FOR SALE: 1 Slightly Used Chariot, and 50 Running Men (new blog post)

All of my life I've been a "planner".  I'm one of those people who have a plan, a back up plan, a contingency plan behind that, and a level four emergency plan.  I have tended to think in terms of five and ten years out at a time, and honestly, it's usually helped me out a ton.  I like having plans, because it has brought me a sense of comfort, security, and direction.

People around me have applauded my plans.  They have told me since I was little that I was wise, that I was a leader, that the plans I had were gifts God had given me.  And for whatever reason, God chose to be really kind to me and bless me in those plans.

But as I've gotten older, He has changed in how He is dealing with those ideas.  At first, He simply asked me to pray before I made any plans.  Then, a while later in life, He told me that I needed to hear his plans for me.  You know the verse out of Jeremiah, "I know the plans I have for you....etc."  But recently, he has asked me to let go of plans all together, and trust Him.  I'm not sure how to explain it.  I still have teaching plans for the youth group.  I'm still making schedules a year in advance for the ministries.  I am working on ideas for where, and when, we will go this summer as a family.  That isn't what God is after.

He's after the plans that "move" me somewhere else.  The plans that further my own position, renown, fame, authority, etc.  The plans that make me better known, more liked, more famous.  I realize fully that many people don't even deal with this idea.  But planners like me do.  It's the dark side of the whole planning thing.  It borders on scheming.  I found it in the Bible today too.

2 Samuel 15 is talking about David's son, Absalom.  Here is what it says:

"1 In the course of time, Absalom provided himself with a chariot and horses and with fifty men to run ahead of him."  


What's the big deal, right?  Well, this chapter shows how Absalom has decided that he wants to be king.  So, he begins making plans on how to win people over.  He's really, really good at it.  The whole chariot and fifty men running thing is a play to show his authority and power.  Now, let's be clear about something;


he has no power.


He is a prince.  His dad is king.  But he is engineering things to set himself up for a power grab. 


And it works.  


He takes over the kingdom in the next chapter.  His plans work.


But they were bad plans.  This is what God is working on me for.  Am I willing to let go of the "climb the ladder" plans in life?  Am I willing to be whoever God wants me to be, in whatever area of the world, doing whatever He wants me to, today?  Can I be happy in that?  Can I find real joy in my position as His son, and that be enough?


Well, yeah, I can.  But it hurts.  And it's hard to do.  And I don't always like it.


But that is where I am at.  


That's God's plan.


What about you?  What plans are you working out, what "dreams" are you chasing, that are about you and not about God?  Are they in the way?  Are you having a hard time hearing God's voice over the buzz you're creating about yourself?

Sitting and Waiting for the Start of the Show. (new blog post)

I've had a lot of conversations this morning with several people.  There is simply a ton of hurt going on right now.  I realize that is always true, but I am more aware of it just from hearing people's situations and challenges.  Sin is such a very ugly, ugly thing.

Then I sit down and read in Psalm 106 that David speaks of his great grandparents and says this:


"13 But they soon forgot what he had done
and did not wait for his plan to unfold."

David tells about how God had saved the Israelites.  They had great days as they came out of Egypt as slaves.  They were rescued time and time again in the desert.  God proved Himself faithful over, and over, and over, and over.  But they forgot, and they didn't wait.

So, in this case, what should they have done?  


Remembered.


And waited.


Remembered all of the times that God had answered their prayers and saved them.  Remember the feelings of a victory that wasn't theirs to own, of a time where God fed them, or cared for them, or spoke to them, or showed them a cloud of fire to lead them.  Remember that the God they follow isn't into what is fair, or even, but is into grace, mercy, hope, and generosity.  Remember how their heart felt when they realized that God was really, honestly for them.  Remember how their lives changed for the better when they chose to obey Him, and He turned everything on it's head in the most beautiful of ways.  Remember.


And wait.  When we know that God is a God who works, He is a God who is active, He is a God who hears and answers our prayers regardless of how worthy we are, then we can wait.  It isn't like waiting with no hope.  It's like waiting on the 4th of July, just as dusk settles.  The anticipation is huge, the excitement is palpable, you can barely sit still, just knowing that the fireworks are ready to light up the sky.  You know from years past how amazing the rockets will be.  You trust that there is a crew out there, somewhere, in the dark, setting everything up, just right.  They know exactly how to make it all work, and they are ready to go.  It all comes down to the guy in charge giving the signal, and then..... oooohhh.......ahhhhh!  It's magical.  That is the kind of waiting we need to step into.  We know God is out there, working, preparing.  We know He is trustworthy and true.  We just need to wait for Him to give the signal, and then......


