Just Keep Knocking!

One in 10.  That was the average.

I was really discouraged.  I had been working incredibly hard to get this business off the ground.  We had 2 toddlers and no income other than what I hoped to generate with a start-up sports marketing agency.

MacLean Sports Marketing was a complete unknown in the world of professional sports.  The promotions I created were also unknown.  I was a huge long shot to succeed.  In fact, even my best buddy at the time bet against me,

“Who’s going to want to buy those things?!”  And he came from the world of professional sports marketing.

However, I had no other options.  This was what the Lord had “forced” me into.  He closed every other door and told me to start a business creating and selling game day promotions to pro and semi-pro sports teams.

I know, I know – I thought the same thing, “You’ve got to be kidding me!?!”

So there I sat at a make-shift desk in the 500 square foot cottage on my in-laws farm that Anne and I now found ourselves living in.  Every morning Anne would have to get the boys out of the cottage so I could work in quiet to make phone calls and send emails on my brand new Digital computer with 4 Megs of RAM – cutting edge technology at the time.

Day after day I would knock on the doors of pro teams to sell my wares.  Multiple times I would have to knock on their doors just to find out who I needed to speak with, then many more calls to actually have a conversation with the person who had the power to make decisions.  Emails, phone calls, emails, phone calls – over and over again hundreds of times.

Amidst the myriad of attempts to connect and the dozens of pitches I experienced the odd success.  Yes, finally a sale.  I made sure I called my buddy after each sale to let him know he was wrong!

My conversion ratio was 1 in 10.  Every 10 pitches I would win 1 contract.  And those pitches took countless contacts just to get my foot in the door.  Lots of “knocking” on their doors.  I couldn’t give up knocking – that was not an option.

This was it.  I did not have a plan “B”.  This had to work.

It’s amazing how motivating desperation can be.

I read a scripture recently that reminded me of this season in our lives decades ago…

Jesus was teaching the disciples about prayer.  He tells the story of a man who goes to his friend’s house at midnight to ask for some bread to serve to someone who has come over after a long journey.  His neighbour tells him to go away because he’s already in bed.

However, the man keeps pounding on the door.  He just keeps knocking.

The neighbour finally gets up and gives him the bread.  Jesus points out that the neighbour didn’t necessarily give him the bread because he’s his friend, but because his friend wouldn’t stop knocking on his door!

Jesus then says that we need to do the same with God.  We need to keep knocking.  We need to keep asking.  We need to keep seeking.

Ask!  Seek!  Knock!

What have you been seeking the Lord for?  What have you been asking for?  How are you knocking on God’s door?

Are you growing tired of seeking?  Are you giving up after a couple of knocks?

Jesus is inviting us to boldly and persistently pound on heaven’s door.  Jesus is encouraging us to passionately persevere and ask our Heavenly Father for our needs.  But in particular, Jesus is encouraging us to ask for the Father to give us the Holy Spirit.

Don’t be a timid door knocker.  Don’t give up after a few knocks on the door.  If we’re going to get hold of what the Lord has for us, and for others through us, we need to boldly keep seeking, keep asking, and keep knocking.  Don’t give up!

We don’t have an option.  We don’t have a plan “B”.  We must be desperate for God’s provision in our lives.

Be bold!  Just keep knocking!

Luke 11:8-13

“I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity he will surely get up and give you as much as you need.  So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.  Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

Hebrews 4:16

 ^“Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

Acts 4:31

“After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.”

Jan 08, 2018 | Categories: Uncategorized | Comments Off on Just Keep Knocking!

Clarity of Purpose

Happy New Year!

Do you have a New Year’s ritual of some kind?  Beyond the celebrating, beyond New Year’s Eve, is there something you’re intentional about to mark the New Year?

New Year’s is a time when we can take a look back at what was, and look forward into what could be.  More than simple New Year’s resolutions this is a time to be intentional about the coming year.

I have a bit of a ritual of sorts I implement on New Year ’s Day.  I head out on a prayer hike with the Lord.  We talk about the previous year – mostly me expressing gratitude for the Lord’s great goodness and His good greatness.

We also talk about the coming year: my hopes, my desires, my reservations, my fears.  I then ask the Lord what the theme for the coming year is: what He wants me to focus on for the coming year.

When I get home I pull out my journal and my planner from the previous year.  I review what happened in the year.  I write in my journal a summary of the year in numerous categories, and compare this year to last year.  I then write about what I believe the Lord is saying to me about the coming year.

Lastly, Anne and I spend some time praying together for the coming year and for each other.

Prior to heading out on my hike Anne and I talk about what we would like to receive from the Lord in the coming year.  Basically that which has been stirring in our hearts.  It’s usually what the Lord has been speaking to us about already.

This year we both had a similar stirring.  We’re asking the Lord for Clarity of Purpose.  We want to have great clarity in regard to why we’re doing what we’re doing.

We’re confident we’re serving the Lord in the work to which He has called us.  However, in the midst of the battles of life it’s easy to lose sight of why we’re doing what we’re doing.  We can simply begin to go through the motions and lose the purpose behind the work.  When we lose sight of the purpose for which we toil, we can soon lose heart, and stop doing that which God has called us to do.

Clarity of purpose helps us stay engaged and alive amidst the struggles of life.

Why do we do what we do?  Why bother?  Why continue?  Why keep paying the price to stay engaged and work hard at what God has put in our hands?

I must say, a key motivator for me is wanting to be able to stand before my heavenly Father and hear Him say, “Well done!  You’ve been faithful with what I entrusted to you – enter into my joy!”  (Matthew 25:21)  I want to produce much good fruit.

So what keeps me engaged is love for God.  And He challenged me on that this year.  When I asked Him about my Clarity of Purpose He simply said, “Love”.  I’m not that good on an aspect of that equation though.  We’re called to love God and love people.  My Clarity of Purpose involves loving people better, because I’m weak at that.

Three words define my “why” for my work:  Love. Lead. Live.

Why do I do what I do?  Ultimately to love God and love people.  However, I’m to love people so I can lead them into life.  Love.  Lead.  Live.  When I do that, I’m loving God as well.

At the end of the day, our “fruit” is measured in the lives of people.  Your purpose and my purpose involves loving people.  It’s not about bank accounts, boats, houses, cars, and worldly possessions.  It’s not about titles, status, popularity and power.  It’s about loving people with God’s love.

So how about you?  What Clarity of Purpose do you have?  He has great purpose for you.  When you have Clarity of Purpose your motivation and engagement is greatly increased, your impact is multiplied, and you can better persevere when things get tough.

I would encourage you to seek God for your Clarity of Purpose – it’s definitely worth your effort.

Matthew 22:37-39

^“Jesus replied: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”

John 15:8

“This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.”

Jan 01, 2018 | Categories: Uncategorized | Comments Off on Clarity of Purpose

A Special Christmas Message

Twas the night before Christmas and all through the earth

The world did not know, it was the eve of His birth.

Many hoped and prayed for the salvation of man

For the promised deliverance of God’s holy plan.

The world for centuries have been bound by a curse

The burden known as sin from Genesis three sixth verse.

Adam & Eve had eaten from the forbidden tree

Now the world knew not what it was to be free.

The chains of sin bound all of creation

Mankind’s great need was for divine liberation.

Yes how Satan loves to steal, kill & destroy

But God’s plan for life began with a boy.

You see, man needed a sacrifice, an atonement for sin

So a relationship with God he could begin.

How the Father loved & adored His creation

But man’s sin caused a huge separation.

God required a sacrifice to cover man’s fall

To free man from sin once and for all

There weren’t many solutions, no there was really just one

God would choose to sacrifice His only begotten Son

Yes Jesus, God’s Son, would become as a man

He would represent God, be His glorious plan.

Yes He was God, but wholly man out and in

And though tempted in all ways, would never know sin

He would suffer and die and then rise from the dead

He would pay for man’s sin, suffer in man’s stead.

With God’s glorious plan Satan could hardly contend

By Jesus’ glorious sacrifice man’s captivity would end.

Now this is no fable, no nursery rhyme!

This is the glory of God’s plan, in the fullness of time!

All heaven was abuzz with this incredible news

To become a man, the Son of God would choose

The angels’ excitement was incredibly contagious

The Child to be born was the fulfilling of the ages.

The angels were amazed, “God made lower than us?”

No wonder there was such an incredible fuss.

They could hardly contain the joys yet untold

For in the Christ child God’s plan would unfold

Gabriel, Michael and all the heavenly host,

Could barely hold back their glorious boast.

They would shout and sing to make sure they’d be heard!

Oh how hard it was to wait for God’s Word!

Then finally it came, God said “Go with good speed

Shout forth with joy – Oh yes indeed!”

The angels were surprised to whom they should speak

To shepherds with their flocks, lowly and meek.

Gabriel took charge & told the shepherds not to fear

But to rejoice for God has come near!

Gabriel announced, “Good news to all men

The Savior, the Christ is born in Bethlehem.”

“A baby in a manger can surely be found”.

Gabriel said, as the Lord’s glory shone around

Then suddenly there appeared the angelic crowd

Singing praises to God, with such beauty – and loud!

“Hark the herald angels sing, “Glory to the newborn King!

Peace on earth and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled.”

Joyful all ye nations rise, join the triumph of the skies

With the angelic host proclaim, “Christ is born in Bethlehem.”

Christ the highest heav’n adored; Christ the everlasting Lord

Late in time behold Him come, off-spring of the favored one.

Veiled in flesh the Godhead see; Hail th’incarnate Deity

Pleased as man with man to dwell, Jesus our Immanuel”

Hail the heav’n born Prince of Peace! Hail the Son of Righteousness

Light & life to all He brings, ris’n with healing in His wings.

Mild he lays His glory by, born that man no more may die

Born to raise the sons of earth, born to give them second birth

Hark! the herald angels sing. Glory to the newborn King!”

(Charles Wesley)

Oh what a time of praise they had

They could not remember when they’d been more glad!

