Been out on the lake lately?

Today I had a great conversation with my dad. We spent a little while at an Austin coffee shop talking about our hopes and dreams and what things we'd like to see happen in the future. We spoke about the state of the Church, how it is affecting and relating to the culture, and what really it means to follow Jesus. All this in an hour or so, pretty impressive huh?

He related a story about a recent trip he took down to Mexico where he and a few other served a local church there by helping them renovate and restore their building. It was run down and in need of a large dose of tlc. My dad was struck by the genuine faith of the people there, how they relied so much and how they trusted so deeply in God for daily provision. We spoke about how it sometimes feels that we can pretty much live most of our life and not need to trust in God for provision. We have good jobs, we can have most anything we want, we don't worry about where our next meal will come from. It presents such a radical choice to Christ --- why do we need Jesus if we can provide everything for ourselves? Unfortunately the church has not done a very good job of showing why. Perhaps we've forgotten, perhaps I've forgotten, what He means to us, maybe we, I, never really knew in the first place. Mostly we come to God with a personal or other crisis, but between those times it's business as usual.

These words of Christ came to mind as I was reflecting on our conversation:

"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Matthew 6:21

"No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money." Matthew 6:24

The wisdome found in these words is amazing. Our culture has sold us so subtly on this it's not even funny; in fact it's rather scary. I can see in myself how often I rely on my own abilities to provide and take care of myself, my wife, and my son. I don't think about it as serving money, I think about it as providing for my family. Now, I am not saying we shouldn't work hard, I'm just saying do we ever do anything by faith anymore? Do we ever step out in a direction in which the only way that things will work out is if God provides, or do we hang close to shore, keeping our arms and legs inside the ride at all times? Do we demonstrate our faith in God by giving sacrificially, trusting that he knows what we need and will provide or do we continually store up for a rainy day? Or reaching out to someone in need, trusting that even though we don't have all the answers we know the One who does? (By the way, if you don't like the questions I'm asking, stay out of Matthew 6).

I'm convinced, at least for myself, that this lack of trust keeps me inside the boat most of the time I'm with Jesus. Unfortunately that's not where the action is. To borrow a line from a favorite author of mine, if you're going to walk on water, you've got to get out of the boat.

Lord, increase my faith, increase my trust, give me the courage to follow you out onto the water.

A God who never sleeps...

I was thinking tonight about the begining of my week. First of all, I am NOT a morning person, which my son happens to be! Every morning at the crack of 5:30am, Gabe wakes up and beckons my wife and I to join him in his blissful joy as he greets the morning (or at least to get him out of his crib!). I struggle to get out of bed without running into something until I get my contacts in. Most every morning my precious wife gets up with him which allows me to sleep a little longer. I have tried getting up a few times lately because the morning is often Gabe's best time of the day and usually my only time with him all day. Because of a hectic work schedule he's typically down for bed by the time I get home, so mornings are an important time for dad & son. But I must confess, more often than not I give in to the need for sleep, or if I do happen to get up, it's usually with one eye open and me still half asleep. Thus, Gabe doesn't always get the full daddy experience.

I was also reading tonight Psalm 121:

I lift up my eyes to the hills — where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip — he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The LORD watches over you — the LORD is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. The LORD will keep you from all harm — he will watch over your life; the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.


I was reminded that I serve a God who never sleeps or slumbers, He doesn't get up in the morning to kind of listen to me with one eye open and one closed, wishing he could get just 10 more minutes of good deep sleep. Instead He is always fully awake, listening and watching over His precious ones. What a joy it is to know that our God doesn't get groggy and grumpy from lack of sleep, instead He is always like my son is each morning, fully alive and ready to engage with us in relationship! Thank you Lord for being my help each day, for watching over me as I come and go both now and forever. I love you!

How do you smell?

Opinions. We all have them. It's funny to me how we pick and choose the things that we'll get upset and fight about, especially when it comes to the church. We get really mad at folks that want to bring in certain changes, but then others seem to be no problem. Why is that? Why do we pick and choose?