Beauty.  Magical, darkness destroying, light up the night, take your breath away, wasn't it worth the wait, how unbelievable is this, beauty.


Remember.  And wait.

Waiting for God. (new blog post)

God and I are having a lot of discussions the last couple of weeks where I sit and am pretty quiet.  I'll ask a question, and then sit.  You see, He's not behaving.  At least not the way I want Him to.  I have some friends who need Him big time right now, people I love and care about.  Stuff is going on in their lives that I simply don't understand.  I'm praying, and praying, and praying.  But the movement I so desperately want to see for them isn't coming.

So, I keep talking to God.  And sitting.  Waiting.

Don't get me wrong, He's talking to me and loving me.  He's not absent.  But the things I am asking for; good things, Biblical things, things that honor Him, just aren't coming. 

I've been mad.  I've been hurt.  I've been afraid.  And I've been quiet.

I really don't like it when He is like this.  I want Him to do what is right, what is just, what is kind, and I want Him to do it right now.

But it isn't coming.  I have to choose now what to believe.  Will I believe in a God who seems to be sitting back and letting things passively move along, or will I dump it and take matters into my own hands.

I'm so broken hearted over all of this.  But I know better than to do anything but wait on Him and love as best I can.  I know He will work.  He always does.  But this waiting, this sitting, this quiet .... it hurts so much.

David in the Psalms talks about his bones growing weak and his soul being dry as he waits on God.  Jesus tells stories of perseverance and not giving up.  I never thought they actually meant it.  At least, not like this.  I want Jesus to be Superman, flying in and saving the day, right on cue.

But He's God.  His ways aren't my ways, His plans aren't my plans.  Again, who would have thought He meant all that stuff when He said it?

So, we wait.  He will move.  I choose to believe He is moving where I can't see.

Until then, I will keep asking Him for help.

And sitting.

Stealing a Dead Guy's Robe Will Get You Everytime!

Remember the last time you did something you knew you weren't supposed to do?  You had a plan, but you knew that carrying it out was wrong?  Or maybe you had a sense that God wanted you to wait on something in His time, but you forced the issue and carried out your own plan?  Yeah, me too.

I struggle so much with waiting on God sometimes.  I want something, often something that is actually a good thing, but God tells me to wait.  Then I have that crazy tough decision to make; do I wait and trust Him, or move forward on my own schedule?  So many times I've moved forward on my own, and pursued whatever it was in my sights.  Again, often it's a good thing.  It could be something good for my family, some part of ministry, an opportunity to serve, or a long list of other good things.  Sometimes it's not.  But it's the timing that is the big issue.  God says "Not now", and I say "No, now". 

It always ends up burning me in the end.

I was reading in Joshua 7 today.  This guy named Achan is a Hebrew.  They move into the Promised Land, march around Jericho, blow the horns, and the walls fall down.  Veggie Tales has a great version of the story in one of their videos.  I don't remember Achan being in any of the kids versions of the story, though.  You see, God tells them when they capture Jericho to destroy it completely.  Don't take anything out of it.  Achan doesn't listen.  He takes a robe, some gold, and some silver.  Then he buries it under his tent. 

He knows it was wrong to take the stuff.  There isn't anything wrong with a nice robe, or money.  But he wasn't supposed to take it.  He did anyway. 

Thirty-six Hebrews die because of his actions.  In the next battle, they get spanked in the fighting, and 36 people die.  Because of Achan.

God shows everyone whose fault it was, and he confesses.  But it's too late.  Achan is killed, along with his family, and then their bodies are burned.  God really wants us to obey.  He's serious about it.  If he let Achan live, he would pull down the rest of the nation. 

Here's the crazy part.  They march back to the city where they were beaten, due to Achan's sin.  They attack it, and capture it.  But before the battle, God tells them to take the good stuff out of the city, then burn it. 

Did you catch that?  God says to take the stuff.

Achan missed it by a couple of days.  If he had listened to God, no one would have died, and he would have received more stuff.  Just a couple of days.  Achan couldn't see down the road, and he decided to not trust God.  He did it his way, and he and his family suffered for it.  It killed them.

We can be the same way.  We simply need to learn that God is really generous, and loves to give gifts to those who trust and obey Him.  If we will listen to Him and wait, amazing things come our way.

I promise.

Greetings From Loveland, CO!

Today is a crazy day for me.  Yesterday I flew from Indy to Atlanta to Denver and then by bus to Loveland, CO.  Now, I've never been to Loveland, so that's cool.  I'm typing from the cafe inside Group Publishing, waiting on the rest of the team I am meeting with to show for breakfast. 

