The Joy of Repose!

I am really in chill mode right now. Our scheduled trip to Honduras was postponed recently due to all the political unrest there. The trip has been rescheduled. That left me with more than a week with a completely open schedule! Well, I guess I could have found a little somethin' somethin' to do. But I didn't! I decided to take the time to get out of town with my bride, with no plan of action, and just do nothing! It is so cool! We are hanging with family (way out of town) and really (I mean really) doing nothing. The last 2 mornings I have actually slept in! I didn't think I could do it! It's been such a long time! But baby, I've still got it!

At this moment I am blogging. Imagine that! Blogging is one of the joys of my life. Just sharing what I feel. It's so cool to blog and not be rushed. I have only looked at my watch 2 times all day! But that's 2 times too many. I'll have to say I'm feeling it. It feels good! I am on it!

It is amazing the things you can think of and the ideas that become abundant when you just take some time to do nothing. When there is no agenda it seems the juices of creativity seem to bubble up out of me. I love it! I know what you're thinking. "Yea but it all comes to and end in a few days and it's back to the ole grind." Yes, that's true but the insertion of just a little much-needed repose at the right time can re-energize a person; spirit, soul, and believe me...body! (Repose: the state of reposing or being at rest; rest; sleep. Peace; tranquility; calm.) By just doing nothing God's voice and His written Word become incredibly keen and distinct. His awesome presence becomes even more present! I am having such a good time! No surfing, no fishing, no shopping, no running...no anything!

I will admit that tomorrow Connie and I will leave family and check into a nice motel in a nearby coastal town. And I will admit that for the last 5 days of our vacation we do have an agenda...NOTHING! I am looking forward to lounging around a pool, walking on the beach, eating some good seafood, sleeping in, staying up late, watching some good, wholesome family movies ... in the motel room! None of the preceding will be synced to a clock. Repose, what a joy!

Let me encourage you, don't just take a vacation...repose. Don't just get out of town...repose! Repose, repose, repose!

Failing Forward II

Man, I think I'm on this thing. If at first you don't succeed try, try again. I've heard that little saying all my life. Actually, growing up we had a different version of it (which means about the same) but it's a little too crude to share with you.

I've been in Christendom for quite some time and even almost to the point of becoming indoctrinated in the "Christianese" artificial sub-culture. Perhaps you didn't realize this but some time after a person becomes a born again Christian they are pulled into a sub-culture that If not careful will actually cause one to be - not separated but "disconnected" from those who are not yet followers of Christ. Paul said we are to come out and "be separated" from the flow of the world because the truth is - we are not of this world. However, he never said we are to be disconnected from people in the world. I'm saying this because in our Christianese sub-culture we are taught to believe and confess things that simply are not realistic. My case in point...as born-again, blood-washed, saved and sanctified, Spirit-filled followers of Christ we're not supposed to fail...right? No, not right! But wait a sec. We're King's kids, highly favored, and blessed...and should never suffer or struggle right? Again, NO not right. The truth is we are NOT created to be failures! God doesn't make failures! But everyone at some time fails at something more than just one time. Peter, one of the pillars of the early New Testament church failed Jesus miserably. He denied three times that he even knew Him in front of a large crowd. To further reiterate his point Peter cursed and swore just to make sure this rather large crowd would not identify him as one of Jesus' followers. How big-time failure is that? All to save his "blessed assurance".

After Peter failed Jesus, he went out and wept bitterly. Yet the Bible tells us Jesus foretold to Peter that He would deny Him three times. So let's get the picture. Jesus knew beforehand that Peter would deny Him 3 times and yet He also had created him to (soon after) be a pillar in the church. Here comes the long-awaited bottom line: If Jesus knew Peter would fail Him miserably, and if He knew He had made him a pillar in the church, Jesus knew that Peter's failing had to be a part of his success! He knew that Peter would "fail forward" toward God's call for him. Perhaps you have failed Jesus or someone or something in some way. It doesn't make you a failure. Perhaps you have failed at an attempt at something like a job, ministry, business, etc. That does not make you a failure. As I said in my first post a failure is actually someone who, because of fear of failure or failing again, never tries. The truth is, if one never tries...they never succeed.

