The Big Question (Part 3)

Buddy Hoffman wrote this article in 2009 entitled, "I know what I want from church":

"I do know exactly what I want in a church gathering.

-I want to hear someone open the Bible to a passage of Scripture that they have prayed over, meditated on, researched and marinated in. I want to hear what they learned, I want to hear what they discovered, I want to hear not just the results of their research, not just an academic lecture, but what they have heard from God. I want to know how this passage has impacted the church, not just this church, but the church historic.

-I want to know how this passage intersects with the context of the whole of Scripture – where does this fit in the meta-narrative of Scripture, the Kingdom of God. I want to know how this passage has convicted and comforted the people that have gone before me, the communion of the Saints. I want to know what this passage meant in it’s original context to the ones God gave it. What were their circumstances and how did this passage shape them?

-I want to sit with a Bible in my hand, and look into that Word and listen for that voice deep in my soul that speaks to me though His Word. I treasure that voice, it seldom screams, it most often whispers, but it is real as the skin I am in. I want to sit with a gathering of people who also long to hear that voice. I want to look around and see that same longing on their faces I feel in my heart. I want to look across the room and see people with old Bibles that are falling apart, new bibles with pages that are still stuck together, techies with Bibles on their iPhones, and people who are just trying to figure it out but sense there is something going on here that is more than a history lesson, more than a lecture, more than a pep talk. I want an encounter with God Himself.

-Then I want to this same person who has been marinating in this passage to challenge us all with how this connects to today and tomorrow. I want to hear what they have heard the Spirit speak; I want to hear that prophetic voice.

-Then I want some time to absorb what I have heard; I don’t want to just jump up and run out. I want a worship leader to take me deeper in my response to the Word, to the prompting of the Spirit of the Living God. I want time to repent – the word “repent” means “to change my mind.” I want my mind renewed; I need to reflect on what I have heard. I want the kind of worship leader that knows it’s more than a “set list” and leading the band; it’s turning people’s faces to the face of God. It’s giving God what God is seeking: worship.

Sometimes it’s as brief as a blink, sometimes it is more like melting a glacier, but I do not want to just run out. If worship is responding rightly to Revelation, then I want to worship. I do not mean just sing a song, although it might be a song, or it might be a prayer. It might be that I need to raise my hands in surrender and agreement. It might be I need to get on my knees, right then and there; it might mean I need to get on my face, not later but now, in humility and with abandon. And I hunger to gather with people who feel the freedom to do the same.

-I might need someone to pray with me. I want to be with people I can just turn to and say, “I need prayer” without feeling they are going to think I am strange. I love feeling someone’s hand on my shoulder and hearing them pray for me without even asking.

That is want I want. I really don’t care if it is in a Cathedral or a storefront. I don’t care if it is across the street or across town. It does not matter that much to me if the teacher is ordained, wearing a robe, in blue jeans, young or old. I really have no preference concerning the size of the church or the style of the service. What I want it to hear from God and gather with people who share that hunger. I want to see young people and old people, but real people. I want to be with people of different colors and cultures, but with a common craving for the heart of God. I want to hear the Word, I want to worship and I want to do it with a community that takes both seriously.

I know what I want."

Do you? Ask yourself and answer the questions individually. What you put in, is what you will receive in return.

Be Real (Part 1)

Jeremiah 1:5 “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.”

If the face you always show the world is a mask, someday there will be nothing beneath it. When you spend too much time concentrating on everyone else’s opinion of you, or try to be who everyone else wants you to be, you eventually forget who you really are. God didn't make you a copycat. He made you to be what He called you to be just like Jeremiah.

-Don’t fear the judgments of others.

You know in your heart who you are and what’s true to you. Sure, being yourself sometimes is boring, but trying to be something else will utterly destroy you in the long run. I've seen to many Christians fall or fail because they tried to be somebody more important than they were. Don't let what other people say or think stop you from being yourself. They are not your judge-God is.