I keep asking God, "Why am I here?"  The invitation came in an email last week, and I still don't have a handle on why I'm here.  I know God is behind it, and I'm trying to just enjoy the ride.  I mean, I don't get invitations to see the Rockies on someone else dime everyday! 

Yet, here I sit.  I wonder what God is up to?  I know He's behind it, it has His fingerprints all over it.  But there is this part of me that wants to kick in, and start engineering things.  A small part of me wants to try to shmooze my way in, to "set myself up" in a good position. 

But I know better.

That just isn't how God works in my life.  He brings things to me.  I can set things up, and they are okay.  But all of the really great blessings I've had, He has brought to me (my wife, my kids, my ministry positions, my time at Taylor, great friends, and tons more). 

So, I'm back to asking Him, Why am I here?

"Enjoy it" He says.  "Don't worry, I've got you.  It's all okay."

Do you have as much trouble with this kind of thing as I do?  I want to control it, run it, manipulate it, apply my God given talents to figuring it out.  But He says "no, just be patient and be still".

I love Jesus so much that He cares this much about someone like me, who is so broken.  Jesus is so very, very good.

I don't know what you're facing today, but if God seems to be telling you to "be still and wait", trust Him.  He's good.  He always delivers.

Don't Drink the Cow Dust!

Have you ever convinced yourself that God wasn't going to help you, and so you had to go and do things yourself?  Have you ever been in a spot where you've tried to trust Him, seen Him do some cool things, but then it seemed like He just disappeared?

Yeah, me too.  It's tough in those times for sure.  In Exodus 30-32 the story takes a turn like that.  God calls Moses up on the mountain to receive the rules for how Israel will live.  He's up there a long time.  And the story has this real funny double scene flow to it.

Here's what I mean.  In Exodus 30 you've got Moses and God hanging out.  That alone is crazy enough, but it's there.  God is telling Moses, in great detail, how to set everything up.  What hits me out of this story is that God's plans include A LOT of gold and silver.  These folks are walking through the desert, and have been slaves for 400 years.  Where in the world will they get that much gold and silver?  It's crazy.  Until you remember that when they left Egypt, God worked it out so that the Egyptians gave them a fortune in gold in silver.  Do you catch that?  God had a plan for how the Hebrews could be close to Him and worship Him.  It involved all of this amazing artwork and symbolism.  The Hebrews would go from a slave tribe to an organized nation with a powerful and beautiful religion, proving to other nations that they were legit.  With God laying out such an elaborate system for them full of wealth and beauty, He was providing for them religiously, politically, and in their own national sense of self worth.  He had it all worked out.

BUT, they didn't yet know it.  Chapter 32 tells us while Moses was gone, they got impatient.  This is the other scene in the story.  Scene One: Moses and God meeting, with God laying out this elaborate, beautiful plan that will forever change Israel and make them a powerhouse nation.  Scent Two: All the people getting tired of waiting, and lamely attempting to create their own religion.  How does theirs flow?  Moses brother Aaron makes an idol out of earrings.  It's gonna be small.  And God tells Moses that the people "made themselves an idol cast in the shape of a calf."  Notice the wording in there?  In the "shape" of a calf.  It's not even a good idol.  It's junk.  So they begin partying and celebrating, which soon turns into a mess.


The whole story ends with over 3000 people dying, and the rest of the people drinking water with the ground up gold in it from the calf as punishment.


What a mess.  All because they decided they didn't want to wait.  They couldn't wait.  So they wouldn't wait.  They ran ahead without God, settled for a shadow of what was promised to them, and ended up sick at their stomachs because of it.


Yep, I've been there too.  


So today, what do you need to wait on?  What is God working on that you've convinced yourself He's forgotten?  He hasn't.  He has plans, beautiful and unreal plans, and He is carrying them out.  He isn't the question in the process.  You and I are.


Will we wait?  Or will we settle for something that lamely looks like a baby cow?

Time is Passing

School started for our kids today. Even though the weather will be warm for a couple of more months, summer vacation ended yesterday for us. I know, I know, depressing and sad. Last night as I was getting the girls ready for bed, and they were all juiced up about new pencils, notebooks, and friends, I got to thinking about time and how it moves by on us. We are all aware (at least everyone over the age of 12) how fast time goes. We talk about it, sing songs about it, lament about it, and even complain about it. But what actions do we change with that understanding?

Yeah, this is another one of those "time goes fast so do something" discussions. Even though we have them regularly and hear them often, they are no less true. So today, I'm not making any huge life changing commitments. I'm just going to remember that the folks around me won't always be here, and neither will I. I'm going to try to be a little more patient with a couple of people, watch just a little more of the detail of life, and listen maybe a minute or two longer to a couple of people today. I've got nothing to lose.