becoming naturally supernatural

Today is not yesterday,
nor is it tomorrow.

Life has many different chapters for us.

Several hard-to-process chapters in a row do not sum up the whole story,
nor do they signal it’s the end of your book.

I sense it's one of the reasons why the combination of December-into-January is such a unique window of times. A part of us is overwhelmed by the beauty, colorful lights and peace of Christmas... and then suddenly we're into a new year and not quite sure if we even understand the past one.

A new year offers many natural transition points, yet when we live according to them we may end up reacting than responding.

Following Jesus means we're able to live for something deeper and supernatural. The "natural" still has its place, but the"supernatural" is where real purpose offers an embrace.

The Bible is filled with life after life, story after story of situations that seemed a certain way for a season only to then experience a turnaround in the next.

It's all about becoming naturally supernatural.

Be aware of the chapter you're in, realizing that the Author is not yet done writing. His penmanship may be slower than yours, but His creativity and sense of the larger narrative is beyond compare.

In fact, try handing Him the pen you tend to want to take out of His hands.

And He who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also He said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” Rev. 21:5 

dummies

There are people around you.

How do you view them?

I'm reminded of an Acura ad that says, "When you don't think of them as dummies, something amazing happens." 

Is that a philosophy that does or doesn't play out for you as you consider everyone from political candidates to a neighbor who can get on your nerves?

When you don't think of them as dummies, something amazing happens.

I'd like to offer you a simple challenge to you wherever you're at today:

Privately pray for someone you're next to. 

It could be the person sitting, serving, walking, exercising or cleaning nearby. The lady at the counter. The guy talking on his cellphone. A random stranger walking or running by. Someone on social media you can't remember why you're friends with.

Pray for them... for their journey in life and relationship with God.

Pray for their family, health, finances, hurts, victories.

Pray that you would see them not as an "extra" or "scenery" meant to be a spectacle to your life... but as a real human being.

Pray that you wouldn't see them as a dummy, but as the next person to change the world.

Pick someone out and quietly shout onto Heaven on their behalf. Simply talk to God about them.

You don't have to make a spectacle of it.

The challenge is set. Pray for the people you are next to, and watch what God does... in you.

Will you commit to this? If so, would you say "amen" out loud, even now?
Let's be a praying and committed people today.

"Pray continually... Brothers, pray for us." (1 Thessalonians 5:17, 25)

your mind is made up

Let's face it - when it comes to many topics, your mind is "made up."

Today's theme (due to the press of a current Arizona bill sitting before its governor) was again homosexuality. It's such a hot topic that we always seem to circle back to as culturally, when in reality it's not just a conversation we should rapid-fire opinions into from any vantage point. Many people personally wrestle over this, which is something I didn't realize early on but have over the years. It's informed how I listen and speak into this, including noting how easy it is for any of us to claim we're being "open-minded" (from wherever you fall on this) without realizing that we're not as clever as we think.

As an example, I've spoken with people who take the approach, "That's why I won't ever go to church... because of the stereotypes I see in Christians on this topic." Without realizing it, that person has only created yet another stereotype about perceived stereotypes while taking steps toward becoming a stereotype themselves. Where is the fearless conversation, radical hospitality, Divine anticipation and genuine humility we all say should exist "out there" but we won't live out ourselves?

For that reason, I wrote something so I could own (and perhaps give you the same freedom to own) how much we tend to speak about things with our minds already "made up" - and perhaps allow them the chance to become "unmade" (the prerequisite for real transformation).

Here it is: http://youthministry.com/homosexuality-your-mind-is-made-up/

Hope you get something out of this. I wrote this to a specific audience, but I sense if you don't let that stop you it'll be a win.

comparison sucks... literally

Do you allow what others have to keep you from enjoying what you have?

Who would you secretly enjoy seeing fail?

Comparison is a leech. It will literally suck the life out of you.

Start your week off with a connection to something greater.

Try on one of the hardest commandments in the Bible... that will actually lead you to Life:

Count your blessings.

