Transparency

I always tell my kids that if they have to hide something or sneak it, then they probably know they should not be doing it. Transparency is the easiest test of right and wrong for anyone who is accountable. We are all accountable to God and the scary part is that in every way we are transparent to Him at all times. He knows our every action, intention and thought. Good thing He is all about grace!

It goes to show just how fallen we are that we constantly make the wrong choices knowing that our all knowing Father will find out. OK, not just find out, He knew we were going to do it before we did it. I guess maybe if we work harder to let Him truly sit on our throne, this blatant defiance would diminish. ("blatant defiance" sound harsh, but if we are to honest with ourselves, that is what it is.) Not as easy as it sounds, as most of us would gladly submit, were it that easy.

I guess we need to continue to try harder to follow His beacon and not our own. Remember Jesus is sitting right next to you every second of every day. Does that bother you? It should in a comforting way.

Yhea God!

Get in the Game!

I know we all get hit up all the time to give to this, support that, or help out with the upcoming... If you are like me, my first reaction is the definition of schizophrenia. Part of me wants to do everything, fund everything and save the world, and the other part of me cringes, as it shouts that you have no more time, talent or treasure available. As I write this, both seem correct and justified. But the truth is, none of the three T's (time, talent, and treasure) are mine to begin with, all that I have are the gifts that God has loaned me for this life.

But it is hard to truly justify that we have no money, or time or talent if you take an objective look at our society. What we are really saying is that we choose to spend out dollars elsewhere, and likewise , our time. I am not passing judgement on that, but asking that we be honest about our choices. God blesses us each with what he wants us to have, (not necessarily what we want to have), but it seems to me that with that comes an expectation that we need to intern bless others.

I struggle with wanting to fix everything, solve every problem, and do it all. I am not sure that is the point either. We are designed and called to be communal. I believe that God would rather have 10 people give $50 to a project needing $500, than a single benefactor underwriting the whole thing. It makes sense that then there are 10 hearts, minds and souls involved, not just the will of one. (Note to friends: you can write big checks to my projects because I will just make the projects proportionally bigger) It is not always what you give, but that you give. If you have other choices taxing your financial resources, find other ways to be involved. Sometime the contribution is as simple as a smile, hug or words of encouragement. Like everything in a journey of faith, it is not about a destination, but the journey leading there. I am fairly sure He just wants us in the game.

So my challenge to you is to examine your priorities and make you and you resources available to God. I have found that the more I give the more blessings I receive and I am not talking about money. The call is to get in the game, find the position that is the right fit for you and participate. So to quote a famous shoe slogan, "just do it!"

Yhea God!

It Is Not About ME!

This is tough one, folks. Let's face it, we are wired to be egocentric. We each believe that we are the axis of the world. I do not know how we got to this point, but we arrived none the less. Jesus spent his entire life teaching us to love God and others ahead of ourself and when we do it, the huge effort seems minimal and the blessings abound. Yet, we still fall away.

Imagine how awesome the world would be if we all lived by putting others ahead of ourselves. In a selfless society there would never be an argument, as there would be nothing to argue about. After all, how could you berate a your cousin for borrowing you lawn mower and not returning it. When they not only returned it but they had it tuned up and cleaned as well. You would never have to eat alone as there is always someone who could use your extra food and the would most likely prefer not to eat alone either.

The joy of serving is immeasurable and even in our materialistic society there is no value one can place on a smile. :-)

Yhea God!

Please Pray for The People of Sudan

For the last year, I have been working with the Eleos Project, a community development organization working in South Sudan. Please join me in praying for the ministry, the country and most of all the Sudanese people.

Stepping Out

I guess the theme today as I penn my first post is, stepping out. Funny, I am not intimidated to travel the globe, even to the most remote places. I do not fret being self employed, even when money is scarce. In fact the things that cause most people anxiety do not tend to bother me, normally the quite opposite. So, I have no idea why I have feared this first blog post for so long. 

My favorite quote at the moment is " God comforts the disturbed and disturbs the comfortable." I do not remember who originally said it, but I read it in the book Irresistible Revolution . I have used it a ton as we, (my family and a group from our church) have been preparing for an upcoming mission trip to
Nicaragua. I have been spouting it to help encourage others through the trials of life. Now I find myself having to encourage myself. But I guess that is God's plan, even the fearless have fear, even the teachers need to learn, even the strong need strength... OK, you get the point.

That is the plan, the burden of our yoke is that is a journey, not a destination.  We are constantly trying to achieve the unattainable. But unlike worldly goals, there is great joy to be found even when you come up short. I guess the upside-down kingdom shows its beautiful face again. It is not about winning, or a destination. It is about beating the mind games and getting the first post out of the way.

Yhea God!!!