GOSPEL :: FAMILY :: MISSION
One of the most painful stories I’ve personally experienced is the story of a young middle school girl who came back to a campus youth club that I lead after Christmas break and pulled our leaders aside and told us that her stepdad had raped her over the Christmas break and after doing so told her Merry Christmas.
I don’t have a catchy story to introduce this message today. I have only one question. “Is the power of God enough for you?” I know our knee-jerk reaction is to give the Sunday school answer of the expected answer of yes. But really… it’s not a question of “Is God powerful enough?” It’s a question of… “Have you found that sweet spot where the power of God is enough for you?”
Are you a person who loves money or do you love God with your money? It might be easy to write this off but please ask yourself these questions: How do I know if I’m a person who loves money? What is my mental picture of someone who loves money? What behaviors do I think would characterize a person’s life that loves money?
I am deathly afraid of snakes. Go ahead and laugh. You’re deathly afraid of something too. My fear of snakes is probably funny for any observer though because that fear causes me to react in some really funny ways.
THE VOICE — “Live Semis” Episode 917A — Pictured: (l-r) Adam Levine, Jordan Smith — (Photo by: Tyler Golden/NBC)
How do you follow an amazing mic drop? Like, what do you do when someone drops a truth bomb in a clear and compelling way that both challenges and encourages you? Or what do you do when someone tells you the greatest news you’ve ever heard?
I want to continue growing in maturity as a leader. I want to live and lead from a place of true joy rather than chasing the fleeting illusion of momentary happiness. I want to operate from an authentic place of living in the presence of my Heavenly Father. I want to love the Lord with my entire being. I want to love the present version of the people I lead more than the future vision I have for them.
My mode of operating affects the direction I lead others in. When I’m stuck in survival mode I lead others into bunkers where we exist only to defend ourselves from everything that’s being thrown at us. When I’m stuck in a “charge the hill at all costs” mode I lead others into a dream state where we exist only in the future possibility of what could be on the other side of this mountain.
I learned at a young age to judge the emotional temperature of a person by the look on their face. If my mom’s face looked sad I braced myself for an emotional outburst. If my mom’s boyfriend looked angry I looked for an escape route. If my mom was smiling as she sang along with Stevie Ray Vaughn then I knew it was safe.
There isn’t much that’s guaranteed in this life. We’re not guaranteed health, wealth or prosperity this side of Heaven. In the blink of an eye our health can fail. In a split second, someone we dearly love can become deathly ill. There’s no guarantee that the paycheck we’re working for today will be there tomorrow. We’re not guaranteed to succeed in marriage, vocation or education.
My thoughts were provoked this morning. After a discussion with a friend over breakfast, my thoughts were captivated by this question: “What barriers exist between me and my Heavenly Father that are actually bridges of invitation to relationship with him?”
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