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Archive for the ‘Formation’ Category

Cleaning Out Left-Overs

Posted in Formation on October 2, 2009| 1 Comment »

Earlier this week Kristi decided it was time to go through the refrigerator and do a little inventory and clean out.  I am not sure how it is in your house, but left-overs don’t normally fair too well here.  Our boys won’t usually eat them.  The good thing is that now that the boys are older, we rarely have much left to put in the refrigerator after a meal.  But what does go in is destined to be there a while (depending on how far back it gets pushed on the shelf).

Our normal rule of thumb is if we can’t remember when we had the meal, then the left-overs probably shouldn’t be eaten.  But occasionally there are things in there that we can’t even identify, much less remember when we had.  So Kristi went through it and cleaned it out.  And now, we are all set to start the process again.

How often do you do a personal inventory?  How is your spiritual life?  Are there things crammed into your life that really don’t do anything but take up time and space?  Maybe its time to go through your heart and do a little cleaning.  From time to time I have to do this to make room for God.  I fill my life with mostly good things but sometimes I don’t leave room for the best.

Spend some time this weekend reflecting on what is stale in your spiritual walk and then resolve to do something about it.

By the way, does hot mustard go bad?  I’m thinking after 8 years it may not be good.

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A Code That Opposes

Posted in Church, Formation, Grace, Hope on October 1, 2009| Leave a Comment »

I have been reading out of Colossians this week while practicing lectio divina (a fancy term for meditative prayer and reading).  Chapter 2 of that book deals with getting at the heart of what it means to follow Jesus – and also points out in the process, what doesn’t lead us to Jesus.

Verses 13 – 15 of chapter 2 talk about the fact that when God saves us, we are freed from the rules that man has put in place (you can read it here).  Verse 14 gives us a very vivid picture of what God thinks of the rules man has set in place to make our way to God.  It says that God canceled those regulations and took that code “that opposed us” and nailed it to the cross along with Jesus.  In other words, all the things man had put into place that were necessary to follow God, to draw near to God – all those things were destroyed.  I don’t know about you but that is a liberating thought for me.

It got me to thinking – what code have we put into place in modern day religion that opposes people?  Or put another way, what hurdles have we placed in our religious systems that make it difficult for people to come to God?

Do we expect people to act a certain way to come into our churches?  Do we expect people to talk a certain way to come into our churches?  Do we expect people to dress a certain way to come into our churches?  Do we expect people to like what we like to come into our churches?

Reading this passage reminds me that the rules we throw up that make it harder for people to come to Jesus are not of God.

How do you make it hard for people to follow Jesus?

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Keep Walking

Posted in Formation, Hope, Motivational on September 29, 2009| Leave a Comment »

A few years ago, our family was planning a trip to New Mexico for a little time away.  I was actually attending some training at a Christian camp and my family was tagging along.  The boys were very young, their ages would have been 6, 4 and 2.  I had built up the trip to the boys – there was going to be lots of fun things to do.  My big push was telling them we would go hiking.

I grew up hiking and climbing and experiencing all the adventure of exploration that comes with it.  So the day came that we were going to climb one of the mountains near the camp – we were finally going hiking.  The boys were excited to start this new adventure.

About 10 minutes into the hike, one of the boys asked, “When are we going to start hiking?”  I thought this was a funny question and quickly replied, “That is what we are doing.”  His reply back to me was very insightful: “This is just walking!”

Oh the wisdom that sometimes comes from a child!  We were just walking.  The hype of hiking and exploring had been reduced to just “walking.”  Needless to say, we did not make it to the top of that mountain that day.  Interest quickly began to fade.  The journey the boys were expecting was not at all what they were experiencing – so they just wanted to turn around and go home.

I was reading Colossians 2:6 today and it reminded me of this little hiking experience.  Paul told the church at Colosse that just as they had received Christ (the instruction and understanding of Jesus) so now they should walk in Him – “you have been taught what it means to follow Jesus – now live it.”

Sometimes the journey we find ourselves on is not at all what we expected – just walk.

Sometimes things come our we that we didn’t expect – just walk.

Sometimes we don’t feel like going on – just walk.

Jesus promises to always be with us no matter what life brings our way – we simply must trust in Him and keep walking!

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Doing the Impossible

Posted in Formation, Hope, Motivational on September 28, 2009| Leave a Comment »

This Sunday night I will be preaching on “Doing Impossible Things.”  In thinking about the sermon, I am reminded of a story from Matthew, you can read it here.

At the end of a long day, the disciples were in a boat headed across the lake (Sea of Galilee).  It was after dark when Peter spotted a figure walking on the water a few yards away.  I can’t imagine why they were shocked – I am sure I would have been more mature (yeah right!).

Once the disciples figured out it was Jesus, Peter, being the bold one called out, “If it is you Jesus, call for me to come out there and join you.”  Jesus said, “Come on in, the water is fine” (or something to that effect).  Peter stepped out of the boat and on to the water.  He was doing fine until he took his eyes off of Jesus.  At that point, he began to sink.

