So we've moved. After 4 and a half years of living in the sleepy, but beautiful town of New Bern, NC my wife and I have moved to the relative metropolis of Louisville, KY. We moved in around the first of July and have just been trying to get settled since then. I'm waiting tables and my wife is still looking for a job. I'm kind of skipping ahead, though. But, since, I don't know if anyone actually reads this post, (aside from my brother-in-law who made fun of the blog title) I guess it doesn't matter. But, in a nutshell, here's what has happened over the past few years that led us to making this move.
I'd been in the TV biz for only a year or two when I started feeling very discontent. Since this can also just be flesh and sin, I ignored it for a long time thinking I just needed a change of scenery. The feelings of desperation and the struggle to find meaning in my work intensified and I began to talk with God about it (I know, I'm a quick study). He began to direct my heart through His Word and several key relationships toward the idea of ministry. And that's all it was at first, 'an idea'. I had always had some vague belief that someday I might end up in a full-time ministry position. But, I had also thought that ministry requires 'a call'. And it does, but it doesn't necessarily look like what I thought. Through prayer and conversations with Godly influences in Em and I's life. He began to define and direct our hearts and our plans. About two years ago my wife and I were spending time with her sister and husband before they left for Asia. We started talking about the future and they mentioned that they had been praying for us and they also brought up Seminary as a potential next step. After that, I couldn't get it off my mind. Em and I prayed and prayed and talked and struggled and prayed some more, and eventually God brought us both to the place where we believed that we were to follow his lead and pursue training for a life of ministry. We tried to take the careful road first, by saying we wouldn't leave unless God provided a job. Well...He didn't, but through another 'divine appointment' God brought just the right couple into our lives. Their message was simple. "He called us to walk by faith, not by sight". He confirmed this message in our hearts, so we left. Now, here I am several months later at Panera Bread typing this blog post which I'm about to send out into the oblivion of cyberspace. I'm waiting tables, my wife is unemployed, and we have no idea how he is going to provide. So this is it, the beginning of the adventure...
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Fear of Man...
I've always struggled with the need for approval from man. I am compelled to act or not act many times by this addiction to people's praise. At its root it is ultimately pride. I want people to think well of me, respect me, like me, and praise me. As a child I desperately needed the acceptance of my peers in order to accept myself. If someone else didn't see something worthwhile in me, then I didn't either. It was truly God's grace in my life that kept me from making some monumental mistakes as I matured. Through God's continued grace in my life and the wisdom that comes from struggling with this sinful inclination in my heart I now walk in much greater freedom, but to say that this ugly insecurity doesn't return and deceive me every now and again would be a lie. For me this is a two fold issue. There is this insecurity that seeks to be filled by the praise of men, which is sinful. And, there is this pride that seeks to be made much of by men, which is sinful. Needless to say this, has been a major battle for some time and has hindered my effectiveness greatly. So, when I read this recent article posted on www.theresurgence.com I was impressed. Here are the highlites:
When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?–Proverbs 8:3–4
We often care about other people’s opinion more than we care about God’s opinion. We worry about our status among fellow humans because we fail to grasp our identity in Jesus. When we fear man, we’re vulnerable. (I addressed this issue recently in a sermon about The Parable of the Sower—how fear of man keeps us from bearing fruit in our lives.)
“The fear of man lays a snare,” the Bible says, “but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe” (Proverbs 29:25). Here are eight consequences—snares—that can result from fear of man:
Idolatry. When we care about what man thinks more than what God thinks, we turn people into idols that we worship—seeking to please them in order to earn their approval or respect.
Ineffectiveness. When we fear man we neglect God’s calling for us and we lose focus on executing the tasks in front of us because we’re too preoccupied with what others are thinking.
Lack of love. When we’re overly concerned with “getting it right,” we turn people into projects to accomplish. We withhold our compassion and grow reserved and calculating in our pursuit of people.
Fakeness. If you’re overly motivated by the opinions of others, you won’t act like yourself. You’ll be a chameleon, adapting yourself to any situation for the sole purpose of fitting in.
Apathy. Fear man and you’ll quit taking risks because of the potential for embarrassment in failure. If an endeavor is unlikely to succeed, you’ll never take the chance. In other words, you’ll never do much of anything.
