Free Passes to the Circus

For the past six weeks I've been studying the rebuilding of the Temple and the city of Jerusalem. I love the story of God's gracious discipline of the people of Israel to teach them the importance of radical obedience. In the book of Ezra we learn that God raised up King Cyrus of Persia to release the exiles in Babylon to go back and re-populate and rebuild Jerusalem.

The first two chapters of Ezra talk about the return, and how it was the people God called by his Spirit who chose to take the risk of obedience and journey towards Jerusalem. At the conclusion of Ezra 2, we read about an offering that the remnant offered God upon their safe return.

Ezra 2:68-69 says,
"When they arrived at the house of the Lord in Jerusalem, some of the heads of the families gave free will offerings toward the rebuilding of the house of God on its site. According to their ability they gave to the treasury for this work 61,000 drachmas of gold, 5,000 minas of silver, and 100 priestly garments."

While studying this passage of Scripture, I read these comments by Warren Wiersbe: "This was undoubtedly a thank offering to the Lord for giving them a safe journey. The people gave their offerings willingly and according to their ability, which is the way God's people are supposed to give today."

When I read that quote it struck me as odd. As I processed my reaction, I quickly realized that my response was odd, not theirs. Their response was actually ideal.

Why did a group of people giving a thank offering to God make me feel strange? As I mulled over my surprise, I concluded that it was a by-product of Entitlement Christianity. Entitlement Christianity is a frame of mind that expects rewards for obedience. If the Israelites had been afflicted by this entitlement perspective they would have never given a thank offering. Instead they would have paused and waited for God to dole out free passes to the circus because they were assets to his organization.

The Israelites who offered thanks got it right. They understood that the opportunity for obedience demands gratitude. They recognized that the fruit of a successful journey is the by-product of the grace and mercy of God. It was God who gave them the opportunity to go, and it was God's power that enabled them to finish.

God help me understand the sacred privilege of obedience and deliver me from the self aggrandizing sense of entitlement that plagues me.

Is that God I See?

Periodically I receive some really weird stuff through email. I know you do, too. But I'm not just talking about those forwards from that guy who just popped into your mind. I'm talking about some bizarre stuff--like stuff God told somebody to tell me so I could tell you.

Yesterday I got something from a prophetess. Her name is Linda Somethingoranother and on August 29 she received the following warning "...from our Saviour about a pending apocalyptic event: 'A Methane explosion and tsuami (apparently the prophetess doesn't have spell-check) is going to bring complete devastation to the entire Gulf region. Reports about a pocket of methane the size of Mount Everest near the Macondo well-site are true. Wide speculation about an enormous methane explosion is well founded."

At one point in the correspondence the prophetess goes on to say, “My Lord, these are the words that the Darth Vader look-alike speaks...." Seriously, I couldn't make this stuff up!

While some of this stuff provides entertainment, there is an aspect of it that saddens me. Most of the people I know who are God-fearers would like nothing more than to hear from God, or see God, or somehow experience a breakthrough with God that assures them of His active presence in their circumstances. But because of people who are supposedly hearing from God through Star Wars action figures, we are less than confident of our interpretations of His activity in our spheres or his voice in our ears. Even if it turns out that a giant mountain of methane wipes out the gulf, I am going to struggle to believe that a Darth Vader-like character was the mouthpiece God chose to alert us. The sad part is that since Sister Somethingoranother is out there spreading her good cheer, we lose confidence in seeing and sharing God's work around us because we aren't interested in being associated with anything of the sort.

However, in my quiet time this morning God reminded me that He indeed still demonstrates His whereabouts and His activities to those who are watching. I was studying in the book of Zechariah, and in chapter 11 the prophet told the nation of Israel about a covenant God initiated with all the nations which was being revoked. In verse 11 he wrote, "It was revoked on that day, and so the afflicted of the flock who were watching me knew it was the word of the Lord." I am reminded of two important truths

1. The afflicted should look for God because he is our hope.
2. Those who look with the eyes of faith will see God.

Affliction has a way of forcing us to prioritize. When we experience pain or deficiency of the worst kind, we are compelled to eliminate distractions. The wise choice in pain is to prioritize God who is our one true hope. Through the true prophet Zechariah, God reminds us that when we look for Him through the eyes of dependent faith and hope, we will see Him and understand what He is doing.

