Greatest. Muppet. Parody. Ever.
Enjoy the video and Happy Thanksgiving!
All posts by mjfelker1980
3 More: Books I’m Reading
Yesterday I posted about my desire to finish up before the end of the year the 10 or so open books that I have been reading. To continue with that post here are 3 more books that I’d like to finish before 2010.
ReJesus: A Wild Messiah for a Missional Church by Michael Frost and Alan Hirsch
Alan Hirsh wrote a great book called The Forgotten Ways a few years ago. That book was a call for Christians to bring the power and community found in the first century church to the here and now in order to make a great impact for the kingdom. ReJesus is about the source of that power and community: Jesus Christ. I have had this book waiting in the queue for most of the year and I am very much looking forward to getting into it.
So what’s this book all about? It’s all about Jesus, with direct implications for our discipleship, some radical challenges for our churches, and some suggested reformulations for our spirituality. In short, it’s about reJesusing the church. So this book is dedicated to the recovery of the absolute centrality of the person of Jesus in defining who we are as well as what we do. As hard as it is to truly follow him, we assert that we must constantly return to Jesus to authenticate as well as legitimize ourselves as his people. We have no other Archimedean point by which to set our coordinates or any other touchstone by which we can assess the abiding validity of our faith and to see if we are authentically Christian. The love of Jesus, and our commitment to live in conformity to him, is in effect an inbuilt spiritual mechanism at the heart of the church’s theology and experience that provides an instrument for our ongoing renewal. It seems to us that a constant, and continual, return to Jesus is absolutely essential for any movement that wishes to call itself by his name.
Fresh Start: God’s Invitation to a Great Life by Doug Fields
I’m not even going to deny it. I am a Doug Fields fan. I picked up Fresh Start in order to adapt it for my winter retreat but have found myself connecting with its message on every level. The message Doug wants to get across is that through Jesus, we have all been given a fresh start free from sin. Although we are to be controlled by the Holy Spirit many of us struggle every day to live free. Doug is a great, practical writer and Fresh Start is one of his best.
Here’s my confession: although I’ve been a follower of Christ for many years, there are still areas in my life that feel stuck. I’m talking about being spiritually stuck—bad habits that I can’t seem to get under control, nagging sins that never seem to go fully away, positive character traits I should have developed by now but that are still not apparent in my life. I desperately want to go forward and find greater maturity in my relationship with Christ, but it seems as though something is always holding me back from a fresh start. As a pastor, I always acknowledge I’m just one bad decision away from being a front-page scandal. (I’m sure you’ve read about some of my colleagues.) So for me, one example of me being stuck is connected more with my ugly thoughts (the ones I know I shouldn’t be thinking after thirty years of following Jesus), or the thoughtless, stupid words that occasionally fly out of my mouth (I should know better!). In short, the person I want to be (really want to be), well, I’m just not quite there yet. I feel bogged down in some areas of my life. Can you relate? I’m guessing you can.
The Power of Persistence: Breakthroughs in Your Prayer Life by Michael Catt
If there were one spiritual discipline that I would want to stand in the power of every single day it would be prayer. The Power of Persistence is a great primer on how to pray according to the scriptures. This small book has been a great encouragement to me this season and I can see myself revisiting it over and over.
The ups and downs of church history can be written in the prayer life of God’s people. The strength of the church has never been in programs, numbers, or events, but in prayer and obedience. God is not interested in our innovative methods. He is not impressed with our twenty-first century technology. God is still moved by the prayers of simple saints who learn in the quiet place to lay hold of the throne of grace. Prayer is not incidental to the work of God—it is the work! When God’s people face godless times, that’s when they need to turn up the heat in prayer. Tough times are no time for God’s people to sit by, cold and indifferent. As you read 1 Kings, you will discover that before the showdown on Mount Carmel, God was preparing Elijah in prayer. Elijah was learning how to ask God for the impossible and believe God in desperate situations. Before he ever stood on Carmel and confronted the false prophets, Elijah was a man of prayer and faith in the promises of God. All of us must be tested as to whether we will take matters into our own hands or take them before the Lord.
