Batteries Required

"Batteries Required. Not Included"
There is nothing more frustrating than bringing home a product you are ready to use, only to realize that you failed to notice this "minor" detail.
Especially when it calls for a 9 volt, or "D" battery...the ones you never have on hand.
And so, you pull it out and pretend to use it, right?
Or...you try to generate your own power to make it operate, right?

Yeah...let's hope not.

You either drive back to the store, or you stick the product back in the box until you can get a hold of the necessary power source.
Why? Because batteries are required.
Necessary.
It just won't work without them.

Have you ever asked this question of yourself:
"Do I live a life that requires God?"

Think about it.

If the Spirit of God was removed from your life, is there anything that you are striving for, involved in, attempting, believing for, etc., that absolutely could not be accomplished with human effort alone?

I know this seems a drastic scenario, but it is one that has made me look at my life through the honest lens of the Holy Spirit.
All too often, I begin with the best intentions, seeking to fill my life with God things-not just good things-but then, I set out to accomplish them apart from Him.

I forget so easily that being a true disciple of Christ isn't just about trusting Him to impart the plan; it's also about trusting Him to impart the power to accomplish it.
Otherwise, bringing the plan to fruition gives glory to me rather than God.

I believe Him for the revealing the way, then I default to trusting my own will to walk it out.

Comfort zone.
Safety net.
Failsafe.
Operating from that place of, "Just in case God doesn't show up, I will be ok."
Face saved, and all that.

It just seems simpler and safer to live a life that doesn't require a power source.
That is...only if you enjoy living in the dark.
But God calls us out of that confusing, powerless, comfortable place:
"for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light."(Ephesians 5:8)
Light.
Power.
Holy Spirit required kind of living.

How can I be content with living a life that minimally requires the presence and power of the One True Living God?

Even worse...how can I be content living a life that repeatedly functions without Him altogether?

I want to live a life that requires all that He is replacing all that I am.
I want to live a life that screams "Impossible!",  so the world sees that, "With God all things are possible."(Luke 1:27)
I want my life to shout HIS glory, not mine.

I want to live a life labeled: "Holy Spirit Power required."
A life that just won't work without Him.

"Let all those that seek and require You rejoice and be glad in You; 

let such as love Your salvation say continually, The Lord be magnified!"

Psalm 40:16(AMP)

NOW!

  

                                               
Now.
It's when a baby wants its bottle
It's when my kids want their iPods.
It's when I want to fall asleep.
It's when my belly wants food.
It's when I want to lose weight.
It's when I want all the good things to begin and when I want all the stress to end.
Now.
It is the craving of so many categories of life.
Now seems like an unreachable fairy tale status.
Every part of life demands it, and we are keenly aware of how we are unable to deliver.
Yes, the now is in high demand.
And usually, we respond by ignoring the now.

We plan for days ahead and
we pine over days past,
forgetting that each of those are shaped in the very moments we are choosing to ignore.

Now is where the power lies...where the capacity for power increases exponentially, as we look face on at each moment.

We dream.
We wish.
We hope about the way things could be.
But the difference between a wish and reality is action:
Action in the now.

So, instead of excuses of why the future can't be what you hope,
and instead of excruciating remembrances of a past you wish you could erase,
start by taking a look at the now.

I, too, am guilty of ignoring the now.
Why? Because I am too busy stroking the later and beating up the past.

I have been asked so many times how to walk close with the Lord, how to get in His Word.
Most of time, a complicated answer and/or immediate major life overhaul is anticipated.
But the answer is simply this:
Do SOMETHING now.

Today, choose a moment to do something differently than you did the day before, the moment before.

Things don't change just because of a plan or a goal; they change when you do something in the now to move toward that goal.

If you want your destination to be a certain place, then the choices you make day to day have to be those that will put you on the path to your desire.

Instead of focusing so much on what you hope to be,
or what you have been,
stop and decide what you will do NOW.

NOW is laying the foundation of your future.
NOW will also become your past.

The actions that come to define our past and set the trajectory of our future all happen in the NOW.

NOW is the time of action.

What one thing will you
choose
to
do
differently
NOW?


