Category Archives: Random

We’ve all been there: you’re trying to make a key decision and you think God is speaking to you, but you’re not sure it’s him. Or, you have a wild hair idea to do something really counter-intuitive, a little risky and definitely faith-based, and you don’t know if it’s God or just you being stupid.  How do you know the difference? How can you learn to recognize the difference between God’s voice and your own? I’m glad you asked. Here are a few suggestions.

1. When God speaks, he speaks quite clearly. God is not the author of confusion, he doesn’t speak in confusing ways. So if you’re confused or cloudy about what he is saying, give it more time. You probably haven’t fully heard him yet.

2. God often repeats himself. Hearing God, especially on big, life-altering decisions, usually isn’t a one-and-done event. He’ll typically speak and then re-speak in multiple ways and at different times so that you KNOW it’s him. He’s prone to give you one confirmation after another that you’d actually heard him.

3. Dissonance often precedes change. When God is about to move you or call you to do something, he’ll often create a sense of unsettledness in your spirit before he speaks. He’ll tend to start loosening your grip on things or creating disequilibrium in your status quo so that when he does speak, you aren’t all that surprised that the change is coming.

4. God will never lead you to do anything that is unbiblical. No, God isn’t leading you to divorce your spouse so you can marry someone else. Neither is he telling you to blow up an abortion clinic or kill the people who work there. When God speaks, he does so in a way that supports and agrees with his Word.

5. God will always lead you to honor Jesus. If the change appears to be totally self-promoting, then slow down and think again. When God is calling, his goal is always to promote his Son, not you.

6. It’s often counter-intuitive. God’s calling often goes against conventional wisdom and the best laid plans and expectations of men. It may actually look like the exact opposite of what others are telling you to do.

7. It may appear to be impossible. If it’s something you can just go do, you probably haven’t fully heard God. God’s call typically involves significant steps of faith on our part.

Hope this helps. When in doubt, wait. God will make it clear.

**Note to readers–At least once a week I’m trying to answer questions like this one. If you have questions you want me to answer or topics you’d like me to address on the blog, please send them to me: Email Me. Thanks!!

Meet Adam. Adam is a bright, handsome boy who lives in Austin. Next to him is Joyanus. Joyanus is bright, handsome boy who lives in Rwanda.  The two boys’ respective lives couldn’t be further apart. Adam is getting a great education, sings and plays multiple instruments, skis, snowboards and can run like the wind. Joyanus, suffering from Rickets, has two bad legs–one that won’t bend at the knee. He doesn’t run much at all.

The cause? Basic malnutrition. Where Adam has clean water and healthy food, Joyanus has neither. What you and I consider normal, Joyanus and his family would consider a life-saver.

Adam and Joyanus met last year when Adam and his mother, Kerri, visited Rwanda and Africa New Life Ministries. The two became fast friends and, when Adam and Kerri had to leave a few days later, Adam promised Joyanus that they would meet again. His prophetic words didn’t take long to be fulfilled. After a few months of prayer and more than a little lobbying from Adam, Adam’s parents offered to bring Joyanus to the US so he could have surgery on his weak legs. And last week, in cooperation with Africa New Life and Dell Children’s Hospital, Joyanus and Jen, a staffer from Africa New Life, landed here in the States. Let the adventure begin.

Joyanus may be the most popular kid in Austin. Besides seeing multiple physicians and learning that he doesn’t need surgery, just good rehab, he’s also been shown amazing love and support. It’s been really cool to watch.

Joyanus will live with Adam and his family until he returns home to Rwanda in May–his life changed forever. It really is an amazing thing–for just a little sacrifice and investment Adam’s family is not only helping Joyanus get his legs back, but because of the English he’ll learn and opportunities he’ll have, he will be poised to be a leader in his country as he grows older. That’s real life-change; that’s real transformation. And, that’s what each of us can do.

If you have access to a computer and the education to read this blog, then you already have the capacity to make a huge impact in someone’s life with just a little sacrifice. Each of us knows a Joyanus–either across the street, across town or across the world, that would forever be changed by even the smallest act of generosity and sacrifice on our part.