They loved to shout, dance and sing

For the earth was now receiving her King

The joy and exuberance from heaven above

Was being expressed in God’s gift of love.

A son was given a child was born

That mankind need no longer mourn.

Eternal Father our Prince of Peace

There will be no end to His governments’ increase

What an occasion, join the celebrations!

For Christ Jesus has come to free all the nations!

Joy to the world man’s been given a King

Now let both heaven and nature sing.

Jesus, God’s son, came as man Christmas day

A tiny baby boy,  precious in every way.

At this time we remember the baby Christ Jesus

Let it also be known He’s the Lord who frees us!

He rules as Lord or Lords and King of Kings.

To Him all praise and majesty rings.

He is God come to man to show man the way

That right-living,  peace and happiness we could know every day

We can have abundant life that none does deserve

By making a choice Christ Jesus to serve.

So on Christmas day let’s remember God’s plan

That by sending His Son God was reconciling man

And by choosing to follow Jesus, who came from above

We can all know the abundance of God’s holy love!

Dec 25, 2017 | Categories: Uncategorized | Comments Off on A Special Christmas Message

The Light of the World

We were going down.

Down, down, down, down we descended.  We descended into the heart of the Canadian Shield the same depth as a 100 story building is high.  Over one thousand feet we were lowered by the freight elevator into the bowels of a nuclear waste storage facility.

Deep in the heart of the solid granite of the Canadian Shield is a nuclear waste storage facility where the radioactive spent cores from Candu Reactors are stored.  I was leading a field trip of grade 10 social studies students.  We were studying nuclear power and I thought this would give the students an exceptional experiential learning excursion.

And that certainly was the case.  Our guide gave us a tour we would not soon forget.

The cores are buried in chambers dug deep into the rock, then back-filled with silica sand.  We never got within the vicinity of spent cores of course.  That would have been very unsafe.  We did, however, walk through the long corridors leading into those chambers

It was in one of these corridors our guide gave us an experience that I will never forget.  When you’re that deep in solid rock there’s absolutely no light apart for that which is man-made.  Our guide asked us if we would like to see what utter darkness looks like.  Of course we responded that we would indeed.

It was at that point our guide turned off all the lights.

Darkness enveloped us like black ink.  I had never experienced anything like it before.  I held my hand in front of my face – inches away – and could see nothing.  It was total and utter darkness.  There was a physical nature to this darkness, it almost felt like a prison that now bound us.

Then, before we knew it, the lights were turned back on and the darkness fled.  The atmosphere totally changed.  When the light came, the darkness disappeared.

That is a picture of Christmas.

Isaiah prophesied about Jesus’ birth this way:

“The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.”  Isaiah 9:2

Jesus said this about Himself:

“When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’”  Mathew 8:12

Do you know why lights are such a significant part of our Christmas decorations?  Because Jesus came to break the power of the spiritual darkness that imprisoned the world.  Jesus came to bring light to those trapped in darkness – darkness of soul.

Isaiah 61, which is really the Constitution of the Kingdom of God, tells us that Jesus came to bring release from darkness for the prisoners.  Like my students and I were trapped and immobilized by the darkness in that nuclear waste storage facility, mankind was trapped in the kingdom of darkness, imprisoned by sin.

We were, that is, until Jesus came.

At Christmas we celebrate Jesus’ birth.  Lights are a part of our Christmas decorations because Jesus is the light of the world.  He came to bring light into the darkness.  Into your darkness.

What darkness do you need to invite Jesus into?

And do you know what?  When Jesus brings His light into your life, you become the light of the world.  You get to share hope with those trapped in hopelessness.  When we get hold of the light and Truth Jesus has for us, we become His ambassadors of light and Truth to our world.

^“For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.”  Ephesians 5:8-11

So Christmas is a time when we celebrate the birth of Christ, of Him bringing light into the darkness.  But He has said that we are now the light of the world, and we need to let our light shine before men.  So when you’re looking at all the lights this Christmas, think of the light that Jesus brought into our darkness, but also remember that you are the light of the world.

Turn your light on in people’s darkness.

You are the light of the world.

Matthew 5:14-16

“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.  In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”

Dec 18, 2017 | Categories: Uncategorized | Comments Off on The Light of the World

What Is Success?

“He’s really successful.”

What comes to mind when you read that?

For most people it involves money. When we use the term “success”, or ”successful” it typically infers financial wealth or significant income. That’s certainly the case in the world’s eyes. And, oftentimes that can be the case with Christians as well.

Should the people of God have a different concept of success than the world? Absolutely!

So, as beloved children of God, what’s our definition of success? I think this is a really important question for us to answer. If you don’t intentionally define what success is for you, through a biblical lens, then you’ll naturally drift into the world’s definition which is at odds to God’s definition.

What does God have to say about success?

Ok, first things first, success for God’s people is found in obeying God’s word.

“Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.” Joshua 1:8

God’s word is our standard for success. We need to understand what God says He values. Is knowing and loving God all we need concern ourselves with? I would suggest “no”. Jesus summed everything up in 2 commands:

“Jesus replied: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Matthew 22:37-40

Bottom line: whatever we do we need to love God and love people. And we need to understand that love is a verb. It requires action.

Paul tells us,

“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Ephesians 2:10

We have been created to work, to partner with Jesus is God’s Kingdom coming and His will being done on earth as it is in Heaven. Work is not part of the fall, God placed Adam and Eve in the garden to work it, to partner with Him in His purposes on earth. We were actually created in Jesus to do good works which God has already prepared for us to do. God has goods works planned for you to do with Him.

In the parable of the talents Jesus explains to us that we’ve all been given talents by our Master to invest. Our Master, God, is expecting a return on His investment. The Master does not tell the servants how to invest the talents they have been given – He simply asks for a return. Matthew 25:14-29

And what is the reward for faithfully investing our talents and creating a return for our Master?

“His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’” Matthew 25:21

You’ve been given unique talents/gifts/abilities by your Father to invest on His behalf. Peter tells us that our gifts are to be used to serve others,

^“Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.” 1 Peter 4:10

So what is success from a biblical perspective?

It’s being a student of God’s Word so we can understand His heart for loving Him and loving others. It’s investing the talents God has given us to serve others and partner with Him in the work of His Kingdom coming and His will being done on earth. It’s partnering with our Father in the good works that he has prepared in advance for us to do.

Why do you go to work? If you go to work to simply make money you’ve missed the heart of God. We go to work to partner with God in His purposes on earth. Simple said, that’s loving God and loving people – understanding that love is a verb.

Love has legs, so let’s get going.

Dec 11, 2017 | Categories: Uncategorized | Comments Off on What Is Success?

Gritty for God

What’s the key to success?

This week I heard 2 different answers to that question.  I was in a meeting with a handful of leaders in Vancouver.  The one who called the meeting and was leading our interactions, told a story…

He was speaking at an event with David Foster.  David walked into the audience, which was comprised mainly of young people – university age or early on in their careers.  He asked the same question I just asked you:

“What’s the key to success?”

No one in the room gave him the answer he was looking for.  His answer was simply,

“Networking.”

Ok, I certainly see networking as being important on a number of fronts.  But, I believe there is something far more important than networking that will actually enable you to be successful.

In fact, I believe there’s something that will enable you to do many, many things well.

So, let’s jump to another meeting I was in this week, again in Vancouver.  This meeting was a small group of about a dozen leaders, who lead leaders.  They each work with numerous CEOs, entrepreneurs and executives who impact the lives of thousands of employees.

One of these leaders was a former leader in the Jimmy Pattison group of companies.  He was presenting on an issue of relevance to the leaders in the room.  In the midst of his presentation he brought up an expression he often heard Jimmy Pattison declaring as the bottom line to accomplishing anything of value.

No matter what you’re pursuing; no matter what you’re trying to accomplish; no matter what your goal is, this is the key to success.  Without this you will not accomplish anything of consequence – according to Jimmy Pattison.

So what is Mr. Pattison’s key to success?

“You gotta wanna!”

At the end of the day, you have to want it.  You have to have a deep desire to keep moving forward in the face of opposition.  You have to have a fire in your belly that keeps you focused on the task at hand and on the goal ahead, so you don’t give up.

I agree with Jimmy Pattison.  If we don’t have a passion to persevere we will not succeed.

Angela Duckworth, the author of the New York Times best-selling book Grit would agree as well.

Ms. Duckworth set out to study the key to why some people succeed and others don’t.  She wondered if it really is talent and genius that separates success from failure.  The short answer?  No.

At the end of the day; after all the research, Angela Duckworth determined there is one key to success:

Grit.

And what is Grit?  It’s passionate perseverance toward a goal.  Grit is the tenacity to keep going in the face of opposition.  Grit is a passionate persistence, an unwillingness to give up.  Five key characteristics of grit include: courage, resilience, conscientiousness, follow through, and excellence – amongst many others.

The power or passion and perseverance is being hailed by many as the key to success.  Grit is it.  Passion is one of the core foundations of success.  And in the vernacular of Jimmy Pattison that’s referred to as, “You Gotta Wanna”.

So if grit is the engine driving us toward our goals, we would be wise to ensure our goals align with God’s definition of success.  I would suggest a Godly definition of success is, in Paul’s words, “to take hold of that for which Christ took hold of me.”  God in me and through me.  And to do that, we must know His Word.

So how badly do you want to know Him, and His plans for your life?  Perhaps our prayer needs to be, “Lord, please change my heart so that, above all things, I want you.”?  We must dive into His Word and be changed by it.

How much grit for God do you have?  Do you demonstrate a passionate persistence to know Jesus and follow Him?  Are you pursuing God through His Word?  Is your goal God Himself?

Our success is found only in God, in us and through us.

True success?  Let’s get Gritty for God.  You gotta wanna!

Psalm 73:25

“Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you.”

Jeremiah 29:11-14a

“’For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.  I will be found by you,’ declares the Lord.”