We live in a culture in which so much emphasis is put on success. And the picture of success we are bombarded with is the world's view of success. Failure is unacceptable. But to anyone (worldly or godly) who has achieved any measure of success, the wisdom of using our failures to launch us forward is realized extremely. (Google the life of Colonel Harlen Sanders). Failure is inevitable, but failing can also be the spring board to launch us forward. If you have some big time failures in your life first of all...you are NOT a failure. Allow those failures to motivate you toward your call and your dream. The worst thing you could ever do is not try again. That would make you a failure!

Failing Forward

I am working on a series of teachings to encourage followers of Christ on the subject of failure. Huh? Did he say the words "encourage" and "failure" in the same sentence? Yea I did. How in the world can failure encourage someone? I mean I failed, right? The truth is all of us have failed, and all of us have failed quite much! What does it mean to fail? Generally speaking to fail means "to fall short of success or achievement in something expected, attempted, desired, or approved." (dictionary.com).

If you're like me, you've failed several times at different things throughout your life...and you will fail again at something. Does that make you and me a failure? Absolutely not. Listen carefully to this: The only thing that can make you a failure is the FEAR of failure. You see, a person who is afraid of failing is also a person who is afraid of trying. So if one doesn't even try (because they are afraid of failing) they will never succeed. In my humble opinion a person is a failure if they let fear keep them from even trying. Now that's failure! You may fail at times when you try something and don't succeed. But that doesn't make you a failure. There will be times when we fall short of success or we fall short of achieving something attempted and even expected...but that does not make you and me a failure.

Listen to me carefully. Failing can be something you and I can learn from. Sometimes failing teaches us what NOT to do again, and what NOT to try again. But sometimes failing can reveal areas of short-coming we were not aware of until we failed. As a result of failing we learn where to try harder and where to tighten up so we will be a success.

Most people would agree that Abraham Lincoln was the greatest President of the United States so far. Did you know that between the years of 1832 and 1860 Abraham Lincoln had 11 major failures in his life? I'm not talking about missing the trash can with a wad of paper. These were big time failures. Most involved his political career. In addition, during that period of time he had a nervous breakdown and had to deal with the death of his sweetheart. I truly believe Abraham Lincoln learned from his failures. Again, he is without a doubt considered one of the most (if not the most) successful of U.S. Presidents. I am glad he didn't quit!

I'm sure you've heard of Colonel Sanders and Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) When Colonel Sanders was 65 years old, he received his first social security check of approximately $100. He was busted! His only asset was a secret recipe for frying chicken. He left his home in Kentucky and traveled the U.S. looking for people to buy his recipe. At times he also offered his secret recipe to restaurants for absolutely nothing! Over and over he got "the boot" from restaurant owners and managers. Listen to this. More than 1,000 restaurants "showed him the door" without cutting a deal. But....on his 1,009th offer...someone purchased his secret recipe of 11 herbs and spices! The rest is history. Just last year I was in Hyderabad, India and ate several meals at KFC! It's still finger-lickin' good!

You many have failed but you are not a failure. Make your failures work for you. Let them be your teachers. I heard someone once call it "failing forward". Remember success is not achieved by those who are afraid to try!

Let's Hang Out

I started my day very early this morning with an incredible encounter with my Creator. It was so cool. I like to do this quite often. I just put my earbuds in (other end attached to my MP3 player) and listen to some anointed music. Lately I have literally longed for such times just to be with Him. It is not so important during these time that I ask Him for stuff or to do stuff (even though I need stuff and need Him to do stuff). It's not as important as just being with Him. The really cool thing is that when I have these encounters, the things I needed and wanted, and the things I really needed Him to do for me didn't seem to be so urgent any more. Just being with Him truly meets my needs.

