I have a bad habit. Some of you are laughing, thinking I have more than one and you are right. There is only one that I want to talk about today though. I call it a habit because it happens so frequently that it's almost second nature, like biting your nails when you're nervous. What is this habit? Well, I'm a planner. It's just how my mind works. When I have a dream it includes a cost-benefit analysis and a 12 step plan for accomplishing it. No I'm not saying planning is always a bad thing, but I have a tendency to plan God out of His own plans. I'll feel a nudge from God or a pull in a certain direction and my mind is gone, flying a million miles an hour, figuring out what I need to do. But, my plans are really doomed for destruction from the start for two reasons.
First, how can I expect to be fulfilling God's call if I'm not listening to Him each step along the way? I imagine God sitting there shaking His head, like a father watching an overeager child, as I run around trying to accomplish what I believe His plan is. As I pause for a moment to breath and ask myself, "Why isn't God's plan working out?" He's smiling thinking it's not working because I sprinted off before I heard the second half of the instructions. The only way to know God's plan is to spend time with Him. To sit quietly and listen for His voice and feel His pull on your heart. Human planning and knowledge will never be able to replace this, and why would we want it to? The one who created us wants to tell us His specific purpose for our lives, yet often we listen for a minute and spend 30 trying to figure it out on our own.
Second, the more I plan, the more I focus on the plan instead of God. In Revelation 2 the church in Ephesus is praised for their "hard work and perseverance" among other things, but then it says, "Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love." God didn't create us simply to do tasks. Above all else He wants to be in relationship with us. If we sacrifice our relationship with Him, even to do what we feel His will is, we are missing the point. The biggest part of God's plan for our lives is to be with us daily. When we lose sight of God in all of our planning we know we are not fulfilling His plan, because it involves Him being there always.
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Wednesday, September 08, 2010
Fall is here!
Last Friday morning I awoke to something different in the air. I wasn't sure what it was as I lay in bed, but when I stepped outside my world was changed. It was overcast, 74 degrees, and a cool northern breeze was blowing. Perfect weather! Being in law school I did the only logical thing, studied outside before my morning class. As I sat there by the Brazos river surrounded by beautiful scenery and feeling the cool breeze I was satisfied...for about five minutes. After five minutes my mind was in the mountains. If it was this great here, I could only imagine how great it would be back in Sipapu, New Mexico or even better Colorado. That was it, I needed to get to the mountains. I mean this weather was great and all and I loved being in it, but I wanted more.
Sitting there thinking these thoughts, a quote from A.W. Tozier came to mind, "O God, I have tasted Your goodness, and it has both satisfied me and made me thirsty for more." The weather had satisfied me, but more than anything it made me want more. So often I taste the things of this world and want more. More glory, more influence, more power, more wealth, and the list goes on. Yet, there is something inside me, inside you, that is longing for more than those things. When we long for the things of this world, whether we know it or not, deep down we are longing for God. God is glory, influence, power, grace, love, forgiveness. The ways we taste His goodness manifest themselves differently in each of our lives, and we may not see beyond the cheap earthly substitutes for God, but He is in all things. We were created in His image with a longing for Him in our hearts and a taste of His goodness in our mouths. Take the time today to see Him and His goodness in the everyday longings of your heart.
Sitting there thinking these thoughts, a quote from A.W. Tozier came to mind, "O God, I have tasted Your goodness, and it has both satisfied me and made me thirsty for more." The weather had satisfied me, but more than anything it made me want more. So often I taste the things of this world and want more. More glory, more influence, more power, more wealth, and the list goes on. Yet, there is something inside me, inside you, that is longing for more than those things. When we long for the things of this world, whether we know it or not, deep down we are longing for God. God is glory, influence, power, grace, love, forgiveness. The ways we taste His goodness manifest themselves differently in each of our lives, and we may not see beyond the cheap earthly substitutes for God, but He is in all things. We were created in His image with a longing for Him in our hearts and a taste of His goodness in our mouths. Take the time today to see Him and His goodness in the everyday longings of your heart.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
A Thought About Prayer
I often feel that prayer is one of those subjects, best left to professors and graduate students to teach about. There have been thousands of books written about prayer, and quite frankly the few I've read have confused me. But, recently prayer has been on my mind, so I want to share a thought I have about it.
When I moved to Waco, I left many of the people that I love in Abilene. Others are in Round Rock, Dallas, and places like California. It was the first time in six years that I'd been away from some of these people. You may be wondering, "So what does that have to do with prayer?" and my answer is, everything. Over the past few weeks I've found prayer to be the ultimate connector. Greater than any conversation I could have with these loved ones, although the conversations we have are great, the time I spend in prayer for them makes me feel closer to them than anything else. I think it has something to do with God being all places, at all times. As I sit in my apartment in Waco thinking about, and praying for my friends and family, I know that the Spirit is interceding for them because of my prayers. I know that God is hearing my prayers and not only looking down on, but sitting with, those I'm praying for as I talk with Him.