Joshua 1:7, 8

“Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.”

Philippians 3:12-14

“Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”

Dec 04, 2017 | Categories: Uncategorized | Comments Off on Gritty for God

The Power of Stories

“Daddy, tell us another story please!”

The kids were gathered together on the bed waiting for their favourite part of the bedtime ritual.  Every night at bed time their dad would tell a story from his childhood.  The kids could pick whatever age they wanted, and he would recount a memory from that time in his history.

They most loved hearing stories about their dad’s exciting adolescence.  He was quite a character and got up to some interesting adventures in his teen years.  They “oo’d” and “aw’d” and laughed a lot.  It was a delightful bonding ritual that built great relationship.

Their dad wasn’t really intentional about what stories he told.  He simply told stories that were exciting, involving subject matter he was passionate about.  He told lots of stories about teenage adventures, and many of them just happened to involve Volkswagens.

Yes, he loved his beetles.  He bought and sold a number of bugs when he was a teenager.  He was passionate about his Volkswagens.  And, his passion for VWs has persisted to this day – over 30 years later.  So much so, that he took his family to a Volkswagen plant and museum in Germany.

Now that his children are in their late teens and early 20s, he’s noticed something: they all drive Volkswagens.  And often their significant others drive VWs as well.  But not only that, a number of them work for Volkswagen.  All of his children are directly connected with Volkswagen.

How did this happen?

Well, this is a great example of the power of story.

Story is the stickiness of truth.  Story engages the hearts of people and connects them to the content of our message.

For whatever reason, the stories of his adventures with Volkswagens made a significant impression with my friend’s children.  They caught his passion.  And we must realize, more is caught than taught.

Recently the Lord brought this lesson about the power of story to my friend – in an uncomfortable fashion…

The Lord reminded my friend about this special time in the lives of his children.  He fondly remembered all the life they shared at bedtime as he shared stories that were meaningful to him.  He loved those years.

As he was reminiscing he began to piece together the fact that all his kids were now, seemingly, as passionate about VWs as he was.  Wow, what a coincidence.  It’s amazing that his kids all love VWs.

Or is it?

Our kids tend to catch what we’re passionate about.  And, when we communicate repeatedly with the power of stories the content of our message lands in fertile soil – and produces fruit.

As my friend was recalling all of this, the Lord asked him a simple question:

“Why didn’t you talk about me?”

As the depth of this penetrated my friend’s heart, he realized that he had chosen to share stories about Volkswagen’s instead of Jesus.  Not that there’s anything wrong with having a passion for cars, but when it supersedes our passion for Jesus we end up in trouble.  He was a Jesus follower during all those years – even in his teen years – but he just didn’t choose to share those stories.

He knows that he’s a great story teller.  He also realizes he needs to tell stories about his journey with Jesus.  With a certain degree of regret he has realized the power of stories to communicate our passion.

So how about you?  What kind of stories do you tell?  Do you tell stories of your Jesus journey?  When it comes to our kids, more is caught than taught.  They catch what we’re passionate about.  And when we communicate using the power of stories our content lands with increased fruitfulness.

When we share the stories of our journey with Jesus we impact people.  If we’ve lived something it’s very difficult for anyone to refute it.  Your story is your story.  It’s real, and it’s powerful.

Your stories enable you to share truth in powerful and non-threatening ways.  It’s your testimony.  Let’s share testimonies.  Let’s share our journey with Jesus.

Let’s harness with power of stories and create stickiness for the truth we want to share.

Revelation 12:11

“They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.”

Deuteronomy 11:18-21

“Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates, so that your days and the days of your children may be many in the land the Lord swore to give your ancestors, as many as the days that the heavens are above the earth.”

John 1:32

^“Then John gave this testimony: ‘I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him.’”

John 1:34

“I have seen and I testify that this is God’s Chosen One.”

Nov 27, 2017 | Categories: Uncategorized | Comments Off on The Power of Stories

Taste and See!

I had an addiction when I was at university.  I didn’t have it before I went to UBC.  In high school I was clean.

I grew up in a solid, middle class family in North Vancouver.  My family was not Jesus following, but we were good people.

When I arrived at UBC as a starry-eyed 18 year old I was introduced to a whole new world.  Wow, I had never really seen things like this before.  I went from a sheltered, homogeneous high school of 1500 where I knew most people and was known by most, to a diverse community of 40,000 students and faculty – a small city.

An appetite was awoken in me that I had not been aware of before.  I was enticed by something that captivated all my senses.

I was first drawn in by the aroma – I had never smelled anything like that before.  I remember strolling through our student union building during a break in classes.  I had time on my hands and was exploring all this new University life could offer me.

I smelled it, and then I saw it…

Cookies By George.

What I would soon learn was that this was home to most incredible chocolate chunk cookie on the face of the planet.  I couldn’t resist, I dove in and bought a bunch.  What a phenomenal flavour!  What an ecstatic, gastronomic experience!

I was immediately hooked!  I had to make this a regular part of my routine.  And that I did.

My addiction followed me through university and into marriage.  When we moved to Winnipeg I soon discovered a Cookies By George in a downtown mall and made many an excuse to cruise by to buy a taste of culinary heaven on earth.

And now?  The only Cookies By George I can find is in the Edmonton Airport.  So whenever I fly into Edmonton I make a point to buy 2 Classic Chocolate Chunk cookies.  Only 2, 3 is too much I have discovered.  I am controlling my appetite for the cookie that changed the world and my life.

You may be asking yourself what these amazing cookies taste like.  Well, it’s difficult to explain, but they’re soft and chewy, not too chewy though.  They’re best right out of the oven when they’re delightfully warm and almost melt in your hands.  The chocolate in the cookie is in soft chunks of amazing Belgian dark sweetness, rich and creamy.

The cookies are beyond description and must be tasted to be believed.

And that’s just my point: it’s impossible for you to truly understand what the taste of a Cookies By George Classic Chocolate Chunk cookie is like through my description alone.  My words can never do it justice.  The world’s greatest writers could not put pen to paper and enable you to experience the taste of a cookie.

You must taste it in order to see for yourself what this cookie is all about.

The things of God are no different.

David encourages us in Psalm 34:8 to,

“Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.”

There are no words to describe the goodness of God in a way that’s even close to actually experiencing the goodness of God.  David is inviting us to choose to taste and see that God is good.

Don’t just listen to the sermons, watch the videos, read the books and hear the stories of others.  Dive in.  Take God at His Word.  Walk with Him in wholehearted obedience. Take His hand and follow Him where He is leading.  Take refuge in Him.  Go to Him for your life, love, hope, faith, freedom, strength, healing, joy – everything you need.

The key to experiencing the goodness of God, is to trust God – trust in His great goodness and His good greatness.  Believe that He is who He says He is, and follow Him.   Belief is a verb – it requires action.  Our obedience to God opens up our ability to taste and see God.

What action is the Lord inviting you to take so you can taste and see that He is good?  Dive in and experience Him.

Psalm 34:9-14

“Fear the Lord, you his holy people, for those who fear him lack nothing.  The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.  Come, my children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord.  Whoever of you loves life and desires to see many good days, keep your tongue from evil and your lips from telling lies.  Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.”

John 14:23

“Jesus replied, ‘Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.’”

Mark 8:34

“Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: ‘Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.’”

Proverbs 3:5, 6

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”

Nov 20, 2017 | Categories: Uncategorized | Comments Off on Taste and See!

Who’s Got Your 6?

“Sorry Dave, we’re outta here!”

And with that, I was alone.

But I was not really alone.  I was bereft of allies, but I was quickly going to be surrounded by my enemies.  And this enemy was focused on killing me.  I had to move or I would be dead.

I surveyed my surroundings, gauged how much time I had before the enemy would be upon me, and chose my escape route.  I knew my enemy had discovered my location because I heard the commander yell something like,

“Bogie at 1:00!  Delta team move in now!  Alpha team flank from the North!”

And then bullets began to zing past both sides of the tree I was hiding behind.

Well, they weren’t really bullets.  They were paint pellets.  It was the early 80’s and I was one of a small number of young men discovering this new sport called Paint Ball.

It was a cool autumn day in the forests of the Fraser Valley of British Columbia.  I was with a bunch of friends who were out for a good time.  We had booked this war game to have a little fun and get a taste for battle-tested friendship.  The guy who ran the game asked us if we wanted to stay as a group and fight the BC Champions.

“What?  BC Champions?  Are you serious, is this actually an organized sport of some kind?  What kind of guys would be that “into” this sport?”

We were soon to discover that the kind of guys who were into this sport were just a little “different”.  Some might say, “Psycho”, but that may be a little judgemental.  Let’s just say they were definitely more fanatical about this sport than we were.

Back to my predicament…

I managed to get out from behind my tree and began to slide down hill, head-first on my back behind a fallen tree.  I was feverishly doing the backstroke downhill to expeditiously get away from my opponents.  I sat up from time to time to see my enemy strategically and steadily get closer to the tree behind which they thought they would find me.

Ha!  I had fooled them.  I shot one of them, but my pellet bounced off his jacket – too cold to burst.  Not a kill according to our rules of engagement.

I swam further downhill.  I sat up again to take a look.  No one around.  I swam some more.  I sat up again.  I then felt a pain like I had not encountered before.  Right at the base of my ear, just behind my jaw bone I was shot.

The pellet hit me with such force it split my skin and blood mixed with the blue paint now covering the base of the left side of my skull.  I was dead.  My killer stood over me to ensure I was dead, then continued with his platoon to thoroughly decimate my buddies.

I was alone on the field of battle, eliminated by the enemy.  I was without my “band of brothers”.  I was an “abandoned brother”.  No one had my “6”.

Your “6” is in reference to a clock.  Wherever you’re facing is 12:00, so directly behind you is 6:00, or your 6.  No one had my back and I was dead for it.

So who has your 6?

