Hard Things

Sometimes being obedient is a hard thing. why? because sometimes God asks you to do things that are outside of our comfort zone, that require taking a risk or mean that we must sacrifice of ourselves for another.
Obedience is a MARK of the believer. A true believer is one who has enslaved their life to the Father and is obedient to His bidding no matter what is asked...even if it is a hard thing, a risk thing, a sacrifice thing. Obedience is where the truth of our faith is seen-whether it is a mere facade or mask that we wear or the evidence of a heart fully changed and transformed by the Father.
The question of the Father is not what do you want, what do you think or does this make sense. The question of the Father is what have I said and will you obey? Obedience is hard because sometimes it requires us to walk in contrast to our own desires and opinions. However, choosing to disobey when confronted with truth is evidence that you are not on the path that God has for you.
I am so glad that the Father is patient with me concerning these things, because there are days obedience is just hard. But that doesn't mean I don't have to choose to obey.

Isa 14:24-27
24 The LORD of hosts has sworn saying, "Surely, just as I have intended so it has happened, and just as I have planned so it will stand,
27 "For the LORD of hosts has planned, and who can frustrate {it} And as for His stretched-out hand, who can turn it back?"

His plan will not be thwarted or changed. We are not going to it back or frustrate it. So we might as well obey and get in on God's deal, because He isn't going to join ours. HIS deal, His plan will stand-not matter what.
So leave your mark.....OBEY!

ALL FOR YOU

tuning up

Have you ever thought about what it takes to make harmony. It means everything must be in tune in order for the harmony to produce beautiful music. In fact, all it takes is one string, one person, one harmonic to be out of tune to ruin the entire masterpiece that is being played.
Just think if one string on the piano was out of tune. No matter what you played, it would effect the sound. Just think of one string on the guitar being out of tune. No matter how hard you strum, the music will not be beautiful. Just think if one voice sings off key in a choir, the whole sound of the choir is effected to the negative. All it takes is for one instrument in the orchestra to be out of tune for the sound to be off.
It is that way for us in life as well. Whether we want to believe it or not, we all effect one another. We are not islands, that only effect ourselves. What we do, how we live and what we say all effect one another. We are made to be an orchestra, all sounding together to make beautiful music that reflects the glory of God. But when one person is off...it effects all of us.
All it takes is one hypocrite, one person in sin, one bad attitude, one gripe or complain to effect the whole sound that is coming forth.
This is why when God created the body of Christ, He meant for us work together, hold one another accountable, to disciple and mentor one another. We are to help one another stay on course...because all it takes is one Christian walking outside the lines to effect the whole idea of who and what Christians are. The church has abdicated this role, not wanting to help one another, to hold one another accountable, to get our hands dirty...and thus the whole has been effected by the ones that are out of tune.
But the beauty of it is...that when we tune up...we get involved, help people and hold each other accountable, we tune up and harmony becomes beautiful...that is if we are tunable.
Don't fight the fine tuning...it is what makes life worth living. ALL FOR YOU

friendship

True friends love the friend more than the friendship.
What does that mean? It means they will ask the hard questions and broach the hard subjects despite what it might do to the friendship in order to help the friend. It means they will take the risk to say hard things and get messy in someone else's business in order to help the friend despite what it might do to the friendship. For me, I have some friends like this and I want to be a friend like this. I want to be the friend that loves the person more than the friendship.
I am a friend of God as well. I am so glad that He loves me that way. God loves me more than He loves being a friend to me. This is why He will say tough stuff, discipline me, question my heart and ask the hard questions-because He loves me more than a relationship with me.
I want to be that kind of friend-one that loves the friend more than the friendship. ALL FOR YOU

