The only difference between a rut and a grave... is their dimensions. -Ellen Glasgow
The Bible teaches that if we commit to the Lord what we do, we will succeed. Now, you'd think that if the Bible were truly the inerrant word of God, that the logical conclusion would be success, success, success. Well, yeah, that makes sense.
And later, we read that even if our heart, which is hopelessly flawed, gets off track, God will step in and work for the good of those who love Him...[and] called...to His purpose. Romans 8.28.
So, doesn't this mean that every ministry effort committed to God will succeed?
That depends on what your definition of is is...
This is not a dance with symantics. Success, if it is to be viewed as a result of the intersection of our faith and God's faithfulness, can not be defined entirely by what we view as success. There are two sides to this equation. As I ranted earlier this week, the Christian life is marked by a foundational belief that Father reall does know best and He will prosper us from time to time despite our own efforts. Just because we perceive an event as failure doesn't mean it is a failure in His eyes, nor does it mean that the event is the final outcome.
How's your vision? Are you seeing failure as an event or another dashed line along the highway to God's ultimate plan for your life? Are you in a rut? Even great leaders will get into ruts from time to time. The difference between a leader and a drifter is how long and how deep they stick around. Leaders don't let temporary defeat become their final resting place. Drifters let the rut become the defining characteristic of their life.
Friday, March 31, 2006
Wednesday, March 29, 2006
Relationship Check...
I've promised to talk about relationships today. But, I think God wants to have a DTR with all of us.
Jeremiah 18.6 compares our relationship with God to a potter and his clay. Not very flattering, at least on the surface. I mean, who wants to be at someone else's whim so close to taking final shape when "WHACK!", the potter's fist comes crashing down on them, only to drag them, against gravity and their own will, back through the same long process they went through before the whack?! That's whack!!!
I used to think - "That's ridiculous, God just gets to mush me and start over anytime he wants?" But, this failed to take into account the critical element of any relationship - trust. "Who does God think He is, some kind of ... oh, yeah. My bad. God." Trusting God is such a scary thing, even as a "mature" Christian - He never promised a safe flight, only a safe landing, as the saying goes. But, trusting that He is smarter, wiser, and more amazing than the cliffs, glaciers, rapids, redwoods, barred galaxies, spiral nebulae that He came up with in the first place, provides a little perspective. Does He have a greater eye for detail? Would He really scrap us as a project if our impurities, bubbles, and lumps were being incooperative with His potter's wheel and touch?
It was relayed to me that while being publicly ridiculed in front of hundreds of his peers before an election in which he was a candidate, Charles Stanley said not a word in his own defense. When asked why his demeanor was undaunted, and I love his response, he said
Is that possible? Could you trust someone, even a God you can't see, to care enough to break you down and build you back into something He sees as perfect? Or, do you place your trust fully in the premise that a finite person like you or I could come up with a better, more perfect final destination? If adversity builds character, can you take the adversity, despite your own ability to measure the return on investment? Yet, without knowing their grand vision for the universe, we hopped up on the schoolbus at age 4 or 5 and trusted a public school bus driver to navigate a 30 foot metal and glass cage to school safely for 180 days a year...
Jeremiah 18.6 compares our relationship with God to a potter and his clay. Not very flattering, at least on the surface. I mean, who wants to be at someone else's whim so close to taking final shape when "WHACK!", the potter's fist comes crashing down on them, only to drag them, against gravity and their own will, back through the same long process they went through before the whack?! That's whack!!!
I used to think - "That's ridiculous, God just gets to mush me and start over anytime he wants?" But, this failed to take into account the critical element of any relationship - trust. "Who does God think He is, some kind of ... oh, yeah. My bad. God." Trusting God is such a scary thing, even as a "mature" Christian - He never promised a safe flight, only a safe landing, as the saying goes. But, trusting that He is smarter, wiser, and more amazing than the cliffs, glaciers, rapids, redwoods, barred galaxies, spiral nebulae that He came up with in the first place, provides a little perspective. Does He have a greater eye for detail? Would He really scrap us as a project if our impurities, bubbles, and lumps were being incooperative with His potter's wheel and touch?
