Last week, we decided to take a giant leap of faith based on something we felt God was calling us to do.

We sold my car.

We really want to be in a position where we can GIVE more and SAVE more. It was a tough decision (I loved that car!!!) but we know it was the right one. If you compared the average debt that each American family carries to being dipped in honey and thrown into a pit of quicksand, our debt would be more like having peanut butter stuck to the roof of your mouth. We don’t have a lot but we are tired of feeling stuck.

On Thursday night, we gathered together with some of the people from our church body and watched Dave Ramsey deliver a challenging message on the people of God turning the economy around by getting their personal economies in order. The part that stuck with me was when Dave asked us to imagine what life would look like if God’s people handled money according to God’s ways. My blood began pumping as he said, “the Debt Rate would plummet, Savings would grow, Employees would work hard as if working for the Lord, Employers would be shepherds of their people, and marriages would be saved.”

That’s not even the best part! If God’s people began handling money in a way that glorifies God- The Gospel will spread! People will want to know why we live differently. They will wonder why we give gladly. They will see how we bless others and want to know why.

When we got home from that night. My wife looked at me and I looked at her. I knew what she was going to say because I had felt it too. We knew that in order to really begin handling our money in the way God wanted us to that we would have to make a few sacrifices. My car had to be the first to go.

It is a bold step for sure. We are still in the process of working out our driving schedule and that is also sure to change when school starts back. We have taken a step of faith and we are trusting God to carry us through.

This fall I am teaching another  Financial Peace University for our church. I’m the first to admit that I R Stupid when it come to handling my money. My wife is the Nerd and I am most definitely the free spirit. The last time we participated in FPU we had a blast. The class really allowed us to open up and talk freely about a subject that typically breeds fighting in most marriages. I can’t wait to take another group of men and women through this life changing course.

My encouragement for you is that you too begin to see out God’s desires for your finances. Most of us are in our current financial situations because some one in our families failed to handle money properly. Change your family tree and get your financial house in order. Not so you can get that new 100″ flat screen.

Get your finances in order so you can GIVE more and SAVE more so you can BLESS more. That’s the story I want to tell my grandkids. What about you?

There are two things I love to do- read and watch movies. I feel that these two pursuits often go hand in hand.  In fact, I have heard it said that movies are today’s literature.

Both movies and literature seek to tell us a compelling story and when we interact with those stories we can’t help but try and find ourselves within the narrative. We imagine ourselves in the role of our favorite characters and often times we try and emulate what we see on the screen or what we read on the page.

While watching the King’s Speech, I began asking myself how I would react if I were in Prince Albert’s position. If I had a debilitating speech impediment, how would I react? Would I become a mute- so embarrassed by my stutter that I decide not to speak at all? Would I seek help? Would I pretend nothing was wrong with me?

As the film progressed, I began asking what if I were asked to give a speech to rally the entire empire against an enemy as fierce and evil as the Nazis? What would I say? How could I convince the people around me to join the cause and fight for a better tomorrow?

Stories force us to look at our lives and how we are currently living them and they give us a glimpse into how our lives could be and they whisper to us concerning what should be.

In 1949, a man named Joseph Campbell published a book entitled, The Hero With A Thousand Faces. Campbell studied thousands of myths and stories from every era of human existence and out of all those stories and myths, he identified a similar patter regardless of time and culture. He called this pattern The Hero’s Journey. This is absolutely fascinating to me. If you went home and pulled out your favorite book or movie, there is a very good chance that you would see this pattern.

I just turned your quiet Friday night into an academic exercise. You’re welcome.

In every story, the hero or the main character starts out living his life just like everyone else. He is knee deep in living an ordinary life. Rick owns a nightclub in N. Africa. Dorothy lives with her Aunt and Uncle on a farm in Kansas. Tomas Anderson is a computer programer. Ben-Hur is a Jewish noble.

Then our hero is Called into an Adventure. Sometimes this is an actual call- Build It and They Will Come. Sometimes it is an event or something outside their control.

In all the gin joints, in all the world Ilsa walks into Rick’s American Cafe. Dorothy is carried away by a tornado. Neo meets Morpheus. Frodo is given a ring. Ben-Hur is betrayed by Messala.

This call to adventure is really the opportunity for something greater. The hero is invited to change their life and USUALLY the lives of those around them by entering into a great adventure.

The hero has to make a choice- life as they know it or take the journey and change the world. They can Refuse or Respond to the call.

Will Rick help Ilsa and Victor Lazlo get to America so they can continue the Resistance against the Nazis? Will Dorothy stop the Wicked Witch of the West? Will Neo embrace his destiny and free the human race? Will Frodo destroy the ring?

If the decision is made to respond and answer the call then the Hero begins his journey. There is usually some spiritual help or aid- A Fellowship, a French police officer, a yellow bricked road, Yoda- that guides our hero toward his/her goal.

Then our Hero comes face to face with a Road of Trials.

