In ten years of writing messages on a laptop I had something happen today that has never happened before.  I saved a message I’m writing over one I haven’t taught yet.  That means it was gone.  I had saved over it.  My heart was racing.  I scoured some forums.  Despair was setting in.  Then I remembered hey, for about 5 bucks a month I subscribe to Mozy.com.  I clicked on the icon and with a few clicks restored the original document.  Whew!  So glad I’m backing up…

Something that was passed on to me in college that I’m finding helpful again is the idea of focusing your passion.  When I’m moved internally I want to move externally.  In college I was moved internally by the richness of Scripture and I wanted to share externally.  The only problem is I had more going on internally than I had opportunity to share externally.  (wacky solution:  go to Degray lake and preach on the shore to creation while ignoring funny looks from guys fishing)  Yes I did do that.  Right now, I’m very moved internally by the wounding we all face and the healing Jesus can bring.  I’m more moved internally than I have chance to share externally.  (I honestly think I would be a more laid back dad if I taught more.  Teaching has a way of releasing the pressure.)  So what do you do when the art is churning inside and you can’t find a canvas big enough?  Let the passion build down.  Dig the well deep.  Keep allowing the passion to churn.  Pray.  Learn.  Release as you have opportunity.  Seek opportunities.

Check this…

Ephesians 1:13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit,

What is Paul saying you and I received in our salvation through Jesus?  The Holy Spirit.  That’s right.  Ok, just a few verses down we read (context is king in Bible Study)…

Ephesians 1:17 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.

Paul is praying something profound.  In fact he keeps “asking” that those who were marked with the Holy Spirit get the Holy Spirit.  Hmmmh.  Why does Paul “keep asking” for me to get something I already have?  I always thought I didn’t get more of God but He gets more of me.  It’s both.  Here we see the Trinity represented (freebie) and Paul keeps praying for these believers to get more so they may know God better.  They knew Him already but they need to know (not just head knowledge but truth you experience by the way) Him more.  How do they know Him more?  They get more of the Holy Spirit.

Wait in desperate prayer for more!  Can I get an amen?

“Father, give us more so we may know you better!”

“Asking is not doubting but trusting…I understand that it takes more faith to ask than it takes to fear the asking.  It takes faith to be ready for whatever answer comes, and faith to persevere with more questions if the answer is not understood.  Asking an honest question means being ready to change in response to the answer, and short of martyrdom, change may the ultimate act of faith.”

“The very intensity of my desire to ask God questions is evidence that he wants to provide the answers.”

“God loves an honest question.  And to me, Jesus is the Creator of universe on hands and knees, a proud Daddy talking baby talk to all humanity, a God who has become man so that I can better understand his answers.”

Content from Gospel according to Moses, The: What My Jewish Friends Taught Me about Jesus

What do you get if you mix in cable news, Christians, and an election?  Christians that send email forwards, motivate, and get angry all based on one fearful idea.  That fearful idea is this :  Our culture is very evil and dark.  If it gets more evil the church, Christians, will lose her voice.

Consider that when most of the New Testament was written…

• A small number of people believed in the concept of one God
• Sexual deviance was extreme, even involved in religious practices.
• Those with physical abnormalities and diseases weren’t cared for but instead ostracized from society.
• The major ruling power didn’t debate about the ethics of capital punishment but instead perfected the art of torture through crucifixion.

I think we do a lot of damage to the credibility and power of the story we share when we’re seen as so fearful of evil.  Bring on the darkness because we have the light!

(Thanks to Brad Powell for the historical reminder.)

In The Perfect Leader by Kenneth Boa (perfect?…not you but God) I was challlenged with an interesting thought I wanted to pass on.

“Real communication takes place only when both parties move beyond speaking and hearing to understanding.  Speaking and listening are means, not ends.  People who feel better because they ’spoke their mind’ or think they have fulfilled their obligation because they ‘heard him out’ inadvertently communicate a message that they don’t really want to communicate.”

I feel better If I spoke my mind.  I feel even better if I was understood.  I like being undertood.  Yet my challenge is to “seek understanding before being understood”.  I need to listen way more…