It was relayed to me that while being publicly ridiculed in front of hundreds of his peers before an election in which he was a candidate, Charles Stanley said not a word in his own defense. When asked why his demeanor was undaunted, and I love his response, he said
"If I win, I win. If I lose, I win. My responsibility is to obey God and trust Him with the outcomes."
Is that possible? Could you trust someone, even a God you can't see, to care enough to break you down and build you back into something He sees as perfect? Or, do you place your trust fully in the premise that a finite person like you or I could come up with a better, more perfect final destination? If adversity builds character, can you take the adversity, despite your own ability to measure the return on investment? Yet, without knowing their grand vision for the universe, we hopped up on the schoolbus at age 4 or 5 and trusted a public school bus driver to navigate a 30 foot metal and glass cage to school safely for 180 days a year...
How about you? Could you trust the God who spoke the universe into being to manage the mundane details of your life, provided you did (or in many cases did not) do your part?
Monday, March 27, 2006
Whattaya Gonnado?
Why do we insist so often on publicly performing that which we are just not good at? Are we addicted to doing it all?
In Exodus, chapter 4, Moses spends an inordinate amount of energy trying to convince the God of the Universe that he is the wrong guy for the job - too old, too stutterish, too 'what if they don't believe me?', too 'oy vey'! I can't help but to think that Moses' vision of carrying out God's commission is having to do it all himself.
My pastor has written a number of really great books and gets invited to all the big deals because he's perhaps the most effective communicator in the country. One of my favorite quotes of his is "Only do what only you can do." He often mentions that you'll never see him editing video with the Final Cut geeks in the production room on Saturday night. He just doesn't belong there. But, is it pride, stubbornness, tenacity, or just ignorance that keeps us in a Moses mentality?
Ever feel like that? Like you're being asked to carry the whole load and then some? "Your playing small doesn't serve the world." But then, your playing bigger than you really are can either stretch you to do great things or snap you in half. Spreading anything or anyone too thin and you sacrifice potency and power. Is the trick in trusting that God will fill in the gaps, that you can sub out your weak trades, or in the "fake it 'till you make it"?
Options -
Which option we choose is clearly up to us, but in light of the vast number of subcontractors God lists in both Exodus and several other OT books, what's the wise choice? Does God intend for us to 'go it alone' or is there applicable merit in Proverbs 11.14?
In Exodus, chapter 4, Moses spends an inordinate amount of energy trying to convince the God of the Universe that he is the wrong guy for the job - too old, too stutterish, too 'what if they don't believe me?', too 'oy vey'! I can't help but to think that Moses' vision of carrying out God's commission is having to do it all himself.
My pastor has written a number of really great books and gets invited to all the big deals because he's perhaps the most effective communicator in the country. One of my favorite quotes of his is "Only do what only you can do." He often mentions that you'll never see him editing video with the Final Cut geeks in the production room on Saturday night. He just doesn't belong there. But, is it pride, stubbornness, tenacity, or just ignorance that keeps us in a Moses mentality?
Ever feel like that? Like you're being asked to carry the whole load and then some? "Your playing small doesn't serve the world." But then, your playing bigger than you really are can either stretch you to do great things or snap you in half. Spreading anything or anyone too thin and you sacrifice potency and power. Is the trick in trusting that God will fill in the gaps, that you can sub out your weak trades, or in the "fake it 'till you make it"?
Options -
- Wimp out - Moses whined so bad, God appointed someone to speak for him.
- Blow-out – Peter, the only other person to walk on water, began to sink as his faith waned.
- Cop out – The rest of the disciples never even got out of the boat...
- Sub out – Take inventory of what you can do, those around you that complement your weaknesses, and lean on God for the rest...