Yes, it is hard to wrap our heads around the ways in which God can and does work. At times, I wonder if He is even here with me, let alone everywhere in the universe at once. But, the fact that God is omnipresent makes him the ultimate connector and community builder. When we pray for others we are interceding on their behalf, actively advocating for their interest rather than our own. This selfless act creates a deep connection between us and those we are praying for. It creates a connection that runs deeper than the superficial conversations that we so often engage in face to face. Prayer can connect individuals and build communities that words and interactions between two people could never accomplish. So, as I sit in my apartment in Waco, yes, I miss those that I've had to leave; however, I know that we are as close now as we have ever been.
This is where I make my disclaimer that I'm not a theologian or a bible scholar. I'm just a law student doing a little thinking about prayer. Take it for what it's worth.
"And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints."-Ephesians 6:18
"In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express"-Romans 8:26
When I moved to Waco, I left many of the people that I love in Abilene. Others are in Round Rock, Dallas, and places like California. It was the first time in six years that I'd been away from some of these people. You may be wondering, "So what does that have to do with prayer?" and my answer is, everything. Over the past few weeks I've found prayer to be the ultimate connector. Greater than any conversation I could have with these loved ones, although the conversations we have are great, the time I spend in prayer for them makes me feel closer to them than anything else. I think it has something to do with God being all places, at all times. As I sit in my apartment in Waco thinking about, and praying for my friends and family, I know that the Spirit is interceding for them because of my prayers. I know that God is hearing my prayers and not only looking down on, but sitting with, those I'm praying for as I talk with Him.
Yes, it is hard to wrap our heads around the ways in which God can and does work. At times, I wonder if He is even here with me, let alone everywhere in the universe at once. But, the fact that God is omnipresent makes him the ultimate connector and community builder. When we pray for others we are interceding on their behalf, actively advocating for their interest rather than our own. This selfless act creates a deep connection between us and those we are praying for. It creates a connection that runs deeper than the superficial conversations that we so often engage in face to face. Prayer can connect individuals and build communities that words and interactions between two people could never accomplish. So, as I sit in my apartment in Waco, yes, I miss those that I've had to leave; however, I know that we are as close now as we have ever been.
This is where I make my disclaimer that I'm not a theologian or a bible scholar. I'm just a law student doing a little thinking about prayer. Take it for what it's worth.
"And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints."-Ephesians 6:18
"In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express"-Romans 8:26
Monday, August 16, 2010
Comfortable? I hope not.
Lately I've been thinking a lot about being comfortable in life. Starting law school and the "torture" that everyone seems to think it is will make a guy think about stuff like that. As I thought back over my life I realized two things:
1. I have lived a life of great comfort.
2. It was in the moments of discomfort that I was stretched and grew the most.
In high school athletics there was an entire season of the year, "0ff-season", set aside for discomfort. The running and weight lifting we did was never a comfortable thing as we constantly pushed our bodies to the limit. Yet, we improved our strength and endurance the most during this time. Training for the half and full marathons I've done was much the same way. During the longest most uncomfortable runs I found the greatest reward.
This idea doesn't just apply to physical activity though. Giving a speech in front of the entire student body at ACU wasn't comfortable for me, but I learned so much from it. Trying to maintain and then losing close relationships with others certainly wasn't comfortable but through those moments I learned things about myself and gained new perspectives on life that I'd never thought of before.
As I was thinking about all of this a question came into my mind, "How often do I ask for comfort and run from the uncomfortable in my walk with God?". If I grow the most during moments that stretch me in every other area of my life, why should I imagine that it would be any different in my walk with God? At Cross Training Reg Cox said, "Jesus is more interested in your eternal problems than your temporary ones here on earth". Jesus sees the whole picture, he knows the growth we will achieve through the moments of discomfort, if only we will have the courage to step out and follow him.
As I begin law school it is my prayer that I can keep this perspective and remember that nothing in life worth doing is easy, including following Jesus. I pray we all have the courage to embrace, and accept the challenges and moments of discomfort in our lives, trusting that we are being led by the only one who truly knows the way.
1. I have lived a life of great comfort.
2. It was in the moments of discomfort that I was stretched and grew the most.
In high school athletics there was an entire season of the year, "0ff-season", set aside for discomfort. The running and weight lifting we did was never a comfortable thing as we constantly pushed our bodies to the limit. Yet, we improved our strength and endurance the most during this time. Training for the half and full marathons I've done was much the same way. During the longest most uncomfortable runs I found the greatest reward.
This idea doesn't just apply to physical activity though. Giving a speech in front of the entire student body at ACU wasn't comfortable for me, but I learned so much from it. Trying to maintain and then losing close relationships with others certainly wasn't comfortable but through those moments I learned things about myself and gained new perspectives on life that I'd never thought of before.
