spiritual stuff

One of my most memorable Christmas gifts was somewhere around 1987.  I came down the hall Christmas morning and saw something like a big box under a caramel brown blanket.  I think my mom might have taken the blanket off to reveal my first big stereo.  You young ‘uns won’t remember these but this one was 2 or 3 feet tall.  It had two tape decks, a radio and a record player on top.  AND it had a section on the bottom that had a cassette tape rack down the middle and space on either side for your records.  Pretty sure that’s the stereo that blasted Tiffany, Debbie Gibson and even New Kids on the Block.  It was a good Christmas.

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Emma asked for an American Girl Doll for her birthday this year and the now budget mindful side of me screamed that I shouldn’t get such an expensive doll for her.  But then I remembered she’s turning 8 and I don’t know what it is about a little girl turning 8 but it’s special.  I think it’s about the same age I was when I got my stereo. I just knew I wanted this one to be memorable.  I can’t wait to see her eyes when she sees just the one she’s hoped for sitting in front of her.

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Yesterday when we got home a box was sitting on our front porch. There were several things I was expecting but had nearly forgotten the doll I ordered over a week ago.  As my hands were full of stuff coming into the house I asked Emma to bend down to see who it was from.  “American Girl” she said knowingly.  I brushed it off but a little part of me had hoped she’d be completely surprised.  She brought the box in and set it by the front door.  Every few minutes she’d pretend like she was going to carry it off or asked to open.  I would sternly say, “No, it’s for your birthday!”  I knew I wanted to salvage any surprise that was left so she could enjoy and remember that moment at her party.  She stamped her feet a few times still and said, “I want it now!”  We continued in our rounds of “Now”-“Wait” until she finally let it go.

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Yesterday I was reading Beth Moore’s blog and she asked her readers of something God had challenged them to do but had seen joy on the other side.  I skimmed through the answers and one answer I read I couldn’t get out of my head since reading.  She said she had been challenged in her promiscuity.  She had taken the mindset that it wasn’t a big deal but eventually realized it was and felt used.  After changing her ways she said she realized that God was not keeping sex FROM her but FOR her.

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I think that happens with a lot of things don’t you?  You want something so bad.  You get a glimpse of something and you start stomping your feet and saying “I want it now!”  But just like I know what it will feel like for Emma if she just waits on a special moment to open her doll, God knows of a moment that this thing you are desiring will be worth the wait.  It will be special.  It will be unforgettable.  It will be worth talking about for years to come.  If there is something you are desiring so strongly but God is holding it back may I suggest that he’s not holding it FROM you but FOR you?  He just might have the package sitting on the porch delivered and waiting on pins and needles to give it to you at just the right time.  Wait on Him.  It’s FOR you.

Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD. Psalm 27:14

Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4

Overwhelmed.  That’s the only word I can come up with 3 days after Catalyst.  I’m not exaggerating when I say I came back a different person.  I’m thinking about things differently.  I want different things.  I don’t know, a little of my spiritual DNA changed a little last week.

And then life happened.

Saturday morning I did a charity walk.  Saturday afternoon we went to the Renaissance Festival.  Sunday was church.  Today was work.

None of this was bad stuff.  But I went from two days on a high and wanting to change the world, back to life.  Just life.  And not that my life is bad.  But it just…is life.

And I know I can make a difference with just life but I don’t know.  I’m having a hard time processing it all.  Last night I was exhausted and just went to bed, cried and took a nap.  It was the only thing I could do.  And then I got up and went back through all my notes and made a list a page long of takeaways. 

And somehow, some way I have to make it my life.

Driving into the arena Friday morning I turned to PJ and said, “I really don’t think today could every top yesterday.”  Well, I couldn’t be more wrong.  Friday had some of my favorite speakers.

Tad Agoglia – This CNN Hero presented his organization First Response Team.  They have huge tractor trailers and trucks and respond to all major catastrophes across the country.  This guy basically gave up all his possessions to start this and now Caterpiller and Peterbilt have donated all kinds of equipment and they are normally in before local first responders.

Perry Noble.  I saw Perry when we were at the conference in Lexington, KY.  I knew we were in for a treat.  And that we were.  Perry talked about not giving up on your calling.  He talked about the invitation (to lead) and how we should just “do what the Lord told you to do.”  And if our results are explainable, it’s not of God.  He talked about Elijah and how God provided food from the birds and water from a brook and how the brook dried up.  And many leaders are in a time where their brook has dried up.  They want to quit.  They feel punished.  But Perry says God is not punishing he’s preparing.  He’s teaching him that the source is not the brook but it is God.  We must learn how to depend on Him.  Don’t run from a situation God reigns over.

