The Distraction Trap

It's amazing how much we see God in our daily life when we're not distracted. In fact, this is what God created us for. He wants us to enjoy Him and walk with him day by day and moment by moment. He has far more to show us and speak to us than we give Him credit for. I can't speak for you, but I am easily distracted. Or I should say, I have been easily distracted in the past. I am making great progress with extreme intentionality toward this area of my life. It's a battle. It's a fight. It's a daily process for me to set my mind on Christ and enjoy Him.

A couple years ago I was sitting on a rock in the Garden of the Gods park overlooking the incredibly majestic Pikes Peak. The sun was setting behind the mountains, and the view was incredible. It was peaceful. It was serene. It was relaxing. It was...you get the point. As I sat there enjoying the view, a pesky little fly began to fly around my head. My eyes shifted from the glistening Peak to this dirty little fly. I watched this fly for quite some time. Eventually, it landed by my hand and I continued to stare at it. It was in that moment when God revealed that I live much of my life like that. I take my eyes off the incredible "view" that God has set before me, and I become distracted by things that don't matter. I had a choice to either enjoy the sun drenched rocks and the rugged mountains or watch a fly sit on a rock. For some odd reason, I chose the fly. I was missing what God had for me because I was simply distracted.

I truly believe that Jesus gives us abundant life on a daily basis, but that we often miss it. I believe that our joy is stolen because we allow our minds to wander and meditate on the worries of life. God is leading us to "taste and see that the LORD is good." We will all experience this in greater measure as we train ourselves to be alert. I want to invite you to join me in a daily challenge. As you wake up in the morning, commit to living with a clear mind and a clear heart. Give the details of your life to God. Trust him to work out the "little things" that we all spend too much time thinking about. And finally, be observant to all of the ways that God is communicating to you. Walk with Him day by day and moment by moment. The results will speak for themselves.

God, The Wrestler

God's wrestling match with Jacob (Genesis 32) has to be one of the greatest stories in the Bible. Of course, I might be a little biased. I was born and raised around the sport of wrestling. My dad was a high school wrestling coach for over 30 years. Now, I find myself coaching the same sport that I competed in for 18 years. I am not talking about the kind of wrestling you see on TBS or Pay Per View. I can proudly admit that I never painted my face, wore a speedo, or hit someone in the back of the head with a folding chair. I AM talking about the sport of wrestling seen in high school and college gyms throughout the country. Amateur wrestling, the greatest and one of the oldest sports on earth. Being familiar with the sport, I have much more of an appreciation for what God did on that fateful night as he wrestled Jacob. The story would have been much less appealing to me if God had appeared to Jacob and challenged him to a game of ping pong. Or much worse, chess. God wanted to see what Jacob was made of. My brother (currently flying helicopters in Iraq and one of the bravest men I know) made a good point in a recent email: "I picture the LORD as the day broke filled with delight, exhausted and thinking, 'Yes, this is why I made man in my image.'" His point has challenged my thinking of God. I think my brother is right. God wants to wrestle with us. It's the same as a father wanting to wrestle with his son. He wants to engage us on that kind of level. He wants us to roll up our sleeves and struggle with Him. At first, the religious side of me was quick to think, "Wrestle with God? No, he would rather have me lay on my face and worship!" Of course he wants us to lay on our face and worship Him. He also wants us to "step into the ring" and grapple with Him. How cool.

Bored?

Boredom and Christianity don't mix. Or, I guess I should say they shouldn't mix. As I minister to kids I am worried about the number of kids who are bored with God and church. I believe that the answer to this problem is not found in increasing the entertainment value found in a particular church service. Even if we held church at Disney World for the next year, I am confident that kids would eventually still be bored. They are bored because they lack vision, purpose and a mission. Following Christ is certainly not a spectator sport. I admit that I get bored with God sometimes. Over the course of my walk with Christ, I have had to admit numerous times that I was bored with Him. It was then that he gently corrected me and revealed that I was not following Him closely enough. I was missing out on the mission and vision that He has for me. When I am truly following Christ, the last thing on my mind is being bored. I am learning that boredom is a symptom that something is wrong and it's always an issue on MY end. God is patient. So, kids need far more than an entertaining church service. They need a mission. They need purpose. They need vision. They have been called to walk with an adventurous, wild and free God who cannot be tamed. Yes, the same God who wrestled Jacob, parted the Red Sea, and was nailed to a cross at Calvary. Let us all walk closer and hear His heartbeat. It is then that boredom will be a distant memory. I am sure of it.

The Danger of Honesty

Being honest with God is a beautiful but dangerous thing. It's beautiful because it's the first step to finding freedom. It's dangerous because it usually leads to God asking you to leave your comfort zone. I have spent a good portion of the past several days searching my heart and asking God real questions. I'm learning that he likes it when we're honest with him. I have lived most of my life ignoring some of the key issues that God is wanting to fix in my heart. The longer I ignore these issues, the more I begin to experience symptoms that something is not right. The longer I live with the symptoms, the more I begin to think it's normal. This is the path that most people travel down when their freedom is stolen. Look around and watch people live. How many people do you know that are living in the freedom that is rightfully ours as children of God? Can you even think of anybody? Thankfully, the Gospel is full of good news. Jesus will rescue your heart. Jesus truly will set you free. It's a journey. It's a process that he will take you through. I believe the first step is simply being honest with God about your heart and your life. If you are lacking passion, tell him. If you are lacking vision for your life, tell him. He's not suprised. If you are tired of people, tell him. If you read the Bible because you feel like you have to, tell him. If your prayer life is monotanous, tell him. As you are honest with him, expect him to be honest back. It is indeed a beautiful but dangerous invitation.

Below are some verses that I have been meditating on lately:

Proverbs 20:5 "The purposes of a man's heart are deep waters, but a man of understanding draws them out."

Jeremiah 33:3 "Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know."