"O my soul, bless God, don’t forget a single blessing!" (Psalm 103:2, The Message)

reacting to life... or responding to Life?

This moment you are in right now is unrepeatable.
It is, though, absolutely memorable.

Will it be human-sized and full of what seems like random pleasure without regard to the Big Picture... or real, God-sized joy that will overflow into every moment of your life that follows?

Keep in mind, It's the difference between reacting to "life" or responding to "Life."

Here are a few words of challenging and encouraging counsel that are not my own, but I absolutely believe in:

"Don't shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ—that's where the action is.

And that means killing off everything connected with that way of death: sexual promiscuity, impurity, lust, doing whatever you feel like whenever you feel like it, and grabbing whatever attracts your fancy. That's a life shaped by things and feelings instead of by God.

Let every detail in your lives—words, actions, whatever—be done in the name of the Master, Jesus, thanking God the Father every step of the way."

(Colossians 3:2,5,17, The Message)

death or life

Both the hummingbird and the vulture fly over our nation's deserts.

Vultures seek rotting meat, because that is what they instinctively look for. They are satisfied with that diet.

Hummingbirds ignore the smelly flesh of dead animals. Instead, they look for the colorful blossoms of desert plants. They thrive on this nutrition.

Vultures live on what was. They live on the past. They fill themselves with what is dead and gone.

Hummingbirds live on what is. They seek new life. They fill themselves with freshness and life.

The real point in all of this is that each bird finds what it is looking for... death or life.

Sound familiar?

See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction. For I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the LORD your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess.

But if your heart turns away and you are not obedient, and if you are drawn away to bow down to other gods and worship them, I declare to you this day that you will certainly be destroyed. You will not live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess.

This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the LORD your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the LORD is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. (Deuteronomy 30:15-20)

bland faith

People often talk about blind faith, but what about bland faith? After all, this is more common in our culture.

It's "Casual Christianity" or "seasonal religion" - God on "my terms, when I feel like it... which isn't that often." It is like almost eating an amazing steak and stopping short half-way between the plate and your mouth... and then wondering why we haven't tasted anything "worthwhile" in Jesus Christ. Or it's putting it on your teeth, but never swirling it around in your mouth - instead, you stay guarded so you can spit it out.

If you won't commit to the meal, is it any wonder why you may be missing out on the flavor?

Bland faith doesn't belong in our lives any more than blind faith does. Open your eyes, and open your mouth. Or as it says in Psalm 34:8 said it most clearly, "Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him."

can you finish either of these stories?

A man on the side of the road has a sign that says he and his family need help. I stop by to talk with him, and ask what his story is - "Perhaps I can bring some food by wherever you're living?" I ask.

"I live in Parma," he says, blowing the smoke from his cigarette in my face.

Parma? That's at least a half hour away toward Cleveland.

"What's your family situation?"

He takes another drag of his cigarette. "A wife and four kids. The police won't let me ask for help there. You can put the food in my car, though. I mean, my friend's car. He loaned it to me and told me I should come down here to ask for help."

---

A single mom is working around the clock to make ends meet, let alone figure out where they begin. She receives no child support, but has chosen to not let that embitter her toward the world.

She knows she needs help, but doesn't want to be a burden to anyone. So she's pouring herself into her job, picking up extra shifts, and trying to walk through this season with seasoning.

This Christmas is going to be tighter than the rest.

Tighter?  Try non-existent when it comes to giving any tangible gifts to her kids.

That is, until...

---

Both of these stories are true, and I know the ending. 

The bigger question is... do you?

Then Jesus said to his host, “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.” (Luke 14:12-14)


If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing. (1 Corinthians 13:3)

a treadmill you can't keep up with

It's been said that what you attract people with is what you have to use to keep them interested, constantly outdoing yourself over and over again with a slightly more twisted variety of the last version you produced.

Kind of like a treadmill you can't keep up with.

Perhaps you've seen this in the world you live in, as something as simple as a lie to get attention can quickly become about telling another lie... and yet another.

