Reflections

Reflecting over the events of our Calling Weekend continues to bring an inspiration which still amazes me. Like Bagger spoke to Hardy in answering his question of Juna remembering and regaining his glory or his authentic swing, we too must take that guided expedition into our own hearts to see that glory or authentic swing awakened. And what an initiation this weekend was for propelling each of us deeper into our God-given & glorious splendor.

There were so many moments of inspiration helping us all to regain focus and launch deeper into the regions of our hearts for our own personal journeys. But in this moment there is one passage of God’s revelation that embodies each inspirational moment collectively experienced by every man. It is embedded in Romans 8:19—“The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed.”

You are probably saying, “Wait just a minute! Go back & read those verses once again!”

I know, like so many things from the weekend, it sounds & feels so unfamiliar and foreign, yet so haunting to hear such expressions! Like Théoden, King of Rohan from Lord of the Rings and the pall of darkness that cloaked his perspectives of himself and Gandalf awakening him with the light of who he really is, initially it appears awkward to the eyes of our hearts. Let the weightiness of God’s words from Romans 8:19 grip our spirits & then our souls like they did the first day we knew what it was to walk with God through Christ as our Savior into this new found glorious life. The thought of God choosing us & calling us from this tomb of darkness that held us bound and captive, now His Light possessing the deepest parts of us is unbelievable. The awakening that occurred inside of us through the burst of His Light is stunning. Jesus, Light of the world, now has become the Light of my life dispelling the darkness and awakening our glory. Oh, so similar to Lazarus being called forth from his tomb, untangled from those old grave clothes, and the more glorious man emerging.

As sons of God we carry a deeply vast & immeasurable calling on our lives. This calling is conceived and birthed in us by Father God Himself—His thumbprint indelibly stamped upon our DNA. It is unique to how God has shaped our hearts & spirits before the very foundations of the world. Yes, it truly is fresh, new, & utterly beyond our natural abilities to set in motion or accomplish. God has certainly called us to do something we cannot possibly do on our own, but with our Father who knows no limits or impossibilities we can accomplish all things.

We could contemplate this calling & our glory from morning to midnight & do this for the rest of our lives & never comprehend it with human logic. We could configure all sorts of scenarios to no end & never begin to touch the depths of where God wants to take us with our calling and its glory. It is somewhat like reaching for the stars when we were children. God’s call is way beyond us; however he desires to give us something beyond our reach! More & more it comes into focus, this calling is a gift from the hand of God. Our inability to produce this calling is exactly why God chose us to be the container of our particular glory and our particular calling.

As rational human beings we live in a world that is bound by limits & measures. In this environment of a world bound I often find this transcendent life cutting across the grain of my natural world. This is where Satan seeks to keep me bound therefore robbing me of God’s gift. But the Apostle Paul didn’t let this happen to him. He had no trouble holding on to this truth & it captured his heart like nothing else in this world. Consider 1 Corinthian 1…

25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength. 26 Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.

We are the ones Paul was referring to. We cannot rationalize, organize, or mechanize our way into fulfilling this call of God. Or as Bagger Vance would say, “You can’t make that ball go in the hole, you gotta let it.” This is not something He has asked us to do, thank the Lord! God has this responsibility covered & we simply have to learn to trust & walk with Him, or close our eyes and swing our authentic swing & know that He is Lord of the how and will place that ball in the path of our swing! And as the ball makes it way into the hole we all will stand amazed just like Hardy at the end of that scene. This passage clearly reveals that God’s most foolish moment is much greater & grand than our most accomplished moment in life. Paul explained this in 1 Corinthians 1:25…

Human wisdom is so tiny, so impotent, next to the seeming absurdity of God. Human strength can’t begin to compete with God’s “weakness” (The Message).

If we fail to embrace this great call & God’s oversight of it all what can we embrace? As sons of God, we must learn to continuously operate every part of our being in the realm of the consistent, steadfast, & unwavering nature of God. And rest assured neither His nature nor his heart toward us ever changes. Just like the father of the prodigal son [Luke 15:11-32], God wants to love His sons no matter how far we might run away or run ahead of Him. He is always anticipating our return. When we live in this realm with God we get to experience the dramatic movement of God we see in the lives of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Elijah, Peter, James, John, Paul, & any other Bible Patriarchs. It is then that our lives become the greatest adventure filled with courageous faith to see ‘God’s kingdom come, His will done’ in us on this earth just as it is in heaven. It is in this stream of living inside God’s steadfast and consistent nature that we experience Him doing the unique & unusual kingdom works in & through us. In the Bible people who constantly lived in this realm with God received the opportunities to walk on water, see shackles mysteriously fall off & prison doors swing open for a get out of jail free pass, see the sun stand still in the heavens, a man raised from the dead, a massive river part & turn into dry land, & a whole host of other acts of restoration & release. They were led by God to a place where even creation obeyed their words.

Allow me to share a heart-felt thought from the Holy Spirit. Our world longs to see this kind of breakthrough man, husband, father, & leader walk the face of creation once again. Nothing new, just a now thought that we need to hear again from Paul’s pen, but more importantly from God’s heart—The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed [Romans 8:19]. The masses of our world are waiting for a different kind of Christian to emerge from the comfort & security of our walled fortresses we call church. Creation waits for sons of God to be Risky-Boys with their calling & glory and not Lazy-Boys. Yes, these sons of God are needed for such a time as this. Sons of God with the power of God through the Holy Spirit dwelling in & through them are needed once again as all creation waits their arrival—yes, Sons of God bursting forth in God’s glorious splendor.