Kerri, Joyanus and Jen

Will you think about that today? Will you pray about saying no to that next round of golf, or those new shoes, or that next vacation, and doing something really significant with what God has given you?

Not only will you change someone else’s life, you’ll change yours.

Many, O Lord my God, are the wonders you have done. The things you planned for us no one can recount to you; were I to speak and tell of them, they would be too many to declare. Psalm 40:5

God, You are so awesome. We love and praise You today. David was right: if we were to try to name all of the incredible things You have done, there would be too many for us to mention in our lifetimes. John was right when he wrote that if we tried to write down all that You have done, the world would not be large enough to contain all the books. Solomon was right when he said that the world–the heavens and the earth–cannot contain You. You are too infinite and too all-encompassing for us to ever fully describe or explain Your wonder.

But, O God, like David, like John, like Solomon, and like the angels in Your holy presence, we have to try. We cannot be silent about You. Your wonders demand that we speak; and though our words are totally insufficient, and though eternity itself would not be enough time, we have to speak. We must speak.

God, You are the creating God. You made all things. Nothing that exists in any form, regardless of how large or small, can boast of any origin but You. You made all things by Your sheer wisdom, power and strength. You are the life-giver and the creator. There is none like You.

God, You are the sustainer of all things. Not only do You give all things their existence, You also give them their sustenance. Every particle, every atom, every microscopic and tiny element of matter is held together by You. Our earth’s orbit, the seasons through which we pass, the 24 hours in a day, all are ordained and maintained by You. You are in control, O God, nothing could continue to exist if You were not holding all things together. You are the sustainer of all things. There is none like You.

God, You are the end of all things. You are the goal, the direction, the aim of all history. Every event and every moment of history will be summed up in You. You are drawing all things to their perfect and complete end, their perfect fulfillment in You. History does not run its own course. No event, regardless of size or impact, ever takes place without Your approval. You are moving the world to its perfect and precise conclusion. You are the aim and goal of all things. There is none like You.

God, You are the redeemer of all things. All the world has felt the vicious and deadly effects of sin. All creation slipped from its harmony with You into the chaos we know today because of man’s own rebellion. And yet You did not leave us to die in our sin. You, O God, stepped into the world You created with a plan for salvation. You came with the solution to the world’s problems. You gave Your Son. In doing so, You promised that all creation will be restored to its former glory. You will not let death have the final say. You will forgive and make holy all who will believe in Your name. God, such news is too wonderful for us. It is impossible for us to fully grasp what You have done to free us. God, You are the perfect redeemer of all creation. There is none like You.

O God we love You, we praise you and we bless Your glorious name. There is none like You.

Today is Ash Wednesday, and I just finished joining several of our church staff and a team from another church here at St. Luke’s Church on the Lake for Ash Wednesday service. It was a beautiful, moving call to humility and contemplation of our sins and the grace of God toward us. Today is also the beginning of Lent, a forty-day period of fasting in preparation for the week of Passion and Resurrection marked at Easter. The Lenten season is a call to release things, to let let go of things and to set aside things that might interfere with our relationship with God so we can know him better.

It’s not about setting aside cokes and snacks so we can lose weight. It’s about denying yourself things so you can gain God. And, it’s a great concept.

God is rarely found in the world of surplus. Often the scriptures associate wealth and luxurious living with pride and rejection of God. It takes a mature person indeed to keep God first in his or her life when living with wealth. So the Bible calls us to seasons of fasting, prayer and self-denial so we can keep things and God in proper perspective. And if you’ve ever done that, you quickly learn that less really is more.

The wealth, surplus and comfort that are promoted in our culture as the good life really isn’t the good life at all. It’s a myth, an illusion. There is an amazing spiritual dynamic in the practices of releasing, not accumulating, of giving, not receiving, and of downsizing, not spreading out.

Simplicity, peace, less stress, heightened spiritual awareness and joy are found in settings of less, not more. In the crazy, upside-down economy of God’s Kingdom, small is big, last is first, empty is full, and poor is rich. It’s counter-intuitive, and you’ll never move toward less without taking deliberate steps to set aside more. The culture pull of stuff and our appetites are just too strong.