Have you cultivated a community of friends who “cover” each other?  We must build relationship with men who are our spiritual allies.  Men who encourage each other to walk wholeheartedly with Jesus.  Men who will pray for us and with us.

The spiritual battle we face is far more deadly than a point ball game.  The ammunition of our enemy is mean to kill and destroy.

We need allies to survive and thrive.  These kind of relationships will not happen by accident, we need to intentionally build them.  It takes effort, but the benefit is worth your effort.

Start by going out for breakfast or coffee with a guy, or guys.  Do a study together, do some work together.  It takes time, but it’s time well invested.

If no one’s got your 6 you may end up spiritually dead – and that’s not good for anyone.

Hebrew’s 10:24, 25

“And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds,  not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”

Nehemiah 4:16-18

“From that day on, half of my men did the work, while the other half were equipped with spears, shields, bows and armor. The officers posted themselves behind all the people of Judah who were building the wall. Those who carried materials did their work with one hand and held a weapon in the other, and each of the builders wore his sword at his side as he worked.”

Ecclesiastes 4:12

“Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.”

Nov 13, 2017 | Categories: Uncategorized | Comments Off on Who’s Got Your 6?

I Have Decided

“There is no try, only do or do not.”

Can you name the origin of this sage wisdom?

King Solomon perhaps?  Winston Churchill?  Mahatma Gandhi?  Steve Jobs?  Nope – it’s none of the above.

It’s Yoda of Star Wars fame.

Yoda’s statement is all about commitment and conviction.  Do you go into something simply wanting to give it a try, or are you wholeheartedly doing everything you can to ensure success?  Don’t just try – do it, or don’t do it.

Another euphemism for the same sentiments is to, “Nail your colors to the mast!”  This expression means, “To defiantly display one’s opinions and beliefs. Also, to show one’s intention to hold on to those beliefs until the end.”  It is a refusal to surrender – victory or die trying.

“Your colors” is a reference to your country’s flag.  In naval battles, surrender was indicated by “striking your colors” – which meant you would lower your flag and hoist up a flag of surrender.  The origin of this expression “nailing your colors to the mast” dates back to the 1797 during the French Revolutionary Wars.

The expression was coined in reference to the exploits of the crew of the British ship Venerable, at the Battle of Camperdown, a naval engagement that was fought between English and Dutch ships.  The English fleet was led by the Venerable, the flagship of Admiral Adam Duncan. The Dutch had the upper hand in the battle.  Venerable’s main mast was struck and their colors came crashing down.

The rest of the English ships could have interpreted this as surrender had it not been for a handy seaman and subsequent national hero, Jack Crawford.  Crawford climbed what was left of the mast with the colors and nailed it back where it was visible to the rest of the fleet.

Crawford’s act of “nailing the colors to the mast” rallied the rest of the English fleet.  They turned the tide of the battle and defeated the Dutch fleet.  This victory is attributed by many historians as being the end of the Dutch naval superiority and the beginning of the age of Britain’s naval dominance.

“There is no try, only do or do not.”  “Nail your colors to the mast.”  I saw a bold demonstration of the sentiments of these expressions this past weekend by a man wearing a t-shirt that had a simple phrase emblazoned upon it,

“I have decided.”

Nothing more, nothing less.  “I have decided” was all it said.  But what made it so powerful was where he was wearing it.  He was wearing it standing in a horse’s watering trough.  The watering trough was unusual for sure, but it was its location that made it truly unique.  It was on a stage on the second floor of a commercial building in a small community where a church was meeting.

This horse’s watering trough was their baptismal tank.

And now my friend, who after more than 40 years of life on planet earth, had finally discovered the reason for his existence and was about to nail his colors to the mast.  He was publicly declaring his allegiance to Jesus.   There was no try, it was do or do not time.

He had decided.  He was doing it.

What an awesome celebration!  He was saying goodbye to his old way of thinking, to doing life his way, and he said “yes” to Jesus’ new life in him and through him.  The old is now gone, the new life has come.

What do you need to decide to do?  Do you need to get baptized as a public declaration of your allegiance to Jesus?  Is it time to nail your colors to the mast?

Is there another area of your life where Jesus has been inviting you to deepen your commitment, your conviction and your obedience?  Have you been half-heartedly “trying” instead of wholeheartedly “doing”?

Let’s decide to follow Jesus.  No turning back.  The world behind us, the cross before us.  Though none go with me, I will still follow.  No turning back.  No turning back.  No try, do it!

I have decided.  Let’s be men of conviction, commitment and obedience to Jesus.

Galatians 2:20 (The Message)

“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. I am not going to go back on that.”

Hebrews 12:1

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us”

Revelation 3:15, 16

“I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.”

Nov 06, 2017 | Categories: Uncategorized | Comments Off on I Have Decided

Give Me Your Backpack

After graduating from UBC with a Commerce and PE degree, Anne and I got married, went to Bible School and then moved to Winnipeg to be with my brother and the church in Winnipeg.

I worked in business as an Account Executive, but had always believed that I was to teach.  So, after a few years I resigned my position and went back to university to get an Education degree.

This marked the beginning of a very profound period in my life.

While at the University of Manitoba getting my Education degree I started a prayer and Bible study group with Christians in the faculty.  During one of those meetings I had my first vision.

I saw myself hiking up a mountain wearing a great big backpack.  I came to a fork in the path.  One path went straight up the mountain, and the other went down into the valley.

However, it wasn’t the paths that caught my attention – it was Jesus.

Jesus stood at the fork in the path holding a climbing rope and a climbing axe.  He held them out to me and said,

“Give me your backpack, all you need are these.”

My first thought was, “I can’t give you my backpack.  Everything I need for this trip is in there.”

The vision ended.

As I began to unpack the vision, the Lord helped me to understand what He was saying.  The rope represented the Word of God.  The climbing axe represented the Holy Spirit.  The back pack represented all the things I believed I needed to accomplish during my life in order for me to be considered “successful”.

What did I think I needed to accomplish in order to be a success?

A beautiful house in a beautiful neighborhood.  Nice vehicles. Meaningful work.  A good income.  Enough money to give away lots.  Cool family holidays.  A boat.  World mission travel.  A good reputation in the community.  Influence and favour in the community.  A ministry that makes a difference for the Kingdom.

The Lord was calling me to lay all of these hopes and dreams down and walk with Him – relying on His Word and the Holy Spirit.

It took me two years to come to the point of surrender.  At the time I was teaching in a private Christian school making $2,000/month.  We were raising a family on one income, and none of my hopes and dreams seemed remotely possible.

Jesus had to be enough.

The vision was clearly an invitation to surrender my life fully to Jesus.  I thought I had done that decades earlier.  I certainly had given my life to Christ years before, but now I was being invited to really “put my money where my mouth was” and surrender everything to Him – to transition from making Him Savior, to making Him Lord.

I had to decide whether or not He was enough.  Was I willing to trust Him with my life?  Was I willing to build my life on God’s Truth – His Word – and to receive my life from the Holy Spirit?

Or, was I going to try to do life on my terms?  Was it God’s will my way, or God’s will God’s way?  I had to choose to trust in His great goodness and His good greatness.  Could I trust Him with all my hopes and dreams?

It was an agonizing decision.  I knew ultimately that I needed to surrender completely, but the weight of it was a stark reality in the midst of my current work situation.

I believe this “fork in the path” is one that each of us must come to.  Will we trust God with everything?  Is Jesus enough?

The answer of course is “yes” – He is enough.  However, the fulcrum of our faith is our willingness to surrender our will to His.  “Not my will, but yours be done”.  Wholehearted ongoing surrender is the mark of a Christ follower.

Jesus is inviting you to give Him your backpack.  What’s in it?  Will you give it to Jesus?  Is He enough for you?

Matthew 16:24-26

“Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?’”

Philippians 3:7, 8

“But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.  What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things.  I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ.”

John 6:67-69

“’You do not want to leave too, do you?’  Jesus asked the twelve.  Simon Peter answered him, ‘Lord, to whom shall we go?  You have the words of eternal life.  We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.’”

Oct 23, 2017 | Categories: Uncategorized | Comments Off on Give Me Your Backpack

Get Your Priorities Straight

“Who’s the f’n new guy?”

Ah, that would be me.

Do you remember Sesame Street?  They had a feature on the show where they would show 3 items/objects.  Two of the objects would be similar or related somehow and one of them would be totally out of place.  For example: a bed, a chaise lounge and a carrot.

The song that went along with it was, “One of these things is not like the others.  Two of these things are kinda the same.  One of these things is not like the others.  Now it’s time to play our game.”

Well at this particular moment I was definitely the one thing that was not like the others…

It was the summer of 1980 and I was working on a special student landscape crew for the North Vancouver School Board.  We were all grade 12 students from schools in North Van.  We were all kinda the same.

However, the regular school board crew, comprised of full time maintenance guys, needed some help on a big job at Argyle School.  So, my boss sent me to work with “the adults”.  Being a fairly sheltered upper middle class kid I had never really met these kind of guys before.

To put it kindly, they were “rough”.  Their favourite word was “f’n” – in all its glory.  Quite frankly, I had never really heard that word much before.  In fact, it was never uttered in our home.  What struck me though, was the ability of these guys to weave a tapestry of profanity on whatever subject they decided to expound upon.

The topics they most enjoyed yattering about were, of course, women and motorcycles.  Again, I’d never really heard women talked about like that before.  This was a vacabulational education I really did not want to receive.  Sadly though, I was sentenced to work with these guys for a week.  I would indeed receive a cross-cultural experience I had never imagined I ever would, nor one I desired.

My memory of the week was spent minding my own business working alongside this group of 3 biker buddies laying sod on a new soccer field.  Pick up a roll of sod, lay it down, roll it out, and kick it into place, over and over and over again.  I tried to be pleasant and engage with them as best I could, but I was pretty shell-shocked by the F Bombs they kept dropping – amongst many other unmentionables.