The German Major Strasser and the Gestapo arrive in Casablanca. Dorothy is captured. The Fellowship is broken. Cypher makes a deal with Agent Smith. The Empire decides to Strike back.

Barriers arise and seek to derail our hero and try to keep them from achieving a new life. These Trials are difficult to overcome but if our Hero desires to change their life and the lives of those they care for the Trials must be dealt with and overcome.

So what does this have to do with The Sermon on the Mount? Like any great story, this post is To Be Continued….

In ch 3, there is a fascinating story about the King of Judah, Israel, and Edom coming together to make war against the King of Moab, who has decided that he no longer wants to pay tribute to Judah. The political intrigue in this whole scene rivals anything out of Egypt or Lybia on CNN today. The 3 kings feel God is calling them to make war on Moab but they now find themselves, their armies, and their provisions marching circles in the desert. They are tired and severely dehydrated. They decide to seek God’s counsel (finally) by speaking to Elisha.

I won’t spend any time on this on Sunday, but there is something in v. 15 that captured my attention and made me stop and think.

2Kings 3:15 ESV
“But now bring me a musician.” While the musician was playing, the hand of the LORD came on Elisha.

How cool is that? Music aided in Elisha’s communication with the LORD. Warren Wiersbe writes, “The music of the harpist brought quietness to the prophet’s mind and heart and helped to facilitate his communion with the Lord.”

I can definitely relate to that. Music and song help me connect with God too. When I study or when I need to get my mind and heart right, I often do so through music. You can often find me singing alone at my desk early Monday mornings before I open up my Bible. Listening to music through my headphones while I read different books often helps me shut out unnecessary distractions like my cell phone. I love listening to Bethoveen’s 6th and 9th symphonies to put me in the right frame of mind or in the background while I write. Lots of great mediation on lessons, classes, and discussions have happened on long car rides listening to music.

I would have loved to have been there while the harpist played and Elisha communicated with God. Wouldn’t you like to know which Psalm Elisha liked to listen to?

How about you? Is there any song or music that helps put you in a place physically, cognitively or spiritually where you are more ready to commune with God?

The morning prayer determines the day. Squandered time of which we are ashamed, temptations to which we succumb, weaknesses and lack of discipline in our thoughts and in our conversation with other men, all have their origin most often in the neglect of morning prayer. Order and distribution of your time become more firm where they originate in prayer. Temptations which accompany the working day will be conquered on the basis of the morning breakthrough to God. Decisions demanded by work become easier and simpler where they are made not in fear of men but only in the sight of God. “Whatever your task, work heartily, as serving the Lord and not men” (Colossians 3:23). Even mechanical work is done in a more patient way if it arises from the recognition of God and his command. The powers to work take hold, therefore, at the place where we have prayed to God. He wants to give us today the power which we need for our work.

The first two lists in the book call for you to list your Top 20 favorites. Here is my offerings:

Your Top Twenty Favorite Bands- (In no particular order)

U2
Counting Crows
The Police
The Beatles
Coldplay
Dave Matthews Band
Matisyahu
Hillsong United
Ray Lamotagne
David Crowder Band
Bob Dylan
Pearl Jam
Elvis
Led Zeppelin
The Who
Jars of Clay
Muse
Weezer
The Killers
Jack Johnson

Top Twenty Albums You’d Bring If You Were Leaving Planet Earth In a Spaceship (Again, no particular order)

The Joshua Tree (U2)
Achtung Baby (U2)
Dark Side of the Moon (Pink Floyd)
August and Everything After (Counting Crows)
What’s Goin’ On (Marvin Gaye)
Recovering the Satellites (Counting Crows)
Live at Stubb’s (Matisyahu)
Live at Luther (Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds)
X&Y (Coldplay)
Jesus Freak (DC Talk)
Continuum (John Mayer)
In Between Dreams (Jack Johnson)
Fumbling Toward Ecstasy (Sarah McLaughlin)
Illuminate (David Crowder Band)
IV (Led Zeppelin)
Rearview Mirror (Pearl Jam) – I know it’s a Greatest Hits collection. Who cares?
Jars of Clay (Jars of Clay)
Nirvana: Unplugged (Nirvana)
O (Damien Rice)
With Hearts As One (Hillsong United)

How about you? What are your Top 20 Bands/Albums?

I just could not shake the thought of truly, literally, living just like Jesus. 1John 2: 6 says that “whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus walked.” I began to ask myself what living like Jesus would look like in my life and in my context. I was transfixed. I knew I needed to do something. I desperately wanted to throw myself headlong into walking just as Jesus walked.

“Could I do that? Could I live like Jesus for a year?” Based on Ed’s account probably not. At least not to the extent that he did. Usually, that would have been the end of my wondering. Then I asked myself one more question: “Could I live like Jesus for a month?”

I don’t know… but we are going to find out.

