Perspective

Welcome to another Monday. I pray that this week you experience all that God has in store for you to the absolute fullest. It is Monday and if you are in South Florida it is a drizzly, gray day so far. It makes it tough to get going and makes all the little items that get in our way even more frustrating.

I came into the office today with a strategy to get a ton accomplished. Most of it had to do with getting the podcast from the last few weeks updated and making sure things were fresh on my blog. Of course the internet was not working when I came into the office. Now that it is up and running again I am out of time to accomplish what I had planned for today. I have afternoon appointments out of the office and tomorrow is full and Wednesday is a day spent studying, and….well you get the picture.

I had plans. I had goals. I had a list. And nothing that I have done so far today was on that list. But that is the way life is sometimes. I won’t try to over spiritualize my morning, but I will tell you one thing I have learned today: there is nothing I can do to change it. I couldn’t fix all that needed to be fixed and I can’t slow down the clock so my appointments are pushed back today. The last three hours are gone and I can’t go back and make them reappear.

I also found out a huge fact that puts it all into perspective: six billion people on the face of the earth are totally unaffected by my “trials” this morning. In the grand scheme of things they are mere blips. Instead of checking things off my “to do” list I spent time studying for next Sunday’s message, praying for people God brought to my mind and reflecting on how God has been moving in my life the last few weeks.

Maybe this morning wasn’t a waste after all.

Yours for his Purpose,
John

Thoughts for Sunday Afternoon

Today has been an amazing day. The last twenty-four hours have been strange, wonderful, joyous, wearisome and powerful. Here are a few things that God is doing in me right now.

• Emily got home from Costa Rica early this morning. We got home about 1:30 a.m.
• When your teenage daughter goes on a mission trip, she comes home changed.
• She is not my little girl anymore. She is an amazing young woman of God.
• Using videos to worship was powerful today.
• “In Christ Alone” may be the most powerful four minute music video.
• I had chills on my arm as we worshipped.
• Seeing people come forward to publicly declare their faith in Christ never gets old. I pray we never get tired of seeing that happen.
• My kids crack me up. As we sat over lunch I realized how unique and wonderful they all are in their special way.
• I love the Masters. It is without doubt my favorite tournament.
• I am not moving from in front of my TV until this bad boy is over.

Easter Monday

It is the Monday after Easter. For most people it is simply another Monday. They go to work, they enjoy a beach day with the kids who are off from school for spring break and they simply go about their lives. For pastors and other ministry types, it is a day of trying to get through the fog. It is a day of reflecting, thinking, planning and coffee!!!

Easter Sunday is the Super Bowl for pastors. It is the one day when people who we won’t see again until Christmas or next Easter are in the service. It is a day of a thousand extra details. It is the day where everything that doesn’t go according to plan sets us off. I am not sure any of this as externally fueled. I don’t think anyone else has such high expectations of us, but I know my standards are pretty high on Easter Sunday.

So, today I am sitting in my office in a fog. I am exhausted. It is not the physical act of getting everything done, but the emotional and spiritual battle that has been waged in my mind and heart for the last few weeks. Easter is always looming out there. We know it is coming and we love it, but the level of anxiety we feel every Sunday is ramped up all the way to 11!!

Yesterday was amazing at LifeQuest. People who had never been here before were here. People who have been only marginally engaged were involved and committed. And people who have been the backbone of this ministry for years took their ministry to a whole notha’ level!! And now it’s Monday.

In six days we will all gather together again to celebrate Christ. We will all worship and reflect on the fact that the God of the universe loved us so much he stepped out of heaven and walked the earth. There will not be the sense of expectation. There will not be the sense of excitement. There will not be a special breakfast or an Easter egg hunt. But the truth of the day will be the same: Jesus is ALIVE!!!

So, on this Monday after Easter I will enjoy the fact that the one that was dead is alive and that I, the one who should be dead, is alive in Him.

Thoughts on a Sunday Afternoon

I am so amazed that God shows up in the ways that he does. I am reminded often that God’s love and mercy in my life have not been earned, but are a result of his active love for me. This afternoon as I am reflecting on the worship celebration at LifeQuest today, I had some thoughts I wanted to share with you.

• Today, five people volunteered for ministry today for the very first time. That is awesome!!!
• The way God is moving in people’s lives is powerful. People who are sharing their stories with me are finding the grace of God in ways they have never experienced.
• It never gets old to see people respond to God’s Word.
• Every conversation I had today had a common theme: community. People are either loving the community they have with other people at LifeQuest or they are longing to find community.
• If you are not in a Life Group study of some kind, get in one!!!
• God is doing some awesome stuff at LifeQuest.
• Some people told me they changed their vacation plans to be at LifeQuest on Easter Sunday!!!
• I can’t wait for Easter Sunday!!!
• Don’t miss next Sunday!!! This is going to be a worship experience you will never forget!!!!
• I have a Sunday nap hangover!! Chat at you tomorrow!!!

