Questions & Purpose

COULD IT BE
Michael Mushok, Aaron Lewis, Jonathan Wysocki, & John April
Recorded by: Michael Card

CHORUS:
Could it be You make Your presence known so often by Your absence
Could it be that questions tell us more than answers ever do
Could it be that You would really rather die than live without us
Could it be the only answer that means anything is You


When Michael Card was cool, I didn't know who he was.  Quite frankly, aside from knowing him as one of the icons of Contemporary Christian Music, I still don't, really.  But the first time I heard him sing this lyric, which hasn't been but about 6-7 years ago (the song is much older), Michael Card became a part of that list of artists who brought us songs that changed our lives.  The verses are ok, but it was this chorus that really hit me!  And this week, years after hearing the song, God may have, for the first time, shown me why.

For my entire life, I've heard the old phrase, "Ye have not because ye ask not."  Scripture says, "Ask and you will receive."  Click on this scripture reference and see it again from the very mouth of Jesus!  These words would be in red letters of a red letter edition Bible.  Read John 14:13-14.  See the recurring theme?  This week, as I was doing my Bible study, I came across one other verse I want you to read.  Click this scripture reference: Ephesians 3:20.  So not only is God telling us to "ask," but He's also showing us in the latter verse that He can accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or imagine!

Ok.  Great!  God can and wants to do that for each of us!  But how many of you know that it don't always happen like that?!?  I've made the bad choices!  I've been to the bottom!  I've been the guy with the gun to his head vowing to take his life because I'd messed up, lost it all, and didn't know what came next!  And in that moment, when I was wanting the answers to those questions of what comes next, I ASKED!!!  Nothing.  No next step was given.  No trust building, faith building answer that I expected after all those sermons I heard about "asking God" and the "answer is already on the way."  BS!!!  (To be quite frank.)  It wasn't!  I felt just as alone as I was before I ever asked the question!

Then...this past week...it finally hit me.  I didn't need the answer.  I already had it!  Not to be cliché or steal an old lyric from André Crouch, but JESUS IS THE ANSWER!  In Exodus 3:13-14 (click on the reference to read it), Moses was being sent by God to lead the Israelites out of Egyptian bondage. So Moses asks God to give him God's name so that the Israelites will know that it really is God who is sending him.  "What's your name, God?"  "I AM."  God was the way out back then.  He parted the sea, took care of the pursuing army, the whole nine!  He made the way!

This happens throughout scripture.  He made a way for Joseph when his brothers sold him into slavery.  He made a way for Daniel in the lion's den, Noah on the ark, 3 Hebrew children in the fiery furnace, Jonah in the belly of a whale, David when facing the wrath of both Goliath and Saul, Paul when he was facing stoning, fed 5 thousand men and their families with 5 loaves and 2 fish, calmed the storm when fear overtook His disciples, died on a cross for the sins of the world, and conquered death and the grave when He rose again!  God makes the impossible possible, and the impassable passable.  THERE IS A WAY AND HIS NAME IS 'I AM'!!!

So then, if we know the answer, why ask the question?  And here is the precious gem of a lesson that God taught me this week: because we learn not just from asking the question, but asking the right question!  Think about it this way.  Remember algebra class?  I HATED algebra!!!  Almost failed it both years I had to take it!  They give you some ridiculous thing like: a + b/c = 32.  Then they'd want me to solve it!  I'm like, DUDE!  The answer is 32!!!  That's what the "=" thingy means!!!  DONE!! Move on!!  But we learn more in algebra many times from what's on the left of the equals sign!

I know so many people that hit their faith ceiling at God granting them a close parking space at Walmart!  They get out and claim, "I must be living RIGHT!"  Hey God gives me those kinds of spaces too, but I don't know about YOU, but I want to be known for more when I die than the fact i was consistently getting the best parking spaces at Wallyworld!!!  Here's the new math that I've learned for my life: my giftings and talents + my desire to seek the heart of God in all I do ÷ my willingness to obey = God's response and blessing in my life.  Now honestly, maybe not EVERYTHING can be boiled down to a formula!  God will not be bound by those!!!  But if you use this as a general rule of thumb...