-You don’t have to be perfect to impress and inspire people.

Everybody has flaws and you know yours better than anybody else. You can't hide them because they will eventually come out. If you are being real with yourself and others you understand that perfection is only a perception. We are to strive to be holy and live as close to God as we can, but we do that because we love Him and know we don't have to impress Him. People who serve Christ with flaws testify to God's mercy and grace daily. 

Let people be impressed and inspired by how you deal with your imperfections through Jesus Christ your Lord. You don't have a license to sin, but if you do transgress you have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ.

Just be real with yourself, with others, and with God. That's all that really matters!

Be Real (Part 2)

Philippians 4:12 “I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: everywhere and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.

The greatest challenge in life is discovering who you are and the second greatest is being happy with what you find.  A big part of this is your decision to stay true to your own goals, hopes, and dreams. 

-Do you have people who disagree with you? 

That’s good because it means you’re standing your ground and walking your own path as directed by the Lord. Too many people are looking for the easy way or using their family’s reputation to gain respect. It’s better when you follow God’s plan and make the attempt to accomplish your goals without favoritism because of your name or heritage. People respect you more and become less disagreeable.

-Do you have people that try to keep you bound?

Skeleton’s are in everybody’s closet. Some will tie you up mentally and spiritually for years. They are the closest things to ghosts of your past. You are always wondering if they’re going to reveal that secret that could destroy your dream. Confess your past to God and get it out of the way. Do what you need to do to get rid of the bondage. If you don’t, it will hinder you from becoming who God wants you to be in the long run.

-Do you have people that lord over you?

 Sometimes you’ll do things considered crazy by others, but when you catch yourself losing track of time, that’s when you’ll know you’re doing the right thing.  That’s when you stop and realize that God made you to be you and others don’t control who you are. The only way that happens is if you give them the chance to rule over you.

I’m not talking about being disrespectful or unlawful, but allowing somebody to control your destiny is like being put in a cage with no door. God never intended that when He told us to submit to those who had authority over us. He didn’t make you the doormat, but He led you through the door.

You are the only person who can decide to be real or fake. What will your choice be?

Be Real (Part 3)

1 Thessalonians 5:14-23 "Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men. See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men. Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. Quench not the Spirit. Despise not prophesyings. Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. Abstain from all appearance of evil. And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ."

Negative company does have some advantages if you like pain, misery, and agony. There are seven things that come to mind very quickly. They are:

-A bad attitude.

Negative people have the worst attitude all the time. They see nothing good at all in anyone.

-Low self-esteem.

Hanging with the wrong crowd can make you feel bad about yourself in every area of your life.

-Heartaches and troubles.

Your troubles will only increase 

-A desire to be angry at the wrong people.

-Unholy habits.

-Unhealthy thoughts.

-Non-satisfaction with your current status quo.

Don’t let negative people get to you.  They can’t pull the trigger unless you hand them the gun.  Remember that keeping the company of negative people is a choice, instead of an obligation.

God wants you to free yourself from negative company. He wants you to keep company with compassion instead of anger, generosity instead of greed, and patience instead of anxiety.

Postive People (Part 1)

People who carry a positive outlook are healthier and more productive than their negative peers. They catch fewer colds, deal better with life’s daily struggles, and may even live longer thanks to reduced levels of stress. Being positive is not an inborn trait bestowed on a lucky few, but it’s a skill that can be learned. 

Most people get irritated by those who seem “too positive,” but this is usually an unfortunate misinterpretation of the difference between a positive person and an idealist.

A positive person is neither naive, nor in denial, nor blind to the realities of life. They just believe in the complete usage of all available options, no matter how narrow the supply.  As a result, positive people can see the bigger picture.  They can more accurately visualize and manage the present possibilities.  In other words, a positive person is simply a realist about what can be more than what could be.