I’ll never forget one particular relational scenario described in great detail by one of the guys.  He was talking about an argument he had with his “f’n old lady”.  She wasn’t happy with some of his behaviour so he had to set her straight…

“So I says to her, ‘Hey, you f’n don’t get it – first comes my f’n friends, then comes my f’n bike, then comes f’n you.  And if you f’n don’t like it you can f’n leave.’  So she f’n left.”

I almost burst out in guffaws of laughter.  Valuing my life though, I did not.  My respect for his “old lady” definitely went up that day.

He had a clear understanding of his priorities, but he did not have his priorities straight.

How about you, do you have your priorities straight?

Our priorities need to be the following:

1. God
2. Wife (if you are married)
3. Children (if you have kids)

Our first priority needs to be our relationship with God no matter what our station is in life.  He’s the source of everything in our lives.  He’s life.  He’s our wellspring of living water.

If you’re married, the best gift you can give your wife is a great relationship with the Lord.

Our relationship with our wife needs to our second priority, right behind Jesus.  The best gift we can give to our children is a good marriage – and that’s only possible when we’re making God #1.

What are you putting in front of your relationship with the Lord?

Anything we put in front of the Lord is idolatry, and that does not lead to life.  What do you need to surrender to God?

Let’s get our priorities straight.

Exodus 20:3

“You shall have no other gods before me.”

Luke 14:26

“If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple.

Luke 16:13

“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”

Jeremiah 2:13

“My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water.”

Colossians 3:5

“Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.”

Oct 16, 2017 | Categories: Uncategorized | Comments Off on Get Your Priorities Straight

Stop Going To Church

Yup, you heard me correctly.  Stop going to church!

It’s actually impossible to go to church.  Church is not something we attend, it is something we are.

Jesus came to birth the church.  He came to call forth a people who would be the body of Christ, the people of God, a Kingdom of priests to God, ambassadors of the Kingdom, the family of God, the army of God – the Church.

The church is not a building.  Where the church gathers can be called a church building, but it’s completely unbiblical language to refer to the building as the church.  Equally as unbiblical is referring to the gathering of God’s people as church.

“Go to church.”, is a phrase you will never see in scripture because it is unbiblical.

We gather together as the church, we don’t go to church.  Our language betrays our belief and also informs our belief.  If we’re going to truly get hold of God’s heart for us and for the world though us we need to choose biblical language.

The church is an organism.  It is not an organization.  The church is the body of believers who have chosen to surrender to the Lordship of Christ and carry His call as ambassadors of His government to this world.

The church is the hope of the world.  The church carries the word of God to this world.  We’re sons and daughters of our God, His family, partnering with Him in the work of His kingdom coming and His will being done on earth as it is in Heaven.

The church has been given the glory of God on earth.  We are commissioned to bring the constitution of the Kingdom in the authority of Christ to a fallen, broken and imprisoned world to see them set free and born again as beloved children of our Heavenly Father – living in His righteous, peace and joy.

As Peter told us in 1 Peter 2:9,

“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”

We need to stop attending church and start being the church.  We need to recognize who we are and who we’re called to be.  We have to understand our spiritual DNA and the purpose for which Jesus died and rose from the dead.

Our North American mindset is so individualistic.  We read scripture through the lens of “me” instead of “us”, “I” instead of “we”.  God’s heart is for a body of believers who will be the body of Christ on earth – it’s about us, not me.

It’s about us being the church.  We’re born again to be the family of God.  You can’t attend ‘family’.  You have a family, you’re part of a family.  Your family gets together, and sometimes your family has meetings.  Your family does life together.

The church is no different: we do life together.  We’re all part of the church.  The church gets together.  The church cares for each other.  The church cares for others.  The church has meetings.

Following Jesus is a team game, not an individual sport.  Jesus came to launch a team called the church.  To follow Him is to be part of the team, and we all have a unique position of the team.

Jesus didn’t come to call spectators – He called players.  We’re not called to sit in the stands and watch someone else play the game.  We’re born again to be on the field playing the game as part of God’s team.

It’s time for us to understand we can’t attend church, we must be the church.  Let’s get out of the stands and get on the field.  Let’s gather together as the church in the church building to encourage and equip one another to magnificently “…declare the praises of Him who called us out of darkness into His marvelous light. “  Let’s come together to give, not just receive.  Let’s be the church for each other.

Stop going to church, but rather let’s gather together as the church so we can be equipped to be the church.

Matthew 16:18b

“…I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.”

Revelation 5:10

“You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth.”

2 Corinthians 6:16

“For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: ‘I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.’”

Ephesians 4:11, 12

“So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up”

Hebrews 10: 24, 25

“And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”

Oct 09, 2017 | Categories: Uncategorized | Comments Off on Stop Going To Church

Be Kind, Rewind.

Ah, yes.  Do you remember?

There are a number of you who read the title to this article and knew exactly what I was referring to.  And, there are a number of you, who are of a younger demographic cohort, who have no idea what the title is all about.

Way back in late 1970’s the first VCR was introduced to the consumer market.  VCR stands for Video Cassette Recorder.  A VCR played videos – which were taped copies of movies or shows you could watch on your TV.  Initially there were two formats:  VHS and Beta.  VHS won the battle of the video formats and took over the market.

When VCRs first came out you would go down to your friendly neighbourhood video store to rent videos.  Very few people actually owned a VCR so you would rent the VCR as well.

I remember coming home from the video store near our house lugging a big black suitcase with the VCR inside.  I would open it up on the red shag rug in our family room and then hook up the wires to our 27” Electrohome console TV.  Which, of course, had no remote control.  To flip through the channels you had to sit on the floor within arm’s length of the TV turning the knob through both channels if you had an antenna, and a handful of channels if you had cable.

However, this magical device known as a VCR opened up a whole new world of entertainment.  Sure, we were used to music coming on tapes – 8-tracks and then cassettes – but now we could get movies.  Yes!  My love of movies began to grow and flourish.

Then one day my dad came home with what would revolutionize my leisure life – our very own VCR!  No more renting, no more $200 deposit, no more lugging home a massive suitcase of electronics.  Now I could watch videos whenever I wanted.

Before we amassed our own video collection we’d still make regular trips down to the video store to rent video cassettes.  Every video cassette had a start and a finish – a beginning and an end.  When you watched the video you’d finish up at the end of the tape.  Then, of course you would need to rewind the video back to the beginning.

Many consumers would neglect to rewind the video cassette, so rental stores would place a sticker on the video,

“Be kind, rewind.”

I was reminded recently of this message, and how relevant it is for our lives.

What relationships do you need to rewind?  What issues do you need to rewind?

Is there someone in your life you’ve been holding something against?  It may be something small.  It may be something significant.  It may involve forgiveness.  Or, it may simply be shifting your perception of someone.

To rewind a relationship is to take it back to the pre-offense, or the pre-ticked-off stage.

There are 2 ways we can rewind a relationship: 1. Forgive someone, or 2. Extend grace to someone.

We need to forgive someone when they’ve done something to hurt us.  Perhaps they said or did something they shouldn’t have, or they didn’t say or didn’t do something they should have.  To forgive is to let them out of your prison of resentment and bitterness.  And, it sets you free from the prison as well.

Forgiveness is a gift you give yourself because the resentment will kill you, not them.

However, oftentimes what a strained relationship needs is to extend grace to a person who said or did something that negatively impacted your relationship.  No forgiveness is actually needed, it’s a simple reset.  Just believe the best about someone, let it go and move on.

Have grace for them.

Knowing we’re all broken and unintentionally hurt others, means that we all need to be adept at “rewinding” relationships.  We must choose to be kind and rewind.  It may involve a “courageous carefrontation”, or it may involve saying nothing.

Who do you need to forgive?  What do you need to let go?  Where do you need to believe the best about someone and move on?

Be kind, rewind.

Colossians 3:12-14

“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.”

2 Thessalonians 3:18

“The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.”

Hebrews 12:15

“See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.”

1 Peter 4:8

“Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.”

Oct 02, 2017 | Categories: Uncategorized | Comments Off on Be Kind, Rewind.

Whisper Man or 2×4 Guy?

Do you know any 2×4 guys?  Are you a 2×4 guy?

Do you know what a 2×4 guy is?  I have no doubt that you do, even if you may not be familiar with the term.

A 2×4 guy is that guy who is… well, fairly self-consumed.  He has little awareness of other people’s needs.  He is probably loud, brash and bombastic.  He can be in your face.  He is independent and self-reliant.   He’s demanding and commanding.  He’s imperative.  He’s large and in charge.

Or, maybe not.

He could be withdrawn and disengaged.  He may not be loud and bombastic.  He may not be demanding and commanding.  He is independent though, and he doesn’t have much awareness of other people’s needs.

So what do I mean by 2×4?  Quite simple really, a 2×4 guy is a guy who you have to hit with a 2×4 to get his attention.

Figuratively of course.

A 2×4 guy is so wrapped up in himself that if anyone wants to get his attention they need to be very direct, assertive and bold.  You need to haul out the figurative 2×4 and wack him in the head.  At that point you may get a response like,

“What are you trying to say?”

It takes a significant amount of effort to get the 2×4 guy to notice the needs of the people around him, or to really listen to other people.  Bottom line: 2×4 guys don’t listen well.

We can be 2×4 guys with the Lord.  We don’t really listen well to him.  We’re so consumed and concerned with our own stuff that we pay little attention to how the Lord wants to interact with us.  We don’t practice listening to the Lord.

In order for the Lord to get the attention of a 2×4 guy He needs to hit him across the head with something significant, perhaps something painful, or something costly.  Then the 2×4 guys cries out to God for help, wondering why things have gone so bad.

Finally God has his attention.

In reality, the Lord has been speaking to the 2×4 guy for a long time, 2×4 has simply not been listening.  In His love, the Lord has had to orchestrate something significant to get the attention of 2×4 guy.