See we spend our time asking things like:
   "Which job...?"
   "Who will I marry...?"
   "Should I go out to eat tonight...?"
It's not that questions like that don't matter to God, THEY DO!!!  But  God doesn't stop there!  Think past that!!!

So I hear you saying, "Alright, Mr. Smarty Jeans, what would YOU suggest I ask?!?  WHERE DO I START?!?"  Thank you for asking.  Let me tell you a short story and then I'll give you A place (not THE place) where you can start.

Alfred Nobel.  His last name is probably best known for being the namesake of the Nobel Peace Prize.  But it wasn't always that way.  Alfred made his money as an inventor.  Know what he invented that made him so wealthy?  DYNAMITE!  One day, Alfred's brother died.  The local newspaper made a mistake and posted that it had indeed been Alfred who had passed!  So the next morning, Alfred got the chance to do what I dare say few ever have, he read his own obituary!  A French newspaper titled it: The Merchant of Death Is Dead.  Upon reading it, he just couldn't let death be that for which his legacy would mark him, so he instead promoted peace and the Nobel Peace Prize was born.  (Thanks, Jamie Brandenburg, for sharing this story with me!)

I'm going to ask you to start by taking a lesson from Nobel.  I want you to write your own obituary and your own epitaph (that small phrase on your tombstone that will tell generations following you who you were: "loving husband," "devoted father," "gracious, kind and forgiving").  I don't think any of these would be your first choice:
   "Always got front parking spaces at Walmart"
   "#1 Manager in this district"
   "Had 3 houses and 10 cars...they're not here, by the way"

NO!  We want to know we left a legacy that made the world better than we found it!  It doesn't have to be global!  As a matter of fact, the very first place we're commanded to make a difference is in our immediate spheres of influence: families, friends, children, work places.  See?  Once you have what's on the right side of the equals sign (=), there are only so many problems/questions that can lead to that answer.  The answer dictates the question!  It's not just that we ask, it's what we ask!  Is it in line with God's heart for the world?  For YOU?!?

To find that answer, pray.  Ask God to let you see you through His eyes.  Give up your pride and your preconceived notions about you and just trust.  Look at the ways He has gifted you--spiritually.  I'm not talking about talents here.  Sometimes they're involved, but I'm speaking of your Spiritual Gifts.  Are you a giver?  Compassionate?  A Helper?  Teacher?  Pastor/Shepherd?  Leader?  Prophet?  Evangelist?  And the list goes on.  Those core gifts will be at the core of the purpose for which God has placed you here.  Those are the very DNA of God that marks who you are on this earth.

Remember our song that we started with?  "Could it be the questions tell us more than answers ever do... Could it be the only answer that means anything is You?"  YES!  They do!  And yes, He is.

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THANK YOU for stopping by!  Till next time...

Spiritual Neuropathy

There's a condition that I have called Neuropathy. It's in my feet and lower legs. See, I was diagnosed with Diabetes back in 2001, and the disease has resulted in this condition. The nerves received too much sugar in my blood and it killed them. There are no longer sensations of pain, heat, or cold. I could literally walk across scalding hot pavement and never feel any pain whatsoever. To me, it'd be no more painful than walking to my kitchen. I actually DID walk across hot pavement on June 6, 2009. Second degree burns on the bottom of both feet. My skin melted down to the very bottom layer. I never felt a thing. 

Now to some, this would seem a good thing! "YAY! NO PAIN!!! What could be wrong with that?" you might ask. Plenty. Pain is the body's way of letting you know there's a problem. If I could've felt the pavement was hot, I could've saved myself 7 months of healing, 2 foot surgeries, and 3 months of giving myself IV antibiotics every day. But I couldn't feel it and didn't know. 