An idealist focuses only on the absolute best perspectives of situations and ignores the negatives in total denial to reality. A pessimist sees no possibilities at all, while a positive person endeavors to see all the possibilities so they can find the best possible option among them.

As a child, you inspired yourself on a daily basis.  You ran, jumped, swung, sang and danced openly without a care in the world, and without worrying about what everyone else thought of you.  You didn’t need anyone else’s constant approval, because deep down you knew you were amazing.

As you grew into adulthood, the pressure from peers, media and society as a whole began to wear on you.  You started comparing yourself to everyone around you.  You judged and measured your body, your lifestyle, your career, and your relationships against other people’s lives.  When you realized that many of these people have things that you do not, bitterness set in and you gradually stopped appreciating all the great things you do have in your life.

Positive people defend themselves against this self-dislike in two ways. 

-They get back to trusting their own intuition when it comes to their daily activities.  They stop asking for everyone else’s approval and simply do what they know in their heart feels right. 

-They don’t judge themselves against a set of unrealistic, third party ideals. They let go of the thoughts and instead hold on to the belief that they are always good enough just the way they are, even as they grow into a stronger, wiser version of themselves.

God made you special and don't forget that one fact. If you become what He desires you've accomplished a whole lot.

Positive People (Part 2)

In order to be a positive person , you have to be generally content with your life.  In order to find this contentment, you have to look within yourself.  Happiness, after all, is an inside job based on what you accept about your life.

If you look for happiness outside yourself, by attaching it to a specific achievement you much reach, you will have two big problems:

-You may never succeed or finish.

If you feel like something is wrong with you and needs to be fixed, but you continuously fall short of fixing it, you will start yourself on a downward spiral where every time you fail to fix it you feel even worse.  Eventually you will be unable to succeed simply because you no longer believe in your ability to do so.

-You may succeed and decide you want even more.

If you feel like something is wrong with you and needs to be fixed, and you succeed at fixing it, you will likely find something new about yourself that needs fixing too.  Maybe you’ve lost 20 pounds, but now you want tighter abs.  Maybe you’ve paid down your debt, but now you want a bank account with a million dollars in it.  You get the idea.  It’s a never-ending cycle for your entire life.  You never reach it, because you’re always looking for happiness from external achievements.  You don’t find the happiness from within so you look to other sources.

Positive people distinguish achievement from happiness and give themselves permission to be happy without the need for anything more.  This isn’t to say that they are complacent.  They still set goals, work hard, help others, and grow, but they learn to participate joyously in the journey, not the destination.  

You are only as good as the company you keep, and misery loves company.  If you spend too much time around negative people, there’s a strong chance you won’t find much to be happy about.  Do yourself a favor and stay away from other people’s negativity.  Surround yourself with positive, emotionally supportive friends and spend time together doing things that make you smile.

As I wrote yesterday, being positive is a learned habit, and it is contagious.  If you surround yourself with people who could infect you with positivity, and then pass your new mood on to a friend or stranger via kind words or deeds you will help create more positive people to interact with.

The bottom line is that life is too amazing and short to waste time with people who don’t treat you right.  Surround yourself with people who lift you up when you’re down, and then return the favor when you’re able.

Positive People (Part 3)

Just because you’re a positive person doesn’t mean you’re not going to have bad days.  You will  because that’s reality.  Life isn’t always beautiful and bright.  A foundation of realism keeps things in perspective and helps prevent things from being blown out of proportion.

Expecting life to be wonderful all the time is wanting to live in a world in which things only rise up and never come crashing down.  However, when you recognize that the rising and crashing waves of life are part of the exact same thing, you are able to let go and be at peace with the reality of these ups and downs.  It becomes clear that life’s ups require life’s downs.

It’s not always what happens that determines your mood, but how you verbalize and express what happens that counts.

-When a positive person experiences a round of success he might say, “That’s just as I had anticipated; I studied hard and my work has paid off,” while a negative person might say, “Man, I was lucky to get a good grade on that test,” not giving himself any credit and literally snatching his own defeat from the hands of victory.

