Called to Live

• What's the difference between someone who does a job and someone who enjoys a job?
• What's the difference between an athlete who gets paid to play a sport and an athlete who has a positive effect on a community?
• What's the difference between a student who wants to graduate and a student who wants to make a difference?

I suggest to you that the difference is directly proportional to how much a person is willing to humbly submit to the right authority and to readily listen to the unpopular.

• Is there somebody you work with that stands out as somebody who really enjoys it?
• Is there an athlete you know of that, if they left their team/community, they would be missed beyond their athletic ability?
• Is there a student who seems to have another goal beside just getting through school?

Go ahead, ask them, "What is up with you?" (or something like that :-).  Find out who they listen to or what drives them or why they do what they do.

How do you listen, though, when you're not sure anyone worthwhile is speaking?  There were times when God chose to be silent, or very quiet.  For instance, around 1100 B.C., there was a boy named Samuel who was trying to be faithful to this same God, even though he really didn't know much about Him.  Samuel had no idea what it meant to listen to God, or whether God spoke at all, or THAT He would speak directly to him.  Yet he did!  Why?  We don't know for sure, but I can say, for sure,  that God has never, nor will He ever, leave His creation high and dry, to fend for themselves, without an answer.

We also are able to witness, in I Samuel, chapter 3, that Samuel had what God was looking for (and still looks for today) - a humble attitude and an ear ready to hear anything.  Granted, it took until the 4th try for Samuel to actually know that it was God;  then, though, he responded immediately and proved that he listened mainly to . . . someone else.  This chapter holds the details of Samuel's "calling" and sets the stage for the life of a man who didn't do things unless God told him and who did do the things that hardly anybody else in his day was thinking about.

We, as human beings, are called to live life to the full and, based on the truth about our beginnings, this full life can only come when God is the one we're following, seeking, and honoring.  Here's where life becomes something that we LIVE, not just DO:  "Whoever tries to keep his life will lost it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it" (Luke 17:33).  First, give up trying to solve everything on your own, especially the whole mess about what happens after we die - give it all up to God, make it all about Jesus and his death on the cross in our place, and allow Him to be Who it all depends on.  I know it's hard, I know it's not natural, and I know it speaks against almost everything inside of us - yes, it's the epitomy of an humble heart.  Second, be in a posture and habit and attitude of readiness to hear anything from someone else (your Creator, Savior, and Sustainer), for daily direction.  Remember, you did not choose to live, you aren't here by chance, and you are known.  Therefore, you are CALLED TO LIVE, by a personal God, for a specific purpose, to a specific place, with only Him to please (oh, and, remember, He already loves you loads).

I am free, then, to live life to the full because it's all for Him.  He'll take care of my needs, my significance, and what ultimately happens to me as an employee, an athlete, a student, a homemaker, a wife, a dad . . . you get it!

The Beauty of Submission

I can hardly wait 'til I meet with John, because I know he's going to confront me on my gambling problem, which I don't think is a problem.  In fact, I'm really looking forward to hear his side of the debate on whether it's a sin or not to spend hundreds of dollars on these sites, which is just another form of entertainment, really! 

Does this quote look familiar?  Probably not.  If we're involved in something that may or may not be wrong, yet enjoy it and justify it's existence, the last thing we invite is someone's opinion that it's an outright SIN.  I mean, how rude of them, right!  When is it right, if ever, to confront someone with questionable behavior?

Allow me to give you another sports analogy.  A professional baseball player is going through a hitting slump (all of them do, by the way).  At the same time, the hitting coach notices that he is reverting back to some old habits that are contributing to the slump.  What is the coach's responsibility, at this point?  Some would say that it depends on who the batter is and on what kind of instruction this coach has provided in the past for this batter.  Some would say that, since he's the hitting coach, he has the right and obligation to approach the batter and explain what he sees.  Somehow, someway, he does need to let it be known what is clear to him even if these things are undetected by the batter or even others.  One main reason is because THAT IS WHAT HE'S THERE FOR!

Now, the batter has a choice as to what he does with this information.  The beautiful, attractive part of him deciding to listen and put into action what the hitting coach says is that he is willingly saying, "I don't have all the answers and I need others to help me." As a result, the other players see his example of humility (always beneficial), the team benefits from his increased production, and the hitting coach is affirmed in his role, giving him more confidence and courage to address other things that his hitters are doing wrong.

