Why I Blog or Why I Don't Blog

I remember when I started my Blog, it was for a very specific reason. I had just left my Youth Pastor position where I had preach at least once a week virtually every week. I was used to having a voice and sharing the things that God was doing in my life as well as sharing the things that were going on in my head. Suddenly, I found myself without that outlet and feeling a very specific itch. On the spiritual side I wanted to preach, but on the human side there was the simple need to be heard.

The Blog was a perfect outlet for that, not to mention that there was so much God was doing in my life at the time that I had plenty of material. In fact, I had intended to blog about whatever passed through my head, but life was so deeply spiritual that I had little else to talk about. However, once school started I found a new outlet. While academic papers might not be as much fun as a blog they tax the same area. Thus, I find myself back to the good old Blog.

They Call You What?

Romans 1:1, "Paul, a bond-servant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God.

I couldn't even get past this verse in my devotion time today. It struck me so hard that Paul knew who he was. I've never read a scholar who thought Paul had a problem being confident.

There is tremendous confidence that can come from knowing who you are, and equally important, knowing who you are not. How many people today would say, "I know who I am" with no hesitation or question. If you can't, think about how inspiring it would be to know that answer.

If you know you are a football player and someone offered you ice skates you would know "that's not me". If you were a writer and someone gave you a paint brush you know "that's not me". If you are a photographer and someone gives you a camera you know exactly what you are doing and are greatly confident in using it.

So what was Paul?

1) He was Paul
2) He was a Bond-servant (Actually I think I talked about this already.)
3) "He was called as an apostle."

There is a little room there for ambiguity, one could read it Paul who is called an apostle. It would be something like Mike who is called a garbage man or Sarah who is called a waitress. This would mean that you are called thus because people choose to call you so. It is an external identifier placed on you by man

Paul does NOT understand it in that way.

Paul understands that he is called an Apostle by God, in fact he was called to be an apostle by God. The usage of the word κλητός (called) in the Greek means called to an office ie. apostle or even better to be "divinely selected and appointed". "Apostle" is a characteristic of Paul's very being. that comes from God selection and appointment.

We cannot allow the surface things or man made titles to dictate who we are. There is a divine calling each of us to be what God desires. While it might not be as earth shaking as Paul's calling turned out to be, it is as important to God. Your calling might not have as neat and tidy a title as Paul's but it was named by God before the foundation of the earth. Today, God does place the same expectation on me and you as he did on Paul, to be obedient.


What is the voice of God calling you as?

The Director

If you have done much reading for novels or other types of narratives you will notice some types or patterns. I'm no English major, but I have managed to notice a few. There is the reluctant hero like Frodo, there is the willing hero like King Author, and even the tragic hero like jack bower (he is written in the script before filming). There is another type of character that I have noticed, I don’t know if there is an official name, but I will call him the “director”. '

The director is a character, who knows what is going on behind the scenes. He usually will not share this information with the protagonist. However, as the reader you will quickly get the idea that the “director” knows more than anyone else. For example he knows that the main problem can be solved by “whatever thing”, (a ring, a sword…) but he fails to mention that there will be all sorts of hardship before that can happen. What typically happens is that the hero will face one of those challenge and question the director as to why there was no warning, he may even lose some of his confidence in the director. Personally, I often find myself annoyed at the foolish characters who won’t just listen to him. The director actually has the ultimate best in mind, the character and the world. His goal is to solve the main problem; it is not to provide for each and every person’s perfect happiness.

It might be a stretch for some of us to picture God in this way. Nevertheless, is it not true that God knows the whole story? He sees the beginning and the end. While God’s plan might not result in you having everything you think you need, His plan does have your ultimate best in mind. Furthermore, in His interaction for humanity He has a final purpose, and it is bigger than the individual. That is not that an individual person is unimportant rather for those who have joined the adventure with God He is implementing them for His grand purpose.

Blog Post #11 with Guest Star Rick Warren

This past Wednesday, Thursday and Friday I went to Catalyst West. There were a ton of speakers.

I heard all of these people...