I think sometimes it has to do with our experience and how we grow up. How open to change were our parents? How willing were they to entertain different ideas and explore new things? Some of it is definitely comfort, how much does this change pull me out of my comfort zone. I guess some is education and maturity, how often do we sit at Jesus' feet and allow him to teach us, grow us, transform our hearts.

There is a woman at my church who is a spiritual hero of mine. Over the course of her life she's suffered the loss of two husbands through death, a number of family heartbreaks, along with other disappointments, and yet when you talk with her now she is so peaceful and full of grace. When changes occur, she does not react with harshness or angry words of fear, but instead welcomes conversation and always goes back to love. She is to me the epitomy of Paul's words in 2 Corinthians 4:16 --

"Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day."

Everyday my friend is drawn closer to the heart of God, and the aroma of Christ that exudes from her grows sweeter and sweeter by the hour. I hope to one day smell half as sweet as she.

No Substitue for Experience

I was talking with a friend over lunch today who serves in ministry here in Austin. I was inspired by something he's doing --- on his day off he's substitute teaching at the high school where most of his students attend. We were talking about how most of the spiritual formation process in church today happens at the head level and rarely does it make it down to our hearts. The experience of faith has been overshadowed by the knowledge of faith. It reminded me of a couple things I'd read earlier this week:


"Jesus facilitated spiritual formation in his disciples by introducing them to life situations and then helping them debrief their experiences."
Reggie McNeal --- This Present Future


"...we have several challenges to meet. First, we must re-train our vision so that we can recognize the reign of God. This means sitting at the feet of the one who first recognized and announced the nearness of the kingdom. This means we should know Jesus better than we know Paul. I trust Paul wouldn't have it any other way."
Katie Hayes --- Evangelism as Companionship (The Gospel in Culture 14: 3/4)


I am struck that when it comes to Paul's words, most of what we talk about and dwell on falls somewhere in the doctrinal arena. However, we quickly, or at least I quickly gloss over Paul's goal in all his writings: pointing to Christ! Paul's focus in all that he says, all that he is about, everything he does, it's all designed to point back to Christ. So, why don't I spend more time looking where Paul pointed?

I guess the reality is it's easier to learn something than to live something. When you look at Christ, what you see is faith lived out. Jesus never just leaves it at the head level, he always pushes to the heart, he moves you to experience, just like his disciples. To understand Paul we have to understand Jesus, we must know him not just in our mind, but in the experience of our lives.

Band of Brothers

What a blessing it is to know and be known. I have a group of guys that I meet with each week. We've committed to pray for one another, to share life with one another, and to challenge each other to become more like Christ. I am so thankful that God has brought these guys into my life and given me a place where I can take my life to God. Lord, thanks for your continued faithfulness and for working through others to make your presence known to me. I love you and I love my brothers in Christ!

Taking Life to God

I have been reading a book lately, This Present Future, and struggling with its implications on my life. I am being challenged to rethink my vision of church and what exactly it is I am calling my college students to give their lives for. Is it to become really good church members who do a lot of good church work, or is there something else I should be casting before them? In my reading I came across this quote:

"Helping people grow, particularly in the arena of spiritual formation, is about unpacking life: challenging our emotional responses that are destructive (envy, hatred, bitterness); challenging our biases (racial prejudice, social and economic elitism, intellectual snobbery); challenging our assumptions ("my needs are the most important"); challenging our responses; unpacking our frustrations, our hopes, our dreams, and our disappointments; bringing life to God rather than teaching about God, somehow hoping to get him into our lives."

I really love the idea of taking our lives to God, taking our struggles and fears, our joys and brokenness, and allowing God a firsthand chance to work in us rather than just talk about God and hope that somehow He shows up. I know that in my own experience, I often leave God stuck in places where I can see and understand, in my head where I can be rational and logical about Him, and often leave out the mystical, experiential part, the heart part of my faith. I hope that the students I work with will see me grow in my ability to take my life to God and to show them how to take theirs to him as well.