A church, in the true, biblical definition of the word, is a gathering of people who are like-minded about who Jesus is and what He accomplished on the cross and in his resurrection.  It's a group of people who all recognize their need for Jesus' death to cover the consequences of their sin (eternal death and punishment in hell) and their need for Him to give them power over the daily struggle with sin.  This is why the Bible gives over 40 direct commands relating to "one another."  A church that gathers without submitting to each other or supporting leadership that can wisely address sin is not, technically, a God-honoring church.  Rather, it become a club where each person has their own interests in mind or a service organization where they provide physical help without offering any spiritual help.

Again, the beauty of a group of people submitting to one another and it's affirmed leadership can be equated to the beauty of a team where each person practices hard, knows their role, and corrects their issues so that the whole team is seen as a "well-oiled machine" by the end of the season.  It's beautiful because it's a WHOLE, not just a bunch of individuals.  It's beautiful because people learn to look out for each other.  It's beautiful because THAT IS WHAT THE CHURCH IS THERE FOR! 

As a conclusion, let it be noted that when submission is ugly, it's because, in our first example, the player wants to do it himself and refuses (either passively or actively) or the coach demands change or simply does not seek input from others or the player.  In both cases, there is no submission, only rebellion or heavy-handedness.

So, first submit yourself to Jesus Christ, acknowledging your sin and need for Him as Savior.  Next, submit yourself to a God-fearing, Bible-driven, Jesus-honoring group of believers by committing to a local church.  The beauty that is produced will be truly amazing!

The importance of EQ

On the website for the Institute for Health and Human Potential (IHHP), I took their Emotional Intelligence (EQ) quiz.  I was congratulated for having high emotional intelligence!  Yea!  The way my emotions fluctuate from day-to-day, and even hour-to-hour some days, I wonder how people manage with low EQ.  Anyway, they gave me some good advice in the midst of my results:
Areas to work on: While you are doing well, don’t forget to take time out of your busy day-to-day activities to stop and reflect on what brings you the greatest meaning in your life. If we fail to do this on a regular basis, we risk becoming tranquilized by the trivial, sedated by the small details.

Here's the rub:  What if what brings the greatest meaning to my life is in direct conflict with what brings the greatest meaning to your life?  What if my wife derives great meaning from settling down in a small town and I derive great meaning from thriving in a big city?  Oh, so my wife, then, ought to be the greatest meaning in my life so that there's never a question of the two of us being in conflict, right?  What if her EQ is much different than mine and I start relating better with someone else?  What then?

Because EQ is so closely related to key relationships, and our relational needs are God-given, I am a firm believer that our spirituality must be a key component to how we process our emotions.  Because there is ONE Creator (work with me, here) then there is a certain, all-encompassing truth that each of us can subscribe to that will guarantee that my "great meaning in life" will dovetail beautifully with yours.  Pete Scazzero, through his Emotionally Healthy Spirituality website and ministry, teaches and trains others to teach the truths that we start with a right relationship with our Creator and then take that relationship into working on our right relationships with others, starting with those closest to us.

From IHHP.com to 7 Habits of Highly Effective People to Dr. Phil, the truth of who we are, how we are made, and what makes us successful is deeply rooted in our Creator, whether these popular resources and people publically acknowledge it or not.  Go ahead, take any good advice that "proven" or pop psychology promotes and compare it to what God says in the Bible.  If it doesn't match, proceed with much caution, and if it matches, acknowledge the Inventor of that truth and run with it under God's guidance.

Back to the aforementioned rub.  Read the last part of the IHHP website quote above.  If we fail to, individually and together, reflect on our dependence on God and our need for salvation through Jesus Christ, "we risk becoming tranquilized by the trivial, sedated by the small details."  Where we live, what we sacrifice for our spouse, and how we give of our time and resources truly becomes no big deal because we've reflected on and understand the big picture which God is already orchestrating.

EQ is important, but only as far as we are willing to process it in light of our relationship with God.  Increasing EQ without God is like increasing IQ without thinking.  Think about it.

Marriage, a Means or an End?

What are some key ingredients in the recipe for "losing your passion"?

• Make sure you see all your relationships as ways to get what you want.
• Never ask the "Why?" question when deciding how to spend your free-time.
• Look at your job as mainly a means to get money.
• View money as the end, rather than a means to more important things.

