“We ourselves feel what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop.” — Mother Teresa

So think about it this way: when God asks us to do something we have a choice, right? That’s where free will comes in. Let’s think about Jonah… so here’s a guy who was called on by God to go to the Assyrians and warn them that they would receive judgment if they did not repent from their evil ways. Well, Jonah didn’t really care for the Assyrians… so much so that didn’t want them to receive God’s mercy. So instead of heading over to Nineveh as God directed, Jonah headed in the opposite direction.

Surely God could have easily found another messenger, right? Right. But I can’t see that scenario happening anywhere in the Bible. Jonah’s task at hand was important… and so it was for Noah and Abraham. Even Moses had questions and doubts of his ability to lead. Just another drop in the ocean? I think we all agree the rock stars that are in the Bible are worthy, right? Wrong. They were all wretched black-hearted sinners just like you and me… sinners in need of a savior. They needed a Savior. We all do. What happened next? Well, in Jonah’s case God pursued him and turned him around. Jonah fulfills his mission.

And how about for you and me? I think God likes us to use our free will, that’s why He gave it to us. However, when it comes down to the important stuff… like following God’s will and fulfilling the decisions that He rests on for the story of humanity… I think He works on and in us when we rebel (or turn to religiosity, whatever the case may be). Who knows whether our next decision will be a catalyst for all of humanity or not. Surely we can see how some of our decisions affect not only us but our offspring and theirs as well. Does that make me want to be more obedient to following Jesus, growing to be more and more like him? Yes, indeed it does. It also makes me want to contribute to the big picture. Like Mother Teresa says, the ocean would still be the ocean but it would in fact have one less drop without me or you. Every drop counts…

What is your favorite Bible story about obedience? Are you more likely to turn to rebelling or religiosity when God wants you to do something that you don’t want to do?

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ET’s communicator… more than the average Carrier Pigeon…

Remember ET? What a cute movie that blockbuster was! An acclaimed and timeless story of friendship, it takes the tenderness of children, the imagination of a genius, and the love of God and blends them in a memorable story that sets our souls ablaze.

The story is pretty straightforward: a “foreigner” comes to a strange land and accidentally gets left behind by his people. Maybe that was a part of his calling or whatever, but the little guy didn’t really jive with all of the locals and gets homesick, so he tries to reach his kinfolk to come get him.

Let’s pause right there: So how DO we know when the current events are in fact God’s will?

Should ET have just stayed here on planet earth and done his best to fit in? He was picking up on the language quickly from the 5 year old Gerthie (played by Drew Barrymore!) as she watches Sesame Street. Or was ET’s illness a sure sign that he needed to make that call so his tribe could come and fetch him?

Discerning God’s will can be confusing sometimes. If “What If” is a mystery this part of our calling doesn’t have to be.

ET connected with Elliott, the 10 year old boy who was his best earthly friend. Their psychic connection was pretty weird (remember, this is just the movies…). It reminds me of how we can connect with the Holy Spirit. ET is inspired to make a communication device while reading a Buck Rogers comic strip. So he needed something a little more jazzed up than an ordinary carrier pigeon, which would routinely suffice around these parts…yes, this device was no ordinary string and two cans… it was a souped up coffee can gadget including a “speak and spell” toy and an umbrella lined with tin foil. Oh snap!!

So I’ve been talking with lots of friends about spiritual connections and the Holy Spirit and what not… it seems not everyone feels or experiences this link. Possibly, if they’re believers, they have experienced the connection but just didn’t recognize it. I know, for me, that I can point to several occasions where I felt or experienced a strong connection. There are many instances where I feel connected, inspired and lead to God’s will though the Holy Spirit, almost daily.

Woe is me to the feeling of being spiritually depleted or empty. Looking for something more but simply having the empty feeling of missing breakfast when midday rolls around. ET connected the dots when he made the call. ET phoned home and completed the circuit. Formed the connection. From that point on things started to happen. ET turned deathly ill right before the spaceship showed up to give him a lift. Time to split the scene and high tail it out of there like the Clampetts hitting oil and heading for Beverly Hills…

Change happens when we recognize the need to improve our situation, and then take action. (Click To Tweet) – This is critical when compelled by the HS. That’s doing things right, and doing the right thing.

