2011 was truly a challenging year in my little corner of the world. I hate to invoke a metaphor I use too much - but it was quite a mountain to climb.
We made a few big decisions, some of which have proven to be good. For some, of course, we still await the verdict.
And all the while, the age-old conundrums mock us - "Why is everything so hard?" or "Why do bad things happen to good people?" or "Why is there so much suffering in the world?".
Showing posts with label Family. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Family. Show all posts
Thanksgiving 2011
This year I've made a few additions to the list, but though every Thanksgiving I try - I can't seem to say it much better than this. You know, God does what he does in our lives through people - people that are gifted, kind and patient - people that have our best interests at their heart.
The New Year: I Resolve...
Let's see. What shall I do better-faster-stronger-smarter in 2011?I resolve to:
- continue reading good books. I'm going back through the classics this year, and so far I'm halfway through Plato's Republic.
- work out harder. We've found some more convenient ways to get good outdoor cardio workouts. Breathe, Mike - just breathe.
- invest more wisely in people. I've sown a whole bunch of time, talent and treasure into a whole bunch of folks, some of which have proved to deserve it less than others. This year I'll invest more carefully.
- remember how to enjoy video games. I know, this sounds counterproductive, but I was the video game king back in the day. My 10 year old is begging me to join him on the Wii - and I love him like crazy - so here goes!
Thanksgiving
You know, God does what he does in our lives through people - people that are gifted, kind and patient - people that have our best interests at their heart.
Yes, a good friend of mine often says that "we stand on the shoulders of giants" and a truer statement has never been made. I owe so much to so many.
I'm eternally thankful for:
Helping Uganda
One of the things I love most about working in ministry is meeting people that are fanatically committed to the task of building God's kingdom.For example, my new friends Eli and Kelly Pyke are working with their church to bring sustainable change to Uganda.
Sisters Community Church in Sisters, Oregon is helping to build a farmer-centric coffee industry in that coffee-rich nation. They're also sponsoring education and daily care for a bunch of the local kids.
How cool is that? These guys are bringing a bit of hope for a real economy and long-term change to a country that's been dealing with so much unrest for the last 40 years.
Read all about it in this article.
Here's to Eli, Kelly and all the fine people of Sisters Community Church for stepping up and doing their part of the Great Project!
Thank God for Good Teachers
I spent this afternoon with a Bible teacher - a good one.John's been guiding teenagers through the scriptures for 13 years in an excellent Christian school. And I'd wager that he's made a real difference in many hundreds of young lives.
Of course I love to learn and I love to teach. There's nothing I'd rather do than synthesize things I've learned by research or through experience, and then teach them to anyone with ears to hear.
So it's extremely encouraging for me to connect with intelligent people of faith like John that are sober-minded and willing to take up the challenge to use their gifts to build up others.
It was my privilege to help him with curriculum development and some other cool things related to teaching the Christian worldview.
You know, it's not the media, or the culture, or flippant fly-by-night "pop Christianity" pushers that will positively impact your teenagers for time and eternity. Nope, it's gonna be folks like John that care enough to truly learn, that care enough to truly teach and that care enough to mentor your kids through their teenage years and beyond.
So let's thank God for the truly good teachers he's put in our lives, let's do our best to support them and let's make sure to thank them every now and then for their faithfulness to God's call on their lives.
Father, thank you for the men and women you've uniquely gifted to pursue, to understand and to teach. Please grant them strength to continue and encourage them and their students with a fresh picture of that glorious future promised in your great Kingdom story.
Beauty and the Beast
These islands are chunks of black limestone arranged quite closely, so that a wonderful adventure can be cobbled together visiting island after island.
Almost immediately I wanted to scope out climbing destinations, but upon close inspection of the limestone I found that Kevlar gloves might be necessary.
The heavy rains that come during the monsoon season have created sharp, serrated edges on the rock that would chew up ropes, shoes and human bodies in short order. Click the picture to the left to check out the climbing horror fest!
We stayed at the El Nido Resort in the nature preserve. It's first-class accommodations for sure, with excellent food, service and activities.We snorkeled gorgeous coral reefs with multicolored fish of every variety. We kayaked through crystal clear bays and hidden coves with towering ramparts surrounding us.
