Don't Fall In Love With Caterpillars

I just got back from vacation.  It was so incredibly good.  It wasn't that we did the most amazing things ever.  We went back home to Alabama.  I mean, I've been all over Europe, Brazil and USA (and Bermuda!).  When you put Alabama up against that list it seems pretty lame (and that's not even considering Alabama isn't necessarily a 'world heritage site' to begin with).  It wasn't good because of the scenery or cultural experiences.  It was good because of relationships.  Great relationships.

There's a lot I could tell.  We had a blast down on the Gulf Coast (which is beautiful so cut Alabama some slack).  We had great time seeing friends and family all up and down I-65 and I-85.  But, my favorite time was in Auburn.  Ya, it's a nice town and I enjoy the sports and such but it had more to do with our friends there.  Again... relationships.

My friend 'Coach' is an awesome guy.  His whole family is amazing and they have been dear friends of ours since 1999.  We became friends years ago when Tamsey and I lived in Gulf Shores/Orange Beach, AL.  We all started a church together and had some amazing times.  We later moved to NC and Coach and Sherry moved to Auburn.  We've been on different paths since then but have been doing the same thing.... building and expanding the Kingdom of God.

I've always loved Coach and Sherry.  They invested in Tamsey and I from the first day we met them.  Coach (Wren) was the Gulf Shores High School girls basketball coach and just an all around great guy.  He liked Brazil (took me on my first trip there in 2001 and the rest is history) had a great sense of humor and enjoyed good music.  I liked him just the way he was and would have been delighted to know him in that same way for the rest of our lives.  What I didn't know was that there was so much more inside of him that I would later get to see.

When Coach moved to Auburn he and his wife Sherry started a small group at his church for college students.  Well, that group of 20 students has grown to a Wednesday Night service of about 700 college students called ONE Auburn.  I got to go to ONE last week and see my friend Coach do his thing as he shared his heart and the Word of God with all of those students.  It blew me away!  I mean, who is this guy?!  I was overwhelmed in the greatest way and I left that night in complete awe of God.

How long was this lying dormant inside of him?  How many leaders did he serve under for years that never invited him to break out of the cocoon and fly?!  Now, I certainly believe in 'times and seasons' and Coach told me himself that he wouldn't have been ready to do anything like this before the time that it happened.  I believe him.  But there was so much greatness sitting and waiting patiently for so long.  It made me wonder at God.  Of course, God knew all along.  I wonder how excited He was to see this guy finally get to spread his wings and come into his destiny?  It is amazing and I know there's so much more to come.

What about you?  Is there more inside that needs to come forth?  Probably.  What about your friends?  What about those that serve under you at work or at church?  I guarantee there's more for them.  I left Auburn with a mission.  I want to see people come into their destiny like never before.  It's always been a passion but there is some major fuel on the fire these days.

Don't fall in love with caterpillars.  Embrace and enjoy people where they are but keep an eye out for wings.  They're in there.  Rather than helping people 'get comfortable in their own skin' call them to greatness and help them take flight.  When they do, we will all stand in awe.... not just of them, but at the Great God that has been preparing them to fly from the day they were born.

Wandering Around Inside Christianity

My generation is a peculiar lot. 


I keep bumping into people in their late 20's and early 30's that are trying so hard to find themselves inside the context of Christianity.  I'm not talking about lost souls trying to find their way to God (though there are many of those out there).  I'm talking about people who love Jesus but are grappling so hard to find they're way through the labyrinth of cultural Christianity and the status quo of modern rock 'n roll church.  I actually understand it all too well.  


I'm not even upset about it.  I'm just concerned for where it leads so many people my age.  In a desire to distance themselves from what they see as hype and platitude they swing the pendulum so far that they (in many cases I've seen) fall out of relationship with the Lord all together.  It's a casualty of 'war' of which I'd like to see less. 


I feel the pull constantly.  I share a lot of the concerns with my friends that are disenfranchised with church.  I often think we major on minors.  I agree that there's not enough focus on social justice in the majority of the 'modern' church.  I  don't like 25 minute worship sets and don't get very excited about video announcements.   But, I also don't believe that everything has to be catered to my ideals and personality.  I think, herein lies the difference.  


Don't get me wrong, I can belly-ache and become hyper critical in a heart-beat.  But there's something of the gravity of God's grace in me right now that pulls me back to the middle and makes me consider it all again.  I can either become jaded and disappointed with the church or I can put more pressure on my personal time with the Lord.  It's not the 'institutions' job to meet 100% of all my spiritual, emotional and physical needs.  That's God's job and I have full access to Him.  He meets me in my personality.  He get's my quirkiness.  He's not intimidated by my melancholic moods.  


Anything that is designed to work in mass is not going to be fulfilling to the individuality of people.  That's a no brainer.  So, for now I let a portion of my needs be met in the corporate environments and another portion be met in my personal time with God.  The third portion is met through my relationships with others.  Just jamming with some friends for longer than 25 minutes :) or writing songs about life and love that nobody in my church will ever sing helps counter-balance my individuality from the needed 'more corporate' side of my life.  


I hope more of my generation will find the balance before they plunge themselves into 'Christian Despair'.  It's not becoming of the glory we carry as Believers. 

Bypassing Behavior

I'm actually not that great of a church attender.  I mean, I'm there but I'm not a super good 'engaged listener'.  Or maybe I'm not giving myself enough credit.  Maybe it's that I'm too engaged.  (or maybe it's that I'm usually in the same service 3 times on a weekend? ;)  I tend to listen to the message to the point that I hear something that stirs me to start a conversation with God on and then I'm off.  Off to journal and wrestle with the concept until I get a measure of peace or revelation on the topic and then reengage with the rest of the 'class'.  It's just the way it works for me.

Ever had one of those revelations that seemed like deja vu?  It's like, 'haven't I had this revelation before?' and yet you're having it in that moment.  Everything is a process and sometimes things are revealed in stages so that could be the reason for those kind of moments.  I don't know.  All I know is that I had one of them today.

Jesus speaks life.  He doesn't just teach or help.  He speaks, and life is created and formed.  He bypasses our behavior so as not to be distracted by the smoke-screen and speaks life to the death in us that causes the behavior.  He's good.  He's very, very good.  We camp out on the behavior.  We condemn it, mask it, ridicule it, manage it and engage it to the point that we are just exhausted and angry with ourselves and God.  All the while, Jesus is speaking life.

Sin is not a behavioral issue.  It is the evidence that there is death in me.  Jesus came to give life, and when His life takes root in me I change from the inside out.  It's so amazing after all these years of walking with Him that, when I get quiet and ask, He still shows me places in my hear that are dead and have been causing behavior that is counterproductive to the life that is inside of me.  So, once I get the revelation I set to work on how to fix it.  And, He lovingly just bypasses my work and my behavior and speaks life.

To quote Jon Foreman "You're raising the dead in me."