"...Indeed, the 'right time' is now. Today is the day of salvation."
2 Corinthians 6:2

"So you see, faith by itself isn't enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless...we are shown to be right with God by what we do, no by faith alone."
James 2:17, 24

"For I am about to do something new. See I have already begun! Do you not see it?..."
Isaiah 43:19

Well, What Do You Expect?

It's like a wall.
A clear plexiglas wall, that everyone is trying to pretend isn't there.
The Church, the Body of Christ as a whole, has grown comfortable with this unseen reality.

Even worse than the fact that it is accepted, is the fact that it is what is expected.

And when expectation is sucked out of the atmosphere, true worship suffocates.

Our words set to melody are canisters for life, but they depart from our lips empty, void of the ability to resuscitate and revive because they rise from malnourished, power starved lives bogged down in the pride of mediocrity...and viciously unwilling to let go.

The stench of death permeates the room.
The sweet aroma of living sacrifice is painfully absent.
And we label it "worship".

So...we grip the pews,
gripe about the form and formula,
gasp when the unexpected makes an appearance, and
gawk at those hungry enough to embrace it.

No style or form of music or service can diminish or enhance our One True God.
He is the same yesterday, today and forever.(Hebrew 13:8)
God is not more worthy of praise in one setting than He is in another.

So why, then, is worship with abandon an endangered species?
We are more dazzled by the how and the what....and we have forgotten the Who that leads us to the why.

From traditional, to contemporary, to modern, to private...it may look different...but the pattern of low expectation amongst the individual Believer persists.

Platforms, performance, pleasantries, and practicalities become paramount.
They sneak in and taint the path.
These thieves allow us to see the way to worshiping "in Spirit and in Truth"(John 4), but scream out caution to our flesh that embracing anticipation is a path to reputation suicide.
We are warned by their presence that crying out in authentic expectation could possibly lead to an avalanche on this mountain of religious comfort we've created.

And so...we secure what we see as our plexiglas wall of protection, when in fact, we have just constructed a spiritual prison.

Predictable, proper, popular, and protected-this prison starts to look like home.
We take up the residence of limits.
We are consoled by the false comfort in familiarities.

Anticipation is a fading memory, if not a term completely undefined.

We expect nothing more than the prison we've constructed.

We are callous.
Numb.
Untouchable.
Hardened.

And the scariest part?
We are pleased.

After all, isn't that what authentic Christ Worship is all about: our pleasure?

What do you expect?


"The Lord says:
These people come near to me with their mouth
and honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me.
Their worship of me
is made up only of rules taught by men."
Isaiah 29:13

"God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth."
John 4:24

"Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God–this is your spiritual act of worship."
Romans 12:1

"Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says,
'Today, if you hear his voice,
do not harden your hearts...'"
Hebrews 3:7,8

Rocky Places

Today, I walked barefoot on a slimy, rocky river bed.
It was a completely unexpected adventure, but a necessary one all the same.
So, I rolled up my pants, ditched my shoes and waded into the cold water alone, as my family stood watching, safe and dry on the shore.

A razor cut, fresh from the morning's shave, stung like a thousand needles.
And then, the rocks.
It didn't look so bad, but the sharp little suckers were hidden from sight under the sludge of sandy river bottom...but not hidden from the tender soles of my feet.
I felt every one.

I don't like the rocky places.

Being barefoot, sole exposed, on the smooth sandy places, now that's where it's at.(excuse the grammar)

But when the path gets rocky and painful to the exposed soul...ahhh becomes ouch, and every step reminds: this is not a smooth place.

And so steps are taken with intent and care, but still bearing the weight and the pain...always, the pain.

The necessity of the rocky places.
None of us long to embrace that necessity, but it calls us to all the same.

As I stepped gingerly across the rocks, an image I recently took came to my mind.

It was a geode.
At face value-ugly, forgettable, even worthy of disdain beneath the feet...but when time is taken to look at the rock, turn the rock, treasure can be found within.
Crystals-shimmering beauty-reflecting light with brilliant color, yet, all hidden to the sole too focused on the pain of it's rocky outter surface.

These hard places that bruise our souls are rocks of purpose placed beneath our feet.

If we will take time to see them as just that-treasure that enhances the path-we may come to discover the beauty of the rocky places.

