The Courage To Dream

This post is from August of 2008...moved from my myspace account which i never use now.

You know, life is pretty funny sometimes. I think that is because our Lord has a sense of humor that boggles our frail minds. What I mean by that, is when I see God, I feel like I am completely unworthy of Him doing anything significant in my life. Then, He ends up doing exceedingly more than i could possibly ask or even imagine. I know that I don't deserve to have the beautiful wife that i do, but Jesus brought her to me. I know that i don't deserve my adorable and hilarious children, but He gave them to us. I certainly know I don't deserve to be forgiven and then to even have the grace (favor) of God placed on me. I mean i keep messing up everyday. 


Then, i get to be a person that is called to be a representative for His name... I mean what is that? Certainly, not worthy...but i think it is very funny. Because He makes me smile... You should think about what God places in your life to make you smile. And one of the many things He places within us... is our dreams. God places our dreams inside of us to accomplish. I don't mean the fleeting fancies of wanted pleasure. I mean the absolutely huge yearning inside that longs to come out and be God sized... yet fear usually keeps them squelched. The kind of dreams that if God doesn't lead you through them, they would fail. And that is what we are so afraid of... failure. 


Sometimes failure is going to happen. Sometimes the obstacles are going to seem big. The children of Israel didn't go first into the promise land because of the fear of defeat (failure). It cost them a generation. Joseph had to go through extreme obstacles which had to feel like failures before the dream inside of him was accomplished. All, i'm going to say is this... the only way to have the courage to dream is not just trust in your dream... but in Christ Jesus that placed it there.

Prayer for the church...

God, I know that your bride, the church, is something you love very much.  Every soul that comes to know salvation in your Son, Jesus Christ is automatically adopted into this graceful family.  It is only by the power, grace, and gift of Jesus on the Cross and being raised from the grave that I or any other person is able to enter in.  I'm thankful that this grace is unlimited to all that call on Your name and believe. (Romans 10:9-10 / Acts 16:31)  And you have set your church up in such a way that the gates of hell will not prevail against us.

But God, I pray for revival of life in Your church.  May people and especially believers be reminded of the refreshing life that only You can give.

God, I pray for truth in Your church.  Remind us that You are Truth and only You provide the truth for the answers our heart is searching for.  Make us hunger and thirst for seeking it.  Help our lives reflect it without deceit.

God, I pray for mercy in Your church.  Let mercy and compassion reign in the life of your people.  May we lift up those who hurt among us and seek to carry love to barren places.

God, I pray for power in Your church.  You have promised power when we are Your witnesses.  May your church be an unstoppable force to be reckoned with and may we move in the Presence of Your Holy Spirit in such a way, that people are reminded of Your power.

God, I pray for Your Glory in Your Church.  Remind us that although we a part of the Kingdom of God...It is still Your Kingdom.  Help us not to neglect this.  The local church is an outpost for Your Kingdom in this world... may the integrity in our lives serve as great ambassadors for your ministry of reconcilliation to others.  And as ambassadors, remind us that we are not competitors, but to like you seek those who were lost...and with You...can & will be found.

God, I pray for sincere worship in Your church.  You are our One and First Love.  Let us live as such.

God, I know that all of this You already know.  I just pray that our heart, our words, and our deeds match what You desire for Your church.

Thank You for grace and for how it leads me to desire more in life for Your Name.  May people see Jesus in my life and in the life of the church.

Iron on Iron

A wise man was inspired by God to write a proverb that says... "as iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another." (Proverbs 27:17)  When I read this i think about the friction and reaction of the iron on the iron.  It really can't be comfortable for one iron or the other.  But the outcome is that each blade becomes more useful as the tool it was made to be.  It is a beautiful thing how God inspired someone to write this deep and practical truth.  All of us are meant to be instruments of nobility & usefulness (2 Timothy 2:21), righteousness (Romans 6:26), truth (Proverbs 14:25), and grace (Acts 20:24).

But without another iron to sharpen against, we ourselves get really dull (I mean that both in the boring sense and the unable to serve sense).  I really don't want to be dull.  So I'm so very thankful for the people in my life that God uses to sharpen me, and that i hopefully help sharpen in return.  Those that encourage me, that correct me, and that pray for me.  Relationships with others were never meant to be taken for granted.  That is why God gives us Himself, our families, our friends, and His church to nurture us to be all He intended.

Pastors, teachers, leaders, servants, and people of all places...you can't do it alone without getting dull.  Learn to live and love the people that God placed to sharpen you, and return the investment to sharpen them in turn.  And may we all become more like the instruments that give glory to God who loves us.  Thank you, my King, Jesus Christ, for loving me and sending your Holy Spirit to walk with me and sharpen me.

Your Grace Still Amazes Me

I used to sing this song alot by request called "Your Grace Still Amazes Me."  It is a song made popular by Philips, Craig, & Dean.  And the whole of the song is very true...God's grace still amazes me.  It is deeper, high, longer, wider, and stronger than we can ever know.  In fact, without the Spirit of God within you to reveal it to you, you are really actually unable to comprehend it.  That is why the Apostle Paul wrote to the Church in Ephesus (Ephesian 1:17-19 & 3:14-19) about praying for these believers that they would be able to live, love, and see the amazing grace that only God can give.  Now these guys were mostly already saved, believing in Jesus as the Son of God...Christians.  But it just shows that even way back when, people could lose sight of how huge grace really is.