Whether you are experiencing affliction or have been graced with a season of favor, let me encourage you to "watch" God today. Ask Him to show you exactly what He is up to. When he does, send me a note and tell me about it. As long as Darth Vader is not involved, stories of God's activity in the lives of His people always strengthen my faith.

On the lookout!

Lessons from Lewis

I don't know where I first heard it, but at some point along the way I heard someone say or sing; "Next verse same as the first." While the significance of that statement was largely lost on me at the time, its profundity continues to gain momentum in my mind. As I watch life lived around me and study the lives of those who have gone before me, I realize that there are essentially two paths that we follow. One path is the way of life and the other leads to destruction. On the path of light and life, the next verse is virtually the same as the first. On the path that leads to destruction, the next verse is the same as the first. The outcome is no respecter of persons. It does not take into account the sum total of good a person did along the way. There is abundance and peace on the narrow road that leads to life and carnage and destruction on the broad road of self indulgence.

That lesson was reaffirmed all over again as I read the concluding pages of the Stephen Ambrose bestseller, Undaunted Courage. It is the gripping story of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, told through the eyes of one of the world's greatest explorers, Meriwether Lewis.

I think I picked the book up because another book I was reading quoted Lewis' journal entry on his 31st birthday. The Corps of Discovery was about to tackle the seemingly unconquerable barrier of the Rocky Mountains. The daunting task before him, and the nostalgia of his birthday seems to have compelled Lewis to take inventory of his past and make some corrective resolutions for the future. He wrote:

"This day I completed my thirty first year, and conceived that I had in all human probability now existed about half the period which I am to remain in this Sublunary world. I reflected that I had as yet done but little, very little indeed, to further the hapiness of the human race, or to advance the information of the succeeding generation. I viewed with regret the many hours I have spent in indolence, and now soarly feel the want of that information which those hours would have given me had they been judiciously expended. but since they are past and cannot be recalled, I dash from me the gloomy thought and resolved in future, to redouble my exertions and at least indeavour to promote those two primary objects of human existance, by giving them the aid of that portion of talents which nature and fortune have bestoed on me; or in future, to live for mankind, as I have heretofore lived for myself."

Inspired by that quote and the success of the mission, I secured my copy of Undaunted Courage hoping to gain some leadership insight from this great leader. Though the ultimate lesson was shocking, I was not disappointed.

There were a few lessons I relearned that bear repeating:

1. The necessity of unwavering hope and optimism in a leader. The day Lewis first laid eyes on the Rocky Mountains provided a bittersweet moment. The headwaters of the Missouri River were within reach, but as Lewis wrote, "When I reflected on the difficulties which the snowey barrier would most probably throw in my way to the Pacific, and the sufferings and harships of myself and party in them, it in some measure counterballanced the joy I had felt in the first moments in which I gazed on them." However sobering, the sight ultimately summoned his ever-present optimism, "As I have always held it a crime to anticipate evils I will believe it a good comfortable road untill I am conpelled to beleive differently."


2. The importance of building a fantastic team. The lesson began at the top. Thomas Jefferson enlisted Lewis. Lewis enlisted Clark. Together Lewis and Clark enlisted an "A" team of people who made up the Corps of Discovery. Every member of the team was vested with mission critical responsibilities and given the freedom and the trust necessary to perform.


3. The obligation to fully leverage the resources with which you have been entrusted. The exploration west was a true expression Lewis' best gifts. He was curious, courageous and adventuresome. He loved the outdoors and he loved his country. Leading the Corps of Discovery to the Pacific Ocean was true to his nature as well as his nurture and in doing so he fully leveraged all the lessons life taught him.