As I was thinking about all of this a question came into my mind, "How often do I ask for comfort and run from the uncomfortable in my walk with God?". If I grow the most during moments that stretch me in every other area of my life, why should I imagine that it would be any different in my walk with God? At Cross Training Reg Cox said, "Jesus is more interested in your eternal problems than your temporary ones here on earth". Jesus sees the whole picture, he knows the growth we will achieve through the moments of discomfort, if only we will have the courage to step out and follow him.
As I begin law school it is my prayer that I can keep this perspective and remember that nothing in life worth doing is easy, including following Jesus. I pray we all have the courage to embrace, and accept the challenges and moments of discomfort in our lives, trusting that we are being led by the only one who truly knows the way.
Monday, August 09, 2010
To The Mountains and Back Again: Part 2
Over the past week I've done a lot of thinking about my time in the mountains, but I also read an amazing book titled Three Cups of Tea. It is a true story about an average guy, he lived out of his car for a good portion of the book, who quite literally is changing the world. Greg Mortenson wandered upon Korphe village in a remote region of Pakistan after failing to summit K2. Greg was touched by the people there and promised to build the children a school. He then embarks on an epic adventure, not only building the children of Korphe a school, but building over 55 schools in the next decade right in the middle of the Taliban in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
What struck me the most about this book was the way Greg described the childrens' lives. Growing up in severe poverty surrounded by war, without ever being given an opportunity for something more through a quality education, they would be taken in by extreme Islamic madrassas. Here they would be taught violence and extremism through a mob mentality. Yet for these children it was three meals a day and more than they could ever have hoped for by staying at home. Given their living conditions of course they would go and do whatever was asked of them.
As I was reading this I couldn't help but think of my new friends in Chamisal, New Mexico. A place where children also grow up in the shadow of the awe inspiring beauty of the mountains, yet are caught in the middle of war. An area consumed by poverty, drugs, gangs, and where few outsiders question the status quo. The Taliban may not be recruiting these kids to attend madrassas, but local gangs are recruiting them to do, sell, and smuggle drugs. They are desensitizing them to violence and stripping them of hope for a better future. They promise them little, but it is still more than the hope they have for escaping what seems to be perpetual poverty. We talk about securing our borders and national security, imagining that putting up walls and defeating the Taliban will fix these issues. But what about the wars being fought and people that are being overlooked right here in America?
Today's children are the leaders and decision makers of tomorrow. If we don't provide American children with education and the opportunity to truly partake of it, then we have much greater problems looming in the future. Let us all strive to be a Greg Mortenson to the hurting and searching around us, because it is bold acts like his that are changing the world as we speak.
Monday, August 02, 2010
To The Mountains and Back Again: Part 1
I spent last week surrounded by the mountains and some amazing people in Sipapu, New Mexico. Friendships were forged that will last for years to come and the little ski resort in Sipapu will never be the same. This is the first blog chronicling my time in Sipapu and the things I learned and experienced during Cross Training 2010.
The "advance van" pulled into Sipapu early in the evening on Saturday and I was greeted by this picture.
We entered the small, aging church to find 20 or so people there for church that day and I wasn’t sure what to expect. You might call what happened there a “worship stew” as 5 different people led songs throughout worship (none of them close to being on key) and more than half the worship was in Spanish. But I found myself getting lost in it. Singing along even though most of the time I hadn’t a clue what the words meant or how to pronounce them, because the hearts that were being poured out in worship were so pure and beautiful. We came to the part in the song, Days of Elijah, that says “of famine, and darkness, and sword” and it was as if my eyes were opened for the first time. Singing about famine and darkness has a whole different meaning when you are sitting in a church in the middle of one of the most poverty stricken counties in America, that is continually plagued by violence; drugs; and gangs. Poverty is a way of life in the valley. Simply put, no one knows different or has hope for change because it has been this way for so long. It seemed that time stopped in the 70’s but the buildings kept decaying.
After church ended and we had spent some time with the people there we headed to the neighboring village of Penasco for lunch. We walked into a small “trendy” restaurant whose walls were filled with Taos artists’ works many selling for more than $600 and whose menu had nothing on it for less than $11. It was as if being in the middle of all the poverty made the place “cool” for tourist and some who had retired in the area. Listening to the conversations at tables around us I couldn’t get the picture of a small jar set on a table at the front of the church building that read “Building Fund $482.99” out of my head. I kept asking myself, “Do these people not know what is going on just 5 miles away?” As we left the restaurant a part of me felt ashamed of the Polo shirt I was wearing, my $90 a month iPhone bill, and the lack of attention I’d paid to those in need my whole life.
As I began to contemplate the stark contrasts that I’d seen that morning and what it meant to me, the campers showed up….
“For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’” -Matthew 25:35-40
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
I HOPE you like this.