My oldest son observed that the "second movie" in a franchise or the "second season" of a television series is often a bit darker than the first. As if the creators need to throw out even more crazy things to get the attention of viewers than before.

That kind of lines up with an intriguing New York Times article I read on Miley Cyrus and her latest career maneuvers.  Maybe you heard about her infamous "strip pole" segment at the Teen Choice Awards some time ago, but that's only scratching the surface.

You might think that it would be worried, overprotective mothers who would rebel against the overt sexualization of the teenage star Miley Cyrus, who became a pop phenomenon as Hannah Montana on the Disney Channel hit show. But no. It’s the young girls who think Ms. Cyrus has gone too far. And many of them are moving on.

[ READ MORE ]

This post isn't really about Miley Cyrus, though.  It's about you and me.

Have you ever considered how much energy you spend trying to keep people impressed and interested in your life?  How much of it is surface level, smoke and mirrors?

How much of it is legitimate because something you're allowing something legitimate to happen in you?

"Summing it all up, friends, I'd say you'll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies." (Philippians 4:8, MSG)

can you do the two-step?

A friend of mine recently shared this: "If you’re one step ahead of your people, you’re a leader, if you’re three steps ahead, you’re a target.”

Let me add to his thought...

If you're perceived to be one step ahead of your people, you're a leader.  If you're not at least one step further in reality, though, you're going to become a target."

It's a tough balance, isn't it?  On one hand, you want to be growing in such a way that you don't say things because you need to sound important but because you've wrestled with important things and actually have something to say.  Otherwise you'll make stuff up to sound useful and end up creating a target on your back because of how it frustrates others.

On the other hand, people don't want to feel looked down on.  I've found that when people find out I'm a pastor they freak out... all sorts of baggage comes to the surface as the say things like, "Oh... yeah... that's cool.  I... um... I have a brother who used to go to church a lot.  And... I like Easter."

Sometimes people aren't so much rejecting you as much as they are their perception of you.

Case in point, there are people in my life whom I've tried to reach out... but rejected it.  For instance, one person thought he "already knew" everything I was going to say in a situation... so why should he listen?  Meanwhile, he kept on asking others for "advice" because he was so "open" and "interested" in what people could tell him about his blind spots.  Argh.

In that situation, it was all about perception.  He felt I had nothing to offer him, or perhaps I would do it in such a way that felt condescending.

I've found that this isn't an issue for truly humble people... they are willing to reach for higher goals than that, finding mentors who are well-schooled in things they are not.  But often due to pride, most people won't do that... they listen to you if they feel you're within an arm's reach of them, but not further.

Even though in reality you'd be be at least one step further down the road... lest you assume a role you shouldn't.

I think the best example of this was Jesus, who being in very nature God chose to humble Himself and take on the nature of a servant.  He was obviously anchored well and yet was so approachable... so able to connect with our needs up close.

Maybe there's a lesson in there.

Thoughts?

the difference

Someone was asking me recently about my "ministry strategy."

My ministry strategy is to please the heart of the Lord.

I know that this comes across as a churchy-answer, making me sound like "one of those" who allegedly don't appreciate or understand goal setting.

Don't quickly label such a response - reconsider how that conclusion it stands up.

To refresh, I'm essentially a Type-B who was saved in a Type-A led church. And so I've learned to use the lessons of the Type-A folks, but a few years ago I discovered that there is a value to letting the Type-B side guide things.

In this matter, it's the difference between asking God to bless your goals and join you in what you're doing, versus asking God what He is blessing and how you can join Him in that.

Consider your prayers - are they more, "Be with me in ______" or "God, how can I be with Your agenda today?"

Do you see the difference? Because I wonder how each of us are or aren't fleshing that out in the everyday conversations we have with the One we call "Lord."

pony up

I spoke with a few folks this past week who need to be reminded of this story:

There are twin boys of five or six. Mom was worried that the boys had developed extreme personalities -- one was a total pessimist, the other a total optimist -- their parents took them to a psychiatrist.

First the psychiatrist treated the pessimist. Trying to brighten his outlook, the psychiatrist took him to a room piled to the ceiling with brand-new toys. But instead of yelping with delight, the little boy burst into tears.