There are certainly many other lessons packed in the pages of Undaunted Courage, but the one that is most impressive is the lesson of what happens when good people stay on the broad road of destruction. I am embarrassed to say that I had no idea how his story ended. It may be a by-product of my South Carolina education (just kidding), or more likely not paying attention the day my history teacher went over the tragic ending. Whatever the case, I had no idea that three short years after completing the assignment that would make him a hero to generations, Meriwether Lewis committed suicide.

He was suffering from depression, alcoholism, drug addiction, a staggering debt load and a failing administration as the Governor of the Louisiana Territory. On his way to Washington D.C., to account for questionable decision making, he did the deed. He was staying in a bed and breakfast 72 miles west of Nashville, Tenn. In the early morning hours of Octorber 11, 1809, he shot himself twice. He lived for several hours after the shots, finally found his razor and cut himself from head to foot. His servant found him alive and alert in a pool of blood. Among the last things he said were, "I have done the business my good Servant give me some water. I am no coward; but I am so strong, [it is] so hard to die." And with that Meriwether Lewis went to meet his maker.

Here was a wildly successful man whose hopes were pinned on worldly success, when he attained it in full measure. But in the end his successes left him empty and destitute. His is a sad story told over and over again on the broad road of destruction. Same song, different verse.

Culture Shock

Processing and then communicating the lessons learned on a mission trip is obviously one of the most important aspects of the journey but also one of the most difficult. Words and stories really don't do justice to the experience. It's not unlike trying to explain a life transforming encounter with God. Any attempt to communicate what really happened seems to diminish the sacred nature of the moment. To try and give speech to experiences that left us speechless seems futile.

But here we are, back from Southeast Asia, desiring to be good stewards of the experience, the stories, and the lessons that we learned in the "Land of Wonders." My plan is to tell some of the stories through our talks on Sunday mornings. God taught our team some wonderful life lessons through the people we met and the things we saw. It was our privilege to partner with some incredible believers. These are people who are in the extreme minority and in many cases have been ostracized by their families because they follow Jesus. Their efforts to reach their friends and family with the good news of Jesus was both inspiring and humbling. So you will hear about them and the things God taught us through their commitment.

However, I do want to try and communicate one lesson that I was reminded of due to the extreme cultural difference we encountered. At times the cultural difference was shocking, and while I don't know if I can say that I experienced culture shock, what I do know is that I was keenly aware of the fact that I was not at home in their culture.

The most pronounced difference I noted was the assault on my personal space. WOW! It felt like there were people all over me all the time. Unless you've been there, I'm not sure that you can actually comprehend what it means to experience such egregious personal space violations. One evening we were having dinner at the retreat center where we were staying for our leadership conference. (Ironically, I was doing leadership training for these Christian leaders who should have been training me.) We were meeting in a Catholic retreat center, so there were lots of people there who were not necessarily affiliated with our conference. One night about 8 p.m. we entered the dining hall to have dinner. There were around 15 to 20 tables, with four to six chairs around each. My five teammates were sitting at two of the tables and, since we were alone, I sat at a table between the two by myself (room to breathe). While we were eating, six men came in, went through the line to get their food and proceeded to select their table. I didn't really notice where they were going to land until I felt a chair bump mine. As I looked up one member of my group was motioning for me to slide my chair in to give them room. If you could have seen the look on my face. There were 12 empty tables in that room and they sat at the one that squeezed me. I wanted to say ... well let's just say that I had some questions that I would've liked to ask at that time.

Why would they do that? The only explanation is that there is no such thing as personal space. From their perspective it wasn't rude, or inconsiderate or intrusive at all. It didn't occur to them that sitting at that table would be an inconvenience to me because they have no concept of the sacred nature of my personal space. Looking back it is still inconceivable to me that they would select that table, but they did because they look at the world through a different set of eyes. It is a cultural difference that doesn't make one of us right and the other one wrong, it just makes us see and think about things differently.