Last week was my final week of Kadesh here at Leadership Camps. We spent the summer talking about hope and I was able to see it in so many of the stories that I heard not just from speakers but campers as well. Working at camp we hear many of the same stories each week and you'd imagine that at some point they'd begin to get old, but they haven't. Each week something new seems to stand out; like watching your favorite movie for the hundredth time and finally noticing that random gas tank in the back even though it's set in the 1600's.
The thought I took away from last week was simple yet I've found it in many ways to be profound. Bob Strader was speaking on a Thursday afternoon and said, "You are going to change the world because of the hope you have in you". I sat there for a moment tired, willing myself to stay awake and then what he said ran through my mind again. When it clicked that he used the words "change the world", I quickly grabbed my notebook and wrote it down because I started this blog to do just that. To write about small and large ways we can each change the world, believing that one day it will be a better place because of the things you and I have done.
As I sat there thinking about this idea of changing the world through the hope we have in ourselves I realized something. Everyone desires hope. Hope for something better, for something more. It is a universal desire even if it manifests itself in different ways for each individual. The middle class American hopes that one day they can retire and not work quite so hard, or that the stock market wasn't doing so poorly because their kids are about to leave for college. The woman in the Sudan wakes up hoping that she can find food for her 3 children and that she has not passed along HIV to them. We hope for peace. We hope for prosperity. We hope for clean water. We hope for shelter.
We all hope, and bringing hope to the hopeless will change the world. You see hope is contagious, you can not keep it to yourself. Imagine getting that one thing you desire most in the world and then not telling a soul about it. You couldn't do it. It's impossible to not share with others and hope is the same way. The way we live our lives each day can bring hope to those around us. Taking the time to hold a door open or smiling as you pass a stranger on the street. Finding time to call the friend you know could really use it or writing a letter of encouragement to someone in your life. Sponsoring a child through World Vision is a great way to bring hope to someone in need. When we view hope in this way and realize the life changing impact it can have on someone, we are struck with an amazing fact, there are hundreds of opportunities before us each day to change the world.
In Shawshank Redemption there is a famous quote that says, "Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies". Tomorrow as you live your life I challenge you to open your eyes to the opportunities that are before you each day to spread the hope you have inside of you, and to stretch yourself in finding new ways to bring hope to the hopeless. Because by doing this you truly can change the world one person at a time.
"Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have." 1 Peter 3:15
The thought I took away from last week was simple yet I've found it in many ways to be profound. Bob Strader was speaking on a Thursday afternoon and said, "You are going to change the world because of the hope you have in you". I sat there for a moment tired, willing myself to stay awake and then what he said ran through my mind again. When it clicked that he used the words "change the world", I quickly grabbed my notebook and wrote it down because I started this blog to do just that. To write about small and large ways we can each change the world, believing that one day it will be a better place because of the things you and I have done.
As I sat there thinking about this idea of changing the world through the hope we have in ourselves I realized something. Everyone desires hope. Hope for something better, for something more. It is a universal desire even if it manifests itself in different ways for each individual. The middle class American hopes that one day they can retire and not work quite so hard, or that the stock market wasn't doing so poorly because their kids are about to leave for college. The woman in the Sudan wakes up hoping that she can find food for her 3 children and that she has not passed along HIV to them. We hope for peace. We hope for prosperity. We hope for clean water. We hope for shelter.
We all hope, and bringing hope to the hopeless will change the world. You see hope is contagious, you can not keep it to yourself. Imagine getting that one thing you desire most in the world and then not telling a soul about it. You couldn't do it. It's impossible to not share with others and hope is the same way. The way we live our lives each day can bring hope to those around us. Taking the time to hold a door open or smiling as you pass a stranger on the street. Finding time to call the friend you know could really use it or writing a letter of encouragement to someone in your life. Sponsoring a child through World Vision is a great way to bring hope to someone in need. When we view hope in this way and realize the life changing impact it can have on someone, we are struck with an amazing fact, there are hundreds of opportunities before us each day to change the world.
In Shawshank Redemption there is a famous quote that says, "Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies". Tomorrow as you live your life I challenge you to open your eyes to the opportunities that are before you each day to spread the hope you have inside of you, and to stretch yourself in finding new ways to bring hope to the hopeless. Because by doing this you truly can change the world one person at a time.
"Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have." 1 Peter 3:15
Tuesday, July 06, 2010
The Burden of Leadership
A few weeks ago one of my close friends and I were talking about our future plans and the different positions that we might hold when our plans come to fruition. He asked me if I thought I was up to the challenge, if I could handle the pressure; stress; time commitment; and sacrifice that leadership positions require. We'd had this conversation before and my answer then was "Of course I can. It will be tough, but everyone knows it's lonely at the top. It's just what you have to deal with", but after reflecting on leadership and the burden that it brings I've come to a different conclusion. I'm not ready and most likely never will be ready to do it by myself.
