Using God

Sometimes I think I am more concerned with seeking God's rewards and gifts instead of seeking Him for the relationship's sake. I read Hebrews 11 and begin seeking God for the rewards that are promised to those who seek Him diligently. But then I try to make this practical and wonder if there have ever been times people have done that with me. Has anyone sought me out solely for the benefits I may bring to them? Has anyone ever sought out my friendship because of something I might offer them?

I cannot recall anyone doing that to me (primarily because I do not have a whole lot of rewards to offer), but what if someone DID pursue a friendship with me SO THAT they may get something out of me as a reward? What if nobody pursued friendship with me because the relationship was reward enough? I would feel pretty used. I would feel like the relationship was not sincere or intimate. That relationship would only LOOK LIKE a relationship.

I have to recheck my relationship with God now. Afterall, Hebrews blatantly tells us that God rewards those who seek Him out, but is that WHY I seek Him? Do I seek God so that He will reward me? That is not a relationship; that is a transaction.

Loved people love people; you don't

The common adage is "love others as you love yourselves," but for many of us, we would not wish that kind of love on anyone. We, for the most part, do not know how to love ourselves well. We do not understand unconditional love. Further, most people do not know they are loved unconditionally by God. Because most people do not know that, they are unable to love others well.

Oh I say I know God loves me, because my minds can logically admit that of course God loves us. I mean he has to, right? But most of us do not really understand or grasp the fact in our heart, soul, and spirit that God is passionately in love with us. We do not fully believe that reality, because if we really believed the unconditional love of God for us, we would bleed with that reality.

If I really lived a life that was fully confident that God loves me tenderly, I would be bringing and pouring that kind of love out on everyone I came into contact with. If I truly accepted and lived my life with the full understanding of God's unconditional love for me, I could not hold back healing reconciliation and hope from oozing from my life.

If I truly lived my life in acceptance of God's unending love for me, my only desire would be for everyone to know about it. I would want the only message from my mouths and life to be, "YOU ARE LOVED!"

But many of us do not know that love well enough. Many of us have not truly accepted that love nor believed that love enough. Many of us attack ourselves and tear ourselves down for a myriad of reasons, and with each one, deny the fact that we are tenderly and deeply loved. We are unable to really accept that unconditional love because we hang on to our own conditions. We have a death grip on all the conditions and limits we have placed on love, and in so doing, are incapable of accepting real and true unconditional love.

Truth of the matter is that the unconditional love is there whether I like it or not. I am deeply and tenderly loved whether I believe it or not. If I could learn to live in that understanding though, it would revolutionize the way I love those around me.

Christians - by Carol Wimmer

Christians - By Carol Wimmer

When I say... "I am a Christian" I'm not shouting "I'm clean livin'." I'm whispering "I was lost, Now I'm found and forgiven."

When I say... "I am a Christian" I don't speak of this with pride. I'm confessing that I stumble and need Christ to be my guide.

When I say... "I am a Christian" I'm not trying to be strong. I'm professing that I'm weak And need His strength to carry on.

When I say... "I am a Christian" I'm not bragging of success. I'm admitting I have failed And need God to clean my mess.

When I say... "I am a Christian" I'm not claiming to be perfect, My flaws are far too visible But, God believes I am worth it.

When I say... "I am a Christian" I still feel the sting of pain. I have my share of heartaches So I call upon His name.

When I say... "I am a Christian" I'm not holier than thou, I'm just a simple sinner Who received God's good grace, somehow!

You and your selfish mountaintop experience

"Spiritual selfishness always wants repeated moments on the mount." - Ozzie Chambers Many of us are dependant on the mountain top experiences, and we get frustrated and disappointed when we go back down. We go to a camp or a retreat to get pumped up, and we want to stay there because everything is so good there. Our walk with God seems so amazing and we want to stay there. But as Ozzie points out, its such a selfish way to use the mountain. The mountaintop is intended for inspiration for the descent back into the valley. Life is intended to be lived in the valley; not on the mountaintop.

There are many people in the valley who need inspiration and rescue from the brokenness, but they will never be reached if we remain on the mountaintop.

Does that mean we should not have mountaintop experiences? Are we selfish because we are on the mountaintop? No! We are only selfish when our desire is to stay on the mountain.

The mountain experiences are necessary. We need those times for inspiration and rejuvenation, but we cannot be so dependant upon them that we want to stay there. We should be excited and ready to descend the mountain back down into the valley where life is intended to be lived. We have to take with us renewal and inspiration back down the mountain into our daily lives with our daily interactions with different people. Otherwise we are some of the most selfish people around.

We are told to go out into the world and spread the gospel unto all nations. When we go to the mountain, we experience the gospel once again. We take it in once again; allowing ourselves to be saturated in the relentless love of God. We grow closer to the heart of God with very minimal interruption, but we cannot stay there. We cannot live in this moment. We are not intended or called to live that way.

The mountain is intended to be inspirational, but we are intended to bring that inspiration and live in the valley.

Why rest for the weary is so hard

"Come to me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest." - Matthew 11:28 Sounds great! Why is it so hard to do?

We all have moments when our spirit could really use a rest. We all have moments when our hearts have been bested by our sin, our struggles, and the general beating that life often has to offer. We all have moments when we feel attacked by our past, held down by our present, and fearful of our future. Some of us live weary and heavy-laden, and this passage sounds like the most amazing freedom. Our hearts jump at the possibility.