As I have looked back at that night and realized how uncomfortable I felt in their place, I have been reminded of just how important it is to consider how people feel in our place. For many people, church is a culture unto itself. When unchurched people who are seeking truth visit with us, they experience something that is completely foreign to them. Some of the things that are completely normal to us would be discomfiting to them and could cause them to miss the beauty of our community and our CAUSE.

I know good and well that the group of men in the dining hall owed me nothing. They didn't have a problem they needed to fix. I'm the one who needed to make an adjustment. However, when people come into our space looking for the truth, the tables are completely turned. It's our responsibility to try to understand their perspective, and work diligently to put them at ease in our environment. We have to do everything in our power to remove the distractions so they can have a life transforming encounter with the living God.

Divine Design - Winning Communication

I am loving our series at Skycrest right now. Studying God's Divine Design for the family is extremely informative for me, but it is also inspiring. It never fails that a series like this helps motivate me to open the doors and clean out some neglected, cluttered closet in my life.

Looking at God's word about the family the past three weeks has done just that. I have reevaluated some of the bad habits I have formed and begun to tolerate as just the way it is; or just the way I am; or just the way it's going to be, etc. While it can be, and has been, painful to identify things that need to change, the hope of change keeps me going in spite of the humiliation of having to admit the need.

Last week was particularly difficult. I was studying about communication and in particular LISTENING. Ugggghhhhhh! You know how people say, "Your greatest strength is your greatest weakness." Well I generally agree with that, but as it relates to my listening, my greatest weakness is my greatest weakness.

The pain of this week's study has been somewhat akin to putting iodine on an open wound. It's supposed to burn for a minute and then be all better. But it's a minute that goes on and on like the Energizer bunny. What I'm trying to say is that learning the truth about listening has been painful, but hopefully is has been a good pain that will prove to be productive as I seek to be a better husband and parent.

If you were unable to be there this week, let me just encourage you to go to www.skycrestfamily.org and listen to the podcast called Divine Design: Winning Communication. It will certainly be worth your time because it will no doubt pay dividends for your family.

Let me share a couple of the points I uncovered through study that stuck me and have stuck with me.

The first one that I am still grappling with is the question that John Maxwell poses in his book The Winning Attitude. In his chapter on listening he asks: "Would you rather be interesting and impressive or interested and impressed?" OUCH! Honestly, I've spent my entire life trying to be interesting and impressive. Now I'm wondering if I accomplished anything more than making myself irrelevant.

The second observation that has been so poignant to me was a statement made by the German-American theologian and philosopher Paul Tillich. He wrote, "The first duty of love is to listen." Yikes. I only wish I could disagree, but I can't because I feel important and loved when someone listens to me.

The reason this hurts so much is because the little people in my life who need me to listen talk incessantly and say very little. For instance, they make up plays for basketball teams that wouldn't work in 100 years, and it takes almost that long to explain them. They talk about wanting things that I could never provide, and obtaining things that Bill Gates couldn't afford. These things matter so much to them and so little to me. But these precious little chatterboxes matter to me. While I love them with all my heart, I'm not sure I am fully engaged with the first duty of love. What if they had to fill out some sort of survey? What if someone told them that they could tell if I love them by the way I listen? I don't even want to think about it but I should.

What hit me this week is that if I don't listen to them now while their saying nothing, they probably won't be speaking to me when they're really saying something.

Are you listening?

Words to thrive by...

If you have listened to me teach much at all, then you know that I love the book of Ecclesiastes. It's so relevant and timely it could have been written at Starbucks by one of our own cultural interpreters. Like the unexpected appearance of an old friend in a season of loneliness, it's truth refreshes the soul and anchors perspective.

This morning I was reading in Ecclesiastes 5, 6 and 7 when two sets of verses leapt off the page to flag me down and remind me of the way to peace and abundance.

Ecclesiastes 7:16-18 says ...

"Do not be overrighteous, neither be overwise--why destroy yourself? Do not be overwicked, and do not be a fool--why die before your time? It is good to grasp the one and not let go of the other. The man who fears God will avoid all extremes."