Ultimately, we lose passion for living and we lose perspective in our day-to-day lives when we neglect, forget, or never look into how it all begins.  Why do I have all these relationships?  What is the best use of my free time?  Why does the company exist that I work for and what is my role?  Why does money drive so many people and does it really fulfill its promises?

Marriage is no different, for if marriage is the goal, then we can define it how we want and we can determine our (and others') worth based on it.  We get into the marriage and, sometimes sooner and sometimes later, we ask ourselves, "Is this all there is?"  It's not a commentary on our spouse, but rather on our false expectations of marriage.  Even the most important person in our earthly life was never intended to fill our void (no matter how great the movie line is, Jerry Maguire).

Why does the nagging inner voice keep asking, "Is this all there is?"  Because the most important relationship we could ever hope of having has been tainted forever.  You and I have something in common - it's our need for complete communion with our Creator.  We fill this void with money, people, success, power, pleasure, etc.  We experience short term satisfaction and enjoyment but we know, at the heart of it all, that it just didn't cut it for us.

Back to marriage.  Because marriage, then, was never meant to fill the void or "complete" anyone, what is it for?  It is a means (and a very important one according to Genesis 3:24 and Ephesians 5:22-33) to showing someone what love looks like and that Jesus is the ultimate lover, dying for our sins, in our place.  If God is our most important relationship, and Jesus is the means to reconciling with our God, then selfless, heterosexual, only-one-spouse marriage is the only definition of marriage that can help us get back to God.

Yes, many heterosexual marriages are selfish.  In fact, one could argue that, on any scale that a person could invent, many homosexual marriages have more redeemable qualities than many heterosexual marriages.  But this is no reason to redefine marriage.  After all, who am I to doubt the true love of a teacher for her 16-year old boyfriend/student?  Without some sort of guidelines and standards of what's appropriate and what isn't, we are all reduced to our own definitions (and we all know what wins when our feelings have war with our self-imposed standards).

Who should define marriage then?  Allow the Inventor of marriage to define it, run with that definition, and enjoy marriage for the means to see God that it was meant to be.  Or, define marriage the way you see fit, see it as an end in itself, and constantly come up against a dead end on the road of a life that is truly full of life.

Winning at all costs?

As we approach another National Football League season, we are coming off a Super Bowl that showcased a clash of coaching cultures.  We had John Fox vs. Pete Carroll.  Old School NFL vs. New Thang College.  Keep your shirts tucked in vs. Let all your emotion show.  Even the teams themselves reflect the coaches, especially regarding old guard and new guard.

I see another difference;  maybe it's my age or maybe it's actually a different philosophy of football.  It seems that football, on all levels, is turning into, more and more a "look at me" sport.  Ex-college coaches have been successful for many reasons, including their ability to relate to and harness young passion and our youth culture.  Without delving into a sociological study, I think it's safe to say that, in general, this generation of players in the NFL talks more, celebrates more after a simple tackle or a first down catch, and thrives more on swagger than steadiness.

Even the Conference Championship games had a different feel between them last January.  The two AFC coaches rarely showed emotion, while the two NFC coaches rarely don't (see Jim Harbaugh going nuts after a failed reply challenge).  Coaches set the tone.  As we found out, Old School Calm and Cool lost the Super Bowl to New Thang Emotions On The Sleeve.  At the same time, we were reminded that a great defense usually beats a great offense.

This year, the same six teams are expected to be right back in the mix again at the end of the season.  No matter what style you are in favor of, my guess is that it's the TEAM you'll be rooting for, not the style.  Who cares how you do it, right?  Just get the job done, right?  What's the most important question at the end of the year?  "Whose holding the Lombardi Trophy"?  I don't think so!  I know this, because all anyone will care about tomorrow when Seattle opens up it's season against Green Bay, is who will win that game, not who won 7 months ago.

Rather, the most important question at the end of the season will be, "How did you go about your business?"  Obviously, this is the question for anybody, no matter their job, their like (or dislike) for sports, or where they live.  What matters most to everybody that played in that Super Bowl has nothing to do with the result of that Super Bowl, but with how they celebrated, recovered from, or mourned the outcome.

I am a pastor.  If I had a knee-jerk response every time something bad happened or when it didn't go my way, I would be out of a job.  Not, necessarily, because the congregation would boot me out, but because I would clearly not be qualified to lead them anymore.  So why does it seem to not matter whether a football coach loses it?  Because results matter more than personal growth in the NFL.  The irony is, though, that without a commitment to personal growth, the results will mean less and less anyway.

