when what's private becomes personal

You're apparently not "supposed" to talk about this, right? 

That is, if you're taking every cue on this from culture.

I'm talking about how you might engage your spiritual health. It's easy to think that because everyone takes a different approach that we're supposed to clap for theirs and hide our own. Other times we may stay quiet because we somehow believe our spiritual journey is a "point-based system" - where we hope your good deeds outweigh our bad deeds, or that our morality ends up better than others - and if we somehow don't "measure up" it's "probably easier" to not talk about it in the first place.

Maybe your soul needs more attention than that?

It's easy to opt for a private faith that we keep hidden from others.

It's healthier to opt for a personal faith that we grow through community with others.

The secret is finding people in life who won't just share opinions or traditions they hope are true, but who are willing to dig deeper and find Truth so they can then become transformed by Truth.

It's kind of odd how in our culture we're so free and eager to make public so many details from our lives. We share opinions through reviews, preferences through posts, and beliefs on... almost.... anything. Over time we've determined that the things that are inherently controversial "shouldn't" be talked about.

Spiritual health must be more than comfort, or else it will never grow nor be accurate.,

I hear a story about a set of trees that were allowed to grow in a bio-dome. Without any force of wind that would occur in a traditional forest, these trees easily fell over because they were never given the external challenge for their roots to deepen. It's a great reminder that we benefit as well by placing ourselves into community with others who will challenge us in love.

So I offer you a handful of ideas on this - each is an action step, which means that you have to decide if you'll do one or just move on from this challenge without taking a step. Yet again, I dare you in this.

By the way - that's another one for my top ten...

6. I don't regret inviting people to reconsider their deepest opinions and beliefs, even if I appeared forward in doing so, because at the end of the day there is a Truth about who we are and we're more than what happens beyond the day we're born and the day we die.

Here are some of the challenges:

• Be Aware: Get out a piece of paper or a journal. Draw a line down the middle of the paper. On the left side, write down 7 things you know are absolutely true... whether they are facts, common sense thinking or things you've come to realize through experience. On the right side, write down 7 things you hope to be absolutely true... whether they are ideals, dreams or more. When you're done, look at your lists and just pause. How and why did your list become what it became? After you write down a few observations, share this with someone else and ask them for their thoughts (and maybe to do the exercise, too).
• Do Compare: It's often claimed in casual conversation that "all religions are the same." Have you ever taken the time to investigate the differences? Is there anything outstanding about one of them when compared with all of them? Try [ this link ]. Look into what some of the overlap may be, as well as what makes each distinct. Likewise, consider what questions any of this raises for you. For example, another claim people make is because there are so many religions that they're either all right or that they're all wrong. Is that true? Wouldn't that be like saying "Because there are so many liquids in the world, they're either all water or none of them are water?" Or might there be an element of water in each one - just as there may be an element of truth in each religion, but maybe one is the actual truest of them all?
• Yes, Share: Lots of people believe different things, but that doesn't mean we can navigate Truth together. [ This ] is an incredible page of ideas (scroll down) of how to speak with different people from different worldviews.

Again, you can opt to keep your faith private and hidden... or you can make it personal and let it grow through community and Truth. I know the temptation to blend in, but I also know the impact of letting something genuine happen in your soul.

I make no apologies for being a Christian (despite having to apologize for my flawed life and the flawed lives of others who have also claimed Christianity). If you want to know more about how I got to this point or what the difference is between religion and relation, email me back.

Take on a challenge above, if not all 3. Looking forward to more of the 2020 Reset with you!

there is no safe investment

We're all afraid of taking a risk and getting snapped in the process.

You're not alone in that.

So we "try" to move forward in belief.

Sometimes it works out. Sometimes we are proven wrong and "never want to do that again."

So we grow protective of taking any risks.

Remember...

Belief, by definition, involves faith.

Faith, by definition, involves a lack of complete knowledge...
but enough facts that you can take a leap forward.

You will be wrong at times, but better to be wrong leaping forward than go nowhere holding back.

"There is no safe investment. To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly be broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket – safe, dark, motionless, airless – it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. The alternative to tragedy, or at least to the risk of tragedy, is damnation. The only place outside Heaven where you can be perfectly safe from all the dangers and perturbations of love is Hell.” ― C.S. Lewis, The Four Loves

Waiting around for this world to be heaven without doing something about it only makes this world that much more a hell.

Don’t sit there watching the wind. Do your own work.Don’t stare at the clouds. Get on with your life. Just as you’ll never understand the mystery of life forming in a pregnant woman,So you’ll never understand the mystery at work in all that God does. Go to work in the morning and stick to it until evening without watching the clock.You never know from moment to moment how your work will turn out in the end. (Ecclesiastes 3:4-6, MSG)

tomorrow's going to be a great day

I literally just put my ten-year old son to bed. 