Ahhh balance! Stay in the middle. Not too high, not too low. REMEMBER: this too, shall pass--whatever "this" is, good or bad, it won't last forever. So don't marginalize yourself or alienate others by dwelling in the extremes of overbearing righteousness or wisdom. Don't kill yourself for pleasure. Keep your wits about you. Remember who you are. Fear God and avoid all extremes. That's a good word!

And in the interests of avoiding extremes and not jumping to conclusions, Ecclesiastes 7:21-22 says ...

"Do not pay attention to every word people say, or you may hear your servant cursing you--for you know in your heart that many times you yourself have cursed others."

When we are hurting we look to hurt others--it's human nature. So there will be times when we wander into the crosshairs of people who are looking for relief at someone else's expense. Don't pay them any attention! Don't waste your time keeping score or feasting on their poison. They don't mean it anymore than you do when you curse them. Let it go. You'll be happier for it.

Bottom line ...

Avoid extremes!

Fear God!

Don't coddle the curses!

Now those are words to thrive by!

Fashionable Doubt

I have been rereading the accounts of the crucifixion and the resurrection this morning. I always try to put myself in the sandals of those who were a part of the story. I can't imagine being one of those ladies who went to the tomb on that Sunday morning expecting to find Jesus' body, only to be met by a couple of angels who told them that Jesus walked out of there alive. I suffer momentary panic when I go to retrieve my birthday checks and discover that the place of "safe keeping" is empty. So it's really difficult for me to fathom what it must have been like for them.

And what about Peter and the rest of the disciples? When they got the news that the tomb was empty, they weren't buying it. In Luke 24:11 the scripture reveals their mindsets in no uncertain terms: "But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense." That's about right! It seemed crazy to them that a perfectly dead human could rise from the dead and walk out of a cave.

I get that. It is crazy. But isn't that what Jesus said would happen? The angel reminded the ladies of his words. Luke 24:6-7 captures his reminder, "He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you while he was still with you in Galilee: 'The son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.'"

With his help the ladies remembered. And I'm sure when they recounted the story to the disciples, the eleven remembered his words, too. But those words were crazy. Surely Jesus didn't mean that he would come back to life: that’s pure "nonsense." You can't take him that literally, it just doesn't make sense.

What the disciples were experiencing was fashionable doubt. No one believed Jesus' words after he died on the cross. Death ushers in the moment when the proverbial "fat lady" sings. The game was over and they had settled into inescapable hopelessness as it related to their dreams with Jesus. But he didn't stay dead. Hope was not lost. He would rise again. He would keep his word for them just as he keeps it for us.

I'm not sure that we’ve really learned our lesson from the disciples because when it comes to taking Jesus at his word, fashionable doubt is still very much in vogue. What can we do about it?

We need to follow Peter and John's lead. John 20:3-4 says, "So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first." Even in doubt they ran to the tomb. They raced towards hope rather than running from it. Obviously doubt was still the fashionable choice because the other nine stayed behind. But they embraced hope and found that Jesus had indeed kept his word.

What about you? When doubt is fashionable which way do you run?

You ask: In the end why does it matter? That is a good question. Jesus was raised from the dead for all of them. He kept his word for those who fashionably doubted and those who fought through it. True enough. So what is the win for those who overcome fashionable doubt and traverse the narrow road of faith?

The reward is the joy that comes at the end of the journey. It is the thrill of victory when you didn't quit, the satisfaction of being able to say, "I knew it," when everyone else was jumping ship. There is great joy in staying the course, going against the fashionable doubt of others.

It was that joy that kept Jesus going and Hebrews 12:2 makes that fact abundantly clear. "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." Jesus stayed the course by hanging onto the joy that he would experience for finishing faithfully. And in the end he rose from the dead victoriously--just as he said he would.

What areas in your life are you currently experiencing fashionable doubt? Does God have a word for you? Don't miss out on the joy he has set before the faithful!

