As I type, I am off the grid. I woke up this morning with a new resolution, to take myself off the grid till noon on Wednesdays. So far I have been successful. But i won’t lie, it hasn’t been easy. My iphone is an awesome tool but it’s a curse as well. I am finding myself carrying a low grade fever at all times when I allow other people’s agendas to interfere with where I am trying to be fully present. It’s that little nagging sensation, “maybe something cool is happening somewhere else?” My son Chase plays with my old cell phone, a black motorola razor. Even last night i was thinking about that little phone and wondering how i survived without text messages, web browsers, twitter, facebook, linked-in, and a dozen other random ways to talk with people. What’s really crazy, i lived an entire 25 years of my life without even having a cell phone! So i am fasting; the e-mail clients are off, the cell phone is inactive, and the web browsers are shut down.
Now i am not one of those radicals, taking a complete digital fast. I am going to have to work up to this. But as i consider my time and the little i have to actually focus in and listen to God I am realizing all the great communications tools become a barrier between me and my first relationship. As I focus into pray. with my cell phone active, I am really just saying, “God I’m good spending time with you unless something better comes along.”
Jacob engages in an all night battle with God, he refuses to let up until God injures Him. Jacob fails to surrender. That’s a weird statement for most of us, after all Surrender is failure, right? Not always. Andy Stanley says “submission is an invitation to leadership?” If we are to invite God to lead our lives it will require our surrender. When we fail to surrender we fail to submit, when we fail to submit we are resisting the leadership of God.
This night with Jacob is a watershed moment. God locks him up and finally has to injure Jacob to obtain his surrender. Paul mentions a thorn in his flesh which God refused to remove. Authors have speculated as the whether this was a physical disability or a spiritual battle. Regardless, Paul is clear the challenge he faced was a gift from God because it created a greater dependence on Paul’s part.
What would God do to obtain your surrender?
Is it possible you are so engaged in a battle resisting the pursuit of God you are needing Him to cause infirmary? Is it possible God is asking you to surrender to a new course?
December 23rd, 2009
Scott
I had lunch with a friend last week, we both have little kids. He asked me what i was going to tell my son about Santa Claus. To be honest, I hadn’t spent a great deal of time thinking about it. I hadn’t formed a strategy or written any papers on the Christology of religious holidays. As we talked I unpacked the rhythm in our home, not what others should do, but what I am doing with my family. I told my friend, “tell your kids the Santa story, but make sure you tell them there’s an even better story, a real story about God becoming a man.”
Couple of observations…
- Jesus was not born on December 25th
- Coca Cola commercialized the modern idea of Santa
- Santa is a worldwide cultural phenomenon
- People who don’t know Jesus don’t understand why Christians despise Santa.
- Santa is a fictional story like… Pinocchio, Cinderella, Elf, Natl. Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, Cars, etc.
- Children can distinguish fact from fiction (any adults still believe in Santa? call your psychologist, or e-mail me and I’ll connect you with mine)
- Santa is a good story
- Those of us who know Christ have a better story.
We celebrate Christmas in my home, my family always has, with all the trimmings (we hunt for Easter Eggs too). We put cookies out for Santa and hope the kids don’t figure it out until they are at least 5. BUT, 365 days a year we tell a better story. The fictional idea of Santa is welcome in my house on the 25th because it’s just a story. Every morning and every night of the year we pray together as a family. We sing songs that praise our God. We ask each other for forgiveness.
My hope is that families will enjoy being with each other on the 25th. Even more so, parents will take time to tell the better story. When our hearts are focused on Christ year round we can enjoy a fictional story about the North Pole. Merry Christmas.
December 20th, 2009
Scott
But seek ye first his kingdom, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. -Matthew 6:33
Seek then speak, that’s what kept going through my mind as i sat drinking coffee with a older friend yesterday. “Christ is life,” he said. I started thinking about the mountain in front of us as a church community; locations, finances, introductions, operations, etc and then just stopped. Seek then speak ran through my mind again.
We are building a church on three blocks: The passionate pursuit of God, overflowing compassion for people, and Godly wisdom. Before we serve, before we lead, we must first engage in our own passionate pursuit. Seek the speak, is what my life should be about.
My friend also quoted Matthew 16:18 “I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.” He looked at me and said, “God says that He will build His church.”
All this is to say… I want to first commit myself to the pursuit of God. In seeking Him all other things will be added.
December 18th, 2009
Scott
But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. -Matthew 6:33-34
Anxiety is something I am all to familiar with. When I take personality tests they always comment on how I am an internal processor. What that ends up meaning is I am the guy who lays awake @ night endlessly contemplating everything. I am not sure I will ever be able to turn my brain off but i have learned a few things I can do to calm anxiety…
1. Tell someone else
When I am worried that something may or may not happen I have found I can skip over my stress by just speaking the concerns out loud. When you tell a friend what you are thinking something powerful happens.
2. Consider the birds
What I need in this life and what i want in this life are two very different sets of things. I am not going to stress out over what i want, I am going to rest in the fact I will have what i need.