Dishonesty. It’s tough to speak truth into someone’s life because the truth can be painful. If we fear somebody’s response, however, necessary words will remain unsaid because we care more about ourselves (being liked) than we do about the person (seeing Jesus work in their life). This negligence always creates more long-term damage than the hurt it avoids in the present.
Isolation. Fear of man won’t let you delegate anything because others might not do a good job (or they might do a better job), which could reflect poorly on your performance and reputation. Fear of man compels you to control everything—even if that means going it alone.
Decision Paralysis. When we live out of fear rather than out of the convictions God has given us, we spin in circles unable to move forward.
I invite you to join me in respecting and honoring others and submitting to authority, but also in repenting of our fear of man. Fear and worship are reserved for God. In the end, only his opinion counts.
To read more check out www.theresurgence.com .
When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?–Proverbs 8:3–4
We often care about other people’s opinion more than we care about God’s opinion. We worry about our status among fellow humans because we fail to grasp our identity in Jesus. When we fear man, we’re vulnerable. (I addressed this issue recently in a sermon about The Parable of the Sower—how fear of man keeps us from bearing fruit in our lives.)
“The fear of man lays a snare,” the Bible says, “but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe” (Proverbs 29:25). Here are eight consequences—snares—that can result from fear of man:
Idolatry. When we care about what man thinks more than what God thinks, we turn people into idols that we worship—seeking to please them in order to earn their approval or respect.
Ineffectiveness. When we fear man we neglect God’s calling for us and we lose focus on executing the tasks in front of us because we’re too preoccupied with what others are thinking.
Lack of love. When we’re overly concerned with “getting it right,” we turn people into projects to accomplish. We withhold our compassion and grow reserved and calculating in our pursuit of people.
Fakeness. If you’re overly motivated by the opinions of others, you won’t act like yourself. You’ll be a chameleon, adapting yourself to any situation for the sole purpose of fitting in.
Apathy. Fear man and you’ll quit taking risks because of the potential for embarrassment in failure. If an endeavor is unlikely to succeed, you’ll never take the chance. In other words, you’ll never do much of anything.
Dishonesty. It’s tough to speak truth into someone’s life because the truth can be painful. If we fear somebody’s response, however, necessary words will remain unsaid because we care more about ourselves (being liked) than we do about the person (seeing Jesus work in their life). This negligence always creates more long-term damage than the hurt it avoids in the present.
Isolation. Fear of man won’t let you delegate anything because others might not do a good job (or they might do a better job), which could reflect poorly on your performance and reputation. Fear of man compels you to control everything—even if that means going it alone.
Decision Paralysis. When we live out of fear rather than out of the convictions God has given us, we spin in circles unable to move forward.
I invite you to join me in respecting and honoring others and submitting to authority, but also in repenting of our fear of man. Fear and worship are reserved for God. In the end, only his opinion counts.
To read more check out www.theresurgence.com .
Saturday, May 29, 2010
A New Gospel...(part deux)
We want to eliminate anything that would hinder someone from tripping and stumbling on their way to the foot of the cross. The cross itself is enough of a stumbling block, but how do we go about sharing offensive material. I live in the south. Almost every person I've ever run into has heard 'the Gospel'. At least they think they have. Many have been inoculated with a cheap, shallow, and weak gospel and have absolutely no interest in the real thing. When the best and most powerful story, which defines our very faith, exists in people's minds as a crude caricature, it is very difficult for the Truth to have any appeal, much less conviction. They've heard that story about Jesus dying for our sins. They believe in that God. He's good to them. He watches out for them. He directs them. But they don't know Him. They don't serve Him. There's no relationship. There's no sanctification. There's no desire for Him. We've got all these people thinking they're saved, but they have NO knowledge of what it means seek God. As men and women who know God and love Him, what are we willing to risk to pop this bubble of 'false salvation'. I know we can't know a person's heart, but we can call people to a real relationship with a real God. If he is real, can't we assume that coming in contact with this God would dramatically change the very fabric of a person's life? Words aren't enough. We need radically transformed lives to communicate this truth...but what role should our words play? My actions may offend, my words definitely will. They crucified Jesus not for the miracles He performed or the way He lived. They crucified Him because He claimed to be God. Our words offend and they must continue, but our lives must speak of Him all the more.
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