Whenever I have a question about leadership and what it should look like I go back to (in my opinion) the greatest leader of all time, Jesus Christ. As I looked at Jesus' life I came to realize that he did not handle everything on his own either. Quite literally he had the weight of all humankind on his shoulders and he still allowed others to help bear the burden when they could or when he simply couldn't any more. "They spit on him [Jesus], and took the staff and struck him on the head again and again. After they had mocked him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him. As they were going out, they met a man from Cyrene, named Simon, and they forced him to carry the cross. They came to a place called Golgotha (which means The Place of the Skull)" Matthew 27:30-33. You see, even as Jesus went to bear the burden of sin for all humankind Simon carried his cross because he wasn't able to do it on his own after the beating he had just taken.
I believe one of the greatest fallacies that young leaders today believe is that to be a leader you must do everything, handle everyone's problems, be the best at it all, and suffer the burdens leadership brings alone. Many times as a leader you will take emotional and psychological beatings that lead you to the place Jesus was, broken and hurting, but still with more to do. It is during these times you must realize that to reach your potential and to truly be successful you must invite others into your life and allow them to walk with you and bear some of your burdens.
Yes, there are some things that as leaders only you can handle. For example, despite crying out to his Father and asking if there was another way, only Jesus could bring life to humanity be dying on the cross. But during his journey he took others with him; in the Garden he took Peter, James, and John; and on the day of his death he allowed Simon to carry his cross. As you find yourself in leadership positions remember that the burden does not have to be yours and yours alone to bear. Surround yourself with wise counsel, good friends, and seek strength from God and you will be able to do things that alone you would never have been able to achieve.
Whenever I have a question about leadership and what it should look like I go back to (in my opinion) the greatest leader of all time, Jesus Christ. As I looked at Jesus' life I came to realize that he did not handle everything on his own either. Quite literally he had the weight of all humankind on his shoulders and he still allowed others to help bear the burden when they could or when he simply couldn't any more. "They spit on him [Jesus], and took the staff and struck him on the head again and again. After they had mocked him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him. As they were going out, they met a man from Cyrene, named Simon, and they forced him to carry the cross. They came to a place called Golgotha (which means The Place of the Skull)" Matthew 27:30-33. You see, even as Jesus went to bear the burden of sin for all humankind Simon carried his cross because he wasn't able to do it on his own after the beating he had just taken.
I believe one of the greatest fallacies that young leaders today believe is that to be a leader you must do everything, handle everyone's problems, be the best at it all, and suffer the burdens leadership brings alone. Many times as a leader you will take emotional and psychological beatings that lead you to the place Jesus was, broken and hurting, but still with more to do. It is during these times you must realize that to reach your potential and to truly be successful you must invite others into your life and allow them to walk with you and bear some of your burdens.
Yes, there are some things that as leaders only you can handle. For example, despite crying out to his Father and asking if there was another way, only Jesus could bring life to humanity be dying on the cross. But during his journey he took others with him; in the Garden he took Peter, James, and John; and on the day of his death he allowed Simon to carry his cross. As you find yourself in leadership positions remember that the burden does not have to be yours and yours alone to bear. Surround yourself with wise counsel, good friends, and seek strength from God and you will be able to do things that alone you would never have been able to achieve.
Thursday, July 01, 2010
Life got you down? Grab a snickers...or read this.
After my last post I was reading Genesis with my middle school guys during our morning T.A.G. time (Time Alone with God). As I read through Joseph's story I thought, "Wow! What a story of hope for people my age." and so here I sit to tell you a little about what I see in Joseph's story.
Joseph's life growing up was pretty typical. He had a father and mother who loved him; several brothers who gave him a hard time; and most everything he could ask for. After being given a cloak of many colors by his father, his brothers become jealous and sell him into slavery. Joseph is a young man at this point and unlike me or many of the people I know at that age he doesn't let this serious setback stop him from fulfilling God's plan for his life. Instead he takes his God given abilities, works hard where he is at (even if it wasn't where he wanted to be) and achieves great success becoming the overseer of Potiphar's house.
But, calamity strikes Joseph again as he is pursued relentlessly by Potiphar's wife. I like to compare this time of Joseph's life like the present day college experience. We grow up with our parents providing for us, get to college and are doing well because of our God given abilities, and then the temptations start pouring on. Joseph is strong enough to persevere in the face of these trials but is still thrown in jail! Maybe you are in this same position. You've worked hard during college making good grades, staying away from distractions (at least for the most part!), and yet you find yourself with a degree and no job. You feel imprisoned by your loans and the fact that everything isn't working out the way you had planned.