We climbed a few routes on smooth rock, we windsurfed, we hiked, we watched the monkeys, we avoided hordes of jellyfish, we detoured around the occasional poisonous sea snake, we sat in stillness on pristine beaches that looked like they came out of King Kong or Jurassic Park.
We ate every sort of Asian dish for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and we snacked on mangoes 'till we sloshed inside.
Josh and Dylan received hats from the resort made from palm fronds. They had no reservations about wearing these works of art through the giant Mall of Asia in Manila. Oh the looks they got from the mystified locals!
Yes, El Nido is truly a spectacular place. It's beauty like no other spot on earth.
But like the rest of the fallen world in which we live, El Nido has a beastly aspect as well. El Nido Town, a 45 minute boat trip from the resort, is yet another example of the effects of poverty.
So one of the large-scale goals of the trip was to help International Care Ministries in the Philippines with their projects in El Nido Town.
Specifically, we assisted in the construction of two homes for the poor, and we helped provide dental care in another part of the town.
I cut rebar for concrete floors and painted the exterior of one of the homes. Josh painted, raked and shoveled. Dylan had to be the cutest little concrete bucket carrier in southeast Asia!
The local pastors and the people were so happy to have the help and the time spent in conversation with them to understand the ongoing issues with the mission in El Nido Town was illuminating for me.
So yes we had a great, great time exploring and working among these precious people. I hope the connections we made on the trip will bear fruit in the Kingdom for years to come.
The Struggle for Significance
A good friend of mine is leaving a long-held job and finds a certain sadness in it. Another has just returned to the familiar only to plot a new course toward the unknown. And yet another is in waiting, hoping to be discovered by those he holds in high esteem.
I look at all these. And then I think of all the people over the years I've been privileged to encourage and to minister to. And in them I see pieces of myself.
What is it that drives us? What is it that churns our emotions and motivates us to take action, or in some cases merely stand by in muted desire?
Psychologists have long discussed the need buried in each of us for significance. The need to be validated by others. The need for our lives to mean something.
In some of us, this struggle for significance has erupted into full-blown narcissism. We simply must have more and more accolades and ever more fawning fans. We see, and we wish others to see, only ourselves.
On the other end of the spectrum, some of us have become so tentative that we have nearly become invisible. We cannot imagine that our lives will ever amount to anything, and this sense of inadequacy has brought paralysis.
And then of course, most of us are somewhere in between. We're neither self-centered egoists nor immobilized underdogs. We just bump along somewhere in the middle.
You know, I realize every day the truth of something my mom told me many years ago. She said that everyone - the narcissist, the underdog and everyone in between - is stricken with a sense of inadequacy and self-doubt. They all feel, to one degree or another, "less than". Yep, I think she was right.
So let me take this opportunity to encourage you to take your eyes off other people and simply be what God made you to be.
You have been uniquely made to do and to be something significant! You have a special set of gifts and passions that, when discovered and fanned into flame, will bring you into that place of significance and satisfaction you've longed for.
I've seen this so many times over the years. The depressed student that saw something new, perhaps in class or on one of my adventure trips. They took the new, made it a part of themselves and in the process a world of possibilities opened up.
I've witnessed many a fearful young man - more able to say what he couldn't do than what he could - realize his unique potential and then blast off into the future with the resolve that he could achieve his goals after all.
And I've seen this principle at work in myself. As I learned that my real boundaries were far more distant than what I thought - as I learned that I could make a difference and that I could overcome - I found a comfort in my own skin that I never had before.
Remember this during the Christmas season - God has placed in you gifts and talents and energies and abilities and desires and dreams and strengths and weaknesses - all for the purpose of having a significant part in building his Kingdom. And that's no small thing!
I dunno who needs to hear this - I dunno who this is for. But according to Mom, there's probably more than one! :)
I look at all these. And then I think of all the people over the years I've been privileged to encourage and to minister to. And in them I see pieces of myself. What is it that drives us? What is it that churns our emotions and motivates us to take action, or in some cases merely stand by in muted desire?
Psychologists have long discussed the need buried in each of us for significance. The need to be validated by others. The need for our lives to mean something.
In some of us, this struggle for significance has erupted into full-blown narcissism. We simply must have more and more accolades and ever more fawning fans. We see, and we wish others to see, only ourselves.