It has been raining every night this week since Sunday in the Arizona high desert.  Even in a place so filled with dryness, God chooses to shower mercy through rain to bring the desert floor to life and revive the creatures here.  But that is just in the matter of His Creation.  I also think about all the hearts that have been stirred beyond themselves to reach out to the people of Haiti.  To love and give to people they do not know and that some will never even meet.  I can't help but think how amazing that grace is and that it normally would not occur.  God has used this tragedy to bring new life to so many.  I pray to be a part of this effort even more in the future.

Maybe, you don't know about God's amazing grace, but this one thing i do know.  It has taken effect on me as it has on so many others.  The Scripture actually speaks about grace being something that changes us.  1 Corinthians 15:10 is where we see this revealed.  Grace that has an effect on life...that is exactly why God's grace is so incredibly, immeasurably, irreplaceably, irresistibly... Amazing.

Always sharing with her father...

Right now, in my office sits and chats a lovely 4 year old little girl.  I'm absolutely grateful to call her my daughter and i believe she is happy to call me "daddy."  What amazes me is her constant love for me.  Now I'm not bragging or getting on an ego trip.  But I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that she loves me.  I can see this by her constant talk of what she is feeling, what she wants, and the random thoughts that she is bouncing back and forth.  She actually only stops talking in between bites of a granola bar (which she made sure she shared with me), sips of her water, and yawns.  I guess my office is not exactly a 4-year olds dreamland.  But between the talking, the sharing of sacred granola, and the bouncing energy...i get the climb up in daddy's lap hug and "I love you."  I love how secure she is in sharing with me.

It probably will not be long at all before she isn't.  In fact, the other night i remember her tears and sorrow for thinking she was on "the naughty list" after watching Dora's Christmas Carol.  She made sure she knew that she was sorry for those things she had done to hurt her brother's feelings and such.  Broke my heart a little seeing her in sorrow.  But it reminded me of the honesty I need with my God.

I know that their are many times in my life that my relationship with my Father in heaven is not "like the faith of a child."  And there is absolutely nothing wrong with sharing constantly what is on my heart (1 Thessalonians 5:16), giving of what has been given to me (Luke 21:3-4), and both embracing & reciprocating (giving back) the love he has for me...His adoptive son (Luke 15:11-32 / Romans 8:15).

He loves you like crazy, so...don't forget to always share the love of & with your Father

Am I Lukewarm...like room temperature coffee?

I heard Vodie Baucham teach one time that our view of the "lukewarm" passage in Revelation 3 is often skewed in American/Western Culture churches.  He taught the crowd about how the idea of this idiom is not "straddling the fence" as we have come to know it...where you are either for God or against Him.  He taught that looking at the church of Laodicea (which the particular passage was addressing), they had everything accessible to them imagined as a trade city.  Except for a natural source of freshwater that had to be aquaducted to their location.  In other words, they had to find alternate ways to connect to a source of useful water.  Hot water for cleaning, healing, and such.  Cold water for refreshment.  When it was lukewarm water...it meant there was the problem with a connection to the source.

In other words, hot and cold had their uses, the lukewarm was not straddling the fence as we have coined the phrase, but was truly an unconnected person, either by unbelief, or by issues in their relationship with God.  I have never wanted to be lukewarm...but I have been so recently challenged in my personal walk with God.

I've been reading "Crazy Love" by Francis Chan.  He has written in such a way about the Crazy, Overwhelming love of God in such a way that my heart is so refreshed, and now so...examined.  Now all of us have sinned and messed up in our lives at many points, but as believers are we passionately in pursuit of loving God, or just what God gives us?  (F. Chan paraphrase, not mine)

I think that it was a reminder of how complacent I can be at times, and i don't want that.  God knows i try to teach against such things.  But I found myself there.  I found myself...settling.  I found myself...selfish.  I found myself...needing Christ even more desperately than i could imagine in the beginning of my relationship with Him.  I need that connection that not only brings me closer to Him, but allows Him to use me in ways that benefit others.  

I don't want to be room temperature coffee that is left on my desk after a visit in my favorite java stop.  I want to be something bold from my Maker not just because it sounds good, but because I know...He really, boldly loves me.

New Vision

So over the past few days, i have began to se things more clearly.  Literally!  I went to the eye doctor (lazy man way of saying optamologist) the other day to get some new contacts and glasses.  I was out of contacts already and my glasses had this stress crack for months.  So, now i have beem looking through my new pair of specs or these things suctioned to my eyeballs.  It amazes me how much clearer things are.

I'm also reading this book called "Confessions of a Pastor" by Craig Groeschel.  Don't worry, it is not as racey as it sounds.  It is just about being real and not putting on the fake mask for people to think you are someone you are not.  It also challenges me to not try to just see where others need correcting but to pray about what I need to do to be genuine and intimate with Jesus Christ.  I think Christ refered to this as removing the plank from your own eye instead of trying to remove the speck from your brother's first.  What a challenge and you know what happens, life has more hope and clarity.

I had gotten used to my cracked up lense on my specs.  I even put them on again to mow the lawn with my old glasses.  I don't even want to go back there.  New examination, genuine intimacy, new-clear vision.  Think about it.