Pile Up: Books I’m Reading
It never fails, my reading schedule is clicking right along and then summer hits. It is a little hard to keep up with your reading when you’re driving a church van to camp or keeping tabs on all your teens while on mission trip. During the summer, cleaning out the church vehicle and running to Sonic on the way to an event take precedent over any book. Typically I catch up and finish most of the books that have languished unread on my nightstand or desk in October and November. I currently have about 10 open books right now that I would like to finish before the end of the year. 3 Books I’m currently reading and want to finish before the new year are:
Derailed: Five Lessons Learned from Catastrophic Failures of Leadership by Tim Irwin
Michael Hyatt, CEO of Thomas Nelson , wrote a great review/preview of this leadership book last week. I was immediately hooked. I downloaded it to my Kindle and actually began reading it this afternoon. The book profiles 6 well-known leaders and how they were eventually dismissed from their companies because of character flaws or lapses in integrity. The book has a Good to Great feel to it so I am very excited to dig into this one!
I chose to write about these particular leaders because they offered highly visible and compelling illustrations of individuals who derailed for the very reasons we can derail—a failure of character. I don’t mean failed character in the sense of dishonesty that results in fraudulent behavior, but rather compromised character in a broader sense—for example, hubris or being dismissive of others.This book has two primary objectives: first, to help us understand how derailment occurs—the real point of the six leader profiles; second, to help us avoid a cataclysmic train wreck in our own careers—the subject of the second half of the book.
Scouting the Divine: My Search for God in Wine, Wool, and Wild Honey by Margaret Feinberg
I love to read and when I can get a free copy of a book I was planning on purchasing that is good thing. At Catalyst Margaret Feinberg gave every attendee a copy of her latest book. Margaret previewed the book during her message at The 9s this fall and so I was very happy to find out we were getting the book for FREE! (I met Margaret on Thursday and she let the surprise slip).
What does it mean to know Jesus as the Good Shepherd when the only places I’ve encountered sheep are at petting zoos? How can I understand the promise of a land flowing with honey when I buy mine in a bear shape bottle? Is it possible to grasp the urgency of Jesus’ invitation to abide in the vine when I shop for grapes at a local grocery store?
Deep Church: A Third Way Beyond Emerging and Traditional by Jim Belcher
One of the ways I enjoy Twitter is following other ministers and reading about what they are reading. @MattChandler74 of the Village tweeted about Deep Church one afternoon telling me to make reading this book a “priority.” I took his advice and was drawn in to this deeply personal and challenging book. What has engaged me so much about this book is because I feel like I have one foot firmly planted in the traditional church and one foot placed in the emerging church. I have been shaped by both. These two movements are often at each other’s throats but Belcher is seeking a way to bring these two ideologies to a place were they can begin to trust each other. The book is all about discernment and understanding. Good times!
Seven years later, I remain an insider and an outsider to the emerging conversation. There are many areas of emerging theology and ministry which I wholeheartedly agree. They desire many of the things I embrace, and they dislike many of the things I don’t like about evangelicalism. But I also have deep misgivings about areas of thought and practice. I am caught in between, and am comfortable with this ambiguity. It allows me to learn from both the traditional church and the emerging church as I follow a different route the deep church.
I said I have ten open book right now. I’ll post about three more next. Until then…
Tear Down, Build Up
Our bodies are simply amazing. The wife and I have started a workout journey this week and I am fully aware of my body right now. My joints ache, my muscles quake, and I’m having a hard time doing anything without feeling a twinge all over. Today, especially, my hip flexors are on fire! I’m even uncomfortable sitting!
All joking aside, while I am sitting focusing on my aching body I know that I am in pain for two reasons:
1) All those hours sitting on my duff in front of the tv have put me way out of shape
2) The workouts have beat my muscles up but they are rebuilding themselves to be stronger, more flexible, and more powerful.
I know that this pain, caused by tearing down my muscles, is actually building my body up.
Our spiritual muscles work in much the same way. It is never fun to confess a sin or change a habit. It hurts when we begin to turn around and repent of our past. Starting up spiritual habits can be just as much of a challenge as ending bad ones but we are promised that this discomfort will truly be for our gain.
One of my theme verses for life is 1 Corinthians 9:24-27. In this passage we hear from Coach Paul as he encourages us to get away from our old, sinful lives and to get into the new life offered to us by Jesus Christ.
“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.”
Truth be told, my physical body needs to get it in gear, shed this weight, and get healthy. However, it would be a great tragedy if I ignored the one thing about me that will last forever- my soul.
