You have a ‘friend request’ from God

“The easiest kind of relationship for me is with ten thousand people. The hardest is with one.” (Joan Baez)

In our current world of mobile technology and online networking, it is literally possible to have conversations with tens or even hundreds of people a day. Whether its email, cell phone, texting, Facebook, Skype, or Twitter…our connectability with others has become virtually unlimited. In fact, I’m Facebook chatting with a friend as I’m writing this blog. There are some definite drawbacks, however, to take notice of.

With most of this online networking, we lose so much of the voice tone, body language, and sharing of emotions. If there’s a problem in a relationship, we’ve grown to take the ‘easy’ route and simply email our concerns and frustrations to the offending party. If the issue is too uncomfortable to deal with, we then simply ignore emails and texts as if there were a technical problem.

Now let’s turn this around to examine this dynamic between us and God. Do you suppose that many of us tend to treat our relationship with Jesus in the same manner at times? Sure, we may Skype him via video chat when we REALLY need him, but most of the time it might just be a simple prayer text or wall post on Facebook that he might happen to notice. Check out this Bible Tweet…

Romans 5:11 reads:

So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God. (NLT)

Jesus intentionally made us (you and I) friends of God! It doesn’t stop there though. This is not the same reference as the kind of friend you went through school with. Looking deeper into this text, especially at the Greek translation, the issue of atonement comes into play. You see, we are not just BFFs with God the Father, Jesus made us RIGHT with him. He ‘fixed’ our relationship. All God asks of us is to actively enjoy growing close to him!

This week, may you NOT miss out on some personal time with God. Invite him to Starbucks and chat over a hot latte. Ask him to go for a walk with you in the park. Whatever it is, may you discover the joy in that ‘wonderful new relationship’ this week. He’s got his cell phone on….and he’s not screening his calls!

The Road to Healing

Alright, people…its authenticity time! I have a question for you. Have you ever had something from the past sneak up on you and take a huge bite out of your butt? I mean something like a deep hurt, personal failure, or regret. OK, I lied…there are two questions. This one is even more unsuspecting. Have you ever experienced the future seemingly appearing out from nowhere right in your path…..causing you to trip and fall flat on your face? Until recently, I’ve not looked at it from this perspective before. At least until recently when I noticed a quote on Twitter that caught me off guard. Here it is…

“Many of us crucify ourselves between two thieves: regret for the PAST & fear of the FUTURE.” Charles Fulton Oursler

Past:

On a very personal level, the period of 02/2009 to 04/2010 was a very dark period of my life. I lost a mentor & friend to ministry burnout. I watched our church fall apart & lose its focus on Christ. Our Leadership Board began to lose trust in the remaining pastors. My family and others experienced a very ugly side of church. All of this led to my depression and anxiety, and greatly neglecting my wife and kids…even during the few times that I was home. To sum it up, I worked in a church but it felt like a war zone. This is not what God has in mind for His church.

Future:

Last April, God led our family on our third move across the country. This time from Washington State to Georgia. For the first time in our marriage, He called my wife to a full-time ministry position. The obvious blessing in this is that I am finally enjoying some much needed ‘down-time’ to recover and spend time with my family. The Spirit of God is active and moving more amazing than I have ever witnessed in a church before. It’s been a Holy change of scenery in the landscape of ministry for us. This has also been a life change…one that has caused me to deal with some pretty substantial identity issues. In addition, Jesus continues to call me to one challenge after another. With each new opportunity to serve come old anxieties from past dysfunction and hurt. My mind screams, “NO…not again!” But my spirit gently nudges me forward, and whispers “Trust me.”

When I read the above quote on Twitter the other day, it was like someone woke me up from a horrible nightmare. I have allowed myself to be ‘pinned-up’ between past experiences and tremendous fear of moving forward. I am currently reading ‘A Gentle Thunder’ by Max Lucado. Let me share a short excerpt with you from the opening of that book:

“How far do you want God to go in getting your attention? If God has to choose between your eternal safety and your earthly comfort, which do you hope He chooses?”

All of that is to say this. God cares more deeply about our calling than our comfort…about our faithful obedience than our fears. It’s taken me nearly ten months to figure this out. I’ve been allowing my past experiences in dysfunctional church junk and cowardly hesitance of ministering in the future to render me utterly useless to Jesus. THAT is embarrassing!

So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor. Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you. 1Peter 5:6-7

The message is simple. The step is monumental. ”Don’t worry.......be used!”

2011 – Trash or Treasure?

Well, there you have it. Another year just came and went. ‘It’s history’…..you might say. But is it really? There are so many people, myself included, who have taken a New Year’s Eve to reflect on the past 12 months and asked themselves, “Was any of it meaningful?” I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to have to figure that one out. I don’t want 12 months of living to be tossed out with the trash 364 days from today and have zero relevant and lasting effects for the future. So how does that work?

I have to be honest…I have never been one to make New Year’s resolutions. To me, they have simply stood for entertaining wastes of energy on commitments that will only last a month or two. I know……that’s really pessimistic, huh? But as I took a good, hard look back on my 2010 I realized two important things.

1) There’s A LOT of stuff from last year I will be happy to bury.

- and -

2) Upon closer examination, I have more to celebrate from 2010 than was obvious.

Here’s my resolution for 2011…..I want to reverse this! At the end of 2011, I want all that I have to celebrate to be ‘A LOT’ and for it to be obvious. I also want there to be very little to bury, and that it would require much effort & examination to even recall it. Now, if you’re like me…there needs to be a well-thought-out plan. My personal plan intentionally focuses on three dimensions of health.

Body – I resolve to exercise at least 5 times a week, and eat healthier.

Mind – I resolve to read six books in 2011. (I’m dyslexic, and this is 3x what I normally read)

Spirit – I resolve to stay current with my Bible reading plan on YouVersion, and spend more intentional quiet time in the Lord’s presence.

Lastly, all 3 items above share a similar requirement....TIME MANAGEMENT! My prayer is that managing these, plus planning more meaningful time with my wife & kids, will lead to a personal 2011 to treasure…..not to leave in the trash! Make your 2011 plan today.