On the other end of the spectrum, some of us have become so tentative that we have nearly become invisible. We cannot imagine that our lives will ever amount to anything, and this sense of inadequacy has brought paralysis.
And then of course, most of us are somewhere in between. We're neither self-centered egoists nor immobilized underdogs. We just bump along somewhere in the middle.
You know, I realize every day the truth of something my mom told me many years ago. She said that everyone - the narcissist, the underdog and everyone in between - is stricken with a sense of inadequacy and self-doubt. They all feel, to one degree or another, "less than". Yep, I think she was right.
So let me take this opportunity to encourage you to take your eyes off other people and simply be what God made you to be.
You have been uniquely made to do and to be something significant! You have a special set of gifts and passions that, when discovered and fanned into flame, will bring you into that place of significance and satisfaction you've longed for.
I've seen this so many times over the years. The depressed student that saw something new, perhaps in class or on one of my adventure trips. They took the new, made it a part of themselves and in the process a world of possibilities opened up.
I've witnessed many a fearful young man - more able to say what he couldn't do than what he could - realize his unique potential and then blast off into the future with the resolve that he could achieve his goals after all.
And I've seen this principle at work in myself. As I learned that my real boundaries were far more distant than what I thought - as I learned that I could make a difference and that I could overcome - I found a comfort in my own skin that I never had before.
Remember this during the Christmas season - God has placed in you gifts and talents and energies and abilities and desires and dreams and strengths and weaknesses - all for the purpose of having a significant part in building his Kingdom. And that's no small thing!
I dunno who needs to hear this - I dunno who this is for. But according to Mom, there's probably more than one! :)
Giving Thanks
A good friend of mine often says that "we stand on the shoulders of giants". A truer statement has never been made - I owe so much to so many.
I'm eternally thankful to:
Thank you, Father, for weaving the great story that will result in the renewing of all things, for the resurrection and the kingdom to come that will at last set the world straight.
I'm eternally thankful to:
* my parents for bringing me onto the planet, for sticking it out, for providing, and for believing that I could do whatever I put my mind to.Father, it is in you that we live and have our hope. Thank you for creating me, for working through all those people to make me what I am in both strengths and weaknesses, and for the world of possibilities that lay before me.
* my grade school teachers for planting in me the seeds of self-worth that grew into the confidence to move forward.
* Rich Melton for fanning my desire to learn by challenging me with concepts totally off-the-chart for a 6th-grader.
* Bob Schleinat for allowing me to explore the limits of my musical ability, for pushing me beyond what I thought I could ever do, and for my 15 minutes of fame on that gig at the old St. Louis Arena.
* Ron Tucker for keeping me spellbound as a young man with fresh takes on that old, old story.
* Jeff Perry for showing me that Christianity was mainly about completing my part of the Great Project and for providing opportunities and motivation to change the world.
* Larry Hunt for being patient with me during that mess in '87-'88, for pointing the way towards an unconventional, liberating approach and for introducing me to some of the great thinkers that have shaped my worldview.
* Don Erhardt for putting up with my immaturity while providing opportunities for professional advancement that I didn't deserve, and for introducing me to the way business actually works.
* Dennis Graham for respecting me, for valuing my opinions and applauding my work, and for giving me so many opportunities to be and to do bigger things than I ever dreamed I could.
* Dr. Tom Trone (truly a Jedi Master) for teaching and modeling the consultative approach that has become the way I "do my thing".
* Mark Burgess for his brilliance, for his humility and for being a great business partner all those years.
* all those clients that put their trust in me and my team to bring them to new and better places.
* all the friends and students over the years that have at times trusted me, challenged me, taught me, learned from me, led me and followed me.
* my brother and sisters for their encouragement, for their support and frankly, for just being there.
* my sons for their simple trust in me and in God, for their inner strength, for their hunger for adventure and for their companionship.
Thank you, Father, for weaving the great story that will result in the renewing of all things, for the resurrection and the kingdom to come that will at last set the world straight.
Dad
My dad died Wednesday after years of fighting ALS. If you've ever been close to someone with ALS - you know the slow devastation of this particular disease. It's just awful.
Some of you know that I just happen to be at this particular spot in life where several of those close to me have died. Mom, A.J., Karen and now Dad.
I've often described the last four years, at certain points, to feel like when you're just falling asleep. It's been surreal at times.