"What's the matter?" the psychiatrist asked, baffled. "Don't you want to play with any of the toys?"

"Yes," the little boy bawled, "but if I did I'd only break them."

Next the psychiatrist treated the optimist. Trying to dampen his out look, the psychiatrist took him to a room piled to the ceiling with horse manure. But instead of wrinkling his nose in disgust, the optimist emitted just the yelp of delight the psychiatrist had been hoping to hear from his brother, the pessimist. Then he clambered to the top of the pile, dropped to his knees, and began gleefully digging out scoop after scoop with his bare hands.

"What do you think you're doing?" the psychiatrist asked, just as baffled
by the optimist as he had been by the pessimist.

"With all this manure," the little boy replied, beaming, "there must be a
pony in here somewhere!"

(a) + (b) = (c)haos

What do you think?

Or rather- how do you think?

The "Type A" and "Type B" personality theory has its origins in the medical field. Specifically, when doctors in the 1950's were trying to describe a pattern of behaviors that were once considered to be a risk factor for coronary heart disease. Since then it's been rethought on that level, and then utilized in every field from marketing to team leadership. In all that tweaking, some categorizations remain that are often used to sum up personalities.

The premise is that "Type A" people mixed with "Type B" people will either become a beautiful thing, or quite chaotic.

"Type A" individuals are often described as list-makers. They "get stuff done" because "stuff needs to get done." Without them, we would have inefficient productivity in business, piles of stuff all around the home, and would never have what we need on trips or emergencies (because they think ahead and keep things stocked). Type A folks keep appointments, can effectively juggle many things at once, can be a dependable "go to" person for big and small matters, and make sure we know how our choices affect the way things are/aren't running.

Some hurdles they face include a temptation to be quite competitive, a struggle to relax when there is work to do, an insensitivity to others, and an excessive awareness of time. A high "Type A" can also become a workaholic who drives themselves to meet deadlines they don't need to meet (but believe they do), causing unnecessary stress for themselves and those around them.

Some Type-A identifier questions:

Am I often wondering, "Should I answer that phone call?"
Can I turn anything into a competition?
Is being seen as a success by other important to me?
Do I get frustrated when people don't do things the "right" way?
When I take part in something, do I find myself counting numbers to see if it was successful?
Am I often looking for the next hill to take?

In contrast, a "Type B" person can often be described as "value-driven." This means they will put the "concept" ahead of the "to do" list, be it making relationships more important than the task, or the integrity of the process over producing a finished product on time. Without them, we wouldn't have the level of art (songs, poems, paintings, etc) in our world for they truly do slow down and perceive life with a unique sensitivity. They also help us value people over things, let loose when we're wound up too tight, and can get a party started and keep it fun for most anyone.

Some obstacles they need to overcome include being too relaxed to be productive, being overly sensitive about others' comments, not wanting to be labeled under any circumstance, and being aloof about permanently correcting behavior that drives others crazy.

Some Type-B identifier questions:

Am I okay with others looking smarter than me?
Do I tend to fly more by the seat of my pants than make formal plans?
Have I found that relaxing comes pretty easy to me?
Do I seem to never have enough time to accomplish my goals?
Am I happy to enjoy the hill I'm on (with as many friends as possible)?

Our nature is to want to be the best of both and never confess the weaknesses of either, but the truth is that you are probably more one of these than you are the other.

In my case, I am a natural Type-B person but a learned Type-A, mainly because I have learned much about God, leadership, and life in Type-A environments. So at times I find myself multi-tasking like a Type-A because "stuff needs to get done," but I am quite careful be sure that the work of God I'm doing does not destroy the work of God in me.

How do you fare on this? If you aren't sure, consider this survey:
http://www.psych.uncc.edu/pagoolka/TypeAB.html

The reason I ask is because you may not be right or wrong in the environment you work, live, or play in... you may simply be different than those around you. Understanding those differences will help bring about the best of both worlds instead of competing for control because one way is "right" over another.