Life is a marathon, sports is a sprint, let's not confuse the two.

I need lots of help

Why do we continue to maintain a belief that success is directly related to control?  When I have a schedule, stick with it, and don't mess up, I've had a successful day and I'm exactly where God wants me to be. On the other hand, when I fail, need to confess my failure to others, and accomplish very little (if any) of my plan, I am further from God's plan for my life than when I started.  We use things like the following to justify our position:

• Hurricane Katrina is most known for how the local and national government failed to respond properly.
• My Denver Broncos were the victims of four of the worst blowouts in Super Bowl history.
• Lance Armstrong is the poster boy of failure, not to mention cheating and lieing.
• Obamacare is not exactly making a reputation of saving lives.

We know, in our minds, that some of the greatest achievements in history came because of numerous, if not countless, failures.  Yet, in our hearts, we cringe at the immediate potential of not measuring up.  Why?  How come our minds have such a hard time influencing our hearts, or the other way around?

The short answer?  We are more than just robots, equipped with a central intelligence that acts on its own.

Not-so-short answer?  Our Creator, God Almighty, made each of us as individuals, unique amongst humans.  There are no two alike, our minds and hearts, beliefs and emotions interacting with each other in a never-ending conversation that makes us who we are.  God does not want our minds to control us for, as the Apostle Paul says to the church in Corinth, "your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ." (2 Corinthians 11:3)  We do things we don't want to do and don't do the things we want to do; welcome to something we call LIFE (see Romans, chapter 7, verses 14-25).

I am not advocating failure but, rather, I am embracing it as a means through which we can be our true selves.  Failure does NOT define me, but, instead, it guides me to be the person I really am.

I'll end on a super-practicle note.  Each of us has been, and still are, haunted by sin.  Sin, those acts and thoughts that go against the One who created us, can either be ignored and not taken seriously OR it can be addressed and dealt with.  The former will lead to a life in which sin defines you (liar, thief, adulterer, player, gossip, etc.).  The latter will lead to a life which is more free to be the man or woman that we were made to be, because sin is being dealt with.  How is it being dealt with?  Check out the past, present, and future of dealing with sin:

• Receive Jesus' gift of His death in our place on the cross some 2000 years ago, so that our sins are forgiven.
• Confess our specific sins as often as possible day-by-day, so that God can transform us and make us, in essence and practice, better people.
• Look forward to eternity with Him in heaven, with no doubts, because Jesus already paid our debt in full.  Therefore, our life is not lived trying to earn anything, but simply living for Jesus, our Savior, Lord, Friend, and King.

If I don't need lots of help, I'm on my own.  It may boost my ego for a time, but it surely won't give me answers, or peace, or security for eternity.

I need lots of help. "Thank you, Lord, for being there for me and giving me the people that I need, especially my wife of 24 years!"

When are you most alive?

"In the zone", "on a roll", "can't be stopped" are all phrases given to athletes or artists or writers that are in the midst of doing what they do best, doing it at a high level, and enjoying it thoroughly.

The only thing that really matters in those moments seems to be. . . the moment.  Each person takes in those moments in different ways; it's a part of the Olympics that is so enjoyable for me to watch.

In order for these moments to keep their place, a person must learn to cherish them, not try to read more into them than what is there, and definitely not try to repeat them, right?

As I've been in Chile almost two weeks now, I am learning to enjoy these moments thoroughly without asking too much of them. If we seek to make life statements in or through these moments, we tend to mourn not having more of them rather than thank God for them and simply celebrate them.

So how do we make sure we experience more of these moments?  I suggest that we don't!  As the Bible indicates, when we seek His things first, the other things will come (Matthew 6:33) and God will bless us in his timing and in His way (John 12:25,26).

A basketball player cannot predict when he'll have 50 points, a writer can't predict which of her stories will be a hit, and no one can predict when God will move in a new way.

As I anticipate leading a time in the Word tonight with some Chilean youth, it is pointless for me to predict or presuppose on The Lord. Rather, I prepare, come with His backing and energy, and leave the results to Him. All of this while enjoying the moment thoroughly.

No matter what we do, what we're really good at, or how often we're "in the zone," we can thank the Lord for each moment and truly live life fully alive.