But underneath the buzz I must admit there's a certain warmth. Maybe it's just feeling what all those that have gone before us have felt as their loved ones disappeared. Maybe the warmth is feeling a sense of community with all those that mourn.
It's probably all that. And then, I think it's something more. As I've gotten older and walked through all this, I've found myself praying "thy kingdom come..." and really meaning it.
I really do long now for the Kingdom of God to come in it's fullness - no more sorrow and no more death. Resurrected bodies that won't get sick and won't wear out and won't die.
In fact, looking at it from this vantage point - I think a new description is in order. Rather than it feeling like when you're just falling asleep - perhaps the best way to describe it is to say that it feels like when you're just waking up.
Yeah, that's it. You know how that feels, when you're in that ambiguous place of slumber where you're experiencing weird dreams and uneasy uncertainy. Everything feels sluggish and encumbered.
But then, the first rays of sunlight poke into your consciousness, and you slowly become aware of the day. And then - before you know it - you're awake. You're awake to the gift of a brand new day - all its possibilities and all its opportunities.
Yep, that's a better way to say it. We're waking up.
Some of you know that I just happen to be at this particular spot in life where several of those close to me have died. Mom, A.J., Karen and now Dad.
I've often described the last four years, at certain points, to feel like when you're just falling asleep. It's been surreal at times.
But underneath the buzz I must admit there's a certain warmth. Maybe it's just feeling what all those that have gone before us have felt as their loved ones disappeared. Maybe the warmth is feeling a sense of community with all those that mourn.
It's probably all that. And then, I think it's something more. As I've gotten older and walked through all this, I've found myself praying "thy kingdom come..." and really meaning it.
I really do long now for the Kingdom of God to come in it's fullness - no more sorrow and no more death. Resurrected bodies that won't get sick and won't wear out and won't die.In fact, looking at it from this vantage point - I think a new description is in order. Rather than it feeling like when you're just falling asleep - perhaps the best way to describe it is to say that it feels like when you're just waking up.
Yeah, that's it. You know how that feels, when you're in that ambiguous place of slumber where you're experiencing weird dreams and uneasy uncertainy. Everything feels sluggish and encumbered.
But then, the first rays of sunlight poke into your consciousness, and you slowly become aware of the day. And then - before you know it - you're awake. You're awake to the gift of a brand new day - all its possibilities and all its opportunities.
Yep, that's a better way to say it. We're waking up.
More on "We" pressure
In his comment on this post, Caleb asked "Then where does staying connected come in?".
When I first read Friedman's Generation to Generation, and first learned a bit of Family Systems Theory as applied to leadership - I also had questions as to how it all worked.
I mean, if I focus on clarifying my own life-goals (saying "I believe") - won't those I'm supposed to be leading just walk away? In other words, how can a team stay together when the leader resists "We" pressure?
Well, FST gurus say that it is the "We" pressure itself, when properly understood and managed, that will keep the team (or most of it) together. Homeostasis (the tendency of a system to maintain equilibrium) works in favor of the properly differentiated (and connected) leader.
But how?
Here's an example. When I was entering 9th grade in high school, my father announced to us that we were moving from St. Louis to Oklahoma City due to his job requirements. This pronouncement was jarring and abrupt - we had little time to prepare ourselves at all.
Of course, I emoted all over the place, and expressed my discontent with the situation to anyone that would listen. But here's the thing...
When it came down to it - I valued the family system itself over my particular desires in that situation, and so - I reluctantly capitulated. We moved to OKC and life continued. The family system remained together in albeit difficult circumstances.
Another example... How many times have you heard of a parent being extremely unhappy with their child's choice to get married? It happens all the time.
Mom and Dad blow a gasket. "He doesn't make enought money!" or "she's not good enough for you!" are comments often screamed by such parents. But after the marraige takes place - guess what? Mom and Dad (usually fairly quickly) line up and honor the family system.
What's at work in these examples? Friedman would say that homeostasis pressures lead the anxious family members to finally seek to preserve the family system. Put simply - family systems want to stay family systems.
And how does this apply to self-differentiated leadership? Well, if you find your "I believe" statements and your clarification/communication of your life-goals to be upsetting those in your family of origin, or your church, or your workplace - just stay the course.
