Archive for category encouragement
The All-American Gods Part 1
Posted by thelokey in encouragement, life, realizations, spirituality on June 27th, 2009
I recently shared with some students in our youth group two things that God never called us to have. I surprised myself since this particular “message” wasn’t planned or scripted in any way, just me sharing some thoughts on where God was calling us as individuals and as a group.
I also think these two things are the gods we worship in America, whether we’re Christians or not. Yes, I said Christians worship these false gods. I have worshiped them on numerous occasions. There two little god’s called “Safety” and “Comfort”. Neither one bad in and of themselves, but taken to extremes and vaulted over God’s call to discipleship, sacrifice, and obedience they become dangerous foes that can derail even the “godliest” of Christ-followers.
For example, every time I pray before going on a trip with students, I pray that God would keep us safe. Why? What if God not keeping us safe forces us to rely more heavily on His power, provision, and protection? Our parents never want us to experience danger because we might get hurt, but it’s through the hurt we experience that we grow to become more like Christ. It’s a pretty tough balance.
Obviously I don’t WANT bad things to happen to me or the people I love, but my desire for safety should never trump my desire to see God have His way in those lives.
So my question becomes, “Are we seeking safety or are we seeking God’s will?” Because the last time I checked, His will is the safest and most dangerous place we can find ourselves.
What a Difference a Day Makes
So, today would’ve been exactly 35 days away from me moving into our new apartment in Columbus, but that’s not going to happen. We received a phone call this morning from the apartment complex that the apartment we originally looked at was available to move in as early as Friday!
So while I was planning on patiently waiting for April 27th to start living and working in Columbus, God was orchestrating this new plan.
That’s not even the best part. Last night was an INCREDIBLE night at our youth services. It started out typical, but once I started teaching I could tell that God was up to something different. It came down to me teaching through one of my favorite passages, Isaiah 6:1-8. I won’t go into the details of what I talked about, but it came down to making a choice. I didn’t challenge the students to make this choice (the typical student pastor route), I made it. Right there, on the stage. The choice I made was to do whatever God called me to do. Whatever, wherever…no matter how hard or how impossible. I guess all it takes for God to take notice is complete abandonment of our will in exchange for His (sound familiar?).
I’m not saying that it’s going to happen the same way for you, or even happen the same way for me ever again. What I can say is that in this case, as soon as I let go, God changed things. I’m not sure what’s going to happen next, but anyone who says the Christian life is boring hasn’t lived it!
Pushing Through
Posted by thelokey in encouragement, life, spirituality on January 12th, 2009
I’ve been going through a spiritual dry spell lately. There’s a few things I’ve been working on and learning how to do, but nothing that’s really getting me excited. I’m still in love with God, but sometimes we don’t “feel” in love; but that’s when we must make the choice to love, even when our emotions run low.
So here’s a few things I’ve learned about pushing through a dry spell:
- Admit it – Until I reached the point of admitting I was in a dry spell, it really didn’t hit me. And it wasn’t just about admitting it to myself, it took me verbally saying it out loud to another person.
- See the patterns – Over the last few years I’ve noticed a pattern with my spiritual low points. When I’m paying attention, I can sometimes anticipate them and be ready. (Honestly, this most recent one blind-sided me and that’s made it worse because I’ve been beating myself about it.)
- Push through – The Christian life is hard, if it was easy, everyone would do it. I’ve been reading through the book of Job. Whenever I think I’ve been given a “bad deal”, it’s a GREAT reminder of how truly blessed I am!
What are some ways you’ve gotten through a spiritual “dip” or “low point”? Hope some of this helps if you find yourself in one down the road.
Before the Blog
Posted by thelokey in commentary, encouragement, personal on November 7th, 2008
So today I went through a TON of old email, sorting out the junk and organizing what was left. I tend to be a bit of a digital packrat.
One good thing that came out of this was an old email I haven’t read in years from “In the Den“.
Here it is, years before the blog started:
It’s a timeless piece of exhortation that still pricks me and my fear. I hope the original author didn’t mind me posting this. I didn’t bother asking. OOPS!
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