The Lord has created, crafted and called us to be in relationship with Him.  That means we do life together, every minute of every day, walking together with God as Father and beloved son.  Our primary objective every day is to commune with God, know His heart, and partner with Him in what He wants to do on earth, as it is in heaven.

We need to shift from being a 2×4 guy, to being a whisper man.

A whisper man is a man who is tuned into the Lord, who communes with Him throughout the day, who shares with Jesus the journey of life and the epic adventure of the Kingdom of God on earth, who intently listens to His heavenly Father and who makes time to simply be with God in prayer, contemplation and meditation on His word.

A whisper man hears the whisper of God.  And, consequently, can hear the hearts of other people and is aware of their needs.

A whisper man has cultivated that secret place, that alone time with the Lord to listen – to hear God.  He is not threatened by quiet or silence because he is training himself to hear the subtlety of God, to find Him in the simple, the subtle and the silence.

Elijah experienced this.  He was hiding in a cave discouraged and despairing.  He needed to hear from God.  He needed to connect.  And God showed up in a whisper.

Elijah, one of the most powerful and significant men in all of scripture, met with God in the whisper.

May we be men who cultivate alone time with the Lord to listen to Him.  May we know His voice such that in the din of life’s daily demands we can hear and respond to the whisper of God.  And, therefore, connect with and respond to other people as well.

Whisper man or 2×4 guy – the choice is yours.

1 Kings 19:11-13

“The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.”  Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.  Then a voice said to him, ‘What are you doing here, Elijah?’”

Psalm 46:10

“He says, ‘Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.’”

Sep 26, 2017 | Categories: Uncategorized | Comments Off on Whisper Man or 2×4 Guy?

Write to Remember

I had to buy it.  It was simply too cool to pass up.

But now that I owned it what was I going to do with it?  I had one already I used regularly, so why did I need another one?  Well, I guess I really didn’t need it, I just really wanted it.

“It”, is a journal.  But not just any journal.  This is an Italian leather journal with an antique metal clasp to keep it closed.  It looks like something a European explorer would have used to document his explorations in the new world.  It looks like adventure, it smells like adventure, it feels like adventure.

I love it!

And now I’ve finally figured out what to do with it…

Anne and I went for a holiday this summer to a resort on the sunshine coast of British Columbia.  Our goal was to simply unplug and take it easy.  We wanted to do some hikes, do a little kayaking, eat and drink, and rest.

With all the downtime we were scheduling to have I planned a little activity I’ve wanted to do for some time.  I’ve wanted to go through my recent journals and pull out the directional words the Lord has given me over the years.

So, I took my journals dating back 14 years and methodically went through them each morning.  When I came across something I had written down I believed God has spoken to me, like taking some kind of action, or praying for something in particular, or a prophetic word of encouragement or of direction, I wrote it down in my new “explorer’s” journal.

What an experience.

It was amazing to look back over 14 years and see what the Lord has been speaking to me.  Much of it is very relevant to where I’m at right now.  And, much of it was also accomplished during that time frame.

I have to say, it was very encouraging.  It really helped me to refocus on the mandate God has given me.  It also re-energized me for the work the Lord is asking me to do.  I realized anew how critically important it is for us to remember what God spoken to us.

Why is it important to remember what God has spoken to us?

Well, quite simply so we can fully embrace what God’s will is for us and for others through us.

One thing in particular was on my mind while I was working through my journals.  Someone had spoken to me in the recent past about the need for us to partner with the Lord in what He is saying to us.  For example, if God has spoken to you prophetically, what do you need to do to partner with Him in that?  To take hold of it in faith?

I realized I had been passive in a number of areas where God had spoken to me.  My thought had been, “Well, if God has said it then He is going to do it.”  However, there was a role that I needed to play in partnering with God in it.

For example, over the years I discovered I had received a number of words about asking God for more of something so I could fully partner with Him in the work He was calling me to do with Him.  I discovered there were actually 13 things God has asked me to pray for more of, and I simply had not been doing it.

So, I am now praying for more anointing, authority, courage, faith, Holy Spirit, leadership, power, provision, revelation, strategy, vision, wisdom and zeal.  I want to ensure I am wholeheartedly partnering with the Lord as best I can.

So what has God said to you?  Did you care enough to write it down?  Have you taken the time to go back and read through what the Lord has said to you?

Let’s care enough about what the Risen Lord of Glory has to say to us, to write it down.  God is speaking, are we listening?

Let’s write to remember, so we’re not destined to forget, and miss all the Lord has for us – and for others through us.

Psalm 103:17-18

“But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord’s love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children’s children—with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts.”

James 1:25

“But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.”

Jeremiah 30:2

“This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Write in a book all the words I have spoken to you.’”

Deuteronomy 8:11

“Be careful that you do not forget the Lord your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day.”

Sep 18, 2017 | Categories: Uncategorized | Comments Off on Write to Remember

Know Him and Make Him Known

Are you a Frank Sinatra fan?

I have a friend who is a huge Sinatra fan. In fact, my friend is actually a great singer and sings Sinatra classics. When I had my agency we produced 5 albums for him. During that time I certainly had an education in Sinatra’s music.

Sinatra certainly has a massive impact on North American culture, and arguably global culture as well. He performed for 6 decades, sold millions of records, acted in dozens of films and won all manner of awards from Grammy’s to Oscars.

He is truly a cultural icon.

I thought about Mr. Sinatra recently when I was chewing through something the Lord was helping me to understand. What I recalled was a simple lyric from the song, “Strangers in the Night”

At one point in the song he simply croons the words, “Do-be-do-be-do”

I thought, “That’s it. That’s how we’re called to live.”

Let me explain before you begin to think I’ve lost it…

We are human beings. Sometimes though, we are more about doing and can be accused of being “human doings”. In fact, at one point in time someone pointed out to me that I was a pretty good human doing, but not a great human being.

In other words, I was great at doing things; at working. But, I was not very good at resting, at being still – at being.

I believe we need to be like Mr. Sinatra sang – we need to know how to do and be. Do-be-do-be-do, that’s how we’re called to live.

I believe we all have a propensity toward one of these 2 ways to live. Some of us are motivated to get out and “do” things. We want to make it happen. We can’t sit still for very long. We don’t do nothing well – doing nothing is difficult for us.

This is actually a God-given strength. We take action. We get stuff done.

However, the corollary weakness to this strength is that we can define ourselves by our performance. We can believe that the better we perform, the more valuable we are. We can actually believe that what we do defines us.

That is a very dangerous belief indeed.

For those who have a propensity to “be”, they believe that what they do does not define them. They have a deep understanding of who they are. They know how to be still, they know how to rest, they can actually do nothing and not go crazy. They can be at rest.

This is a God-given strength as well. They can rest and be at peace.

However, the corollary weakness to this strength is that they can be very unproductive. They don’t get much done. They don’t “do” anything. They can be lazy and are quite content with “being”.

We’re all created and called to both be and do. Mr. Sinatra actually got the order wrong though. I think we all need to have a deep revelation of our being – who we are. We’re beloved sons of our Father in heaven. There’s nothing we can do to earn His love or get Him to love us more.

It’s only out of a profound revelation of who we are that we can actually “do” in total freedom. We don’t do things to earn God’s love, or to prove our value and worth. We actually do things as an act of worship of God and obedience to Him.

We do because we’re loved and can rest in our value and worth in Him.

We need to know how to “be” – to know Him. And, we need to know how to “do” – to make Him known.

As we increasingly know God, we can increasingly make Him known. It is in knowing Him that we discover how to make Him known. It is in being a beloved son of our heavenly Father that we can powerfully partner with Him in all that He wants to do through us to see his kingdom come and His will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Let’s commit ourselves to know our Father, so we can truly make Him known.

Be-do-be-do-be

Romans 8:15, 16

“The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, ‘Abba, Father.’ The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.”

John 15:16

“You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit-fruit that will last-and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.”

John 14:21

“Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.”

James 2:17, 18

“In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. But someone will say, ‘You have faith; I have deeds.’ Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds.”

Psalm 46:10

“…Be still, and know that I am God;…”

Sep 11, 2017 | Categories: Uncategorized | Comments Off on Know Him and Make Him Known

From the Porch to the Kitchen

Where does most of the living happen in a family home?

The kitchen.

Prepping and eating the meals, and simply hanging out around food.  The highest traffic area in any house is the area around the fridge.

Our family often hangs out at our kitchen island.  Late night nacho nibbling, popcorn prep, microwaved cheese buns, chocolate milk, cheese and crackers, leftovers, you name it, all in the kitchen at the island.

The kitchen is the heart of the family home.

The porch is where non-family wait to be invited in by the family.  Family don’t have to be invited in, we have an open invitation to enter the heart of our home.  Strangers can’t walk straight into our home.  Stranger wait on the porch for an invitation to come inside.

Our relationship with the Lord is like that.  We’ve been created to live as family in the heart of the family home.  We’ve been created to have full access to all the rights and privileges of a beloved child in our Father’s family.

However, our sin – our insistence to do life our way – means we’re relegated to living outside of the family of God.  And, the closest we can come is the porch.

But Jesus is at the front door to the house, to the family of God.  He made a way for each of us to be born again into the family of God.  Through Jesus’ death and resurrection we can move from the porch to the kitchen.

This week I had the pleasure and privilege of witnessing a friend of mine responding to Jesus’ invitation to move from the porch to the kitchen.  He was born again into the family of God with full access to God’s kitchen!

Daniel has been a client of mine for close to 4 years now.  We began talking about Jesus a number of months ago.  It had become very apparent the Lord was calling him – he just didn’t recognize it yet.  He was very open to learn more and he was very keen to have me close our coaching sessions by praying for him.

I was going to a Heaven in Business conference at Bethel Church in Redding California, and invited a number of my Christian friends to join me.  None could make it.  So, I invited Daniel.  I figured if he came he would somehow have a profound encounter with Jesus.

And that’s exactly what happened.