Don't knuckle under to the "We" pressure. Just remain emotionally connected to the family system without allowing the anxiety flowing through that system to invade you. Remain a "non-anxious presence" in the system.
And then the natural tendency of the family system towards the status quo will (most of the time) cause the other members of the system to straighten up and fly right.
Not so hard, eh? :)
When I first read Friedman's Generation to Generation, and first learned a bit of Family Systems Theory as applied to leadership - I also had questions as to how it all worked.
I mean, if I focus on clarifying my own life-goals (saying "I believe") - won't those I'm supposed to be leading just walk away? In other words, how can a team stay together when the leader resists "We" pressure?
Well, FST gurus say that it is the "We" pressure itself, when properly understood and managed, that will keep the team (or most of it) together. Homeostasis (the tendency of a system to maintain equilibrium) works in favor of the properly differentiated (and connected) leader.
But how?
Here's an example. When I was entering 9th grade in high school, my father announced to us that we were moving from St. Louis to Oklahoma City due to his job requirements. This pronouncement was jarring and abrupt - we had little time to prepare ourselves at all.
Of course, I emoted all over the place, and expressed my discontent with the situation to anyone that would listen. But here's the thing...
When it came down to it - I valued the family system itself over my particular desires in that situation, and so - I reluctantly capitulated. We moved to OKC and life continued. The family system remained together in albeit difficult circumstances.
Another example... How many times have you heard of a parent being extremely unhappy with their child's choice to get married? It happens all the time.
Mom and Dad blow a gasket. "He doesn't make enought money!" or "she's not good enough for you!" are comments often screamed by such parents. But after the marraige takes place - guess what? Mom and Dad (usually fairly quickly) line up and honor the family system.
What's at work in these examples? Friedman would say that homeostasis pressures lead the anxious family members to finally seek to preserve the family system. Put simply - family systems want to stay family systems.
And how does this apply to self-differentiated leadership? Well, if you find your "I believe" statements and your clarification/communication of your life-goals to be upsetting those in your family of origin, or your church, or your workplace - just stay the course.
Don't knuckle under to the "We" pressure. Just remain emotionally connected to the family system without allowing the anxiety flowing through that system to invade you. Remain a "non-anxious presence" in the system.
And then the natural tendency of the family system towards the status quo will (most of the time) cause the other members of the system to straighten up and fly right.
Not so hard, eh? :)
The powers and pitfalls of "We"
We."We" is a force that is often used for tremendous good. "We", when working together in unity, can encourage one another to heights of achievement that alone we'd never consider. The sense of community that "We" brings can be God's healing touch for the brokenhearted. Yep, "We" can often get things done that no "I" could ever do.
At K-Colorado (soon to be Camp Kivu) - we work hard to provide a place where young men and women can be part of a global community of world changers. That's because we believe strongly in the creative power of "We".
Yes, I believe "We" is perhaps the most powerful human force in the world - both for good, and unfortunately, for "not so good".
Huh - what was that? How could "We" be a bad thing?
Well, we all know about the really nasty instances where "We" went badly astray. Hitler's Germany and the more recent Rwandan genocide both come to mind. The rampant and oft-reported problem of gang violence is another example.
But there is a more subtle and I'd say more difficult problem with "We". That is, "We" can make change impossible.
Family Systems Theory uses the term "homeostasis" to describe this "We" pressure to remain the same - to stay stuck together even though saying "I" would be more beneficial to everyone involved.
For example - have you ever made a decision against your better judgment just to "keep the peace" - perhaps in your family or in your group of friends? Have you ever seen a "leader" knuckle under to the demands of the group rather than take a stand for her own life-goals?
And perhaps nastiest of all - have you ever seen members of a church, a business team or even members of your own family "sabotage" the leader who attempts to say "I" in the face of the homeostasis - when he tries to define his goals apart from those of the group?
I've seen all of this junk - and sad to say - I've been involved in some of it myself. But years ago I made a concerted effort to just say "no" to this kind of behavior - and I still strive to rid my life of it.
Good leaders must learn to continually define themselves and their life-goals over against the surrounding togetherness pressures. But they must do this while remaining connected to the groups and families to which they belong and of which they lead.
Otherwise - there's no way the group or family will make any progress. Such a team will remain "stuck" - never achieving anywhere near what they could with a properly differentiated leader.
