I haven't sat down and done a Thursday Thinkback since April. I actually like these the most, because I can simply ramble off all the random thoughts stuck in my head...kinda like my twitter. So, here are some random thoughts for you:
Today my blog reader had a malfunction and listed each of the blogs I follow with over 200 new posts. Of course these were all old posts, however, I found myself scanning through some of my old posts.
I came across a post that sums up what we talked about last night at our bible study and really where I am right now. I posted it in July of 2008. So, with out any more delay... enjoy:
Pool Noodle Jedi Knight
The other night we went to a friends house for dinner. After dinner, the kids were all playing in the front yard with some pool noodles they had bought. The kids were pretending they were Jedi Knights and the noodles were the light sabers. It was pretty funny to watch them play.
One of the things I noticed is that their youngest daughter and my youngest son were the most aggressive players. They were not afraid to go in for the attack or take a hit, in order to get a hit in. I don't know if they weren't scared or just determined.
The two older kids would sneak around and try to get in a quick hit and then run out of fear of being hit.
It really kind of got me thinking. When I first became a Christian, I was on fire. I wasn't afraid to take a "hit" because I saw it as something necessary for the greater good of the Kingdom. As my Christian walk matures, for some reason I become more afraid of offending people, or being beat up and so we switch from aggressive attacks where we might get hit to carefully planned out quick hits and then retreat.
Why?
I don't want to be that way any more. Doesn't the Bible say we should be more child-like? Well, that is one of the things I am going to focus on with my Walk. God what ever it is, I want to be willing to take a hit, if that is what needs to happen for the greater goal of winning people to Christ.
How about you?
This afternoon I was watching M.A.S.H. on tv. Yes, I love watching it. In fact, I have seen every single episode... (no I am not bragging)!
The interesting thing about the sitcom, is that the show is not about laughs, or about entertainment...although they did a good job of both. Each episode has an underlying message relating to war, life issues, etc. The fact is, they do a great job bringing out the unsung pain and sorrow that comes along with defending our country. I realize it is light-hearted and not too serious; just hang in there with me.
The fact is, that as we serve in ministry (and staff in full time ministry have it 100 times worse) seeking God and following him can be very difficult. Often times, we just hear about how God used someone to do this or that...what we don't always hear about is all the blood, sweat and prayer that goes into seeking God and God's direction in our lives.
So many of us hear about how God is directing others and we wonder, why is it so much harder for me. The reality...it isn't. Everyone goes through the same difficult process. The key difference is some are natural risk takers and it is easier for them to make decisions completely on faith. For the rest of us "safe people" we are a little less of a risk taker. The result...more stress in determining God's direction for our lives. For me, I have to know absolutely that God is calling me to change or to take on a new direction.
That is the most difficult part of the change process that God is leading us on. I may or may not be called to change anything. Perhaps God is simply teaching me how to follow Him unconditionally with faith. I guess I won't know until it is all over.
Just know this...if you are trying to figure out what God is calling you to do today; you are not alone. We are all in this together.
I am prejudice...and so are you! The fact is we all have prejudices. Many of you are immediately thinking of racial prejudice. I am talking about that, but I am also talking about so much more.
We all have a foundation of prejudices which direct our lives. We have all developed a prejudice towards race, social class, religion, but also to certain businesses, types of businesses, restaurants, parts of the country, automobiles. The fact is I can go on and on about the many different prejudices we have established over our life time.
We have developed those prejudices through the influence of our parents, our surroundings, our experiences (good and bad), fears, and so much more. Since we tend to allow those prejudices to direct much of our lives, we tend (in many cases) to interact with those of similar prejudices. That results in the ability for many of us to live our entire lives without having our prejudices challenged.
Enter God!
As we seek God and begin to invite him to work in our lives, he begins to challenge our prejudices. He questions the opinions we have. Of course, the small ones (Coke vs. Pepsi or Giants vs. A's) he may leave alone; however, the more life impacting prejudices you can expect Him to question.
That is where I am today. God has really been challenging me; making me think about the prejudices I have established over the years. Are they right? Are they healthy? Do I need to rethink them? What does the Bible say about them? These are all questions that are coming up.
As I talked about yesterday, the question is: What am I going to do about it? I can say thanks, but no thanks...or I can take action. I choose action! The best part about it, is when I tell God I want to change, He gives me opportunities to change.
Have you heard the expression, "If you pray for patience, God won't give you patience; He will give you an opportunity to develop patience."? That is what is happening. As I seek Him to change these prejudices, He isn't changing them. Rather, He is giving me opportunities to develop change. Scary? Yes! Exciting? Yes!
God has opened my eyes to so many opportunities to grow, it amazes me. (Of course, it amazes me that I needed that much help in changing... argh!) I am excited to see what is around the next corner.
How about you? Are you willing to sit back and take a look at your prejudices and allow God to challenge you in them?...be careful what you wish for!
As I mentioned on Monday, and is clearly evident in the blog posts over the last few months, God is doing some major remodeling in my soul. There is change taking place. I wanted to talk a little bit more about that today.
In Monday's post, I mentioned that when God reveals things to us, we have a choice to accept and change or sit and do nothing. I choose to accept and change. Now, it sounds easier than it really is. Let's face it, sometimes when we accept the challenge to change we don't know what that looks like.
What if God is calling you to change something that you believe, could you accept the challenge? What if God is calling you to change what you think of a certain "group" of people, could you accept the challenge? What if God is calling you to step away from your church and into a new ministry, could you accept the challenge? What if God is calling you to sell your house and take your family to another country to serve as missionaries, could you accept the challenge? What if God is calling you to leave your career and enter full time ministry, could you accept the challenge? These are all ways God could use to help change something in your soul, so that you can more openly trust and serve Him.
If God lays everything out and gave you a clear picture of how these changes in your life would be accomplished, your needs met, it would not be that difficult. However, many times God simply says step out, and then allows us to choose with nothing more than faith to trust in. Why is God asking you to change ministries? Does he have a long term plan that requires you to learn to trust in Him more fully first? Who knows!
One thing I have learned is that I am someone who likes structure, planning and security. I know that I have avoided taking chances and accepting change in the past because of my fear to trust completely. I have missed out on some great blessings from God, I am sure. I do not want to do that anymore.
How about you? When God says change, how do you respond?