My soul- our souls- get trapped in vicious cycles of sin and selfishness. Satan loves to whisper in our ears words of discouragement. He tells us, “You’re not good enough! God can’t change you and He does even want too. You might as well give up!” All lies! Satan’s native tongue is lying.
Don’t give up! Keep moving forward toward that which Christ has called us. He will heal you. He will change you. He does love you!
What are you doing today to connect with the Father? What is your workout plan with Jesus?
Spend some time in God’s gym today, shed the sin and the weight that keeps you apart from God, and press on!!!
Chase the Lion Week 3 Notes
This is the midway point in our Chase the Lion series. This week is all about reframing your problems. Each day brings it’s own set of problems, issues, and challenges. We can choose to view these problems through the world’s perspective and find ourselves crushed under the weight of life’s problems or… we can begin to see our problems through the frame of Scripture and find that God meets us and carries through anything that is thrown at us.
Chase the Lion Week 3: Reframing Problems
Reframe (verb): to recondition a mental attitude or outlook
Problem (noun): a source of perplexity, distress or vexation
In order for us to put our faith firmly in God we must learn to reframe problems. Life throws everything it has at us and we feel overwhelmed by the responsibilities, expectations, crisis, and problems facing us.
We shared stories though about people facing extreme situations- cancer, poverty, injustice, and death. The men and women, in the face of extreme problems, stood tall and proclaimed “God is Good!”
Have you ever wondered what it is that enables someone to overcome adversity? How can someone have that “God is Good” attitude in the midst of suffering? Their problems have been reframed. Rather than seeing a problem, they see an opportunity. An opportunity to worship.
“Who you are is not determined by your circumstances. The outcome of your life will be determined by your outlook on life.”
This isn’t some pithy, new-age, believe-and-achieve, feel-good statement. If you look at your problems through the frame of Almighty God and His Word- if he is bigger than your fears or problems- than you can begin to see as He sees. Your outlook will begin to be His outlook.
Scripture will reframe your perspective on everything:
It reframes your Identity (Who you are)
It reframes your Destination (Where you are going)
It reframes your Circumstances (What you’re going through)
It reframes your Legacy (What you leave behind)
“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” (Matthew 5:11–12 TNIV)
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” (James 1:2–4 TNIV)
“For you have been given not only the privilege of trusting in Christ but also the privilege of suffering for him.” (Philippians 1:29 NLT-SE)
Charizomai– Greek word meaning to grant favor, in kindness.
Do we really see our suffering as a privilege gift from God? We should.
The ultimate key to reframing our problems is the act of worship. In the face of suffering, in the midst of trials the key to turning our pain over to the Lord is pure worship.
The best example of this is found in Acts 16.
Despite (in spite?) of their dire circumstances, Paul and Silas reacted with worship and actually witnessed to those around them.
“Worship reframes circumstances. The circumstances you complain about become the chains that imprison you.”
What about you?
1) Are there any circumstances that are currently imprisoning you? What are they?
2) What things have you complained about this past week? How can you turn those situations into opportunities for worship?
3) List 10 things you are thankful for
Halloween Orange
I’ve been working my way through Reggie Joiner’s Think Orange this semester in an effort to help me connect better with the whole family. As a youth minister I work with families but too often I have gotten the feeling that at times I am working exclusively with teens and at other times I’m focused on parents. My desire is to minister to the whole family and so I’ve been seeking out resources to help me do this.
Think Orange has been invaluable because Reggie’s heart families mirrors my own. “Orange” is the idea of “two entities partnering together to make a greater impact or to create a better solution.” To Reggie, the church is ” a bright yellow” light that exists to illuminate Jesus. The family is a bright “red” heart that demonstrates God’s love and character through unconditional relationship. Together these two forces combine to create Orange. What a beautiful picture and a perfect metaphor for authentic family ministry. The book has been great and I am excited to share some of this with those I minister to but, in the Spirit of Orange, I’ve really been thinking about Halloween this week.
Something Reggie wrote about this family-focused holiday (yes, I just called Halloween family-focused) has been on the forefront of my mind all week. Here is what he said:
– An estimated 47 percent of household consumers decorate for Halloween.