But for the most part, our hearts remain weary and rest remains a "possibility"; never a reality. Why is it so hard to actually come to God? Why is coming to Jesus for rest so difficult?

First of all, it's humiliating. We feel like peasants before God; utterly unworthy of the rest he offers. We see ourselves in the reality of our filth. We look at our sin and our predicament, and it paralyzes us. We stay back and grovel just outside of Jesus' presence because we know we are unworthy, but we have convinced ourselves we are worthless, and there is a difference. We stay just outside of Jesus' open arms, which offer our weary hearts rest because we fear rejection. We fear ourselves to be too filthy, too broken, and too far gone.

But Jesus still calls out to us, "Come to me, all who are weary and heavy-laden." So he knows our predicament. He sees our filth. He realizes what has worn us down and languished our soul, and he STILL calls out to us to come to him.

It is only hard to come to Jesus for rest because we would rather stay in sorrow than to accept God's GRACE that says, "I know you are weary, filthy, and broken, and I love you so much. Please come to me, and I will love the hell out of you."

Trust me; I'm a doctor [sorta] - guest post

Today I guest posted at my friend Malisa's page:------ I am sort of a doctor, or I should say I am a doctor of sorts. I have no patients and I prescribe no drugs. I have not exhaustively studied human anatomy to know the inner workings of disease and healing.

I am a pastor and I do have congregants. I prescribe books, music, films, and verses. I have spent years studying the anatomy of the heart, soul, and mind in order to recognize the inner workings of brokenness and the hope of restoration.

Doctors and I both want to see healing and restoration of broken places. Ergo, I am a doctor, right?

Here are a few of my most common prescriptions...read more here

When I forgot all the wrong I have ever done

"To whom shall I turn for the gift of your coming into my heart so that I may forget all the wrong I have done, and embrace you alone, my only good?" - Augustine Where SHOULD I go; what should I do to really forget all the wrong I have done? Augustine poses a very piercing question. How do I embrace God alone? I have dedicated a lot of my life toward embracing God, but I have a horrible time with consistency. I say "a lot of my life" because of the many pockets of inconsistency. I only wish I really knew how to hold fast to God, to embrace him enough to forget all the wrong i have done.

Seriously! I am sitting here wondering what it would be like to actually forget all the wrong I have done, and frankly, it seems unimaginable. I cannot imagine that kind of freedom. What would it look like; what would it feel like to forget all the wrong you have done and to fully embrace God, my only good? That sort of freedom would mean that my past would never come back to kick me where it counts. That means I would not linger when I HAVE done wrong; I would be quick to my only good. That means I would only run forward in life without cease.

Soaking vs Snapping

Ozzie Chambers says, "It is the innermost of the innermost that reveals the power of life." Our spiritual power and purpose is only found within. This means that the majority of our time should be spent in the private life with God. How much time do I dedicate to my private life with God? Where does our strength come from? Do I have any strength at all? When I spend enough private time with God in my innermost being, I find what Ozzie says:

"strength lies in the fact that here you are put into SOAK WITH GOD."

I love that phrase; that image. Have I been soaking with God? Only when I take the time and space to soak before God will I ever have the inner strength that comes from it. I have to find the private time with God on a regular basis where I can sit and SOAK BEFORE GOD. This is the only way to go about life, and this is the way faith and Christianity is meant to be lived out.

"if you waste your time in over-active energies instead of getting into SOAK on the great fundamental truths of God's Redemption, you will SNAP when the strain comes."

I look back and realize how true Ozzie is here. I can look back to see the most straining times brought two reactions from me depending upon whether I had been having my private time with God regularly or not. Had I been soaking with God during those times? Well it can be determined based on whether I snapped in those moments or not. Had I completely broken down when life kicked me where it counts? Had I nearly given up?

OR did I go through it faithfully and with trust?

When life kicks you where it counts, I hope you have been SOAKING BEFORE GOD so you do not SNAP.

We all need someone

We all need a "Phillip" in our lives. (Acts 8) We need someone who can and will help us understand what we read in scripture. No matter where you are in your life and faith, you need someone to help you have an even better understanding than you already do. Someone to ask questions and ask questions OF! Someone with new perpsectives you do not always see or have never seen before! Someone to help you understand what you are reading in a new way!

* now if I would just practice what I preach (and write)

Death and Life: when Jesus is not your comfort

The death of Stephen in Acts 7 was one with huge implications for me. Just as he is about to be violently stoned to death, the Holy Spirit allows him to see Jesus standing next to God. He finds so much comfort in seeing Jesus he is able to fall asleep as he is being stoned to death

He found a peculiar peace and comfort in knowing he would soon be near Jesus. Seeing Jesus in death is only comforting if Jesus has been savior and LORD in life. Seeing Jesus in death is only comforting and something you look forward to if Jesus is your joy and dependance in life.

So a difficult question arises in my heart today.

If I could get to heaven and receive all that heaven promises (streets of gold, no more sorrow or pain, a new body and name, etc.) but Jesus would not be there, would I still want to go there?

The honest answer in death reveals the truth of Jesus' place in my life.

Permission Granted [video]

This last Saturday I was given the opportunity to emcee The Worship Conference. It was an incredible opportunity to watch 600+ worship leaders come together to worship God without anything holding them back. I was asked to write and perform a spoken word piece as part of the opening song for the conference. This is a piece I wrote called, Permission Granted. (You can also find an audio track of this song on my EP here.) [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMlSh9YFsCk&w=560&h=315]