The Fast

Skycrest is fasting as a church. We are doing it to ask God to infuse our Easter Outreach Project (the feeding of the 400 families) and our Easter Worship Celebration with his grace. We are doing three, twenty-four hour fasts. It begins on Monday night after dinner and goes until Tuesday night at dinner. As we fast we are praying through Isaiah 58:6-12, a beautiful passage of scripture. Last week was easy. But today, uggghhh!

I'm struggling today. I don't feel good. I don't want to do it. I feel sort of tired and completely over it. Denying myself is just not my cup of tea.

I've been tempted to eat something and I could find a million reasons to eat, but the most understandable, the easiest self-sale is that I don't feel good and I'm having a hard time being productive. So I've been trying to talk myself out of eating by reminding myself that that I made a commitment, that I'm not a quitter because I finish what I start.

As I was going through all the reasons to stay the course, I realized that I was in danger of missing the boat altogether. I'm not doing this to keep myself from eating, I'm doing this to keep myself praying. So I'm not a loser if I eat, I'm a loser if I fail to pray.

So when I'm finished here I'm going to pray. I'm going to tell God how I feel. I am going to confess that usually I eat without gratitude. I am going to tell him how I count on food more than I count on him. Then I'm going to thank him for feeding me in spite of my sense of entitlement.

When I'm finished confessing, I'm going to ask him to help the spiritually and physically needy through me. I'm going to thank him that we are called to do something for the Clearwater Community that we couldn't do without him. I'm going to ask him to show up in an unmistakable fashion on the 1st and the 4th of April. Finally I'm going to ask him to give me success with the people he wants me to invite to church to celebrate Easter.

And then when I'm hungry I'll do it all again (I hope)!!!!

I Have a Question for You

At Skycrest we have been going through what we are calling a 60/60 experiment. The idea is that every 60 minutes for 60 days we have some sort of alarm, chime, or buzzer sounding that reminds us that we are called to live in the continual presence of God. When the alarm sounds we are to pray, quote a memory verse, or do some sort of assessment about our last hour before God.

That may sound gimmicky to you, but please don't knock it until you've tried it. What I have learned is that I'm not as well connected as I thought I was. The number of times I have been caught completely unawares by that beep and what it stood for is alarming, and the number of times that I've responded inhospitably to the reminder of God's gracious presence is disappointing. But I am grateful for my beeping watch, even though I don't act like it sometimes. Hopefully a habit is forming while I am transforming, but I won't really know until the fruit grows and the inspection is complete.

As we have been going through this experience/experiment, a question has been taking shape within me. It's a question that I have always known the answer to, or at least had an answer for, but now I'm not so sure.

The question: Is God really all I need? Can all of my deficiencies as they relate to living righteously be met by the presence of God? Is it really God and nothing else?

What do you think?

I'm not so sure it is God and nothing else. This may be heresy, but I don't think so. There have been times throughout this experiment when I was conscious of the presence of God and yet I was still hosting thoughts or ideas that were not pleasing to Him. There have been times where I have been sitting in the light and yet savoring the thrilling darkness of vengeance. There have been times when I was praying to God about serving other people, and yet refused the next opportunity to do so.

As I look back over my life with God, I see times where I have been walking in darkness and God was trying to tell me to quit, get out, or let go. However, I refused to do so until someone else flipped the light on for me and let me see the darkness from their perspective. I had God and his still small steady voice. But what I really needed was accountability with skin on.

Is this why when Adam was in the garden before the fall and he had uninterrupted fellowship with God that God described the scene as "not good?" He had God. What else could he possibly want? What else could he possible need? Isn't God all we need, or did he put a human shaped hole in our heart beside the one he fashioned for himself?

Jonah Slept! Could You?

I have been studying the book of Jonah the past couple of weeks and there is a scene in the beginning of the book that has been bugging me. It takes place right after after God tells Jonah to go and launch an evangelistic campaign the likes of which the world has never seen. The assignment is to go to Nineveh and turn them towards God. Though Jonah was the Billy Graham of his generation, he refuses to go because of his hatred for the Ninevites. They are a despicable group of people who consistently break the unwritten rules of warfare by brutalizing the women and children of their enemies. Jonah's bitterness toward them is rooted in the reality that the Jews have been victimized by their brutality and Jonah wants no part of helping them.