I didn't write this blog to give you a medical lesson , though. Bear with me a moment. Neuropathy is caused from too much of a good thing. Sugar is absolutely ESSENTIAL to life! Let the brain run low on sugar, and bad things start to happen. Yet too much, and nerves die. The ability to feel dies with them. 

And isn't that what the enemy tries to do as well? Sure it is. Have one more drink. One more look. One more taste. One more dollar. One more purchase. One more _________ (you fill in the blank). Soon enough, the "one more's" become an obsession. Then a habit. And then they define your character. They change the way you act, respond, think, ...feel. And when you can't feel the things that used to give warning or bring you pause, you no longer have the ability to know something is wrong. You've pushed the Holy Spirit aside so much that's it's now just second nature. You've developed Spiritual Neuropathy. 

Have you ever found yourself doing something that years, months, weeks, days, even minutes ago, you would've sworn you would've never done? Search back in the recent time periods. Look at the decisions you've made. The compromised choices. The "this one time won't hurt's." The indulgences. The "one more's." You will find stop signs that you blew through that have landed you where you are today. 

So. Ok. I've messed up. Am I hopeless? Lost? What now? None of the above. But you DO need a time of reprogramming. You've programmed your Spiritual nerves to not work. But that's reversible!!! You just need to DAILY remind yourself who you are in Christ.

I've put some statements in a blog that are confessions of who you are in Christ. Look back about a month or so in the archives. You'll find them. Say them OUT LOUD DAILY!!! Yes!!! It makes a difference!!! OUT LOUD, please. Set up some accountability for yourself to ask the hard questions about your private life and to give you an objective point of view. This person needs to be a trusted mentor and Christian leader. And be in God's word daily!!! Let the Holy Spirit nourish your heart and liven the dead places again!

Please leave comments below! Ask questions! Tell your friends by clicking on the social media links and posting on your Facebook or Twitter or Google + accounts. It helps to know that these are being read and even helping YOU! I never know that unless you're doing these things and ESPECIALLY leaving comments!!! Thanks for sharing a few moments with me!

BIBLE: Leave 99 and Go for 1

Matthew 18:12-14 (MSG)

I'm one of those sinners.  I'm one of the ones who claims to have a relationship with Jesus, yet I've got a past that would lead some to question.  I'm not proud of my past at all!  I'm reminded of it every day because the devil makes it his business to do so.  But in the middle of one of my "past" seasons, I read the above referenced verse and it changed my life!  But first, just a little bit of background.

I'm not going to go into what all I've done.  It's really not important at all.  Suffice it to say that it was something that I shouldn't have been doing as a believer in Jesus, much less as a Worship Pastor in a church!  But I validated my poor choices because life, at the time, was hard for me.  I, and other staff members at the church where I served, were being abused by the Pastor.  There were many more before us (and some since), but I chose to ignore some red flags when interviewing for the job and went anyway.  So as a result, my experience was no different than that of my predecessors.  This hardship led me to believe I deserved something to make me "feel better."  How many of you have learned that life isn't based on how you FEEL?

What I thought was a hardship at the time was made to look like a cakewalk to the season that followed!  My wife and I lost EVERY friend we had (for two separate reasons) and for the first time in 20 years of marriage, we found ourselves alone with only each other.  For over a YEAR, we had ONE common friend that would get together with us when she could (which due to busy schedules only equaled to about 4-5 times throughout the whole time).  I was isolated.  My wife was there, but because of my mistakes, I was experiencing guilt, anger, bitterness, and brokenness.  I wasn't the model husband at that moment!

It took almost half of that year for God to get my attention and begin the healing process, a process which continues today.  I've come a long way, too!!!  But along the way, God took me to these verses listed at the top.  I had always thought that the 1 that the shepherd left the 99 for was in the category that the church world calls "lost."  (meaning someone who does not trust in Jesus as their Savior)  But that's not what Jesus is saying here at all!!!