So let's continue to work on clarifying our own life-goals while teaching others to do the same. This may mean that you end up leading your group or family to a totally new place.
Would that be so bad? :)
Father, help me to help others clarify the gifts and goals you have placed in them. Help all of us to value progress over "peace at any cost" in the groups you've given us to lead - so that we may fully complete our part of your Great Project to renew and rebuild the world.
I'm Proud of Lowell
Lowell has made a significant decision - he's taken steps to bias his life toward adventure and away from security. And I'm thrilled to see it.
But I'm not going to spill the beans. If you want to, Lowell, go ahead and tell your story here. If not, we understand! But in any case, just know that I'll help you however I can to make good on your decision.
Men a lot smarter than I have taught me that bending my life towards adventure (whether in vocation, worship, family life or recreation) is a key component of personal growth and a huge part of true leadership.
We've gotta develop an awareness of our boundaries, and then seek to intelligently expand them. Otherwise, we and the organizations we are a part of will remain stuck.
So I salute you, Lowell. Bravo!
But I'm not going to spill the beans. If you want to, Lowell, go ahead and tell your story here. If not, we understand! But in any case, just know that I'll help you however I can to make good on your decision.
Men a lot smarter than I have taught me that bending my life towards adventure (whether in vocation, worship, family life or recreation) is a key component of personal growth and a huge part of true leadership.
We've gotta develop an awareness of our boundaries, and then seek to intelligently expand them. Otherwise, we and the organizations we are a part of will remain stuck.
So I salute you, Lowell. Bravo!
What's on your mind?
We wrapped up our discussion of faith and works tonight during our regular weekly get-together. Well, we've been saying that we're finished every Tuesday night for awhile now - but we seem to keep discussing one facet or another of this very practical topic.
But we really are going to move on! And that's why I wanted to ask, "What's on your mind?". What would you like to discuss, here on the blog and/or during our weekly chats?
We can talk theology or any other topic - leadership issues, continuous improvement, current events, changing the world - whatever - I'd love to discuss what's on your mind in the context of the Judeo-Christian worldview.
So whaddya say?
But we really are going to move on! And that's why I wanted to ask, "What's on your mind?". What would you like to discuss, here on the blog and/or during our weekly chats?
We can talk theology or any other topic - leadership issues, continuous improvement, current events, changing the world - whatever - I'd love to discuss what's on your mind in the context of the Judeo-Christian worldview.
So whaddya say?
Karen
My sister Karen died around 8:00 this morning, and I'm numb trying to process it all.
With Mom's recent death, and with A.J.'s, with Dad's terminal diagnosis and now with Karen - I understand (no, I deeply feel) the bleakness and despair that drives people to abandon worldviews like the one I've clung to all these years. That is, the Judeo-Christian worldview.
Yes, now I know why people give up. I know why they conclude that Christianity is just a myth - that it's merely a nice little dream that keeps life simple until the hard realities of the real world crash in. I get it - I really do.
Yes, in times like these I feel a strong impulse to chuck the whole thing down the drain.
But then, I realize that this precise situation - with all the associated emotions of loneliness, doubt, isolation, loss and dread - this is what my worldview proposes will be fixed in Messiah's kingdom. The Judeo-Christian story says that the world to come will contain new life, new possibilities and new beginnings for those of us that dare to believe such a story.
And so even today - I choose to believe.
With Mom's recent death, and with A.J.'s, with Dad's terminal diagnosis and now with Karen - I understand (no, I deeply feel) the bleakness and despair that drives people to abandon worldviews like the one I've clung to all these years. That is, the Judeo-Christian worldview.
Yes, now I know why people give up. I know why they conclude that Christianity is just a myth - that it's merely a nice little dream that keeps life simple until the hard realities of the real world crash in. I get it - I really do.
Yes, in times like these I feel a strong impulse to chuck the whole thing down the drain.
But then, I realize that this precise situation - with all the associated emotions of loneliness, doubt, isolation, loss and dread - this is what my worldview proposes will be fixed in Messiah's kingdom. The Judeo-Christian story says that the world to come will contain new life, new possibilities and new beginnings for those of us that dare to believe such a story.
And so even today - I choose to believe.
...He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death;
there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.
And He who sits on the throne said, "Behold, I am making all things new."...
New Friends
So I made some new friends last week. It started with an adventure in the Florida Keys and ended with the creation of new relationships.