So when God calls Jonah to go and lead the Ninevites to repentance, Jonah runs. He would rather God wipe them from the face of the earth then give them a second chance. So Jonah heads off in the other direction, for Tarshish.

You know the story: Along the way God sends a storm that's so violent that it threatens to break up the ship. The sailors surmise that their only chance of survival is to lighten the load by throwing all the cargo overboard. It was all hands on deck!

But there was one set of hands not on deck - Jonah's. Jonah 1:5 says, "But Jonah had gone below deck, where he lay down and fell into a deep sleep." I don't get that, and apparently I am not alone. The next verse states, "The captain went to him and said, 'How can you sleep?'" That's what I want to know. How could he go down there and sleep? Sleep is supposed to be the by-product of peace, found in the center of God's will. This story messes with my theological constructs and tampers with my formula.

There's a similar story in Luke 8. This time it's Jesus and his disciples in a storm of such power that they are convinced they will die. When the storm is fully raging, Jesus, like Jonah, is asleep. The disciples wake him up presumably to die with them. They can't believe he's asleep. He points out the deficiency of their faith and we are left to assume that Jesus' faith and confidence in the future is what enabled him to sleep peacefully in the midst of the storm.

When I look at those two stories, I can understand how Jesus could sleep. But when it comes to Jonah, I am with the captain. How could he?

When I project myself in that situation I just can't imagine being able to curl up and go to sleep. The disobedience; the running; the storm; the cargo; the lives of the sailors; I assume all of those factors would keep me ill at ease and therefore wide awake. But not Jonah and truth be told maybe not me either.

I've come to the conclusion that I'm not really surprised, just a bit self-righteous. The truth is, instead of judging Jonah, I need to secure a set of industrial strength tweezers to pluck the log out of my eye.

We all have the capacity to turn our backs on what God wants us to do, and then somehow "come to a peace" about our decision. I know I have done it and I feel reasonably sure that you have too. The fact is, it is amazing the things that we can "come to a peace" about that are in direct disobedience to God's commands: adultery; refusing to forgive; stealing money from God by not giving; fostering division through gossip; judging others; the list goes on and on just like our sleep.

But don't be fooled eventually storms will wake us up. Neither Jonah nor Jesus were able to sleep all the way through it. They were both awakened because of the storm. The difference was that because Jesus did not cause the storm, he overcame it and sailed right on through while Jonah was consumed by the storm as a consequence of causing it.

The lesson is not to be fooled by sleep. "Coming to a peace" about something is different from enjoying God's peace.

God help us to be honest about our choices. Wake us up before we find a way to justify our behavior and end up consumed/swallowed whole by the storms of our disobedience.

What Might God Do?

I have a book that a friend gave me called, Letters of a Modern Mystic by Frank C. Laubach. He was a missionary on the island of Mindanao in the Philippines, who labored in relative obscurity until he began an experiment with God after his 46th birthday. The book is a compilation of letters written primarily to his earthly father about his desire to live in the continual presence of his Heavenly Father. This desire to transcend the physical and be continually attentive to the spiritual is what led to him being called a Modern Mystic, and literally launched him on the road to world changing significance (check out his bio on wikipedia).

I have been reviewing his book as we get ready for the Revolution. We launch formally on 1.31.10. I can't wait. If you are serious about becoming a fully devoloping follower of Christ then you need to commit to being a part. It is going to be a fabulous experience as we lead people through the same sort of disciplines that Frank Laubach embraced as he sought to fully experience God.

As I was rereading his book the other day, I came across a prayer that he prayed that has challenged me. The heart of the prayer is this:

God, what would you put in my mind today if only I were large enough to handle it?

In other words, what would God give me if my faith was large enough to receive it? What does God see that I could see, if I truly had His perspective? What might God do with me, if I had the faith to fully cooperate?

I challenge you to open your heart to the possibilities. Make Rev. Laubach's prayer your prayer, and follow God's lead.