Though a little apprehensive, he was game to come, and Jesus powerfully met with him in many different ways.  We talked on a number of occasions about moving from the porch to the kitchen, but he wasn’t quite ready yet.  Then, he experienced something that in 46 years of walking with Jesus I have never experienced…

Basically, Jesus visited him at the beginning of a session.

Daniel said it was like Jesus stepped inside him and sat down in a big comfy leather chair, and asked Daniel to sit down with him.  Daniel sat with Jesus and said he had never felt such peace and love in his life.

We then, as part of the conference, got together in a small group to pray for each other.  Daniel stepped in the circle and God, through the prayers and words of others, continued to do even more to woo Daniel.

That was it.  He gave up resisting God and trying to do it on his own.  He talked with Jesus on the porch and asked if He would forgive his sin.  Daniel asked if he could become a beloved son in God’s family and move into God’s kitchen.

After heart-felt hugs he looked at me and said, “Am I allowed to be this happy?”

Absolutely!  Welcome to the family!

God’s heart is for all of us to move from the porch to the kitchen.  Jesus made a way for all of us to commune with our Father around His kitchen table.  Don’t relegate yourself to the porch – gather round the kitchen table of our father and commune with Him and the rest of the family.

Jesus made the way for you to move from the porch to the kitchen.

1 John 3:1

“See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.”

James 1:17

“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”

Romans 8: 15-17 (The Message)

“This resurrection life you received from God is not a timid, grave-tending life. It’s adventurously expectant, greeting God with a childlike ‘What’s next, Papa?’ God’s Spirit touches our spirits and confirms who we really are. We know who he is, and we know who we are: Father and children. And we know we are going to get what’s coming to us—an unbelievable inheritance! We go through exactly what Christ goes through. If we go through the hard times with him, then we’re certainly going to go through the good times with him!”

John 15:11

“I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.”

Sep 04, 2017 | Categories: Uncategorized | Comments Off on From the Porch to the Kitchen

He Wants to Connect

Brown Eyed Girl, Domino, Moondance, Crazy Love, Have I Told You Lately That I Love You, In The Garden, Gloria, ‘Til We Get The Healing Done and over 550 more songs through which Van Morrison has touched millions.  I have always enjoyed his music and his lyrics:

“…No guru, no method, no teacher, just you and I and nature and the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit in the garden…”

“…Till you live in the glory of the One, Till you live in the land of the sun, Till you feel like your life has just begun, Till we get the healing done, Till we get the healing done…”

He has penned some powerful heartfelt lyrics and created some incredibly heart moving music.  I had always wanted to see him in concert and now here I was – 8 rows back on the floor directly in front of him.

There is something very moving about live music, but what I really enjoy is somehow, in some slight way, getting to know the artist.  I particularly enjoy it when the artist interacts with the audience – they talk, they tell stories, they share a bit about themselves.

We connect somehow.

Well, the music was big and bold, the energy was electric, the solos were outstanding; he played many of his classic hits, but he never said one word to the audience.  He never talked.  He never connected.  I never got invited into his life.

He took the stage amidst a song, sang and played for an hour and a half and left the stage amidst the final song.  No “hello”.  No “goodbye”.  No “good to be here”.  No stories.

I wanted to connect, but he didn’t.  Even though the concert was great, I left feeling a little empty.  We had no connection.

It made me think that this is how we sometimes feel about God and church meetings.  We want to connect with God.  The music can be great, the ‘performance’ fabulous, but there is no connection.

Does God actually want to connect with us?  Does He want to share Himself with us?  Or, is He content to simply put on a great performance and stay aloof?  Is God someone who wants to stay far off and not really engage in our lives, or does He want to be intimately engaged in every part of our lives?

Does God actually want to do life with us?  Or perhaps more accurately, does He want us to do life with Him?  Does He want to be known by us?

I am confident that God wants to be engaged with and connected to us.  He wants to be intimately engaged in our lives – He wants to connect.  He was the one who initiated the relationship.   You didn’t choose Him.  He chose you.  He came after you.  He pursued you.  He loved you first.  None of us can come to the Father of our own accord – He draws us.

He woos us.

In fact, the whole purpose of Jesus coming to earth and dying on the cross was to create connection between man and God.  Jesus made a way so that we can draw near to God and actually know Him, to be in relationship with Him, to connect with His heart and purpose for us and for others through us.

Through the redemptive work of Jesus God invites us to connect with Him.  But it’s more than an invitation, it’s a longing to connect with us.  He wants us to know Him and call Him Father.

In Jeremiah 29:13 and 14 (The Message) God expresses His longing for us to pursue Him:

“’When you come looking for me, you’ll find me. Yes, when you get serious about finding me and want it more than anything else, I’ll make sure you won’t be disappointed.’ God’s Decree.”

Wow – the God of the Universe chose you so that you could be in a deep meaningful relationship with Him.  Jesus made a way for us to draw near to God.  Yes, He wants to connect with you.

God is serious about connecting with you.  How serious are you serious about connecting with Him?

Jeremiah 3:19

“I myself said,” ‘How gladly would I treat you like sons and give you a desirable land,       the most beautiful inheritance of any nation.’ I thought you would call me ‘Father’ and not turn away from following me.”

Matthew 15:16

“You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.”

John 6:44

“No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day.”

Hebrews 10:22

“Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.”

Aug 28, 2017 | Categories: Uncategorized | Comments Off on He Wants to Connect

How Sanctified Are You?

My son and I recently went to see a movie together.  I really didn’t do much research into the movie.  It was rated 14A, not restricted, had an interesting premise, and Ryan Reynolds was one of the main actors.

I have to confess that previous to this movie I liked Ryan Reynolds as an actor, primarily because I think he looks like our oldest son David, and that he comes from Vancouver.  This particular movie was called the Hitman’s Bodyguard.

I’m not going to describe the movie or its story line other than to say I was really disappointed.  My disappointment was primarily grounded in the language.  I have to say that the language was appalling.   It seemed that every sentence contained some form of “mother ‘f’er”, with frequent filthy talk of some kind, and repeated use of Jesus’ name in derogatory terms.

Now, I typically don’t have trouble with rough language in real life.  Hey, I know that’s simply how many people talk and that’s just the way they are.  I work with some people like that.  However, choosing to expose myself to copious amounts of what I consider crude and vile language in my entertainment choices is not something I want to make a habit of doing.

I left the theater feeling slimed.  I felt like I needed a shower.  I actually asked the Lord to forgive me and cleanse my heart.

Now I realize this may sound super-spiritual and ‘religious’.  I understand that.  However, I have recently felt challenged by the Lord in regard to the concept of “sanctification”.

So what does “sanctification” mean?  Well, simply stated it means, “to make holy, or to sanctify”.  To sanctify means to “set apart for particular use in a special purpose or work and to make holy or sacred.”

Sanctification is a very significant concept in theological debate.  I’m not going to solve that debate in this simple blog.  I would simply like to comment on the role we play in sanctification.

Scripture is clear that we are sanctified by the blood of Christ, the Holy Spirit and the Word of God.  I believe we are and are becoming sanctified.  By the miraculous work of the Holy Spirit in our spiritual new birth we are sanctified.

And, I also believe we now play a role in our sanctification.  We can choose to submit and surrender to the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives, and we can also choose to meditate on/ingest the Word of God – which is living and active – to transform our mind and heart.

We have a personal responsibility to surrender to the work of the Holy Spirit, and to become students of the Word of God.  This is the role we play in our sanctification.  Our minds and hearts need to be transformed by the Holy Spirit and the Word of God.

This is the journey we embark upon to grow in maturity.  We learn to believe, think and then act differently.  We all know this doesn’t happen overnight.  This only happens over years of journeying with Jesus in obedience to His Word and the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

This, therefore, is our act of worship.

So how does all this apply to the movie I just watched?

Well, what I chose to expose myself to did not contribute to my further sanctification.  Sure, it was entertaining, it was fun, but the thoughts and language I ingested gave me mental and spiritual heart burn.  It was kind of like eating the worst junk food you can think of in the middle of a healthy cleanse of some kind.

I certainly didn’t feel sanctified after watching the movie.

What’s the lesson?

We play a role in our further sanctification – becoming more like Jesus – by what we choose to expose ourselves to.  We are what we eat basically.
So what are you eating?  What role are you playing in your sanctification?  Are you partnering with the Holy Spirit and the Word of God?  Or, are you feeding on that which sets your sanctification process backward?

How are you partnering with the Spirit of God in your process of sanctification?

Philippians 4:8
“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”

Romans 12:2
“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

2 Thessalonians 2:13
“But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters loved by the Lord, because God chose you as first fruits to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth.”

John 17: 17-19
“Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.”

Aug 21, 2017 | Categories: Uncategorized | Comments Off on How Sanctified Are You?

Can I Pray For You?

Strangers in Starbucks.

A buddy on my boat.

A good friend in his office.

A client on the phone.

A pastor up a mountain.

A new acquaintance at a church meeting.

What do all these people have in common?  Well, I have had the privilege and pleasure of praying for them at various times over the past week.

It’s quite simple really.  I find myself talking with people who are facing challenges of all kinds:  starting a new business, moving cities, the rigors of everyday life, marriage troubles, job loss, health issues, stresses of all sorts…basically dealing with the stuff of life.  When we finish talking I ask a very simple, yet powerful question,

“Can I pray for you?”

I’ve decided as often as possible, and whenever appropriate, I will finish my interaction with someone by praying for them.  Most times these people are Jesus followers, but sometimes they’re not.  In all the times I’ve done this throughout the years I have only had one person say “no”.  So, I simply said that’s ok, and prayed for them at another time when I was alone.

Do you struggle sometimes with how you can make a difference, how you can be a kingdom builder, a marketplace minister?  Well, I’ve found this is a simple, yet profound and powerful way to touch people’s lives and facilitate the work of the Holy Spirit: care enough to ask questions and listen to people, then ask if you can pray for them.