– Halloween is second only to Christmas in the volume of decorations sold
– Over 790 million pounds of jack-o’-lanterns and pumpkin pies will be bought
– Candy sales will exceed $2 billion.
– More than 93 percent of children go trick-or-treating every year. (I wonder how many of those families go to your church?)Most families love Halloween. Right or wrong, there is something about October 31 that stirs the imagination of children and engages the hearts of parents.
Watch your neighborhood closely this fall.
Listen to the laughter.
Take a look at the generosity.
Taste the sugar.
Feel the energy.
See the glow in the children’s eyes.
Notice the parents walking with their kids.
And observe how families connect with other families.
It seems kind of… magical.Why can’t the church be more like that? Why can’t the church create the kind of atmosphere for the family that captures their imagination and incites a relational revival in the home?
No color commentary from me on this today. It is just a question that I’m pondering right now.
How can the church create the kind of atmosphere for the family that captures their imagination and incites a relational revival in the home?
I believe that somewhere inside the answer to this question lies the secret to a dozen generations boldly proclaiming– in word, in deed, in heart, in mind, in power, and in strength- the Glory of Jesus Christ. So, there’s your challenge. It’s not just for this weekend but for the rest of your lives.
Have a Happy Halloween. Keep your eyes and your hearts open as you look for the answers to impact future generations.
How can the church create the kind of atmosphere for the family that captures their imagination and incites a relational revival in the home?
Chase the Lion Week 2 Notes
This week, our Chase the Lion series challenged us to Face our Fears. If you have not read In the Pit With a Lion on a Snowy Day I highly recommend that you pick up a copy today. I hope that I am doing the material justice and I hope that you will find these notes encouraging as you stare down the lions in your life. Remember, we serve a God that is greater than any 500lbs Lion of a problem. God is bigger than your biggest failure and stronger than your strongest habit. Freedom from fear and discouragement is found in His mighty arms. Face your fears with the courage of Almighty God!
Chase the Lion: Facing Fears
Fear is a real and powerful emotion. There is no getting around this fact. The problem is that Satan knows this and uses fear and discouragement take away our spiritual trust and faith is our Almighty Father. Satan want to neutralize us spiritually.
“Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5:8 TNIV)
When we live in fear we basically press pause on the DVR of our lives. We live in a way that keeps us from moving forward and we get stuck in bad attitudes, poor mistakes, and debilitating sin.
I’d be willing to bet that our man Benaiah was not fearless. When you are staring down the barrel of a spear or up against 2 warriors or facing a 500lb lion fear is definitely part of the equation.
I think too often we look at our Biblical heroes and ascribe to them an aura of fearlessness and otherworldliness. We mistakenly believe that we could never live lives as rich and full as Moses or Elijah or Peter or the Apostles. They were strong. They stood their ground. They were fearless. Really?
– We forget that Moses stuttered.
– We forget that Elijah, immediately after defeating the 400 prophets of Baal, fled like a little school girl because Jezebel threatened him.
– We forget that Peter sank in the sea of Galilee.
– We forget the apostles scattered after Jesus was arrested.
Unfortunately, we cannot fully live God-honoring lives if we are paralyzed by fear.
The good news is that we serve a big God! Our God is bigger than anything that threatens you or frightens you. The key to living a full life isn’t in becoming fearless but in putting your trust in a God that is bigger than your biggest fear.
Did you know that we are only born with two innate fears? The only fears that we are born with are the fear of falling and the fear of loud noises. That means that every other fear- from the fear of going to school (didaskaleinophobia) to the fear of puppets (pupaphobia)- is learned or picked up somewhere along the way.
But if fears and be learned than they can be unlearned. This is great news!
Scripture gives us some some lessons about unlearning fear.
“If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God. And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.” (1 John 4:15–18 TNIV)
“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me.” (John 14:1 TNIV)
“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you” (Colossians 3:15–16 TNIV)
“I write to you, young people, because you are strong, and the word of God lives in you, and you have overcome the evil one.” (1 John 2:14 TNIV)
Lion chasers aren’t fearless. Lion chasers have just let God help them unlearn fears that were keeping their lives stagnant and captive. Don’t let mental lions keep you from experiencing everything God has to offer. The fear of uncertainty, the fear of embarrassment, the fear of failure, the fear of the past- these all loose their power because they are exposed by the Light.