The Basics

In 1954, American psychologist Abraham Maslow cemented the concept of the “hierarchy of human needs.” It has become the basis for psychological study and therapy since its inception. While I do not agree with many of Maslow’s beliefs or assumptions, especially his humanistic worldview, I do see incredible value in his understanding of human needs. Picture each step as a building block toward the next need:
Physiological (basic human needs), Security (basic safety), Love and belonging (relationships),Esteem (confidence), Self (who you really are).


I have noticed something rather striking about this hierarchy and I am seeing it played out in the lives of people I interact with daily. At the very center of the diagram, just above our basic human physiological and security needs, is the need for loving and belonging. It struck me this morning as I was thinking about this that the very basic, intimate need for love and connection holds all of our other needs in place. It is, in essence, the linchpin of how God created us.

I meet people who are continually looking for love and belonging. They seek it out in destructive ways many times. They move from one toxic relationship to another and they look for physiological and safety needs to be met through friendship, intimacy and support. While this has been breakthrough concepts in psychological circles, it is certainly nothing new.

Two thousand years ago, Jesus told a young man that the greatest of all the laws was to love God and to love your neighbor as yourself. Love and belonging with our creator and love and belonging with our fellow man. Maslow didn’t solidify a humanistic concept, he repeated a biblical teaching.

The more I connect with people, the more I hear that people are looking for connection. They want true, rich relationships. They desire meaning and purpose beyond their own pleasures. They are not satisfied with the basics. They want the depth.

It is scary to reach toward those levels. But God created us to be a part of a loving community. He created us with a basic need and with a desire toward depth. We many times are too busy satisfying our basic desires we never move toward the point of intimacy with God or one another.

This week, how can you move toward intimacy? How can you promote loving God and loving others in your world? How can you help meet the most basic of needs for yourself and for those around you?

"A Century Turns" by William Bennett

“A Century Turns: New Hopes, New Fears” is a wonderful piece of American history painted within the frame of someone who was in the room as events, discussions, policy fights and diplomatic decisions were made in the last decade of the twentieth century. William Bennett not only discusses the policy issues and societal shifts of the day, but he relays behind the scene commentary in such a way that the reader is drawn into the moment.

Bennett uses great skill in crafting the story of history with the personalities and the culture of the United States in the 1990’s and the first decade of the twenty-first century. Events that shaped policy at the time are now viewed with the consequences, both positive and negative, in view. Decisions to support foreign leaders at one point in our history have at another point led to tragedy and terror. William Bennett portrays the rationale behind certain policies and explains the fights that took place as members of different parties, factions, and cultures dug in their heels.

“A Century Turns” is a must read for the generation that lived this history. Over the course of twenty years the culture, language, technology, allies and foes of the United States have ebbed and flowed as the rivers of history moved forward. Bennett captures the context behind the content. For any lover of history or culture, “A Century Turns” is a thrilling and captivating experience.

It's Time!!!

This was a monumental weekend in our house. Maybe not monumental, but it was pretty exciting. Barriers were broken, challenges were overcome, fear was conquered, and a new challenge looms on the horizon. Kimberly was finally able to master the art of riding her bike this weekend!!!

We have tried for several years to convince her that training wheels were no longer needed. No luck! The first imbalance, the first wobble, the first spill and the battle was lost. For whatever reason, the bike was a battle she was not interested in fighting, much less winning. But this weekend, Kimberly won.

She fell a few times. Getting started by herself is still difficult. Turns can become a nightmare when you are not really sure how fast to go. But, Kimberly can ride her bike. Now she has proudly proclaimed, “Now that I can ride my bike I can get a bigger one.” Yes she can (sigh).

There was one moment where I thought we were lost this weekend. I was helping her around the block and she was getting tired, and I was getting frustrated. I told her she could do it if she just tried. She climbed on her bike and looked at me and said, “I’ll show you!!” And she rode her bike.

When Alana asked her why she decided she wanted to learn to ride her bike she simply said, “I am old enough to know how to ride a bike.” It was that simple. She just felt like it was time to grow up. Another hurdle on life’s road has been cleared and so many more stand in the way.

The lesson for me in all of this is that sometimes, it is simply time to grow up. We often try to remain in a state of childhood where we struggle, pout and give up. Sometimes, it is simply time to do life as an adult.

What hurdle do you need to conquer? What is the obstacle in your life that needs to be cleared? In what area do you need to grow up? My list is long, but my resolve is set. I’ll show you!!