Gabe Lyons – I wasn’t familiar with him before we came but this was one of my favorites.  Gabe has an interesting angle.  We works with leaders to understand and lead culture through his group Q Ideas.   The stuff he presented was almost like all this stuff I’ve been working through and feeling and trying to understand, he categorized and organized and helped me understand this shift in culture and my role in it.  So historically we’ve had a very church-centered country.  Ideas and decisions were brought forth from the church but now in this post-modern world people are discussing at work and with friends.  It’s happening in schools and communities.  And we can either fight back and try to get church back in the center or we can work with what we have.  There are 3 different viewpoints

1. Separate – The church huddles up and pushes culture out.  It’s the church against the world.
2. Culture – The church looks just like world.   They’re doing good stuff and blending in.
3. Restorers – This new culture understand that there is a difference but instead of fighting back they seek it out to restore people to their place in God’s story.

As a restorer you understand that there is a full picture of God from creation to the fall to redemption and restoration.  So much before it was just fall and redeem.  Get as many people saved as possible and move on.  Or some would stop at creation—God created the world and we should take care of it and are consumed with doing good deeds but are disconnected with the Gospel.  Restorers are not offended by culture but provoked to engage.  They are creating culture with magazines and movies and blogs and school and organizations.  They believe that God has called them to reshape the world.

So many Christians are struggling with meaning and purpose.  They feel disconnected.  We need to understand that people are already on mission where they are.  The pastor needs not to inspire people to work within the church to make a better church but to inspire people to be a missionary where they are now.  So many people are leaving churches because they’re trying to find a church that will teach them how to BE the church. YES.  Yes, yes, yes!!  I’m a restorer!!  I’ve never had a name for it but that’s what I’ve been striving for.  I see the social injustices but I don’t want to do them just within the world.  I want it to be connected to the Gospel.  I think so many people in my generation and younger are SO THIRSTY for this direction from their churches.

Craig Groeschel – Craig talked about the tensions between older and younger generations.  He encouraged the older generation to keep going.  You’re done until you’re dead.  But also not resent the younger generation but pour their wisdom into them.  He encouraged the younger generation to honor the older generation.  While that boils it down to the bottom line, I so enjoyed Craig’s enthusiasm, passion and humor.

TD Jakes – I of course knew of TD Jakes but had never read or watched him in any capacity.  I was just thrilled with his talk.  He was super funny and passionate.  He talked about leading outside your comfort zone.  He talked about getting out of our comfort zones because we can’t change the world “from our corner”.  But in order to change the world, we must learn the languages of many kinds of people.  We have to on the forefront and learning to speak these cultures.  You need to understand what types of people you speak to/draw.  Do the cell phone test and see what kinds of people are there.  If they’re all like you, it’s time to reach out.  God does not allow sameness to procreate.  When differences come together, it brings fruits and blessings.  We all must work together to make a difference.

Andy Stanley – The closing session was directed at church leaders but it could be any organizations.  He talked about tensions that come up over and over in churches – going for a longer service time vs. not having preschool volunteers quit, building a new facility vs. caring for the poor, attracting new believers vs. discipling mature believers.  He suggests that the tension between the two are GOOD.  Not one group should win.  These problems should never be resolved.  But there are times in a church where one will need to be put on hold and the other comes up more.  Use the terminology “we need to manage this tension”.  Be able to say, right now the church needs more music or right now the church needs to concentrate on attracting new believers.  There is a season for everything.

Also amazing on Day 2?

The trampolines

And human canon ball.  Talk about tension!

Oh, also you MUST check out Gungor.  They had the most amazing worship time I experienced there.  And no one was even singing a word.

I found Tim Schraeder has some AWESOME notes from the conference.  And again, check out more of these cool pictures here.

This the last week of the Epic series  Today I took SO many notes.  The sermon surrounded the part of Esther where Haman had gallows built for Haman and then ended up being hung on them once it was revealed  he was behind the plot against the Jews.  The big idea today was:

Your best laid plans apart from God’s purposes will be your downfall.

Haman, wanting to be respected, loved, happy, etc. was all about himself.  Pride is at the center.  Obsession with self can come in two categories :

1 – Superiority – Arrogant, obnoxious, self-confident, don’t see flaws.  This is the default of pride people think of.

2 – Inferiority – You say “don’t look at me, I’m stupid, I’m a failure, too fat, too ugly, no one likes me”  Still the concentration is on self.  “Focus on me”. <- had never really thought about this

When you’re obsessed with your own purposes and building your plans, you’re simply building your own gallows.  Pride always leads to death.  As long as it is about you, you’ll never be happy.

Men are wrapped up in their own pleasure in porn or climbing the corporate ladder.  Women are wrapped up in how awful their husbands are or how beautiful they are.  We are all wrapped up in our own circumstances.  Don’t build your own story, be a part of His.  Find your identity in Christ.

Opposite of pride is humility.  Realize your proud.  You do not need to be more religious, which is the epitome of pride.  Jesus makes you right.  Period.  Focus on Him.  Make His name great.  “My identity is in Jesus.  He’s more than enough.”

Such good stuff.  Praying He keeps me humble.