So like I feel connected a lot, and in many different ways. It makes me wonder when people who are believers say they don’t frequently or have never experienced a connection with the Holy Spirit whether:

• something is separating them from the Holy Spirit, like sin, or
• maybe they don’t know what to look for, or
• maybe deep down in their heart they don’t believe.

When we believe and are baptized we receive the Holy Spirit. He dwells within us at this point…

Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you received from God? You are not your own, you were bought at a price. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

Francis Chan poses the question in his compelling narrative on the Holy Spirit, “Forgotten God” – “If it’s true that the Spirit of God dwells in us and that our bodies are the Holy Spirit’s temple, then shouldn’t there be a huge difference between the person who has the Spirit of God living inside of him or her and the person who does not?”

Seriously, it does seem a bit out of whack… the discrepancies we certainly can’t remain oblivious to between someone who is filled with the Spirit vs. those who are not.

I’m certainly no expert on the Holy Spirit and I’m not clear anyone else is either. Chan does an excellent job of deciphering the mystery, much better that I would ever claim to be capable of. However, I do believe Jesus was telling the truth when He said He was sending another “Counselor” who would be just like Him. So, as Chan points out, what could be more appealing in our world today… Jesus standing beside us or the fire of the Holy Spirit alive within us? Jesus came and went with a purpose… it baffles me why so many only chose to accept a portion of the Good News.

I will praise the Lord, who counsels me;
even at night my heart instructs me.
I have set the Lord always before me.
Because he is at my right hand,
I will not be shaken. Psalm 16:7-8

The Q: How do you feel connected with the Holy Spirit? Do you feel His presence in your everyday life?

Image courtesy of Mattingly23 on wikipedia.com

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I was listening to an Andy Andrews podcast the other day, he was talking about how every choice that we make is a product of our thinking. So I got to thinking – what to do when challenges threaten to take us off the path?

We all have challenges in our day-to-day lives. I’m no exception, but I do make a choice in how I manage them and how that choice as well as my manner of thinking affects me as a person. The perspective we glean from our challenges shows up in how it shapes us, and our heart. It helps to define our character.

What to do when adversity appears? How can we overcome the difficulty of staying true to the path? The apostle Paul comes to mind…

– Paul knew what his calling was. This is the first step. He connected with the Holy Spirit. We can as well. So we don’t have to write the majority of the New Testament to enjoy a connection the Holy Spirit. Have you ever felt connected? This is essential to finding our calling, and God’s will for us. Granted, Jesus paid Paul a personal visit to deliver “the message.” That may never happen in our lives but we can connect with the Holy Spirit, and discern God’s will for us. Here’s a post that I wrote a while ago about finding God’ s will. I continually read about how people are troubled by not being able to identify their calling. We don’t have to all go to work at the church to fulfill our calling – God needs us out and about. He needs us to be everywhere.

– Paul was determined to stay on the path. This is a conscious decision; a recurring theme as we follow Paul on the journey through the book of Acts. Continually under attack by religious people who claimed him to be at fault or charged him with this or that crime, Paul repeatedly listened to the voice of God: “Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent. For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city.” (Acts 18: 9-10). In fact, even when they became abusive to Paul in this chapter, he “shook out his clothes,” making the statement that he had done all he could for them. Then what? Trifling snag or extreme hiccup, keep on, keeping on…

– Paul was a smart man and influential leader. He knew when and how to call people out that were intent on diverting him from the path God had clearly laid out for him. He knew when to stand up for himself, and when to just preach the Gospel. I admire that about Paul. We shouldn’t be afraid to take a stand for the sake of doing what is right, and doing what God has called us to do. We have better things to do with our time… think about it this way: Gump didn’t know diddly about shrimping (aside from what Bubba had told him), let alone piloting a boat. God showed up and the rest is history…

Sometimes Paul’s way didn’t make a lot of sense to the people around him, but that’s just the point of sticking to our calling and the path: It’s all about obedience. Paul transformed many lives though his influence and imagination. That’s it. If we’re obedient everything else falls into place. 🙂

How can you use your influence this week to draw people closer to the Lord?

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Let us begin…

At the first of the year we often focus on changes for the better, we call them resolutions. It’s interesting how we establish milestones and goals in relation to our idea of success, or in hitting the mark – do you find yourself measuring success in a worldly way, or as God does? Did you even realize there is a difference? Interesting question that I found myself marinating in the past couple of days. The answers for me became an enlightenment that I can apply every day, not just with resolutions and what not. We can apply the biblical definition of success in pursuing peace, attaining goals or resolutions, getting fit, or in any other aspect of life.