I've also been pondering lately what it would be like if every believer discovered the blessing of just being with Him. If we all could experience the joy of hanging out in His presence. Our lives would be lived out of overflow and would make significant impact in our personal world. God wants to to great feats for us and even through us. But even more than that He simply wants to be with us. Connie and I have been married nearly 35 and a half years. We've worked hard on our marriage. We've worked hard to trust God and stand on His principles that bless and protect our marriage. I thank God that He is the One who makes marriages last. Yes, marriages are designed by God to last! But I'll have to say that simply being with Connie is the greatest blessing of my marriage. We just love to be together. We don't have to do a lot, we just hang together. We don't have to be entertained by expensive activities and large crowds of people. I want to do things for her and she wants to do things for me. But even more so...we just love to be together. It is truly the greatest blessing of our marriage.

Thank about God. He just wants to be with us. He loves it when we make and take the time to come and not say "Give me" but "Here I am...I love You and want to be with You." The truth is...that's when we get the most blessed. That's when we are changed. It's by being in His presence. I always like to say "Lord don't bless what I doing. But instead help me to do what you are blessing." He is not following you and me around trying to get us to slow down long enough to bless us. No, He's waiting patiently for you to come to Him...just to be with Him.

We all get so worked up over things. We stay so busy. We run and run...doing many things in the name of ministry and Christianity. But what we need more than any of that stuff is just to come to Him and hang out. Man, if we could just grasp this...the world would never be the same again!

It's A Lot About Perspective

How do you look at the world? What is your general perspective of the people that inhabit this planet? Do you assume most of the inhabitants of earth live just like you do? What is perspective anyway? Dictionary.com says perspective is: "a mental view or prospect". Where does your mental view of the world come from? The main source of most any "American" perspective comes from just a handful of sources: The news media, television, and Hollywood. We could add more but these are the main ones. I've learned over the years when one's perspective of the planet is framed by the American news media, American television, and Hollywood, it is very limited and mostly inaccurate. I once assumed that most of the planet lives just like I do, has what I have, and thinks like I do!

That drastically changed for me in 1997 when I made my first missions trip to the great nation of India. I was there for 2 weeks and it took the first week just for me to get over culture shock. I've said many times since that first trip that if you want to experience a culture exactly opposite of the western culture...visit India. India is the 2nd most populated nation on earth, second only to China. However these more than one billion people live in an area roughly 1/3 the size of the U.S. What did India really do for me? Well again, after the culture shock stabilized somewhat, and I finished my first trip, I returned to the States with a different perspective on the world. It really wasn't until after I returned to the States that I saw what I had and how I lived in a much different manner...different perspective. I have now made 8 trips to India and will visit again in 2010. Since 1997 I have experienced the Latin American culture in Central America, more like ours but still many, many differences.

One of the greatest needs of Christian Americans is a proper perspective on the world we live in. This will change us as well as the churches we worship in. However if we continue to live with our perspective framed by faulty news reports, Hollywood movie fantasies, and a steady diet of reality shows we will continue to think that we American Christians are the more blessed by God, and that we are superior to believers in other lands. But the truth is, the hunger I experienced among the people of India for God, the depth of their commitment to Him, and their willingness to obey Him at any cost literally broke my heart! It literally messed up my thinking! Thank God!

I want to challenge you to plan to go on a short-term missions trip to a developing nation. Go on a trip that won't be an easy one. Go somewhere that is far away from America. Go to be a servant to them - not the answer to all their problems. Let God speak to and change your heart. I promise you when you return to America the way you see not only the rest of the world, but even America will drastically change.

Finally, some people think it is a waste of money to go on missions trips to other nations. Especially when our national economy is down. But remember, when ours is low, many others are even lower. Some think we should spend our money at home first before going abroad. But from my experience and a more accurate perspective of the whole world, a visit to a developing nation will send us home with a much stronger burden for the less fortunate in our own land. I encourage you to make your plans to travel to a foreign land to serve Christ among them. You won't be the same...neither will your perspective.