Andy Stanley Charlene Li Dallas Willard Don Miller Erwin McManus Eugene Cho Kay Warren

Louie Giglio Mark Driscoll Reggie Joiner Scott Belsky Wess Stafford Chris Tomlin John Ortberg

And Most of these people…

Susan Isaacs Tony Wood Anne Jackson Carlos Whittaker Cue Jean Marie Dan Kimball Darren Whitehead Dave Kinnaman Dino Rizzo

Eric Mason Eugene Cho Jeanne Stevens Jedd Medefind Jim Belcher Jon Acuff Jon Tyson Scot McKnight Soong Chan Rah

John Ortberg Jud Wilhite Justin Mayo Leroy Barber Margaret Feinberg Mike Foster Mike Goheen Michael Hyatt Lisa Sharon Harper

I'm not offended if you didn't read the whole list, because the point is there were dozens of speakers with lots of wisdom to impart. I thought to myself there will be some great stuff, I'm sure I can have something good for the blog. So let me share with you the number one lesson I learned at Catalyst. (#catwest if you use twitter)






That might not really seem very clear or very important so let me explain it a bit. The guy in the green shirt getting prayed for is Arthur. He is an employee of the bookstore or the cafe to the right of the screen (we are on the Mariners Church campus). He has some observable physical difficulties including speaking troubles, yet he wants to be a Pastor. He is interested in ministry on the internet where that won’t be an issue.


The guy sitting and praying is Rick Warren the Pastor at Saddleback Church; a church of 20,000 + attendees. He is also the author of the "purpose Driven Life" and has sold over 40 million books. I'll be honest, I'm at LEAST a little impressed, and I can only imagine that he is a tad busy.

When Arthur walked by the table he immediate realized who was sitting there and stopped to talk to Rick. I watched them interact the entire time; I knew to keep my eyes on this exchange. Rick never made it seem like he was put out or to busy to speak with someone even though he had been in the middle of lunch. After praying for Arthur, Rick said to him, this is your commissioning. Go and do the things that you dream about, pastor a flock, get an education, don't let anything hold you back.

Even in the midsts of all life's business and a table full of people who wanted to hear from him. Here was a man who was able to see the need of "one" who would have been insignificant to so many.

Later I went over to Rick to say thanks for the lesson. His response was "Go and do likewise"

The Lies We Sing?

I surrender all
I surrender all,
I surrender all;
All to Thee, my blessed Savior,
I surrender all.

Jesus, I surrender
Jesus, I surrender
I draw nearer, I fall down
Master, be my Savior
Be my shelter, be my Go

I’ve sung and prayed these words thousands of times and I thought that I meant them. Nevertheless, I am confronted with the fact that I told God my life is in His hands, yet when He called me on it I can hardly cease asking to be released from this place. Are the words that I sing just lies? We say that He is the one in charge, so why do we so constantly question Him. Why is that our time of being close to God consists of telling Him how he may lead us.

Perhaps, this discrepancy can best be illustrated by the prayers of commitment that we pray. I can’t tell you how many times I have given and heard a call for salvation or recommitment to God. I know that each and every time I lead that prayer, I prayed about forgiveness and repentance of sin. I know that many times I talked about Christ as savior, and I think I talked about Him being Master. The very fact that I can’t clearly remember taking about the submission that goes with salvation shows how little I have really valued it. Let me ask what speaks more of a recommitment; turning from sin or submission to God. To me submission to God encompasses following His commands, but even an abhorrence of wrong doing does not equate submission to God.

Paul said that he was a bond-servant to Jesus. How foreign that concept is to the modern Christian. If we are servants how can we spend so much time dictating to God and so little, if any, listening to him. If we are Christians how can we possibly balk at being commanded to serve the Master (not to mention serving someone else).

The bottom line is this; we are servants of the Master. He commands us and He places us where He desires. That is what I signed on for when I committed my life to God. How dare I complain that God would take serious the commitment I made to Him? However, there is good news; a bond servant is not paid wages, they do not have lives apart from the Master, they do not even have rights, but they are provided for. The Master takes on responsibility to feed, clothe, shelter, protect and in all necessary ways provide for the servant. I can rest in servitude to Christ, there is freedom in bondage.

The Rescuer

Play this song if you have it while reading this.




When lifeguards are being trained one of the things they learn is the proper way to hold the one being rescued. Sometimes the one who is being rescued doesn't know what's best. The rescuer has to take charge. Because the rescuer knows better

I have prayed more than a few times, God rescue me from the situation. I am in a dessert place, I can't find my way out, and I am completely helpless. Today His response to me was "this is where I am". As much as I want to get out of this land of in-between, this is where God is. To try and leave this place would be to leave God.