The world defines success in terms of what a person possesses, controls or accomplishes. Some dictionaries even list achieving fame or prosperity as facets of being successful. At the center of our desire to define our success in the world today is comparison to other people – where we live, vacation, shop, dine and the like. Don’t take me wrong, I like my stuff and have been to some pretty incredible places, but wisdom and perspective tells me that none of that really defines me, or my success.

God defines success in terms of faithful obedience to His will. Success in a biblical perspective doesn’t focus on possessions, or attaining higher social status. God’s measure is in answering the question, “Were you faithful to my ways?” How do we know His ways, His will, or His calling for us individually? (Click the links if you’re looking for more info on that part)

A biblical sense of success is accomplished through controlling ambition. This may be most difficult in our world today as we tend to measure our own success in comparison to others. We’re all unique, with different gifts and talents and should only compare ourselves to Jesus.

King David is an excellent example of someone from the Bible who knew success. One of my favorite people from the Bible, David struggled personally with sin and wrongdoing, just like we do. He became very successful and famous as the leader of Israel.

“David knew that the Lord had established him as king over Israel and had exalted his kingdom for the sake of his people Israel.” 2 Samuel 5:12

Why was David chosen by God? Because God knew his heart. David was ambitious AND followed God’s will. He kept a close relationship with God, knowing that God alone established him as a leader. He respected that what he had and who he had become came from the Lord.

Success can also tend to give us pride, and the thought that we don’t need God and can achieve all on our own. Unfortunately, that leads to separation from God and to our own demise in the long run.

One of my favorite acronyms related to goals at work or in life is defining them as SMART – Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound. Can God goals be SMART? Absolutely, I don’t think there is an issue there. It comes down to how we measure and define success, recognition and attributing that it all comes from our Heavenly Father, and that it is accomplished with humility and integrity.

True success doesn’t compromise integrity, it defines our character, in effect, who we are when no one is looking, and righteousness.(Click To Tweet)

Something to think about as we move into the new year…

The Q: What comes to mind when you think of success?

Image courtesy of faceless econe on flickr.com

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My grandparents taught me how to play cards. We played a game called rummy 500. My brother and I would play this and a few other games with them for hours. It was a bonding sort of experience, this card game was for us.

I’ve played some other card games, like most people, but was never much of a gambler. I like pinochle. Trouble is, nobody knows how to play. It’s complicated, taking a long time to learn and play as well. The deck isn’t even a normal deck of cards, it’s a combination of parts of 4 different decks, that’s the 80-card version. Yep, kinda strange alright. I guess I found other fruitful activities and ways to connect with people than playing cards.

Most card games involve holding something in your hand that is of great value, and using that card or combination at the appropriate time to win the hand. For instance, if you get tossed a 2 of diamonds, and it goes with nothing else in your hand, it is probably pretty meaningless… unless you’re a diamond collector. Boom Choco Boom!! (that’s Wal-Mart lingo for a win – I LOVE Wal-Mart because my church is in a former Wal-Mart. Well, we think that’s pretty cool, praise God).

In life we are sometimes dealt “the God card.” What’s that? The God card may be an epiphany ahh haa moment, a blessing or prayer answered, or instructions from Him to do something. In whatever form we receive it, and whatever it is, we now have something that requires an action, communication, a change or shift. It requires us to make a play. The good Lord is showing us His will, or ready to make something happen.

With cards, there is a certain amount of chance or luck, and there is also quite a bit of skill in knowing the odds of different combinations, and memorization of cards that may have already been played, etc. So, that can make it fun and interesting, if you’re into math and probabilities. Being dealt the God card has nothing to do with luck or skill. We can pray about it and see what happens, that’s a good thing. We may also draw close to Him and receive His blessing. There are many more combinations here than there are cards, even in the Pinochle deck!

When we play cards only one person wins a hand, or maybe two people win if you’re playing partners. When we throw down the God card, it’s a win for everyone. This is something that impacts a person’s life, and while it may be good or bad in the temporary sense, often there is a shift that happens immediately afterward that is like shuffling the deck and getting ready for another hand of cards.

Throwing down the God card usually means the future looks completely different that it did before. Everything changes. When you throw down the God card you’re all in. There is no bluffing it with the God card. The information stems from truth and is so meaningful that our outlook and vision changes. Everything changes. It can be extremely personal, or go viral in a hot second.