I was browsing a forum not too long ago that deals with worship. It is a very good connection to people who share the vision to glorify God with the means He gives them. I was impressed by the input given and the revelation of worship some of these people have. It got me to thanking about our ability to worship God. You know, kind of like the brain. Huh? Well what I mean is we use about 10% of our brain. This is a simple (but profound) illustration of the magnificence of God. The creation and function of the human brain is mind-boggling. (No play on words intended.) But it does demonstrate the infinite capabilities of our Creator.

In the same way, you and I were created to function as whole worshipers of God; to bring glory to our Creator. The capabilities are limitless because God created us. But the truth is, like our brain, we probably bump (at the highest) around 10% usage of our worship capability! Why is that. There would be several reasons but the main reason is we are not yielded to the Holy Spirit - not only for physical worship - but in our existence as His servants.

According to the Scripture, we are supposed to be radical, bold worshipers of our God. Worship is our life-style, not just something we do periodically. Worship is not a segment of our life - it is our life...it is what we are created to do. Once the early believers received the Holy Spirit, they were compelled out into the streets. The first thing they did after being filled with the Spirit was worship God and proclaim His Word with boldness. The more they worshipped, he more they proclaimed! The more they proclaimed, the more people were drawn to Jesus.

Many of us are seeking success in our methods of worship. We should constantly be pliable and relevant to our culture when it comes to connecting with people. But the greatest Connector of all times - the Holy Spirit - brings an energy into our lives and our worship that we can't manufacture. He brings it as He worships and glorifies Jesus in and through us. Jesus said that because He would return to the Father, He would send forth the Promise of the Father. He would be the One who takes from Jesus, discloses it to you and me, and ultimately glorifies the Father. Much of our worship is rote, dry, and uninteresting because we are rote, dry, and uninteresting. My suggestion is to seek Him for the fresh fire of His Spirit. He is here on the planet to bring amazing, overwhelming glory to Jesus. He will do it through you and any believer who is hungry for Him. Simply yield to Him. Press in to Him. He stands ready to return the fire to you and to your worship. The result is, instead of worshiping at 10% capacity, your ability to worship will be unlimited and contagious! It will spread to others as Jesus intends it to. The church will no longer be scratching her head and wondering what we're doing wrong or what procedure can we pick up to change things! Thanks for your attention in this!

Awakening The Dawn

There's not much I love better than an early morning encounter with God. This morning is no different. My body's alarm clock seems to "go off" at just about the same time every morning...give or take a moment or 2. It doesn't matter what time I hit the sack. I just happen to be one of those who loves to awaken the dawn - every morning. And it is always with the Word and some good, good coffee.

This morning it was Proverbs and some Ethiopia Sidamo. It's such a special time. Usually not too many people are stirring and there is a positive anticipation of the day ahead. Early time with God gives me the opportunity to clear my head with His awesome Word. It gives me the opportunity to reflect on the previous day and arrange my thoughts for the current day...before I hit the ground running. I am so in to this that I have one of those coffee makers with a timer on it. I know most everyone does...but how many use the timer like I do! I prepare my coffee (last thing before going to bed) so that it's waiting on me when I rise up. Yea, I know. If I love coffee that much why don't I grind it fresh just moments before I brew it? The truth is...I love coffee, good coffee. But I love the time with God more. When I rise to be with Him, I love to have a great cup of coffee (remember, God created coffee). But I want my initial focus for the new day to be entirely on Him. That's why the coffee is freshly brewed...when I hit the kitchen, and my cup, sweetener, and spoon are all neatly arranged in a beautiful ensemble!

I love what David writes in Psalm 108: 1 - 2, "My heart is steadfast, O God; I will sing, I will sing praises, even with my soul. Awake harp and lyre; I will awaken the dawn." There it is. David was a morning person. He loved to "awaken the dawn". I feel kind of special knowing that I'm in there with the likes of David. Maybe you are too and can relate to this. Well...I'm outta here. The dawn has been stirred and I've got to hit the ground running.