He's turning eleven tomorrow, but doesn't know anything about how we're going to celebrate. Still, for some odd reason, he offered these words:

"You know what I think? Tomorrow's going to be a great day."

I paused, then replied, "I think so, too."

Between the two of us, I'm the only one who knows what will be happening. As his father, I'm not only privy to the details but will be resourcing its goodness.

What he has is an open trust... a faith, if you will. He's taken what he does know - the character of his father and family - and let that feed into the unknown of however the day will play out. He went to bed content with his nightlight, oozing childlike faith and the unlit mystery front of him.

I wanted to share that with you.

I don't know what your thought is on the "tomorrow" in front of you. Maybe it's positive, or maybe it's negative. To borrow a concept from my message at Connection Church this past Sunday, "It doesn't matter if the glass is half-empty or half-full. Be thankful that you have a glass and grateful that there's something in it."

I likewise don't know who will be reading this. Still, I'm writing it and generally praying for you as I do.

Your Father and His family care about your "tomorrow" and your "today." Jesus did warn us that we will face trouble in this world, but He also promised that He'd be with us and within us each day. Hug your Father tonight (or whenever you read this) and give Him some trust... a faith, if you will.

As your Father, He's not only privy to the details but will be resourcing its goodness. 

You know what I think? Tomorrow's going to be a great day.

"Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” (Luke 18:17)

P.S. I hear rumors in the cyber-world about "Giving Tuesday." Someone out there thought up the idea that since everyone spent the past several days shopping for stuff, "Why not make the Tuesday that follows a time of supporting your favorite charitable cause beyond the norm?"

A global celebration of a new tradition of generosity. You don't need to just do it on Tuesday either.

If you're looking for something to support, I can think of an amazing movement called "Connection Church" where we care about the lives and eternities of people locally and globally. We're making a real difference, but there are real financial gaps that can really hold us back. You'll find a link directly below if that's on your radar. The investment we're making together lasts way longer than an iThing, new toy or winter coat.

Thank you in advance!

what you fear, and what you have faith in

Touch.

It's either something you crave or something you avoid (usually depending on the circumstances).

The news has been relentless the past couple of days regarding "Ebola" coverage. There have been moments of clarity and perspective, but most of the news almost seems to be poised to get you to keep watching the news. "We're going to tell you something else to freak out about, right after the commercial. Then later, something even worse. Keep watching."

All of this has likely led you to recognize what you fear, and what you have faith in.

Fear and faith are two extreme reactions, almost the exact opposite of each other: fear believes the absolute worst can happen, while faith believes the absolute best can happen.

What should a loving Christian to do? Shall we continue to extend care and embrace all we come in contact with... just as Jesus would? Is this a time for revival - for boldly reaching out to others and helping them know the assurance of God, heaven and eternity? What about how we live?

A friend of mine wrote this:

"Jesus didn't seem to teach His disciples to be cautious of anything that may threaten their own health/life. People’s eternal health is far greater than their/our earthly health, and if we need to step into the forbidden zone to present the Gospel of hope, then we do so with complete trust in God. I don’t think Jesus touching those with leprosy and healing them was only to display His power, but to also show his disciples how far the term “neighbor” extends. (I wonder how long it took for His disciples to shake His hand after those encounters…)"

Yes, we still live in the world - but, no... we are ultimately not bound to its current state. There is some wisdom in wondering ahead of the curve how we might need to prepare in advance for things taking a turn for the worse. However, we do need to determine if we will do so in advance panic or in advance assurance. God gave you emotions for a reason... to process things, expressing joy over things worth praising most, and expressing tears as you break over what matters most.

So... what matters most?

God doesn't need you to have enough faith to do it all... but to have enough to take the first step.

• A word: Speak a blessing into another person. There's always something they could be doing better... how about telling that person what he/she is doing right?
• A look: Put your phone down. Close your laptop. Take the bluetooth off. Quit looking at your watch. Let another person know you're really, really paying attention and that you don't have to scooch along. Give yourself a half hour to "waste" by lingering with others around you.
• A touch: It could be an appropriately-placed hand on someone's shoulder. It might be an extra few seconds hugging a family member. It might be making space for your neighbors in your mini-van after inviting them to play paintball this weekend. It could be a God-honoring kiss, praising Him as you share affection with your affection. You'll know the moment as it presents itself... if you pay attention.

Is this finally the time for you and I to become imitators of Jesus... carriers of real hope and assurance... into the lives of neighbors, co-workers, friends and family?

Can we make some news, instead of merely watch the news?

"God did powerful things through Paul, things quite out of the ordinary. The word got around and people started taking pieces of clothing—handkerchiefs and scarves and the like—that had touched Paul’s skin and then touching the sick with them. The touch did it—they were healed and whole." (Acts 19:11-12, The Message)