When Israel passed through the wilderness, God led them, I'm sure there was a faster way through the desert, but was there a safer way. The center of God's will is the safest place in the world, whether you are in the bush of Africa, the mission-field of Sudan or Southern California.

Sometimes the one in need of rescue is the one least capable of seeing what help is needed.

Like the Air that I Breath

I was a told a story once, time has blunted much of the detail, but I think it was true nonetheless.

A youth asked his spiritual leader, "How can I find God?" The older man brought the boy to the fountain in the court yard. Without warning he forced the youth's head under the water and held it there for a moment. When he pulled the younger man's head out of the water he asked, "Do you want to know God?" The student was so stunned that he did not answer.

The elder again forced the student's head into the waters of the fountain. This time he held it there much longer. When he was pulled out of the water he was again asked, "Do you want to know God?" He did not hesitate to answer, "Yes!"

For a third time the leader forced the pupils head under the water. He held it their far longer until the student began to struggle. However, the master did not relent. He held the boy there till the last possible moment; just as his struggles began to lessen. He then pull the boy's head form the fountain. He again asked, "Do you want to know God?" His student was lying on the ground gasping for breath completely unable to speak.

The master looked at him and said, "When you want to know God as badly as want air then you will find him." Isaiah 55: says. "Seek the LORD while he may be found."


Have you ever need to hear from God? In the past months I have come to a new understanding of the verse in Matthew 4 where Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'"

There comes a point when I am so fearful, so desperate, so discouraged that I cannot go on. I can't face the seemingly insurmountable obstacles in my life. Those are the times when I can only throw myself at the foot of the cross. I have been on my knees or on my face in prayer and I cannot continue with a word from the Lord. If God does not help I cannot go on. When the desperation for God is like the desperation for air, He never fails to meet me. Somehow simply being in His presence can affect me. There is a connection of my spirit to His, in which a great exchange takes place. Like oil He covers me with joy in exchange for my sadness. He lifts my countenance as I wallow in the muck and mire.

Be Careful What You Ask For

I heard a true story once about a man who told God that He (God) was more important than anything else. God said to the man, "Do you mean it?" The man again told God that he would give up all that he had for God. The next day there was a fire in the house, it was totally destroyed, and nothing escaped the fire except the man and his family.

I have been told, perhaps warned, that you should be careful what you ask for.

How often have we said or even sung, "Lord, I want to know you more." How about this "Lord I want to have more faith" or "I believe, help my unbelief". Do we ever think about how that might actuality come to be? I have never known God to just mystically transfer these things to the person asking. Just as a muscle doesn't develop overnight from sheer desire, it takes time and work.

It's no secret that my life has been in a state of... change. There was a time no so long ago I asked something similar to one of these questions. I can remember thinking something along the lines of "life is good" and so "nothing is driving me to my knees". In a good season of ease we pray out of our devotion to God. In a hard season there is an impetus that pushes us toward God. This is the working of the muscle. We are developed by God during the hard seasons.

A New Normal

I find myself in a time where I have to rely on God like never before. At times I feel like I am in the midst of a test and that during this test I have to hold on to God in a new way. While this analogy is horribly insufficient, it’s like I had been holding on with just one hand and now I need to hold on with both hands.

So as I pray I'm asking God what’s your purpose in this test, what do you want me to learn, help me to persevere, help me to make it though, and things like that. The issue is that all my thought and prayers were treating this like it's a special circumstance, as if somehow the time when I need to hold on to God with all I have is just an anomaly. What I'm really praying is God I've had enough holding on tight can't we go back to the old way.

The amazing thing that God dropped on me is that this is the new normal. The purpose of this time is not to hold on tight till a storm blows over and then let go. Rather, the point is to learn how to hold on with both hands and to never look back. From now on the life that I lead requires two hands on God. This is no anomaly, this is normal.

On my Shelf

Last week at District Council there was a free book table. (My favorite table EVER) The book I got was Axiom.

I would defiantly recommend it, but let’s be clear it is a leadership book. If thats not your cup of tea, you won’t like this book.

Each axiom is 2-4 pages and there are 76 in total. They are completely standalone principals, though there are related ones. My favorite part of the book is the stories that illustrate each axiom. They come from years of leadership experience and that’s very attractive to me