfectly honest!"

Prayer Conditioning ~

Yep, that's how I'm feeling these days.  I can always tell when it's time to kick into intense prayer mode...when everything seems upside down and I start feeling stuck.

Lately, I've been feeling stuck...

1.  Creatively ~ I've got the creative cramps.  Lot's of good ideas, but few God ideas.

2. Relationally ~ Must...get...unstuck, having...trouble...loving...people!

3. Spiritually ~ I'm a vision guy.  When things seem upside down, I get disoriented.

Just in time for our prayer emphasis during the month of February at The Crossing Church.

God is challenging me to pray for 40 hours during our February prayer emphasis.

I'll be praying for God to breakthrough my life in a powerful way.

Someone once said...

"When we rely on organization, then we get what only organization can do.

When we rely on own self effort, we get what only self effort can do.

But when we rely on prayer, we get what only God can do."

So...feel free to ask me how my prayer time is going in February...I welcome the support.