When we put of faith and hope and trust in God fear is overtaken by courage. Courage is doing what is right regardless of circumstances and consequences.
Despite fear, Jesus had the courage to face the cross. He was able to do what is right regardless of circumstances or consequences because he trusted the Father to carry him through. Fear had no power over Jesus because fear has no power over our God.
Have you given fear too much reign over your life? Are you afraid of your past? Be strong and very courageous! Are you afraid of your mistakes? Be strong and very courageous! Are you afraid of the unknown future? Be strong and very courageous!
Don’t let fear separate your from the life that God has in store for you. Be strong and very courageous! Put your hope in God!
Making Jesus Famous
If you have not read The Tipping Point, Blink, or Outliers than you are probably unfamiliar with one of the greatest storytellers and one of the most brilliant writers around- the great Malcolm Gladwell. Gladwell’s latest, What the Dog Saw and Other Adventures, is a collection of his favorite articles written for The New Yorker. Gladwell has the uncanny knack of drawing you into something that is at first mundane and somewhat uninteresting. However, you quickly begin to find a hidden nugget of wisdom or truth right smack dab in the middle of a story about Hush Puppies or airline disasters.
That’s why it came as no surprise to me that as I was reading his article about Ron Popeil last night I was reminded of the most important truth for authentic God-honoring ministry- the key is making Jesus famous.
You don’t know who Ron Popeil is? I’m certain that you know about his greatest product to date: The Ronco Showtime Rotisserie & BBQ. The tag line is unforgettable: (Say it with me) Just Set it & Forget it!!! The Showtime has sold millions of units and made a billion dollars all because of a twenty eight minute and thirty second informercial filmed and financed and starring Ron Popeil. According to Gladwell, Popeil “didn’t use a single focus group. He had no market researchers, R&D teams, public relations advisers, Madison Avenue advertising companies, or business consultants. He dreamed up something new in his kitchen and went out and pitched it himself.”
Gladwell makes it perfectly clear that in the informercial- in any of his infomercials- Ron Popeil is decidedly not the star. The product is the star! Ron built a product that is designed well- designed in such a way that the user can see “the magic happen” and Ron simply shows the thing off. He lets the machine sell itself!
So what does that have to do with making Jesus famous? I am NOT comparing Jesus to a stupid rotisserie or even saying that ministry is about selling Jesus as a cheap product. Repeat: I am NOT comparing Jesus to a stupid rotisserie or even saying that ministry is about selling Jesus as a cheap product. Heaven forbid that I reduce the King of Kings to a thing like that! However, I have learned a valuable lesson from Mr. Popeil.
As a minister of Jesus Christ the greatest way for me to make Jesus famous is to allow people to see more of Jesus than they see of me.
Jesus said that when He is lifted up, then He will draw everyone unto himself. (John 12:32) That is a powerful promise! The power of love was made evident when Jesus was lifted up on the cross. The power of new life was made known when Jesus was raised from the dead. As Jesus ascended into heaven the power of mission was given to us. The power of Jesus is still best understood and radically experienced when we lift Him up to a dying and broken world.
If we would lift Jesus up higher than our churches, higher than our ministries, higher than ourselves… If we would make it our goal to make the name and person of Jesus Christ more famous than ourselves… can you imagine what would happen?
Do you want to make a difference in the lives of others? Do you want to see marriages healed and families strengthened? Do you want to see people released from lives marked by fear, greed, pain, and sorrow?
Than get out of the way and lift high the One who can really change broken lives.
Lift up Jesus Christ- put Him at the center of your ministry and life- and let him be the star.
A Prayer for Small Groups
One of my go-to ministry resource sites is Simply Youth Ministry. Their stuff is so great and highly customizable that I find myself going back to them time and time again. In my inbox this morning I saw their weekly training email and I found a wonderful blessing: A Prayer for Small Groups. I wanted to share this with everyone because I think it is a wonderful prayer and reminder that discipleship happens when a small group of believers gather together to “do life together” in the presence of Almighty God. In these small groups, God is glorified, faith is fostered, people are cared for, and the Church marches on!
A Prayer for Small Groups
by Kevin Mahaffy, Jr.