If you’ve ever been dealt the God card there is no doubt about how to play it. You’ll know exactly what needs to happen and how to proceed. Maybe you’ve been dealt the God card before and didn’t play it… what? Yep, it happens. Why? Well, lets just say that our game plan doesn’t always match up to God’s will. Hey, if you ever get dealt the God card, I would encourage you to play it. Even if you don’t think it’s in your best interest, it is. Could you imagine being dealt a royal flush in poker and folding? It just doesn’t happen, right? Just saying…

Take note: when you throw down the God card, lives change. Mountains move. The earth speaks, and the angels and demons take note. You’re playing a heavy hand that is omnipotent. Things are going to change.

Finally, a word to the wise: if you’re throwing a wild card and calling it a God card, beware. This bluff isn’t going to fly. Tsunami alert! Find the nearest tornado shelter. Batten down the hatches. Katie bar the door, because there’s no tellin’ how that will all shake out.

Whatever happens, you can rest assured that it will be good, and to His glory when we play the God card.

Have you ever been dealt the God card? How did you play it?

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God’s will has been on my mind quite a bit recently… I’ve been doing my best to seek God’s will in making some pretty important decisions. Amidst all of this, I thought it would be a really good idea to explore and try to find out… what exactly is God’s will? How do I go about finding it? And how do I know it when I find it?

God’s will… fits… perfectly!

Does God have a will for our lives? Absolutely… each and every one of us! His plan fits together like the pieces of a puzzle… each piece goes exclusively in only one place… matching exactly… sliding together precisely… it’s like a match made in heaven… a perfect fit!

God’s will is His perfect plan. We need to just look to Jesus to understand this…

Jesus said “All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me.“ John 6: 37-38

Jesus came here and lived in the flesh… a man with a mission! Do you believe that God had a very specific plan for Jesus’ life here? I know I do… in fact, Jesus and the prophets predicted it precisely countless times in scripture.

Like Jesus, our purpose should be to seek and follow the will of God… not that of our human desires. It may at times conflict with our own free will, and it may at times be scary and not make a lot of sense to us… but we should follow… obediently and faithfully.

Why?

Because our God is a good and faithful God… He only wants the best for us. When we walk with Him and we follow His perfect plan good things start to happen… we see abundant fruit show up… the blessings that we thought were out of our reach are now attainable and given freely. It may seem unreal… like it just wasn’t meant to be and certainly can’t last. It seems crazy… but it is true… wholesome… pure… and lovely!!

And what about that scary part?

“For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption. When we cry, “Abba! Father!” it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ — if, in fact, we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.”   Romans 8:14-17

When we walk in faith with God we have absolutely nothing to fear for He is right there with us. Don’t forget the 23rd Psalm…

“… even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me…”

Be afraid… Not!

How do we find it?

– It starts by aligning ourselves with God… being in right standing with Him. Do you feel like you are in right standing with Him now?

We can start by seeking it through prayer…

“This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us – whatever we ask – we know that we have what we ask of him.”  1 John 5:14-15

With this verse we know with confidence that God listens… and answers when we seek His will.

We’ve all prayed it before in this verse, right?

“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done
on earth as it is in heaven…“ Matthew 6: 9-10

We should always seek God’s will… and seek it first and foremost.

“I will praise the Lord, who counsels me;
even at night my heart instructs me.
I have set the Lord always before me.
Because he is at my right hand,
I will not be shaken.” Psalm 16: 7-8

How do I know God’s will when I find it?

God communicates with us in the following ways:

• He is the great counselor… we can see a great deal of God’s will for us by simply reading and absorbing His word. There is a wealth of wisdom and knowledge in there for the taking.
• Through the Holy Spirit. It’s a gift… savor it and don’t ever throw this gift aside.
• Through visions, or dreams…
• Through other people.

Sometimes it will be incredibly obvious… like an Ahhh Haaa Moment. It may show up  in the form of a gift, like from the Holy Spirit. It is a true, pure and lovely gift… if it does show up, savor it… it’s not to be taken lightly.

If you seek His will but don’t seem to find it… hang in there, He will show you clearly… when He’s ready… just do your best to stay in right standing… and close to Him.

God’s will. I believe it’s the most worthy pursuit…

Will you LIVE it with me?

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