So it has been awhile since I have written on here... Months in fact.I always feel a little awkward talking about stuff God is doing in my life and hanging it out there for the general public to critique. And it gets to the point where I feel like I should have something profound to say and yet I am not sure I have much new to add to my story at the time, so I decided to take a break.
In that time, I have been on an interesting journey that has led me to some deep conclusions about my life, my ministry, and my every interaction with people. These ideas are much more impacting to me than to anyone else I am sure, but they are without a doubt course altering in my own heart. That being said, this post is not about those insights.
I love what I do. I love that I get to meet with people about life's most difficult moments. It is both challenging and very rewarding to walk with people through these times in their lives. And, every Sunday morning we have people who come to church wondering where hope can be found. They are in a "last ditch effort" to find something that can give them a reason to go on. Every week I get to rub shoulders with these people.
Here is the rub, every time I visit with one these precious souls, the words in that conversation are of profound importance. So, as I move through these seasons of growth and radically shifting my own personal life metric, I wonder... who have I messed up along the way? I love growing. I love God stretching me. I love stumbling onto new, deeper, truer understanding of God and who He is.
But I have a fear. Above all, I want to represent Jesus well. So I ask myself some questions - who have I messed up along the way? What false version of Jesus have i represented as truth? How much more will I have to learn before I can say that I know how to tie you to the power that heals? When will I be healed myself?
My hope: only God can protect people from my inadequate descriptions of who He is. Only God can help anyone fine Him in the midst of my cloudy explanation of Him and His power to heal and help. And as I grow, only God can redeem the time that I lost not having a right perspective of Him...
My prayer: Lord, forgive my inadequate understanding. Thanks for revealing, restoring, and redeeming. And please help me to represent You to the very best of my ability - Amen.
Monday, December 12, 2011
Thursday, July 7, 2011
How do I learn God's Will?
First, a couple of thoughts, then some explanation: there are 2 ways to answer this question... the proportional or direct way, and the inverse or consequence way. So, the direct way is Romans 12:2 says if you want to know God's will, transform yourself through the renewing of your mind. The inverse way of understanding God's will is to look at what missing the mark does, then we understand what hitting the mark should be.
I think it is less dramatic to attack it directly, however it is also less effective. The inverse way says that sin - or missing the mark - separates us. therefore, inversely, connectedness is the mark... The next question then would be does the rest of scripture corroborate that idea. And in fact it does. That is why Jesus gives us what we call the "great Commandment" or Love God and Love People. This is God's Will.
Next question... How do I love or what does it mean to love God and love people? this is where we get into the nuances of human design. You can only love God and people at the same time when you are living in your God given design. Because loving God is obedience to Him - Jesus said, "If you love Me, you will obey Me."
So, another presupposition - If God knits us together in our mother's womb, and He marks our steps for us, these two things have to be connected - our design and our path. So, alignment with God's will would be walking a God given path that would bring you across situations and circumstances that need your design for their maximum positive affect. Obedience in these moments would be Loving God and being in God's Will. It would also be me loving people. Because love then would be defined as using what God has given me to maximize and positively affect those around me. But it is still tied to my design and my faithfulness to that design.
That I guess would be the bulls-eye that I am aiming for. Acknowledgement of and alignment with my God given design for the purpose of maximizing my obedience and positive affect on those around me. This is what I will give an account for in my life. And it is me investing in the "fruit that will remain" that Jesus talks about in John 15. As I remain in Him and His words remain in Me, I will bear much fruit, but apart from Him I can do nothing.
I think it is less dramatic to attack it directly, however it is also less effective. The inverse way says that sin - or missing the mark - separates us. therefore, inversely, connectedness is the mark... The next question then would be does the rest of scripture corroborate that idea. And in fact it does. That is why Jesus gives us what we call the "great Commandment" or Love God and Love People. This is God's Will.
Next question... How do I love or what does it mean to love God and love people? this is where we get into the nuances of human design. You can only love God and people at the same time when you are living in your God given design. Because loving God is obedience to Him - Jesus said, "If you love Me, you will obey Me."
So, another presupposition - If God knits us together in our mother's womb, and He marks our steps for us, these two things have to be connected - our design and our path. So, alignment with God's will would be walking a God given path that would bring you across situations and circumstances that need your design for their maximum positive affect. Obedience in these moments would be Loving God and being in God's Will. It would also be me loving people. Because love then would be defined as using what God has given me to maximize and positively affect those around me. But it is still tied to my design and my faithfulness to that design.
That I guess would be the bulls-eye that I am aiming for. Acknowledgement of and alignment with my God given design for the purpose of maximizing my obedience and positive affect on those around me. This is what I will give an account for in my life. And it is me investing in the "fruit that will remain" that Jesus talks about in John 15. As I remain in Him and His words remain in Me, I will bear much fruit, but apart from Him I can do nothing.
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