What is Joseph's response to this unfair treatment? He continues to use and strengthen his God given abilities where he is at and before long is put in charge of all the prisoners. Even in your "prison moment" you can continue to develop your God given abilities and skills and serve God in whatever way possible where you are. If Joseph hadn't done this imagine how miserable he would have been because he spent over 2 years in prison! But these were not wasted years because of the preparation and faithfulness to God that Joseph had he was ready when he was called on by non other than Pharaoh himself. After interpreting Pharaoh's dream Joseph was made second in command of all of Egypt at the age of 30!
Think about what it would be like to not have a job from now till you were 30 and then become the CFO or COO of Wal-Mart or Exxon. This is what Joseph was experiencing and I doubt he ever imagined that was where he would be as he sat in prison helping those around him for over 2 years. So why did Joseph always seem to succeed even in the most hopeless of situations?
Joseph's life growing up was pretty typical. He had a father and mother who loved him; several brothers who gave him a hard time; and most everything he could ask for. After being given a cloak of many colors by his father, his brothers become jealous and sell him into slavery. Joseph is a young man at this point and unlike me or many of the people I know at that age he doesn't let this serious setback stop him from fulfilling God's plan for his life. Instead he takes his God given abilities, works hard where he is at (even if it wasn't where he wanted to be) and achieves great success becoming the overseer of Potiphar's house.
But, calamity strikes Joseph again as he is pursued relentlessly by Potiphar's wife. I like to compare this time of Joseph's life like the present day college experience. We grow up with our parents providing for us, get to college and are doing well because of our God given abilities, and then the temptations start pouring on. Joseph is strong enough to persevere in the face of these trials but is still thrown in jail! Maybe you are in this same position. You've worked hard during college making good grades, staying away from distractions (at least for the most part!), and yet you find yourself with a degree and no job. You feel imprisoned by your loans and the fact that everything isn't working out the way you had planned.
What is Joseph's response to this unfair treatment? He continues to use and strengthen his God given abilities where he is at and before long is put in charge of all the prisoners. Even in your "prison moment" you can continue to develop your God given abilities and skills and serve God in whatever way possible where you are. If Joseph hadn't done this imagine how miserable he would have been because he spent over 2 years in prison! But these were not wasted years because of the preparation and faithfulness to God that Joseph had he was ready when he was called on by non other than Pharaoh himself. After interpreting Pharaoh's dream Joseph was made second in command of all of Egypt at the age of 30!
Think about what it would be like to not have a job from now till you were 30 and then become the CFO or COO of Wal-Mart or Exxon. This is what Joseph was experiencing and I doubt he ever imagined that was where he would be as he sat in prison helping those around him for over 2 years. So why did Joseph always seem to succeed even in the most hopeless of situations?
- Joseph had a close relationship with God and sought his wisdom in all things, while remaining faithful to him despite his unfair breaks in life.
- Joseph put 100% into every position he was given. It didn't matter if it was overseer of Potiphar's house or head of the prisoners.
- Joseph never gave up hope no matter what the circumstances.
- Joseph helped and served those around him even if they had nothing they could do for him in return.
Remember Joseph's story and example as you live the next few years of your life. Have faith in God and know that he has a plan for you even when you are in the prison and life seems hopeless.
Friday, June 25, 2010
What's my calling?
This week is our second week of Kadesh (high school age leadership camp) and it has been really thought provoking. I hope to have time to sit down and write about the things we’ve discussed and insights I’ve learned from the leaders and kids. Today though I want to talk about an idea that was mentioned briefly this week, but that I feel many young people are struggling with.
What are you going to do when you grow up? What’s your major going to be? What’s my calling? These are questions that plaque the younth of America. My brother is 15 and already has planned where he wants to get his undergraduate and masters from because he is choosing a career path in high school because of the IB program. When did 15 year olds start making these kinds of decisions, because I don’t remember making them when I was 15. Our society is putting more and more pressure on kids to have everything “figured out”.
At ACU I have many friends who have graduated or are still in school and searching for their “calling”. There is so much pressure that if they don’t have it all planned out, if they don’t pick that perfect career today that they won’t be successful. We are all searching for God’s calling in our life and so I want to take a moment to talk about what this word “calling” means. Because of the pressures that society is putting on us I believe that we have blended together our definitions of calling and vocation. In its most basic form our vocation is what we do to pay the bills. You could be a teacher, an accountant, a coach, a janitor, a lawyer but that isn’t necessarily your calling. Our calling is what God is putting on our hearts to do. Donna Stone was speaking at Kadesh this week and she said, “I’ve been fulfilling my calling of working in youth ministry for 24 years, but my vocation, what I do to pay the bills is teach high school”. What a great way to put it.
In her book Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership, Ruth Hailey Barton says “However, the biblical idea of calling is not easily dismissed. Its meaning is richly layered. In its simplest and most straightforward meaning, the verb to call refers to the capacity living creatures have to call out to one another, to stay connected, to communicate something of importance. Even at this most basic level the dynamic of calling is profound, because it reminds us that calling is first of all highly relational: it has to do with one being (God) reaching out and establishing connection with another (us). It is an interpersonal connection and communication that is initiated by God and thus demands our attention and our response even as a basic courtesy”.