So, when you find that its time to wade deep into the cold, unexpected waters of life, even if it is all alone...roll up those pants legs, ditch your shoes, and know...
...know that there is beauty and purpose ahead for your soul.

"Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."
James 1:2-4 ESV

"You shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord,
and a royal diadem in the hand of your God."
Isaiah 62:3 ESV

Change Your Question

"Don't look for shortcuts to God.

 The market is flooded with surefire, easy- going formulas for a successful life 

that can be practiced in your spare time.

Don't fall for that stuff, even though crowds of people do.

The way to life- to God!- is vigorous and requires total attention."

Matthew 7:13-14 (The Message)

Formulas. Phrases. Steps. Methods.
It is so easy to get lost here, stuck here, confused here, condemned here.
There is so much out there-even good things and God labeled things- vying for our attention...all with the promise of making us who we think(or they think) we should be as Christ Followers.

But NONE of that matters unless your motive is to know HIM more.

We have to change our question.
It's not about WHERE these formulas, ideas, and methods take us.
It's not about WHEN these things will make us "arrive" at some religious destination labeled "Godly".
It's not about HOW these things will hopefully make us appear to others.

It is about WHO these things are meant to lead us to.

When we are fixated on the where, when, and how, we lose sight of the Who...and, sadly, that is when it all becomes about shining our own glory, not God's.

I long to see more Christ Followers simply wanting HIM.

When that becomes our desire above all else, then the formulas, ideas, phrases, steps and methods can become tools to aid us in getting to that place of intimacy that we crave.

It is so easy to get caught up in the next best thing, rather than just finding more of our Lord.

You see, His presence effects change.
Transforming,
Life rearranging,
Paradigm shattering,
Experiences.
That is what happens when you truly encounter the presence of God.

Maybe that is why it is so much easier to sing about Him, talk about Him, learn about Him, rather than actually go to Him.
We are afraid of what that may actually look like and do to our nice, neat religious lives.

So what about you?
Are you caught up in the formulas, rules, theologies, and methods so much so that you have stopped relating with the Lord on a personal level?

No, it isn't easy.
And yes, the world and your enemy are going to do everything possible to make it inconvenient and uncomfortable.
But it is worth it.
Because He alone is worthy.

Don't settle for the world's distant, watered down, regulation consumed, grace-less version of God.

Don't let your desire for comfort rob you of His completeness.

Don't let simply "looking the part" be the frail and shifting foundation you rely on to set you apart.

Be "vigorous" about experiencing the TRUE fullness of God in your day to day walk and relationship with Him.

He can't just be another option in your life.
Make Him your life.

Yes, there is a place for the where, when, how of it all.
But, start asking the right question first today: WHO?
It's all about my Jesus.

My prayer over YOU today:

"When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth.
I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit.
Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong.
And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is.
May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.
Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.
Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen."
Ephesians 3:14-21 (NLT)

Just DO it. :)

Author of My Story

I love the way God adds and updates the blog of our lives.
There is always more to be written when He is the author.
Case in point....

I recently told u the story of my "Foul Encounter"(see August 1,2012 post) at a Greenville Drive baseball game.
And while that ball wreaked havoc on me that night, its impact didn't stop there.
You see, because my family found my victory that night so funny, and I so monumental(lol), the baseball found a home on the display in the middle of our dining room table.
And there it stayed, quickly fading into my background...just part of the jumbled scenery that often overtakes this extremely multipurpose room, not to mention my life.
Until one day I was dusting(a rarity I admit), and something caught my eye.
There was something on the ball.
Confused, I grabbed up the ball for closer inspection.
It was an autograph!
And a familiar one at that: my Daddy's!

What in the world? I thought. He hadn't been there with us that night it all went down....how did...???

But then it came to me.

About five or so days prior, my mom and dad had come to visit.
Ah ha!

So I picked up the phone and called Daddy, who had a good belly laugh at how long it had taken me to even see that His name was written on this ever important, prominently displayed baseball!

And so it is with my Heavenly Daddy's autograph.
I so frequently and easily forget that His autograph is all over my life!
I take credit for feats that were HIS strength, HIS power and HIS sovereignty at work in my life.