So, let’s pursue less–not for a season, but for our lives:

• Start by giving a minimum of 10% of your income to the church you attend, and then give above that to ministries and non-profits you believe in
• Go through your closet, take out anything you haven’t worn in the last year, and give it away.
• While in your closet, take out half of what you have more than two of–jeans, shirts, socks, suits, whatever. Where you have clothing redundancy, give half away.
• Consider downsizing your house and car.
• Get involved in serving those who can’t serve you back
• Spend one week a year doing mission work in a third world country

Each of these ideas–and there are many others–will help you start down the road of discovering the joy of living with less.

Let’s seize the opportunity that Lent affords us. Give something up and give something away. And at the end of 40 days, don’t pick it back up and don’t replace it. Less really is more.

*If you want to know more about finding more by living with less, I’ve written an entire book on the subject called Enough. You can pre-order the book (and save a few dollars on it!) here.

Yesterday my son successfully solo climbed yet another fourteen-thousand-foot mountain in Colorado. Many of the Colorado 14ers are mere gentle giants in summer–long, hard, but not particularly dangerous. But in winter, even the most friendly of mountain environs can become downright deadly. Think about it–avalanche threats, wind, cold and wind chill, heavier and bulkier gear, deep and exhausting snow, fewer if any other hikers on the trail to render aid in a crisis, frozen water bottles, etc., etc., etc.—these things change the game entirely for even the most seasoned and well-conditioned climbers. Bottom line: everything’s harder in winter. It takes longer, requires more of you physically and has many more intangibles that can create a perfect storm of mountain madness.

This relatively gentle slope becomes a real struggle in deep snow and in the face of a fierce, cold wind.

The same is true spiritually.

For those of us trying to thrive in our respective walks with God, winter can be deadly. Now be certain, I’m not talking about the season on the calender we call winter, I’m talking about the spiritual winter that results when we isolate ourselves from God and his people. It’s like living without the sun for weeks or months at a time. It’s just really hard for plants to grow without access to light. The same is true for us. Without access to God’s light, we can’t grow. And his light is still best found in praying, reading his Word, worshiping and communing with his people.

Without God’s life-giving light, we can’t thrive spiritually. We love less, serve less or not at all, give less and are much more prone to sin. And, much like hiking in the snow, everything is harder.

Are you in a spiritual winter? The great news is that you’re only one prayer, one confession, one moment of worship away from Springtime.

What do you get when you cross a man or woman with a really nice car? Nothing. That’s right, absolutely nothing. Cars in no way add to you’re value. But, by the way we pursue the more expensive cars and the status we attach to them, one would think that they add infinite value to our souls. I talked to a woman recently who is married to a movie producer. When they lived in Hollywood he was required by contract to drive either a Jaguar or BMW. He was told that if he didn’t look successful, potential clients wouldn’t take him seriously.

It is a ridiculous notion that any inanimate object–including a car–can add value to a person. You insult the priceless soul God placed within you if you think that it is somehow defined, improved upon or cheapened, by what you wear, where you live, what you drive or what you do. And yet we spend hundreds of millions of dollars every year in pursuit of those very things, as if they somehow had the capacity to give us life.

It’s really silly if you think about it.

So, I have a question: Are you willing to drive a car for more than 100,000 miles? Would you be willing to keep the car you have a few more years and when you replace it, go with a cheaper version? I can already hear the pushback: But I need this type of car–I have to have the extra room–I’m on the road and really need to be comfortable, etc.

Go out in your driveway or garage, look at whatever you drive and say outloud, “This doesn’t define me. I am not what I drive, and I will not ever (again) seek to drive a status symbol.”

Then, look up to heaven and thank God for making you infinitely valuable, no matter what you drive.

Grand Love

And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge–that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Ephesians 3:17-19

Valentine’s Day is the day of poets, and I have a poem for you. Years ago I heard the hymn The Love of God for the first time. I cried then and still do so whenever I hear it sung. The third verse and chorus are one of the most beautiful descriptions of God’s love that I have ever read. Scholars believe that this verse was written in the 11^th Century A.D. by a Jewish patient in a German insane asylum. I offer it on this Valentine’s Day for you to think about God’s grand love.