-When a positive person encounters a do-it-yourself project he can’t figure out, he’s likely to think something like, “Either the instructions I’m following are unclear, or this project is going to require a bit more effort than I thought. It could be I’m just having a rough day.”

A positive person uses positive thoughts to keep the struggle outside himself, specific, and temporary, while the negative person would likely get down on himself and interpret the same struggle as internal, widespread, and everlasting.

Follow positive footsteps by speaking to yourself in a more positive way regardless of whether you succeed or fail, and you’ll gradually become more optimistic.

Physical body language is also important.  Your smile actually influences your mood in a positive way.  When you feel down, your brain tells your face that you’re sad, and your facial muscles respond by putting on a frown, which in turn conveys a message back to your brain that says, “I'm feeling unhappy.”  You can flip the switch on this reaction by adjusting your facial muscles into a smile so they don’t correspond to what you’re feeling.  This is a clever way of sending a different message back to your brain: “Hey, life is still pretty good and I’m doing OK.”  Your brain will respond by gradually changing your mood accordingly.

Positive People (Part 4)

We all have struggles and suffer on the inside. 

Every day:

-We worry and fret.

-We procrastinate or move backward.

-We feel overwhelmed or stressed.

-We feel angry or frustrated.

-We feel loneliness or sad.

-We don’t feel good enough to please ourselves let alone please anyone else.

-We wish we were thinner, smaller, or could fit into yesterday's fashions.

-We wish we had more money or more stuff.

-We wish our jobs were different or the results meant more.

-We wish our relationships were different or had stronger meanings

-We think everything in life should be easier instead of getting harder the longer we live.

Most of our struggles are self-created.  They are real, only because we have created them in our minds.  We have attached ourselves to certain ideals and fantasies about how life has to be in order to be good enough for us or us good enough for it.

We worry because things might not turn out how we expect.  We procrastinate because we fear discomfort and failure.  We feel overwhelmed because we think we should be further along than we are.  We feel angry because life should not be this way, but it’s all in our heads.

It doesn’t have to be this way.  At least not anymore. If you think better, then you can live better.  This is a choice only you can make.

Bring your attention to the present moment.  Focus on what’s here with you now. Don’t judge things against what they should be; just accept what they actually are.  Because once you accept reality, only then can you gradually improve it and change the negative into a positive.

See life as it is, without all the ideals and fantasies you’ve been preoccupied with.  Let go of all of those stressful distractions, and just experience this moment.

This moment is good enough as it is.  Just focus on it.  Be totally positive in it. You can go back to fretting about everything else in a minute.

Positive People (Part 5)

Tying your self-worth to everyone else’s opinions gives you a flawed sense of reality that can cause serious trouble when it comes to your confidence and happiness.  As human beings, we do it quite often.  From wanting others to think we’re attractive, to checking the number of likes and comments on our social media posts, most of us care about what others think.  In fact, a big part of this is an innate desire we are born with.  It has been proven time and time again that babies’ emotions are often drawn directly from the behaviors of those around them.

As we grow up, we learn to separate our thoughts and emotions from everyone else’s, but many of us continue to seek positive social validation from others.  In a recent survey 67% of 1,200 students admitted that their self-worth is strongly tied to what other people think of them.  Even though that isn’t a healthy way to measure your self-worth, it isn’t surprising that so many of us think this way.

We naturally respond to everything we experience through the lens of our learned expectations, which are a set of deep-rooted beliefs about the way the world is and how things should be.  One of the most prevailing expectations we have involves external validation and how others ‘should’ respond to us. Sadly, this kind of external validation has insecurity at its core, and relying on it for even a short time chips away at our sense of self-worth and self-confidence.