Now, I’m not a prayer expert by any means, but I’ve had the privilege of being taught and mentored by men who are powerful prayers.  What I do know is this:  God responds to prayer.  By some incredible grace amidst His divine omnipotence, and omniscience the Lord of All has chosen to “limit” Himself to our prayers.

God has chosen to invite and engage us in His plans and purposes by asking us to ask Him.  Wow.  I know, it sounds crazy – part of how we partner with the Sovereign Lord in His purposes is to pray.  Listen, commune, and ask.

When we pray God moves.  When we pray the spirit realm shifts.  When we pray the purposes of God are released and things happen.  I’m no incredible man of faith and power, but many, many times people have said to me, “Wow, I really appreciated it when you prayed for me – my heart was really touched.”  Is that because of my awesomely orated prayerful expression?  No, my simple sentiments synergize with the all-powerful God who moves in the heart of the focus of my petition.

This is awesome men.  How can we make a powerful and profound impact in people’s lives?  Pray for them.  Ask them for permission to do so and do it right there out loud – let them hear you.  Don’t make a scene, be discreet, but be verbal.

So, what to pray?

Well, here’s what I do:  I try to pray scripture.  I thank God for how much He loves them, how He will never leave them, how they’re not alone, how the Lord will provide for all their needs – I affirm God’s care and love.  Then I ask the Lord to meet them where they are – whatever that may look like:  to provide encouragement, strength, hope, faith, resources, freedom, revelation, a job, etc.

I may do spiritual warfare and bring the cross of Christ between them and the strategy of the enemy.  I thank the Lord for this person and who He has created, crafted and called them to be.  I also always pray that God’s Kingdom would come and His will would be done in them and through them.

I will also listen in my spirit for something specific the Lord may be asking me to pray or share – a scripture, a picture, a lesson, etc.  Then I share that too.  So, I listen in my spirit for some direction from the Lord and I pray scriptures.  Simple really.  But the impact is profound because of the work of the Holy Spirit.

So guys, let’s go for it.  Let’s commit to engaging with and listening to people – friends, family, strangers, employees, co-workers, etc – and simply then love on them through prayer.  The miracle of prayer is what God does in the heart of the person for whom we pray – and that’s very cool to see.

This great adventure starts with a simple question, “Can I pray for you?”

Go for it.

Ephesians 6:18

“And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.”

James 5:16

“…the prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.”

Mark 11:24

“Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.”

Aug 07, 2017 | Categories: Uncategorized | Comments Off on Can I Pray For You?

Check Your Engine Light

My engine light came on.

Don’t you hate it when that happens?!  It doesn’t tell you why it’s on, it just tells you there’s a problem.  Is it a big expensive problem, or a minor service issue?  You don’t know.

When my light came on I didn’t pay much attention to it because my “service due” message had been on for a couple of weeks.  My cynical self thinks it’s simply the manufacturers attempt to get me to go into the dealership and pay an exorbitant sum for them to scope out my car and tell me everything is ok.

I saw the engine light as the manufacturer ramping up the intensity of the message for me to take it in.  So, I ended up taking my car into my trusted mechanic, not the dealer, who scoped it all out and found no issues.  He determined the light was simply a reminder to change the oil – which I had done already – so he reset the light, checked out my brakes, charged me $79 and sent me on my way.

Perfect.  I was a happy camper.

Anne and I went on a driving holiday to the Sunshine Coast and the car worked perfectly.  No issues.

Then, when I got home the light came on again.  I quickly took it in for them to scope it out again.  Something about my turbo charger didn’t reach the required pressure level.  They reset the light and told me to bring it in if it goes on again.  It could mean nothing, or not, but they will have to do more tests to figure out what the issue is – if there really is one at all.

So here’s what I learned going through all this:  I was more concerned about getting rid of the engine light, than I was about fixing the issue.  To be honest, inside I was thinking,

“Just make it go away.  I don’t want to have to fix anything significant.”

And when I got back in my car and the light was off, I was strangely comforted by that.  Nothing had changed on the inside of my engine, the warning light was just gone, and I felt better.

I realize that I can approach life this way.  I want to get rid of whatever is making me uncomfortable instead of going deeper to uncover an issue that really needs to be addressed.

My dash light went on to tell me something needs to be addressed in my engine.  It didn’t come on to tell me to turn off the dash light.

Likewise, when something makes us very angry, for example, that’s a heart dash light telling us there’s something deeper going on.  Our reaction in that situation should not be to simply get rid of the anger, but to understand what’s going on inside us that’s causing the anger.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t believe that anger is necessarily sin.  Scripture tells us that God gets angry.  In fact, I have heard it said that we can tell something about our love for God by the things that make us angry.  Should we be angry with injustice and sin?  Yes.

However, anger we often feel is not righteous indignation, but our selfish reaction to not getting what we want.  Someone once said, “A man is only as big as the things that make him angry.”  So, when we feel the heart dash light of anger, we need to ask the Holy Spirit to help us to understand what’s going on in our hearts.

Is your reaction disproportionate to the stimuli?  If “yes”, then check what’s going on under your hood.  Ask the Master Mechanic to do the work needed to adjust your heart so you’re running well.  Sometimes we need some major work, and other times we need a little adjustment.

It’s not prudent to ignore your heart “engine” light.  What are you feeling?  It could be revealing stress, resentment, unforgiveness, unhealed wounds, agreements with lies, inappropriate beliefs, selfishness, self-centeredness, fatigue, a lack of gratitude, etc.  You need Jesus, the Master Mechanic, to scope you out and do the work necessary.

Check your engine light – regularly.

Proverbs 20:5

“The purposes of a person’s heart are deep waters, but one who has insight draws them out.”

Proverbs 4:23

“Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.”

Matthew 11:28-30

 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Philippians 2:12, 13

“Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.”

Jul 31, 2017 | Categories: Uncategorized | Comments Off on Check Your Engine Light

Making Faith-Filled Decisions

How do you make decisions?

Not those small day to day decisions, but the big ones.  You know, those decisions that create some fairly significant ripple effects in your life: decisions about your job, your career, your home, your community, your relationships, etc.

Someone once said to me that we should not move forward in a major decision “…until we know, that we know, that we know this is how the Lord is leading us”

I disagree with that.

I believe the Lord sometimes is very gracious to us and speaks in a fashion that is undeniable.  When that which He is calling us to is of such a magnitude, significance, or sacrifice that we need to know beyond a shadow of a doubt this is indeed His calling, I believe He does speak to us and lead us undeniably.  Moses and the burning bush, Paul on the road to Damascus, Isaiah and his vision in the temple – these are all Biblical examples, amongst many others, of an undeniable call or leading by the Lord.

When the Lord calls us clearly and dramatically it actually requires less faith.  In those situations we know that we know.  However, there are many times in everyday life when the Lord’s leading in our lives is far less dramatic.  In the vast majority of decisions the Lord is more subtle in His leading; it takes more faith to follow Him then because we don’t really “know”, but we “believe” this is how He is leading us.

So, how do we make decisions in the absence of a dramatic and clear call?

Well, here are a few ways that I have sought to discern the Lord’s leading over the years:

1. Prayer and scripture
   • Start by surrendering your heart and will to the Lord.  Declare that you want to do His will, not your own, even though you may not be that excited about what you sense He is saying to you
   • Ask Him to help you hear His voice and to give you wisdom
   • Seek wisdom through scripture and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal truth to you while you read
2. Peace
   • Even in the midst of very intimidating decisions we must find the Lord’s peace.  Scripture encourages us to let the peace of God rule in our hearts – kind of like an umpire.  Is the peace of God indicating this decision is “safe” or “out”?  If you find no peace in your heart when you are going to make a certain decision, then don’t make it.  Find God’s peace.
3. Desire
   • God puts desire in our hearts, so start by taking an honest look at what you want.  Be open with the Lord about what is in your heart.  Does this new situation line up with already existing desires you carry.  Or, has your heart shifted and you find yourself strangely open to something that you were not open to previously?  Now, keep in mind that desire can also come from the flesh, the world and the enemy so judge desire against scripture.
4. Agreement
   • If you’re married you must walk through this process with your spouse – each of you seeking God’s heart, will and wisdom.  If after doing so you are not in agreement, then keep seeking and walking with Him until you come to agreement in Him.
5. Counsel
   • Seek counsel from wise, Godly people.  Don’t just talk with anyone; seek input from people you know to be wise and Godly Christ followers.
6. Previous words
   • Is what you are sensing in-keeping with what you believe the Lord has previously spoken to you?
7. Visualize
   • When I am making a big decision I envision myself in that which I sense the Lord is leading me and gauge the state of my heart.  Am I growing in vision?  Am I excited?  Am I in faith?
8. Stop light
   • I believe living in faith is like living life as a “green light” and waiting for a “red light” – in other words, moving forward until the Lord says stop.  So, once I get a few indications that this could indeed be what the Lord is saying to me I start to move forward and ask the Lord to put up a stop light if I am not hearing Him clearly.

Faith is not necessarily knowing that we know that we know “what to do”, but with a sense of uncertainty we courageously move forward knowing that the Lord loves us, leads us, directs us, guides us, counsels us, watches over us, gives us wisdom, provides for us and will never leave us.

Wow, in light of who the Lord is we can afford to take risks – making courageous, faith-filled decisions journeying with Jesus deeper into His will in us and through us.  Indeed, this is the only way we have been called to live.

We are called to live by faith, and therefore make faith-filled decisions.  Faith is not knowing all the answers and not believing without proof, but trusting without reservation.

Psalm 32:8

“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you.”

Isaiah 30:21

“Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it.’”

Proverbs 11:14

“For lack of guidance a nation falls, but victory is won through many advisers.”

Philippians 2:13

“For it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.”

Colossians 3:15

“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace.”

Jul 24, 2017 | Categories: Uncategorized | Comments Off on Making Faith-Filled Decisions