Tomorrow, I will turn 30 years old.  According to the Gospels, Jesus began his ministry at the age of thirty. I have a tattoo on my wrist that says “disciple” and I struggle everyday to discern what being a disciple of Jesus means and looks like lived out to the fullest. In April, I want to get a firm grasp on what it means to literally walk as  Jesus walked.

The idea will be to live SIMPLY this month: SIMPLY live like Jesus. I already know that there will be some severe limitations but I’ll use Ed Dobson’s 3 rules as a basis for my Jesus month. Basically my goals will be “To live more ‘Jewishly,’ to read through all four Gospels every week and to obey the commands of Jesus.” As the month goes on I will be posting some of my thoughts and experiences but I will not post everyday.

This journey will be made up of external changes and internal changes. Tomorrow, I’ll post a bit about some of the visible, external changes I will be making in my routine, dress, and diet.

I ask that you pray for me as I embark on the fantastic journey. I have already been impacted greatly as I have prepared for this over the last two weeks and I have seen plainly that this call to walk as Jesus walked was laid on my heart and not just some harebrained experiment I cooked up.

I look forward to sharing what I learn and what I experience over the course of this month. If you have any suggestions or thoughts on how I can live more like Jesus this month leave a comment on this post.

Today is the last day of my Twenties. Tomorrow brings a whole new decade and a whole new, radically different way to live. Until then- Shalom!

There are not a lot of things that come naturally to me. I’m not the smartest- I had to work for every B & C I got. I’m not the most athletic- just because I’m shaped like a ball doesn’t mean I can hit one. I’m not the most talented either.

But being a dad fits me like a glove right now. I never thought that I would love this kid as much as I do.

I find myself hovering over his bed almost every night while he sleeps. I think I’ve woken him up a few times. I pray that God will make him a better man than me, that Jesus will save him, and that the Spirit will guide him in everything he does.

I love this kid and I thank God for the gift of being his dad.

Close Friends
We live in a society that isn’t big on deep, meaningful relationships. Find ways to buck that trend. Be intentional about gather a group of people around you that you can call friends. Friends help ease burdens, are there to encourage you, and help you build margin into your life. Who are your closest friends?

Ministry Friends
I am privileged to work amongst a great set of men in an area-wide ministry circle. We genuinely care for one another and enjoy each other’s company. Over the years we have moved from just planning events together to really getting to know one another. We share triumphs and heartaches, frustrations and practical advice. I love these men and I know they care for me and my family. Do you have a group like this around you? If not, what can you do to begin building this type of group in your area? If you are going to stay in ministry long-term you must surround yourself with people who are like-minded and who are in the trenches right alongside you. Who are your Band of Brothers or Sisters?

3 in the Morning Friends
Back in high school I had a group of my buddies that I knew were my 3am friends. These are the guys I could call at any hour on any day. In fact, I still consider these guys close enough to take my call at anytime. Life and situations have changed us (Babies and kids are asleep at 3am) but I am glad I have people like this in my life. Who can you count on to be there for you whenever you need them?

Ministry is not designed to be a solo journey. Get you some friends to help share the burden. Encourage one another and lean on one another.

The challenge of “Primal” is to get back to the basic element of Christianity. Len Sweet once remarked that the best picture of the church is that of a swing. The power of a swing comes from the point where we lean back and kick forward. In order for the church to make an impact in the future we must be willing to lean back- past all church traditions and dogmas- all the way into the arms of Jesus. When we do that, we can then move powerfully into the future with the Gospel message. For Mark, the essence of the Gospel message- the most basic element- is living out the call of the Greatest Commandment. That’s the heart of the Gospel. Well.. the heart, soul, mind, and strength of the Gospel.

If Jesus said that loving God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength is the most important commandment, then doesn’t it logically follow that we ought to spend an inordinate amount of our time and energy trying to understand it and obey it? We can’t afford to merely good at the Great Commandment. We’ve got to be great at the Great Commandment.”

The book divided into 4 sections to highlight the different facets of the Greatest Commandment that Jesus brings to our attention. Mark “reimagines” these elemants as follows:

The heart of Christianity is primal compassion
The soul of Christianity is primal wonder
The mind of Christianity is primal curiosity
The strength of Christianity is primal energy

Mark’s power as a writer comes from his ability to weave his heart and passion for the things of God into every story, every bullet point, and every conclusion. You become enthralled in the quest because Mark is enthralled with the quest. Mark Batterson is the real deal. He is a loving husband and father who loves his church and wants to introduce everyone to his Savior. You will not be disappointed by this book.

Here’s a great challenge for you. Make “Primal: A Quest for the Lost Soul of Christianity” the first book you read in 2010. As we start a brand new decade begin by working out your heart, soul, mind, and body to reconnect to the Gospel of Jesus. Start 2010 as a part of the primal movement to rediscover the Greatest Commandment for your life.

Disclaimer:This was book was provided for review by WaterBrook Multnomah.