I even have the audacity to claim He was absent in my times of chaos- like I did my earthly dad.

You see, that crazy night at Fluor Field, my earthly daddy may not have been physically present, but he WAS there:
HE was the one who taught me how to catch a ball,
keep my eye on the ball,
be strong,
be confident,
persevere...
all of which brought about that "victory" and the prize I claimed as my own.
My daddy had every right to autograph that baseball...because the fact that it was in my possession all pointed back to him.

Yes, my Heavenly Daddy is always there.
In every feat, in every endeavor, in every step I take...He is there...His fingerprints evident all over my life...whether I choose to recognize it or not.

Too often I allow that truth to fade into the background of my life.

In my selfishness and pride, I display the evidences of God's grace for my own glory instead of His.

I must CHOOSE to see.
I must CHOOSE to recognize the ink of my Creator's pen all over every piece and part of my life.

Because even in missteps, even in the mistakes, it's His redemption that has brought me through.

And in the victories, I cannot forget that it is my identity in Christ that secures those mountain top moments, NOT my skill or my strength.

It's His rescuing grace that has kept this life novel going and growing.
It isn't me.

He is the author of my story.
Daddy, autograph this life...it is Yours.

"Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."
Hebrews 12:2

Confessions of an Olympics Addict

I admit it: I am an Olympics addict.

I turn it on in the morning, stay up late at night, soak in and cry over the personal stories of the athletes, yell at the tv, and cheer loudly as though they can hear...as if the event I am watching didn't already happen 8 hours prior!

In a nut shell, I love everything Olympics related.

Maybe it's my fascination with the strength, talent and overall accomplishments of the athletes, or maybe it's the heavy dose of patriotism that the Olympics brings.

Whatever it is, it sparks something in me to make me want to do more and to be more...more than wherever I am.
It makes me want to remove the limits, those secure boundaries I place around myself...usually to simply avoid failure.

But then the inevitable question arises: How?
How do you attain those goals that obliterate your comfort zones?

After an amazing track and field event gold medal win, a commentator asked an Olympian that very question:
"How did you do this when no one thought you could?"

The key word of his response jumped out at me like a word highlighted on a page:
Diligence.

Diligence is(according to Dictionary.com) :
constant and earnest effort to accomplish what is undertaken. Persistent exertion of body or mind.

Some synonyms include:
activity, alertness, application, attention, care, constancy, intensity, vigor.

Am I naive to think that's all it took? No.
Do I believe that each and every day he loved doing all that had to be done? No.
Was it easy? No.
Was it critical to his finish? Yes!

He may have had natural ability that made his sport the perfect match for him, but without Diligence, it's just untapped potential.

How much I can learn from this Olympian in my walk with the Lord.

It's about more than studying sport technique, learning methods, theories and strategies on paper.
Head knowledge would have no more made that runner an athlete than reading anatomy books would make me a doctor!

Knowledge is simply the beginning.
Desire is simply the beginning.

Dreams of turning potential into reality cannot be accomplished without DILIGENCE.

Matthew 7:14, The Message says:
"The way to life-to God!-is vigorous and requires total attention."

As Grace rescued Believers, we can rest assured He placed within each one of us the potential to be a Glory-to-God-Giver of gold medal proportions.

He did it through the person of the Holy Spirit...alive inside of us!

But it is surrendering to Him and the total attention it takes as an Olympian of His Kingdom that results in the radical transformation bringing world record finishes that impact lives forever.

Constant, earnest effort.
Consistent, active, alert, intense, vigorous.

Does this describe the way you and I go after the goal of living out loud with excellence for Jesus Christ?

Don't settle for latent potential.
Allow the Holy Spirit to UNLEASH the fullness of His power in you!

Let His spark ignite the fire within you to be more...not in YOUR power, but through HIS!

Bronze?
Silver?
I think not.
I am living FROM victory assured.
Gold medal all the way, baby!

"But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us." 2 Corinthians 4:7 ESV

"And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength."
Mark 12:30 ESV

"God's way is not a matter of mere talk; it's an empowered life."
1 Corinthians 4:20 MSG

"He must increase, I must decrease."
John 3:30 ESV