mission statements

for the last 5 days, I have been carrying around in my pocket a receipt for my lunch from Zaxby's. Zaxby's has great chicken and we love to eat there. In fact, I know we have eaten there probably 50 times in the couple of years. I don't know why I never noticed it before, but this time something caught my eye on my receipt that I had never noticed. It was their mission statement. Usually, I am not even interested in those things, but this one is different. It is strong. It makes a statement. It made me stop in my tracks and really think hard.
It reads, "CONSISTENTLY create ENCORE experiences that ENRICH lives one person at a time."
Wow...Now, that's a mission statement. And then I thought...wait a minute. This isn't a ministry, a church, a discipleship group. This is CHICKEN for crying out loud. This place that does chicken has at it's very core the mission to CONSISTENTLY create ENCORE experiences that ENRICH lives one person at a time. Chicken...
Made me think....maybe if the church(body of Christ)listened to the chicken place...we might actually get something right for a change. I mean, after all, I keep coming back for more chicken.
What if the church had at it's core a desire to be CONSISTENT-instead of inconsistent at how we live, what we do, how we love, our walks with the Lord?
What if the church had in it's heart to create ENCORE experiences-experiences that made people want to come back instead of running them off?
What if the church's backbone became to enrich the lives of others one person at a time-returned to the idea of accountability, discipleship and mentoring?
What if the church learned from the chicken place about what it's mission should be?
Maybe we should be begin to consistently create encore experiences that enrich lives one person at a time.....
I will carry this receipt with me for awhile...to help me remember that as Believer it is our lives goal to disciple, mentor and help hold accountable one another so that we might consistently create encore experiences that enrich lives one person at a time. (have I said that enough-maybe we will remember it.)
ALL FOR YOU

lead?

the Lord continues to ring a in my heart the truth that "you can not lead someone to a place you have not been." Or at least a place you don't have directions for. God continues to remind me that as a leader, you can't take people to a place you have't been. You can't take people to the throne room, until you have been there yourself. You can't lead people to the cross, until you have been there yourself. You can't help people journey in faith, unless you are going yourself.
As leaders, we often want to challenge people to do great things for God. Great challenges....but we can't lead people to places we are not going ourselves. If you want to see faith increased, let it begin in you. If you want to see grace increase, let start in your heart. If you want to see people go further and higher, than lead the way-by going there yourself.
the problem seems to be that we want to challenge people to do great things without ever doing them ourself. And God's heart is that it would begin in you and in me. If we want others to see God....then be in His presence so that you know how to take others there. As leaders, we can't take people to places we have not been. So "move it, move it, move it." others will only go as far as you lead them and you can only lead as far as you have been!ALL FOR YOU

intimacy

Intimacy is found in coming together, whether it be between man and woman or just friends. Intimacy is NOT found in being apart, but in time spent and invested in one another. We all long for intimacy. The ability to be totaly bare before another and unashamed. It was what Adam and Eve had in the garden. It is what comes from the union between man and woman. But it is also found in laying down the masks with one another. To have an intimate friendship is to be able to share eveything because no shame or vulnerablity exists. Intimacy with God is found in coming together with Him and laying it all out there. The world is longing for intimacy...and so are we. But it takes risk to have intimate spouses, friends and relationships with God. You can't hold back...you must lay it all out there. It is a scarry place to live, but the only place intimacy is found. I want intimacy...with God and with man. I want more than just the facade of relationships. I want depth. I want to be able to be vulnerable and transparent-without fear. I want more than just the average, status quo...I want to come together with others in REAL, authentic, intimate relationships for the glory of God. Could it be that others are looking for the same....?ALL FOR YOU

risk

I have come to believe that most of Christendom does not like getting involved in other peoples lives because it is messy, time consuming and requires a measure of risk. It means you have to decide you love the friend more than the frienship. It requires that you are willing to sacrifice your time and be vulnerable to being hurt yourself in order to reach out and help someone else. However, most of us have decided to live life with our hands in our pockets, never risking, never getting involved because it will cost us and there is risk; rejection is possible, fear is prevalent, and it might bring loss to our own lives. And yet, Jesus was all about sacrificing His life for the sake of others. He did not come so that we could be safe, free from risk or worry. He desires that we extend life to those who are drowning, to get involved in others lives. I am so glad He got involved in mine!
But that means we have to be willing to deal with our own mess...AND that we don't get so caught up in our own mess that we neglect those around us who are struggling as well.
So take a risk....deal with your stuff...and then reach out to someone else who is drowning in a sea of hurt. Sure, you might get rejected, you might lose a friend...but are you a true friend if you don't risk anything?. If you care more about the friendship than the friend-is that a real friend? Sacrifice....and show them you love them!@
Isn't it time we journey together instead of apart?
ALL FOR YOU