The "1" was once a part of the 100!  He was a full fledged part already.  Initiation completed.  Name on the dotted line.  Wool imparted.  Black socks doled out.  This was a SHEEP!  And it was part of the flock!  It just wandered off.

Now, the majority of church folk will tell you that hey don't believe in a God that carries a lightning bolt waiting to strike down that heathen sinner who slides his toe across the Spiritual out-of-bounds line.  BUT, let one of their own mess up...DIFFERENT STORY!!!!  Suddenly it's almost like the whole bunch is pointing not only to the mess, but the mess-er!  We can't believe that one of our own would act like that!  "Why, scripture tells us we're to have no part of someone who does stuff like that!"  Oh no it doesn't!!!  That Matthew chapter 18 (from which the above passage is taken) we often refer to as being on "church discipline" isn't focused on that at all!  It's a chapter on how to be REDEMPTIVE with someone!  Here.  Read the whole thing for yourself and make your own opinion.

When shepherds watched over sheep, they carried a staff.  It was pointy on one end and had a crooked hook on the other.  The staff had three purposes.  First, it was a way for the sheep to see the shepherd.  It stuck high in the air and was taller than the shepherd, so it was easier for them to see.  Second, it was a weapon.  Wolves would be out trying to kill he sheep for a tasty meal.  And the shepherd, who genuinely loved his sheep much like we would a pet in today's society, would use the pointy end of the staff as a weapon against impending predators.  And third, it was a tool of rescue.  Sometimes the sheep would be about to get into danger, or would be in water and couldn't swim.  The hook on the other end would be used to reach out and hook the endangered sheep and pull him to safety.  Jesus was talking to shepherds here.  They knew EXACTLY what he was saying and telling them about the character of God!

When we stray, God doesn't leave the 99 to come and execute His wrath on us for wandering off!  NO!  The wages of our sin are still death!  The eternal part is handled if you're a believer, but not the earthly temporal!  He knows the wolf, the devil, is out there and that we're in danger!  That's right.  His leaving is a RESCUE MISSION!!!  He comes running, calling our names, and seeking us out.  And when He finds us, He doesn't rush over to us.  He knows that would startle us into thinking He is going to be angry.  Instead, He lovingly calls us back to Him.  And if and when we go, He scoops us into His arms and hightails it back to the 99 so that the family is under his safe watch again.

Now here's the hard part, yet it's beautiful at the same time.  The shepherd then breaks the leg of the sheep.  WHAT?!?  I can hear your gasps from here!!!  That's right.  Why?  He does it because though sheep are extremely dumb animals, they have remarkable hearing.  So He takes away their ability to run away by breaking their leg, but then He holds them and nurses them lovingly back to health.  AND as He does this, He always carries the sheep in His arms with the sheep's ears over the left side of His chest...because that's where His heart is.  See, a sheep, when used to hearing the shepherd's heartbeat, won't stray outside earshot of that heartbeat when it's once again released on it's own.  There may come a time when it starts to make a wandering move (it's a dumb breed of animal, remember?), but it will be a long while.

That's the way you truly redeem and treat a Christian who's messed up.  You bring them back in as fast as you can by gently calling them.  Don't bash them or panic and scare them away for good by displaying anger!  But doing everything in love, rescue them from certain danger.  Bring them in.  Hold them accountable by talking away some freedom, maybe.  But constantly surround them and cheer them on letting them know that you are there for them and want nothing more than to see them restored.  Then understand that it is the Shepherd who makes the decision when healing is done and releases them back among us.  That decision is not ours!  No matter how many "Christian counselors" we've been to, know, and have in our Rolodex.

This isn't what was done for me.  But it's what I'll do for someone!  My wife, my parents, and some people I didn't even know prayed for me while Jesus came after me.  I'm walking on my leg again.  It still smarts a little!  But I'm getting there.  :-)