Father, today as our small group meets
I pray that each person will feel your heartbeat
May they know they are special, they’re cared for, they’re loved
Your kingdom come, on earth as above
Our time together, though not long only short
May it seed true communion with You in our hearts
Help us see Your image inside of each other
Teach us what it means to truly love one another
Away from the big, the loud, the flash
Just a few of us here to share and to laugh
To discuss Your Word, to share and go deeper
To talk real life and be our brother’s keeper
Praying for one another as we journey through life
May we encourage each other to reflect Your light
Let us always be inclusive, welcoming, warm
A safe place for all in the midst of life’s storms
Lord we all come from a myriad of places
Give us wisdom and kindness and grace and patience
Thank you for unity in the midst of diversity
Make us one in Christ, true Christian community
Bless those abundantly who have opened their home
Upon their house, God we pray Your Shalom
May it be filled with laughter, with joy, and with vision
In return for their giving, God we pray Your provision
And let us, O Lord, never ever forget
That there’s someone else out there who has yet to connect
Your eyes and your mouth to see and invite
That not one, O Lord, would be alone in the fight
It’s a mystery to me why they seem to be Your preference
But amazingly in the end small groups make a great big difference
Life on life, Jesus you modeled it back then
So I’ll do the same, in Jesus name, Amen.
Chase the Lion Week 1 Notes
This past Friday, I had the honor of helping to kick off a new men’s Bible study at our church. I am teaching through one of my favorite books, In the Pit With a Lion on a Snowy Day by Mark Batterson. Week one is the introduction to the study and I wanted to post my notes here on the blog as well. My thanks to Mark Batterson for his material and for his passion to see God’s people become fully engaged disciples. My hope is that these notes will encourage you to draw closer to Jesus in the midst of your challenges and struggles.
Chase the Lion Week 1: Defying Odds
Your view of God- how big or how small He is to you- will determine your spiritual future. Ask yourself: How big is your God? As A.W. Tozar said, “A low view of God is the cause of a hundred lesser evils. A high view of God is the solution to ten thousand temporal problems.”
The story of Benaiah is found in 2Samuel 23:20-23. Benaiah was not the odds on favorite in any of these situations. Out maned and out speared, not to mention the specs of the King of the jungle- Full grown lions weigh 500lbs and run 35 mph. These were crazy scenarios that would make many of us turn tail and run! But not Benaiah. “You have to admit: these victories look pretty good on your resume for the head of security for the king of Israel.”
What seemed like the worst experiences for Benaiah ended up being his big break. God used the most difficult situations in Benaiah’s life to mold him, prepare him, and lead him through to greater things.
Trusting in God to deal with and carry us through our most difficult challenges, experiences, opportunities, and failures requires us to have the proper perspective of our Heavenly Father. He is the creator and sustainer, he is the victor, he is God above all. He is bigger than an 500lb lion of a problem.
“Chasing lions is not about some foolish act of dumb courage, it is about defying odds because we believe in a God who is bigger than what we can comprehend or control.” – Mark Batterson
I want to challenge you to a paradigm shift. Maybe, right now, God is using your toughest challenge to teach you something, to take you to the next level, to reveal himself more fully to you. Are you going to have the courage to go after what God has called you to? He has called you to:
– Have an intimate and deep relationship with his Son, Jesus Christ.
– Fully rely on the Holy Spirit to guide and direct you
– Build strong, healthy families that honor God
– Determine, with His help, to have a rock solid, fire proof marriage
– Leave a legacy of faith that passes down through generations
“There are some parts of being a dad that I can’t outsource if i want to raise Godly kids. There are elements of my marriage that may seem insignificant. But in reality, they’ll determine whether my marriage is won or lost.” – Steven Furtick, pastor of Elevation Church
Everyday, we are faced with seemingly insurmountable odds. The world wants to see us fail- if we fail then they believe that our God fails. Fear not! Christ has overcome the world! (John 16:33; 1Cor 1:18; 2Cor 4:1-18)
The Courage to Defy Odds begins with the proper perspective of who God is and what he is capable of. The proper perspective than drives us to humility before God because we know that while we cannot handle these obstacles on our own, God is fully capable of delivering us through any situation we might face. Even though this runs counterintuitive to the way we want to operate, we must submit to God because his thoughts are not our thoughts, and his ways are not our ways. (Isaiah 55:6-9)
Questions for this week:
Is God bigger than your biggest problem?
Is God bigger than your greatest fear?
Is God bigger than your worst failure?