Which option we choose is clearly up to us, but in light of the vast number of subcontractors God lists in both Exodus and several other OT books, what's the wise choice? Does God intend for us to 'go it alone' or is there applicable merit in Proverbs 11.14?
Sunday, March 26, 2006
Numbering Our Days a Bit More
It's obvious we could use a facelift around here. That is forthcoming. However, in reading over the scripture regarding the numbering of days, it seems appropriate to revisit my commitment to writing more regularly, but also, wise to develop and stick to a more predictable schedule and set of topics.
After prayerful consideration, here's where I'm lead:
In redesigning the look and feel of this site, I'd like to also throw in a few media reviews from time to time, including a retro-review of a Jeff Scott CD, in anticipation of his next release, later this year. In the meantime, I've been snapping tons of photos and haven't really shared them with anyone. My bad. These will be forthcoming as well.
Thanks for reading, more for replying, and most for referring!
In Christ,
Aarron
After prayerful consideration, here's where I'm lead:
Mondays - Leadership and/or work.
Wednesdays - Relational health and/or purity.
Fridays - Time and/or money.
In redesigning the look and feel of this site, I'd like to also throw in a few media reviews from time to time, including a retro-review of a Jeff Scott CD, in anticipation of his next release, later this year. In the meantime, I've been snapping tons of photos and haven't really shared them with anyone. My bad. These will be forthcoming as well.
Thanks for reading, more for replying, and most for referring!
In Christ,
Aarron
Monday, March 20, 2006
Numbering Our Days
What would you do if you knew when your last day on earth would be? Not, "if you were going to die tomorrow." But, what would you do with all the time between here and then if you knew your last day would be February 12, 2050? November 16, 2010? June 30, 2024?
The popularity of occult practices such as tarot card reading, palm readings, and other forms of divination all point to a desire to know the outcome of a period of time. While these methods of foresight are unbiblical, the desire is eveidence of God's fingerprint on our lives. Haven't you ever caught yourself thinking - "If only I knew what this would look like in the end, I could figure out how to get there."? God has burned this desire into our souls as he made us in His image.
Moses, in frustration over the brevity of life compared to the eternity of God, expresses this desire to see the end as a way of learning their means in Psalm 90 when he cries out to the Lord - "teach us, O Lord, to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom."
Special Needs Educator Richard Lavoie explains that children with learning disabilities often struggle with spelling and task management becuase their ability to visualize things in their minds. He suggests taking a photo of a clean room and hanging it there as a means to help the child know when they have completed their chore. In a very plain way, Moses seeks this advice, or at least the time frame, as a point of wisdom to guide him toward an abundant, unfettered life.
If God truly has a purpose for my life and I live to be 80, I will only have 16498 days remaining to determine and accomplish these tasks. Where do you think you're at, and what would you do with your 16,498 days?
The popularity of occult practices such as tarot card reading, palm readings, and other forms of divination all point to a desire to know the outcome of a period of time. While these methods of foresight are unbiblical, the desire is eveidence of God's fingerprint on our lives. Haven't you ever caught yourself thinking - "If only I knew what this would look like in the end, I could figure out how to get there."? God has burned this desire into our souls as he made us in His image.
Moses, in frustration over the brevity of life compared to the eternity of God, expresses this desire to see the end as a way of learning their means in Psalm 90 when he cries out to the Lord - "teach us, O Lord, to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom."
Special Needs Educator Richard Lavoie explains that children with learning disabilities often struggle with spelling and task management becuase their ability to visualize things in their minds. He suggests taking a photo of a clean room and hanging it there as a means to help the child know when they have completed their chore. In a very plain way, Moses seeks this advice, or at least the time frame, as a point of wisdom to guide him toward an abundant, unfettered life.
If God truly has a purpose for my life and I live to be 80, I will only have 16498 days remaining to determine and accomplish these tasks. Where do you think you're at, and what would you do with your 16,498 days?
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