Life Is Like A Box Of Chocolates…

Lately my life has been a box of chocolates… every bite I take, I’m continually surprised and honestly didn’t know what I’m going to get!

The irony is, I hate life this way! Who likes total surprises and who likes to have all of your plans and schemes flipped upside down by life? I don’t know anyone who actually likes this kind of life… but I’m starting to realize that a proper outlook can save a lot of headaches!

For about 2 years now, I have been in an unsettled state… work has been chaotic at best, ministry has been up and down and all the way around, and I started a Masters program in the midst of the busiest season of my life! Life has been off the charts for a while and recently it got even scarier!

My family has always been a safe place for me, a refuge to remind me why I do what I do… and a healthy reminder of the gifts God has given me; not to mention my constant need for Him to intervene in my life! But that’s just it… I seem to have forgotten the gifts of God! Slowly but surely I have been doing a lot of this “on my own”. God has been around, and He has certainly been there; not because of me and my desire for it, but because his character insists on it! I’ve been lucky to get this far without unraveling and I now realize the damage I have done with my life on “my terms”!!!

A Prostitutes Birthday Party…

Love this story from Tony Campolo! I read about this in his book The Kingdom of God Is A Party: God’s Radical Plan For His Family…

One of the most intriguing stories I have heard in a long time!

Watch the video and then comment on the questions below…

What kind of church do you go to?

What kind of church do you want to go to?

Manna from…. Panera Bread?

Have you seen this yet… Panera Bread has a non-profit arm that has moved into a St. Louis neighborhood offering “pay what you want/can afford” pricing. The menu is the same… except there is NO Price next to the items and you put your money into a donation jar/bucket. If you have the money the assumption is you will pay what the meal is worth or more, and if you are low on cash you can come and get you meal totally free… they plan on this becoming a trend in all major cities where Panera bread is currently operating!

See USA today news article here

http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/food/2010-05-18-panerabread18_ST_N.htm

So what do you think? Is this is the gospel in action? Is Panera Bread running their business with a WWJD model? Regardless, I love Panera Bread the product already… after hearing about this story, I love Panera Bread the Philosophy! I certainly plan on continuing my patronage, and increasing my advertisement of the best bread company in town!

Peace…

The Goal… To Know What Jesus Says… or To Do What He Says?

I have read through the book Crazy Love 3 times now… most recently with our group at The Journey, and boy has it impacted me in a big way. Philosophically I have seen a shift, but the practical side of the message has been slow coming. It’s there, but not like I desire… The book describes the greatness of God and His insane love for His creation in a way that makes you evaluate who you are as a follower of Jesus, and if that commitment to follow has impacted all areas of your life. The most powerful chapter in the book is “Profile of The Lukewarm”, and it’s power is quite simply prophetic, because you see yourself in some aspect of that chapter and realize that you are indeed the dreaded “lukewarm believer”. And the call of Crazy Love is to not only recognize yourself in the chapters, but to see God radically change us by His love because as Francis says, “when your wildly in love with someone, it changes everything.” God has changed me in many ways and the world would say that I’m a good Christian guy… but the challenge in the book is that Jesus calls us to more than that… He calls us to a life that is as radical as His Love is for us… that love is more than the behavioral change and moralistic faith we hear so much about in Churches… Check out this clip from a talk he gives and comment to your hearts desire!

You Can always count on Francis Chan to “tell it like it is”. I’ve been listening to him for a few years now and its moments like this that make me love him all the more. Not because he says exactly whats in my heart… but because he says exactly what SHOULD be in my heart. He says the things I want to say, and he talks about a way of life I long for.

So is Francis Chan right… have we turned following Jesus into something that is just “in your hearts”. Have we made a third road, a middle road that speaks to our comfort and not the words of Jesus!

I hope you found this as thought provoking and challenging as I have! Grace and Peace as you wrestle with what following Jesus is supposed to look like, rather than what it sounds like!

Never Forget Where You Came From!

“Never forget where you came from”. We have all heard this expression… It’s usually attached to someone who came from an upbringing less than desirable, and then make it big on a sports field/court, the Hollywood big screen, the big stage, or find success as an entrepreneur. They came from simple means, had a huge dream and found success; money is now a non-issue, so they vow to pour their lives and money back into their communities with a desire to help those less fortunate. Maybe their story will propel others to see a way out! I love these stories, and I wish it was my story, but…

As a Christ follower, I forget where I came from all the time, and this is not a phenomenon that is unique to me. Why do I find it so hard to remember my story, to remember who I was before Christ changed me… it’s not a pretty sight, nor fun to think about who I was… but when I forget who I was before Christ, I tend to forget that others are “before Christ” as well, and they deserve the same grace and mercy I was given. God help me remember your grace and mercy so I can extend those same gifts to others!

When we forget our story, we become just like the Israelites. You know, that group of people God delivered from the chains of slavery in Egypt by Splitting The Red Sea (See Image At Top Of Post). I have often wondered, how did they forget THAT? Then I remember my own absent-minded faith… God was good when they needed him, but when they got used to His goodness, they forgot their story! They forgot the God of heaven and worshipped according to their own likes and dislikes, lived their lives their way and put God on the back burned. Sounds all too familiar… As the prophets warned, they ended up in a place far from home, and far from God! He never left them, but they refused to hear his heart through the prophets, and they went into another form of exile and slavery… it was Egypt all over again! They forgot their story, they forgot where they came from! Forgetting your story is the same as going into Exile!

Are you in your own Exile from God? Have you forgotten who you were before Jesus changed it all for you? Have you put YOUR story and YOUR life in the place of God’s story. and God’s life for you? Are His plans on hold so that you can move forward with yours? I forget all the time, and lose my way… but I want to remember.

My prayer is this post finds you remembering, or helps you dig up those old memories we thought were best forgotten, so we can be the Light Jesus calls us to be. When you remember, you will find loving God and loving Others “The Jesus Creed” is easier than when you are in an exile of forgetfulness!

Grace and Peace