Could we with ink the ocean fill
And were the skies of parchment made
Were every stalk on earth a quill
And every man a scribe by trade
To write the love of God above
Would drain the ocean dry.
Nor could the scroll contain the whole
Though stretched from sky to sky.

 CHORUS:

O love of God, how rich and pure!
How measureless and strong!
It shall for evermore endure
The saints’ and angels’ song.

Praise You God for Your Grand Love!

This past weekend, my wife Susie and I had the chance to teach together at our church, Austin Christian Fellowship, on one of our favorite topics, marriage. We’ve both written books and blogs on the subject, and we are always eager to share ways we’ve learned to keep our marriage alive. Here’s a brief summary of what we shared:

1. Marriage is God’s idea–don’t try to redefine it. There is lots of marriage tweaking going on these days, and none of it actually seems to be helping marriage. Since God designed marriage, we’d be wisest to use it as he intended.

2. Marriage is covenant. Forget the pre-nups, trial runs and escape clauses. Marriage is a agreement you make with God to love and serve another person just as God loves and serves you.

3. Marriage is temporary. You won’t be married in heaven, so enjoy your spouse now. Beyond that, if you and your spouse are both Christians, then he or she is your brother or sister in Christ. The commands for how we treat fellow Christ-followers still apply. Thus, we ought to treat our brother/sister/spouses better than anyone else.

4. Your spouse is your most important human relationship. We’re supposed to love our spouses even over our own kids. When it’s all said and done, all we have left is each other.

5. God is your most important relationship. You’re ability to love and be loved by others depends greatly on your ability to love and be loved by God. Put him first, and every other relationship will fall into place.

To watch or listen to the full message, click here.

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word,  and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.

Ephesians 5:25-27

If you know me, you know that I believe in prayer. I’ve written about it and speak on it frequently. I have found prayer to be a great way to soften my own heart and to invite God’s daily transformational work in my life.

Here are five things I pray for myself on a daily basis. There are many other things I pray for myself as well, but I always seem to come back to these five.

1. God, help me to love your Word. Psalm 119 is my favorite Psalm. It’s all about God’s Word and how much King David loved it. I pray many of the verses in that psalm for me. I also pray it for my wife, my kids and all of the leaders I serve with. I want to, when left to myself, have my mind drift to God’s Words. I want to read it, memorize it and yield to it.

2. God, help me to love to pray. This may surprise you, but prayer has never been easy for me. Where I can sit and read the Bible for hours, prayer for me is hard work. So I pray about my prayer life. I pray that I would love to pray and that it would be joyful for me. I often use Isaiah 56:6-7 here–that God would bring me to his holy mountain and make me joyful in his house of prayer.

3. God, help me to hate sin. I’m way too tolerant of my sin. I can, when improperly motivated, explain away just about any bad behavior on my part. And any time you and I start taking our own sin too lightly, we’re on the slippery slope to self-destruction. So pray for a heart of hate when it comes to my sin. It’s the stuff that put Jesus on the Cross, and I shouldn’t wink at it. I pray that it will sicken me.

4. God, make me generous. I’ve always been a giver. I love to give and have always tried to be generous with my time and resources. And, I’ve always (like since I was 5-6 years old and all I had was an allowance) given at least 10% of my income to my home church. But, I still have roots of stinginess, discontentment and greed in my heart. I’m still way too quick to hold “my stuff” too tightly. So, I pray for a generous heart. I pray that I will continually seek ways to keep less and give more. It’s what God did with Jesus, and he expects me to do the same.

5. God, help me to know you better. This one is right out of Eph 1:17. You never arrive spiritually. You never get to where you fully know and understand God (at least this side of heaven). There is always room to grow, room to learn more of God and love him more. So I ask God to do Eph 1:17 in me: I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. That’s a really great pinpoint prayer, and one that I pray for me and many others every day. Lord, give me a spirit of wisdom and revelation so I can know you better!

I hope this helps. How about sharing some of your favorite prayers?