Jesus has a knack for calling us out of our comfort zone and into something unknown – something impossible.  I heard a new song today on the radio. I did not catch the title, but a line in the song hit home, “Impossible is not a word, it is just a reason not to try.”

What impossible thing is Jesus asking you to do today?  Keep your focus on Jesus and trust enough today to get out of the boat.

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The Reason for These Ramblings

Posted in Community, Formation, Motivational on September 23, 2009| 5 Comments »

Today marks 100 posts to this blog.  In all honesty, when I started this back in April, I did not know where or even if it would go.  I just knew that I needed to be involved in this avenue of connecting with people.  So I began with honesty and transparency and have tried to stay true to that format.

The website is “Clay In The Hands.”  I chose that title because it describes all of us.  If you are a follower of the Jesus way, then you realize that all of us are in the process of being shaped and molded into the person God wants us to become just as clay is shaped by a sculptor.  If you are a skeptic of the Jesus way of life, then I hope you realize that you too are being shaped and molded as well – that is a reality of life.  The issue really is not whether or not we are being shaped and molded, but rather, who and what do we allow to mold us?

My prayer in all of this is that we all grow together, being molded into the likeness of Jesus.

This blog has served as a sort of journal of my progression or journey on this Jesus way.  My intention has been, and continues to be, to share with all who will stop by and read, what God is teaching me along this journey in hopes that God will use my musings and ramblings to inspire, encourage or touch someone else.  My prayer is that through this simple connection point, a new layer of community can be formed – a community of Jesus followers on the same path, all being molded similarly.

My commitment to you is that I will continue to share my thoughts, my struggles, my joys and the simple revelations God bestows on me.  My challenge to you is to join in the dialogue.  If you have never left a comment, that is ok – don’t feel pressure to do so.  But the sharing of life together is how relationships – true community – are formed so I encourage you to join in.  Share your thoughts and we all grow.

May God’s unfathomable grace fall on you today in a way unlike anything you have ever experienced.

Thanks for reading – I look forward to the growth we will all share in the next 100 posts!

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A Path That Leads to God

Posted in Formation, Hope on September 21, 2009| 4 Comments »

When I was in high school I “surrendered to ministry.”  Now for those of you who are not from the Baptist tradition, that means that I dedicated my life to a career of full-time occupational service to God.  I did not know what that would look like then but I knew that I wanted to follow God’s leadership in my life.  I began to talk to people about discerning “God’s will for my life.”  That became a mystical and very illusive goal for me.  Over the years, that “will” has taken several different forms.  God has used experiences and periods in my life to grow me and prepare me for the next stage.  The key, I have learned, is staying engaged through it all.  It is easy to see our current state as a preparation for the next, (i.e.  I am in college now but when I get out, I am really going to serve God then).  We have to be about serving God in every stage of life.

I am beginning to see that maybe I should be less concerned about discerning God’s will for my life and more concerned about making sure I am on the path that leads to God.  Perhaps the Jesus way is more about a journey or process than an accomplishment.  As long as I am seeking daily to do what I know to do to follow God, then maybe, just maybe, the rest will take care of itself.

Are you on that path?  My prayer for us today is this:

Father, give us a faith that is so much more than a subscription to a belief system or religious tradition – give us a living and breathing faith lived out every day – a path that leads to You.

Amen

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God Can’t Be Contained in the Temple

Posted in Formation, Hope, Missions, Motivational on September 18, 2009| Leave a Comment »

I was listening to a sermon by Rob Bell the other day and he got me to thinking.  When Jesus gave up and breathed his last, Matthew 27:50-51 says the curtain in the temple was ripped from top to bottom – why not bottom to top?  To prove it was God breaking into our reality.

For generations, the mentality of the people had been that the Temple was the center of their spiritual world.  It was the home of God – so much so that only one person could enter in to that place and only once per year.  Even then, the priest would have a rope tied to his ankle in the case that their sacrifice was not pleasing and God decided to strike the priest dead – they could then pull out the body.

When Jesus came, he broke into humanity – came and lived among us – experienced life just as we do.

When Jesus died, the curtain separating “God” from the world was torn from top to bottom.

What did this mean?  For starters, it meant that no longer was coming into God’s presence limited to one person a year.  No longer would man be hindered from coming to God.  No longer would man be kept out of God’s presence.

But here is another aspect to this event.  Not only was man no longer kept out of God’s presence, God was no longer kept in that place.  No longer should the temple be seen as the sacred dwelling place of God.

We know that the building is not the church, the people are the church.  We state that there is nothing particularly holy about the church building.  But do we understand that God is all around us?  Do we gather on Sundays in order to find God?  Do we expect to come into God’s presence?

Or is the point of gathering to listen and learn how to find God everywhere else?

This change in focus has the power to change everything!  God is not limited to a building.