Our calling is to be in relationship with one another. To spread the good news of Jesus no matter what we are doing. There is no need to stress or worry about fulfilling our calling by landing that great job; or going to the perfect graduate school, because those things are not what we are being called to do. They may help us achieve our own goals and create a better quality of life for ourselves and our families, but if we are truly searching for our calling then we should take time to understand that it is something happening in our lives this very moment. Our calling from God is not something that will only be revealed once we’ve landed that job or finished our graduate work, it is waiting for us right now and it does not depend on you having everything in life figured out. So to all my friends and peers I encourage you to take a moment and listen for the call in your life and to begin to pursue it no matter where you are, because to say yes to our calling “is living in the awareness that the most wonderful thing in the world is to be completely given over to a loving God”.
What are you going to do when you grow up? What’s your major going to be? What’s my calling? These are questions that plaque the younth of America. My brother is 15 and already has planned where he wants to get his undergraduate and masters from because he is choosing a career path in high school because of the IB program. When did 15 year olds start making these kinds of decisions, because I don’t remember making them when I was 15. Our society is putting more and more pressure on kids to have everything “figured out”.
At ACU I have many friends who have graduated or are still in school and searching for their “calling”. There is so much pressure that if they don’t have it all planned out, if they don’t pick that perfect career today that they won’t be successful. We are all searching for God’s calling in our life and so I want to take a moment to talk about what this word “calling” means. Because of the pressures that society is putting on us I believe that we have blended together our definitions of calling and vocation. In its most basic form our vocation is what we do to pay the bills. You could be a teacher, an accountant, a coach, a janitor, a lawyer but that isn’t necessarily your calling. Our calling is what God is putting on our hearts to do. Donna Stone was speaking at Kadesh this week and she said, “I’ve been fulfilling my calling of working in youth ministry for 24 years, but my vocation, what I do to pay the bills is teach high school”. What a great way to put it.
In her book Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership, Ruth Hailey Barton says “However, the biblical idea of calling is not easily dismissed. Its meaning is richly layered. In its simplest and most straightforward meaning, the verb to call refers to the capacity living creatures have to call out to one another, to stay connected, to communicate something of importance. Even at this most basic level the dynamic of calling is profound, because it reminds us that calling is first of all highly relational: it has to do with one being (God) reaching out and establishing connection with another (us). It is an interpersonal connection and communication that is initiated by God and thus demands our attention and our response even as a basic courtesy”.
Our calling is to be in relationship with one another. To spread the good news of Jesus no matter what we are doing. There is no need to stress or worry about fulfilling our calling by landing that great job; or going to the perfect graduate school, because those things are not what we are being called to do. They may help us achieve our own goals and create a better quality of life for ourselves and our families, but if we are truly searching for our calling then we should take time to understand that it is something happening in our lives this very moment. Our calling from God is not something that will only be revealed once we’ve landed that job or finished our graduate work, it is waiting for us right now and it does not depend on you having everything in life figured out. So to all my friends and peers I encourage you to take a moment and listen for the call in your life and to begin to pursue it no matter where you are, because to say yes to our calling “is living in the awareness that the most wonderful thing in the world is to be completely given over to a loving God”.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
How to change the world. Just add water...
Wouldn’t we all like to change the world? To make the world around us a better place? Adam and Eve ate fruit from the forbidden tree thinking it would change their world. Hitler sought to take over Europe because he wanted to change the world. Gandhi used his words to try and change the world. From the beginning of time there have been those who desired to change the world, myself and friends included. But how is this possible? I am not a general in the world’s most powerful army or a national figure that can address an audience of thousands at one time. This idea of changing the world seems so overwhelming. Yet, there is hope because to change the world you first must change one person’s world.
Sound too simplistic to you? Or maybe just naïve, you’re thinking, “He’s only 22. Wait till he sees what the ‘real’ world is like”. Well I want to propose a new style of leadership and a new way of living that could very well change the world. No, I won’t be the one doing the changing, at least not all of it, but together you’ll be surprised what we can do.
A few years ago I took an international relations class at ACU and we discussed a theory called the “Tragedy of the Commons” by Garrett Hardin. The theory outlines a “situation in which multiple individuals, acting independently, and solely and rationally consulting their own self-interest, will ultimately deplete a shared limited resource even when it is clear that it is not in anyone's long-term interest for this to happen”. Why is this so true even today when our available resources are far greater than at any point in history? Because we live in a society that supports and encourages narcissism and egotism, a society that tells you and I that everything is and should be about us.