Let us emerge from the weekend as these sons of God…The Calling Weekend Expedition Guides

Maybe you can't make money doing what you love

A recent blog post by Seth Godin sparked some conversations between our team. Can you really do what you want without finances getting in the way? This seems to be a common thread among the people I talk to. It seems we all have this dream of what we want to do, but the resources are not there. Seth's point is that money can be an obstacle.

He argues that many times by monetizing your passion, you sort of pollute it. It clouds the vision and interferes with your ability to keep it true and pure.

Here's a question that I think needs an an honest answer: "Should I do what I love?". Job usually translates into doing something I hate. Need money, have to pay the bills so I get a job. That's where most people live. Duty calls so I take on a particular career, vocation or business opportunity. The primary reason most people do this has little bearing on how they are wired and what they are passionate about.

A recent article indicates that start-ups that succeed usually are powered by passion. The person starting the business is passionate about what they do and this pushes them over the normal bumps that can derail a small business. I believe this is just as true for people in their chosen career. If you plod along doing a job you hate you will either not succeed or possibly get fired.

There are practical limits to this. Many times there are circumstances beyond your control that force a certain decision. But, if you are passionate about something and you continue to fuel that desire and look for opportunities to pursue it, I believe you will ultimately find it.

We need more people who are pursuing their calling and doing what makes them come alive. It changes everything.

Finding Your Calling in Relationship, Not Rules or Principle Keeping...

What kind of person is being produced in me as I live in the activity of God’s own hands? What am I experiencing in my journey with God? Much of the time it is the external blessings or the smooth tranquil waters of life that seem to be what I desire most and rejoice about most in my spirit and verbal expressions. But do I find myself delighting in the times in which God takes me down the path of the cross. I must move from a heart landscape and mindset of what I am trying to attain in the way of solutions or plans to what God wants to achieve in me personally. Too I often I decide what I want to do and ask God to bless it. What happens when God's calling has something else in mind? Wrong expectations lead me to be a crash and burn Christian.
A person’s, movement’s, Church’s or even a denomination’s greatest and brightest achievements is not its doctrinal framework, its historical highlights, or its dazzling and number-producing organization. God’s greatest mark of effective kingdom achievement is in the type of person that is being produce in me. And His greatest work is not the blessings he gives or the formula’s I discover for getting all my planks nailed down in the right places. His greatest work in me is the same work He accomplished in the life of Jesus—death through crucifixion and the resurrection of being raised in the power of a new life.
The Church in the early 21st century is receiving a new outpouring of God’s manifested presence. As John Wimber has proclaimed over and over, “God is in the process of taking back his Church.” I am learning that I am swept into a tidal wave where God is doing a deeper work in His people. However, sometimes it’s a painful & humiliating work in a time such as this. While the work is unfolding internally the evil one & his dark forces will be there every step of the way to tempt us to lose heart and shipwreck the journey. I must find places in my will to find the resolve to persevere and remain steadfast even though the journey maybe dreadful in its present circumstances. I rest in the promise that the reward will be beyond belief or imagination in the end. Some of heaven in me right here on earth.
Some of us are struggling with the uncertainty of what God has in mind for our families, churches, but more importantly for ourselves. For others, the struggle is just around the corner for this is the beginning of our revival & renewal we have sought for so long. A season is developing in which God is revealing our need of Him in very dramatic fashion. You sense Jesus is near but His closeness is revealing itself not in the blessings you are usually accustomed to. It seems to be revealed in the way of the cross of crucifixion. Yet, for some strange reason, instead of bolting or bucking God’s way we are welcoming this journey with a new found delight because this is becoming a more natural way of life.
Along with this new revelation of God we are finding that many of our old ideas and methods, which were blessed by God’s presence now seem useless, hopelessly weak, & empty because God’s favor has been removed from them. Even some of our favorite Christian emphases and ways of doing church in general have been broken down into a less complex expression of Christian faith. We are coming into a season of just wanting to know Jesus and what it means to walk into discipleship and deep restoration with Him. Recognize this as God working in you the hope of glory! Be uplifted & inspired by this new work! Let go of the miserable feelings and with rejoicing let God inspire you on the way to the cross & resurrection of new life.
In the midst of the changes occurring I see one burning conviction deepening within. It is the passion to see the character of Jesus Christ inside me like never before. His meekness, authority, and love imparted into my spirit become a possessing thought and watching my desires be refined and given back to me by my Father. Discovering that “Christian” programs or “church” activities that do not reveal Jesus for me as a dead work is part of the journey. Even though there are good intentions behind all of them they are powerless to effectively bring transformation into my heart and renewal into my mind. Only the way of the cross will lead us home where we belong.
So God continues to whisper in my ear, “don’t lose heart—press on and make your way to this new life I am giving you, for what waits for you on the other side in the resurrection of new life is far greater than you’ve ever dreamed. If you only new what awaits you on the other side of this journey you would sell all you have in order to fully possess this life.” Then I too can say with Paul, “I’ve now died to trying in my own human efforts to please God, and now I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

Take the following expression of this same passage from The Message by Eugene Peterson and ask God to help you to pray these words. Listen for God’s whisper in your ear...

Galatians 2:19 What actually took place is this: I tried keeping rules and working my head off to please God, and it didn't work. So I quit being a "law man" so that I could be God's man. 20 Christ's life showed me how, and enabled me to do it. I identified myself completely with him. Indeed, I have been crucified with Christ. My ego is no longer central. It is no longer important that I appear righteous before you or have your good opinion, and I am no longer driven to impress God. Christ lives in me. The life you see me living is not "mine," but it is lived by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (The Message)