Our lives should not be compartmentalized – we should not have our church life, our work life, our play life – etc.  Jesus should be in all parts of our lives.

Do you see Christ in everything?  Do you look for him in everyone?  Remember, Jesus said, “In as much as you have done it to the least of these, you have done it to me.”

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Jesus the High Priest

Posted in Church, Formation on September 17, 2009| Leave a Comment »

We have been working through the book of Hebrews on Wednesday nights for Bible study.  Last night we wrapped up chapter two of that book and in the closing verses we see that Jesus came to earth, lived among us – experiencing all the things we experience – and died a physical death.  By doing this he was able to completely relate to us in every way.

The reason that was important was that Jesus had to become our mediator – our high priest.  Up to that point, the religious system called for sacrifices to God.  People would bring things of value and give them sacrificially to God as a way of showing their remorse for things they had done or to show their gratitude for the blessings God had given.  But every ritual had to be performed by a priest.  To the point that once per year the high priest would go in to the holiest of all places in the temple (the area known as the Holy of Holies where the people believed God actually resided).  The weight of all the sins of the nation were carried by that one man as he entered that place to offer a sacrifice.

But when Jesus came, he did away with the need for all of that.  Hebrews 2:14-18 tells us that Jesus became our high priest.  No longer do we need someone else to offer up praise and offerings and repentance.  We now can go directly to God on our own.  That is huge for a number of reasons.  But the one I want you to think about today is this:  Not only are we free to go to God on our own, but now the responsibility for our relationship with God is solely on our own shoulders.  Before, there was no thought of a personal relationship with God, the people related to God through a priest.  But now we can have a relationship with God and we have no one else to blame if we don’t.

So think about this today, are you taking responsibility today for your relationship with God or are you looking for a priest or a minister to serve as a buffer between you and God to give you the answers.  The responsibility lies with you.

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Lessons From a Flying Squirrel

Posted in Community, Formation, Grace, Hope, Motivational on September 16, 2009| 1 Comment »

I had the unique experience of participating for the last two and a half days with a great group of people in a leadership retreat.  Leadership Levelland began this past weekend.  We were bused to a Christian camp a couple of hours north of here where we had sessions on leadership, personality studies and various activities.  On Monday, we spent all day on the challenge course – all 26 of us.  We did all kinds of different things there but one of my favorite was called the Flying Squirrel.

In this element we had 12 people.  One person was hooked to one end of a long rope that extended up to a pulley 30 feet off the ground and then down to the other 11 who were hooked to the rope as well.  There were simple instructions:  “The squirrel (ie. me in this case) runs in one direction, and the team runs in the other direction.  When all the slack is taken out of the rope, the squirrel will be immediately carried 20 feet in the air.”

I was excited.  This was going to be a rush.  The facilitator counted off and on 3, I ran one way and the team ran the other.  I took off as fast as I could – the part I failed to remember is that I don’t run much.  I was trying so hard to make this work that I lost my balance and fell flat on my face, Superman style, in the dirt about 10 from where I started.  (Yes, in my mind I had envisioned this very differently).  Just as I was doing the chest crawl to try and get back up, the team hit the end of the slack in the rope and I shot 20 feet in the air.  It was still a rush!  The others watching said all they could see was me go down into the dirt, a big cloud of dust and then me shoot up out of the cloud – I am sure it was quite a sight.

Here are two of the things I took away from the flying squirrel experience.  One is that sometimes when we are trying new things and working our plan as best we can we still fall.  It doesn’t mean that we are a failure, it just means that we failed in that one thing – we have to get up and keep trying.

But the most important aspect to this experience was the reminder that when you have a team working for the same goal, they are there to pick you up.  We are all in this together.

So where are you today?  Have you fallen?  Get up, dust off and keep going.

Or, are you the person who should be helping someone else up after they have fallen?

As Christians, we are all on the same team, striving toward the same goal.  Reach down and pick someone up today.

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A Passionate Glow

Posted in Formation, Grace, Motivational on September 15, 2009| 1 Comment »

The other night I was sitting in front of the fire in the chimnea on the back deck.  The fire was dancing around inside the little fire box, casting interesting shadows on the wall and trees around me.  It was late and there was nothing going on so it was quiet and peaceful.  I had thrown a couple of pine cones into the fire and I began to watch them burn.

Have you ever watched a pine cone burn.  Once it begins to burn, the flame seems to come from within the core and come out through the leaves.  As it continues, the leaves begin to glow in an almost liquid heat.  It’s a beautiful sight.

As I sat there watching, I could not help but notice the similarity between the burning pine cone and our spiritual lives.  When the passion for Jesus begins to burn inside us, the glow should be evident on the outside.  Our lives should become a glowing light for those around us.

Is the passion for Jesus burning inside you or has it died down to a smolder?  What do you need to do today to allow Jesus to rekindle that passion?

I would love to hear your thoughts.

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