Imagine the impact we could have if we decided that we would no longer buy into this idea and instead strove to serve those around us by putting their interests first. There would be no tragedy of the commons, and in its place would be a thriving community brought together by the work and lives they shared with one another. How would everyday simple tasks such as driving to work be different or more complex relationships such as marriage changed? Would our work be more enjoyable if it wasn’t always about beating out your coworkers and instead about serving one another for the good of the whole?
Some of you reading this may think I’ve gone a little crazy or become some sort of radical, “I mean is he supporting socialism or even worse national healthcare?” No I’m not. Others may say, “He’ll never make it through law school with an attitude like that! How will he ever live up to his potential?” I assure you I will do well in law school (don't worry mom!) and live up to my God given potential. How am I so sure of this? Because 2,000 years ago a carpenter, Jesus of Nazareth, came to earth and change it forever; and he didn’t come with a sword or a pen and podium. Jesus changed the world with a towel and a basin filled with water, and I believe we can too.
“When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. ‘Do you understand what I have done for you?’ he asked them. ‘You call me Teacher and Lord, and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.’”
--John 13:12-17
Sound too simplistic to you? Or maybe just naïve, you’re thinking, “He’s only 22. Wait till he sees what the ‘real’ world is like”. Well I want to propose a new style of leadership and a new way of living that could very well change the world. No, I won’t be the one doing the changing, at least not all of it, but together you’ll be surprised what we can do.
A few years ago I took an international relations class at ACU and we discussed a theory called the “Tragedy of the Commons” by Garrett Hardin. The theory outlines a “situation in which multiple individuals, acting independently, and solely and rationally consulting their own self-interest, will ultimately deplete a shared limited resource even when it is clear that it is not in anyone's long-term interest for this to happen”. Why is this so true even today when our available resources are far greater than at any point in history? Because we live in a society that supports and encourages narcissism and egotism, a society that tells you and I that everything is and should be about us.
Imagine the impact we could have if we decided that we would no longer buy into this idea and instead strove to serve those around us by putting their interests first. There would be no tragedy of the commons, and in its place would be a thriving community brought together by the work and lives they shared with one another. How would everyday simple tasks such as driving to work be different or more complex relationships such as marriage changed? Would our work be more enjoyable if it wasn’t always about beating out your coworkers and instead about serving one another for the good of the whole?
Some of you reading this may think I’ve gone a little crazy or become some sort of radical, “I mean is he supporting socialism or even worse national healthcare?” No I’m not. Others may say, “He’ll never make it through law school with an attitude like that! How will he ever live up to his potential?” I assure you I will do well in law school (don't worry mom!) and live up to my God given potential. How am I so sure of this? Because 2,000 years ago a carpenter, Jesus of Nazareth, came to earth and change it forever; and he didn’t come with a sword or a pen and podium. Jesus changed the world with a towel and a basin filled with water, and I believe we can too.
“When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. ‘Do you understand what I have done for you?’ he asked them. ‘You call me Teacher and Lord, and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.’”
--John 13:12-17
Monday, June 14, 2010
Where has the time gone?
My last post was August 9, 2006 and my question is, "Where has the time gone?". So much has happened in the past four years, my graduating college being just one example, that I am not going to try and recap. Instead I'll pick up my story where I am now. In the fall I will be attending law school at Baylor University and am excited about the opportunities that I have already been given there.
However, that is not where I am now. Right now I am spending the summer in Abilene working ACU Leadership Camps. The past 3 months have been spent training and praying for a summer filled with teaching middle and high school kids about servant leadership and their relationships with God. Last week was our first week of Kadesh (high schoolers) and it was a powerful experience. It is amazing the things you will learn when you take the time to sit down and talk about scripture and life with a high schooler. The theme for Kadesh this year is "Hope" and the kids that I was able to interact with certainly left me feeling hopeful about the future.
You see, we look at the world around us filled with oil spills; war in the Middle East; poverty; sex trafficking; and countless other atrocities and quickly lose hope. Yet in the hearts and minds of these teenagers I found a strength and determination that gives me hope for tomorrow. Take the time to have a conversation and I promise you will too.
"I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe."
--Ephesians 1:18-19
However, that is not where I am now. Right now I am spending the summer in Abilene working ACU Leadership Camps. The past 3 months have been spent training and praying for a summer filled with teaching middle and high school kids about servant leadership and their relationships with God. Last week was our first week of Kadesh (high schoolers) and it was a powerful experience. It is amazing the things you will learn when you take the time to sit down and talk about scripture and life with a high schooler. The theme for Kadesh this year is "Hope" and the kids that I was able to interact with certainly left me feeling hopeful about the future.
You see, we look at the world around us filled with oil spills; war in the Middle East; poverty; sex trafficking; and countless other atrocities and quickly lose hope. Yet in the hearts and minds of these teenagers I found a strength and determination that gives me hope for tomorrow. Take the time to have a conversation and I promise you will too.
"I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe."
--Ephesians 1:18-19
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