Our biggest problem is we tend to forget that people judge us based on influences in their own life that have absolutely nothing to do with us.  For example, a person might assume things about you based on a troubled past experience they had with someone else who looks like you or someone else who shares your same last name.  Therefore, basing your self-worth on what others think puts you in a perpetual state of vulnerability. You are literally at the mercy of their unreliable, bias perspectives.  If they see you in the right light, and respond to you in a positive, affirming manner, then you feel good about yourself. But if not, you feel like you did something wrong.

When you’re doing everything for other people, and basing your happiness and self-worth on their opinions, you’ve lost your moral center.  If you catch yourself doing this remind yourself of the truth:  What most people think of you doesn’t matter at all.

The Last Hour (Part 4)

Don’t be scared to let someone in when you’re in a dark place.  You know who this person is-Jesus! 

Don’t expect Him to solve all your problems. Just allow Him to face your problems with you.  Give Him the opportunity to stand beside you.  Faith won’t necessarily pull you out of the dark place you’re in, but the light that spills in when Jesus enters will at least show you which way the door is.

The important thing to remember is that you don’t have to face hard times by yourself.  No matter how bizarre, embarrassed, or pathetic you feel about our own situation, Jesus has dealt with similar emotions and He wants to help you.  When you hear yourself say, “I am alone,” it’s just your mind trying to sell you a lie.  Don’t buy it!  Turn to Jesus who loves you and let Him in.

-He is the light!

-He is the way!

-He is the truth!

-He won't leave you alone!

-He knows your needs and will supply them!

-He never changes!

When your last hour comes He will be there with you. Everyone else might be gone, but you can count on Him.

-Your failure won't stop Him from loving you.

-Your sins won't stop Him from forgiving you.

-Your faults won't stop Him from redeeming you.

Jesus will always be Jesus and that's what matters the most in your last hour!

The Last Hour (Part 3)

Life often leads us on journeys we would never go on if it were up to us.  Don’t be afraid.  Have faith.  Believe. 

-Believe in yourself through hard times. 

-Believe in your capacity to heal. 

-Believe that the answers are out there waiting. 

-Believe that life will surprise you again and again. 

-Believe that the journey is the destination. 

-Believe that it’s all worth your while.

Yes, you’ve been hurt.  You’ve gone through numerous ups and downs that have made you who you are today.  So many things have happened that have changed your perspective, taught you lessons, and forced your spirit and soul to grow.  

-Recognize the glory in this. 

-Appreciate your progress every hour and step of the way. 

-Give yourself credit for your resilience and how far you’ve come by trusting in the never-failing power of God.

-You’ve lived.

-You’ve learned.

-You’ve survived all your bad days.

-And you’re still here, growing.

The Last Hour (Part 2)

Where you are and what you’re doing at any given moment is absolutely essential because it is the only moment guaranteed to you.

-You are not on your way somewhere else.

-You are not progressing to a more important time or place.

-The present is not just a stepping-stone-it is the ultimate destination toward your last hour.

This moment is where your greatest opportunity lies.This moment is your life! It might seem obvious, but, again, we forget.  We all do, far more often than we’d like to admit.

All day, every day, many of us feel like the present isn’t enough. We feel like our life simply isn’t worthy of our full presence.  Because of this, we miss out on so much of life’s beauty and precious moments.

But what if we did the opposite? What if we accepted this moment, and everything and everyone in it as exactly enough?

What if we accepted the “bad” with the good, the letdowns with the lessons, the annoying with the interesting, the anxiety with the opportunity, as part of a package deal that this moment alone is offering us? What if we paused right now, and saw everything with perfect clarity?

Keep thinking about it…

-Would we live more meaningful and memorable lives?

-Would we have more beautiful stories to cherish and share?

I think we would.

So I think now is the best time to pay attention. Now is the best time to look around at your blessings of health, home, family, friends, work, and your momentary opportunities. Don't let this hour pass you by!

Now is the best time to notice the little fairy tales in your life and see what we’ve been missing all along. They won't always be there so take advantage of them today.