Check this passage out from 1 John.
And John here wraps loving others in with covenant-keeping. Of course, John points out that Messiah did the same! The New Covenant sums up and completes the Old Covenant by restating what God had always intended.
"Love God, Love People".
I believe we please God when we're being the most "human". That is, when we're doing what we were made to do.
And the cool thing is - we're designed to love one another! How do I know that? Because making and having friends - because having them sow into my life and sowing into theirs - is just so fulfilling! It's the natural thing to do.
And that means that keeping Messiah's commandment - to love God and to love people - should be the most natural thing in the world for us.
The problem, of course, is that we allow ourselves to be de-humanized by things, by pursuits, by whatever. And then we're out of position and in danger of finding ourselves in exile.
So let's invest in our relationships this week. Revel in them and sense our created purpose in them. John said it above, and Paul said it in Galatians 6. As we love one another - as we bear one another's burdens - we fulfill Messiah's law.
Father, thank you for the relationships you've blessed me with. Help me to invest in these relationships - to be truly human - and thus stay in covenant with you.
Check this passage out from 1 John.
"See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is.
And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure. Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness. You know that He appeared in order to take away sins; and in Him there is no sin.No one who abides in Him sins; no one who sins has seen Him or knows Him. Little children, make sure no one deceives you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous; the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil.
No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother.
For this is the message which you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another; not as Cain, who was of the evil one and slew his brother. And for what reason did he slay him? Because his deeds were evil, and his brother's were righteous.
Do not be surprised, brethren, if the world hates you. We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love abides in death.
Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer; and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoever has the world's goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him?
Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth. We will know by this that we are of the truth, and will assure our heart before Him in whatever our heart condemns us; for God is greater than our heart and knows all things.
Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; and whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight.
This is His commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as He commanded us. The one who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. We know by this that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us." - I John 3:1-24
This passage is so revealing of the nature of the covenant God has made with us in Messiah. "Nobody that practices sin is born of God". Wow!
And John here wraps loving others in with covenant-keeping. Of course, John points out that Messiah did the same! The New Covenant sums up and completes the Old Covenant by restating what God had always intended.
"Love God, Love People".
I believe we please God when we're being the most "human". That is, when we're doing what we were made to do.
And the cool thing is - we're designed to love one another! How do I know that? Because making and having friends - because having them sow into my life and sowing into theirs - is just so fulfilling! It's the natural thing to do.
And that means that keeping Messiah's commandment - to love God and to love people - should be the most natural thing in the world for us.
The problem, of course, is that we allow ourselves to be de-humanized by things, by pursuits, by whatever. And then we're out of position and in danger of finding ourselves in exile.
So let's invest in our relationships this week. Revel in them and sense our created purpose in them. John said it above, and Paul said it in Galatians 6. As we love one another - as we bear one another's burdens - we fulfill Messiah's law.
Father, thank you for the relationships you've blessed me with. Help me to invest in these relationships - to be truly human - and thus stay in covenant with you.
Proud of My Friends
I have some of the coolest friends in the world. Check out "My Fellow Workers" over on the sidebar.
These are a few of the great people I have been privileged to pour a bit of myself into over the last few years in one way or another. These folks in particular have chosen to step into the world of blogging as a means of honing their reasoning and their writing skills.
Do they have it all straight? Or for that matter, do I?
That's a "nope" on both counts!
But I salute them - because they're bold, they're givin' it a go and they're on the way towards making a dent in the world and in the Great Project that our Master has given us.
I'm both humbled and grateful to be called their friend.
Father, thank you for the wonderful people you have allowed me to know, and to be known by. Help me to be a help to them as together we step into the uncertain and the ambiguous.
These are a few of the great people I have been privileged to pour a bit of myself into over the last few years in one way or another. These folks in particular have chosen to step into the world of blogging as a means of honing their reasoning and their writing skills.
Do they have it all straight? Or for that matter, do I?
That's a "nope" on both counts!
But I salute them - because they're bold, they're givin' it a go and they're on the way towards making a dent in the world and in the Great Project that our Master has given us.
I'm both humbled and grateful to be called their friend.
Father, thank you for the wonderful people you have allowed me to know, and to be known by. Help me to be a help to them as together we step into the uncertain and the ambiguous.
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